Fennel Fritters
1 bulb cooked fennel (braised in 1/4 liter stock, plus oil)
Orange peel
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons flour
Nutmeg
Cloves
Cinnamon
Cook in a layer of oil in a hot pan, pouring as for small pancakes.
Brown both sides, move to paper towels on a plate.
Holidays in France bring all sorts of interesting foods to the grocery store! I have a grand feast all set for tonight, and decided to try an experiment! It smelled so good, we had a little before dinner 😊😋
Blueberry Crisp
For a small dish:
Filling:
3 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Peel from half a clementine, julienned and chopped
1 tablespoon triple sec
Topping:
1/4 (+) cup all-purpose flour
1/2 (-) cup old-fashioned oats
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Drizzle of olive oil to moisten
Spread over filling, and bake at 175C (350F) for 40-50 minutes.
~~~
This was *delicious!"
~~~
Notes:
Reduce the sugar in the filling to half
Orange peel and triple sec were excellent changes
Brown sugar is definitely better than white
This was too much for my 4 small ramekins
One big thing for us about travel is the chance to try different flavors, and to have a lot of iconic flavors that we knew, but are hard to find elsewhere! So, in no particular order, here are some...
Rioja - a full bodied red wine - the ones we have been trying are usually made with tempranillo and garnacha grapes. We've had this before, but here there are a lot of choices right in the supermarket. Naturally, with all those choices of grapes and location, you can't count on a consistent taste. Here are three from the supermarket - we liked the one on the left the best. The right one wasn't great. Note that they're all Reserved...
Black beans - interestingly, the package uses "alubias" instead of "frijoles" - we fell in love with these in Costa Rica, and have had a hard time finding them in France. I know what is going into our suitcase on the way home!
Pimentón - aka, paprika - it's everywhere in Spain, and used as commonly as salt! I've added more and more of the "spicy" style, but it takes a lot for some zing. The "sweet" version is a bit smokey.
Iberian ham - oh, yum! You see huge haunches of cured ham hanging from hooks all over! There's a type of pork here that is prized for it's ham - Ibérico Bellota (specifically, blackfoot hogs fed on acorns in the dehesa area) - but of course the rest of the hog is super flavorful as well. On the way to Córdoba, we stopped for lunch - I had a pork (Ibérico Bellota) sirloin, and Rick had carrillera (pork cheek stew); both were fantastic!
Speaking of pork, the meat aisle of the grocery store shows just how much it's a part of the regular diet here - there are pork meatballs (tried it; too much like sausage for me), and the burger patties and ground meat often have pork mixed in with the beef.
Serranito - it's a hot sandwich, and very popular in Sevilla for a fast lunch. Ours (we split one, and shared a few tapas as well) had tomato, grilled chicken, roasted green chile (not spicy), and cured ham (Serrano perhaps?). Definitely something I'd do at home!
Montaditos - half-size hot sandwiches, these are common tapas fare. In general, we thought these were ok, but not very flavorful. By our last week in Sevilla, we were awfully tired of them (and all the potatoes that often come along for the ride).
Córdoba specialities (we didn't try all of them) include FlamenquÃn, Salmorejo (cold tomato soup), oxtail stew, and fried eggplant with honey (it's very sweet)
Paëlla - it's hard to make a really bad paëlla, but at the same time, it's not easy to find a perfect one! There's always something that is not exactly right - too fishy, tough meat, no zing... We do keep trying!
This "Mixtas" one in Málaga (La Bougainvillea) was *great*!
Tamales - NO?!?! I knew from my Spanish conversation group that tamales were not a thing in Spain, but I hoped the masa would be available. All I could find was corn flour (not the kind I use for tortillas though). I'm still looking...
Fruit! - Spain is known for it's oranges and strawberries, but we were pleasantly surprised to also find blueberries!
Olives - of course!
Licor de Guindas - what else do you do with fruit? Make a digestive, of course! This is from cherries, but with an anise base 😋 - we first had it as a complimentary after-dinner drink in Sevilla.
~~~
Of course, it's not all Spanish flavors; we also found a fantastic Indian restaurant (Masala in Mijas), a nice kebab take-out (Harina in Sevilla), and pretty good Chinese delivery (Ming in Sevilla) 🙂😋😋
Then! In Sevilla, we went to Al Wadi (wadi is a usually-dry river valley) - oh wow, that was good! We had chicken beriani and lamb tajien (tagine). And decided to go again!
Q: And where does pizza fit in? A: Everywhere! We first discovered Del Poble Pizzeria in Valencia - they do a great series of lactose-free pizzas; they also have restaurants in Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, and Barcelona!
~~~
An amazing thing here - many restaurants we've been to have menus with common allergens clearly marked! It makes it so much easier to scan for what's possible...
