Creamy Blue cheese and Red onion Pasta (with a Quercy Twist)

This is a dish I have developed from various recipes that I've tried, but the addition of walnuts give it more of a local South West France feel. Once you've prepared your onions it's a very quick and easy supper dish.

Ingredients for 4 people

400 gms of penne pasta (or any pasta you like)
150 gms of crumbled gorgonzola or similar mild blue cheese
3 large red onions
6 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
A good handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
About 70 gms of toasted chopped walnuts
Salt & ground black pepper to taste

Method

First prepare the red onions which will go into the sauce for the dish. Peel and slice them into rings about 1 cm thick. Toss them into a roasting tin with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add a sprinkling of salt and ground pepper then roast at 190 degrees centigrade
for 30-40 minutes. Give the tin an occasional shake during the cooking to make sure the onions cook evenly. They should be tender but slightly caramelised when ready.

Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Drain and return to the pan, with a little of the cooking liquid retained.

Add the crumbled blue cheese, onions with all their juices, walnuts and chopped parsley.

Stir quickly and serve immediately.

Le Cake

Here’s a wonderful savoury ‘apero’ snack often referred to in France as ‘Le Cake’. During our “Draw it, paint it, cook it, eat it” weekend this proved to be a huge success particularly when consumed with a sparkling kir!

Ingredients

200g plain flour
150g grated Comté cheese (Cheddar works fine too)
100g melted butter
150g Lardons (smoked or unsmoked)
50g chopped pitted black olives
3 large eggs
7g sachet of quick action dry yeast
A few sprigs of thyme & rosemary, stripped & chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of milk

Butter & line a 2lb loaf tin & preheat your oven to 200°c /gas mark 6.

Mix the cheese, flour, yeast, lardons, olives, herbs all into the melted butter. Then add the whisked eggs & milk plus a little salt & pepper.

Mix well and pour into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for 10 mins at 200° then turn down to 180° and cook for a further 20 minutes or until risen and browned.

Don’t worry if there is a little bubbling butter on the top at this stage because it should be absorbed during cooling.

Leave in the tin on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes, then turn out and eat warm.

It's also very tasty cold and keeps for a few days.

Stuffed mushrooms with walnuts, goats cheese & bacon

This makes a lovely starter for 6 people:

Ingredients

12 x medium sized mushrooms (about 6cm diameter)

2 tbs cooking oil (don’t waste olive oil)
1 stick finely chopped celery
1 finely chopped red onion
100g bacon lardons – I use smoked ones

150g soft goats cheese
About 10 chopped walnut halves
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and reserve to use for another day/dish – I use the chestnut brown ones which I buy in our local market, but any good sized mushrooms will be fine

Gently sauté either side of the mushrooms in a non stick pan using a tablespoon of hot oil. Cook for a few minutes to soften slightly then place them open side up in a greased ovenproof dish ready for stuffing.

Sauté the celery and onion in the rest of the oil until soft then add bacon & walnuts and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the bacon is cooked.

Take off the heat and leave for a few minutes to cool a little before putting all of this mixture into a blender along with the soft goat’s cheese. Blitz the mixture to make a rough paste which you can use to stuff the mushrooms, adding salt & pepper to taste – you probably won’t need much salt if you have used smoked bacon.

Place the stuffed mushrooms in a preheated oven (180° C) for half an hour.

Serve two mushrooms per person with a few sprigs of water cress or mixed salad leaves of your choice and drizzle with a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Didn't have any pictures of mushrooms so thought as it's Valentine's day this "heart" jug would be appropriate.

Salmon & Broccoli tart

This is a really lovely light supper or lunch dish for four people and doesn’t take long to prepare and cook. If you happen to have any leftover cooked salmon this is a perfect way to use it up.

