Food from Friends

What a summer it's been- and made all the more special thanks to friends. We've had get-togethers and adventures with old friends, but have also enjoyed making new friends along the way, (especially in the Auvergne), which was a lovely surprise.

On returning from our travels, one more surprise for me- a 'Welcome Back' present awaiting us on the doorstep- from a friend's allotment.



When I opened up the bag- this is what was inside:

Welcomed home with veg!

So this week's blog is all about how I made four main dishes- and the same again of leftover lunches- from this bountiful bagful.

I started with the Swiss Chard ( or blettes as it is known in French).

This excellent vegetable is a story of two halves: the leaves which are like spinach and can be used in the same sort of dishes, or can be stuffed like cabbage leaves; and the stems which are like celery and make lovely soups but also gratins and tasty side dishes too.

Swiss Chard- a story of two halves

I decided to make a Quiche Aux Blettes (Swiss Chard Tart- but it sounds tastier in French) with the leaves and a Lyonnais-style side dish with the stems.

Wash the leaves well and wilt down in a saucepan (with just the water clinging to them- no more) then drain and squeeze the leaves dry using a J cloth or tea towel.

Squeezed Chard

Fry some bacon lardons ( or toast some pine nuts for a completely veggie version) and lay in the bottom of a baked pastry case, add the chard and some grated cheese of your choice. 

Nearly there

Beat 3-4 eggs with 200 ml of milk and pour over the mixture in the pastry case. Bake at 170 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until risen, firm and golden.

Quiche aux Bletttes

With sweetcorn to start, and a green salad to accompany- the quiche was a real feast- and the leftovers made two lunches as well.

Likewise the side dish went beautifully with some poached salmon.

Slice the chard stems into bite size pieces. Fry 1 sliced onion and 1 clove of garlic (minced) in some oil, then add the chard pieces and brown a little. Add 1 tbsp white wine or dry sherry and a crumbled vegetable stock cube. Cover with a lid and simmer until the liquid has nearly all been absorbed. Just before serving boil quickly to evaporate the last of the liquid  and whisk in a knob of butter to make the dish glossy.

Lyonnais style Chard- bubbling away

Now for the big beast- that golden marrow!

First job- cut it in half- and use one half for a Mediterranean Tian and the other was to be stuffed and served with salad.

A marrow to be proud of!

I sliced one of the marrow halves lengthways, scooped out any large seeds to make a trench and filled it with beef ragout ( spag bol sauce basically!) 

Beef ragout

and topped with grated cheese-

Ready for the oven

Bake at 180 degrees until the marrow is tender and the cheese golden brown (abut 30 minutes).

Stuffed sliced marrow

The next dish- a Mediterranean Tian - takes a little more work but it's well worth it.

Ingredients:

1 courgette ( or half a marrow!)

400g bechamel sauce

1 aubergine

2 peppers

125g mozzarella

salt pepper and oil (for browning)

breadcrumbs and Parmesan for topping

First make your bechamel sauce in a saucepan (you can add a little grated cheese if you want too).

whisk up your bechamel sauce

Next slice your veg into rondelles and soften them a little in a frying pan with some oil.

slice your veg into rondelles

Spread the sauce in a layer in the bottom of a gratin dish

Spread out the sauce

Layer in the veg and the sliced mozzarella

Season well and place in oven.

Ready for the oven

Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) until the veg are tender and the sauce is bubbling and golden. Next time I make it, 10 minutes before the end of the cooking I will sprinkle on breadcrumbs and Parmesan to make a crunchy, cheesy topping- so I suggest you do that this time too.

Mediterranean Tian

Any leftovers from this went into a glorious minestrone soup for lunch:

Use-it-All-Up Minestone Soup

Last but most definitely not least, the potatoes.

So many delicious things can be made from the humble spud- but this time I opted for a recipe I gleaned in the Auvergne- Truffade- which is a sort of cheesy, bacon and potato hash. This has to be one of the most delicious things- if you like bacon, potatoes and cheese. which I do- and I recommend it out of all the dishes on this post.