Guess what?!? It's asparagus *and* strawberry season in Spain! When we arrived in Sevilla, we checked in and made a grocery run - it was a small store, but it had what we needed 🙂
We went out for tapas out first night, but then...
Strawberry Chicken
In a covered pan, on high heat, cook chopped asparagus in water, oil, salt, basil for 2-3 minutes.
Then add 2 slices of chicken breast, lightly sprinkle with chipotle, and cook for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be just done, and the asparagus slightly crunchy.
Move the chicken (and any asparagus that sticks to it) to plates, and keep warm. I slice it at this point.
Scoop cooked rice* and chopped strawberries into the pan, cover, and cook till warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Add the strawberry rice to the chicken and serve.
~~~
* You can find a *great* whole-grain round rice here - it's fantastic!
The first time I made chicken meatballs, it was an act of desperation - I had tough chicken, and didn't know what else to do (here's how it started). I never thought I'd make it again, but it turned out to be a hit! It was messy to make, but once frozen, it made lunches and dinners a snap! I kept modifying it, and finally decided I had changed it so much, it had to be captured 🙂
It's now about half chicken and half veggies. Here's what the veggies look like...
Chicken Meatballs
In a food processor, "chop" very fine:
2 small onions
1 small zucchini
5-6 medium carrots
Double-handful of celery leaves
Move to a large bowl
Mince (chop in food processor) 5 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) - best to do this in 2 batches.
Mix in:
1 large egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together - it will be a *huge* bowl
Form into small, slightly flattened meatballs, and freeze in a pan on layers of plastic wrap. Once frozen, transfer to a container to store.
For immediate consumption, pan-fry on high. When browned, flip and brown the other side.
~~~
The Norwegian option: add ginger and nutmeg to some of the mixture. Serve with gravy and lingonberry jam (cranberry sauce will do in a pinch).
~~~
This made 80 small meatballs, plus a few bigger ones 😉.
The really big ones can replace hamburger patties. Others are good in curry, stew, stir fry, spaghetti, wraps... It seems to work better to add the spices when cooking rather than when mixing.
~~~
December 2022 supermarket max-pack price for chicken - 2.5kg for 30€ ($5.60/lb). Things are getting expensive!
~~~
For a smaller batch, use:
1 small onion
1/2 to 1 small zucchini
1-2 medium carrots
small handful of celery leaves
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 egg
dash of salt
What's the best part of early winter in France? Why, the FOOD, of course! Building up to Christmas and the New Year, stores are *full* of interesting choices! There are complete aisles dedicated to foie gras, more for chocolates, another case full of giant birds! And the special whiskies and champagnes arrive! There's just no other time of year to fully appreciate the French specialities cooked at home.
Tonight being the Winter Solstice, we decided to go all out 😀
I found this pre-stuffed bird - different mushrooms, no lactose... I'm cooking it with carrots.
And! Asparagus (from Peru, just so we can celebrate ahead of Spring!)! Baked potatoes, and mushrooms on the side.
All accompanied by Champagne and Picpoul de Pinet 😋😋😋
(I tell a secret - we didn't get to the Picpoul this time)
I saw this* recipe by my e-friend, Francesco Strazzanti, and *had* to try it!
(https://youtu.be/YrwrYr5rJ8w)
~~~
* as usual, I had to modify it just a bit 😒... I used 2 mandarins instead of the Sicilian orange, and a shallot instead of the red onion.
The other day I walked past a fruit stand, and a pineapple caught my eye - it was from Costa Rica! Well, of course I had to get it! But then what?
This!
Pineapple Sauce
1/2 cup Pineapple
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Thyme
Cloves, 1-2 taps
Cayenne, 1 tap
1/4 tsp Salt
At end, stir in and simmer to thicken
1 tsp Cornstarch in a slurry
~~~
Very good with:
Cod - simmer covered, 5 minutes, then remove and stir in cornstarch slurry
Green beans - cooked separately for nice color
Rice
** Don't do what I did! My first try at the sauce, I wasn't paying attention, and I burned it 🙄 - smoke everywhere, and there was just no saving it. I started over...
I have wanted to add some fermented foods to our diet for a while now, but almost everything I've seen in that category is something we either can't have (yogurt, kefir) or already know we don't much like (kimchi, vinegar-anything). Well, tempeh was something new to try! I found a package in the Bio store in the next town, and found this recipe (which, as usual, I had to modify a bit)...
Teriyaki Broccoli Tempeh
200 grams Tempeh, 1/4 inch strips (marinate)
1 Onion, chopped
2/3 lb Broccoli, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, pressed
Olive oil
Cooked rice
Mix Sauce, and marinate tempeh overnight in the fridge:
1/4 cup Soy sauce
1/2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS Molasses
2 cloves Garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 TBS Oil
~~~
Brown tempeh in oil on medium, 3-4 minutes per side.
