Bouillabaisse: a complete meal

The true bouillabaisse (boil then simmer in Occitan) is from Marseille. It is the brainchild of Phoenician fishermen who built fires on the shore, added seawater to the pot and simmered their catch of the day along with a few native vegetables, leeks, carrots and fennels and the ubiquitous olive which supplied the basis for the accompanying sauce. The Mediterranean is filled with coastal reefs replete with marine life and the dish took advantage of its easily caught fish population: scorpion fish, conger and sea robin. Saffron came the way of the Arab conquest. After the seventeenth century, new world imports, tomatoes and potatoes, were added. As the dish gained popularity, more costly and less bony fish joined the initial mix.
I do not remember my first bouillabaisse: it has been as much a part of my summers as the marine breeze, the lapping waves and the warm sun caresses. It is a series of friendly meals taken on the concrete terrace of Camille after a quick swim from the boat anchored in the small bay of Cap Camarat. Before you finally reached the sand, you had to mind the urchins under your feet, a reminder to later watch the bones in your plate.
I have adapted the dish to use Atlantic fish fillets rather than Mediterranean whole fish. Red snapper, cod and halibut are good substitutes and the bones can be picked beforehand. For convenience, I suggest to use store-bought fish stock, although it is possible to ask your fishmonger for heads and bones to make your own. Bouillabaisse is particularly suited to feeding a large party (10 people in my recipe), as it is a natural two-course meal: the soup is served on its own, with slices of toasted baguette buttered with saffron and garlic mayonnaise, followed by the main course of simmered fish and potato. The perfect ending, then as now, involves lemon sherbet. My lemon surprise came nested in its skin. My version involves fresh lemon juice, sugar, mint leaves and ice cubes blended for a few minutes and served immediately after in a tall glass, or true to memory, in its frozen lemon skin.

Bouillabaisse (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 90 minutes, A little expensive)

Ingredients
For the soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium onions sliced
3 garlic cloves peeled and bruised
1 medium carrot peeled and sliced
3 leeks washed and sliced
1 fennel bulb washed and sliced
4 tomatoes peeled and seeded
1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
8 cups (2 liters) fish stock
Bouquet garni (sprigs of thyme, parsley and bay leaves tied in a leek leave)
1 orange zest (optional)
A pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish:
Rouille (garlic and saffron mayonnaise)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard
2 egg yolks
6 garlic cloves peeled and puréed
Pinch of saffron
Drops of tabasco or red pepper
Tomato sauce
2 cups olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 baguettes sliced and toasted
For the main course:
1 lb (500g) squid washed and sliced
1½ lbs (750g) cod or monkfish fillets cut in 3-oz (100g) pieces
1½ lbs (750g) halibut fillets cut in 3-oz (100 g) pieces
1½ lbs (750g) red snapper fillets cut in 3-oz (100g) pieces
10 medium potatoes peeled and halved

Material:
10-quart heavy bottom saucepan
Wood spoon
Blender
Set of holed spatulas
Eggbeater
Breadbaskets
Bowls
Dish soups

Pour a tablespoon of oil in the saucepan, and warm on the slow flame of the gas. Add the onion and carrot slices and stir until translucent. Add the garlic, fennel and leek slices and cook stirring until the fennel is soft, about five minutes. Add the tomatoes and orange zest and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the wine, saffron and bouquet garni. Set the gas to medium and bring to a boil. Transfer the content of the saucepan minus the bouquet garni into the blender and blend until well mixed. Return to the saucepan and set on the medium range of the gas. Add the fish stock and cook for 20 minutes after the boil resumes. The soup is essentially ready. It can either be prepared a few days before the dinner and stored in the refrigerator or let to simmer on the gas until 20 minutes before seating to the table.



