Frozen Food

The days lengthen, but here in North America, spring is still far away… except on our plates. A wide array of frozen vegetables and fruit readily available in supermarkets everywhere can bring the pleasures of renewal to our taste buds. They bring most of the vitamins and antioxidants of their fresh counterparts at a fraction of the cost of their long hauled South Continents cousins. When you buy, just check the consistency of the package: the content should be both loose and frozen. Store immediately in the freezer section of your refrigerator.
The following recipes use frozen peas, asparagus and raspberries for a light and rapidly prepared three courses meal for 4 people. Minimal cooking should ensure that the vegetables keep their nutritional value.

Pea soup
(Cheap, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Easy)

Ingredients:
1 slice white bread
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 sprig of thyme
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup (113 g) finely chopped onion
¼ cup (60 g) finely chopped celery
1 lb (543 g) frozen peas
2 cups (500 ml) water
Drops of Maggi aromatics
1 sprig mint
¼ cup (60ml) crème fraîche
Salt and Pepper to taste

Material:
1 4-quart saucepan
1 blender
1 cookie sheet covered with parchment paper
1 bread knife and board

Preheat the oven at 325F (162 C). Cube the white bread and lay it on the cooking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and thyme leaves. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, turning at mid point.
Pour the oil in the saucepan. Turn the gas stove top on high. Add the onion and celery and sauté them for 3 minutes at a lower temperature. Add the water. Bring to a boil and add the frozen peas and the sprig of mint. Simmer covered at a lower temperature for five minutes. Retrieve and discard the sprig of mint. Pour the vegetables and water in the blender and mix until you reach a smooth consistency.
Pour the soup back into the saucepan. Heat up over a very low flame. Add the crème fraîche and simmer for another two minutes. Serve immediately in 4 soup bowls with the croutons sprinkled on top.

Asparagus Soufflé
(Easy, Preparation time and cooking: 30 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
6 organic eggs
½ cup (113 ml) milk
1tablespoon (14 g) flour
1tablespoon (14 g) butter
4 oz (113 g) hard goat cheese with truffle or Gruyere
8 oz (226 g) frozen asparagus

Material:
2 salad bowls
1 eggbeater
1 silicone spatula
1 wooden spoon
1 small saucepan
1 soufflé dish buttered and floured

Preheat the oven at 360 F (182 C).
Separate the white and the yolks in two separate salad bowls.
Place the saucepan on the lowest setting of the gas stove and melt the butter. Add the flour while mixing. Pour the milk over the mixture and keep on stirring until the béchamel forms about 3 minutes. Remove from the stove.
Place the asparagus into the top part of a steamer, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and cook for about 7 minutes. Cut into 1-inch pieces and reserve.
Grate the cheese and add to the béchamel. Add the yolks and stir. Beat the white until peaks form. Add the whites to the batter carefully lifting them with a silicone spatula until well mixed. Add the asparagus pieces and transfer the batter to the soufflé dish.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with a green salad.

Raspberries tart crème brûlée
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour, Cheap)

12 oz (340 g) frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon Rose syrup
½ recipe sweet pastry dough (recipe follows)
1 egg
¼ cup (50 g) crystallized sugar
¼ cup (50 ml) crème fraîche
¼ cup (50 ml) milk
Confectioner sugar to dust

Sweet pastry dough:
1 stick (113 g) butter cut in small pieces
1cup (226 g) pastry flour
1teaspoon salt
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
Ice water

Material:
8-inch (22 cm) pie mold buttered and floured
Parchment paper
Rice to weigh the pie
Salad bowl
Colander

Preheat the oven at 360 F (182 C).
Place the raspberries in the colander over a salad bowl to defrost. The raspberries juice can be added to plain red wine vinegar to make raspberry vinegar.
Place the butter, flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a pastry blade attachment. Mix until the mixture is coarse. Through the top opening, and while the food processor is running pour a thin stream of ice water. Pause and observe whether a ball of dough forms. If it does not, continue to sparsely feed water to the machine until it does. Once it does, stop the machine, scoop the ball and place it in a plastic bag or wrap in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough and garnish a pie mold with it. Place parchment paper on top. Weigh it down with rice. Lay the extra rolled out dough on a parchment paper, and bake both for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Store the rice back in a container for further pie cooking. Discard the parchment. Place the extra dough in the cleaned food processor fitted with the regular blade and reduce it in powder.
Crack the eggs in a salad bowl and beat them for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the milk, cream and the rose syrup. Beat until well mixed.
Place the raspberries on top of the dough in one layer. Sprinkle with the powdered dough. Pour carefully the batter on top. If there is a surplus, start by baking the cake for 5 minutes before adding the remaining batter. Bake for another 35 minutes. Retrieve the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Sprinkle confectioner sugar on top and bake just under the grill until the top is caramelized and golden.