Ingredients

300 g of fillet of salmon

250 g of small broccoli florets

Packet of puff pastry

2 tbs Creme fraiche

3 large eggs

1 lemon

½ litre of water

Salt, pepper & grated nutmeg

Method

Poach the Salmon gently in a pan with ½ litre of water, juice of a lemon and salt & pepper until cooked (I put the fish into cold water which I bring to the boil, turn off and leave for about 5 minutes).

Put salmon to one side to cool. Once cooled drain and flake the fish and discard the liquid (could be used for fish stock).

Cook the broccoli florets in boiling water until al dente. Drain and plunge into cold water to keep the colour nice and bright.

Roll the puff pastry out to fit the lightly greased or lined flan tin and trim to fit. We’re lucky in France because we buy it pre-rolled and cut for a round flan dish.

Whisk the eggs and a pinch of salt & pepper up to together in a bowl. When light and fluffy gently fold in the crème fraiche and add the cool, flaked salmon.

Pour the mixture into the flan case and carefully arrange the broccoli florets on the top.

Sprinkle a little grated nutmeg over the finished dish and place in a preheated oven (200 degrees) for about 30 minutes.

When cooked serve with water cress or a green salad. As an alternative you could serve it with the Crunchy winter salad which I posted on the blog a couple of weeks ago.

Smoky bacon lentils

Serves four

Two tbs olive oil

250 g dried Puy lentils

200 g chopped smoked bacon or lardons

1 ½ litres of vegetable or chicken stock

2 medium sized sliced carrots

2 celery sticks finely chopped

1 red onion finely chopped

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of thyme

1 clove garlic finely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Gently fry the onions and the bacon in the olive oil until they are soft and tender.

Then add the garlic, celery & carrot and cook for a further few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add a litre of the stock along with the lentils, bay leaf & thyme and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat & simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt & pepper to taste. If it starts to get dry and the lentils are not ready add a little more of the stock and continue cooking.

This makes a delicious meal in itself or as an accompaniment to any meat dishes – we often eat it with liver or sausages. This is a dish that can easily be prepared in advance and heated up to serve.

As an alternative this can also be served as a vegetarian dish by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock.

Crunchy Winter salad

It’s that time of year when everyone is talking about healthy eating, post Christmas and New Year, so here’s a delicious flavourful salad to accompany cold meats, cheeses, quiches etc. It looks and tastes much more interesting than a bowl of green salad and all of the ingredients should be readily available at this time of year. The quantities here should be enough to serve about six people.

Salad Ingredients

¼ of a medium size red cabbage
¼ of a medium sized white cabbage
1 x small fennel bulb
2 x sticks of celery
1 each of white/red endive (chicory) head
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of raisins

Dressing ingredients

2 x tbs olive oil
1 x tbs walnut oil
1 x tbs cider or balsamic vinegar
1 x tbs clear honey
1 x tsp grainy mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

Take the leaves off the red and white chicory heads and place in the bottom of a bowl.

Finely chop the red and white cabbage and add on top of the leaves.

Next finely chop the fennel bulb and celery and sprinkle on top of the cabbage.

Add chopped walnuts and raisins and gently mix the salad together.

Make your dressing by mixing the honey, mustard, oils & vinegar together in a clean jam jar with a lid. Shake for a few minutes, taste and season with salt & pepper accordingly.

Add the dressing to the salad immediately before serving, mixing well to ensure that it is all coated.

Note: if using balsamic vinegar be aware of how quickly the salad will get discoloured so take care not to leave too long before serving.

Autumnal Favourite - Pumpkin risotto

It’s been a while since I added anything to the blog as we’ve been rather busy with guests throughout the last few months.

I realised that it’s nearly a year since I started this blog and we seem to have come full circle as you can see from this picture. As it’s pumpkin time again I’ve just completed this work using watercolour and pastel and it reminded us that one of our favourite recipes for this time of year is Pumpkin risotto. If you fancy trying it this is the recipe I use.

