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Showing posts from May, 2010

ENERGY SPRING SALAD

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 Putting the crunch back into your life... Where is the sun? Where, for that matter, is Spring? Next Year? Maybe you are like me and feeling a little down with all the bad weather this French/Euro Spring is suffering. Here is a basic energetic Spring salad, a mix of crunchy raw veg and soothing avocado and sheep feta, to bring back your "morale" ... Energy Spring Salad 4 large romano tomatoes , chopped half a red onion , minced finely chives , scissored handful of cooked chickpeas 1 avocado , chopped 150gr sheep feta , crumbled 1/4 bulb fresh fennel , sliced thin lengthwise 1 branch of celery , chopped Juice of a lemon 3 tablespoons olive oil salt and peppe r Assemble above vegetable ingredients.  Toss over lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepp er.

GREMOLATO GO GO

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Refining with ease..... I love lemon.  Its a wonderful ingredient, totally underated for its power and zing. The Italians ( yes, the race which taught the French to cook...) use lemon everywhere. One of my favourites, to add zest and clarity, is Gremolato - I suppose it could be called a condiment.  Gremolato's 3 ingredient simplicity cleanses any dish which is overloaded in fat and adds personality and freshness to dishes which need a flavour kick. The basic 3 ingredients are chopped parsley, lemon zest and crushed garlic. But you can add a dash of lemon juice to make it go further, change the herb to basil for example and even add a little orange zest for warmth. My children love pan fried free-range chicken breast tossed in basilled gremolato served with a cool pasta, tomato and white onion salad. Its a doddle to make but its freshness and zing will have you reaching out for seconds.  Chicken Breast Tossed in Basilled Gremolato Free-range chicken breast , chopped int

DISASTER SPA...

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Surprise weekends lost in translation... Internet has changed our lives. We can communicate globally with ease, move around funds at the click of a button, organise travel simply, network with fellow-spirits, share... But its not all "peachy." Internet is also an open door for misrepresentation. Sometimes we "click" just a little too quickly. Last weekend my husband decided to take me on a surprise weekend .   My typical feminine reaction was initial horror and angst... my god what clothes will I pack???   He answered, passport and swim suit .  My next question, the test question ( the camping question...I loathe and detest camping!), Will I need to bring my hair dryer? Oh joy, he answered no which meant it was probably a hotel. So far all systems go! We drove off, my husband beaming proudly, myself wondering whether my tramping boots were crushing the little black cocktail dress I'd packed...I was prepared for anything and had packed accordingly. To

MONDAY OSSO BUCCO

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When the week begins.. The euro school year is coming to its end. My energy with it! End of tether... Tonight I am reaching into the inner sactum of Italian comfort food and serving Milanese Osso Bucco . The beauty of this dish is not only its simplicity but the added tang of lemon/parsley gremolata . Prepare your tastebuds for a comfort kick... Osso Bucco Milanese for 4 4 thick veal shin chops cut with marrow bone flour 60 gr butter 125ml dry white wine 250 gr tomatoes , peeled and chopped ( use canned if out of season) veal stock salt and pepper 5 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 clove garlic Coat meat both sides with flour and brown in butter. Add wine and simmer 15 mins.  Add chopped tomatoes and stock to cover meat, season, cover and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the meat is so tender it falls from the bones. Mix parsley, lemon zest and garlic (gremolata!) putting a little on each piece of meat and cook a few minutes longer. Serve with rice

THE CAKE WHICH GETS YOU WHAT YOU WANT....ANYTHING!

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...the moistest Almond Expresso Cake with Coffee Butter Icing Life is just too short to go without the occasional EXCELLENT cake.  This desperate anglo housewife has discovered how to get what she wants..call it manipulation if you will. This cake has my french husband rolling on his back, all paws in the air, begging for more. Everytime. Naughty naughty naughty! As my late mother used to say, if you are going to eat cake you might as well eat CAKE! This recipe is the "real monty" of wicked cakes. Its beauty is the low amount of flour ( good for low carbers..ha!), ground almonds and real expresso shots balanced against sweet almond. Moistest Almond and Expresso Cake with Coffee Butter Icing 180 gr butter , softened 180 gr castor sugar 3 large free range eggs ( the bigger the better! ) 1  teaspoon good quality natural sweet almond essence Double ristretto shots , equiv 6 tablespoons ( needs to be tight and strong! ) 100 gr flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ( 1 sach

PASTA BAKE FOR really DESPERATE MOTHERS

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A quick tuna pasta bake to get you through to the end of the week. Feeling frustrated, exhausted and running out of ideas to feed the tribe.  I know its time for simplicity when I hide out in the toilet from my kids with Paris Match in hand. Red Pepper Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake   500 gr good quality penne, elbow pasta , whatever you have 4 large tomatos , peeled and diced 2 red peppers , grilled and peeled, sliced 1 clove garlic , crushed large tin good quality tuna in brine bunch of chives , scissored fresh parmesan olive oil lemon juice salt & pepper Cook pasta al dente. Set aside. Toss chopped tomato, red pepper, garlic, tuna, herbs, hand ful of grated parmesan, chopped chives with the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold this gently through  cooked pasta, top with a little more parmesan an chopped chives an grill untill cheese melts and smells like heaven. Serve with mixed green salad.

DESSERT FOR A SPRING EVENING

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...doing it with strawberries, blueberries and spices. I am not a dessert goddess.  I rely blatently on my friends to satisfy my baked goods cravings. However my family do reclaim dessert from time to time.  Last night we conquered our sweet cravings plus our Spring " diets" with the below dessert - a crumble made of Spring flavours, spiced up to excite and warmed to get through this week's temperature drop. Spring Srawberry and Blueberry Spiced Crumble 1 punnet fresh strawberries 1 punnet fresh blueberries ( use cup of frozen if unavailable) 1 banana sliced 2 apples diced zest of half a lemon 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cardomom 1 cup muesli 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1/2 cup wholemeal flour 75 gr salted butter Pre heat oven 180°. Chop up fruit, add spices, zest and balsamic vinegar, toss and set aside. Place muesli, flour and sesame seeds in a bowl with sugar. Mix well then cut in butter until

ANNUAL CRINGE!

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What makes this desperate anglo housewife cringe every Spring? We all know the western world is going "pear -shaped" but why why why do French pharmacies still market and stock dangerous dieting pills and potions? Every Spring my self esteem plummets as I walk past the windows of pharmacies with full window displays screaming Minceur Minceur Minceur (literally,Thinness Thinness Thinness). Aren't the French thin enough already?  It is really not easy being an anglo- saxon-sized woman in this country...already I am reaching for the larger sizes in clothes here but to have to tolerate this annual marketing for pills and potions to reduce, slim, thin, eliminate and tone makes me crazy.I begin to see myself as a bloated, fat-stuffed reject instead of a blossoming 40-something. It is dangerous, not to mention irresponsible, particularly considering the sensitivity of young adolescent girls. A recipe for anorexia! When the rest of the western community has banned such th