Home Spa

Once in a while, I love to take a home spa break. It is a wonderful occasion to eat a lot of vegetables and fruit and finally reach the required daily number of 5 servings. It does wonder for the complexion, not to mention the figure. It must be the cocktail of natural vitamins being soaked by a parched body. And for those of us who think that beauty is more than skin deep, it cleanses the system. The length and frequency of the regime is up to you. I feel energized and enjoy pairing it with daily yoga or stretching session.
I use it whenever I have overindulged. A full winter weekend is a nice way to start. All you need is a blender, a juicer, a cutting board, paring knife, running water, fresh or frozen fruit, seasonal vegetables and the desire to take care of yourself. In between the intake of smoothies, drink a lot of vegetable broth, water and green tea: 6 8-oz (250 ml) glasses of green tea a day can help rev the metabolism. The flaxseeds I add to the smoothie contain Omega-3. It is a wonderful lubricant for the digestive system as well as for the skin. If you like massages, book one. It will provide the natural complement to the treat you are giving yourself.

Vegetable broth (Easy, preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil (28 ml)
2 medium onions peeled and thinly sliced
2 small leeks split lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots peeled split lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 large tomato halved
1 whole garlic head, halved crosswise
2 large shallots peeled and thinly sliced
1teaspoon salt
1teaspoon peppercorns
2 thyme sprigs coarsely chopped
2 flat leaf parsley sprigs coarsely chopped
2 pints (890 ml) water

Material:
4-quart saucepan and its cover
Salad bowl
Strainer

In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the vegetables, garlic, shallots and salt. Cover and cook the vegetables for 10 minutes.
Add 2 pints of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium low and simmer uncovered for twenty minutes.
Add the thyme, and parsley. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat. Add the pepper and infuse covered for another 5 minutes.
Strain the stock in the salad bowl. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Make about 2 pints.
Once cold, you can drink it all day long. You may use it in place of water to blend the vegetables.

Cold green tea

Ingredients:
Green tea bags
2 pints (890 ml) cold water

Material
1 pitcher

Seep 4-6 green tea bags in 2 pints of water in the pitcher for 4 to 6 hours.
Drink immoderately.

Breakfast smoothie (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
¼ cup (60 g) flaxseed grains
2 cups (500 ml) watermelon peeled and finely sliced
1 cup (250 ml) pomegranate juice
1 cup (250 ml) frozen raspberries

Material:
Coffee grinder
Blender

Grind the flaxseeds in the coffee grinder. Transfer to the blender. Add the fruit and juice and blend until smooth. Divide in two tall glasses and drink instead of your usual breakfast.

Choose any of the following three juices in place of lunch and dinner.

Sunshine: Pumpkin juice (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
½ butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut in pieces
1-inch (3 cm) piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth

Material:
Blender

Pour the broth in the blender. Add the vegetables and ginger. Blend until smooth. Divide in two glasses, refrigerate and drink within 24 hours.

Sunset: Beet Gazpacho (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
3½ oz (100 g) beetroot raw, peeled and chopped
1 pear peeled, cored and cut in pieces
2 stalks celery chopped
1-inch (3 cm) piece of ginger peeled and chopped
2 cups (500 g) tomato juice
1 cup (250 ml) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon (14 ml) red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil
Drops of Tabasco to taste

Material:
Blender

Pour the liquid in the blender. Add the vegetables and blend until smooth. Divide into two glasses, refrigerate and serve within 24 hours.

Fruity veggie mix (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
4 Granny smith apples washed and quartered
1 fennel bulb washed and halved
4 celery stalks washed
3 carrots washed
1 1-inch (3 cm) ginger root peeled

Material:
Juicer

Juice the fruit and vegetables. Divide the liquid into two glasses and drink immediately.

Valentine Roses

A rose is a rose is a rose…comes in many shades and is the symbol of Valentine. Why not create a centerpiece in all the shades of your dinner: salmon for the starter and the appetizer, coral for the main course, pink and red for the dessert.
As to the claim that some foods are aphrodisiac, I leave it to you, but I threw in for good measure, oysters, salmon eggs, and Champagne. Deserved or not they all have that enviable reputation. As for me, I started by quoting Gertrude Stein, because nothing is sexier than a spirited conversation. Start the day before for the hors d’oeuvre, the vodka sauce of the lobster and the dessert and enjoy La Vie en Rose.

