Potage au legumes d'hiver rotis

This is a nice roasted vegetable soup inspired by this Pret a Manger recipe. It takes bit longer to make but if you are like me and make one soup every week, the taste of the roasted veggies is a welcome change. I followed the recipe but made some changes to the vegetables ratios in order to use up what I had. I also used chicken stock and water instead of 900ml of vegetable stock.

Judith est partie hier. On a passe une belle soiree a parler sans arret, en commencant par le Well suivi d'un souper chez Pho et en terminant par un un bourbon - ok, on aurait du prendre un scotch mais... le bourbon est plus exotique ici!)

Apres son depart, juste avant le souper du lendemain, je me suis vite remise a la realite: on demenage dans 10 jours et j'ai a peu pres 14 kilos de legumes (le fameux panier bio anglais) dans le frigo. Ajoutez a ca le fait qu'un collegue/ami de D avait ses "promotion drinks" ce soir la et devinez ce que j'ai fait? J'ai fait de la soupe!

J'ai tire mon inspiration de cette recette de la chaine Pret a Manger que j'ai modifiee un peu. C'est un peu plus long qu'un potage ordinaire, mais quand on en fait un par semaine, les legumes rotis amenent un peu de variete - et c'est bon!! Pour un super diner, servir avec une demi-baguette au chevre accompagnee d'un confir d'onions.

Notez que vous pouvez evidemment varier les types et proportions de legumes a l'infini, selon ce que vous avez.

Donne environ 4 portions.

2 panais, peles et coupes grossierement

1/2 celeri-rave moyen, pele et coupe grossierement
3 carrottes, pelees et coupees grossierement
1/4 de navet, pele et coupe grossierement
2 pommes de terre moyennes, pelees et coupees grossierement
3 c.table d'huile d'olive
1 onion de taille moyenne, en des
2 c.table de beurre
1 litre de bouillon de legumes - j'ai pris du bouillon de poulet "arrondi" avec de l'eau, a peu pres 2/3 - 1/3
sel et poivre
1/2 c. the de sauge
romarin au gout (1 c. table pour moi)
2 feuilles de laurier

Pre-chauffer le four a 220 C / 425 F
Enrober la moitie des panais, des celeri-rave, du navet et des carrottes d'huile d'olive, les disposer sur 2 toles a cuisson. Saler et saupoudrer de romarin. Enfourner et laisser rotir environ 30 minutes.

Pendant ce temps, faire sauter l'onion et le reste du panais et des carrottes dans le beurre jusqu'a ce que les legumes ramollissent, environ 15 minutes.

Ajouter le bouillon, les pommes de terre, les feuilles de laurier, la sauge et une pincee de romarin. Amener a ebullition et laisser mijoter 20 minutes ou jusqu'a ce que les pommes de terre soient molles.

Retirer les feuilles de laurier et reduire en puree avec une mixette.

Ajouter les legumes rotis et assaisoner au gout.

Archive - Soups

Spinach Stracciatella Soup - Soupe Stracciatella aux epinards
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, you can find the original recipe (in English) here.
Le classique italien revu et corrige: les epinards la rendent encore plus decieuse et, en plus, nourissante.

Green Lentil Soup - Soupe aux lentilles vertes du Puys
Lentils, vegetables and almost zero fat - and it's good too! In French and in English.
Des lentilles, des legumes, a peu pres pas de gras et c'est bon!!! En francais et en anglais.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup - Soupe Marocaine aux pois chiches
This soup re-confirmed that green lentils are the most underrated bean in the world. In English.
Si vous aviez besoin qu'on vous rappelle que les lentilles vertes du Puys sont les meilleures legumineuses du monde, voici de quoi vous rafraichir la memoire. En anglais.

Mulligatawny Chicken Soup - Soupe Mulligatawny au poulet
An Indian classic, this lentils and chicken based soup can be served as a main course or, in very small servings, as a apetizer. Recipe in French.
Un classique indien,cette soupe a base de lentilles et de poulet peut tres bien etre servie avec un riz basmati ou une salade pour un repas rapide ou en petite portion comme entree. Recette en francais.

Green Soup - Soupe verte aux pois - Hara Shorva
A fabulously refreshing pea soup from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking book. In French.
Soupe aux pois, version indienne, avec des ingredients peu couteux et faciles a trouver. Peut etre servie chaude ou froide. Deshalterant, nourissant et delicieux!! Recette en francais.

