Hotpot, the James Martin version

This is his book you can find this recipe in

Ham, Potato, Leek and Herb Hotpot...by Chef James Martin

Shoppinglist:

1 red onion

peeled and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves

peeled and finely chopped

2 small leeks (poirots)

cleaned and sliced

225 gr. real butter

200 ml white wine

500 ml fresh stock (ham or chicken / or cubes)

450 gr. new potatoes

550 gr cooked ham, cut into chunks

Salt and pepper to taste

65 gr each of chopped fresh herbs, basil, parsley, chives, coriander

Baguette to serve

Use 55 gr of the butter, sauté the onion, garlic and leeks in a large pan until soft

Add wine, stock, potatoes, ham and cook for 5-10 minutes

Drain off the liquid, keeping the meat and vegetables warm, gently simmer the liquid adding the rest of the butter. Do not boil.

Put all ingredients back in the sauce and season. To finish add all the chopped fresh herbs.  Serving it very hot with some French bread.

Bon appetit!

Disasters in the kitchen

Having read about all successes now there a 2 things happened that weren't so successful. Yesterday my husband and daughter decided -a bit late- to cook together for the family. When they finally got the menu sorted, the porc got out of the freezer and in need to be defrosted in the microwave. Darren arranged it but after half a minute, I heard the bleep and calling Darren...no answer (later I understood that he was ironing). So I put another 30 seconds on the timer and still deep frozen, so I decided to give it some more minutes and yes guess what? The porc was almost cooked...yek so thrown away.  Luckily there was still 1 pizza left and a fish dish but it wasn't as good and/or as much as we thought.

Now today, I have learnt another lesson. Always and I mean always write down what you put in the freezer. I thought I would remember it....but....  As I prefer to eat fresh things, my freezer isn't that full, however, I was running very behind tonight and I thought oh this looks like soup and I had a whole loaf of French bread (bought too much for the guests today) so my meal was set.   Well when defrosting the lump of  ice (don't worry in a pan on the hob) and tasting it, I can't believe that I have frozen it, it's a sort of greasy stock that taste like nothing!

Kroketten, a Dutch speciality

the roux

When living abroad there are things in life food wise that you can miss from time to time. For us, yes even Darren and Fleur like them, it's a 'Kroket'.  Thank you Natascha and Pepijn who own a hotel in Germany Haus am Berg for sharing their recipe.

You will get about 20 Kroketten out of this amount. They freeze easily.

Meat + parsley mixture

Shopping list:

1 kg Beef (not the highest quality)

3 Cubes for stock (meat)

3 Bay leaves

5 Table spoons of fresh parsley

100 gr Real butter

100 gr Flour

3 Eggs

200 gr Breadcrumbs

Pepper, Salt and Nutmeg according to taste

Oil for the fryer

And now the hard work!

Cut the meat in small junks

Bring 1.2 ltr water with the cube, laurel and the meat to boil.

Lower the heat and let the meat get cooked, this will take about 1 hour.

Cut the parsley (I did it in the small kitchen machine)

Sieve the stock, you need about 6 dl (Keep some extra if needed later)

Get the meat out of the pan and cut it very fine (I've used the kitchen machine again)

Little fingers helping

Now we are going to make the stew.

Melt the butter in a pan and stir the flour in (I have sift the flour first to avoid lumps)

for 2 minutes.

Then pour half of the stock until you get a smooth sauce. Keep stirring, it's getting harder!

Then add the other half of the stock bit by bit, keep stirring.

Add the parsley and meat, keep stirring for another 2 minutes.

Season with a little nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Take a large bowl and add the mixture, which need to be cooled down before it has to go in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

If possible put the bowl outside if cold enough or indoors in the coolest part of the house (time saving).

When the mixture is cold and firm.

Mix 2 eggs with a little bit of water.

Put the breadcrumbs on a flat plate.

Cut the meat mixture in little rolls (kroketten) and roll through the breadcrumbs.

Then roll through the eggs and again through the breadcrumbs.

Heat fryer till 180 degrees and add maximum 4 kroketten at the same time, for about 4 minutes.

Serve on white loaf of bread with some mustard. Or as we did with chips.

The final result

The kroketten you don't use immediately, will freeze easily. When you fancy another kroket, put the frozen ones in the fryer, but on 150 degrees, otherwise it's hot outside but still cold inside.

Eet smakelijk!

