Pepper, goat cheese and tuna tart

Again another great weekend!! 2011 New Year’s good resolution is to go back into drawing and sketching. It’s easier to do when you have other sketchers around you, so I joined the Dublin sketcher club for the past few weeks. Basically we meet up every Sunday in Dublin in different places to sketch, help and support each other. Sometimes sketching in public can be bit scary. If you are drawing in public, people will try to catch a glimpse above your shoulders and comment. At least within a group, it’s less scary.

http://dublinsketchers.blogspot.com/

Through the sketcher group, I came to hear about’ Dr Sketchy’ alternative sketching event. Sketching models dressed up as Tank girl or a weird mutant….. Still can’t tell if Johnny Trigger was a giant rabbit or a giant Kangaroo!!

http://www.drsketchysdublin.com/

Anyway with all of this, I just did not get a chance to do the groceries this weekend.

Going through my pantry or super messy cupboard, I ended up with eggs, cheese, tuna and pepper.

So, in Monday lunch box it’s going to be Pepper, goat cheese and tuna tart. It’s actually the second time doing this recipe. I like the combination.

Lay the short-crust pastry in a pie dish.

I guess I could have baked the pastry, but I don’t have time.

Then mix the tuna with herbs, and lay on bottom of the pie dish, then add sliced of goat cheese log.

In bowl, beat the egg and cream together, add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Don’t use too much salt as the goat cheese is salty. Pour the mix over the tuna.

Wash and slice the pepper. I sliced it within the width instead of the length. I ended up with circle of pepper and pushed them onto the top of the tart. It looks impressive.

Bake in a warm over for about 35/40min.

It was really quick to make, maybe half hour max. I had to make the short-crust pastry which is also pretty quick. It’s now in the oven, and it smells delicious!

Crêpes aux Bacon et Champignons à la Béchamel

Yesterday, the 2sd of February was “la chandeleur” or Chandler’s day. Probably one of my favorite celebration since I was a child. After all, here comes another excuse to have Crêpes.

Tradition would be to flip the crêpes holding a gold coin or “Louis d ‘or” in your other hand. Succeeding would bring you good luck and money all through the year. Isn’t it great?!

Chandeleur comes from the word “chandelle or Candles”. It’s a pagan and catholic celebration. Pagans were celebrating purity, fecondity and the goddess Brigid by lighting candles at midnight. For the Catholic Church, Chandler’s day happens 40 days after X-mas and Christ birth. It’s supposed to be when Jesus was presented to the Temple. Thanks god for wiki….

I’m a little bit late this year. I only cooked some today. Though, I still managed to flip the first one, holding a 2euro coins in my left hand. I wish I had a gold coin.. Anyhow!

With the leftover, I decided to make “Crêpes à la béchamel, jambon et Champignon” for my lunch box tomorrow. When I was a child, we had them every now and then as a treat. My parents would buy them at the frozen section in our local supermarket. 15min in the oven, and you would have a stuffed crêpe filled up with a goo-y, cheesy sauce…. Lovely! They use to make them with spinach too. Those were not too popular in our household.

Here is my version, pretty classic.A

Crêpes au bacon et champignons à la béchamel

· 4 crêpes

· 70gr of butter

· 4 tbsp of cornflour or flour

· ¼L of milk

· 3 bacon slices

· 10 Fresh Mushrooms

· 3tsp of grated cheese, I used conté cheese

· 1 shallot

· Salt, pepper and nut meg

· Herbs de Provence

Cut the mushrooms, bacon in square. Then slice the shallot thinly.

Grate your cheese and reserved. I used Conté cheese, but you can use any cheese you want.

In a pan, fry the bacon. There is no need to add oil. Then add the shallot and cook together for until golden and crisp. Then add the mushroom. Cook for less than 5min and add herbs de Provence to taste.

In a pot over the hob, melt butter and add the corn flour. While steering, add the milk little by little. Do not add the milk at once. It would mess up your cheesy sauce. Steer until you get the texture of a thick custard. Add a little bit of grated nutmeg, less than the tip of a teaspoon.

Add the grated cheese and your fried bacon/mushroom mix. Mix over the hob if necessary and add some milk if it gets to thick.

Lay a crêpe on a plate. Spread it in the middle with your mix, and then fold into a rectangle.

Put your crêpes into an oven dish and sprinkle with little bits of butter. Bake for about 15min or until golden on top.

It’s great with a salad. Not the lightest lunch box but so huuum!