Cold yogurt and mint soup - Soupe froide au yogourt et a la menthe
Dahi ka shorva
Madhur Jaffrey, again! A wonderful summer soup which will give your 10,000 variations of gazpacho a nice rest. A very flavorful and refreshing recipe. In French.
Une superbe recette d'ete qui chaneg du gazpacho.Toute une surprise, c'est une soupe savoureuse et tres rafraichissante. Recette en francais.

Cream of tomatoes and poached egg - Creme de tomates et oeuf poche
An easy cream of tomatoes from Josee Di Stasio's A la Di Stasio. A favorite of the Fall of 2005, when Penn State lost over and over again and homade soups were about the only thing that could put a smile on D's face. In French.
Un potage de tomates hyper simple, emprunte a Josee Di Stasio. Un favori de l'automne 2005, quand Penn State perdait match par-dessus match et que les soupes maisons etaient a peu pres la seule chose pouvant mettre un sourire au visage de D. En francais.

Hiatus - Spiced Beef Stew with Carrot and Mint

Moving 2007 003, originally uploaded by Chloe254.

It has been a very long time since this page has been updated and to be totally honest, it might take another few weeks until I post anything else. Not only did we "accidentally" spend 2 weeks roadtripping around California, looking for sea lions and interesting wine but we are currently in the process of moving to London and although we do cook, there is not much research or creativity going on in our kitchen, if not for weird wine pairings due to the fact that we still have 46 bottle to drink before we leave, on Wednesday (Julie made me count).

We did cook one good, new recipe since our return from California: a beef stew; made with some meet found in the freezer. We paired it with a 2002 Zinfandel that we found... well, nowhere far enough to justify the dust on the bottle, really.

The recipe is from Bon Appetit Magazine; you can find it here. Serve it over couscous like they recommend, it makes a great meal. Note that if you are not using tenderloin, you should keep the meat in the skillet instead of returning it to a bowl and maybe simmer the stew for an additional 10-20 minutes at the end, in order to make sure it's tender enough.

Next post will be from our new home in London - in the meantime I'll be busy looking for it.

Ragout de boeuf aux carottes et a la menthe
Recette adaptee de Bon Appetit Magazine, Mars 2007

2 c. table d'huile d'olive, separees
3/4 lb (340 grammes) de cubes de boeuf
5-6 onions verts eminces
1/2 lb (225 grammes) de mini carottes, pelees
2 c.the de cumin moulu
1/2 c. the de muscade
1/2 c. the de cannelle
1/2 c. the de gingembre moulu
1/8 c. the de poivre de cayenne
1 c. table de farine tout usage ou de fecule de mais
2 1/2 de bouillon de boeuf
1/3 tasse (75 ml) de menthe fraiche, emincee

Faire chauffer 1 cuillere a table d'huile d'olive dans une grande poele (a hautes rebords). Saler et poivrer la viande et la faire sauter dans l'huile environ 8 minutes, jusqu'a ce qu'elle paraisse bien cuite.

Ajouter 1 cuillere a table d'huile d'olive et y faire sauter les onions verts et les carottes environ 3 minutes. Ajouter les epices et bien melanger pendant 30 secondes. Ajouter la farine ou la fecule de mais et melanger a nouveau pendant 30 secondes. Ajouter le bouillon et porter a ebullition. Baisser la temperature et laisser mijoter jusqu'a ce que les carottes et les cubes de viande aient atteint la consistance desiree, environ 15 minutes. Ajouter 1/4 de tasse de menthe (60 ml) et bien melanger.

Servir sur de la semoule et decorer du reste de menthe fraiche.

Donne 2 portions.

Soupe stracciatella aux epinards

Spinach Stracciatella Soup
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, you can find the original recipe (in English) here.

Le classique italien revu et corrige: les epinards la rendent encore plus decieuse et, en plus, nourissante. Oh et le vert, c'est joli aussi!

Pour en faire une soupe repas, on peut la servir sur une boule de couscous ou, encore, ajouter du jambon.

Tiree de Gourmet Magazine, on peut trouver l'originale ici.


2 tasses d'eau
3 tasses de bouillon de poulet maison ou, sinon, bas en sodium
1/2 c.the sel
1/4 c.the poivre fraichement moulu
10 oz (un paquet) d'epinards congeles
1/2 tasse de parmesan fraichement rape
2 oeufs battus

Dans un grand chaudron, faire chauffer l'eau, le bouillon de poulet, le sel et le poivre. Quand le melange est chaud, ajouter les epinards et le fromage et laisser mijoter jusqu'a ce que les epinards soient tendres, environ 8 minutes.

Verser les oeufs a la soupe en un leger filet, en brassant constamment.


