Week 6: Duck with honey sauce

This is really yummy!!
I am too tired to write too much about it, but here it is....

Ingredients

• 2 pretty large duck breasts

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• salt, pepper

Procedure

1. Notch the breast meat on the side of the skin, so that it will lose a maximum of fat while being cooked. Heat a large non-sticky pan and place the meat with the skin down, while keeping the heat high. Remove fat occasionally. Fry for 5 minutes. Turn them on the other side, lower the heat and cook also for 5 minutes. They have to remain rare.
   
2. Keep the meat warm covered with tin foil in oven at 120°.
   
3. During this time, deglaze the pan with vinegar and honey. Reduce to obtain a fine honey sauce. Check how seasoned it is.

Week 6: Fish and Chips

I did a not of cooking this weekend and it is all coming up today. On Friday, I decided to make fish and chips. Because the fish is really really friend with a decent amount of fat, I decided to make veggie chips instead of french fries.
They weren't as crunchy as french fries should be, but they were yummy none the less. I cut carrots, red peppers and zucchini into french fry size strips and threw them into a small amout of really hot oil so they would get a little bit crunchy on the outside, a little warm. but they were still naturally crunchy.
For the fish, I followed this recipe:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/74796/british-fish-and-chips.html

Enjoy!!!

Week 5: Ovenless Lasagna

This Lasagna is very good if you don't have an oven, but with the sligtly burned cheese on top and the crispy edges can only be done in the oven.

Nonetheless, it is really good.
I didn't really follow a recipe so here is my recipe:

sauce:
(you could always just buy it)
small sauteed onion
2 cloves sauteed garlic
small pack of chopped chirizo
2 cans of chopped tomatoes

Lots of mozz cheese (300 gms)
Lots of ricotta cheese (250 gms)
Lots of Parmisan cheese (50 gms)
Lasanga noodles (200 gms)
1/2 to 1 lb on ground beef

So, for the sauce, cook the onion until transparent then add the garlic and chirizo. when everything is slightly brown, add the tomatoes and cook for 15-30 minutes.

Use fresh Lasanga noodles or cook dried ones until a little harder than al dente

Cook the meat

When everything is cooked, layer them in a big pot, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!

Week 5: Falafel

This recipe is a little delayed but I'm happy to post it. Michele and I decided to make falafels. Michele found the recipe on about.com. You can look at it here:

http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/falafelrecipe.htm

It was interesting to make. The first batch completely fell apart in the oil, so we decided to add come egg, and it made all the difference.

We wanted to make some stuffed grape leaves, but we couldn't find the grape leaves, so we just cooked up come eggplant and ate the falafel with eggplant, tziki sauce, tomato and hummus.

Good eats... just don't forget the egg.

Week 4: Chicken Cordon Blue

This recipe was fun to make because it doesn't take too long and I love putting toothpicks in my food to make the right form.
I used this recipe from Squidoo, the "elegant" chicken cordon bleu.

http://www.squidoo.com/chicken-cordon-bleu

I didn't really read it before i started so there were a few suprized.

First of all, stuffing the chicken and closing it with toothpicks was fun, as I said, but it is actually really hard to take them out afterward!
Anyway, so i followed the recipe then realized that the chicken was supposed to cook for 30 minutes on low... and after about 20 I saw that the chicken was getting soggy, so i covered it with more flour and cooked it in oil, not in the sauce to make it nice and crispy. If I had been thinking, I would have put the mostly cooked chicken in eggs and breadcrumbs, but i didn't have any. I think it is important to cook it in the beginning as said because the wine gives it a nice flavor.
I continued making the sauce as said and I put it on the side.

Anyway, I liked it, Yvan liked it and we are both full... he's over there burping.

Week 4: Lapin a la moutarde

Lapin a la moutarde, or rabbit in a mustard sauce.
This meal takes hours to make, but you don't need to pay too much attention.
The prep time took maybe 45 minutes, then you just leave it for an hour and a half to two hours.
I got this recipe from The Frugal cook:

http://thefrugalcook.blogspot.com/2009/03/lapin-la-moutarde.html

The only difference is that I don't have an oven, so I left the 'lapin' covered on the stove for about an hour and 45 minutes on medium low heat. I just went to stir it every 20 minutes or so.

I recommend this recipe for anyone who wants a nice warm filling meal and who has time to make it! I am sure that it would be good with chicken as well if you're not so crazy about eating or cooking rabbit.

Nothing new

Hey! I just wanted to add my favorite way to cook green beans. I wouldn't call this a new recipe because I make it all the time-- on the same note, I don't really have measurements, but you can mix and match to cook it the way you like it.
I first boil frozen or fresh green beans until they are a little harder than how I like them... they will cook a little bit once you take them out.
Drain the green beans.
Then in a frying pan, I put a little bit of butter,just enough to cook the garlic (maybe a clove per serving) --so, cook the garlic until light brown and add the green beans and mix well. Then add a splash of white wine and a bit of black pepper, cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated, then add a little bit of lemon juice, take off heat and add some (or a lot in my case) salt and enjoy!!!
I like eating this with salmon which i cook on a frying pan on medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side (this leaves it slightly pink in the middle and very tender)

Enjoy!!

(these pictures were stolen from http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/webb_laur/images/salt-salmon-rs-640878-l.jpg and http://bestroominthehouse.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/09_22_13-green-beans_web.jpg)

Week 3: Poulet Rouge thailandais

Poulet Rouge thailandais, or in English, Red Thai chicken.

After my adventures in Belleville, I decided to dedicate at least a little while to Asian food, and I love thai.
I bought a cookbook which features mostly Asian meals, and this is the one that I chose.

It calls for a tablespoon on olive oil
two chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
4 Kaffir Lime leaves (I couldn't find fresh ones so I used 6 or 7 dried ones)
3 tablespoons of Ginger
2 tablespoons of Tamerin
2 tablespoons of red curry
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
600 ml of coconut milk-- which is about a can and a half
1 medium sweet potato, cut thin
a bunch of cilantro
a small container of cherry or grape tomatoes
I also added a little bit of cream and sugar to cut down the spice (it was a little much for Yvan.)

first cook the chicken with a little pit of olive oil, then when it is mostly cooked, add the Kaffir lime, ginger, tamerin, curry and garlic. let cook for a few minutes then add the potatoes and the coconut milk. let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cilantro. cook for another 5 minutes then serve!!
I made some rice on the side, but i think rice noodles might be even better.
Be careful if you are sensitive to spice!!!!