Butternut squash and chestnut soup

It’s so cold!! Ireland is turning into Iceland. We have had a week a snow falls and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop.

It is very pretty but also a real pain in the neck. Ireland is not equipped to deal with that type of weather. Going to work is such a challenge at the moment. At least the buses are running but the roads are treacherous.

Anyway, with this type of weather, I really felt like having a nice soup. And also, I really wanted to play with my new toy: a new hand blender bought a couple of weeks ago. Yeah!!

I’m not a soup person and really hated that dish when I was a child. Hours spent at the family dining table, tears running down my cheek because in my parents’ household we don’t leave the table until your plate is cleared. “Think of all the poor children who don’t have enough to eat!!”.

Anyhow, last year I had a butternut squash soup in Bewley on Grafton st Dublin. It was a bit bland but not unpleasant. Therefore instead of going for the traditional leek and potato, I went for Butternut squash and Chestnut soup.

Butternut squash and chestnut soup

· 1 medium butternut squash

· ½ can of chestnut purée

· 2 Shallots

· 1 Chicken stock cube

· Fresh rosemary

· Salt and pepper

Slice the shallot thinly and fry in olive oil in a large saucepan.

Once Golden, had the peeled and cut butternut squash and rosemary to taste. Cook for 5min and cover with ½ liter of chicken bouillon.

Simmer until soft.

Remove the rosemary and blend. Then add ½ can of chestnut purée. Add salt and pepper to taste, and either some bouillon or water if your soup is too thick.

I was going to had cream but it’s not necessary as this soup is already creamy.

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Il fait si froid en ce moment. L’Irlande se transforme petit à petit en Island ! Ca fait maintenant une semaine que nous avons de la neige et, à en écouter la météo, ce n’est pas prêt de s’arrêter

C’est très beau toute cette neige, mais ce n’est vraiment pas pratique. L’Irlande ne possède pas d’équipement adéquat pour ce type de temps. Allée travailler en ce moment est un vrai challenge… Enfin les bus roulent, c’est déjà ça !

Avec ce genre de temps bien froid, j’ai eu des envies de soupes. Ce qui assez bizarre pour moi, vu que je n’aime pas ou n’ai jamais trop aimé ça. Enfant, le mot soupe provoquée souvent une bonne crise de larme et bouderies à la table familiale. Il faut savoir que chez mes parents, on ne quitte pas la table avant d’avoir fini son assiette ! « Penses un peu au petit biafrais ! »

Bref, l’hiver dernier j’avais goûté une soupe de courge butternut chez Bewley sur Grafton street Dublin. C’était pas mauvais, peut être un peu fade. Du coup au lieu de faire la traditionnelle Poireaux/Pomme de terre, j’ai essayé courge butternut et marron !

Soupe de courge Butternut et Châtaignes

1 courge butternut moyenne

2 échalotes

Une petite branche de romarin

sel et poivre

Un bouillon cube poulet

½ boite de purée de châtaignes

Emincer les échalotes et les faire revenir dans un peu d’huile d’olive dans une grosse casserole.

Eplucher et couper la courge en dé. Les ajouter dans la casserole et faire dorer pendant quelques minutes avec le romarin.

Verser le bouillon de cube délayé dans un demi-litre d’eau chaude et laisser réduire jusqu'à ce que la courge soit fondante.

Enlever la branche de romarin et passer le tout au mixeur.

Remettre dans la casserole et ajouter la purée de châtaignes. Bien mélanger, salé /poivré et rajouter de l’eau ou du bouillon de poulet si c’est trop épais.

Je voulais rajouter de la crème mais finalement c’est assez crémeux grâce à la purée de châtaignes.

Espadon au fenouil sauvage et Touille au Pastaga

Shame on me!! I haven’t posted anything in good while now.

Well I went to France this summer to visit the family and forgot my PC charger at my brother’s place and when I finally got it in the post… I just suffered lazyriatis……

The south of France is great during summer time. All the fruits and veg on the local market are absolutely divine. I just felt like buying loads of fruits… and I did!!

I spend my last day in Martigues. I have never seen much of Martigues when I was still leaving in France. I went there once to meet up a few friends in a bar. It is such a beautiful city situated by the huge“étang de Berre” or lac of Berre. It’s quite big but it still has a village feeling. Everything is within walking distance, and there are so many bakeries. Actually Martigues has been built on 3 small villages. Ferrière, l’Île and Joncquière. It’s mostly tiny streets, small buildings with orange roofs, and a lot of bridges going from one quarters to the other ones. It’s great just to wander around. I brought back lots of pictures.