Prepare the Rouille. Beat the yolk, mustard and lemon in a salad bowl with the eggbeater. Add drop by drop the oil until an emulsion forms. Then continue to beat while pouring a regular stream of oil until you run out of it. Add the pureed garlic, tomato sauce, saffron and Tabasco or pepper. Taste and add salt and pepper.
Add to the simmering soup the slices of squid and the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Ladle the soup in 10 soup dishes and serve hot. Encourage your guest to dip in the soup slices of bread slathered with rouille. It is the mixing of the rouille in the soup that creates its richness.
Make sure you have enough soup left to simmer the pieces of fish. When your guests are done with the soup, prepare the fish by poaching them gently in the simmering soup for 4 to 8 minutes.
For the second course, remove the fish, the squid and potatoes from the soup and present them on a platter. Bring the remaining soup in a tureen and propose extra servings to wet the fish, and of course leave the bread and rouille on the table.

Lemon surprise

Ingredients:
1cup (250g) water
2 cups (500g) sugar
½ cup (125g) coarsely chopped mint leaves
1 cup (250g) fresh lime or lemon juice, lime cut ¾ of the way up, each part saved and kept in the freezer.
4 cups ice cubes

Material:
Large heavy-bottom saucepan
Blender

Place the water, sugar, mint and limejuice in the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Strain the liquid and place in a covered plastic container in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. The mixture will become slushy and icy.
Just before serving, place in a blender with the ice cubes. Blend until the ice is finely crushed. Serve immediately in a tall glass, garnished with sprigs of fresh mint and lime slices, or scoop in the reserved lime skins and bring to the table with the bottom on.

Summer Vegetables and stuffings

Another way to enjoy the summer vegetables is to eat them stuffed. A South of France must, the petits farçis are first to come to mind. They make use of all the seasonal vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplants and potatoes, and fill them with a combination of their own flesh and ground meat making for a colorful combination.
As every single country boarding the Mediterranean sea has its own version of anis based spirit, they also have their own unique recipes for stuffing: rice in the Greek and Turkish grape leaves, couscous for the Moroccan grilled tomatoes… Stuffing possibilities are endless. The first cook in my life who was an Alsatian lady by the name of Cécile had a vegetarian version of that dish which involved tomatoes, cheese and eggs. It is essentially an individual soufflé held into a vegetable mold. Central Americans love their Chili Rellenos, a dish similar to the Provence stuffed vegetables. Bell peppers are peeled and fried once stuffed instead of baked
There are many reasons to stuff vegetables, best of all to renew the taste of dreaded leftovers. They are great for a dinner party, as they are cheap, can be prepared in advance and offer a lot of different savors and colors at once. We can even have our stuffed veggies and spend almost no time in the kitchen. Almost any leftover will works for example, any baked or grilled fish with a little smoked salmon, and store bought mayo spiced up with Tabasco and chives. As a filling holder, cherry tomatoes are the perfect color to complement that sunset glass of Rosé. If you have no fish or meat, a little soaked couscous grain with finely sliced mint will fill up the cherry tomatoes nicely. Et voila, taboulé on the go.
Small stuffed vegetables (Easy, Preparation time: 40 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil and a few extra drops
4 medium tomatoes
4 small green bell peppers
4 medium onions
4 round zucchinis
4 medium potatoes
3 Italian sausages, about ½ lbs (250 g) or the same weight of leftover meat ground with 3 additional slices of bacon
6 slices of white bread, without the crust
1 cup (250 ml) milk
2 egg yolk
Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons ground parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
Food processor
Cutting board and paring knife
Grapefruit spoon
Salad bowl
Pan
Wood spoon
1 cookie sheet
1 piece of parchment paper

Soak the bread in the milk.
Preheat the oven at 360F (180C).
Peel the onion. Wash all the other vegetables. Slice off the very top of each vegetable. Discard the eggplants and potatoes tops. Cut the other tops in small pieces, keeping the onions separate from the rest. Scoop out all the insides. Discard the seeds of the tomatoes and the bell peppers and the potatoes flesh. Keep the onions, zucchini and eggplants innards separate and mince them finely. Place the tomatoes upside down on a piece of towel paper to dry.
Pour the olive oil in a pan and place on the medium range of the gas. Fry the finely minced onion until soft. Add the peppers and tomatoes tops and the zucchini and eggplants innards. Add the meats, the soaked bread (without the extra liquid) and the parsley. Cook for about 10 minutes, mixing continuously and remove from the stove. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Beat the egg yolks and add to the stuffing.
Spoon in each vegetable some of the stuffing and place them on the cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Mix the breadcrumbs with a few drops of olive oil and sprinkle on top.
Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot as a main course with a green salad aside.

