Basil Beef… err… Meatballs

by Pam, Paris (France)

One thing I like when cooking is moving away one dish into another form. It can be done for convenience or for a fun factor.
This time, when thinking about what I could cook for a picnic, knowing I wanted to make an asian dish, I just thought : Why not turn the well known basil beef into meatball?!
After all, meatballs can be found in any asian menu. But just not basil beef meatballs.

Please, if you try, tell me what you thought

• Servings: about 50 meatballs (see the picture)
• Preparation times:
  • Preparation: 15 minutes
  • Cooking: 30 minutes
• Ingredients:
  • 600 grams of ground meat*
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil**
  • spices*** : cayenne pepper or ground chili, lemongrass powder, ginger, ground pepper
  • fish sauce
  • soy sauce
  • peanut oil
  • salt
• Steps:
  1. Chop the garlic, onion and basil thinly
  2. Mix the garlic, onion and basil with the ground meat and spices
  3. Add fish sauce to taste (about 1 or 2 tablespoons)
  4. Add soy sauce (about 1 or 2 teaspoons)
  5. Mix the lot and add salt if needed
  6. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium/low heat
  7. Make small meatballs and fry them over the pan in batches
  8. When a batch is cooked, remove from the pan and leave it to cool on a paper towel to soak the oil out
  9. Continue until all meatballs are cooked
• Notes:
  • * : ground meat could be ground beef or another mixture is fine.
  • ** : I realise that the term “bunch” can be misleading. Take it that you should get half a mug of chopped basil. (Nothing original in a mug, just the usual casual mug)
  • *** : spices are really according to your own taste. For a more authentic taste, use thai chili and kaffir leaves, otherwise you can play with whatever you have in your drawers.
  • The size of your meatballs is really according to you. My meatballs were about 2-3cm long. But I guess you could make nice burgers out of this recipe too

Eggplant Dip à la française (ie. Pam style…)

by Pam, Paris (France)

I know I know it’s been a while… BUT! By general public request! (basically a few friends of mine looking for recipes…) Here are new recipes again!
Here is a recipe for my famouse eggplant dip. Alright alright, in the same way some told me that my sauerkraut was polish, some will say that eggplant dip is lebanese. Look, eggplant is well used all around the Mediteranean sea. And France also happens to touch it. So yes! French people have eggplants too.

So here it is, my eggplant dip… à la française. I’ll be curious to get your comments about this eggplant dip since it does look different and also tastes different from the usual lebanese one.

• Servings: about 12 toasts (see the picture)
• Preparation times:
  • Active: 15 minutes
  • Rest: 30 minutes
• Ingredients:
  • 2 eggplants (the fat kind)
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 lemon (the yellow kind)
  • thyme, rosemary
  • olive oil
  • salt, pepper
• Steps:
  1. Cut the green base off the eggplants
  2. Put the eggplants in a large bowl and seal with plastic wrap. (Make sure that the eggplants are sealed and that no air can come in or get out of the bowl)
  3. Microwave the eggplants at full power for 15 minutes.
  4. When done, soak the eggplants in cold water until they cool down (they will be very hot as the come out to the microwave).
  5. While the eggplants cool down, chop the onion and crush the garlic.
  6. Heat the oil in a small pot over low heat.
  7. Add the thyme and marjoram to the pot and mix.
  8. Add the onion and garlic into the pot and stir gently until they become translucent.
  9. Remove the pot from heat.
  10. By now the eggplants should have cooled down, if not (and you don’t want to burn your hands) wait. When the eggplants are cool, slice them open (cut them in the middle in the long section).
  11. Using a tablespoon, scrape the eggplant pulp into a bowl.
  12. If the eggplant looks too fibrery use a knife to cut the fibres. Mash the eggplant using a fork.
  13. Add the pot content to the eggplant and mix gently.
  14. Add salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.
  15. Add the lemon juice last.
• Notes:
  • I already hear you screaming about the microwave part… Well if you can find a quicker way to reduce an eggplant in its mashable state without hurting it, I’ll be curious to find out. Effectively this technique is a quick way to steam and eggplant.
  • Lemon juice should be added last in order for it not to be cooked. If the eggplant mixture is still hot at the end, then wait a little before adding the lemon.
  • The eggplant dip will taste better one day after preparing it as the tastes from the herbs, onion, garlic, oil and lemon will have soaked into the eggplant.
  • One great way to eat it is to spread it on a toast, along with fresh cheese on a warlm summer day. (With an option on red wine…)

The Blanquette de Veau, or the fantastic white veal stew from once upon a time

by Pam, Sydney (Australia)

