For the meat, never buy ready made mince, it is better to mince 1 slice of raw beef and one slice of raw pork yourself in your food processor. Just make sure if you do it yourself that it has the same consistency as mince meat you would normally buy in your supermarket. I normally process the other ingredients as well in the food processor, ie the herbs, garlic, onion. I then add the thinly diced tomatoe, the egg and the bread + I season the whole lot with salt + pepper.
Put some flour in a separate plate, heat your frying pan, medium heat.
form small flat cakes (approx 6 cm diameter, 1 cm high) using the palm of your hand, place them one by one in the flour, turn them then place in the frying pan. (turn them over once in the frying pan).
Once cooked, eat with a salad -
I also make them if I have got people for apéritif - Prepare them in advance in the morning (make them a bit smaller), then when your guests arrive reheat them very gently in your oven - I have noticed that once the guests start eating them, they tend to finish the plate.
You can use any meat, really, (although I would avoid lamb, too strong) - the secret is to mix 2 different meats and to flavour them well with herbs + onion + garlic.
Gently fry the onions + garlic + raw ham cut in small dices in veg oil, add herbs, once golden add diced mushrooms - (it is important that the mushrooms should be cut in small pieces) - cook it for a while, still gently.
That' s it. Eat it with some fried polenta - and possibly a mixed salad -
PS : I know it sounds silly to say this but make sure your mushrooms are eatable before you cook them - recently my mum cooked (what she thought) was a baby Amanite des Césars (that she picked here in the collines), well half an hour after eating it she started having hallucinations - so she dialled the emergency services here in France but as she did not get a reply straightaway she just went to bed instead - woke up the following morning, still alive and well. I do not think it was an Amanite des Césars. Please do not do this.
In an oven dish place 2 or 3 slices of sweet potatoes ( you do not need to peel them)
Also place 1 or 2 shallots, same stuff, do not peel them
On top of everything put some olive oil, garlic granules, (not too many), salt + pepper,
Place the dish in a preheated oven, medium heat.
When it is almost ready, put the lamb in a frying pan, with some normal oil, salt + pepper.
Since you are using your oven, put some sliced chesnuts in a separate oven plate (please slice them before otherwise they will explode in the oven, it makes quite an interesting noise but it is not such a good idea I think), this will be your pudding.
hello,
just a few ideas on how to survive the credit crunch and how to take advantage of it foodwise!
1 - why not start cooking with a pressure cooker? I use mine all the time, it saves me both time and money. Some people think they might be dangerous - not at all! Plus if you use the steam option it is very healthy.
examples : cooking time for most fruit and veg : about 10mn
pears in wine : 15mn
leg of turkey : about 20 mn
2 - Instead of eating out why not invite your friends for meals instead? It is the perfect way to improve your cooking skills and to get new ideas if you are invited back of course, and you do not have to worry about how to get home, you can just crash in your bed! Meals made at home do not need to be stressful or even difficult to make.
3 - Forget about Sainsbury's, go to discount supermarkets instead!
We have been doing it for ages in France - In my discount supermarket in the south of france, for instance, the quality of fresh fruit and veg is far superior than in any other supermarket around! Now saying that you have to pick and choose your products. The best way is to experiment with various products yourself or talk to people you know go to these supermarkets and exchange tips.
4 - In discount supermarkets such as aldi or lidl, you will generally find German products worth trying : try german sausages, ready made flour for baking bread (when you look at the price of a baguette in france, ie 90 cents of a euro, you can make 3 loafs of bread using the ready made flour instead for the same price, just follow the instructions on the pack!). also try paprika crisps, german yogurths, gherkins, german ham, beer of course and fruit juices, healthier than fizzy drinks !
5 - instead of throwing out leftovers, reheat them once a week in a frying pan - we used to do it all the time when I was young and I am not dead yet - the good think is that everyone will find something he or she likes eating.
6 - From time to time, have a german evening for a change : put some nice bread, salted butter, german ham, some cheese on the table, some tea, a plate of sliced fruit (pears, apple, oranges, some walnuts, does not need to be fancy) and bon appétit! it is cheap and easy to prepare.
7 - use ready made doughs, (puff pastry, or pate brisée rolls for instance, they are cheap and you can prepare really nice savoury or sweet tarts with it, ie apple tart, quiche lorraine, cheese tart etc to be served with a salad if it is a savoury dish)
8 - When there are special products on offer in your supermarket, buy it, prepare it and throw half of it in your freezer (I always write the date when it was prepared on the box, frozen food should be eaten within a reasonable period of time )
example : buy 2 kg of beef bourguignon on special offer in your supermarket, make a beef bourguignon, eat half of it and put the other half in the freezer, very useful if you do not want to cook one day or if you have unexpected guests)
9 - when you have got guests, istead of buying expensive cheeses, just prepare one that you have marinated yourself (cheap and dead easy to make) :
10 plain mini goats cheese (about 4 cm diameter, 1 cm thick that you should be able to buy in a supermarket)
put in an empty big jam jar 3 cloves of garlic, take the skin off first of course,
add herbes de provence (dry), pepper + granulated dry garlic, add your 10 cheese,
cover with olive oil, turn it over carefully a few times, leve it to rest 48 hours in your fridge - keep in your fridge - serve 2 per person with some salad (rocket mixted with lettuce for instance on individual plates.
Once all cheeses have been eaten you can reuse the oil a couple more times.
10 - Try and plan your meals a little bit before you go shopping for food - or you might end up thowing lots of food in the bin! also before throwing food, always ask yourself if you could not recyle it, for instance yesterday I made some fish (simply in the pan) but we did not finish it. I did not throw the leftovers, I made some fish beignets with it instead (fish + béchamel sauce + herbs, parsley, garlic, in bread crumbles, in the frying pan), then I put it in the freezer.
Hello from the South of France (very windy today!)
Here is a recipe I use for my 3 years old boy who refuses to eat vegetables...
It is quick and easy to make and is a good alternative to junk food.
The secret is to hide the veg, of course. I call them "croquettes", but since in France we tend to call croquettes cat or dog food, I'll simply shut up.
Grate 2 medium sized potatoes (raw), place them in a large bowl. I take the excess water out, using kitchen roll.
1 steak haché ( approx. 125g lean mince meat - beef), in the bowl
Fresh basil + parsley, 1 whole egg, herbes de Provence (mixed herbs),
1 shallot (grated), some dried garlic in granules (we call it ail semoule here),
some grated old bread.
Salt + pepper
Everything in the bowl.
Mix everything with your hands
Place some flour in a separate plate.
Using the palm of our hands, form little parcels the (approx. 7cm diameter) , not too flat, not too high.
Put some vegetable oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, take one little parcel, put it in the plate containing flour, (the parcel should be entirely covered in flour, then directly in the frying pan.
Repeat until the pan is full of little parcels.
Once they are fried on one side, turn them over. it takes less than 10 mns.
Serve them hot.
The next time you make them, try to add a bit of quaker oats, for instance (just a teaspoon or 2), or a bit of fresh diced tomatoe, or a bit of courgette, or a bit of grated carrot...., you can also mix meats, using for instance a bit of mince beef, and a bit of mince chicken or pork.... The wee devils won't notice a thing!
Et voilà.
A.C.