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Pistou

24/6/2013

Pistou elevates a discrete vegetable soup to something EXTRAORDINAIRE :)

Pistou is from the Provence and is most often associated with Soupe au Pistou.
Typically added to a vegetable soup, Pistou has had a long history. The roman poet Virgil described a sauce made in a mortar with crushing herbs, garlic, salt and olive oil.

The word "pistou" was introduced from Genoese dialect "pesto" after being brought into Provence in the 19th century by Italian immigrants from Genoa.

6/8 garlic cloves
150 g parmesans
150 g fresh basil leaves
Olive oil

Method :

Add the 6/8 garlic cloves in a food processor then add the parmesan and basil leaves with on and off pulses until well combined (20/30 seconds), then with the blender on add the olive oil slowly and patiently. (You can use a mortar if you don’t have electricity )

The Pistou needs to have the consistence of yogurt.

Put in the fridge until you serve the souper, where people will add the pistou onto their bowl of soup to their taste.

Adding pine nuts and the sauce morph into the famous Genoese PESTO

The pistou can be kept several days in the fridge, covered and used later on to flavor pasta.
Can be frozen too.

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Soupe au Pistou

23/6/2013

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Soupe au Pistou -
The smell of Provence

1 tin of red beans
1 tin of white beans
8 fresh tomatoes
3 zucchinis sliced in 1.8cm thick rings
1 onion peeled and sliced in small cubes
A hand full of fresh green beans
3 garlic cloves with their shirts
2.5 l. of water
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bouquet garni

Pistou sauce ingredients
100 g of fresh basilic leaf
5/6 peeled garlic
olive oil
150g of grated Parmesan

Soup :

Bring the water to the boil, in a large, very large pot.
Stir in the fresh tomatoes cut in quarters, the zucchinis, the fresh green beans and the onions.
Add the 3 garlic cloves, bouquet garni, salt and pepper.
Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 45/60minutes.
Then add the 2 tins of white and red beans and a hand full of small pasta.
Let the soup cook gently for 20/30 minutes,

Sauce au Pistou

Add the 6/8 garlic cloves in a food processor then add the parmesan and basil leaves and push the button "on" for 20 seconds in order to mix well the ingredients, then with the blender on, add the olive oil slowly and patiently.

The pistou needs to have the consistence of yogurt.
Put in the fridge until you serve the soup where people will mix the soup and pistou to their taste.

The pistou can be kept several days in the fridge, covered.

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Fish in banana leaf

2/6/2013

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if you want to cook an elegant dish without the effort, then try this recipe. This fish wrapped in banana leaves looks professional and hard to make, but it requires little effort. Although you can use aluminium foil to cook fish in the same fashion, banana leaves add a natural fragrance and an elegant appearance.

Serve 6

¼ cup of Olive oil
12 small fish fillets (cod or any other firm white fish)
12 thin slices of fresh lemon
12 thin slices of fresh mango (mango from tin will do very well too)
5/6 large fresh banana leaves -take care not to tear leaves. Cut 24 rectangles strips 10cm x 25/30cm long
(if you don’t have fresh banana leaves, you can use tin foil)
2 onions sliced in rings
2 large stalk lemongrass, white part only, chopped in 12
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 green chilli or mango pickles if you prefer
1tbsp of fresh ginger, peeled
2tbsp of fish sauce
A fresh small bouquet of coriander or 2tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper

Rice and finely chopped red chilli to serve.

Process garlic, chillis, ginger, coriander, fish sauce, salt and pepper in a small food processor to a rough paste.
Cut each banana leaves to size.
Place a layer of the spice paste on 12 banana leaves in half across the middle.
Lay a fish fillet on the top.
Then lay a mango slice on the top of the fish fillet.
Then pile two or three onions rings, 1 thin slice of fresh lemon, then lemongrass.
Wrap up into a parcel.
Cook flat in a frying pan with olive oil at medium eat for 4/5 minutes each side.
To check, open one banana leaf and insert a fork into the fish fillet. Once the inside appears opaque, you can safely remove the fish.

Serve hot with rice and chopped red chilli.

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Apples cake

2/6/2013

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This is a great cake to make in a hurry with ingredients you are most likely to have handy
without a special trip to the shop ! Serve warm or cold with a drop of cream for afternoon tea.
Kids love it !

Serve 4-6

4 beautiful apples (Golden or Red)
150g/5oz sugar (to make caramel)
2 eggs
100g/3oz sugar
100g/3oz self raising flour
100g/3oz unsalted butter

Preheat the oven at 250C
Heat up 5 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan, medium heat.
Remove the sugar from the heat when it has turned brown
Put the caramel into an oven proof cake mold and shake the mold so that the mixture is well distributed all over the dish. Take great care during this process not to get burned
Peel and core the apples and cut them into half rings about 5mm thick.
Put on top of the caramel layer the most beautiful slices of apples and add the others on top.
In a bowl mix together the softened butter and the sugar, add eggs one after another and then the flour.
Mix
Put this mixture on top of the apples layer.
Bake in the oven 35 minutes.

Allow to cool and carefully turn the cake out of its dish onto a nice plate

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Sausages and lentils

1/6/2013

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For 4 to 6 people

A one-pot hearty stew to share with friends and family during winter.
It is an easy recipe, cheap and a delicious way to add protein and fibre to your meals.

1tbsp olive oil
300 g brown lentils or Puy Lentils
2 onions roughly chopped
2 clove garlic chopped
2 carrots choppend into small ring1 leek finely diced (optional)
1 branch of Celeri
3 saucisses of your choice (Polish sausage, Italian sausage, Morteaux etc…)
250ml red wine
1 bouquet garni
3 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
Salt and Pepper

1.     Heat the oil in a large casserole or very large sauté pan with a lid.

2.     Add the onions, carrot, leek and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften.

3.     Add lentils, then the wine. Cover with water then season with salt and pepper.

4.     Add the sausages chopped in big pieces.

5.     Bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every so often until the lentils are tender.

6.     Check the seasoning, scatter over the parsley and serve from the pan with mustard sauce or “Dijonnaise”

It can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.

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Pistou

Soupe au Pistou

Fish in banana leaf

Apples cake

Sausages and lentils

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