Cécile tomatoes (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
½ cup (125 ml) béchamel (see previous August post)
2 eggs
½ cup (125 g) shredded Gruyere cheese

Material:
Ovenproof dish
Eggbeater
Saucepan
Paper towel
Wood spoon

Preheat the oven at 360F (180C).
Cut a slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out the seeds and place the tomatoes open side down on a paper towel to dry.
Prepare the béchamel in a saucepan. Add the egg yolks and Gruyere cheese outside of the gas range and mix well with the wood spoon.
Whip the whites until stiff and fold into the batter.
Place the tomatoes opening facing up in the ovenproof dish. Fill each tomato about halfway up with the soufflé batter.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Eat on its own with a salad.

Chili Rellenos (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 60 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
2 red bell peppers
2 medium carrots
½ lbs (200 g) green beans
2 medium baking potatoes
1 cup (250 ml) plain tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
3 eggs separated
½ lbs (200 g) beef
½ lbs (200 g) pork
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup (60 ml) vegetal oil
1 tablespoon butter

Material:
Food processor
Frying pan
Saucepan
Strainer
Salad bowl
Eggbeater
Two spatulas
Set of tongues

Blacken the peppers until charred on all sides, on the gas. Wrap each pepper in newspaper until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and cut longitudinally in four. Remove all the seeds
Grill the two meats until done, or used leftovers. Grind in a food processor. Reserve in the salad bowl.
Cube the potatoes. Dice the carrots. Cut the string beans finely. Pour water in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium gas. Place the potatoes, carrots and string beans in the boiling water. When the boil resumes, cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and refresh until cold water.
Set a frying pan with a little oil on a low gas. Add the garlic peeled and sliced for 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, the thyme and laurel leaf. Simmer for another five minutes. Add the meat to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the aromatics. Turn off the gas. Add the vegetables and mix well.
Carefully spoon the filling into the bell pepper quarters.
Beat the white until stiff. Add the yolks and beat some more.
Set a frying pan with a mixture of olive oil and butter on the medium range of the gas.
Dip the filled bell quarters in the egg mixture and fry on all side until golden.
Serve hot with a salad.

Onion and Garlic

In the south of France, comes June and tresses of new garlic and young onions grace the markets. Intermixed with oregano, sage, laurel, thyme and rosemary sprigs they offer a selection of aromatics to pick from in the winter. Once bought, they hang to dry in the kitchen and pantries. Used when they are still fresh, they impart a fresh and tangy flavor to the simplest fare. Garlic and onions belong to the same lily family (Alliaceae) and are a gift from Central Asia. They were first cultivated 6000 years ago. In the sixteenth century the popularity of the onion is much greater in the northern part of Europe. The reverse is true for garlic. Hence the northern onion soup gives place to the traditional southern garlic soup or aigo boulido. Festivals devoted to garlic, notably in Gilroy, California are witness to the growing commercial importance of the plant in the new world: the state is the largest exporter. Shallots born in Escalon (Palestine) chives, which grow naturally on all continents and leeks, are all relatives of the alliums. They brighten the garden with their deep emerald green foliages.
Garlic’s lore prescribes its usage to fight vampires, the black Pest and, somewhat anticlimactically the common cold. There is some scientific sense behind the myth. The clove contains zinc, manganese, sulfur, vitamins A, B and C. It has antiseptic and bactericide properties as does the onion. It is the syn-propanethial S oxide born from a chain reaction caused by the release of sulfur in the air when the onion is sliced that causes our tears. The antidote is to wear total eye protection contact lenses or goggles. If one is not lucky enough to be short sighted, or bold enough to be ridiculous, water is your ally: freeze the onion for 10 minutes prior to using it, or peel it under water. To digest garlic, it is better to either cook it or crush it.
The following recipes, two soups, a garlicky mayonnaise (aioli) a roasted chicken, and an onion tart, the Belgium “flamiche”, which can either include onions or leeks, are true to the north/south geographical divide between garlic and onion, butter and oil and serve four. The aigo boulido, or literally boiling water is a good remedy for an ailing digestion and the beginning of a cold. The onion soup is a Paris bistro classic. Night revelers since the nineteenth century advertise its reparative properties.

