tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69354814430125629882024-03-08T16:19:48.699+01:00Claude Nougat - It's Cooking!High Cuisine Low Cuisine All the Tricks in CookingClaude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-14948792874201987062019-06-04T18:04:00.000+02:002019-06-04T18:04:30.282+02:00Baccalao Meravigliao My Way!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRk5ueg2q3U/XPaK1D8MvyI/AAAAAAAAMKg/r2itVfPkJ7gR2vGRL_vqPL2NRv6fngINQCLcBGAs/s1600/Baccalao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1000" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRk5ueg2q3U/XPaK1D8MvyI/AAAAAAAAMKg/r2itVfPkJ7gR2vGRL_vqPL2NRv6fngINQCLcBGAs/s640/Baccalao.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Here it is, my "baccalao meravigliao", my own recipe, half eaten so you can see clearly what's in it: A bottom layer of baccala (codfish) and a top layer of potatoes topped with a golden gratin, herbs, capers, olives - yummy!</b></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b><b>It's really very simple to do. Here's how:</b></h4>
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<b>Ingredients for 2 people (multiply quantities as needed)</b><br />
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<ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Pontano Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;"><span data-amount="1.5" style="box-sizing: border-box;">1/2</span> lb cod fish fillet pieces - get it unsalted and ready-to-cook or buy a salted piece and leave it covered in fresh water, changing the water every 12 hours for 2 days, until thoroughly unsalted;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">1/2 lb potatoes (better the red variety) peeled and thinly sliced;</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">4 garlic cloves, peeled, 2 whole and 2 minced</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">1/2 cup chopped onions (white or golden variety)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;"><span data-amount="0.25" data-unit="cup" style="box-sizing: border-box;">1/4 cup</span> chopped fresh parsley leaves</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">a pinch of sage</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">peel of half a lemon (make sure it's organic, no pesticides!)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">small glass of white wine</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">olive oil</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">small cup of cream or, if you want to stay light, use creamed yoghurt, or a product like Skyr, or even just milk</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">one whole egg, beaten</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.46; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0.625em; margin-left: 2.5em; position: relative;">Salt and pepper to taste</li>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>Cooking Method:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>1. Get water boiling in a wide pot, add salt (to taste), sage, lemon peel and the 2 whole garlic cloves, flattened;</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>2. Cook the fish for 10 minutes (make sure the water only simmers);</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>3. With a slotted spoon, take the fish out of the water and let it cool; also take out the lemon peel and the 2 garlic cloves; discard the lemon but keep the cloves;</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>4. Add the sliced potatoes to the boiling water, cook for 10 minutes (until soft but not too soft, the slices must not fall apart); take them out and set aside; keep the water going on a low fire, you'll need it again as you cook the rest;</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>5. While the potatoes cook, fry the finely chopped onions and the 2 minced garlic cloves in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until fully cooked and transparent; add the 2 garlic cloves you've saved from the boiling water (see step 3); don't allow the onions to burn or take on any color: If it gets too dry and threatens to burn, add a ladle of the water in which the potatoes are cooking; </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>6. Clean the fish, scraping off the skin and making sure there's no bone left in it; break it in small pieces;</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>7. Put the fish in the pan with the onions and garlic, let it fry on a slow fire about 5 minutes then take it out of the pan making sure you leave about half the onions in the pan (you'll use the same pan to fry the potatoes in it next);</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>8. Lay out the fish in a well-oiled pyrex dish (or anything that can go in the oven); lay it out in a single layer and mix in the chopped parsley, capers and pitted olives cut in half (or sliced);</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>9. Put the potatoes in the pan that has the leftover onions, add a little olive oil if it looks too dry; fry 5 minutes then add a ladle of the cooking water, the cream, 1/2 glass of white wine and cook another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid until it turns cream-like (many potatoes will break down, but don't worry, they add to the sauce);</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>10. Take the pan out of the fire, add a beaten egg to the mixture, swirling it in fast so that it won't cook into an omelette but instead make the sauce feel very smooth; it should be as liquid as light cream (if it looks too heavy, add a ladle of the hot water you've kept simmering). Taste and adjust with salt and freshly ground pepper.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>11. Cover the fish with the potatoes; sprinkle generously with grated dry bread crumbs for the gratin and dot it with butter;</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>12. Put in pre-heated oven at 180° (or 400°F) for 10 minutes, then turn on the grill and burn it! No, just let it turn golden but watch out, it burns easily!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b>To be eaten with a nice cold white wine...</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Pontano Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><b> </b></span></span></div>
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-22111417179182834752014-12-10T10:01:00.001+01:002014-12-10T10:28:00.083+01:00Florentine Pancakes: with Soles, Tomatoes and Green BeansYou're warned, I invented this recipe as I had to find a way to use a left-over cooked (pan-fried meunière-style) sole. And it turned out to be really good (nay, a scumptious recipe!) and as I don't want to forget it, I'm writing it down here. Obviously, you can do it starting with a fresh sole and cooking it either whole in a pan meunière-style (as I did, that means it's floured and cooked in a pan with sizzling butter) or filleted in a hot oven with a little white wine.<br />
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Here is what my recipe looks like (I asked my husband to take a picture with his smart phone):<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7gmWhORizw/VIgIlsmvIDI/AAAAAAAAH9o/ABPdYhjgEZ4/s1600/Pancakes%2Bwith%2Bsoles%2Band%2Btomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C7gmWhORizw/VIgIlsmvIDI/AAAAAAAAH9o/ABPdYhjgEZ4/s1600/Pancakes%2Bwith%2Bsoles%2Band%2Btomatoes.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Hmmm, not the best of pictures but believe me, it's really good and looks very nice on the place!<br />
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<b>Ingredients: <i>for 4 persons</i></b><br />
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<ul>
<li><b>2 soles</b> filletted - you should have 8 nice fillets of sole, cooked.</li>
<li>1/2 cup of <b>cherry tomatoes</b>, each cut in 2 or 4 (depending on size, the pieces need to be small)</li>
<li>1/2 cup of cooked <b>green beans</b>, cut in small bits, about the size of your tomato bits</li>
<li>2 tablespoons of <b>cream cheese</b> (I use Mascarpone because I live in Italy and it's a wonderful, creamy cheese - but any good cream cheese will do. Barring that, use heavy cream!)</li>
<li>1/2 small glass of <b>white wine</b> (this you have to see how much you need, the sauce, at the end, needs to be fairly liquid - in anyc case, not cream-heavy!)</li>
<li>2 spring<b> onions</b> (or any kind of onion) chopped very small</li>
<li><b>herbs to taste</b> - I used basilic but you can use oregano</li>
<li><b>pancake batter to make 2 American-style pancakes per person NOTE: the batter should not be done with sugar but with a pinch of salt instead!</b></li>
<li><b>grated parmigiano cheese </b></li>
<li>olive oil and butter</li>
<li>salt and pepper as needed</li>
</ul>
<b>Method:</b><br />
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1. Cook the cherry tomatoes in an open pan, with a little olive oil, herbs and the chopped onion.<br />
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2. When they have released their juice, turn off the fire, add the green beans and sole fillets broken in small pieces.<br />
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3. Add the cream cheese and wine until your sauce is abundant and with the right consistency (fairly liquid)<br />
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4. Pre-heat the oven at 200° (hot!)<br />
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5. Arrange in a pyrex dish (butter it) ready for the oven: pancakes, 2 per person, interspersed with the tomato-green-bean-sole mixture.<br />
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6. Finish with the mixture on top of each pancake and sprinkle with plenty grated Parmiagiano.<br />
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7. In the oven, about 10 minutes, until the top turns golden. Serve piping hot!<br />
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Buon appetito!<br />
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<i><b>PS: Obviously the recipe would work for any kind of fish or mix of fish and seafood... </b></i><br />
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<br />Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-62990159877118152322014-12-05T19:37:00.001+01:002014-12-05T19:37:21.519+01:00Hollandaise Sauce with a (mustard) Kick<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_sekimura_2390523527--Smoked_salmon_eggs_Benedict.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Smoked salmon eggs Benedict" class="zemanta-img-configured" height="300" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flickr_sekimura_2390523527--Smoked_salmon_eggs_Benedict.jpg/350px-Flickr_sekimura_2390523527--Smoked_salmon_eggs_Benedict.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"></span></div>
Yesterday, I served salmon steaks for lunch and I was looking to do a quick sauce to give them a kick. But not your usual hollandaise. I thought I'd experiment, and this is what I did:<br />
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1. Use an egg yolk or two, in a small saucepan;<br />
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2. Beat in with a whisk 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of white wine;<br />
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3. Cook over a very, very slow fire (it shouldn't burn!), whisking continually and you'll see it turn into foam;<br />
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4. Once it's really foamy, take it off the fire and add small pats of butter, about 2 tablespoonfuls.<br />
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5. Add one tablespoon of French Dijon mustard (the refined kind - no seeds in it!)<br />
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6. Adjust to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of lemon.<br />
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Et voilà. Scrumptious with fish or any white meat or over Eggs Benedict, for a nice change of pace, if you served them over smoked salmon instead of ham!<br />
