Lentils & ceps butifarra

If there is one dish that is easy to prepare, pretty quick and that I love is lentils.

As I’m the only one at home liking them, I tend to make them when I’m alone for dinner or lunch.

This time, the only change I did was to replace the carrots that I usually puts for red pepper bell.

What you need:

• Lentils (1 glass for 2 people)
• 1 small onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 400ml of water
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 tomato
• Salt, black pepper, parsley

Start by frying a small onions with a garlic clove and red bell pepper.

Once the onion is half cooked, add a tomato cut in 4

Then add the sausage, here it was a ceps mushroom falvoured butifarra

Once the sausage is well colored, add a glass of white wine and once it has well evaporated, add cold water (about 400ml)

Finally I’m throw the lentils that you can wash with cold water beforehand.

Add a bit of salt, black pepper and any spices that you find appropriate.

Cook for around 20mn or a bit less to ensure that the lentils don’t end up in purée.

Voilà!

Delicious

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Oven vegetables provencal

It’s Monday. It’s a public holiday and I didn’t have much in the fridge. So I made some potatoes and courgettes in the oven with some provence herbs and a quick tomatoes sauce to eat with so that it isn’t too dry.

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What do you need?

• 3 potatoes
• 1 courgette
• 8 garlic cloves
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 dry tomato slices
• 50g of gorgonzola cheese
• 3 big spoon of philadelphia cheese
• 2 shallots
• 10cl of vermuth or any other white wine if you don’t have
• 1 spoon of butter
• Olive oil
• Salt, black pepper, provence herbs, estrago, parsley

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Steps:

• Pre heat the oven at 220°C
• On a baking tray, lay some baking paper
• Clean well the potatoes and courgettes
• Cut the courgettes in the length, in half and then each half in 2 again
• Cut the potatoes in big chunk
• Put the courgettes slices on the baking paper, brush with oil, add salt, black pepper, estrago and parsley
• In a big bowl, put the potatoes, the melted butter, salt, black pepper, parsley, estrago, provence herbs and cut 2 cloves of garlic in big pieces
• Mix well and then add on the baking tray, round side down
• Spread around the courgettes the garlic cloves (without removing the skin)
• Cook in the oven for about 30mn, try the potatoes to ensure they are fully cooked
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat up some olive oil, add the finely shopped shallots and after 5mn, add the vermouth or white wine
• Cook a few minutes, add the 3 tomates sliced in small cubes and the dried tomatoes finely cut
• Stir for about 15mn until the tomatoes are cooked. Add the philadelphia cheese and gorgonzola cheese and cook for an other 5mn until the cheese is fully melted

Serve the vegetables with the tomatoes sauce on side. Ideally, the sauce made 2hrs before and set in the fridge could be probably nicer but I had no time for that 🙂

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Bruschetta

I had some long slice of bread that were perfect for Bruschetta so I decided to do some apetizer to eat with my favourite Vermuth.

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What do you need?

• Slice of bread
• Mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil
• Mushrooms, garlic
• Salt, black pepper, tarragon, olive oil

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Steps:

• Start by preparing the topping: Cut the mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and marinate with the basil, olive oil, salt, black pepper and tarragon
• Cook the sliced mushrooms, garlic, salt, black pepper, and tarragon
• Toast the bread and spread the toppings.
• Enjoy

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Chicken, tomatoes cherry & nuts pesto risotto

If you regularly check my blog, you know that I like a lot rice or risottos. You can make so many different ways that it’s always an enjoyable moments. It all depends on the flavours.

This time I made a risotto starting with tomatoes cherry with some chicken and finally added a nuts pesto to strengthen the taste. Really lovely.

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What do you need?

Serves 2

• Chicken filet for 2
• 20 cherry tomatoes
• Rice (1 glass)
• 1 onion
• 1 shallot
• 20cl of white wine
• 1/2l of broth (homemade is much better but you could skip it with a prepared one if you don’t have time to make it)
• Broth: 70cl of water, 3 carrots, 2 tomatoes, 1 celery branch, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 turnip, salt, black pepper, cumin
• Handful of nuts
• 40g of parmesan cheese
• 2 table spoon of olive oil
• Salt, black pepper
• Basil (handful)

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Steps:

• If you decide to go for the homemade broth: in a large saucepan, put 70cl of water and all the vegetables and spices mentioned above for the broth. Boil for 2hours
• In your Le Creuset cocotte, start by cooking the chicken filet and when alsmot done add the chopped onion & shallot
• Add the cherry tomatoes (keep 3 for the pesto) and stir for 10mn at medium heat
• Remote the tomatoes and reserve for later
• Add some olive oil and the rice and stir without stopping for 2-3mn
• Add the white wine, continue to stir until dry
• Add a ladle of broth and stir without stopping
• Continue adding broth until the rice gets aldante.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pesto in your blender: Put the basil, 3 cherry tomatoes, nuts, 2 tbs of olive oil, salt and black pepper. Blend until obtaining a smooth texture
• When the rice is nearly done, add the tomatoes, chicken and 3/4 of the pesto (keep a bit to decorate your place)
• Service the risotto using a round form and serve warm

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Gnocchis with Amatriciana Sauce

Today is the 5th of the month and I didn’t participate to the usual reto of Cooking The Chef but I still had to prepare me lunch today and I went for Gnocchis. As I’m not working today, I took the time to cook, take the picture eat and write the post all in the same day 🙂

My gnocchis are not the most beautiful because it isn’t as easy as it looks actually to give them the perfect shape. Still have to learn here.

