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Sunday, December 23, 2012

getting along with country lunch

a few days before xmas ..lets play it simple!
but still it has to be gooey...
so this is the result of a top  sicilian
sausage which was lurking in the freezer..
an old recipe that I have wanted to try for the past
twenty years and grapes in the market..
I will show you the result but go to my children's
blog: its-my-treat for the recipe..
try it it's a winner and no hassle....

top quality sausages olive oil and fresh grapes!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

aglio olio with a twist

I just came back from Argentina jet lagged and cooked this delicious pasta which can revive
anybody , there is a trick to it that I learned from my daughter clo..





  1. one or two sliced garlic pods
  2. a bunch of parsley
  3. a tea spoon of dry chile or a whole fresh one
  4. top quality olive oil
  5. spaghetti or any long pasta
  6. two egg yolks
  7. two table spoons of tomato concentrate
fry first the garlic and chile in olive oil , then add the parsley and when it gets crispy wet with
a ladle of the water in witch the pasta is cooking . And then mix with your pasta al dente...
Ah but there is a twist which will change and improve the dish...
mix two egg yolks with two spoons of concentrated tomato paste,add some pasta water mix all together...this is a GREAT pasta..no need for parmesan if you are a purist..my husband is not!!!!

eggs and tomato paste


ready to serve!
For this recipe I did not use spaghetti but linguine actually it's up to you..be always ready to improvise...

Citrus fruits in BA

In Buenos aires it is the time of jacaranda trees in flowers...the city is blue
spring warms the streets and freshly squeezed orange juice from street
sellers is on...


It's also the season of the marvellous small lemons



I had so many I decided to give it a try and keep them with salt as in north Africa.
you just need a good knife,coarse salt and boiling water...


Cut the lemons crosswise , stuff with half a teaspoon of coarse salt. Pile them in a glass sterilized jar
cover with boiled water  add a teaspoon of coarse salt, screw the top , keep in a dark cupboard and dont use before two months.
This can flavor chicken or whatever you fancy...



Sunday, November 25, 2012

a yearly treat..white truffles

the white truffle season starts more or less in october and is finished by xmas..
there is no way for me to describe the aroma...it's probably the best drug in the world
and also the most expensive...
but once a year we break the piggy bank and go for it!!!!


a wonderful steak tartare with truffles
Pasta with a poached egg and a blanket of truffles


 We had this treat at the wonderful auberge du chateau in Nyon Switzerland...and thought we were in Alba...


Monday, November 19, 2012

orechiette with cima di rape


In Switzerland we are very lucky with the local markets , they sell
a lot of italian products...now is the season of "cima di rape" , it's
a sort of tamed wild broccoli..you can do this recipe with broccoli
but the cima di rape is more savory...
this is a recipe from puglia where I can only wish to go back..It is a 
marvelous area in southern Italy with brilliant food....




fresh from the market

this is a must!

Chop the cima di rape
leaves and stems , bring water and salt to the boil
throw in the cima di rape , when the water starts
boiling again add a table spoon of bicarbonate
this will keep the beautiful green color of
the vegetables when cooked but crunchy , drain them
 and keep the green broth to cook the pasta.


INGREDIENTS
serves two

  1. a bouquet of cima di rape
  2. one garlic clove peeled and sliced
  3. chile flakes
  4. three anchovies in oil
  5. olive oil
  6. half a pack of orecchiette
  7. sodium bicarbonate
  8. parmesan
  9. coarse salt


when it's cool squeeze the extra water out



keep the water after you cooked the cima di rape it makes a wonderful gren broth for the orechiette...






Fry the garlic , the anchovies , some chile flakes
 in olive oil .
when the garlic takes a nice golden color and the
anchovies have melted add the broccoli and
cook a few minutes .





 put half of the amount of cima di
rape in a bowl and mash it , then add it
to the remaining casserole.


Cook the orecchiette as instructed  in the green broth.
drain them and add them to the sauce.
simmer a few minutes with parmesan cheese..
It's ready!