Leek, Carrot and Potato soup

My husband has the name that he's a real soup liker, easy to please and winter soups are hearthy and easy to make. Today I have made a typical English one, but of course with my own twist. A generous portion for 4 persons.

Shopping list:
250 gr Leeks
300 gr Carrots
300 gr Potatos (I have used small ones, but any will do but as long as they are firm ones)
Vegetable stock (2 cubes or fresh)
50 gr Butter (real one is the best)
Ginger (little bit from root or use powder) *
Garlic (fresh or use powder) *
Fresh herbs (I had parsely and rosemary in garden, so I used that).

Wash and cut in slices the leeks, carrots and potatos.
Melt 50 gram butter in a pan
Add leeks and carrots and stirr regularly for 10 minutes
Then add about 1.5 liter vegetable stock
Add the potatos, the ginger and garlic
Bring it to the boil and lower the heat for about 20 minutes.
Add the fresh herbs
Within 5 minutes I've mashed the soup a bit with the mixer,
but I'd like to see some of the ingredients too in my bowl, so don't do it all.

* I found a ginger/garlic grinder; 2 in 1  but that's probably hard to find.

Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with Sigognaise bread (baguette will do)....
The Sigognaise bread you can only get at our local baker in Sigogne :-)

As you noticed I didn't add salt / pepper.... I'm not so fond of pepper and
with the stock cubes you have to becareful they are quite salty. Of course

it's up to you!

Baked camembert by James Martin

One of my favorite chefs is James Martin and here is a nice and easy starter or lunch for you.

Lentils dish

From Nella on twitter I received the following recipe to make a lentil soup. Unfortunately I got the measurement wrong because I didn't know that the digital scales could be adjusted to liquid too. You've guessed it already I don't measure lot's in the kitchen. So in stead of soup it became a lentil dish but every so nice. So I give you the dish version, to feed the orphanage!

Shopping List:
8 tomatoes
500 gr red lentils (but any color will do)
100 gr fresh spinach
50 gr real butter
1 large carrot
1 red onion
2 sticks of cellery
1 clove of garlic
(fresh) ginger
1 red chilli
2 cubes of vegetable stock
herbs: (ground) cumin, coriander,turmeric
black pepper and salt

Scrape the carrots and cut the carrot into slices Cut the celery into small pieces Chop the red onion Chop the garlic finely Melt the butter in a large (soup) pot Sauté the onion. the garlic, carrot and celery Let the vegetables simmer about 10 minutes until the carrot is soft Meanwhile, peel the ginger root and cut into slices Remove the seeds from the red chilli and cut into rings Cut the tomatoes into chunks Dissolve bouillon cubes in 1 liter water and bring to a boil Add the ginger, red chilli and lentils to the vegetables in the pan Season the mixture with ground coriander, ground cumin and ground turmeric A short bake and then add the broth Add the tomatoes Bring the soup to a boil Regular stir Let the soup simmer gently for until the lentils are tender You probably have to add more water Add the fresh spinach Let the soup boil for one minute Bring the soup to taste (freshly ground) pepper and salt Serve the soup in a soup bowl
We have served this dish with sausages and French bread.

Rouget with saffron sauce

Rouget with risotto and saffron sauce

This fish you will see from time to time on a French menu. Rouget, is a half red/half white small fish that swims in the Méditerranée. When you buy it make sure you ask for the rouget filet, we don't want bones do we?
Alternatively you can buy Red Mullet Filet.

Shopping List:

About 3 rouget filets per person
Risotto (150 gr. for 2 persons) *
Small courgette
Salade du mache or Rucula or similar (garnish)

For the sauce you need:

1 large shallot, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
1 pinch of saffron threads
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp creme fraiche
Salt and pepper

Fry the courgette for about 10 minutes. Slice and toss in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside and keep warm (in foil).
Fry the shallot in the remaining butter until soft.  (you can always add some more butter)
Mix in the flour, stirring for about 1 minute.  
Add the saffron and lemon juice and stir for 1 minute.  
Add the creme fraiche and blend.   Add salt to taste.  Set aside and keep warm.

Salade mache

Season the rouget with salt and pepper on both sides.  
Fry in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 minute per side.

Plate it up like I have done to start with the risotto, then sliced courgette, the fish and garnis with the 'salad', and serve the sauce at the edge of the plate.

Bare in mind that this dish takes some time, but it's worth it.

* Risotto: See my basic recipe: here