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<br />Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-85413198339067473622014-01-20T21:20:00.002+01:002014-01-20T21:20:08.912+01:00Cottage Pie Italian Style<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29462565@N00/3510061109" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cottage pie" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3510061109_a735febc1d_n.jpg" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sheperd's Pie or Cottage Pie is done with beef, this one is done with pork! You can use leftover pork provided you chop it up really fine.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then, the <b>secret ingredients </b>to give it its special Italian flavor are:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">rosemary, the leaves from one twig </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup chopped onion or leek (one)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup chopped mushrooms (I use porcini but any tasty mushroom is fine)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tablespoons peas (even the frozen ones will do) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 cups minced pork (roasted - or if using fresh meat, it needs to chopped and stir-fried in the pan where you've started cooking the vegetables - if it's a leftover already cooked, add it only at the very end, just to warm up)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">mashed potatoes, done the usual way with milk and butter added only <i>after</i> it's nice and smooth (with one whole egg beaten in at the end - optional)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">left-over pork roast sauce, or lacking it, add Knorr concentrated broth (one spoonful)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">one small glass of white wine </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste (careful with the salt!)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The above is good for 4 persons.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Method: </b></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">stir-fry the vegetables in olive oil (one small spoonful), together with the rosemary, in a big pan;</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">add one small glass of white wine </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">add the meat to the pan<b>,</b> early in the process if your meat is fresh and you need to cook it; late if you use leftover meat;<b> </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">flavor with leftover meat sauce from the roast or Knorr meat broth</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now you need to warm it up in the over:<b> </b></span></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a baking dish, start with a layer of the stir-fried meat and vegetables</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">cover well with mashed potatoes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sprinkle with Parmesan cheese - be generous with it!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Put in oven, turn on the grill and watch it turn golden.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Serve piping hot, accompanied by a nice, full-bodied Chianti. </span></span><br />
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<i>Source for image: </i><br />
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-44649906064131638652013-11-11T15:00:00.000+01:002013-11-11T15:16:04.144+01:00Artichoke Omelet the Florentine Way<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olio_prodotto_in_Liguria.JPG" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="virgin oil of aceitunas (IMPERIA)" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Olio_prodotto_in_Liguria.JPG/300px-Olio_prodotto_in_Liguria.JPG" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="237" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How about a nice "tortino" Florentine-style made with some tender spring artichokes?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are lots of recipes for this on Internet but, as far as I can see, most of them are WRONG!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In principle, with this recipe you should obtain a fluffy omelet that rises in the oven like a soufflé and is filled with crisp, flavorful pieces of artichoke.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've had this only a couple of times in Florence, in one of those old-fashioned trattoria where you just know that you're eating traditional food of the best kind, and it's taken me several tries before I could perfect the recipe.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could refer you of course to Artusi, the author of the definitive treatise on Tuscan cuisine, but I'll share with you the little secrets that I have discovered that ensure your tortino will come out just right. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's very easy to do but it requires some care. AND good ingredients. Of course, that's a general rule: <b>if you want to prepare good food you just can't skimp on the quality of the ingredients. For example, for frying, I ALWAYS use olive oil</b>. Not necessarily the best most expensive quality, but it's got to be real olive oil: it has a great advantage over all other types of oil on the market. Because of the way it withstands heat, it fries a lot better. AND it's the least bad for your health. AND the best tasting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, back to the artichoke tortino. Turn your oven on (especially if it takes time to heat up like mine does): set it at 180° or mark 6 or whatever heat you normally use to roast a chicken. In other words, hot but not too hot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then start with the artichokes. You need 2 small ones per person (or a big one/person - but better small). I use the small variety you find in Italy, the ones with leaves tinged with a lovely violet color.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Actually you can use any type of artichoke, provided you prepare them correctly: you have to peel the stem (to get rid of the thick, string-like fibers) and take out all the external leaves that are tough. Then cut off the artichoke tips, leaving only about half the leaves on, or even less. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be vicious about it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once you overcome the impression that you're throwing everything away, it is in fact very satisfying to get rid of all those dark green leaves! What you should have left in your hand is just a tiny, tender, <b>yellow-leaf </b>artichoke, maybe half or less of what it looked like before you started hacking at it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then cut it in 4 or even 6 pieces lengthwise. And scrape the inside to get rid of that hair which is in the center and is obviously inedible. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At that point, quickly throw the pieces in cold water to which you've added the juice of 1/2 lemon: the purpose of this is to prevent the artichokes of turning black on you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next, lay all the pieces on kitchen paper and pat them dry. Then throw them in a bowl and flour them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heat olive oil in a deep pan (at least a couple of inches) and when it's close to smoking (but NOT smoking!) throw your floured artichoke pieces in. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You should shake off the extra flour and throw them in ONE by ONE. Let them fry until they're a nice golden color and crisp. Take them out with a perforated spoon and set them to dry on paper.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now prepare the omelet in the usual way, beating together <b>two eggs per person</b> (but never make a tortino with less than 3 eggs: it won't work!). Salt and pepper to taste, a little grated parmigiano (optional) and throw in the fried artichokes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oil (or butter) an oven-going pyrex dish, pour the egg-artichoke mixture in it, sprinkle with a little grated Parmigiano cheese and put the whole thing in your (now hot) oven.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>It takes about 20 minutes to bake</b> (or more depending on the size of your tortino). Watch it rise and turn golden. Check with a toothpick to see whether it's done, but then it's a matter of taste: some people like it real done, others prefer it moist. In any case, don't be disappointed when it starts to come down after you've taken it out of the oven. That's normal: after all, it isn't a French soufflé! It's just an oven-baked omelet...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ma che buono!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8KMytyy4kE/UoDhJXJIrzI/AAAAAAAAF6I/i8qG_qC0o5s/s1600/Tortino+di+carciofi+alla+Fiorentina+DSC05758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8KMytyy4kE/UoDhJXJIrzI/AAAAAAAAF6I/i8qG_qC0o5s/s400/Tortino+di+carciofi+alla+Fiorentina+DSC05758.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a nice glass of red wine ready and warm crusty bread and let me know how you like it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a guaranteed comfort food...</span></span><br />
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-81929536976223677112013-11-10T18:30:00.001+01:002013-11-10T18:30:08.484+01:00A Mystery Swiss Cheese: Schabziger and What To Do With It<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I recently received from a Swiss friend who stayed with me in our house in Umbria a lovely gift: two little forms of green Schabziger, a mystery Swiss cheese made in the Glarner </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">mountains</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span>following a 550-year old recipe. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And it's not made anywhere else. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, there is only one manufacturing plant for this cheese, in </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the canton of </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glarus" title="Glarus">Glarus</a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">run by Geska A.G. since 2000. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It comes in very small forms, each only 100g, and here it is, looking smart in its classic green and white box, I remember it from the time I was a kid (and I won't tell you how long ago that was!):</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XODfc79Fm5o/UnYCHFwpqJI/AAAAAAAAF3s/o9eta4KYQOw/s1600/DSC05752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XODfc79Fm5o/UnYCHFwpqJI/AAAAAAAAF3s/o9eta4KYQOw/s1600/DSC05752.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is a dry, skim cow milk cheese flavored with a special herb called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_fenugreek" target="_blank">blue fenugreek</a> that is (surprisingly) also widely used in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_cuisine" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Georgian cuisine">Georgian cuisine</a>. The plant blooms in June and looks very pretty:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWzmsGjiuRI/UnX5RZIOuDI/AAAAAAAAF3c/BgvsZ7dFFAE/s1600/Sap+Sago+herb+Blue+Fenugreek+220px-Trigonella_caerulea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LWzmsGjiuRI/UnX5RZIOuDI/AAAAAAAAF3c/BgvsZ7dFFAE/s400/Sap+Sago+herb+Blue+Fenugreek+220px-Trigonella_caerulea.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Schabziger reportedly was first made by monks in the 8th century. The exact specification on how to make this cheese was laid down during a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsgemeinde" target="_blank">cantonal assembly</a> in 1463. As noted by Wikipedia, the cheese from that moment, bore a stamp of origin, making it one of the earliest protected brands in the world. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This so-called "green Swiss cheese" is in fact little known outside of Switzerland. The only two countries where it sells are Germany and the Netherlands though it is commercialized in the United States under the brand name of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schabziger" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Schabziger">Sap Sago</a>. Nobody knows why, possibly a corruption of the way the name sounds in German or a reference to "sap" as in tree sap, the vital lymph. Apparently it was brought to America in the 19th century and sold in New York pharmacies, thus presumably seen as having a medicinal value - which indeed it has, since it is very low in fats. But that may also be a reason why its use remained limited, since it was associated with medical use rather than seen as a normal food. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is normally grated, mixed with butter and spread on bread. But I thought there should be other ways to use it. I googled some recipes and the best site I came across is this one run by Geska, click <a href="http://www.schabziger.ch/en/home/" target="_blank">here</a> to see the website and <a href="http://www.geska.ch/fileadmin/ablage/downloads/rezepte/rezeptbroschuere_05_en.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> to download their best pdf brochure. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But I thought I'd experiment, using Italian products like mascarpone. One obvious use for Schabziger is to sprinkle it over Fettucine all'Alfredo, replacing the grated Parmesan. But I thought I'd try it over boiled potatoes. So here is the dish I concocted last Sunday, really simple to do: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients for 4 persons</b></span></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 form Schabziger, grated</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 medium-sized potatoes, boiled and peeled</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">150 g Mascarpone (or any other available cream cheese)</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">butter</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, peeled</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">grated nutmeg</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">breadcrumbs (as needed to cover the dish) </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">pepper and (optional) very little salt (remember the Schabziger cheese is salty even though the Mascarpone isn't)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Rub a pyrex dish (that goes in the oven) with a garlic clove, then butter it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Slice the boiled potatoes (thick slices) and lay in the dish</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Mix the mascarpone with enough milk to make it a little creamier and add the grated Schabziger and a pinch of nutmeg</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. Cover with breadcrumbs and dot with butter</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. In a warm oven for ten minutes, then turn on the grill until a golden crust is formed. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here it is, enjoy!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tastes great, it accompanies beautifully any roast meat and is even good by itself with a nice glass of red wine! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b> </b></span></span><br />
