Endives a la creme

Belgium Endives are the most delicious vegetables and does not seem to be used very much in cooking. I was in piggly wiggly and I saw this nice little        and I thought "miam miam, some endives a la crème just like mamie used to make." When I went thru the cash register nobody could find the name, I was not very much help because I just knew the French name "endive" and it is listed under" Belgium endives" , they had to call the produces man. It was the same thing when I bought some Daicon and some rubharb, I think they should give their cashiers a little produce tutoring! it really show you that some vegetable are not very often use.
Belgium are very good in salad and they make nice little cups for all kind of appetizer but in a gratin they are just a delice. The gratin is usually made with a béchamel but I decided in that recipe to try to go a little lighter and just use cream like in a potatoe gratin.
you must try it you are going to love it.
Here is my recipe.

Ingredient

3 endives
6 slices of ham
1 1/2 cup of  heavy cream
1 garlic clove
1 cup of swiss cheese or gruyere ( or more)
1 tbs butter
1 tsp nutmeg

instructions

cut the end of the endives
take all the leaves off (do not use the heart it is bitter)
blanch the leaves for about 6 minutes.
Drain
Put the cream in a sauce pan over a low ,medium heat.
mash the garlic clove and add it to the pan
add the swiss cheese ( keep a little for the top of the gratin)
add salt ,pepper, and nutmeg.
Mix till the cheese is melted

In a dish going to the oven, layer the Endive leaves and the ham
spread the cream over it and spread with a little pieces of butter and cheese.

put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

a table , bon appetit.

Notes

You can cook the full  Endives and rolled them in the ham.  but be careful to take the hearts and the ends off , they are bitter.
you could make the Endives by themselves without the ham if you are vegetarian or just want a side dish.
The dish is for two servings. could be multiply easily for more serving.





printable recipe

Colcannon

It was St Patrick yesterday and to celebrate  I decided to make Colcannon a very easy and comforting Irish dish. I had  Colcannon in England and it was made with delicious Bangers a special sausage which is very delicious . Well I did not have any bangers so I decided to use some Willshire sausage I already had in my refrigerator. I had some Kale so I used some in my dish . Cabbage is the traditional vegetable but I really wanted to use some kale too. I have not used kale for a very long time but I really like that vegetable.

Savoy cabbage and Kale

Recipe

Ingredients

4 potatoes
1/4 of a head of cabbage
About 3 cups of Kale
1 link of Willshire sausage cut in 6 pieces ( or any sausage of your choice)
1/2  stick of butter
1/4 cup of heavy cream
2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of lardons (pork salt or bacon cut in small cubes)
1/2 of leeks or onions
1 bay leave
salt and pepper

Directions

peel the potatoes
and put in a saucepan in cold water
add salt to the water.
Cook about 40 minutes or till the potatoes are cooked.

Slice the cabbage.
Take the stalk off of the Kale. Cut in small pieces
slice the leeks and rinse under running water. Drained.
Cook the lardons for about 10 minutes

Add the cabbage and the Kale
brown for 10 minutes
Add the stock and the sausage
Add salt and pepper an the bay leave.
cook for about 20 minutes on low heat

When the potatoes are cooked smashed them with a fork

add the butter and the cream. Mashed them roughly. We do not want  smooth mash potatoes this is suppose to be a rustic dish.

 

 

if you need too add a little of the stock from the sausage.
Put the sausage mix in a dish add the mashed potatoes.

If you want add a little sour cream and horseradish to make a nice accompaniment

.A table . miam miam miam. Bon appetit

And a little parting though

Maniccoti( with ricotta and goat cheese)

I went to Costco last week .Costco is definitely my favorite store to do groceries shopping(and I read somewhere that contrary to Walmart they treat their employees very well). I love to buy food in big quantities and have every thing under my hand when I am ready to cook. I did a rather important groceries shopping and among other things I had a big giant bag of baby fresh spinach ricotta , Italian sausage and goat cheese. The goat cheese turned out to .be a nice touch in the cannelloni it made the feeling nice and creamy and added a little perk to the taste.. Naturally if you are not like me, a fan of goat cheese, you can simply omit it. it will still be delicious. Here is the recipe

 Ingredients 2tb olive oil

2 cups  ricotta
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1 lb  Italian sausage
1 clove garlic
spinach fresh or frozen
2 eggs beaten
1/2 chopped shallot or  green onion
1 tbs fresh basil.
1 box of manicotti
  1/2 Parmesan
2 cups tomato sauce
Preparation
chopped the shallot or green onion
 brown in the 2 tbs of olive  oil
Add the clove of garlic and the Italian sausage.(if it is in casing take the casing of) brown on medium heat till the meat is cooked.



