Type of dish : Main course To serve : 4 Preparation : 40 min Cooking : 80 min Budget : Reasonable From : France Difficulty : Medium
Ingredients : 4 tomatoes 4 round courgettes 4 large onions
Stuffing: 150g cooked salt pork 150g cooked pork, veal or beef (left-overs or mince is fine) 150g long grain rice 300g parmesan, freshly grated if possible 6 eggs 1/2 bouquet flat parsley 5 cloves garlic Breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons olive oil Salt Milled black pepper
For the tomato sauce: 2 tomatoes 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt, black pepper
Recipe : Onions and Courgettes:
Peel the onions, the slice top off, level bottoms so they will stand upright. Bring a pan of salt water to the boil, then cook onions and their 'hats' for 10 mins.
Slice top off each courgette in same manner, level bottoms so they will stand upright, then cook in boiling water for 10 mins also. Remove onions and courgettes, and refresh under running water.
Scoop out most of courgette flesh, and remove middle of onion, so that you are left with a hollow vegetable of about 1cm in thickness. Keep onion flesh to one side.
Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce:
Wash and dry tomatoes. Slice tops off and level bottom so that they will stand upright. Remove flesh, leave a 'wall' of about 1cm in thickness. Keep flesh to one side. Sprinkle each tomato with a pinch of salt, then turn on their sides and leave to dry out for half an hour. Put remaining tomato flesh in pan.
Peel onion and two cloves of garlic, then chop both together. Chop remaining two tomatoes, then add to tomato already in pan, along with olive oil and mixed herbs. Season and cook gently for 20 mins.
Stuffing:
Cook rice for 15 mins in salt water. Strain and leave to cool. Chop salt porc finely, along with other meat if need be. Peel remaining garlic and press. Mix meat with rice, garlic, parsley and onion. Sprinkle with grated parmesan. Beat eggs in a bowl and add to stuffing mixture. Mix well and season.
Cooking stuffing:
Preheat oven to 210°C (400°F). Fill vegetables with stuffing. Brush a baking tray with a tablespoon olive oil and arrange vegetables. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, put tops back on and drizzle with olive oil. Slide tray into oven and bake for 40 minutes. Give tomato sauce a stir and pour into a sauce boat. Blend if need be.
Stuffed vegetables and sauce can be served cold or warm, with tomato sauce.
Advice : Make an easy vegetarian option, by replacing meat with couscous or other vegatbles.
Type of dish : Main course To serve : 4 Preparation : 15 min Cooking : 10 min Budget : Cheap From : Exotic Difficulty : Easy
Ingredients : Allow 2 hours' marinating time
4 chicken breasts of 120g 1 green pepper 1 red pepper 140g bamboo shoots 1 onion 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablepsoons white wine 2 sprigs frsh mint 2 sprigs fresh coriander 2 tablespoons ginger Salt & black pepper
Recipe : Peel onions and garlic, then slice onions and crush garlic. Wash herbs and chop leaves. Cut chicken into strips. Arrange chicken in an oven dish, drizzle with soy sauce, wine and ginger. Add garlic and mint, cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate for two hours in the fridge.
Remove chicken, strain sauce and keep to one side. Wash peppers, remove seeds and slice. Chop bamboo shoots. Saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add chicken and saute for 5 minutes. Add peppers, cook for 4 minutes, then add marinade and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add bamboo shoots, heat through for a minute. Serve with basmati rice and decorate with a few mint and coriander leaves.
Advice : Accompany with a Tavel or Côtes de Provence.
Type of dish : Starter To serve : 6 Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 12 min Budget : Cheap From : France Difficulty : Easy
Ingredients : 1 pack flaky pastry 30g ham or turkey 30g cheese (emmenthal or cheddar) 1 egg yolk 3 tablespoons milk
Recipe : Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll pastry out and cut into 6 rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half, to make 12 triangles. Cut both the meat and cheese into small pieces, then arrange on half of the triangles. Roll each triangle in on itself from the middle, to make a croissant shape.
Cover an oven tray with greasproof paper and arrange croissants on top. Brush each croissant with beaten egg yolk and a little milk to glaze. Put in middle of oven and cook for 12 minutes.