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-11856408971557470212013-05-27T16:22:00.001+02:002013-05-27T16:22:18.002+02:00Clear Broth with Clams and Zucchini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnDWW6o4PNw/UaMhlNuoadI/AAAAAAAADqs/l8AiRlunOzs/s1600/Clear+Broth+with+Clams+and+Zucchini+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnDWW6o4PNw/UaMhlNuoadI/AAAAAAAADqs/l8AiRlunOzs/s400/Clear+Broth+with+Clams+and+Zucchini+low+res.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is really very simple to do. The quality of the result will as always depend on the quality of the ingredients... alas, that is an unbending rule of good cooking!<br />
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<b>Ingredients for 4 persons:</b><br />
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- one pound clams (<i>vongole</i> in Italy) - the best are the wild ones, straight from the sea but those from fish farming are okay too.<b> </b><br />
- 2 cloves garlic<br />
- one whole zucchini or two if small, better if from a bio-garden but again, the other kind is ok.<br />
- a couple of fresh tomatoes, as red and tasty as possible, peeled<br />
- a tender celery heart<br />
- vegetable broth: here you can cheat and use the Knorr powdered product, it is wholly acceptable. Or be brave and do your own broth, boiling together all the basic vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, parsley, leeks etc)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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1. As always, you wash the clams well and put them in a pot with a tight-fitting lid, adding a couple of peeled garlic gloves sliced lengthwise so that the flavor spreads out easily (do not salt of course). Set over a high fire, close the lid and wait for the clams to burst open (you can hear them click against the pot's metal). It takes about 5 minutes.<br />
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2. Meanwhile you dice the zucchini in very small bits and slice the celery heart and cut the peeled tomatoes in half or in quarters (depending on size). You can also use unpeeled tomatoes if you prefer but then you will need to pull off the skin once they have cooked in the broth.<br />
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3. Clean the clams out of their shells and reserve - throw away the shells and the garlic pieces but keep the broth, making sure there's no sand in it (it there is, strain and use only the sand-free broth)<br />
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4. Top off the clam broth with vegetable broth (made from Knorr powder or from scratch using the usual vegetables, see above) in a proportion of two (vegetable broth) to one (clam broth).<br />
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5. Bring to a boil and throw in your diced vegetables, they will cook in a matter of two or three minutes. Take off the fire and pour in the clams. Sprinkle some chopped parsley (optional) and you're done!<br />
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And excellent, light starter. <br />
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-51759915225778412272013-01-29T18:05:00.001+01:002013-05-27T17:57:13.110+02:00Gnocchi with Cheese Sauce, Green Asparagus and Fried Speck Slivers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XI7l9_LDtDY/UQf5ucR-4iI/AAAAAAAAC7c/YsYFF7Zp3tg/s1600/Gnocchi+with+Cheese+Sauce+and+Green+Asparagus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XI7l9_LDtDY/UQf5ucR-4iI/AAAAAAAAC7c/YsYFF7Zp3tg/s400/Gnocchi+with+Cheese+Sauce+and+Green+Asparagus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the finished dish after it's gone through the oven until it's golden, yummy!<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>potato gnocchi : </b>avge 150g/serving<b> </b>(buy ready-made), 500 g minimum for 4 persons</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b> Swiss cheese: </b>200 g (half a cup) grated</li>
</ul>
<b></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b> Parmigiano cheese: </b>2 or 3 tablespoons, grated</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>green asparagus: </b>at least one dozen asparagus boiled in salted water: <b>reserve one cup of the cooking liquid</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>100 g of Speck ham </b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>One cup milk</b> (skim milk if your prefer)</li>
</ul>
<b>Method </b><br />
<br />
<b>1</b>. <b>Make the cheese sauce</b><b> using one cup of the asparagus cooking liquid and one cup of milk. </b>This cheese sauce does not need to be done with butter (better for your health, fewer calories!) <br />
<ul>
<li>Start with a big tablespoon of flour in one cup of cold milk + one cup of the asparagus cooking liquid
- </li>
<li>bring to a boil (keep whipping so it won't attach to the pan and
comes out smooth) - </li>
<li>boil 5 minutes to do away with the flour taste - </li>
<li>then add 200 g of grated Swiss cheese, salt and pepper, grated nutmeg to
taste. </li>
</ul>
<b>2. Prepare the ingredients that go into the cheese sauce:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>cut the asparagus in small pieces, discarding any bit that is fibrous or hard</li>
<li>fry the ham in a pan (use teflon, don't add any oil) until crisp then break it up in small pieces </li>
<li>Mix the above ingredients in the cheese sauce </li>
</ul>
<b>3. Prepare a pyrex dish </b>(or anything that goes in the oven) for your gnocchi: butter it and spread a little of the cheese sauce on the bottom<br />
<br />
<b>4. Cook the gnocchi</b> in boiling water, lightly salted. As soon as they float up to the surface, take them out of the water with a slotted spoon and deposit in the pyrex dish.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Cover with cheese sauce</b> and sprinkle <b>grated parmigiano</b> over the whole dish <br />
<br />
<b>6. Stick in a warm oven for 5 minutes</b> then <b>turn on the grill </b>for a couple of minutes to brown.<br />
<br />
That's it!<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bh6omTmksI/UQgAOnsJAII/AAAAAAAAC7k/vnD3R_n_UKI/s1600/Gnocchi+in+cheese+sauce,+asparagus+and+fried+speck+slivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bh6omTmksI/UQgAOnsJAII/AAAAAAAAC7k/vnD3R_n_UKI/s400/Gnocchi+in+cheese+sauce,+asparagus+and+fried+speck+slivers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-1067610221653180472013-01-01T20:18:00.000+01:002013-05-27T17:58:07.300+02:00New Year Hodge Pot, the Recipe You Need on January 1st!<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You know how you feel on January 1st, the day after? Nay, the week after having eaten far, far too much every day since Christmas Eve and you've got all those left-overs in the fridge? Yes, that's right - awful! No way you're going to cook today. So here's one easy solution:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C7pybmrApHc/UOMtr-axPeI/AAAAAAAAC1I/-iHMkdzYXxE/s1600/DSC04887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C7pybmrApHc/UOMtr-axPeI/AAAAAAAAC1I/-iHMkdzYXxE/s400/DSC04887.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Recipe:</b> Everything left over in your fridge, vegetable-wise, cut-up in bite-size pieces. If you haven't got enough veggies, integrate with a ready-made minestrone from your supermarket, either frozen or semi-fresh (one cup will do). </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Leave out the rat (<span style="font-size: large;">r</span>emember <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_in_a_Boat" target="_blank">Three Men in a Boat</a>? The dog's contribution to the men's Irish stew had been a rat he'd fished in the Thames...) <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add one cup of broth to taste (made from cubes or Knorr powder or whatever), ground pepper, a spoonful of fresh chopped parsley (optional). </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be sure to add two or three tablespoonfuls of fresh tomato purée - what the Italians call "<a href="http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Passata-di-pomodoro.html" target="_blank">passata di pomodoro</a>". Lacking that, cut up a few cherry tomatoes in your soup, they'll add <span style="font-size: large;">a necessary</span> zing to it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese and a piece of warmed up bread. And red wine of course.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Et voilà, the perfect New Year Day Hodge podge, I mean <b>Hodge Pot</b>!</span></span><br />
<div class="zemanta-related">
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Related articles: here<span style="font-size: small;"> are </span>serious recipes for the brave souls that don't feel any January First slowdown...</span></span></h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul zemanta-article-ul-image">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://putneyfarm.com/2013/01/01/holiday-hangover-soup/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/135139816_80_80.jpg" /></a><a href="http://putneyfarm.com/2013/01/01/holiday-hangover-soup/" target="_blank">Holiday Hangover Soup</a>(putneyfarm.com)<div>
<hr />
</div>
</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://stresscake.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/eat-your-way-into-good-fortune-hoppin-john/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/135174471_80_80.jpg" /></a><a href="http://stresscake.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/eat-your-way-into-good-fortune-hoppin-john/" target="_blank">eat your way into good fortune ... Hoppin' John</a>(stresscake.wordpress.com)<div>
<hr />
</div>
</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://unihomemaker.com/2012/12/19/winter-minestrone/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.zemanta.com/133137971_80_80.jpg" /></a><a href="http://unihomemaker.com/2012/12/19/winter-minestrone/" target="_blank">Winter Minestrone</a>(unihomemaker.com)<div>
<hr />
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-62491110658240243322012-02-05T18:23:00.000+01:002012-12-25T17:54:42.709+01:00Shrimps in White Wine with Black Olives and Cherry Tomatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U49Y5r1CDf4/Ty2ZLyh-JpI/AAAAAAAABZk/cNQNtooaRj8/s1600/DSC03911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U49Y5r1CDf4/Ty2ZLyh-JpI/AAAAAAAABZk/cNQNtooaRj8/s320/DSC03911.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients for 4 persons</b><br />
<br />
<b>- </b> 3 to 5 shrimps per person, depending on size.<br />
- cherry tomatoes: about 24<br />
- black olives: 1/2 cup <br />
- salt, pepper, a clove a garlic<br />
- dry white wine: one or two glasses<br />
- olive oil<br />
- chopped parsley<br />
<br />
These are the olives I used, dried in salt, they come from my olive grove in Umbria. I did them myself (takes 2 weeks in a jar) and added some lemon peels for taste:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XngqBIRGD2s/Ty2vvnA8CBI/AAAAAAAABak/0YOgvWW4vAg/s1600/DSC03908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XngqBIRGD2s/Ty2vvnA8CBI/AAAAAAAABak/0YOgvWW4vAg/s320/DSC03908.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But you can use any kind of olive you like, provided they're tasty.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<br />
<b>1</b>. Cook the shrimps whole (unpeeled) in a pan over a fast fire, with a clove of garlic and one glass of white wine - covered, about 5 minutes, until done (they turn a nice pink).<br />
<br />
<b>2. </b>Lift the shrimps out of the pan (and the garlic too) and clean them. Of course you can also serve them whole and let your guests peel them but I prefer to do the work for them - once cooled off, it's really very easy to do:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JE1DZ_ZlfVk/Ty2vafbav5I/AAAAAAAABac/Vu90U9tRAO4/s1600/DSC03904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JE1DZ_ZlfVk/Ty2vafbav5I/AAAAAAAABac/Vu90U9tRAO4/s320/DSC03904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
3. Meanwhile, start cooking the sauce in the pan you used to cook the shrimps (that way you start off with the shrimp cooking juices), adding again some wine, the cherry tomatoes cut in pieces, and the olives (whole):<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FihnV9FZtEA/Ty2wDLxacLI/AAAAAAAABas/LsR2gFdVqG0/s1600/DSC03905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FihnV9FZtEA/Ty2wDLxacLI/AAAAAAAABas/LsR2gFdVqG0/s320/DSC03905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For extra taste, I add a spoonful of fish broth (Knorr makes a good one in powder form) but that's optional. If you do that, go easy with the salt (or it will result too salty). Add pepper.<br />
<br />
4. When the tomatoes are cooked (they turn soft in about 5 minutes), I turn off the heat and go to the trouble of removing the tomato skins, pulling them off with a fork:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7b6eSXpFHI/Ty2wVvbFKsI/AAAAAAAABa0/iVy786_YLAA/s1600/DSC03906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7b6eSXpFHI/Ty2wVvbFKsI/AAAAAAAABa0/iVy786_YLAA/s320/DSC03906.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
See? They're piled up in the lower right corner. But you don't need to do that if you don't want to - but in that case, you had better chop up the tomatoes more than I did (I only cut them in half).<br />
<br />