After the controversial Choucroute, now let me introduce you to a dish that is French only. I’d even say quintessentially French. The Blanquette de Veau (or creamy white veal stew).
The only whisper of its name resonates in French minds with mouthwatering sensations of bliss. This dish could be served just about anytime, any season, any occasions, as a homely dinner or as main dish at grand restaurant. Yes! This dish is truly extraordinary!
Indeed, originally from the Lyon region, the Blanquette is probably one of the most ancient French dish around today. It is one of the few dishes recorded to have been served in Parisian restaurants at the time of the Revolution, over 200 years ago! And it’s still going…

Here is my own recipe for you to find out why the Blanquette has such a central place in French cuisine.

• Servings: 4
• Preparation times:
  • Active: 1 hour
  • Cooking: 1.5 hours
• Ingredients:
  • 500g of veal, preferably shoulder meat., diced in approx 3cm x 3cm x 3cm cubes
  • 2 small carrots
  • 1 branch of celery
  • 150g of small button mushrooms
  • 1 small leak
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 100ml of Chardonay wine
  • 20g of butter
  • 1 full tbsp of plain flour
  • 1 egg, yolk only
  • 100ml of thick cream
  • half a lemon
  • 4 bay leaves
  • mixed herbs
  • half a bunch of fresh parsley
  • salt, pepper
• Steps:
  1. Add the veal in a big pot and simmer in cold water for 30 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, chop the onion, leak and celery thinly.
  3. Cut the parsley branches away from the leaves, chop the leaves thingly.
  4. Quarter the carrots (cut length-wise and accross length-wise) and slice approx 5cm long.
  5. Clean the mushrooms to get rid of the remaining earth.
  6. Bring the water to high heat and leave the veal to boil for approx 10 mins. This is to get rid of the impurities and foam that ay come out. After that, throw away the water and rince the meat.
  7. Add all vegetables in the pot, except the mushrooms. Also add the branches of parsley, not the leaves, clove of garlic, bay leaves, mixed herbs, and veal.
  8. Add the wine and some water until the food is all covered.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Put the mix to low boiling temperature and leave it for 1 hour over low heat. The pot should be covered.
  11. After 1 hour, add the mushroom in the mix.
  12. In another pot, melt the butter under low heat.
  13. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and mix to create the sauce base.
  14. When the flour has become an homogenous mix with the buttern, add in 3 laddles of the veal boiling stock. Keep mixing.
  15. When the mix is homogenous, remove from heat.
  16. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolk with the cream and juice of squeezed lemon. Use a whip to ensure it’s mixed well.
  17. Slowly add the sauce mix into the bowl. Keep whipping. When all sauce is added, leave the mix to rest.
  18. Add the veal and vegetables in a large bowl. Remove the herbs, bay leaves, branches of parsley and clove of garlic.
  19. Add the white sauce to the veal and vegetables and stir to mix.
  20. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley leaves before serving.
• Notes:
  • Serve with rice or pasta.
  • In this recipe, the vegetables are fully part of the meal. However, if you don’t like any of them, you can remove them at the end. In this case don’t chop or cut and instead leave as a big piece in the stock so it’s easier to take out.
  • For a more meaty effet, you can also use veal osso bucco (see picture). In this case, have 4 bone cuts, or 600g.

Ooey, Gooey, Yet Somewhat Chewy, Mushroom Risotto

by Steve, Sydney (Australia)

This dish was brought to life in the year 1683 when the fussy King Solomon demanded his chef create “a healthy serving of poetry in a bowl”.
The chef was beheaded, and the dish initially considered a failure.But since, it was resurrected due to the high praise from Julia Child’s horticultural technician – who ironically claimed: “it’s a lovely limmerick of flavours”.
Though King’s Solomons chef may have included one ryhme too many, he did manage to create a dish of that is unquestionalbly ooey, gooey, yet somewhat chewy.

It’s rich creamy flavour, combined with fresh ingredients of mushroom, chicken, asparagus, parmesan, and pine nuts makes for a nice hearty autumn dish.

Serve with a nice glass Chablis and crusty bread, snuggled up close to the fire with your lover and/or cat. Follow this up with crême brulée and you will hear ‘purrrrrr’s” all around.