Type of dish : Main course To serve : 6 Preparation : 15 min Cooking : 75 min Budget : Reasonable From : France Difficulty : Medium
Ingredients : 1 Turkey 1,5 kg 75g butter 1 tsp flour 300ml champagne (or sparkling wine) salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1kg waxy potatoes 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 bunch of parsley, chopped 3 tbsp goose/duck fat salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Recipe : 1 - Prepare the turkey (clean and truss) and season its cavity. 2 - Put 50g of the butter in a roasting dish and heat in the oven (200°C gas mark 6-7). 3 - Turn the heat up to 220°C (gas 7-8) and transfer the turkey to the oven. Roast for 1 hour, basting occasionally with then melted butter. (heat a serving dish in the oven for the last ten minutes of the cooking time). 4 - In the meantime prepare tbe Salardaises potatoes: Peel and slice into thin rounds. 5 - In a large frying pan, heat the fat, and add the potatoes. Fry vigarously for five minutes or until potatoes begin to brown. Then add the garlic, parsley and seasoning, mixing well. 6 - Transfer to a caserole dish, cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. (The potatoes should be browned on top and soft inside, like a gratin). 4 - Remove the cooked bird, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to stand. 5 - On the hob, deglaze the roasting dish with a good slug of champagne. 6 - Mix together the flour and remaining butter. Add to the roasting dish, stirring well. 7 - Add the rest of the champagne, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. 8 - Serve.
Advice : Salardaises Potatoes are from Aquitaine, France. The dish is similar to a gratin, traditionally made with goose fat. Instead of a turkey, why not try a large chicken, or capon.
Type of dish : Main course To serve : 4 Preparation : 30 min Cooking : 15 min Budget : Reasonable From : China Difficulty : Medium
Ingredients : 4 escalopes of 140g each 200 g bean sprouts 200 g water chestnuts Soy sauce Lemon Grass Fresh coriander Sesame oil Spices Salt & pepper
Recipe : Mix soy sauce, lemon grass,coriander, sesame oil and spices together and heat slowly. Slice the meat. Steam the bean sprouts and water chestnuts. Serve the escalopes with a spoonful of sauce and decorate with vegetables. Serve with rice and Chinese beer.
Type of dish : Main course To serve : 6 Preparation : 20 min Cooking : 30 min Budget : Cheap From : Exotic Difficulty : Easy
Ingredients : 2kg chicken legs 4 onions 4 cloves garlic 4 large tomatoes 1 piece fresh ginger Juice of 1 lemon 4 handfuld green olives, fresh if possible 6 lemons, preserved in salt 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped 1 30cm tagine dish, or similar
For the marinade: 1 glass olive oil 1 tablespoon turmeric 1 tablespoon paprika Salt 1 dash cayenne pepper 4 saffron stamens Blak pepper
Recipe : The night before: Mix marinade with olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Marinate meat overnight.
The next day, remove chicken and saute in marinade until golden. remove and put to one side. Peel and chop onions, then saute in same pan. Add crushed garlic and chopped tomatoes, stirring frequently. Add ginger and saffron, then leave to simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat. Pour into tagine or covered oven dish, add chicken pieces and drizzle with lemon juice. Cover and cook for 20 minutes at a low heat, then add coriander, olives and preserved lemons, cut into quarters.
Cook until olives and lemons heated through, then serve with couscous.
Advice : Use breast meat if you are not a fan of meat on the bone. Recommended Wines: Rosé: Lirac, Côtes-du-rhône Red: a Vouvray ...or try Moroccan or Algerian reds.
Cod papillote with ginger, citrus and sweet potato Type of dish : Main course To serve : 4 Preparation : 15 min Cooking : 15 min Budget : Cheap From : Europe Difficulty : Easy
Ingredients : 4 sheets of baking parchment or aluminum foil, 30cm x 30cm Raffia or string to tie the parcels
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks 1 orange Zest and juice of 1 lime Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp coriander leaf 4 cod loins or fillets, boneless & skinless 2 sticks celery, cut into strips Sea salt and black pepper
Recipe : 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC, 325ºF, Gas Mark 4. 2. Cook the sweet potato in boiling water for 3 minutes and then plunge into ice water. Drain and dry thoroughly. 3. Peel the orange, and cut the flesh into segments. 4. Mix the zest and juice of the lemon and lime with the ground ginger, coriander leaf and olive oil. Add the cod, season generously and coat well. 5. Divide the sweet potato, celery sticks and orange segments between the baking parchment. Top with the cod fillets and evenly drizzle with the remaining marinade. 6. Close and tie each parcel with raffia or string. Place on a baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