I par-boiled the potatoes until just tender and fried off the leftover bacon lardons ( from the quiche).

I added the potatoes and fried for a while, turning frequently to distribute all the golden crunchy bits from the bottom of the frying pan.

Fry the bacon and potatoes

Lay in a gratin dish with slices of either Tomme cheese ( a lovely stretchy cheese from the Auvergne) or mozzarella. Season well.

Lay in a gratin dish with cheese

Pour over a small carton of creme fraiche and bake at 200 degrees until bubbling and golden ( 20 minutes or so).

Truffade

Phew! Four main dishes, two sides and umpteen leftover lunches- not bad.

Many thanks to all our friends and family for making this summer such a special one.

Week 16- Take Half a Dozen Eggs...

Another busy Bank Holiday weekend approaches- so little time, so many loyal blog readers to write for!

What do you do when you need a quick menu?

I've decided to reach for a box of eggs.

This week's recipes try to make the most of  what's belatedly in season- asparagus, watercress, early tomatoes, rocket.. and put them together with the humble egg for, I hope, something quick and tasty.

Today's starter is boiled egg ( I know it sounds humble, but surprise yourself) with soldiers and asparagus dippers, followed by a salade composee of tomatoes, bacon and avocado on a bed of spinach, rocket and watercress with onion corn bread. Dessert is a brioche 'bread and butter' pudding.

Do you fellow foodies need me to tell you how to boil an egg? I know Delia did it and made money in the process- but really! Anyway, it all depends how you like it. I like mine cooked - but with still plenty of runny yolk for dipping. ( Brought to the boil from room temperature and then timed for 3 minutes- oops! I told you how to do it.) Steam some asparagus and make some toast strips (soldiers) to dip in. (My tummy is rumbling even now at the thought.) Forget your hollandaises and such like- asparagus dipped in egg yolk is sublime - especially if sprinkled with some fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.

Asparagus and Soldiers on Parade

For the next course, I'm using seasonal leaves (watercress and rocket) mixed with some baby spinach and dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette (recipe on the blog). I top these with some fried smoked bacon lardons, some sliced mozzarella, a sliced avocado and some ripe tomatoes.Mmmm...

Delicious though this is, it is made all the more substantial and special if served with some golden corn bread.

Grease a 20cm baking tin generously and pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees.

Mix 110g of plain flour, 170g of cornmeal or polenta, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, a bunch of chopped spring onions (tired ones from the bottom of the salad drawer are fine) together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add 2 beaten eggs and a cup of olive oil or liquid Flora and a further cup of skimmed milk. Stir all the ingredients together and pour into the greased tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch, golden on top and a skewer inserted into the

Onion Corn Bread

middle comes out clean.

I only used a few slices of the corn bread- and sliced up the rest for the freezer. I will use slices variously with dishes that need soaking up- beef stew, ratatouille, baked beans, chile con carne- it will be delicious with any of these.

For pudding, I had a bag of brioche rolls in the freezer- the sort with sultanas in. I used 4 of them to make this pudding. They have the advantage over normal white bread as they already contain plenty of butter and sugar and they are very light and airy too. 

Break the brioches into pieces so they fit into your bowl. Beat 2 eggs, a generous cup of skimmed milk and 2 teaspoons  of vanilla essence together in a jug. Pour over the brioches and press down so they absorb the liquid. Sprinkle on a sachet of vanilla sugar if you have it, or any tasty sugar if you don't.

Bake in a moderate oven 170 degrees for 20-25 minutes until (you guessed it) golden, risen and firm to the touch. No need to insert a skewer as you want a bit of wobble in there.

Serve with cream or ice cream or stewed seasonal fruit such as rhubarb.

Brioche Pudding

So there you have it- my menu based around a box of eggs. 

Sorry to short change you this week on recipes and ideas - but you must have plenty of your own for using up a box of eggs. Do share them.

In the meantime, have a cracking Bank Holiday weekend!