5. Now you put the shrimps back in the sauce and warm them up on a medium heat (not too long or too strong or you'll dry up the shrimps). Add the chopped parsley too. If the sauce looks insufficient, add a little wine until you have it nice and creamy:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igyLmIjM4gg/Ty2wqZRptRI/AAAAAAAABa8/DXtW9IPQNqU/s1600/DSC03909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igyLmIjM4gg/Ty2wqZRptRI/AAAAAAAABa8/DXtW9IPQNqU/s320/DSC03909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
6. Now you're ready to prepare the dish - laying the shrimps around rice you've previously cooked (I used Thai rice, bu any kind will do as long as it's simply boiled) and pouring the sauce over the shrimps:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oU2sFJV8fho/Ty2w-RhPCwI/AAAAAAAABbE/Fhl0wv0_WfY/s1600/DSC03910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oU2sFJV8fho/Ty2w-RhPCwI/AAAAAAAABbE/Fhl0wv0_WfY/s320/DSC03910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This dish should be accompanied with white wine, cela va sans dire. Since I live in Italy, I drink Vermentino di Sardegna (in the picture above, it's an Aragosta, the best one in my opinion). But of course any good dry white wine will be perfect!<br />
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-17534136087489094922011-12-20T11:33:00.000+01:002011-12-20T11:33:44.560+01:00Sautéed Green Beans and Potatoes, Walloon Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aK1GWH-l5Rk/TvBiHFem1kI/AAAAAAAABAU/atOiXg63Wbw/s1600/Green+beans+potatoes+and+ham+Belgian+style.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aK1GWH-l5Rk/TvBiHFem1kI/AAAAAAAABAU/atOiXg63Wbw/s320/Green+beans+potatoes+and+ham+Belgian+style.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>This is a recipe from my part of the world - walloon country, the French-speaking portion of Belgium (some 4 million people out of a total 10 - the rest speak Flemish).<br />
<br />
Traditionally, this recipe uses bacon, frying it in a pan first until it's crisp. Those who follow me know I rarely if ever use bacon (too fat) and instead replace it with strips of ham, usually the smoked variety (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speck" rel="wikipedia" title="Speck">Speck</a> will do very nicely), and fry it in a teflon-coated pan (no butter or oil added!) until crisp.<br />
<br />
This is a wonderful recipe that can serve as a main dish if you're in the mood for a fast, light meal and it's especially nice on rainy days. Just looking at it lifts the spirits! Incidentally, the picture above was taken by none other than...little me (after I'd eaten half my portion! It was so good it took me a while to remember to take a photo...)<br />
<br />
Here's the recipe for 4 people.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
500 g<b> </b>(approx one pound) of green beans, cleaned (strings pulled off please!) and cut in half if very long;<br />
300g potatoes peeled and cut in sticks like for French fries<br />
1 cup cream (or what I do here in Italy: <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarpone" rel="wikipedia" title="Mascarpone">Mascarpone</a> with a little milk to make it creamy)<br />
200 g smoked ham cut in strips and pan-fried until crisp<br />
Pepper and salt to taste (careful with the salt: the ham will probably give the dish enough salt as is)<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
1. First cook the vegetables. You can do this using steam - that's what I do, I prefer steaming to boiling in salt water, I think it maintains better the taste of vegetables, but it really is up to you - whatever you're most comfortable doing. The main thing though is NOT to overcook the vegetables - the potatoes, sure, they need to be tender but shouldn't fall apart. And the green beans can even be a little crisp, they will resist better the next step in the recipe, which is pan frying.<br />
<br />
2. Now quick-fry all the ingredients - green beans, potatoes and crisp ham (or bacon) - in a pan. A wok will do nicely or any pan that looks nice and that you can bring to the table: the warmer the dish is served, the better it will taste.<br />
<br />
3. Once the vegetables are nice and warm, add the cream (or Mascarpone and milk), stir and serve. Finish off with freshly-grounded pepper for extra taste.<br />
<br />
Yummy! And so simple to do...<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=84d40ff0-f183-4edd-b7e4-8234b5ca3f4b" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-29779599590815746322011-10-14T17:01:00.000+02:002011-10-14T17:01:13.476+02:00Eggplant and Mushrooms Sautéed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggplant.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Eggplant" height="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Eggplant.jpg/300px-Eggplant.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggplant.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div><br />
I just made an incredible discovery! Eggplant and mushrooms go together as if they were made for each other! If you cook mushrooms in a skillet, I'm sure you've noticed they release water as they cook.<br />
<br />
If you cook eggplants you're confronted with the problem that eggplants will burn before they're cooked unless you use oil - frying them in deep oil is best to ensure they don't go dry on you. And anyone who's tried to grill eggplant slices in order to avoid all that oil (and all the calories!) will agree with me: okay, your eggplants are cooked in a calorie-less way, but boy do they taste dry!!<br />
<br />
The solution? Simple, cook mushroom and eggplant slices together in the same skillet! The water released by mushrooms is absorbed by the eggplants (they really drink it up, real sponges!) and the two cook together at the same time and reach a perfect point of softness! I did notice that it tended to dry up towards the end, so in the last 5 minutes you're well advised to drop in a few pieces of peeled tomatoes - fresh and very red.<br />
<br />
Et voilà, perfect vegetables to accompany grilled meat, in particular chicken or pork. Super simple to prepare and delicious. Being soft, they add just what's necessary to your grilled and sauce-less meats...<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients for 4</b><br />
<ul><li><b>2 eggplants</b> peeled and sliced - if the eggplants are market-bought, it is advisable to sprinkle the slices with salt at least 1/2 hour to ensure that the bitter liquid in them comes out; pat them dry with a paper towel <b> </b></li>
<li><b>2 cups of raw sliced mushrooms</b> (you can often find packages already prepared at the supermarket)</li>
<li><b>one medium-sized tomato</b>, very red, peeled and cubed or a dozen cherry tomatoes, sliced in two and no need to peel them </li>
<li><b>one tablespoon of vegetable broth in powder</b> (Knorr is a good brand)</li>
<li><b>one tablespoon olive oil </b></li>
<li><b>salt and pepper to taste</b> </li>
</ul><b>Method</b><br />
<br />
<b>1</b>. Warm up a <b>broad skillet or frying pan</b> with a little olive oil<b> </b>and when it's hot put in the slices of mushrooms and eggplants together. The fire has to be medium-high.<br />
<br />
<b>2</b>. Sprinkle the powdered<b> Knorr broth </b>over the vegetables, <b>salt and pepper</b>. Careful with the salt because you've already got the Knorr broth in there.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>3. It will take about 10 minutes to cook</b><b>. </b>Better stir to avoid burning<b>. </b>Before it actually burns (!), add the tomatoes in pieces: they will release just enough juice to ensure the cooking is finished without damage to the vegetables<b>.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>NOTE: I checked on Internet, there are plenty of recipes for eggplant and mushroom casseroles but all of them include onion, garlic, herbs, even cheese and eggs. Of course you can add all these ingredients but the result won't be the same.</b><br />
<b>(1) eggplants have a very mild, subtle taste and onions etc don't improve them - in fact such strong ingredients tend to overpower them in my humble opinion;</b><br />
<b>(2) cooking the eggplants separately - or even as in some recipes, frying them - defeats the purpose: the idea is that the liquid released by mushrooms as they cook helps in turn cook the eggplants.</b><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=ac730264-4933-4c7b-ac74-33b9f1331b3c" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-22130501336677552892011-09-30T17:28:00.000+02:002011-09-30T17:28:07.827+02:00The Belgian National Dish: WATERZOIE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035735481@N01/59889715" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="leek" height="180" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/59889715_1004b0e528_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><i><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035735481@N01/59889715">roboppy</a> via Flickr</span></i></span></div>
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There are 10 million people in Belgium and probably as many ways to make Waterzoie, the national dish! You can make it with <b>chicken</b> or <b>fish </b>or <b>seafood</b>, but in all cases it will have<b> leeks</b> as its characteristic feature. It really is a leek soup with either chicken or fish floating in it.<br />
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Sounds bad? Think again! It really is very, very tasty and remarkably easy to do if you follow my recipe - it can be quite a lot of work if you start from scratch and actually make a broth with bones and vegetables to cook your meat or fish in. We're in the 21st century and I'm not ashamed to confess that I use industrial bouillon cubes...<br />
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Another advantage of Waterzoie is that it can be <b>prepared in advance: the perfect dish when you have guests!</b><br />
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So here's the recipe for 4 persons.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>2 cups of leeks</b> cut in julienne strips (at least 4 leeks and try to use the white part and not too much of the green)<br />
<b>1/2 cup white onion</b>, likewise cut in strips<br />
<b>1/2 cup celery, </b>also cut in strips<br />
<b>1 whole breast chicken</b>, leave it whole or cut in two halves, <b>Alternative: </b>fish or seafood <br />
<b>1 or 2 bouillon cubes </b>(chicken broth for chicken of course, and fish broth for fish, natch!<br />
<b>1 cup cream </b>(since I live in Italy I use Mascarpone, but normal cream is fine and is what's used in Belgium)<br />
<b>1 egg yolk</b><br />
<b>Juice of 1/2 lemon</b><b> </b> (or more as needed - it has to have a sharp "tang")<br />
<b>Butter: one tablespoon</b> <br />
<b>Flour to thicken the sauce </b>(about one tablespoonful of flour plus one of cornflour - maizena - but you will need to adjust to the quantity of broth you have)<br />
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<b>Boiled potatoes to accompany</b><br />
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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Boil the potatoes and while they're boiling prepare the waterzoie.<br />
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<b>1. Cut all the vegetables</b>, leeks, onion and celery, in thin strips - julienne - about 1/2 inch long. Put in a wide pot, <b>cover with water</b>, add <b>bouillon cube</b> and a small amount (a tablespoonful) of <b>butter</b>.<br />
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<b>2. Simmer, covered</b>, <b>for about 10 minutes</b> taking care the vegetables don't burn - add water if need be. <br />
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<b>3. </b>After that time and as the vegetables start looking limp, <b>add over them the chicken breasts</b> and sprinkle a little salt over the meat. <b>Cover and continue to simmer another 20 minutes until cooked</b>. At that point the vegetables should be soft and the chicken cooked throughout and tender.<br />
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<b>3a. If you use fish </b>then you have to add it after the vegetables have cooked at least 20 minutes: the fish always cooks fast. How long that will take depends on the kind of fish you have chosen: for example, sea bass filets in my view don't need more than 5 minutes. Same with shrimps. More time is needed for lobster. Everytime, adjust the cooking of your vegetables that will always require 30 minutes to reach the right point of mellowness.<br />
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<b>4. </b>Now <b>in a saucepan prepare the basis of your sauce</b>: beat in a tablespoonful of flour and one of cornflour in 2 cups cold water and set on the fire to boil. This is how I make a "roux": I don't start by melting butter and working the flour in it. That's not needed! You can always add the butter - fresh, better for your health - at the end, when the sauce is done! Remember to beat it with a whisk so that the flour mixes well in the water and keep beating when it boils. <b>It should boil at least 5 minutes </b>to ensure the flour is cooked.<br />
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<b>5. Pull out the chicken (or fish) from the pot where cooked and set aside on a warm serving dish</b> (cover to keep the meat warm) You will serve the potatoes peeled in the same serving dish.<br />
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<b>6. Do the sauce: </b>pour the "roux" mixture from your saucepan (that you did in step 4) into the pot with the vegetables. Adjust the quantity of broth (I like it fairly liquid - but it's up to you, how thick a leek sauce you really want). Add chicken bouillon cube(s) or fish broth as needed so that it is rather strong tasting: it shouldn't be too bland because at this point you <b>add the cream</b> <b>+ egg yolk + lemon juice</b>. Adjust with salt, pepper and lemon to taste. Once the yolk is in, be careful if you need to warm it up : y<b>ou cannot boil the sauce anymore</b> or it will turn stringy on you!<br />