Ingredients for risotto for 4 people

500g pumpkin/squash

1 large garlic clove

4 sprigs of rosemary

Salt & pepper to taste

(optional – chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh chilli)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

50g of butter

1 red onion peeled & chopped finely

250g of risotto rice

1 glass dry white wine

1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock

150g of grated parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees

Take the seeds out of the centre of the pumpkin and cut into large chunks, leaving the skin on.

Brush a baking tray with a little olive oil and place the pieces of pumpkin skin side down in the tray.

Sprinkle the pumpkin pieces with salt, pepper, chopped garlic and rosemary sprigs then drizzle about half of the olive oil over them before covering with foil and baking until soft (about 45 minutes). You can also give your pumpkin a bit more kick by adding chilli flakes or fresh chopped chilli at this stage.

Once the pumpkin has cooked allow it to cool and gently remove the skin. Place to one side with any juice that is left in the pan.

Take a heavy bottomed frying pan and gently fry the onion in a mixture of the butter and remaining olive oil.

When the onion is soft (10-15 minutes) add the rice and stir for about a minute off the heat until it is mixed and the rice coated with the oil/butter.

Placing the pan back on the heat, add the stock a few ladlefuls at a time and simmer for about 15 minutes or so until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid. This should give you a nice creamy texture.

Add the dry white wine and the grated parmesan, stirring gently. Finally carefully add the pumpkin pieces with any juices and serve immediately.

A taste of Summer - slow roasted tomatoes

This is a great, easy summer recipe using plum type tomatoes very slow roasted on the lowest heat of your oven for 4-5 hours.

I usually cook them in batches of about 1 kg at a time but if you have an abundance of them you can do as many as you can fit in the oven!! Turn the oven on to the lowest heat and prepare the tomatoes by cutting them in half and laying them in a cooking tray. Sprinkle them with salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar in roughly equal quantities. Place the tray in your warm oven and leave to slow roast for about 4 hours – they should still be moist and juicy but will have reduced in size quite considerably.

You can eat them warm or cold and they will keep in the fridge in plastic or glass containers for at least a week or so – you can also preserve them for longer by putting them in sterilised preserving jars covering them with olive oil and sealing them tightly. They don’t usually last long enough in our house to do that.

As these tomatoes have a wonderful intense sweet flavour they make a delicious accompaniment to either meat or fish.

One of the particular favourite starters of our guests, using these tomatoes, is to crumble goats cheese and tear up fresh basil leaves over them and serve with an olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey dressing. Simple but delicious!

Didn't have any tomato paintings so thought some sunflowers and sunhat would create the right holiday feel.

Tarragon Chicken with Mushrooms

This is a simple supper dish that makes use of the lovely fresh tarragon available at the moment and goes very well with the plentiful spring vegetables now coming on the market.

To serve 6 people you’ll need:

6 Chicken breasts skinned and cut in half lengthways
500 gms small mushrooms (sliced)
1 pint chicken stock
3 tablespoons crème fraiche
Leaves of 4 sprigs of tarragon
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of flour for thickening
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
100 gms butter

Slice the mushrooms and sauté them in half of the butter for a few minutes, then remove them from the pan and put to one side.

Using the same pan that you cooked your mushrooms in add the oil and the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown on the outside. Remove them from the pan and arrange them on the bottom of a flattish ovenproof dish.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and add the flour to make a roux. Slowly add the chicken stock to make a sauce, and then add the crème fraiche, stirring continuously until you have a smooth creamy mixture. Season to taste with salt & freshly ground pepper. Now add the tarragon leaves and mushrooms to the sauce and pour over the chicken pieces in the dish.

Cover with foil and bake in a hot oven (180°) for half an hour, remove the foil and continue cooking for another 45 minutes until the sauce is a light golden colour on top and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with new potatoes or rice and green vegetables. Our B&B guests loved this dish when I recently served it with ribbons of courgette and new seasons asparagus tips sautéed in a little seasoned butter.