Check out the Tourist office web site for more:

http://www.martigues-tourisme.com/uk/decouverte_centreville.htm

Anyway, my brother is lucky enough to have a good fishmonger and veg shop nearby. After spending one week at my grand ma eating Creole food, I had a strong craving for Provencal style food. I don’t really know how to handle fish, so I decided to start with swordfish. It’s one of my favorite, so tasty and so easy to prepare.

I decide to cook the swordfish with wild fennels flower I had picked up a few days before when we tried to use the old coast road between Cassis and La Ciotat. The road was closed to prevent wild fire, but we still managed to drive quite high on the cliff to enjoy the view. This road goes up the hill in the middle of “la guarigue”. It’s quite easy to pick thyme, fennel and lots of herbs there.

Touille au Pastaga happened by accident…. My first idea was to cook Ratatouille. But forgetful me forgot to buy peppers. I like olive in Ratatouille, but I forgot them too. That’s when I spotted a bottle of Ricard. Fennel and Ricard?!! Ha sure why not !!

Well, it tasted quite nice and my brother liked it, I think!

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Wild fennel swordfish et Touille au Pastaga

· 2 nice slices of swordfish

· 3 or 4 tbsp of olive oil

· Salt and pepper

· A little bit of lemon juice

· Wild fennel seed

· 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves

· 1 aubergine

· 2 large tomatoes

· 2 courgettes

· a good splash of Ricard or any pastis

Marinade the fish in a large dish. Sprinkle the fish with salt, pepper and the fennel seed. Add the olive oil and little dash of lemon juices. Reserve in the fridge for at least 30min, more if you can.

In a large sauce pan, eat up the olive oil, add the crushed garlic cloves, sliced onion. Once golden, add the aubergine cut in medium square, let it cooked a few minutes before adding the sliced courgettes. After 5min add the tomatoes bits and herbs de Provence.

Then add your pastis to taste and cook for about 20min.

Heat up more olive oil in frying pan. Fry the fish only a few minutes on each side.

Et voila! Ready to serve.

La honte !

Et dire que je m’étais promis de poster régulièrement… Ok en rentrant de vacances en Provence cet été, j’avais laissé mon chargeur de portable chez mon frère et puis lorsque je l’ai enfin récupéré…. Ok j’ai pas d’excuse si ce n’est une flémingite aigüe !

La Provence en été, c’est génial ! Les fruits et les légumes sont superbes. Je me suis bien régalée et profitée de tous les fruits.

Mes derniers jours, je les ai passé à Martigues. Je ne connaissais pas grand-chose de cette ville qui est au porte de l’étang de Berre. Mis à part, une sortie dans un bar quand j’étais étudiante, je n’y avais jamais vraiment mis les pieds. C’est une très belle ville. On a d’ailleurs plus l’impression d’être dans un village, même si la ville compte 40 000 habitants. A la base, Martigues a été crée par l’union de 3 petits villages. Ferrière, l’Île et Joncquière. C’est un sacré dédale de petites rues constitué de maison de villages aux toits de briques rouges. Sans oublié un bon nombre de petits ponts pour aller d’un quartier à l’autres. Bref une ville parfaite pour flâner et prendre pleins de photos !

Si vous voulez en savoir plus, visiter le site internet de la maison du tourisme :

http://www.martigues-tourisme.com/uk/decouverte_centreville.htm

Donc, mon frère a la chance d’avoir de bons poissonnier et maraîcher dans son quartier. Après avoir passé une semaine chez ma grand-mère a me gaver de Carry bien créole, la cuisine Provençale me faisait envie ! Quand il s’agit de faire du poisson, je suis un peu paumée (pour ne pas dire beaucoup !). J’ai donc choisi de cuisiner de l’espadon, un des meilleurs poissons et si simple à cuisiner.

L’espadon aux graines de fenouil sauvage. Quelques jours au paravent, mon frère et moi avions essayé de rejoindre Cassis à la Ciotat en passant par la route panoramique sur la corniche. Malheureusement, la route était fermée pour prévenir les risques d’incendie (aucun accès aux pinèdes n’est autorisé en été). Nous avons quand même réussi à monter un petit peu pour profiter de la vue sur la Méditerranée dans la garrigue. Et la y’a plus qu’à ramasser : thym, fenouil, romarin….