 
Steam the fresh spinach in salted water drain and squeeze the spinach and chop them. Put in a bowl


 
add the ricotta and the goat cheese add the sausage mix every thing add salt and pepper for your taste.

Cook the manicotti shells in a lot of salted boiling water. Like indicated on the box

When the manicotti are cook put them in cold water to stop the cooking and drain.
Fill up the shells with the mixture
In a bottom of a pan spread some tomato sauce and assemble the manicotti on the top.
Spread more of the tomato sauce on the top and spread with the Parmesan.
Preheat the oven to375 degrees F and cook for about 45minutes



A table. miam miam. bon appetite
Notes
About tomato sauce
  I still have some canned tomatoes and tomato sauce I made last summer. If you are not so lucky you could use can tomatoes sauce I don't care much for can tomato sauce too sweet for me. But it is easy to make your own tomatoes sauce with cans of  chopped  tomatoes. the recipe follow.
Cannelloni or maniccoti:I have wonder sometimes what was the difference between Cannelloni and Maniccoti After research on Internet I find out that there is not much difference and the two terms are use for the same thing.  But the traditional Cannelloni was made with a flat pasta rolled around a filling. Manicotta is always a tube of already made pasta. So I change my name for my recipe. it is now  maniccoti But manicotti or cannelloni VIVA ITALIA.

Recipe for a quick tomato sauce
          
          Ingredients
          
          3 tbs very finely chopped onions
           1 clove of garlic finely chopped
           1 can chopped tomato
            salt and pepper
           
            Preparations
           
            brown the onion in the olive oil till translucent
            Add the garlic cook for 5 more minutes
            Add the drained tomatoes
            Salt and pepper
            cook about 30 minutes
            
            Press in a food mill or the food processor


           


         

 

 

cassoulet.

It is cold today in SC. I decided I needed to make some comfort food some thing that warm up your body and  soul.
 I was thinking of the delicious cassoulet mamie used to make nothing better for a cold night.
The cassoulet is a old French country dish from the sud ouest , specially the Languedoc. It is a country dish made of layers of meat and beans . Most of the meat is usually duck , pork and sausages.
Since it is not very easy to find duck around here I decided to use chicken. I had some pork chops in my freezer so I used them but it will really better to use a cheaper piece of pork, like a pork shoulder it usually has more taste .
Here is my recipe.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
4 pieces of chicken tights
I onion chopped
2 or 3 carrots sliced
1 branch celery chopped
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes 
1 tbs tomatoes paste
8 oz of bacon chopped in lardons
4 cups of home cook beans or 2 cans of cannelini ,Northern or Navy beans.
1 cup bread crumbs

Preparation

Saute the bacon lardons in a large frying pan put in the cassoulet pan

 

 

 

Saute the meat in the frying pan in small batches .put in the pan with the bacon

 

Saute all the vegetables about 5 or 8 minutes make sure not to burn the garlic.
Add to the cassoulet pan
Add the tomato paste  in the vegetables and meat .
Add the tomatoes
Deglaze the pan you used to fry the meat and vegetables add to the cassoulet pan.
Add the beans
Add the salt and pepper
.

 

 

Cook for about 2 and 1/2 hours in a 350 degrees F preheated oven
Check ounce and a while for liquid
After 2 and 1/2 hours put the bread crumbs over the beans and cook for about 20 more minutes

Notes .
This cassoulet is delicious but not exactly the real cassoulet de Castelnauday or Toulouse.
I don't really know what is a real cassoulet all different cities in the South of France make their own Cassoulet
So I don't think I could make the real cassoulet but I will like to make a cassoulet next time with a few legs of duck confit, some sausage and the best of all some duck fat .
Duck fat give a delicious taste to food, French fries made in duck fat are the best and duck fat is really one of the original ingredient for a cassoulet.
All these ingredients are not very easy to find around here but there is a butcher down town who specialize in different meats.
Duck fat, bacon fat are becoming back in fashion they are not as bad for your health if they are used in moderation.
Well when I have company I will made this more expensive Cassoulet but right now my easy cheaper recipe is delicious