Smoked Salmon pizza (Easy, Preparation time a day before 2 hours, Cooking time: 20 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
For the pizza dough
1package active dry yeast
1½ cups (350 ml) of warm water
3½ cups (794 gm) flour
1teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 gm) extra virgin olive oil

For the cream:
4-oz (113 gm) sour cream
4-oz (113 gm) low fat cream cheese
1 bunch of dill
Salt and pepper to taste

¼ lb (113 gm) of smoked salmon thinly sliced

Material:
Salad Bowl
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Food processor

Proof the yeast in a half-cup warm water for 15 minutes.
In the salad bowl combine flour and salt. Form a well in the center and fill it with the yeast mixture and the oil. Stir with your hand adding the remaining water little by little until a ball of dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. If it is too wet add more flour, more water if too dry.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in the cleaned salad bowl, dried and oiled with a cloth cover. Let it double for an hour and a half.
Divide into 4 balls. Freeze three for up to three months. Keep the fourth one in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, turn the oven on at 360 F (182 C).
Roll the dough as thinly as possible between two layers of parchment. Remove the top layer. Transfer the lower layer and pizza dough to the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let the pizza cool to room temperature.
Wash the dill and keep the ferns. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream and dill ferns in the food processor. Add salt and pepper. Layer on to the pizza. Garnish generously with the smoked salmon and cut in small pieces. Serve as an appetizer with the remainder of the Champagne bottle.
Note: this pizza dough can be the basis of a traditional pizza. Before baking, add a purée of washed basil leaves, oil and garlic. Layer on top thin slices of Parmesan cheese and tomato slices. Bake for 20 minutes and serve with a salad as a light lunch.

Oysters on the half shell (Easy, Preparation time: 2 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
12 oysters on the ½ shell
1 small jar of smoked salmon eggs
1 lime

Cut the lime in 4.
Pour 1 teaspoon of salmon eggs in each oyster
Garnish each plate with 6 oysters and 1 lime quarter in the center.

Note: if you do not own oyster plates, form six little mounds of crystal salt in a plate and settle each oyster shell on its salt nest.

Lobster Flambé (Easy, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes, Expensive)

Ingredients:
2 lobsters 1lbs ¼ (567 gm) each
¼ cup (57 gm) cognac
1tbsp (14 gm) olive oil
Sauce:
1 lbs (454 gm) peeled and cut tomatoes
1 small carrot peeled and cubed
½ onion peeled and sliced
1 tbsp (14 mg) olive oil
1 tsp. Saffron
¼ cup (57 ml) Vodka
½ cup (113 ml) heavy cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Material:
6-quart pot and its cover
Large frying pan and its cover
Matches
Wooden spoon
Food processor

Set the lobster pot full of water on the stove on high with the cover on. When the water boils, add the lobsters, one at a time, headfirst. When the boil starts over, remove the lobsters with tongs. Place them in the sink and wait until they are cool enough to handle.
Put the oil in the saucepan and turn the heat to low. After 1 minute add the onions and carrots to color lightly. Add the tomatoes.
Pour the tsp of saffron in the vodka and let the aroma develop.
After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, add the vodka, stir with the wooden spoon and let it cook for another five minutes. Last, add the cream, stirring and cook for two minutes. Pour the result in the food processor to obtain a smooth sauce.
Set the lobsters into a large recipient when cutting them to save all the juices. Separate the head. Cut the lobsters in slices. Crack the claws and the legs.
Pour the oil in the frying pan and sauté the lobster slices, the heads and the claws. Add the saved juices and the cognac. When it boils, light up the preparation with a match to flambé the lobster pieces. Remove the heads and discard. Add the sauce and warm up for five minutes.
Serve with linguini.
Note: the sauce in itself is a classic Italian Vodka sauce and is delicious on ravioli. The ingredient quantities in the recipe are sufficient for another entrée. For the classic lobster bisque, remove the lobster meat from the lobster and reserve. Place the lobster shells and heads, add the cognac and flambé. Add 2 cups water (450 ml) and simmer 15 minutes before removing the shells and adding the vodka sauce. Serve steaming in a soup bowl with the sliced lobster meat in the middle as a lobster bisque appetizer.