And the idea also came from the fact that this weekend we had Italians at home and he was shocked to see that I bought the other day some already made pasta sauce. So today, I did my own delicious Amatriciana sauce and it’s true that it’s not that long so I should stop buying these sauce…

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What do you need?

Serves 8p.

• 1kg of potatoes
• 250g of flour
• 1 egg
• Salt, nutmeg, black pepper
• 2 table spoon of Philadelphia cheese
• 50g of butter
• 1 can of peeled tomatoes
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small onion
• 1 celery branch
• 125g of pancetta or bacon diced
• 10cl of white wine (optional, but in my kitchen wine is always omnipresent)

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Steps:

• Start by boiling the potatoes with the skin. Make a cross with the knife on top of the potatoes to make it easier to peel when cooked
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, fry the minced onion in olive oil and after 5mn add the bacon or pancetta. Add the garlic clove without cutting it and the celery branch
• Leave it cook for an other 5-8mn and add the white wine.
• Stir for 2-3mn and then add the tomatoes. Diced them to not have big chunk
• Cook at low fire for an other 10mn.
• Once the potatoes are ready, peel them and mash them with the butter & Philadelphia cheese (Make sure your mash potatoes remain sticky, it shouldn’t be running)
• Add the flour and egg, mix well to obtain a smooth texture, add salt, nutmeg and black pepper.
• Make some small rolls on a floured surface and then cut in small pieces of 2cm.
• Try to give them the shape of gnocchis. (I watched videos but wasn’t that easy for me. I used too forks at the end to squeeze them and get the marks)
• Boil some water in large saucepan, throw the gnocchis inside and remove when they start coming up to the water surface.
• Service with the sauce and some cheese

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Pumpkin & sausage risotto

I love to prepare risotto or rice dishes in general. And since the season of pumpkin is right there, I like to use it in my risotto.

I also love the tasteful sausages such as Saucisse de Toulouse in France or Butifarra de Pages in Spain. Basically, a sausage that is more ‘upscale’ than the basic tasteless one that you could buy anywhere.

Here’s one recipe that is pretty quick to prepare and really good.

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What do you need?

• 2 sausages (Best is to choose ‘Saucisse de Toulouse’ in France or ‘Butifarra de Pages’ in Spain)
• 100g of pumpkin
• 1 glass of rice
• Broth (home made is always better)
• 25g of butter
• 70g of parmesan
• 1 onion
• Olive oil
• Salt, black pepper

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Steps:

• Best is to make your own broth, it really isn’t difficult and have many way of doing it
• If you do it yourself, you can refer to past recipes but in general i would put 3l of water, 3 carrots, Leak, celery, onion, salt, pepper, turnip, laurel leave and let it cook 1hr. You can add any peace of meat inside to give more taste, like a chicken or bones from other meat
• In your Le Creuset pan, fry the sausages in olive oil to extract the tasteful juice and add the pumpkin that you have previously cut in small pieces
• Remove after the sausage is cooked and before the pumpkin becomes purée
• Add some olive oil and stir in the onion that you will previously cut in small pieces
• Add the rice and stir without stopping a 2mn until the rice starts to change color
• Add the white wine
• Once fully evaporated, add some broth and stir in the rice until fully absorbed.
• Then continue to add and stir until you have the prefect rice texture. (before you add the last part of the broth put back the sliced sausage & pumpkin to give some additional taste
• I like the rice still slightly firm rather than sticky.
• Add a spoon of butter and parmesan, stir in and serve

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Coral lentils, morcilla & trumpets

Like I introduced in a previous post with trumpets, this is a lovely mushroom that gives a nice flavour to your dish. It also reminds of my mum that loved to cook with mushrooms so rich & creamy sauce

This time I prepared myself some lentils that I love. I usually do this when I have dinner alone as Juan doesn’t like it.

I also added some Morcilla (spanish Andalouz sausage) to give some additional flavour and some cherry tomatoes instead of carrots this time

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What do you need?

serves 2

• A piece of morcilla
• 1 glass of lentils
• 100g of trumpets
• 1 shallot
• a handful of cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• garlic, salt, black pepper, parsley
• water
• laurel leave

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Steps:

• Start by heating up the olive oil and add the shallot and trumpets that you previously clean and dry off.
• Add the cherry tomatoes with garlic and parsley and cook for an other 5mn
• Add the morcilla that you will cook only 3 to 4mn and then keep aside for later
• Add the water and laurel leaves with salt and black pepper
• Add the lentils and cook for about 15mn. The coral lentils cook very quickly
• 5mn before the end, add the morcilla to finish cooking it and to give flavour
• Serve and enjoy!

