Mediterranean Stew

Boeuf bourguignon meat is very versatile and if you have time it's certainly worth to try various stews.

Attention: Allow at least 4 hours on the hob and stirr regularly

Not my photo

Shopping list:

• 50 g butter
• 200g bacon
• 1 leek, chopped (or onion)
• 600 g streaky beef steak, cubed (boeuf bourguignon meat)
• 2 large potatoes diced
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons mild paprika powder
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• handful of parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves
• 2 bouillon cubes (no water needed)
• 250 ml white wine
• 100 ml sour cream (optional)

How do we make it:

Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the bacon gently. Fry the leeks or onions, and gently scoop the meat with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes and then add the potatoes and tomatoes with herbs and wine.
Let the meat simmer on low heat for at least 4 hours softly, stir from time to time.

Stir just before serving the creme fraiche.
Of course you can add small pieces of celery, carrots, etc.

Fleur's b/vlog with recipes

A special attention for a recipe blog and vlog ofour daughter Fleur and her friend Lucile since a few months.

The blog is called Les recettes de Lucile et Fleur

http://cook-lf.e-monsite.com/

The video channel on youtube is also called

Les recettes de Lucile et Fleur


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOYBfLxWT4zJXw0Sq7yQCyw

Don't forget to watch the trailer with volume up!

Trailer

Spices and Sauce for Shoarma (Kebab)

It's not my photo but it's how I would serve it.

Not my photo either but it should look like this.

Because we cannot really get 'a broodje Shoarma' in this part of France where we live and since it's so nice from time to time. We are making our own.
We use pork steaks for it.

Which spices do you need?

Seasoning, for +/- 500 grams of meat

1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
 
Mix all spices in a mortar and you are ready.


The shoarma ( kebab) garlic sauce:

1 cup of Greek yoghurt (natural) because this type of yoghurt is thicker
1 clove garlic, crushed
Chives, fresh or frozen, be generous

Mix and you have a delicious sauce.

Note: tsp = tea spoon and tbsp = table spoon

Kofta

Kofta / Kefta or whatever you call it and it comes from Turkey and not Greece as some people might think.

Shopping list:
- 350 gr minced meat (lamb, pork, bee)
- 2 cans tomatoes 
- 1 tsp salt 
- 1 tsp (cane) sugar 
- 1 onion chopped 
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garlic, fresh or powder 
- black pepper to taste 
- 1 tsp thyme leaves, dried
- 1 tbsp oregano 
- 1 tsp cinnamon, ground

How to make it: 

Put all the spices in a mortar, mash and mix well (without salt) and that already smells wonderful!Mix the meat with the salt and then with HALF of the herbs.MeatballsRoll meatballs of about the size of a golf ball, fry them until they are firmly on low heat (otherwise they tend to fall apart) and remove from the pan. In the same pan you can now make the sauce.The sauceCut the onion but not too fine, otherwise nothing remains of it. Fry them in a little olive oil. If you use fresh garlic, add it now. Put the contents of the cans tomatoes in the pan, let heat well, and stirr (don't blend because there have to be pieces left of tomato!), But that is to look what you've bought. Now add the remainder of the herbs. The sauce should not be too thin. thicken with a paste of cornstarch and a little cold water, thinner by adding a little water. Put the sugar in.Add the meatballs and cook it about 10 minutes to get up very gently, but do not let it boil!

Serve with rice and / or salad.

Tip: You can also shape the mince in disks.
This is a simple and fast version .... mixi fresh mint in the mince would be nice too I think.
Mince from beef is somewhat drier though.

Light Chocolate Dessert

Greek yoghurt

Fresh raspberries

Honey from the Charente

Milka chocolate

Although the real thing is probably nicer, after a 2 course meal you would like a light dessert and thanks to Keukenliefde, I have made this one with my own twist.
I must say that the guests and I liked it a lot but my husband and daughter weren't convinced. Maybe because the original name was 'mousse' and it has nothing to do with that.
Try and let me know.


For 4 persons it’s a generous portion

Shopping list:

• 450 g Greek yoghurt • 2 tbsp honey • 200 g milk chocolate + extra for grating or shaving (of good quality) I have used Milka
• 1 box of fresh raspberries

Ready to dive in

Melted chocolate

How to make it:
Fill the saucepan with a little water and heat over medium heat. Turn the heat-resistant bowl on top of it, but note that the bowl does not touch the water. Do not boil the water. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt. Au bain-marie method.
Remove the bowl from the pan once the chocolate has melted and let the chocolate cool for 10 minutes.
Fill the dessert glasses 1/3 with raspberries (keep some raspberries behind for garnish).

Stir in the honey first and then the cooled chocolate into the yogurt.
Fill the dessert glasses. Allow at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Garnish the glass just before serving with grated or shaved chocolate and garnish with the reserved raspberries.

Hasselback potatoes

A little bit of history before you start.


Hasselbackspotatis is the Swedish way of roasting potatoes. Its name comes from the Hasselbacken Restaurant, now attached to a hotel in central Stockholm.

Hasselbacken was first established in the 1700s as a tavern and was originally just a traditional red hut in the midst of a hazel thicket, which is how it got its name.

Restaurang Hasselbacken opened in 1853 in a grand new building. It developed a reputation for grandiose celebrations, which were enjoyed by Stockholm's rich upperclass.

Hasselbackspotatis were first served in the 1940s or 1950s and were an instant hit because not only do they taste really good, but they also look so stylish.

Shopping list:

4 medium or large potatoes, any sort will do.
4 tablespoons melted butter, olive oil, duck fat, bacon fat, coconut oil, or a mix
Salt
Pepper
Optional extras: minced fresh herbs, spices, grated cheese, bread crumbs, panko crumbs

TIP: To cut the potatoes, use a wooden spoon to avoid that you will cut all the way through.

How to cook it:

1.  Heat the oven to 190 degr. C with a rack in the lower-middle position.
2. Wash and dry the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry.
3. Cut slits in the potatoes, leaving the bottom intact:
4. Brush the potatoes with half the fat: Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with olive oil, including the bottoms.
   
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper: Sprinkle the potatoes generously with salt and pepper.
6. Bake 30 minutes, then brush again with olive oil: Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. At this point, the layers will start separating. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with olive oil — you can nudge the layers apart if they're still sticking together. Make sure some of the fat drips down into the space between the slices.
7. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes: Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy on the edges and easily pieced in the middles with a paring knife. If you're adding any extras, stuff those into the slits and sprinkle over the top 5 to 10 minutes before the end of cooking. (Total baking time is 60 to 70 minutes for average potatoes; if your potatoes are on the small side or are larger, adjust cooking time accordingly.)
8. Serve immediately: These potatoes are best straight from the oven while the edges are at their crispiest.
   
   
   
   

   

   Ready to serve