Valentine Fizz
(Easy, Preparation Time:30 minutes one day ahead, Expensive)

Ingredients:

For the fizz:
½ bottle dry pink Champagne
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup (113 ml) cold water
½ cup (113 gm) sugar

For the sweet sabayon:
10 oz (283 ml) of sweet wine such as Sauterne
2 yolks
¼ cup (54 gm) fine sugar

For the compote:
2 pears
1 apple
1/3cup (54 ml) rose syrup and additional to drizzle over the raspberries
1pint raspberries
1pint blueberries

Material:
Small pan
Wooden spoon
Shallow plastic container with its cover
A double boiler
A salad bowl
A whip

1-fizz
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small pan and let soften about 5 minutes. Put the pan over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the gelatin has dissolved. Stir in the sugar and remove from the heat. Then stir in the Champagne. Pour into the shallow container. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours, until the gelatin has solidified. With a fork, scramble the gelatin in small pieces.

2-sabayon
In a bowl, mix the yolks and the sugar. Add the sweet wine. Put water in the lower part of the double boiler and set over the stove at medium heat. Insert the bowl on the top part of the double boiler and beat the batter into a cream. It takes about 30 minutes of alternatively stirring the mixture and covering the double boiler to obtain a cream. The cream will thicken as it cools.

3-compote
Peel and cube the apple and pears. Pour the rose syrup in the pan. Bring to a boil over medium fire. Add the fruit and lower the fire. Cook for 5 minutes or until the fruit softens.

In a margarita glass, layer the fizz, the compote, the raspberries, blueberries and the sabayon. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve. There is enough to serve 6 people, as the dessert is even tastier the next day or the day after as the aroma develops.

Out of India

Travelers love to find familiar sights in exotic places. India rates high on both counts. The backwaters of Kerala are reminiscent of Venice up to the ferries’ presence. The tandoori is a kind of pizza oven, where the dough is cooked hanging on one side of the wall. And to play further on the similarities, I modified the recipes kindly provided by Subin Michael, the Executive Chef of the Kumarakom Lake resort to take on a milder fusion taste.
Kerala cuisine uses spices Europe and the countries around the Mediterranean Sea have known since the middle ages such as turmeric, chilies, mustard seeds and ginger. Other native ingredients are not as frequently used outside of Asia. Tamarind paste is traditionally added to preserve the curry preparations (any spicy stew with curry leaves) without the help of refrigeration. Curry leaves or, to use the botanical name: Murraya Koenigii, are valued in Ayruvedic medicine, a unique science native to Kerala, for their anti-diabetic, and antioxidant properties. To offset the slightly bitter taste of tamarind, coconut, which grows profusely on the rich land of Kerala, is added at the end of the preparation.
All the recipes serve four

Indian Pizza: Basic recipe for Bhatura or Nan or Chappati) (Easy, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Resting Time: 3 hours, Cheap)

Ingredients:
21/3 cups (550 g) pastry flour
2/3 cup (152 g) semolina flour
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 ml) warm water
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 package yeast
1/3 cup (76 ml) milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons (28 ml) Kefir or yoghurt
2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil
½ cup (113 ml) vegetal oil for frying

Material:
Food Processor with pastry blade attachment
Salad bowl
Kitchen towel
Wok

Pour all the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor.
Pour the sugar and yeast into the warm water and let it proof for five minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.
Beat the egg in a bowl. Add the milk, kefir and olive oil. Pour into the dry ingredients. Add the yeast/water/sugar proof. Mix until a ball forms in the food processor. If the content is too liquid, add a little flour, if too solid, a little water until the ball shapes.
Place the ball in the salad bowl. Cover with a linen and let it raised for at least two hours. It should double in volume.
After two hours, you should form 8 to 9 little balls and either use them immediately or freeze them for up to three months.
After flattening the dough with a rolling pin to a ½ inch (1.5 cm) thickness, you can either bake the nan or chappati in as hot a oven temperature as possible and will obtain a pizza like bread, or fry it in a pan for 5 minutes on each side. The result is called a Bhatura. It is a lovely slightly soufflé concoction, which needs to be eaten immediately accompanied by curried lentils or chickpeas.

Indian Crêpe: Appam (Easy, Preparation Time: 20 minutes, resting Time: 9 hours)

Ingredients:
½ cup (113 g) raw Basmati rice
½ cup (113 g) cooked Basmati rice
1 package yeast
1 package sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 (237 ml) cup coconut milk
1½ cup (350 ml) warm water

Material:
Food processor
Nonstick pan

Wash the rice and soak it for 3 hours. Proof the yeast in warm water sweetened with the sugar package for at least five minutes or until bubbles appear at the surface.
Drain the soaked rice, add the cooked rice, the coconut milk, the salt and the water, yeast and sugar mixture. Blend in the Food processor until smooth and let it rest for 6 hours. The consistence of the batter should be as liquid as a crêpe batter. If it is not, add some water.
Place the nonstick pan on the stove at medium temperature. Pour about ¼ cup of batter in the hot pan, swishing it around until you obtain a small plate size crêpe. When the bubbles subside and the crêpe slides easily on the pan, flip it over and cook it until it slides easily onto a plate. Repeat the process another 8 times.