La Touille au Pastaga est une invention accidentelle ! Au départ, je voulais faire une ratatouille…. Mais Miss Tête en l’air a oublié les poivrons et les olives…. Mais bon, en fouillant dans le bar de mon frère, la bouteille de Ricard me faisait de l’œil. Du coup, Espadon au fenouil et Touille au pastaga… allé vé pourquoi pas !

En tout cas, je referais et je crois que mon frère a aimé.

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Espadon au fenouil sauvage et Touille au Pastaga

· 2 belles tranches d’espadon

· 3 ou 4 cuillères à soupe d’huile d’olives

· Sel et poivre

· Un peu de jus de citron

· Graines de fenouil sauvage

· 1 oignon et 3 gousses d’ail

· Une aubergine

· 2 grosses tomates

· 2 courgettes

· 1 bonne grosse rasade de Ricard

Commencer par faire mariner le poisson dans un plat. Saler et poivrer le poisson, parsemer de graine de fenouil et arroser d’huile d’olive et d’un peu de jus de citron. Mettre au frigo pour un minimum de 30min.

Dans une grosse casserole, faire revenir à l’huile d’olive, l’ail écrasé, l’oignon. Une fois doré, ajouter d’abord les aubergines coupées en dés, faire cuire quelques minutes. Ajouter ensuite les courgettes coupées en rondelles , laisser cuire 5min et enfin rajouter les tomates et quelques herbe de Provence.

Rajouter ensuite le Ricard et cuire pendant environ20min.

Faire chauffer de l’huile d’olive dans une poêle et y faire cuire les tranches de poissons.

Et voila ! C’est prêt !

Stuffed tomatoes Italo-Irish way

Sunday afternoon, before the World music festival I went to do the groceries with Meron at her local Lidl where I found huge Beef tomatoes. Perfect for stuffed Tomatoes or tomates farcies. Now as a kid, this is something we would have had often. But I just can’t remember my mum’s recipe, so I had to play a little. Mum would have been using : “chair à saucisse” or sausage meat and bread crumb. Now I could only get the breakfast sausage here and I only have irish brown bread… ho well it will have to do with the breaky sausages and without bread!!

Stuffed tomatoes italo-irish way

3 large tomatoes. I used beef tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

150gr minced beef meat

4 irish breakfast sausage

2 or 3 tbsp of ricotta cheese

1 tsp or white wine

Cut the top of each tomatoes and reserve the top or hat parts.

With a big spoon and knice, empty them out and keep upside on a paper towel.

In a bowl, mix the minced meat, add the sausage meat without the skin and mash together adding salt, pepper, wine, ricotta cheese and finely chopped shallots.

Add some freshly chopped sage.

Spoon the mix into each tomato and bake for approx 30min. Then add the reserved hat and bake for another 10min.

Ready to serve or to pack for the lunch box with rice!

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Ce Dimanche avant de nous rendre au festival de musique du Monde de Dun Laoghaire, Meron et moi sommes allées faire deux courses à Lidl où j’ai trouvé des grosses tomates. Ca faisait un bail que je n’en avais pas vu. Et du coup, me voilà lancé dans la réalisation de tomates farcies. Ma mère nous en cuisinait pas mal quand j’étais petite, mais impossible de me rappeler de sa recette. Du coup il a fallut improviser. Pas de chair à saucisse… pas grave, je remplace par des saucisses à petit déj irlandaise !

TOMATES FARCIS ITALO-IRLANDAISE

3 grosses tomates

Sauge fraiche

Sel et poivre

150 gr de bœuf haché

4 saucisses de petit déj irlandais

2 ou 3 cuil à sp de ricotta

2 échalottes

1 peu de vin blanc

Couper le haut des tomates et réserver le chapeau. Les évider à l’aide d’une cuillère à soupe et réserver sur un essuie-tout la tête en bas.

Dans un bol, mélanger la viande hachée, la chair des saucisses en prenant soin d’enlever la peau, le sel /poivre, le vin et la sauge.

Ajouter la ricotta et bien mélanger.

Remplir chaque tomate de farce et enfourner pendant environ 30min. Recouvrir chaque tomate de son chapeau et cuire encore 1Omin.

C’est prêt à servir ou dans mon cas à emballer dans mon tupper avec du riz blanc pour demain !

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Fr

MUSHROOM AND PECORINO RISOTTO

What a waste of a Saturday!!