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Green lentils & Andalusia sausage (Morcilla)

Since a few weeks now I’m doing voluntary work for an association in Barcelona that sends volunteer to old people that leave alone and feel lonely. It consists in talking for about 2hrs a week with a person that feels lonely.

The lady I visit (without naming her) gave me some real sausage from Andalusia that her sister sent her (Morcilla Andalouz)

So I decided to make a plate of lentils, the small green one from Le Puy in France. I love lentils and it was a real pleasure to cook it in the copper cooking pot.

On the last pic you can see how my cat, Denver, is trying to come on the picture 🙂

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What do you need?

Serves: 2

• Lentils (1 glass, about 120g)
• 2 small carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic
• 2 laurel leaves
• 1 morcilla (sausage from andalousia)
• 1 other piece of pork meat of your choice
• 1 tomato
• Salt, black pepper
• Olive oil (1 spoon)
• white wine (small glass)

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Steps:

• In a cooking pot, put the oil to eat and the onion cut in two
• Stir a bit and add the sausage and meat
• Make sure to not over cook the sausage as it cooks quickly
• After a few minutes and when the meat starts to be marked, add the white wine and tomatoe
• Stir in a few minutes and remove the meat and juice that you obtained from the cooking pot.
• Add cold water, about 1l and the lentils with the garlic (without cutting it) and laurel leaves
• Cook for about 20mn
• Add the meat and juice into the cooking pot and cook for an other 12mn
• Serve in a deep plate

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Pisto a mi manera

 

With the summer being here and the holidays coming, we need to eat more courgettes as it’s very poor in calories and I actually love it.

I tried the pistol recipes of my mother in law, just changed a tiny bit: less olive oil and less cooking. The rest is more or less the same
What do you need?

• 5 tomatoes
• 1 courgette
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic clove
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 green pimiento
• 1 laurel leaf
• 1 small glass of white wine
• 1 glass of water
• Salt, pepper, herbs de provence

Steps:

Start to cut all your vegetables in tiny bits before starting to cook.

Heat up some olive oil in your Le Creuset stewpan, about 6 tablespoon, stir in the onion and 2 of the garlic for a few minutes and before it starts to get brown add the courgette and the peppers.

After 15mn, add the tomatoes with its juice, the laurel leaf and the last garlic clove (full, without cutting). Add salt, black pepper and the herbs. Poor the white wine.

Stir in for 5 mn and cover. Let cook for about 60 to 90mn, adding some water if you see that it’s starting to get too dry.

That’s it! enjoy

 

Tzatziki & avocat

 

First I made a simple avocat with tuna & mayonnaise. Nothing difficult here but something I really like when the avocat is well mature.

Just cut the avocat in small pieces with some salt, add some mayonnaise, tuna, black pepper and 1 garlic sliced in very tiny pieces. Reserve in the fridge for 2hrs before serving.

Then I made some tzatziki. We loved it when we went to Greece for our holidays last year and I buy it usually from the supermarket but this time I really wanted to make it.

What do you need?

• 3 greek yogurt natural
• 2 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 small cucumber or 1 big one
• 1 garlic clove
• salt, pepper
• Fresh mint

Cut the cucumber in tiny pieces, add it to the yogurt with the olive oil, mint cut in very small pieces and the garlic. Salt & pepper. Taste it to make sure it’s well flavored. Put a plastic film on the bowl and reserve in the fridge for at least 1 hr

Eat with some integral bread or any rusk

 

Hummus

 

Today I made a second tentative to make a Hummus, the first one I did didn’t have Tahin so it was not very nice.

I still would like to make it more creamy and to get closer to the delicious hummus I ate in Tel Aviv a few years ago. An other good reason to go back to Israel 🙂

What do you need?

• Chick pees – 400g (already cooked)
• 2 table spoon of Tahin
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 big garlic clove
• 4 table spoon of water
• Salt, pepper
• 2 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 table spoon of olive oil
• paprika for the decoration

Steps:

Mix together the tahin and lemon juice, add the garlic sliced in tiny pieces. Then add the olive oil and half of the check peas. Stir with a spoon and add the rest of the chick peas and the water. Mix well until you obtain something soft and smooth.

It can be quite a challenge to mix if your mixer is too small or too narrow so make sure you use the spoon to stir and mix until you are satisfied.

Reserve in the fridge for 2hrs at least before eating. Put a bit of olive oil on top with paprika.

If someone adds something else to make it more creamy do let me know. Maybe I’ll add 2 spoon of Philadelphia next time.

 

 

Tian a la provencale

 

What do you need?

• 1 courgette
• 1 aubergine
• 4 tomatoes
• 3 garlic clove
• red pepper
• Salt, pepper, tyme, herbs of provence
• olive oil
• Glass of white wine

Slice all vegetables and put in a baking tray by introverting all vegetables to have something uniform. Place the garlic cloves in the middle. Make sure to put sufficient salt and herbs otherwise it will have no taste.

Cook in the oven at 160° for 60/80mn. In the middle, I usually poor 1 glass of white wine.