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<b>7</b>. <b>To serve:</b> put the sauce (which will be very abundant!) <b>in a soup toureen</b>, and cut the chicken and potatoes for presentation <b>on the serving dish</b>.<br />
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This dish should be accompanied by full-bodied red wine if done with chicken - white wine if done with fish.<br />
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Enjoy! You could be eating this in Brussels!<br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2007_07_Belgium_Brussels_06_%28cropped%29.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brussels, view from the Kunstberg hill" height="215" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/2007_07_Belgium_Brussels_06_%28cropped%29.jpg/300px-2007_07_Belgium_Brussels_06_%28cropped%29.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2007_07_Belgium_Brussels_06_%28cropped%29.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div>
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Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-74435448387560113182011-05-11T09:14:00.000+02:002011-05-11T09:14:56.043+02:00A QUICK AND EASY DESSERT: Baked Strawberries and Bananas<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Half_a_strawberry.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Strawberry" height="132" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Half_a_strawberry.jpg/300px-Half_a_strawberry.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Half_a_strawberry.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
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This is a no-brainer! Baked strawberries and bananas in a pretty pyrex dish: stick in the oven until the fruit is nice and soft and serve!<br />
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Ah, but there's a couple of tricks to make it really special. Here they are:<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
1 cup strawberries chopped in small pieces<br />
2 to 3 bananas (one per person) peeled and sliced longitudinally<br />
3 taplespoons of Mascarpone or very thick cream<br />
1 tablespoon of White Martini wine (sweet)<br />
juice from 1/2 lemon<br />
Brown sugar to taste<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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<b></b>- Heat the oven to 200° or mark 6<br />
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- In a small saucepan melt the mascarpone, add the wine, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.<br />
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- Set your banana slices in a pretty dish that goes in the oven and can be served as is at the table.<br />
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-Pour the mascarpone mix all over, making sure it also goes underneath the banana slice (if they break, don't worry, it doesn't matter)<br />
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- Put in overn about 15 minutes, until the fruit is done (the bananas must be soft)<br />
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Et voilà! Easy right? And you'll see how people LOVE it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas_white_background.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bananas white background" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Bananas_white_background.jpg/300px-Bananas_white_background.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas_white_background.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=2c922e58-0878-44b9-827e-e104c18af2a5" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-23895704226121215812011-04-30T17:35:00.000+02:002011-04-30T17:35:26.083+02:00Gratin Dauphinois (baked potatoes French-style) Made Easy<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gratin-Dauphinois.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gratin Dauphinois" height="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Gratin-Dauphinois.jpg/300px-Gratin-Dauphinois.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gratin-Dauphinois.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
There are lots of ways to make a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratin" rel="wikipedia" title="Gratin">gratin Dauphinois</a>, that scrumptious French-style baked potatoes, all soft and mushy inside and with a nice golden crust on top...If you Google it, you'll find dozens of recipes. But after trying a few, here's the easiest way to do it, and also the best for your health: no cream, no full milk, just skim milk and next-to-no butter!<br />
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Here's how I do it.<br />
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<b>Ingredients for 4</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
- 6 medium-sized potatoes, the baking kind (not the red-skinned variety that is good for frying; buy the brown/beige colored ones)<br />
- skim milk to cover your sliced potatoes (about 1/2 litre)<br />
- 5 to 6 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano cheese (you can use a mix of Parmigiano and Emmenthal)<br />
- garlic<br />
- a little butter (a teaspoon does it!)<br />
- salt and pepper to taste<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
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<ol><li>Preheat oven at 200° or mark 6 (or whatever you use to properly roast a chicken)</li>
<li>Peel and slice the potatoes THINLY (use a mechanical cutter if you have one!). Do NOT wash but throw them directly into a bowl and cover with milk</li>
<li>Mix in the grated cheese, salt and pepper</li>
<li>Rub a pyrex dish (any baking dish that goes into the oven) with a peeled piece of garlic, then rub in butter</li>
<li>Pour your potatoes together with the milk into the baking dish</li>
<li>Sprinkle more grated cheese on top (at least 2 table spoons) and dot with (a little!) butter </li>
<li>Put in your hot oven</li>
</ol><div>Et voilà! That's all it takes, super easy! The dish is ready when the potatoes are soft through and through (check with a toothpick, it should sink in easily) and the top has turned into a golden crust!</div><div><br />
</div><div>This accompanies well any meat dish...</div><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=03b2f0e6-6af9-4398-8a71-b7aac799af06" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-39900809341951258902011-01-14T19:07:00.000+01:002011-01-14T19:07:02.267+01:00Of the Importance of Parsley in Sauces and Soups<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_Anthriscus_cerefolium0.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Garden Chervil from Thomé Flora von Deutschlan..." height="510" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Illustration_Anthriscus_cerefolium0.jpg/300px-Illustration_Anthriscus_cerefolium0.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_Anthriscus_cerefolium0.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
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One person in my family, very dear to me, hates <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Parsley">parsley</a> - this post therefore is not for him!<br />
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Unless you're absolutely allergic to the idea of using parsley, here are some suggestions for parsley-based sauces and soups. <br />
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One of the most famous one is the Italian <i>Salsa Verde</i> or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_sauce" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Green sauce">Green Sauce</a>, a superb parsley-based sauce that accompanies perfectly boiled meat or fish - and there are of course French and German versions as well. Then in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_cuisine" rel="wikipedia" title="Lebanese cuisine">Lebanese cuisine</a>, parsley is, as everybody knows, an essential ingredient in <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/tabbouleh-iii/Detail.aspx">Tabbouleh</a> or bulgur salad (along with mint, of course).<br />
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You can find these recipes all over the place on Internet or in a library.<br />
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But what I want to do here is to tell you about an interesting <b>MEDIEVAL GREEN SAUCE</b><i> </i>of my own. Another example of serendipity in cooking!<br />
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I found my inspiration in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Kitchen-Recipes-France-Italy/dp/0226706842">French cookbooks on medieval cooking</a>, and if you look at the originals you'd be amazed how our ancestors had neat ways of making sauces for their meat and fish. And naturally, parsley entered in nearly all of them. Unfortunately other ingredients did too and they're hard to find in modern markets. So I ended up with a parsley-based sauce that I use on all sorts of meat and fish. Most recently, I poured it over cold, thin slices of roast turkey (cooked the day before) and served it at room temperature, with extra sauce in a gravy boat. It was a real success with my friends! Of course, the same meat could have been served hot, with the sauce warmed just so, taking care NOT to boil it or it loses all its flavour!<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b>: <br />
- 2 thick slices of bread, white or whole meal is fine but the bread should be tasty!<br />
- 1 small glass of dry white wine (alternatively: a tablespoon of white vinegar but it's less refined); you can add a tablespoon of Porto or Madeira if<br />
- 1/2 cup of consommé or meat broth (if you make the sauce to accompany meat; use fish broth to accompany fish). You can use Knorr-type cubes or powder, but make sure you put enough in: you shouldn't need to use salt in this recipe.<br />
- A VERY large bunch of parsley: the more, the better<br />
- one spoonful olive oil <br />
- Pepper to taste (I always put it in abundantly - it exalts flavours)<br />
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<b>Method: </b><br />
<br />
It's really simple, no cooking required.<br />
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Soak the bread in water and squeeze it dry. Put all the ingredients in a blender and chop up fine and voilà, it's done!<br />
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Soups all gain by having a sprinkling of parsley on them, but then, for real parsley lovers, there's... the <b>GREEN SOUP</b>!<br />
Yummy!!<br />
It's just loaded with parsley - literally, two handfuls! Btw, it's not medieval, and it is inspired by the Belgian chervil soup. Since I live in Rome and there's no chervil (cerfeuil in French) here, I use Italian parsley. You know what I mean: the flat kind.<br />
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<b>Ingredients for 4 persons</b><br />
1 big potato<br />
1 small carrot<br />
2 celery branches (be careful to remove the strings!)<br />
1 big white onion<br />
1 leek (white part only)<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillon_cube" rel="wikipedia" title="Bouillon cube">Bouillon cube</a> to taste<br />
Fresh parsley: at least 2 handfuls (remove most of the thick stems, try only using the leaves) <br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Peel and cube the vegetables. Throw them in pot, cover with water, add bouillon cube and bring to boil with the lid on - then simmer covered, until the vegetables are soft and ready to be puréed in your mixer, or whatever you use to purée your stuff.<br />
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As you finish puréing (and make sure it's turned creamy on you) add the parsley and give it another swirl until the parsley is finely chopped and your soup, originally white, has turned green.<br />
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Don't cook anymore: just warm up and serve, so that the fresh taste of parsley is preserved! <br />
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<b>Post-scriptum: </b>The illustration I used is chervil...not parsley! Sorry if I played a trick on you, but it's such a pretty illustration, don't you think?<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0ceedc2d-c6d5-4a64-9b12-8dceeeb37cc1" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-61113843257231200282011-01-14T18:43:00.000+01:002011-01-14T18:43:52.784+01:00Pear and Figs Compote: an unusual mix of fresh and dried fruit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pears.png" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Pear, Oregon's state fruit." height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Pears.png/300px-Pears.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pears.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div><br />
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How about an unusual combination of cooked fruits? Pears (fresh, peeled and quartered) complement wonderfully figs (the simple, sun-dried variety), with an appetizing bittersweet result. Cooked in wine, the figs become big and soft, and are beautifully set off by the pears.<br />
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How to do it? Super simple:<br />
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<b>Ingredients for 4 people</b>:<br />
3 to 4 pears, <i>peeled and quartered</i><br />