Spinach & Goat's cheese tart

This is a very simple lunch or supper dish using the lovely fresh spinach leaves that are beginning to come on the market.

Ingredients:-
500 g spinach
Packet of Puff pastry
Soft goats cheese (amount depends on personal taste – about 200g)
5 large eggs
Salt & pepper

Method:-
Cook spinach after thoroughly washing.
Drain & allow to cool before putting into mixer with two thirds of the cheese, season to taste and blend together.
Whisk 5 large eggs until light and fluffy, fold into spinach/cheese mixture.
Line & put pastry into flan dish.
Pour mixture into flan case and decorate with rest of goats cheese broken into small pieces.
Place in pre-heated oven 200° for about 35 minutes. It should rise a bit like a soufflé and be an amazing shade of green.

Take out of oven and eat hot!! (be careful not to burn your mouth)

Susie didn't think a picture of spinach would be that exciting so thought you might like some artichokes instead!!

The latest recipe is a warming winter one from Morocco for these cold days – there’s quite a lot of preparation but it’s simple to cook and worthwhile:

Chicken Tagine – serves 6

You will need:
2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil
6 jointed chicken legs or 12 thighs/drumsticks
500 g carrots peeled & cut in chunks
500 g waxy potatoes, cleaned, peeled if you want but I prefer not to (charlottes or similar)
200 g sliced onions
400 g ripe tomatoes chopped or 1 large tin tomatoes
250 g sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
12 chopped dried apricots
3 tbs clear honey
Large bunch of coriander
A few bay leaves
4 large garlic gloves
4 heaped tablespoons of Ras el Hanout
1 red chilli , deseeded and chopped finely
Salt & ground black pepper to taste
2 shallots finely chopped

You will need a large flameproof pan to contain all these ingredients when mixed together.

The first thing you do is make a spicy paste using a mini blender to blitz the chopped shallots, chilli, garlic, a little salt & pepper and the stalks of the coriander – put this paste to one side for later.

Heat the cooking oil in a large pan and brown all the chicken pieces – remove from pan when golden brown and put to one side.

Add the spice paste to the remaining oil in the pan and fry for a few minutes the add the Ras el Hanout powder and fry for a further few minutes.

Take all the chopped vegetables – onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots – plus the tomatoes & apricots and add them to the spices in the pan. Stir to stop them sticking and then add the stock, honey & bay leaves. Stir again a few times & then add the chicken pieces back into the pan.

Simmer the whole thing for an hour or so stirring occasionally, making sure it doesn’t stick.

Serve the tagine with a big bowl of buttered couscous, sprinkling the remaining coriander on top.

Susie’s Cassoulet – a winter treat

Since we moved to France we have hosted a Cassoulet party on New Years Day and I have adapted several recipes over the years to come up with a hearty version that seems to have become a favourite with our friends and family. It’s a perfect antidote to the current cold wintry weather and can be adapted to suit your budget, with the main ingredients being beans, sausages, pork & duck. The quantities I use for about 8 people are listed below. Ideally you will have a large pot that can be used on top of the cooker to begin with and then put in the oven to finish off.

Ingredients:

• Bouquet garnie (celery stalks, parsley, thyme sprigs & bay leaves)
• 2 large chopped onions
• 6 large cloves of garlic (peeled & chopped)
• 500g smoked bacon cut into large cubes (hock joints are ideal – just cut the meat off the bone but leave the bones in for a while to impart flavour)
• 500g belly pork cut into large cubes with skin on
• 8 pieces of confit of duck* cut into two joints with some of the fat that the confit has been preserved in. (we prepare our own confit but the tinned version works perfectly well)
• 8 Toulouse sausages (I often make two small ones out of each sausage or buy the large ones that you can make into any size that suits your appetite)
• 4 chopped/peeled fresh tomatoes or 1 large tin of tomatoes
• 2 tins of haricots blancs (I use prepared Haricots from Castelnaudry which are cooked in goose fat if they are available) or 1 kg of dried Haricots soaked overnight and cooked as per the instructions on the pack.
• 1½ litres of chicken or vegetable stock
• Ground pepper to taste

* if you can’t get hold of duck you could use cooked chicken thighs or legs as an alternative – it would be slightly different but would work.