Aigo Boulido

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves
4 sage leaves, 1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary
Yolk of an egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (1000 ml) water

Material:
Saucepan
Soup tureen
Whip
Strainer

Hold the flat blade of a knife over each unpeeled clove and strike the blade with the fist of the other hand. The clove will be crushed and can be easily separated from its skin. Repeat three times.
Place the crushed and peeled cloves, the washed sage leaves, thyme, rosemary and the olive oil in the saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the soup.
In the tureen, place the yolk and pour slowly the strained liquid while whipping.

Onion Soup or the reveler salve

Ingredients:
2 cups (1000 ml) chicken or beef broth
6 medium onions
1 glass (8 oz or 112 ml) of dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup grated Gruyere
4 pieces of country bread

Material:
1 saucepan
4 ovenproof soup bowl

Freeze the onions for 10 minutes or place them under water to peel and mince them.
Melt the butter in the saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced onions to soften for three to five minutes. Add the broth and the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 360F (180C) grill function on.
Pour the broth with the onions in 4 bowls. Cover with a piece of bread sprinkled with Gruyere, and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.

Aioli (Garlic mayonnaise)

Ingredients:
6 garlic cloves
Salt
1 cup (250 ml) olive oil
Juice (about a tablespoon) of a lemon
Yolk of an egg

Material:
1 bowl
1 garlic press
Eggbeater

Using the garlic press, make a garlic paste and place it in the bowl. Add the salt, the egg yolk and the lemon. Start beating with the eggbeater.
Add the oil drop by drop until the mayonnaise takes. Add the rest of the oil in a continuous stream while beating afterwards. Keep the sauce in a temperate fridge until ready to use.
Traditionally aioli is served as a companion sauce to steamed white fish fillet served cold, boiled vegetables such as artichokes, sweet potatoes, carrots string beans and mollusk such as whelks.
If the aioli is too liquid, take another yolk and use the liquid mayonnaise as you would the olive oil. You will get a firm aioli.

Ali Baba cocotte chicken

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Whole chicken
40 unpeeled garlic cloves
Sprigs of thyme, laurel, sage and rosemary
Salt and Pepper
To seal the cocotte: flour and water paste

Material:
Ovenproof cocotte

Lower the grill to make place for the cocotte and preheat the oven at 420F (270C)
Oil the cocotte. Dispose the herbs and the garlic cloves on the bottom. Empty the chicken cavity, keeping only the liver. Add salt and pepper and thyme inside the cavity. Place the chicken inside the cocotte. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Close the cocotte and seal it hermetically using a mixture of flour and water paste.
Bake in the oven for an hour. Toast some bread slices and toss a green salad
Break the seal, discard the herbs and carve the chicken. Place the chicken surrounded by the forty cloves on a serving platter. Encourage your guest to spread the peeled garlic cloves on the toasts and to eat along with the chicken and salad.
This cooking method keeps the meat tender and juicy and the skin crisp.

Belgium onion tart: Flamiche

Ingredients:
For the crust (reminder see post of May 22)
1 stick of butter (113g)
1 cup of flour (226f)
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 8 oz iced water
For the garnish:
Béchamel
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1cup milk
Nutmeg freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Top layer
4 onions peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon butter

Thick slice bacon diced

Material:
Food processor, pie blade in
Cookie sheet covered with parchment paper
Rolling pin
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Strainer
Blender
Rubber spoon

Crust:
Cut the butter in small pieces. Place the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the content resemble coarse meal. Add a little iced water while you run the food processor. When a ball forms, stop the machine.
Gather the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate the dough you need for an hour.
After that time roll out the dough on a parchment paper using a rolling pin. Place the dough and parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven at 420F (210C).