A dozen sun-dried figs or more -<i> snip off the tail</i>, it's too hard to cook, <i>but leave them whole</i><br />
One small glass of Sweet Martini White Wine (or any sweet wine will do)<br />
1 to 2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar (the quantity depends on how sweet your pears are)<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Put everything in a pot and cover. Cook on a low fire until the pears are soft but haven't come undone (about 10 minutes)<br />
<br />
Enjoy! It's best lukewarm...<br />
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Btw, pears are a wonderful addition in the kitchen, often making for unusual tastes. Check out the recipe below and you'll see what I mean:<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www10.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/magazine/16Food-t-001.html%3F_r%3D5&a=32629483&rid=812e4196-ddfc-4221-abbc-c8fbdf993faa&e=da85deab453b4500be3c5f8e17ec8b87">Recipes: Pear, Persimmon and Hazelnut Salad</a> (nytimes.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=812e4196-ddfc-4221-abbc-c8fbdf993faa" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-3373780456361542010-10-04T14:38:00.000+02:002010-10-04T14:38:39.367+02:00Penne Treviso-style plus a Belgian Variation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radicchio_from_Venice.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="we took some radicchio home from the rialto ma..." height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Radicchio_from_Venice.jpg/300px-Radicchio_from_Venice.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radicchio_from_Venice.jpg"></a></span></span></div><br />
This is a typical (and very easy) recipe from Treviso sent to me by a Facebook friend who lives in that town, in the north of Italy. Treviso is the cradle of "radicchio", a slightly bitter vegetable that, in spite of its red colour, is very close in taste to the <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicory" rel="wikipedia" title="Chicory">Belgian endive</a></b>. Which is why I'm going to give you both versions: the original Treviso one and my (Belgian) variation on it. But there are lots of other ways to use radicchio, and here is a useful link to give you some ideas:<br />
<a href="http://www.radicchio.net/ricette.html">radicchio.net/ricette</a> <br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b> <br />
- Pasta, any "hard" kind (meaning done without eggs), like <b>spaghetti </b>or <b>penne</b>, about 80g/person (if the commercial dried variety) or 100g if you use home-made fresh pasta; the rest of the ingredients are given for 4 persons:<br />
- 50 g <b>bacon</b> (not the smoked variety - really lard) cut in very thin slices;<br />
- 100 g of <b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicchio" rel="wikipedia" title="Radicchio">radicchio di Treviso</a></b>, also cut in thin slices;<br />
- garlic (optional)<br />
- olive oil, a small table spoon<br />
- ground pepper as desired<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
In a pan, fry the garlic (a small piece if you use it) in a little olive oil and once it has browned, throw it away. Continue with the same pan using this oil to fry the bacon for about 2 minutes. Then add the radicchio and cover with a lid, lowering the flame and cooking for about 10 minutes or so, until the vegetable has become tender.<br />
It's done! Now you cook the pasta as usual, remembering to set aside a cup of the cooking water once you've strained the pasta - because you'll use some of that water, as needed, when you turn the pasta in your pan-fried vegetables and warm them up quickly before serving. At the last minute, add a little fresh olive oil in it and a sprinkle of grated Parmisan cheese. Serve with more grated cheese on the side.<br />
<br />
Now for my Belgian variation:<br />
- replace the radicchio with a couple of Belgian endives sliced thin<br />
<br />
- the bacon can be replaced with smoked ham also cut in thin slices and dried in the pan without oil, so the slices become slightly crisp. Then proceed with cooking the endives, as before, on a slow fire with a lid. If it looks dry to you, add a little water so it won't burn.<br />
- at the end, when you turn the pasta in the pan, add the cooking water as needed and a pat of fresh butter.<br />
<br />
Serve with cheese as before.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=26541959-0f83-47fe-85e3-b79b24eb010c" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-62055227226682627242010-09-16T12:33:00.000+02:002010-09-16T12:33:10.744+02:00Pork with Peaches, Honey and Red Wine<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pigs_in_the_City_11_-_Pork_Knox.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Previous entries from Pigs in the City now on ..." height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Pigs_in_the_City_11_-_Pork_Knox.jpg/300px-Pigs_in_the_City_11_-_Pork_Knox.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pigs_in_the_City_11_-_Pork_Knox.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
Once again, this recipe has resulted from a peculiar form of serendipity: I open my fridge an hour before dinner and discover I'm missing a whole lot of things and have to make do with what happens to be in there (ok, I'll confess to a small sin: I'm often too lazy to go shopping!). On that particular day: pork, peaches and potatoes... <br />
<br />
The peaches threatened to mature to the point of being quite inedible! So I had no choice but cook them and I used what I had - a few slices of pork cut in the fillet part, but pork scallops would be equally good for this recipe.<br />
<br />
It's really very easy to do and the fruit goes superbly well with the pork!<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients for 4 persons</b><br />
- one pound/500 g of pork in slices (or more if you're very carnivorous), trimmed of fat and floured<br />
- 3 or 4 peaches, peeled and in pieces<br />
- 2 tablespoons honey<br />
- small glass of red wine<br />
- one teaspoon of Knorr or Maggi's powdered meat broth or one cube of same, or better still "fond de veau" (but as fas as I know that can only be found in France)<br />
- salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method </b><br />
Start with the peach sauce. Peel the fruit and cut it in rough pieces. Put everything - the fruit, the meat cube or powder, honey and wine - in a lidded pot (better if teflon-lined) and cook on a slow fire until soft. It takes about ten minutes. Be sure to cover your pot so it doesn't dry and add freshly ground pepper at the last minute.<br />
<br />
Put a little salt over the pork slices then flour them, shaking off the excess. Pan-fry them (I use a teflon pan with a little olive oil) until golden. Set on a serving dish with boiled potatoes (you can also pan-fry them in oil to make them tastier and prettier) and pour the peach sauce over the meat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=ca170c05-ad48-46ba-8dfa-5e5551feb8c9" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-81930893548857941562010-09-10T12:10:00.000+02:002010-09-10T12:10:22.543+02:00Gnocchi alla Greca, Greek-style with Feta Cheese and Tomatoes...mmmm!<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_scanned.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A scanned red tomato, along with leaves and fl..." height="143" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Tomato_scanned.jpg/300px-Tomato_scanned.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_scanned.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
Yesterday for dinner, it was too late to buy anything and I was stuck with potato gnocchi, a big slice of Feta cheese and a bunch of garden tomatoes ripe and red, the best variety, the one that comes straight from one's own garden...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps "stuck" is not the right word, because putting these ingredients together I stumbled on a marvellous way of accomodating gnocchi! Really, a super simple recipe that is guaranteed to surprise your friends! Ok, in this case I'll admit I'm not modest and I'm quite pleased with the result. Believe me, you should try it too: the tart taste of the feta cheese is nicely smoothed out by the fresh tomatoes and herbs and they both do wonders for the gnocchi that are, after all, a rather bland, non-descript affair...<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients for 4 persons</b><br />
<br />
750 g (close to 2 pounds) <b>potato gnocchi</b> (if you want to make them yourself, I've attached below a useful recipe but I confess that I simply buy them at the supermarket)<br />
750 g <b>tomatoes</b>, very red, peeled <br />
300 g of <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feta">Feta cheese</a> </b>or more if you so desire: use it grated very roughly or crumbled<br />
<b>Herbs</b> to taste: oregano (a tablespoon), sage, marjoram<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<br />
Note<b> </b>there's no olive oil, indeed no fat at all in the ingredients. You get all the fat you need from the cheese. Of course, if you insist, you can add a little oil at the moment of mixing the gnochi in the tomato sauce but I don't do it because I feel it detracts from the fresh taste of the tomatoes: after all, oil puts a film between your taste buds and the tomatoes!<br />
<br />
Note there's no onion or garlic either. Of course you can put them in (finely chopped) but I don't because, in my opinion, they detract from the tomato taste and are wholly unnecessary. Gnocchi are a delicate food and don't go well with an overwhelming sauce. <br />
<br />
Start with a large pot of boiling water in which to drop the tomatoes, fish them out with a spoon and peel them. Don't throw the water away: you can use it to boil the gnocchi (once you've added the necessary salt). Mash the tomatoes up and put in a teflon-lined pot (I use earthenware but then I live in Umbria and such pots are traditional here). Place on a medium flame and reduce the tomatoes, mashing them occasionally with a wooden fork (no metal! It spoils the taste). It should take you about 10 minutes or less. In any case, don't cook your tomatoes too long (15 minutes is a maximum) or they'll become difficult to digest and loose their fresh taste. Your sauce will look lumpy and that's all right (more tasty!) but if you hate lumpiness, you can always put it through the blender (I don't).<br />
<br />
Add herbs, salt and pepper to your tomato sauce. Taste it: it may be too acid if your tomatoes are not properly sun-ripe. In that case add a teaspoon of sugar or more, to taste.<br />
<br />
Now boil your gnocchi and when they float up, spoon them out into your pot with the tomato sauce. Warm up the whole lot on a low flame and mix. Pour into a warm serving dish and sprinkle generously with crumbled or grated Feta cheese all over the gnochi. DON'T mix it at this point. People as they serve themselves will find the tomato sauce and gnocchi underneath the cheese and it will get naturally mixed in their plate. This is important because mixing in advance destroys the cheese's flavour. Incidentally, that is also the way Sicilians prepare their famous <a href="http://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/p_klmn/norma.shtml"><i>Pasta alla Norma</i></a>: with dried salted ricotta cheese sprinkled all over the pasta and NOT inside (in spite of what some Internet chefs say).<br />
<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles by Zemanta</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.circleoffood.com/blog/2010/07/19/makin-gnocchi/" rel="nofollow">Makin' Gnocchi</a> (circleoffood.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0436e141-72ee-43ba-bc2d-b4123eb34590" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-11892682078987646162010-09-02T11:49:00.000+02:002010-09-02T11:49:36.197+02:00Pasta with Smoked Salmon: a totally different recipe and success guaranteed !<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14191547@N00/2296529712" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fettucine with Smoke Salmon in Cream Sauce" height="134" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2296529712_91e06547c9_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14191547@N00/2296529712">nadi0</a> via Flickr</span></span><br />
Most pasta recipes with smoke salmon use a cream sauce to which you add the chopped salmon. Results are often hugely disappointing. All too often, the cream sauce clogs up when the pasta cools, and as you finish your plate, you find it all sticky and gummy.<br />
<br />
Not too surprising.<br />
<br />
Any pasta sauce that is cream-based is guaranteed to cool off very, very fast! Another problem is with the smoked salmon itself: it is very delicate and difficult to manipulate. It doesn't suffer any heating without losing all its colour and flavour - so if you try to keep your cream sauce warm so that it remains nice and liquid, this will have the unwanted effect of turning your salmon from pink to an unappetizing white shade. It will have a flaky texture and a flat taste. In short, a disaster!<br />
<br />
Here's a way to accomodate pasta with smoked salmon WITHOUT running into all these problems. It has a nice salmony taste and never becomes sticky when it cools down. It is in fact just as good at room temperature, so that you can easily use this recipe when you are making a buffet for friends and have to cook in advance and leave the dish standing on the table for half-an-hour or more.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients: </b>quantities given here are for <b>4 persons</b>.<br />
<br />