Method:

Take a large cooking pot and sauté the chopped onion in a little of the duck fat from the confit. When soft and transparent add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, beans and the stock. I tie my bunch of herbs to the side of the pot so that I can retrieve it later but make sure it is fully submerged to infuse the liquid.

Put the cubed smoked bacon (including bones if there are any) and pork into the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, giving it a gentle stir now and then to make sure the beans don’t stick. Remove the bouquet garnie and ham bones if used.

While the sauce is simmering you can brown your sausages in a separate pan using a little of the duck or goose fat. Once coloured put the sausages into the bean & pork mixture with the duck pieces and cover ready to go into the oven.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and place the cassoulet in it for an hour or so until bubbling.

Serve with hot crusty bread or baked potatoes and a winter salad.

For a slightly different twist, If you happen to have some day old French bread, you can slice it up and lay the slices on top of the cassoulet for the last half hour or so of the cooking time – leave the lid off and this will soak up any fat from the duck etc and give a golden brown crust.

Incidentally this is a great dish to prepare in advance and store in the freezer if you are catering for a group – just cook it as above and allow to cool before freezing. Then make sure you get it out in good time to defrost and heat through until piping hot.

A touch of rich chocolate for the festive season

Although not a huge chocolate fan myself I do appreciate that my guests will usually love it and this one is a proven winner – it’s really rich so goes a long way – I picked the recipe up from a magazine recently but can’t remember where, so some of you may recognize it.

The cake needs a lot of eggs and my friend Jan had arrived the previous day with some wonderfully fresh laid eggs from her chickens, which made the baking all the more pleasurable. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare the mixture and 30 minutes or so to cook.

You’ll need:-
200g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (70% or more)
5 eggs
1 tbs self raising flour
200g icing sugar

Put your oven on to 180 degrees (gas mark 4)

Using the bain marie technique – melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. When the ingredients have melted together tip the chocolate and butter in to another bowl and add the eggs one at a time to avoid curdling, mixing well all the time. Then beat the flour and icing sugar in until all is well blended together. Pour the mixture into a cake tin which you have previously greased and floured – I used a 23cm one as I wanted to cut thin slices.

Bake in the oven for about 25-35 minutes until solid but with a slight give to the touch. When the cake is cool serve with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream with fruit coulis drizzled over it for added colour. I make batches of fruit coulis when fruits are in season and store them in small plastic containers in the freezer – strawberry, raspberry and apricot in particular look lovely with this sort of dish in the winter.

Hope that all you chocaholics enjoy this one – Happy Christmas to you all.

Susie’s Provence style chicken

This week's recipe is our interpretation of a popular recipe from the South of France that we have perfected over the years and can easily be adapted for a supper for 6 or a meal for 30. We cooked this for a visiting choir last summer in the height of the tomato season when there was an abundance of fresh basil in our herb garden and the market was full of the wonderful fresh purple garlic tresses which inspired Susie's pastel painting.

This recipe will serve 6 people. You will need:
• 6 chicken breasts
• 750 g of fresh or tinned tomatoes
• 3 medium size red onions (you can use others but the red ones are sweetest)
• 20 black olives (stoned)
• 1 large lemon
• Bunch of fresh thyme leaves
• Bunch of fresh basil
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of white wine
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of good olive oil

1. Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice into a bowl. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil – blend together to make a paste. Cover the chicken breasts with the paste and place in a bowl in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile skin your tomatoes and roughly chop them up and put on one side.
3. Gently fry the chopped onions in a heavy based oven -proof pan with the olive oil until soft, then add the tomatoes and torn up basil leaves. Cover and simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes (the scent will be wonderful at this stage)
4. When the chicken has marinated for an hour place in a pan with the remaining olive oil and sauté until browned, then add the wine and stir gently for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken and all the juices to the tomato and onion mixture and cook in a preheated oven (175°C/Gas mark 4) for about an hour, until the chicken is cooked through, adding the black olives for the last few minutes.
6. Serve with a crusty loaf and green beans or green salad.