Chickpea curry (Easy, Preparation time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 8 hours unattended, Cheap)

Ingredients:
8 oz (237g) dried chickpeas or garbanzo bean
8 oz (237g) cabbage sliced finely
1cup (237) basic tomato sauce homemade or store bought
1 tablespoon (14g) of olive oil
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed finely sliced
1 onion peeled and chopped
1 inch fresh ginger peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1/3cup (76g) tamarind paste mixed with 1/3cup (76ml) warm water
1teaspoon ground cumin
1teaspoon ground coriander
1teaspoon ground turmeric
Cayenne Pepper to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1teaspoon sugar
Salt

Material:
Food processor
Slow cooker or heavy bottom 4-quart pan
Frying pan

Soak the garbanzo bean overnight, or put the garbanzo bean in a pan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let soak for an hour. In both cases, drain and rinse before putting in the slow cooker or in the 4-quart pan.

Over the gas stove set on low, stir-fry in the olive oil the ginger, lemon stalk, hot peppers, onion and garlic. Add the spices, and the tamarind. Pour the content of the stir-fry into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until blended. Pour the content of the blender over the garbanzo bean and the cabbage. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Add the tomato sauce. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours. Alternately cook over the gas of the stovetop set on low for 2 hours.
Serve a bathura on the side for a light meal.

Indian crêpe Florentine (originally prawn mappas) (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Reasonable)

Ingredients:
1 lbs (474g) spinach leaves
1lbs (474 g) shrimp
1/3 (76g) cup grated coconut
1/3 cup (76g) raw mango
1 cup (237ml) peeled, sliced and seeded tomatoes
Cayenne pepper to taste
I inch ginger root peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
1teaspoon fennel seeds
1teaspoon mustard seeds
2 shallots sliced
4 curry leaves
1 teaspoon Tamarind paste mixed with 1/3 (76ml) cup of water
1tablespoon (14g) vegetal oil
Salt

Material:
Frying pan
Pan
Salad spinner
Food processor
Salad bowl

In the salad bowl, mix together the mango, grated coconut and tomatoes and season with cayenne pepper.
Boil the spinach leaves for 2 minutes. Drain the leaves and purée them in the food processor.
Pour the vegetal oil in the frying pan. Place over the high range of the gas stove. Add the fennel and mustard seeds and the curry leaves. When they sizzle, add the sliced ginger, garlic, and shallots. When they turn gold add the content of the salad bowl. Add the tamarind juice. Finally cook the shrimps for 5 minutes in the sauce. Taste and add salt and cayenne pepper if needed.
To assemble the crêpe, place an appam on a plate. Spoon the shrimp mappa on half of the crêpe, top with spinach. Spoon a little more sauce and fold the appam empty half over the filling.
Serve two filled crêpes per person.

Microwave Magic

The microwave oven was invented about 50 years ago, launching a totally new faster way of cooking in more than a million years. Unlike a conventional oven, it cooks the food inside without getting hot itself and does not require preheating. To do so, it uses shorter wavelength of electromagnetic radiation than other home appliances, television and radio for example. Because a) the water molecules inside food line up with the direction of an electric field, b) the microwaves in the oven produce an electric field that reverses its direction 4.9 billion times a second, a lot of anarchic microscopic telescopic movement happens, and therefore heat is created and propagated to the whole dish, albeit not simultaneously. That is why you have to mix the content to obtain an even temperature and not get burnt by isolated pockets of heated fat for example.

Any aliment that contents water will cook in the microwave. The following recipes are dedicated to those of you who only use your microwave to warm tea or coffee (a not very efficient or tasty use of your appliance) or reheat cooked food. Not surprisingly I particularly like preparing shellfish in the microwave (they are mostly water) and vegetables (for the same reason). The consistence of shrimps and scallops is particularly amazing. Every bite procures a little burst of ocean taste. Besides savor, microwave cooking provides fast, healthy and low calorie food. Each recipe serves two people.