Garnish:
Béchamel
Put the butter to melt in the saucepan on the low settings of the stove. Strain the flour over the saucepan, stirring butter and flour together. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Do not worry about the lumps.
Pour the lumpy mixture in the blender and run progressively to high. You will obtain a smooth béchamel in minutes. Remove from the blender with the rubber spoon.
You will obtain one cup of béchamel
Spread the béchamel evenly on the dough.
Top layer
Sauté the onion in the butter on low heat for about 4 minutes. Spread evenly on top of the béchamel. Sprinkle the bacon bits on top.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.
Think of this recipe as a series of building blocks. I always keep homemade frozen dough (pizza and piecrust). It has two advantages: the thawed dough rolls out to a thinner crust and it saves time. Do not forget to move the frozen dough from the freezer to the fridge at least 6 hours before using it. The rest takes about 30 minutes all included, to whip up.

Mixed summer vegetables ratatouille

Ratatouille, thanks to a 2007 Disney animated film is now a household name in America. It is also a great way, although the movie chef never gets to that particular recipe, to use a variety of summer vegetables. The dish originated in the Provence city of Nice and takes advantage of the abundance of zucchini, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and onions grown in the region. As the name indicates, rata, a meal in colloquial French and touille, toss together, it is quite informal and easy to make. Although some cooks have taken the meaning quite literally and simply cook all the vegetables together, I am an advocate of sautéing the zucchini, eggplants and peppers separately, before adding the tomato and onion sauce. A major issue is the water content of most of the vegetables included in the recipe. To obtain a drier ratatouille, stir-fry.
There is an even simpler and dryer method, which I call “Lazy Ratatouille”. The secret is to bake all the sliced vegetable in a mixed layer. To change taste, instead of using the traditional mix of thyme rosemary and laurel, I sprinkle coriander seeds on top of a little olive oil. Lazy Ratatouille comes closer to another great classic of Provence: the “tian”. The term designates the heavy traditional ceramic cookware in which a mixture of vegetable and grated cheese is cooked.
Both ratatouille recipes serve four hot or cold and can be enjoyed on their own or as a side dish. Any grilled meat will do.

Ratatouille (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

For the ratatouille
1 large eggplant
3 medium zucchini
2 green bell pepper
3 tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary
1 laurel leave
3 tablespoons olive oil
A sprinkle of salt and pepper

Material:
Cutting board and paring knife
1 cookie sheet covered in parchment paper
1 frying pan
Ladle spoon
Colander
1 pan

Wash and slice the eggplant, zucchini and pepper. Set the frying pan with the oil on the stove and sauté each vegetable separately. With a ladle spoon, remove them and reserve in a colander. In the same pan sauté the minced onion and garlic, the two sprigs and the laurel leave.
Peel and remove the seeds of the tomatoes, by grilling them quickly on the stove. Cut them in small pieces. Add the tomatoes to the minced onion and garlic and cook until soft but not watery. Put the eggplant, zucchini and pepper back in the pan to cook for another minute or two. Remove the sprigs and serve hot or cold.

Lazy Ratatouille (Easy, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time unattended: ¾ of an hour, Cheap)

Ingredients:
2 onions
3 medium zucchini
2 medium eggplants
5 medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1tablespoon coriander seeds

Material:
1 baking sheet covered with parchment paper
1 cutting board and paring knife

Turn on the oven at 360F (180C).
Wash the zucchini, eggplants and tomatoes. Peel the onions. Cut the vegetables in half-inch slices. On the baking sheet, alternate one slice of zucchini, one of eggplant, one of tomato, one of onion until you run out. The slices should cover each other ¾ of the way. Drizzle the olive oil and finish up with the coriander seed.
Bake for half an hour to three quarter of an hour. The vegetable should not color. They can be served warm or at room temperature.