• Servings: 6
• Preparation times:
  • Active: 30 minutes
  • Cooking: 45 minutes
• Ingredients:
  • 500g of arborio rice
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 500g of sliced mushrooms
  • 20 spears of baby asparagus
  • half a bunch of celery
  • 1 large chicken breast (thinly sliced)
  • 400ml of white wine
  • 6 cups of chicken stock
  • 50g of pine nuts (toasted)
  • 80g parmesan cheese (grated)
  • parsley for garnish
  • sliced kalamata olives for garnish
  • 4 tablesppons of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, pepper
• Steps:
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, on medium heat.
  2. Add chopped garlic.
  3. Chop celery and onion, fine.
  4. Add to oil and cook for 10 minutes until becomes translucent.
  5. Raise heat, add rice and cook for 2 minutes until rice becomes translucent.
  6. Add the wine and stir until fully absorbed, then lower heat to medium.
  7. Add 5 cups of the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, until each is absorbed, stir frequently.
  8. In a seperate pan, cook mushrooms and asparagus; then set aside.
  9. In a seperate pan, cook the chicken; then set aside.
  10. Add chicken, pine nuts, asparagus, and mushroom to rice pot along with the 6th cup of stock.
  11. Stir frequently till liquid is absorbed.
  12. Add parmesan cheese to top, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
  13. Serve in poetry bowls and garnish wish parsley and olives.
• Notes:
  • The more parmesan, the more ooey, gooey it becomes.
  • Olives are optional, but they do add a nice richness.
  • For a Canadian twist, cook with minute-rissotto, adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, grated cheddar cheese (Cheez Whiz optional) and microwave on high for 10 minutes. Add Frank’s Red Hot to taste. Serve with Labbatt’s Blue.

Ist es Sauerkraut? Nein Monsieur, ist Choucroute!

by Pam, Sydney (Australia)

For the whole world, Sauerkraut is the symbol of German food, along with the bratwurst. Indeed Sauerkraut is very much believed to be the base for all types of central European food, from the Baltic to the Alps, with its origin mainly in German cuisine. For the whole world… except the French…
For the French, Sauerkraut, or rather Choucroute, in its finest, most accomplished form as a full meal comes from Alsace. Alright weither Alsace was French or German has been much debated throughout History, but these days it is French, and so is the Choucroute!

Again I’ll admit that my recipe for the beloved kraut may not be the authentic one found in a proper Alsacian restaurant with enough meat in it to inflict a stroke to anyone who is brave (or big) enough to finish the plate.
Indeed here I make a heavy usage of speck and smoked pork.
(Hence the darker colour of the kraut on the picture, in case you’re wondering)

• Servings: 4
• Preparation times:
  • Active: 20 minutes
  • Cooking: 1.5 hours
• Ingredients:
  • 500g of sauerkraut
  • 4 smoked pork chops
  • a slab of speck (approx 5cm x 20cm)
  • 4 thin sausages (eg. Frankfurter)
  • 8 medium potatos
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 100ml of Riesling wine
  • approx 10 juniper berries
  • salt, pepper
• Steps:
  1. Rince the sauerkraut under cold water.
  2. Chop the onion and crush the garlic.
  3. Heat the oil in a large pot over low heat.
  4. Add the onion and garlic into the pot and stir gently until they become translucent.
  5. Slice the speck into 8 chunks.
  6. Add the speck into the pot and stir gently until it gets a nice brown colour.
  7. Add the sauerkraut in the pot.
  8. Add the juniper berries and pepper (possibly whole).
  9. Add the wine and some water until the food is all covered.
  10. Put the mix to low boiling temperature and leave it for 1 hour over low heat. The pot should be covered.
  11. In the meantime, cook the pork chops and sausages in boiling water and peel the potatos
  12. After an hour add the peeled potatos and pork chops on top of the sauerkraut.
  13. Add the water used boiling the chops and sausages into the sauerkraut up to sauerkraut level.
  14. In the meantime, cook the saussages in boiling water.
  15. Leave to cook for another 30 minutes.
  16. Serve together with a sausage.
• Notes:
  • This sauerkraut is not as bitter as the usual one.
  • Speck brings a very interesting smoky flavour to the kraut. I really like that but I don’t think I’ve experienced that in Alsacian cuisine. If anyone knows where it could be a tradition of, please feel free to comment.
  • Unfortunately, while speck brings in a lot of flavour, it also brings in a lot of fat… I don’t really mind a bit of fat, but if you dislike it you should cut it off the speck while slicing it.
  • Riesling makes a fantastic addition to the food. You can also use Sylvaner, or I think that any dry white wine could do.
  • If you feel like it you can add any other type of pork meat you like, bacon, knuckle, blood sausage, etc. One suggestion I have is to precook the meat in boiling water and later add it to the sauerkraut while it finishes its cooking to soak in the flavours. Sausages don’t need to be added to the kraut as it won’t absorb flavours as well.