Green winter soup (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 17 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
2 cups (474 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (237 gm) green tops (beet root, radishes…)
1 cup (237 mg) of spinach
1 cup (237 gm) of celery
1 half onion peeled and sliced
¼ (60 g) cup of parsley
½ (120 ml) cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
Salad bowl
Board and paring knife
Blender or food processor

Clean and cut all the vegetables. Put the vegetables in the salad bowl. Cover with the chicken stock and cook on high in the microwave for 15 minutes.
Pour in the food processor in batches or in the blender all together. Add the cream. Correct the seasonings. Mix well. Serve immediately.

Squash quiche (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
½ (113 mg) cup Gouda cheese or sharp cheddar grated
1teaspoon caraway seeds
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 egg
¼ (60 ml) cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
Salad bowl
Parchment paper

Sharp spoon (melon balls or grapefruit spoon)
Paring knife

Halve the squash. Remove the seeds with the spoon and wash, dry and toast in a pan with a little oil for 5 minutes. With a sharp spoon carve balls out of the squash. The difficulty is to keep the skin of the vegetable intact. Set the acorn halves on the parchment paper inside the microwave. Cook on high for about 7 minutes. Open the microwave and check for doneness: the squash flesh should be yielding to the knife.
In a salad bowl, crack and beat the egg, add the milk, caraway seeds, red pepper and grated cheese. Stir until well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour half of the batter in each squash cavity. Cook on high for another 3 minutes or until the custard has settled.
Serve with a salad sprinkled with the toasted seeds and the dressing of your choice.

Simply shrimps and broccoli (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Reasonable)

Ingredients:
1 lbs (454 mg) shrimps
1 lbs (454 mg) broccoli
1 clove of garlic
Few drops of olive oil
2 branches of dill

Material:
1 porcelain or glass dish large enough to contain the ingredients
Plastic film to loosely cover the dish while cooking
Paring knife
Wooden spoon

Peel and clean the shrimps, removing the black vein on the back of the shrimp. Place them on the dish.
Peel the garlic and slice finely. Sprinkle over the shrimps.
Clean the broccoli, keeping only the florets. Place them on the dish.
Wash the dill. Keep the fronds and cut them finely. Sprinkle over the dish. Pour a few drops of olive oil.
Place in the microwave and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Open the microwave and toss around the content of the dish. Microwave on high for an additional two minutes. The shrimps should have turned orange and the broccoli greener with a wet swimsuit model look.
To be bio correct, choose native shrimps.

Scallop salad (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Reasonable)

Ingredients:
1 lbs (454 mg) scallop
Drops of olive oil
2 tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
½ lbs (170 mg) spinach salad

Fruity sauce:
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Drops of Maggi aromatics

Material:
Salad bowl
Paring knife and cutting board
Set of tongs
Newspaper
Glass or porcelain dish
Plastic film to loosely cover the dish while cooking

Clean the scallops and lay them on the porcelain dish. Peel and mince the garlic clove and the shallot and sprinkle on top of the scallops. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil. Using the tongs, place the tomatoes on the lit burner of a gas stove. When the skin cracks, after about a minute, remove and place on a colander. Repeat the operation with the red pepper, charring it on each side. When it is black allover, wrap in a newspaper. Peel the tomatoes. The skin should separate from the flesh very easily. Cut the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Place the tomato pieces in the scallop dish. When the red pepper is cool enough to handle, unwrap from the newspaper. Remove the charred skin and the seeds under running water. Cut in pieces and add to the scallop dish.
Pour the two vinegars in the salad bowl with salt and pepper. Stir and add the olive oil, drops of aromatics and fresh orange juice. Stir well. Add the washed and dried spinach leaves and toss.
Place the scallop dish in the microwave. Microwave on high for two minutes. Open the microwave and stir the content of the dish. Microwave on high for another two minutes. Pour the content of the dish on top of the spinach leaves.
Note: to skin a tomato, to skin a pepper. The other method for removing the tomato skin is to plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute. I prefer it when I am using large quantities for a tomato sauce. For a salad, I much favor the charred method, which does not add water to the fruit and does not cook it. For skinning a pepper, you can also put it under the broiler of your oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning it over at mid-point. This method is again more appropriate when skinning a lot of peppers and has the same outcome as the tomato boiling method: it cooks the flesh of the pepper. This is an advantage when preparing a red pepper sauce.

Speedy chocolate cake (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 6 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
3 oz (85 g) 70% cacao chocolate
2 tablespoons coffee
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Milk as needed
1 egg white

Material:
Glass salad bowl
Eggbeater
2 individual silicone molds

Break the chocolate in pieces and place in the salad bowl with the coffee. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and add milk to obtain a chocolate sauce. Bring the chocolate to a temperature of 148F(50C) and mix in the orange zest. Pour slowly the liquid chocolate into the egg white while beating, as if making a mayonnaise. Pour the emulsion in two individual silicone molds and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Reverse each mold on a dessert plate, dust with confectioner sugar and serve immediately.