Et voila a table
Miam miam, bon appetite!

chicken with Maple syrup and cayenne

A few years ago my ex sister in law and friend Marsha came and visit me in SC from Maine . She brought me a beautiful bottle of real maple syrup. The bottle was in a shape of a maple tree leave and I kept it.
I made pancake and the syrup was delicious but I wanted to use some of the syrup in another way.
I research a few recipe and I found a very easy recipe made by Anne Burrell one of my favorite 'Food TV " chef.  First I was not very exited about the recipe Maple syrup and Cayenne pepper  chicken. I am not too much into sweet and hot usually but I decided to try it any how and it is now one of my favorite chicken recipe. I do not have maple syrup all the time it is rather expensive but when I went to Cosco and found a nice bottle of maple syrup for a good price I had to have it . and I decided to make my recipe "chicken in maple and Cayenne pepper"

Chicken with Maple syrup and Cayenne pepper
 Ingredients

Cut up chicken
2 tbs olive oil
 cup Maple syrup
2 tbs Cayenne pepper

Preparation

Turn on the oven at 400 degrees F
Rub the olive oil salt and pepper on the chicken parts
Put the chicken on a oven tray.
Cook about 20 Mns. the chicken must start to be brown and crisp but not completely cook.
While the chicken is roasting prepare the Maple syrup
In a small saucepan combine the syrup and the Cayenne pepper
on medium heat cook the syrup till it is 1/2 reduced and thick.
When the chicken has cook about 20 mns glazed it with the syrup mixture and let it cook about 15 mns longer.
This chicken is so easy to make and so delicious.

Notes
-Beware not to have a heavy hand with the Cayene pepper which is very hot.
-Do not over cook the chicken but make sure it is nice and brown
-The recipe is for about 4 persons.
-On this day I made my chicken for only one person and used 1 breast.1/4 cup Maple syrup and 1 tsp Cayenne pepper. -
I accompagned my chicken wth some Boyshoy from my son garden and a bake potatoe. I had some mild peppers left from my garden so I cooked one with my chicken

A table Bon appetit!

l

southern collards with an italian touch

I have been sick with a cold for more than a week and no food has been really tempting to me. yesterday I felt a little better and I tough I should eat something fresh and not heavy. But I could not really think what I wanted. I looked in my back yard and I saw my 3 bunches of collards. I know 3 bunches of collards  are hardly a meal for four persons but they were a project that was successful. I will definitely plant more last time.  They have grow so healthy and pretty and every time I walk by I have to munch on a piece of the leave it taste good. So I thought I should do some thing with my collard. Well you know collard in SC are now must often used for Thank giving and New year eve. for New year eve with Hopping John and rice they are the promise of an happy financial year . I really don't know about that. It  doesn't seam to have work for me these last 20 years but it make a delicious meal. I did. not want to cook the collard as a side dish like we usually do I wanted to make a main dish. So I came out with that recipe.

green collards and spaghetti.

Ingredients
3 slices of bacon or pancetta
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of collards green
a squeeze of lemon juice
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 serving of spaghetti
a dash of olive oil
Parmesan
salt pepper

Directions
Prepare collards take the stems and the white centers off.
Roughly chop the leaves
Blanches the collards in a large kettle of salted boiling water. For about 15 minutes.
Put the collards in a colander to drain.
Cook your spaghetti and salted water
Drain when cooked and add a splash of olive oil . keep warm.
Cook bacon put on the side on paper towel
Drain some of the bacon fat out of the pan
In the same pan saute garlic for about 5 minutes.

Make sure you collards are well drain.
Put collards, crumbled bacon , back in the frying pan with the garlic.
add pepper,salt, and dash pepper.
Serve the collards on the spaghetti
Add Parmesan

Miam miam !!

Notes
The collard I used  being from my garden were very young and tender.
I did not say it in my recipe because most people will not like it but I used 2 anchovies rinsed and chopped. I love anchovies and frankly if you do not tell any body they won't know you added some to the recipe.















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