Chou Rouge Braisé = Braised Red Cabbage

A great winter warmer, red cabbage, slowly cooked with onions and bacon is a confort dish.

The flavours of bacon, onion and cabbage combine to make this an accompaniment to meats or fish.  It is also ideal if you are vegetarian, in which case, you omit the bacon.

Using a cast-iron cocotte with its lid means that the cabbage is cooked in its own steam and preserves the flavours.

 

Serves 4 :

1 small red cabbage, rinsed and sliced

1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced

8 slices smoked back bacon, cut into strips

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

pepper

salt

 

1. In a cast-oron cocotte, warm up the oil and cook the onion with the bacon for 5 minutes.
2. Add the red cabbage and sprinkle some pepper. Cover the cocotte and simmer until the cabbage is tender, stirring frequently.
3. Add a little salt if you wish but remember that the bacon is already quite salty.

 

Bon Appétit!

Tip: If you have a left over of dry white wine, add a small glass to the cabbage. It will add to the flavour and will keep it moist.

 

 

 

 

Veau aux Olives = Veal with Olives

Rosé veal is now easily available and for this warm Winter dish, chunks of meat are easy to cook. This dish freezes well, so it is worth to make a little more.

The best veal is reared in Corsica, where the cattle roam freely and are fed natural produce. It is a genuine organic meat, tender and full of flavour.

Beef can replace the veal, if you cannot find veal- or do not like it.

Serves 4:

500g rosé veal, cut into chunks

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

2 garlic cloves , peeled and sliced

1 dozen green olives, preferably pitted

200 ml strong red wine

1 small tin of tomato purée, diluted with same amount of water

1 tablespoon corn flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Put the meat in a salad bowl and cover with the wine. Sprinkle a little pepper and salt (not too much salt as the olives are already salty). Leave in a cool place  for 1 hour but not in the fridge as it would harden the meat.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: in a frying pan, warm up the olive oil and gently cook the onion and garlic, add the diluted tomato purée and simmer.
3. Add the meat and the olives and cover with the wine marinade. Simmer for 15 minutes and thicken the sauce with the cornflour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Serve with pasta and a good red Burgundy or a good red Patrimonio from Corsica.

Bon Appétit!

Loup en Aumônière = Parcel of Sea Bass

Fresh wild sea bass had arrived at the fishmonger’s and it was an invitation not to be refused.

As I do not like to de-gut and scale the fish, it was done nicely and promptly by the expert. You can, of course, do it yourself if you are keen. Otherwise, you can buy fillets of sea bass.

For the rest, I visited my favourite green grocer who is conveniently located next to the fishmonger’s.

On a cold day, the promise of an oven-cooked fresh fish is warming in itself and it does not take very long to prepare and cook it.

Moreover, from a dietitian’s point of view, apart from the tomato oil which is olive oil, this is a typical Mediterranean diet dish, to be enjoyed without worries for your arteries or waist line.

Serves 2 or 4 (depending on your appetite):

2 medium-sized fresh sea bass, cut open in half, like a book

4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, cut in small pieces

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

4 small branches of fresh fennel bulbs, finely sliced

coarse sea salt and pepper

2 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar

juice of 1 lemon to serve

1. Rinse the fish in cold water and place in an ovenproof dish, opening them like a book.
2. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the inside of the fish and add the tomato pieces, the fennel slices and the garlic. Sprinkle a few drops of the tomato oil.
3. Close both fish, sprinkle a little more salt on top and drizzle the remainder of the tomato oil.
4. Cover the dish with foil and cook in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes.

 

Serve with small steamed potatoes and a cool Chardonnay from Bourgogne.

Bon Appétit!

Note:  I forgot to take a picture before eating the sea bass, so the only one is of the dish before it went in the oven 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mousse de Saumon = Salmon Mousse

A simple starter, which could also make a nice filling for a croissant, a bap or a petit pain.

Serves 4:

1 thick slice of smoked salmon

100g soft cream cheese

juice of ½ lemon

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

 

1. Put most of the salmon, cheese and a few drops of lemon juice in a blender and whizz. Reserve some salmon to shred.
2. Line the bottom of a verrine, (or a small ramequin) with the diced avocado, sprinkle with the remainder of the lemon juice and cover with the salmon mousse.
3. Decorate with a few shreds of salmon and keep in the fridge until the last moment.
4. Serve with a slice of fresh country bread and a cool Chablis.

 

Bon Appétit !

Tip: If you seal the diced avocado completely with the mousse, it prevents discoloration.