Fish Stories

Fish is a great addition to any diet. Low in calories, fat and cholesterol, it is a good source of protein, calcium and b-vitamins. Because it lives in a weightless universe where fast retreating is needed for survival, it has muscles made of fast contracting fiber and hardly any hard connective tissue. All of which means it cooks fast, is tender and, in its fillet form, has hardly any bone. If you feel daring, want to bake a whole fish and trust your eyes to spot the bones, start with a hot oven (425F or 218C) and measure the height of your fish at the thickest point. Count 7 to 10 minutes per inch (3 cm) of thickness.
The following three recipes, calibrated for 4 people, play on a variation of three traditional cooking methods: poaching, steaming and frying. In the first two cases, the twist comes from the fact that the sauce is cooked at the same time as the fish and requires very little additional attention. The last, breaded fillet is lighter than traditional fish and chips.

Poached Fillets Vietnamese style (Easy, Cooking and preparation time: 20 minutes, A little expensive)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (57 gm) sugar
2 tablespoons (24 ml) water
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot minced
1-inch piece ginger peeled and grated
1 small Thai chili
1 stem lemon grass minced
1 tablespoon (12 ml) of fish sauce
¼ cup soy sauce (57 ml)
4 4-oz (113 gm each) fillets of firm and thick white fish (cod, sea bass or striped sea bass for example)

Material:
1 4-quart saucepan
1 frying pan
Set of tongs

Combine the 4 tablespoons of sugar with the two tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil until it turns and smells like caramel. Stir in ¼ cup of water until blended quickly. Remove from the gaz and set aside.
Pour the sesame oil in the frying pan and set over medium heat heat. Stir-fry the minced garlic, shallot, lemon grass, ginger and chili. Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, reserved caramel and 1cup water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Lower the gas.
Cook the fish for 10 minutes at a very low boil, turning it over at mid point.

Serve with rice and a steamed vegetable such as broccoli, spooning the sauce over all three elements.

Steamed fish baked in parchment paper with French beurre blanc sauce (Easy, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
8 scallions, white part sliced
4 tablespoons (57 gm) dill leaves washed and minced
4 tilapia fillets or flounder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons (28 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons (57 gm) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (42 ml) olive oil
¼ cup (57 ml) soy sauce

Material:
Salad bowl
Parchment paper
Baking sheet

Set the oven at 450F (232C).

Divide the parchment paper in 4 squares sufficiently large to wrap around the fillets.
In a salad bowl, whisk in the sesame oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, grated lemon zest, and dill.
Lay each fillet in the center of the parchment paper, sprinkle the sliced scallions, pour a spoonful of sauce and top with a tablespoon of butter. Form four similar little fish packages.
Place the packets on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Unwrap carefully not to spill the sauce and serve with a purée.

Breaded Fillets (Easy, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 6 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
¼ (57 ml) cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (28 ml) butter
1 egg beaten
Breadcrumbs
Flour
Salt and pepper
4 flounder fillets or skate fillets

Red wine sauce
1 tablespoon (14 gm) of butter
2 shallots or 1 onion minced thinly
3 tablespoons (42 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 cup (237 ml) red wine

Material:
1 plate
1 soup dish
1 cutting board
1 saucepan
1 frying pan
1 protective screen cover for the frying pan

Pour the flour in a plate. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Crack and beat the egg in a soup dish. Lay the breadcrumbs on the cutting board. Lay a flounder fillet on the flour plate and flip it over. Dip completely the floured fillet in the egg dish. Lay the egged fillet on the cutting board, first on one side then on the other. Repeat with the other fillets.
Put the saucepan over the medium range of the gas. Add the butter. When it is melted, add the minced shallots. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and wine and reduce until you are left with 1/3 of the liquid about 15 minutes.
Pour the butter and vegetable oil in the frying pan and wait until one crumb thrown in the frying pan sizzle. Use the protective screen cover if needed. Sauté the fillets of fish 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with the sauce on top and Michel’s sautéed potatoes (recipe follows).
The addition of oil to the butter will preserve the butter taste but prevent the smoking that happens at temperature of around 250F (121C). That is because the smoking point of fresh cooking vegetable oil is higher, ranging from 350F to over 450F(176C to 232C). Deep-frying occurs at 350F to 375F(176C to 190C).
Michel’s sautéed potatoes (Easy, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (14 gm) of butter
1 tablespoon (14 ml) of oil
1 Idaho potato per person
1 onion per 4 people
1 garlic clove
Bunch of parsley
Salt to taste