Donne 4 portions


Tire de Gourmet Magazine,November 2006

Risotto a la saucisse italienne

Italian Sausage Risotto
a.k.a Beginners' Risotto / Manly Risotto

This was D's first attempt at risotto and I have the suspicion that it will not be the last. I took this recipe on Deb's blog - yes, I know, twice in a week, it's not very original but just take a look at her pictures and you'll understand the addiction. Plus, I love risotto and I will try my luck with any kind that I can afford. But as I said, just like on Smitten Kitchen, the person who blogs was not the one to cook this time. D is usually the meat specialist here and since he insisted on going out after work, I accepted at the condition that when we come back, he would be the one making our first ever risotto with meat - I had some more work to do. So we got home after trying 2 nice wines and whetting ourappetites with some slices of 15 months ham at Bar Jamon and D reluctantly took the recipe and got to work - he could not argue: for once, the recipe was in English!

"Risotto? I have never made risotto! Isn't it complicated?" Not really, no. Although he served it with some hesitation, he was quite proud once we tasted it: "Well, I don't have too much credit because it really is the recipe but... it's really good!!" And when I told him that it was originally a Martha Stewart recipe... you should have seen his proud look - especially since I always complain that Martha Stewart recipes are too complicated for me! (and he does admit being secretly in love with her - secretly?)

So here you go, you have D's approval for a tasty, manly risotto that is perfect for beginners, and you too will be able to say "It's from Martha!"!

14 oz diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 bunch flat-leaf spinach (5-7 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
1 tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes with their juice and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Serves 2

Alex's Restaurant on Smitten Kitchen
Tomato and Sausage Risotto on Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Ultimate Comfort Food - Pasta Pie

Careful, you may eat the whole thing in one day. It's that good.

It's also pretty cheap and very versatile: change the peas for whatever is available to you, use chickpeas instead of the ham or even add eggs (you might have to cook the pie a bit longer though). Chicken and sauteed mushrooms could work well too - maybe with a little bit of pepper flakes?

2 cups frozen peas - no need to thaw
1 1/2 cups ham, diced
12-ounces long pasta like spaghetti - I like capellini
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
4-oz Fontina cheese grated or cut into strips
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Cook the pasta in the large pot of boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In another medium-sized sauce pan, melt remaining 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Stirring constantly, whisk in the flour until smooth, then gradually whisk in the milk. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste, then remove from heat and toss with peas.

Layer 1/3 of pasta in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1/3 of the cheese, 1/2 cup ham and 1/3 of the sauce with peas. Repeat two more times, then sprinkle top of dish with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.
Serves 6.

Archive - Desserts

Desserts

Almonds-Yogurt Cake - Gateau au yogourt et aux amandes
An almond variation to the classic lemon yogourt cake. In English.
Une variation du classique gateau au yogourt au citron. En anglais.
Gateau au yogourt et aux amandes

Yogurt and ricotta cake - Gateau au citron, au yogourt et a la ricotta
A classic, addictive and utterly simple French cake good for breakfast, snack or dessert. In English.
La classique recette de gateau au yaourt francaise. En anglais.
Gateau au citron, au yogourt et a la ricotta

Galette des Rois
Another traditional French recipe: puff pastry filled with almond paste. In French.
Un autre classique, cette galette prend un peu de temps mais est excellente - et attention, elle se mange elle aussi tres bine a toute heure de la journee! Recette en francais.
Galette des Rois

Flourless Chocolate Cake - Gateau au chocolat de la mort
One and a half pound of butter and 5 eggs for the best chocolate cake you will ever have (if you are a fan of the flourless style). In French.
Le "Gateau Bete Noire" de Daniel Pinard. Attention, il contient une demie livre de beurre et 5 oeufs - et oui, ca vaut la peine! En francais.
Gateau au chocolat de la mort

Almod-Mango Tarts - Tartes frangipane aux mangues
Wonderful, light almond and mango tartlets. In French.
De superbes tartelettes inspirees de A la Di Stasio. En francais.
Tartes frangipane aux mangues

Vanilla Soy Milk Strawberry Bread Pudding - Pouding au pain au lait de soya et aux fraises
"I don't liiiike bread pudding" said Dennis when I told him this recipe was on the menu tonight. Well now he does! The great thing about using soy milk is that you do not need to add vanilla extract and end up using a lot less sugar than with regular milk. In English.
Une belle recette relativement sante qui a meme converti Dennis. En anglais.
Vanilla Soy Milk Strawberry Bread Pudding