Sunday, November 11, 2012

my waterzoi


When I had waterzoi for the first time at the house of my belgian friend Flo 
who happens to be a fantastic cook , she told me that one can add/subtract
most ingredients , after all it is poached chicken or fish with different
vegetables and herbs served in a thickened broth
 with egg yolk , lemon and cream...


first  immerse a chicken in cold water then bring to the boil.
add one carrot , one parsnip , one onion , one leek ,six 
chopped lemongrass sticks, a tea spoon of chili flakes,coarse salt and simmer for an hour.
let it cool , skin and bone the chicken , keep the vegetables
for a soup , the dog , the chickens , a friend....
If you do this dish a day in advance put the chicken and the broth
in a big bowl in the fridge , the next morning the grease will have 
risen to the surface and you can just scoop it out..
If not strain the broth through a thick cotton cloth 
( I use old sheets teared up..).



nice poached yellow chicken from the south west in France
straining the broth...
always do it in the sink , it's easier to clean !

prepare the chicken
I like to use mini vegetables because they look so pretty
coriander


use always the freshest of farm eggs







The following list is really up to you , feel free to use any vegetables you care for..
turnips , leeks , brussel sprouts , celeriac , potatoes...
I used lemongrass sticks in the broth and coriander leaves to garnish..but you can 
flavour your broth with cloves and bay leaves and scatter parsley or tarragon
on the dish...

INGREDIENTS
serves 6

  1. one or two table spoons of butter
  2. twelve small carrots
  3. twelve small "marows"
  4. six small courgettes
  5. a handfull of tiny asparagus
  6. a big bunch of coriander
  7. three egg yolks 
  8. juice of two lemons
  9. one cup of light cream
  10. salt and pepper 
  11. broth 
  12. poached chicken





saute the vegetables in the butter for about five minutes, add enough broth to cover , simmer for ten minutes add the chicken and keep on very low heat.
mix with a wooden spoon the egg yolks with the lemon , and the cream add slowly a ladle of broth
mix gently and add to the dish.
Do not bring to the boil , reheat gently ,scatter the coriander add some pepper and serve .

















my garden borlotti


                                   INGREDIENTS
  1. half a kilo of fresh borlotti beans 
  2. two big garlic cloves unpeeled
  3. three fresh sage leaves
  4. olive oil
  5. rice vinegar
  6. chopped parsley
  7. coarse salt and pepper                                 
    Well with the horrid weather I had to cook my borlottis with my lamb...
Every year I grow borlotti beans in my garden..they mature in september and I always keep bags of them in the freezer to add to vegetable soups in the winter , or cook them the italian way...



In a thick cocotte , cover the beans with cold water , add the garlic, the sage and coarse salt , bring to the boil and then simmer about an hour until the beans are cooked but not mushy ..
discard the sage and the garlic .

put in a bowl a ladle of beans and the same amount of cooking liquid , a table spoon of vinegar, a dash of pepper and olive oil .
mash with a plunging mixer or by hand.
mix the puree with the beans , cook for another fifteen minutes , if the mix is too thick add a little hot water , scatter the parsley on top and serve.

leg of lamb with anchovies

In the old days instead of salt anchovies were used , it was something I always wanted to try..
so this morning ,saturday being awful , speedy the dog refused to go out even with his brand new raincoat bought in NY..after all he is a very old dog with old bones and should be pampered but helas no success...
it was so horrible , that , as I had in the fridge a beautiful leg of lamb from the "pays basque" bought in the best butcher of geneva ( boucherie du molard the cartier of meats) I decided to indulge , got on the net to find out about anchovies and lamb and made my own invention , actually the recipe is for four , but between my husband and myself the dog just got a few scrapes.


zesting , slicing ,preparing and cooking
  1.  INGREDIENTS
  1. a smallish leg of lamb
  2. rosemary
  3.  two garlic heads
  4. three anchovies in oil
  5. half a lemon zest
  6. olive oil
  7. fresh grounded pepper 
with a sharp knife slice five holes in the meat
slip into each hole
 two spikes of rosemary,a slice of garlic and a small piece of anchovy
preheat the oven to 200° .
set the meat in an oven proof dish with a dash of olive oil,a few twists of pepper mill,
scatter on top the lemon zest,
surround it with whole garlic cloves and extra rosemary .
bake as long as you wish , we like our lamb very cooked (one hour and a half) ,
some prefer it pink....
add a glass of hot water scrape the dish with a wooden spoon and tuck in.

We served this with borlotti beans and the pureed garlic cloves.