It has been raining all day long…. Typical, it’s lovely all week and Saturday is just wet. Non stopping rain… I really forgot what it was like.

Anyway with the weather being that ‘nice’, it was the perfect excuse for comfort food. And a bowl of warm mushroom risotto sounded perfect!

Brings back nice souvenirs from my latest trip to Rome with Francesca and Elodie.

Porcini Mushroom and Pecorino risotto

For a very selfish and indulgent portion!!

• 1 cup of risotto rice
• 1 shallot
• A nob of butter or 1 tbspn of olive oil
• 1/4 cube of veggie sock
• Dry Porcini Mushroom
• Hot water
• Dry white wine
• Grated pecorino
• Salt and pepper

In bowl soak the Porcini mushroom into boiling water. They will quickly double volume. You will need to keep the water for the rice.

In a sauce pan, melt butter or heat up the olive oil. Add the diced shallot, cook until soft. Add the rice. I use a small glass per person. Stir well. After a few minutes, add the white wine of it (1/2 cup).

I’m using vegetable stock that you’re meant to melt into hot water. But I usually crumble ¼ of a cube into the saucepan, and mix it with the rice. And instead of using stock, I will use the mushroom juice. Keep the mushroom aside and add the water little by little.

Taste the right to check if it is cooked. It must be soft but not mushy… all dente!! Add the drained mushroom and the grated pecorino to taste. Add salt and pepper as well.

Eat while curling under a warm blanky on your sofa in front of a good movie… what else are you suppose to do when it’s raining!

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Samedi dernier, la météo ne nous a vraiment pas gâtées !! De la pluie, de la pluie et encore plus de pluie… du matin au soir ! Ca faisait longtemps et ça ne m’a pas manqué !

Donc un temps parfait pour un bon bol de Risotto fumant !

Et puis rien de mieux qu’un plat italien pour se rappeler tout les bons souvenirs de mes dernières vacances romaines avec Francesca et Elodie !

Risotto aux bolets et au pecorino

• 1 tasse de riz rond
• 1 échalote
• 1 noix de beurre ou 2 cuil à sp d’huile d’olive
• ¼ de cube de bouillon de légumes
• Des bolets secs
• Un bol d’eau chaude
• Un vin blanc sec
• Du pecorino râpé
• Sel et poivre

Faire tremper les bolets dans un bol d’eau bouillante. Ils vont doubler de volume. Réserver l’eau.

Dans une casserole, faire fondre le beurre ou l’huile, y jeter les échalotes finement émincées. Les faire revenir, jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient transparentes. Verser le riz, généralement une tasse par personne. Bien mélanger et ajouter une demi-tasse de vin blanc.

Ajouter le quart de cube dans le riz sans le diluer dans de l’eau. Mélanger et ajouter l’eau des champignons petit à petit.

Gouter le riz. Les grains doivent être ‘al dente’. Ajouter le pecorino rapé et sel et poivre.

A déguster sous une couverture dans le canapé devant un bon film !

Aubergine, goat cheese and basil pasta less lasagna

Mais quelle nouille !! ( what a dumb one I am !)

Last week I went to Tesco to get groceries. I have been thinking of baking an Aubergine, goat cheese and basil lasagna.

So I got bits and pieces… chavroux, tomatoes can, basil, aubergine ……. And left!

Got home and realised that I forgot the one thing I really had to get !: lasagna pasta sheet!!

It was quite nice outside I could have gone back to the shop but no!! That’s it! It’s going to be lasagna without pasta, na!

• 1 Tomato can
• 1 medium aubergine
• 150 g of creamy goat cheese / I used Chavroux
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A few Rosemary leaves.

Sliced the aubergine very thinly. You can sprinkle with coarse salt to get rid of the water.

In a sauce pan, fry the garlic cloves into 2 tbsp of olive oil. Remove when it’s turning brown. Pour in the tomato can. Add salt pepper and a little bit of rosemary. Simmer for 20min and add fresh basil toward the end.

In a bowl, mix the goat cheese with fresh cream, salt and pepper, fresh basil. Add either water or milk to as the mix will be too thick to spread.

In a lasagna dish, spoon enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom and cover with a layer of aubergine, make sure to wipe the salt if you used some. Cover with the cheese/cream mix.

Proceed until you reach the top of the dish. Finish with the tomato sauce.

Cover with tin foil and bake in a hot over for 30min. Then cover the top with fresh mozzarella and bake for another 10min.