Add sauce, stir to coat
Add broccoli, onion, garlic.
I added some extra teriyaki sauce (bottled)
Cook and stir occasionally for 10 minutes
Serve over brown rice
~~~
It was pretty good, but not something I would go out of my way to make (unless eating tempeh regularly becomes important). Also, it was very filling! 100 grams is a lot for a serving - that's what a steak haché (hamburger) size is here, which is fairly small by American standards, but I guess tempeh is denser...
This was based on:
https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/teriyaki-tempeh-and-broccoli/
The other day, I bought my usual max-pack of chicken breasts (2.5 kg). I froze some, poached a couple for lunch meat, and set aside several more for dinner and apéros.
Well, it's a good thing that we tried the lunch meat first, because it was tough as an old bird! This is so unusual here, it threw me! There was no way I could serve this batch of chicken for apéros (I was planning on my chicken nuggets), and we struggled to think of what to do with the already cooked stuff (besides throwing it out 🙄). I finally just chopped it up fine - we tried it in wraps and quesadillas, but even that was not completely pleasant. I will probably put the rest in the freezer, and use it a bit at a time in soups or casseroles.
For the rest? I asked for help in a cooking group, and got some great ideas - soups, enchiladas, slicing it fine, marinading, pounding flat for roll-ups...
I don't have a pressure cooker, meat grinder, or tenderizer. But we had talked about getting a mini food processor for Rick to use when I'm away, and I wondered if that could work for the meat... I ended up buying a mid-range one, and I tried it out today - with good results!
 |
| Lunch - chicken meatballs, ~fried rice |
I decided to try the grater, with a fall-back to the chopper. It worked! I ended up throwing out about a quarter cup of connective tissue at the end. Here's the rest
I cooked some chopped onion and green beans in the leftover oil, then added some precooked brown rice - it made a delicious pseudo fried rice, and a perfect lunch!
The food processor is certainly messy; that's the main reason we didn't have one till now. But it saved our bacon (or rather, our chicken) this time, and will let us prep food without too much chopping by hand. And that's what we need 🙂
Here's the Bluefin Tuna* Steak dinner we had tonight - it was yummy!
Marinated in white wine, crushed garlic, ginger, and thyme. Mine was seared 90 seconds on one side, 60 seconds on the other. Rick's was seared, then simmered in the marinade along with the green beans. Served with caramelized onion, brown rice, and some chopped mango.
The wine made the green beans a little ugly, but they tasted good...
*This is Thon Rouge in France.
I had some pretty ripe bananas that I threw into the freezer before one of our trips this Summer, and finally thought of what to do with them!
Our usual process when things like this happen:
Me - these things are taking up too much freezer space, but I don't know what to do with them! Banana bread?
Rick - well, I'm not a fan of banana bread. How about frying them, like maduro?
Me - hmmm! Yeah!
Me - hmmm. This thawed banana is awfully squishy...
Dashes of:
- salt
- coriander
- chipotle
- ground cloves
- ground ginger
Rick - mmm! This is good!
🙂
I took a crack at Norwegian Meatballs - they came out pretty good!
I started with this recipe - https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/food-and-drink/the-norwegian-cookbook/meatballs/
But had to modify it a bit - I think I'll try it again when I'm home, and have more of the right ingredients.
I used:
I guess I modified it a *lot!*
Anyway, it was yummy!
Here are the meatballs getting browned
I've had good luck in the past with modifying oven recipes for the stovetop, so today I decided to try this one! This Stuffed Pork Loin Roast has eight servings; I am aiming for just two. I even have figs from the marché yesterday, and some chopped hot chiles in the freezer!
Stovetop "Stuffed" Pork
In a pan on very low heat, add:
Red wine
Broth
Dash of ground cloves
2 slices of pork
Cover and cook till tender, 1-2 hours (add more liquid if needed)
Remove pork and shred with 2 forks.
Cook in olive oil:
1 tsp chopped bacon (allumettes fumées)
1 tsp onion, finely chopped
Add, and cook till golden, ~5 minutes:
1 tsp chopped unsalted nuts
Remove from heat and stir in:
The cooked pork
1-2 chopped figs
1/4 tsp hot chile, finely sliced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp chopped fresh herb (I used frozen celery leaves)
pinch of dried thyme
Spread the mixture in a pan, drizzle with a glaze:
Orange marmalade
Powdered ginger
Olive oil
Cook without stirring on high heat, uncovered, until glaze bubbles and the bottom is lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.
~~~
This was great, but a little sweet. Next time, I would leave off the glaze, and add some orange peel.