- Any kind of pasta will do: <i>fettuccine, pappardelle, penne, farfalle</i>...Follow directions on your package and assume you'll need to cook 80 g of pasta per male guest and 50 g per female guest (I mean the dry pasta - for the fresh variety, raise the amount to 120g and 80 g respectively)<b> </b><br />
<b>- </b> One cup1/2 of ripe, red, fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped fine<br />
- 2 tablespoons of butter<br />
- 1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
- 1 tablespoon grated <a href="http://www.yumsugar.com/Definition-Bottarga-3733158">bottarga</a> or if you can't find it, use powdered fish broth (for example Knorr's fish broth is excellent)<br />
- 1/2 cup (or more, to taste) of fresh, roughly chopped <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_sativa">rucola</a><br />
- a small glass of Vodka<br />
- smoked salmon: 200g chopped<br />
- abundant pepper<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<br />
The thing to remember - it's crucial - is to set aside your chopped salmon and add it to the pasta only AFTER you've mixed the pasta in the sauce and the dish has had a chance to cool down.<br />
<br />
The first thing to do, apart from setting your water boiling as soon as you walk in the kitchen, is to start preparing the pasta sauce. It is super-easy and requires no cooking (except for peeling the tomatoes by dropping them for a minute in boiling water - in fact, I always use the water in which I cook the pasta for peeling my tomatoes, saves on pots to clean!)<br />
<br />
You melt the butter and put all the ingredients in a serving dish and let it sit there while the pasta cooks. Neither the rucola nor the tomatoes need any cooking. Indeed, the tomatoes should be chopped as fine as you can make them, and dropped into the sauce together with their juice. In case you're wondering why I suggest adding olive oil since I've started with butter, it is simply because it ensures a creamier texture, as the oil prevents the butter of going hard on you when it cools.<br />
<br />
Then, when the pasta is cooked (and you've set aside in a cup some of the cooking water in case you need it), you simply turn it into your sauce. If it looks dry, just add some of the water in which the pasta has cooked, nothing else and certainly not olive oil or butter. There's no need for additional grease, it would only cover up the taste! When it looks well coated and slighlty liquid at the bottom, turn in the chopped salmon and serve. Btw, with this kind of dish there's no need for Parmigiano cheese.<br />
<br />
<br />
But do have white wine with it and let me know how you like it!<br />
<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f19e4b1a-c4f9-4ce9-ad4d-8da65c3f2436" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-2407365075563364192010-08-30T16:02:00.000+02:002010-08-30T16:02:20.921+02:00Why Another Blog on Cooking...<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Foods.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Various fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains; ..." height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Foods.jpg/300px-Foods.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="142" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Foods.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
Or should I say "cuisine"? Sounds better.<br />
<br />
Those of you who follow me know that I started a blog some 9 months ago to vent out ... no, not just my frustrations but my <i>opinions</i> about what's going on in the world. Lots of things are going wrong and certainly deserve a comment. So I'll keep doing that in my original blog where you'll find everything about economics and politics:<strong> <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1948947287">http://claudenougat.blogspot.</a><wbr></wbr><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/goog_1948947287">com</a><a href="http://claudenougat.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></a></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Now retitled:<b> Claude Nougat - It's Political, it's Artsy</b>!</span></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">And here? You'll find everything about <b>cooking</b>. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Well, not quite everything but actually what I've learned over 40 years of cooking for family and friends both here in Europe where I now live (mainly Italy) and over there in America where I began my adult life. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Those of you who have followed me on my other blog will find some of the recipes I've published there. I thought it would be more convenient to have them all in one place, plus of course new ones - little by little as they occur to me, and depending on the changes in season and, of course, on bouts of serendipity! </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm a great believer in serendipity in the kitchen. My recipes, more often than not, tend to depend on what I happen to have in the icebox or come across at the market...And I do welcome suggestions! Food can always be improved with a little imagination. Cuisine, both <b>high</b> (the French and Chinese variety) and <b>low </b>(everyday "square" meals), is definitely one of the main things that distinguish us humans from our animal friends. I do have fantasy when I cook but I don't claim to have a fantasy that exhausts all the possibilities... </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm also a great believer in METHODS: what makes food really good is more the result of HOW it is done than of WHAT ingredients go into the recipe - what I call "<b>tricks in cooking</b>", something that is often skipped over in cookbooks. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">This said, the QUALITY of the ingredients is fundamental and not something you can skimp on. I also happen to be a great believer in bio-food not so much because I'm against modern agriculture or an avid fan of green agriculture, but because all those chemicals that are put in to grow food fast and make it look pretty is generally achieved at the expense of TASTE. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">And, I suspect, HEALTH. No one has yet proved there is a link between hormones, fertilizer use and obesity in humans, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day such a link is found. How come the hormones in our fattened-up beef don't get transmitted to us when we eat the meat, causing similar (fattening) results? So better safe than sorry, and to the extent possible, I like to stick to traditional, chemical free ingredients. Like olive oil for frying...</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">That's the kind of philosophy I bring into the kitchen and I hope that many of you will follow me and enjoy the recipes I'm proposing here.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Please join and make comments, add to my recipes, enrich this blog. After all, food is fundamental, it's about LIFE! </span></strong><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=8a872f87-35e8-455c-9532-f6227082ea9a" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-29063722216149510582010-08-30T13:29:00.001+02:002010-09-07T11:35:47.430+02:00Melanzane alla Parmigiana: Cooking Tricks to Make it Perfect!<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_sauce_for_eggplant_stew.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tomato sauce for eggplant stew" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Tomato_sauce_for_eggplant_stew.jpg/300px-Tomato_sauce_for_eggplant_stew.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_sauce_for_eggplant_stew.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm convinced that cooking <b> METHODS</b> are far more important than actual recipes if you want to be known among your friends as a "good cook".<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, most cookbooks don't give you the tricks of the trade.<br />
<br />
<br />
No, that's not quite right: some cookbooks do, but they rarely tell you <i>everything</i>. There are cooking secrets so well kept that they never, ever surface anywhere!<br />
<br />
That's the case with <i><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiana" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Parmigiana">melanzane alla parmigiana</a></i>, a cheese and eggplant dish that is a classic of Italian cuisine. In most restaurants, it's a disaster. Lukewarm, oily, swimming in old tomato sauce with gooey cheese that gets stuck in your teeth. Actually the cheese - usually slices of mozarella - tastes of nothing at all. And that yellow and black stuff in the middle, that feels like a greasy sponge, is (presumably) eggplant. Poor eggplant...<br />
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Once, a long time ago, in a small trattoria in the countryside near Naples, I had a superb melanzane alla parmigiana. Nothing was oily or tasteless about it, the eggplant had an amazingly light texture, almost like a soufflé, the cheese was flavourful, the tomato fresh. It was made in heaven!<br />
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It took me all of twenty years to figure out how that was done. I've asked Italian friends, I've tried every possible variant. And I kept running into the same problems: too much oil was absorbed by the eggplant when I fried it, too much water oozed out of the mozzarella while it cooked in the oven, the tomato sauce was either flat-tasting or overwhelming. I tried grilling the eggplant instead of frying it, on the theory that it wouldn't - by definition - absorb any oil and that it would be good for you. A light diet and all that. Well, let me tell you, using grilled eggplant slices is a sorry substitute. The slices go dry on you as they grill away,and there's not a chance you'll ever get that fluffy wonder that makes all the difference.<br />
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So here is how to do it and get super results (in my humble opinion):<br />
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<b>Ingredients for 4 persons: </b><br />
<br />
- One very large eggplant or 2 medium<br />
- A cupful of tomatoes very red and ripe<br />
- 150 g mozzarella cheese<br />
- 150 g grated parmigiano cheese or more - to taste<br />
- basil leaves<br />
- salt and pepper as needed<br />
- Olive oil to fry the eggplants - enough for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_frying" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Deep frying">deep-frying</a>, exactly as for French fries<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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Turn the oven high - on 6 or whatever heat you use to roast a chicken.<br />
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Get your ingredients ready:<br />
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1. To prepare the eggplant: peal away most of the skin leaving only a few strips then cut it in thick slices and lay on a reclining dish; sprinkle with salt and let it ooze out for about 30 minutes (this serves to get rid of the bitter taste some eggplants may have);<br />
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2. To prepare the tomatoes: the tastiest are the cherry tomatoes which you can cut up in very small pieces (at least 4 pieces out of each cherry tomato); alternatively, drop very red, ripened tomatoes in boiling water for one minute, pull out once the skin has broken, cool under cold water and peel them, breaking them up in pieces; in both cases, set the tomatoes aside in a bowl with salt, pepper and basil leaves to flavour them;<br />
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3.To prepare the mozzarella cheese, slice it and squeeze it to get most of the water out; don't worry if it breaks up, it doesn't matter; set it to drip dry in a colander;<br />
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4. Now for the most difficult part of the recipe. Heat olive oil in a big pot; make sure there's enough oil to cover the eggplant slices abundantly. <b>I always use olive oil for frying</b>, it's better for your health, it doesn't burn so easily and you can use it again at least once (if you haven't allowed it to burn!), AND it leaves a nice taste in your mouth - indispensable for Italian food.<br />
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Dry the eggplant with a paper towel and quickly roll the slices in flour: the flouring will create a thin protective crust once the eggplant hits the boiling oil and thus prevent it from absorbing too much oil (if you ever try to fry eggplant without flouring first, you'll see what happens, they become soggy with oil). So, once the oil is really hot (but not smoking!), shake off any extra flour and drop the eggplant slices one by one. Now you have to stay over your boiling oil with a spatula or some such to turn the slices and make sure they cook evenly to a golden colour; lift them out to dry on a paper towel. <br />
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5. Last step in the recipe but the most important one: putting it all together in a pyrex dish to go in the oven. This is where it is easy to make mistakes: it has to be done in a certain way and that's what makes the difference. Let me be very, very clear:<br />
<b>a. Start with a layer of eggplant slices</b> and set some tomatoes around them, making sure you're lifting the tomatoes out of the juice they've spewed out, and if needed, squeezing them as dry as you can (you don't want extra liquid here!).<br />
<b>b. Over the slices sprinkle generously grated parmigiano cheese </b>- because, remember, it's in the name: even though you have mozzarella in the recipe, it's the parmigiano that does it!<br />