A family favourite

This week's recipe is a firm family favourite in our house - the guests love it too!! Haven't got any fishy pictures to accompany it so fishing boats in Cassis Harbour will have to suffice. Enjoy!

SUSIE’S FISH PIE RECIPE
Ingredients for 6 plus
I use about 500 g of fish mix:-
Salmon
White fish ( monkfish, hake, cod etc)
Peeled prawns
Scallops (optional)

2 medium onions
200 g mushroom (optional)
Chopped parsley
Bunch of dill
(I sometimes use coriander, depends what I have around)
1 lemon
About 500 g of potatoes (waxy variety)
Melting cheese – 100 g
2 large tomatoes

Boil potatoes in their skins until waxy.
Once boiled skin & slice the potatoes about 10 mm thick – put aside to cool.

Sauté finely chopped onions slowly in a little butter/oil until soft then add chopped mushrooms and cook until a golden colour and put on one side.

Poach the fish all together in a pan with herbs, dill & lemon juice, salt & pepper.
Drain & flake all the fish, checking to make sure there are no bones, reserving the stock for later.

Make a white sauce with butter & cornflour (or flour) using a mixture of milk & the fish stock from the poached fish for a pouring consistency – enough for about a 50 cl of sauce.

Mix the onions/mushrooms and fish all together with the white sauce & spread over the bottom of an ovenproof dish.

Then lay the sliced potatoes decoratively over the mixture to cover it.

Sprinkle with a mixture of chopped parsley & the melting cheese & decorate with sliced tomatoes.

Bake in a hot oven (175°) for three-quarters of an hour or until heated through until the cheese is golden & melted on top.

Serve with a green salad or green beans.

Most requested recipe at Le Perchoir

We're constantly being asked for lots of the recipes that we cook for our guests here at Le Perchoir des Paons, but the most popular one of all seems to be Susie's Red Onion & Goat cheese tart, so we thought you might like to share it.

Susie’s Red Onion & Goat Cheese Tart

This recipe serves 4 – 6 as a main course or 8 as a starter. You will need:
• A non-stick flan tin 25cm (10”)
• Packet of puff pastry
• 5 red onions
• 5 large eggs
• 100g soft goats cheese (I usually use a local Quercy cheese called Cabecou but any soft one will work)
• Salt, fresh ground pepper and grated nutmeg
• Cooking oil (I use a mixture of olive oil and sunflower oil)

1. Slice the red onions into rings about 5mm thick and sauté with a tablespoon of cooking oil, adding a little salt and ground pepper. Cook the onions until they are soft trying to keep the rings intact, as much as possible – leave to cool.
2. Roll the puff pastry out to fit the lightly greased flan tin and trim to fit.
3. When the onions are cool arrange them in the pastry case.
4. Depending on the type of goat’s cheese you use either slice or break into small pieces (about the size of a 50p) and arrange on top of the onions.
5. Next whisk the 5 large eggs until light and fluffy, adding salt and pepper to taste, and then pour this mixture over the top of the onions and goats cheese in the flan case. Sprinkle fresh grated nutmeg over the top
6. Place into a preheated oven (190° C/Gas mark 5) for about 30/35 minutes until the mixture is cooked and the pastry is golden
7. Cut the tart into wedges and serve immediately with a green salad.

We hope that you enjoy it as much as our guests do - even people who claim not to like goats cheese love it. Hopefully another of Susie's pastel images will also whet your appetite.

Obviously if you come and stay with us you can taste it without having to cook it and maybe learn to paint as well!!