Material
Paring knife and board
Peeler
Colander
Kitchen towel
Frying pan
Protective screen cover for the frying pan
Wooden spoon

Peel the potatoes and slice them thin. Wash them in water. Dry in a kitchen towel. Peel and slice the onion and garlic clove. Wash and dry the parsley. Keep only the leaves.
Pour the oil and butter in the frying pan and melt over the high setting of the gas stove for one minute. Use the protective screen cover to prevent oil projections. Add the potatoes in one layer. When one side is browned, turn over to the other side. At the very end, add the onion, garlic and parsley.
F

Broccoli beauty

Broccoli, a parent from cabbage is a lovely vegetable worthy of a vase, the beauty of which is only eclipsed by its benefits to our bodies. It is high in vitamin C and soluble fiber and contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. Every part of it, from the leaves to the stem is edible. If using the leaves, cook it as you would collard greens.
Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw. The broccoli soup recipe uses raw florets as a garnish to the soup, along with croutons. The broccoli quiche is a vegetarian alternative to the traditional ham quiche.

Broccoli soup (Easy, Prep time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. (14 ml) olive oil
1 lbs (474 gm) broccoli
2 shallots peeled and minced
1 potato peeled and cubed
3½ cups (587ml) chicken stock (see January first blog)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bouquet garni (see January first blog)
6 tbsp. (84 ml )crème fraîche
Fresh chives finely cut for garnish

For the garlic croutons:
4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
¼ loaf firm white sandwich bread crusts removed, cubed
2 tbsp. (28ml) olive oil
1 pinch chopped thyme leaves

Material:
1 toaster oven
1 cookie sheet
Parchment paper to line the cookie sheet
1 heavy saucepan
1 blender
1 peeler
1 paring knife and cutting board
1 wood spoon
1 soup ladle
1 glass bowl

Turn on the oven at 300F (148C).
Mix in the glass bowl all the ingredients for the croutons. Line up a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the content of the bowl onto it. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes, until they are crisp. Let them cool. They can be stored at room temperature in a closed box for about a week.
Wash the broccoli, cut off the very end of the stem. Slice the stems and separate the florets, saving a few to add raw to the soup.
Heat the oil in the heavy saucepan. Add the shallots and sauté until soft. Add the broth and the potato and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli. Cook until tender for about five minutes.
Pour the soup in the blender in batches until you reach a smooth consistency. Season to taste. Return to the saucepan on the stove at very low heat. Add the crème fraîche, stirring with the wood spoon until mixed, three minutes.
Ladle on a bowl. Garnish with the croutons. Serves 4 for a starter.

Broccoli Florets quiche (Easy, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
½ salty piecrust recipe (recipe follows)
1tablespoon butter
Dusting of flour
Broccoli florets from 3 broccoli heads (save the stems for the soup)
3 eggs
1cup (237 ml) cream
½ cup (113 gm) grated Gruyere

Material:
1 6-inch mold
1 saucepan
1 salad bowl
1 whisk

Set the oven temperature at 360F (182C).
Butter and flour the molds. Layout the refrigerated piecrust with a rolling pin on a piece of parchment paper and garnish the buttered and floured mold. Pierce the dough with a fork all over. Set on a baking sheet and return to the refrigerator.
Pour water in a pan and set on the stove at high, when it boils, add the florets. When it boils again, strain immediately, and cool down with cold water.
Lay a parchment piece over the crust. Cover with rice. Bake for ten minutes in the oven. Remove the parchment and paper when cool enough to handle. Save the rice for another pie.
In a salad bowl, crack the eggs. Beat with the whisk. Add the cream and Gruyere. Pour the mixture over the cooked crust. Add the florets on top and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately or at room temperature with a salad for a light lunch for 4.

Crust for 2 savory pies

Ingredients:
1½cups (350 gm) all-purpose flour
1teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 gm) diced cold butter
½ cup ice-cold water

Material:
Mixer
Rolling pin
1 nine-inch pan
Parchment paper
Rice

Pour all the ingredients except for the iced water into the mixer, pie blade in. Blend, adding water through the top cover, until a ball of dough forms.
Scrape up the ball and place in the fridge for 30 minutes up to two days.
To transform a savory crust into a sweet one, add ¼ cup (57 gm) of sugar. Bake without garnish for 20 minutes prior to adding a lemon based cream and the berries of your choice.