<b>c. Then slices (or pieces) of mozzarella wrung dry</b> and make sure to top them with parmigiano cheese; add pepper to taste (no salt is needed because the parmigiano is salty);<br />
<b>d. Start again with a, b, c</b> - you need at least two layers like this and better still if you can make three. Top it off with the remaining tomatoes and basil leaves. If they fall on the side, it doesn't matter.<br />
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Put 20 minutes in the oven (middle rack), until the cheese is soft and the parmigiano on top has turned slightly golden. Wait for it to cool down before serving. It tastes better when it's not too hot.<br />
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Do let me know how it worked for you!<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=08c18fc4-b1f3-42ca-92ff-ac2183761f5a" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-66029774951680551862010-08-30T13:18:00.001+02:002010-09-07T11:35:47.438+02:00Chicken Soup Medieval Style<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Koeh-103.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Parsley" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Koeh-103.jpg/300px-Koeh-103.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="139" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Koeh-103.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
This is a plain, simple recipe, far away from Nouvelle Cuisine and inspired from an older time than Escoffier and classical cuisine - much older, the Middle Ages actually.<br />
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Two years ago, as we spent a couple of weeks in Touraine going around all the various Renaissance castles and gardens, I came across some neat restaurants serving medieval cuisine (or so they pretended!). I was so intrigued that I picked up a couple of cookbooks about medieval cuisine to study it.<br />
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Fascinating! Not everything our forefathers ate six hundred years ago is good or in line with contemporary tastes but it's worth digging into.<br />
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It would seem that much of medieval cuisine was characterized by a lavish use of meat broths variously done and lots and lots of herbs. And for making sauces, medieval cooks tended to use bread as a thickener rather than wheat flour as we do now. Chinese cuisine of course uses corn flour to thicken gravies - possibly rice flour in older-style recipes - and it would seem natural that Europeans should have used bread, the classic food of Western civilization. Some of them still do, for example the Spaniards when they make Gazpacho which, as everyone knows, is thickened with bread.<br />
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By the way, if you try to use bread as a thickener, I've noticed through trial and error that the traditional method for thickening Gazpacho - slices of stale bread soaked in water and then squeezed dry before adding to the vegetable mix - is by far the best. Any short cut you might be tempted to use, such as throwing slices of bread directly in the mix and then reduce everything to a pulp,doesn't give a satisfactory result: your soup or sauce might present itself as thick as you might want it to be, but you'll find it hard to digest. I don't know why, but the step of soaking bread in water and squeezing it dry is somehow essential. Maybe with the water running off, it gets rid of some indigestible elements in the bread (perhaps yeast?), but whatever it is, it makes quite a difference for your internal hydraulics!<br />
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Now to my recipe. I use no oil of any kind to cook it - only add a little olive oil at the end when it's done. As to the ingredients, they're very simple: a chicken in pieces (I use only the breast, whole, but you can put in legs or whatever you like) and every fresh vegetable you can find...<br />
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It's a little like the Irish Stew in <i>Three Men in a Boat</i> where the dog adds a rat he found floating in the Thames (and that's when you realize half-way through the book that the protagonists are not four but really three men in a boat as in the title - the fourth voice belonging to the dog!). Well, I'm not suggesting you add a rat to it, but it's important to use vegetables that are <i>in season</i>. It's a medieval recipe after all, and they didn't transport exotic produce from abroad. Speaking of exotic produce, that's why potatoes or tomatoes are optionals: medieval cooks probably didn't use them but I do simply because I love them and I am no purist: I'll tweak any recipe to make it better tasting!<br />
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Here is the way I did it yesterday (for 3 to 4 persons). I served it lukewarm and it was just the right thing for a summer evening. But it would work equally well in winter if you served it piping hot.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
- 250 g or half-a-pound of <i>chicken meat</i> or more if desired in big pieces (I used breast and cut it in 4 chunks)<br />
- 1 big <i>onion</i> chopped plus 3 or 4 spring onions whole <br />
- 1 <i>leek</i> in chunks<br />
- 1 big <i>carrot</i> scraped and cut in thick slices<br />
- 1 or 2 large <i>potatoes</i> peeled and cubed<br />
- 2 <i>celery</i> stems in chunks<br />
- 4 or 5 big pieces of <i>cauliflower</i> (that's an important medieval type veggie - can be replaced by any sort of cabbage)<br />
- 1 large <i>tomato</i> peeled and cut in 4 pieces or use a handful of cherry tomatoes whole (they're very tasty when cooked and to make it easy to peel, throw them in together with the other veggies without peeling them; let them boil a couple of minutes then fish them out with a slotted spoon; run cold water over them to cool them down and peel off the skin: it comes off very easily; at that point slice them in half and return to the soup) <br />
- 1 <i>zucchini</i> in big chunks<br />
- Some <i>green beans</i> cut in pieces, fresh peas, watercress or spinach leaves or whatever greens you may have at hand (you need a green touch for your eyes...and taste!)<br />
<i>- salt and pepper</i> (instead of salt I use a Knorr cube or you can add consommé or ready-made chicken broth - whatever broth works best for you but not too much of it: remember you've got chicken meat in your soup, and you don't want to smother your chicken!)<br />
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<i>To thicken and finish the soup:</i><br />
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<b><i>- </i></b><i>Parsley</i>, lots of it (a handful!)<br />
- 2 <i>Bread</i> slices soaked in water and squeezed dry<br />
- 1 spoonful of wine <i>vinegar</i> (to taste)<br />
- 1 spoonful <i>olive oil</i> (to taste)<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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This is the big difference with the way one makes Italian Minestrone (where you start off by frying onion in olive oil and then add the vegetables): here, you put <i>all the vegetables</i> together in your pot and you <i>barely cover</i> with cold water. Flavour it with either salt and pepper or broth, but always remember to grind pepper from your pepper mill (the industrial ground variety has little flavour).<br />
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Bring to a boil and at that point <i>add the chicken meat</i> making sure it is immediately covered in the boiling liquid and turns white (this prevents the meat juice from escaping and turning the meat dry). Let everything simmer with a lid half on. It will cook very quickly - in about 20 minutes (I like my veggies slightly crisp and in any case chicken meat cooks fast - you don't want to overcook or everything will get stringy and sad-looking).<br />
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When it's done, you'll notice you have a soup with little liquid - that's the way it should be and DON'T ADD water! This isn't really a soup - more like a stew and now you need to thicken that liquid. Ladle some of it into your osterizer where you've placed the bread and parsley and switch the machine on, pouring from the top a little vinegar and oil. Taste and see if you like it. It has to have a fresh taste, the way Gazpacho does (it's the vinegar that does it) but not too much. <br />
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Then put it back in your pot and swirl it. And don't cook it anymore or you'll lose the fresh flavour of the parsley. Serve it in a deep earthenware dish if you've got one (that makes it look more medieval), taking care to place the pieces of chicken in the middle so people can see them and easily help themselves.<br />
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As I said before, if it's summer, don't heat it up: it's very nice at room temperature. And it certainly makes the life of a hostess easier when she's got guests to look after!<br />
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P.S. You can experiment with additional herbs other than parsley (for example tarragon). Let me know how it comes out! <br />
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P.P.S. Since it's a cross between a soup and a stew, I think a new word should be made up for it: a chicken "stoup" or "stoop"...How does that strike you?<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=a19283eb-eb13-46c3-85af-7ae7fc94bfc4" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6935481443012562988.post-10952906579094026692010-08-30T13:05:00.001+02:002010-09-07T11:35:47.451+02:00Melted Scamorza Cheese with Ham and Mushrooms<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scamorza.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Smoked Scarmorza (scamorza affumicata)" height="149" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Scamorza.jpg/300px-Scamorza.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scamorza.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><br />
Heard about serendipity in cooking? No? Well, this is an example.<br />
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Today I hit upon a new way to do an old Italian favorite: melted <i><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scamorza" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Scamorza">scamorza</a></i>, and I want to tell you about it.<br />
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And write about it here so I remember!<br />
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I tend to invent dishes as a function of what I happen to find (and don't find) in my icebox, and sometimes, by chance, I hit on a winner! But then, if I don't write it down somewhere quick, I forget all about it.<br />
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I suspect scamorza is not an easy cheese to find outside of Italy: it's similar to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozzarella" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Mozzarella">mozzarella</a>, but aged some more and therefore it doesn't shed all that water when it melts. It comes in two varieties: plain and smoked (<i>affumicata</i>).<br />
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I prefer the plain, my husband the smoked variety but it doesn't really matter. Both are good and easy to cook. Just throw them in a frying pan, let them melt on medium-high heat and flip them over so that they are nicely golden on both sides. It takes a couple of minutes.<br />
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Easy? You bet. And if you haven't got scamorza you can do it with almost any semi-creamy cheese at hand, even Camembert or Brie (cut in thick slices - leave the skin on, it has a nice taste).<br />
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What did I do today that was different? Simple, I added <b>mushrooms and ham</b>, and when I was finished it looked very unusual and pretty, and the tastes of ham and mushrooms really complemented the cheese.<br />
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I happened to have some already cooked sliced mushrooms at hand (they were plain, pan-fried) and a couple of cooked ham slices - but you could use equally well any other kind of ham, including smoked ham.<br />
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<b>First step.</b> I grabbed my scissors and cut the ham up in short strips, which I threw into a grease-free frying pan (the Teflon type)over a medium fire, letting them fry (without fat - that's important) until they started to dry (don't toast too much or else the ham strips curl up, shrink and become too salty). By the way, <b>fried ham this way is something I always use in lieu of bacon: much less fat and better for you health</b>. Also it gives a more delicate taste to almost any dish that you'd normally do with bacon.<br />
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<b>Second step</b>. Add the mushrooms and chunks of cheese artfully, so that the cheese is in direct contact with the pan, and prettily surrounded by the mushrooms and ham. And proceed as usual: keep frying until the cheese is golden underneath. Don't bother to flip the cheese over but make sure it's soft all the way through.<br />
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Et voilà! Slide into a (previously heated) serving dish and serve.<br />
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Presto fatto. Tell me how you like it!<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=7ea6626d-1176-4260-a855-fa17429a5f24" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Claude Forthommehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03871790739257823515noreply@blogger.com0