Sunday, November 4, 2012

italian wedding brunch

great brunch from twelve onwards...
we got there late , the wedding was still going
in the morning in front of a great sunrise..

Veal " tonné "
Zucchini and tomato salad
grilled peperoni
fantastic cheeses
delicious poached salmon
green mayonnaise




and plenty of late summer fruit...

Friday, November 2, 2012

Costiera cod

Wonderful Maite was over generous this summer and brought me salted cod (baccala) from Spain. In august I cooked it "à la française" and did an aïoli just poached with lots of boiled vegetables and a garlic maionaise which is a perfect summer dish...

GRAND AIOLI
this time I did a "costiera cod" from Amalfi .                                                                       

beautiful spanish packaging what a treat!




INGREDIENTS
serves 8
  1. four pounds of salted cod
  2. two cans of chickpeas
  3. two chopped medium onions
  4. four garlic cloves sliced in two
  5. one big spoon of dried oregano 
  6. two big spoons of tomato paste
  7. two pints of tomato sauce (plain)
  8. a big glass of white wine (dry)
  9. half a cup of small capers
  10. a cup of chopped parsley
  11. hot chili flakes
  12. olive oil


got to desalt for 48 hours


poach the whole fillets for five minutes in boiling water then drain .

as far as the ingredients are concerned , I think one should use as much olive oil and chile flakes as one feels...
I usually use italian capers kept in salt which have to be rinsed.
this recipe does not need salt because of the cod.


Heat a big cocotte add olive oil , when it sizzles add the onion , the garlic , oregano , and chili flakes.
cook turning occasionally with a wooden spoon until the onion begins to brown.
then pour the wine in and let it boil until reduced by half.
mix in the tomato paste , tomato sauce and capers. Simmer covered about 15 minutes.
in the mean time skin and debone the cod , cut it in two inches pieces or flake it.
add the cod and the chickpeas to the cocotte.
all this can be prepared in advance , just sprinkle with parsley before serving.














I served "costiera cod" with cooked polenta topped with breadcrumbs popped ten minutes under the grill..
mmm...!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

From russia with love

Went to Russia for a wedding
Liters of  beluga vodka and great food



shopping at the glum
lovely glasses of pickled vodka
great mushrooms in a cassolette of dried pastry....!
loved all about Moscow...

Friday, October 26, 2012

Italian Wedding

best looking party...

VIVA ITALIA!


  •  "tout ce que vous voyez je le dois aux spaghettis"
sophia loren

apples galore

TATIN WITHOUT PASTRY

ingredients
coring and peeling
first layer and nutmeg grinder
ready to jump in the oven

even speedy is fed up with apples...

"an apple a day keeps the doctor away"

Of course it's september and we have too many apples..not enough to make our own cider , too much for the house and as we live in switzerland all our friends have the same problem....so what about an apple pie  with masses of apples !?
I had a marvelous apple pie in a lovely restaurant near Angers , chez Michel Trama in Puymirol he is a wonderful chef ...we try and go at least once a year when we drive through France on the small roads in the summer.
he said his recipe dates from the middle ages , I found a recipe in the same spirit in a divine cookbook , by Nathalie Hambro : visual delights . Here is my own version.
the wonderful news about this recipe . no flour , just a dash of butter and sugar...
LIGHT!!!!! and YUMMY!!!!!the tarte tatin that keeps you SLIM!!!!!

ingredients

2 kilos of apples
80grs of grapes
80grs of cranberries
a tablespoon of caster sugar
a tablespoon of butter
grated nutmeg



preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C
line a cake tin (26cm) with greaseproof paper 
peel and core the apples , cut them in thin slices .
the slices are layered in the tin , every other layer
scatter  a tiny bit of sugar , some mixed grapes and cranberries,grated nutmeg and a dash of butter .

bake the tart for three hours and halfway through 
cover loosely with foil.
let it cool in the oven for about an hour , invert
 it on a dish  and serve at room temperature with
 low fat yoghurt or double cream!!!!




NB
I love nutmeg if you hate it you can replace it with powdered cinnamon or vanilla.
It will take you between 30 to 45mns to prepare...depending on how fast you are at coring peeling and slicing the apples...
I am not particular about the type of apples as long as they are not acid. 


tuck in!