~~~
UPDATE: I made this again, with these changes (it worked!)
- slow-cooked pork in red wine and broth with thyme
- added chopped green beans to the onion and allumettes
- frozen fruit (fruits rouges) instead of figs
- chipotle instead of chili
- dried basil instead of celery
- instead of removing from heat, I added everything together, including the ginger and just 2 tsp marmelade. I cooked it till it bubbled and browned.
Tonight's dinner brought to you by the Marché !
In a hot non-stick pan, cook a handful of cleaned chopped girolles (chanterelles - mushrooms). Don't move them around until the liquid has evaporated.
Stir in some olive oil and salt.
Add 2 cloves of garlic, sliced into roundels. Stir and cook until browned, then remove from the pan.
Add to the pan:
A double handful of chopped green beans
Water to cover
A pinch of dried thyme
Salt
Cook until slightly crunchy, covering as needed.
Boil off any remaining water, then add olive oil and the cooked mushrooms and garlic.
Cook and stir a couple of minutes more, then serve.
~~~
We had this with the tielle I got at the market!
Hmmm... A savory side dish for dinner... Potatoes? No! These are actually chunks of...*
Savory Melon!
In a hot pan, stir in:
olive oil
ground cloves
ground ginger
Then toss in chunks of yellow melon, cover, and let brown. Turn the melon, and repeat.
Then add a tsp of honey, swirl it around, and turn off the heat.
I served this with green beans cooked ~4 minutes in oil, water, salt, and thyme, with precooked pork stirred in at the end.
~~~
*I wasn't sold on the idea, but Rick thought it would be good (he was right!)
I hadn't thought of what to do for dinner until it was too late to cook the long version of polenta, so I thought I'd try an experiment - it worked!
Polenta (relatively quick version)
Combine in a pot, cover, and let soak 1 hour:
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup polenta
1/2 tsp salt
Heat to boiling, stirring periodically.
Reduce heat to very low. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Add hot water as necessary, to keep polenta soft enough to stir. Almost certainly, the bottom will stick. Don't worry about that; consider it a tax.
Taste for texture and flavor. Grains should be swollen and smooth. Add salt if needed (I did not). Cook longer if needed (I did not).
Spoon the polenta into a hot pan with a thin layer of a neutral oil. It will splatter. Brown each side, using 2 spoons to flip/fold the polenta. Don't turn it too soon (check an edge for browning). Ideally, you will get a light golden brown chewy crust. If this doesn't happen, don't worry too much - the flavor will still be better than not frying.
~~~
With asparagus chicken in vermouth sauce:
In a pan, combine:
10 spears of asparagus, chopped to ~1/3 inch
splash of olive oil
splash of water
dash of nutmeg
1 TBS dried thyme
1-2 TBS allumettes fumées (finely chopped bacon)
When polenta has ~10 minutes left to cook, turn on pan to high, and cover. Cook until liquid is gone, then splash with
vermouth
add:
1 precooked, chopped chicken breast*
2 TBS precooked mushrooms**
Stir, cover, and turn off the heat.
~~~
Serves 2 - divide fried polenta and asparagus chicken between two plates, pouring the vermouth sauce over the polenta.
~~~
~~~
* I like to keep this poached chicken around: in a 3 quart pot, add 2 quarts water and 2 TBS salt. Add 2-3 chicken breasts. Bring to a very low boil (steam, tiny bubbles barely breaking), then cover and turn off the heat. Leave for 30 minutes (40 minutes if the chicken is frozen). Remove to a cutting board and let cool ~10 minutes. Chop, slice, or leave whole, and refrigerate.
** Chop mushrooms, then add to a hot pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until water releases, then stir and cook until browned. Store in refrigerator, and use as needed.
Well, we couldn't wait - had some cherries *before* dinner (then strawberries after LOL).
My plate, with the escaping pea. I'll never have a good photo - I always cut up my food first 🙄 - anyway, it was delicious!
The season for peas is so short, I forget from one year to the next what worked.
What didn't work this time - I think the peas were a little too mature, and I undercooked them (salted boiling water, add peas, cover, lower heat, cook about 2 minutes, till they all float) - still, better than overcooked! Hopefully I'll be able to try again next week...
 |
| Couscous, peas, roast suckling pig |
Savory Peach Sauce
Toast in olive oil:
10-20 chopped blanched almonds
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Reserve half. To the other half, add:
Olive oil
1 cup chopped peaches
Basil
Allspice
Salt to taste
Cook on medium high heat, browning the peaches. Add water as needed to deglaze. Mash the fruit and serve over chicken.
Use the reserved nut and garlic mixture to flavor the chicken of those who don't like peaches.
Valentine's Day apéritif
Champagne, strawberries, foie gras, cured duck, baguette...
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