Mothership Squash and Beef Carpaccio

This was a successful recipe from Jamie magazine, in which we replaced the squash by pumpkin, works equally well here.





Serves 2 as a dinner or 4 as a starter

1 buternut squash, deseeded, cut into 8 lengthwise (or equal amount of pumpkin)
1 level teasp ground coriander seeds
1 level teasp ground fennel seeds
1/2 teasp chilli powder
1 teasp oregano
a pinch of ground cinnamon
a few pinches of sea salt (fleur de sel OK)
freshly ground pepper
3–4 teasp extra virgin olive oil

300g beef filet
1 teasp mustard seeds, bashed up
extra virgin olive oil
mixed interesting leaves such as rocket, radicchio, watercress, dandelion...
balsamic vinegar
lemon juice
salt, pepper
shaved parmesan cheese



Prepare the pumpkin: preheat the oven to 200deg, slice the pumpkin evenly and remove the skin. Mix the ground coriander, ground fennel, chilli, oregano, cinnamon, salt, pepper, olive oil. Rub this all over the pumpkin segment and place them on a roasting tray with greaseproof paper. Get another sheet of paper, rub one side with olive oil and put it, oiled-side down, on top of the squash. Bake in the hot oven for 25 min. (take the beef out of the fridge).
Get rid of the paper and turn the temperature to 170deg, cook for another 25-30 min, or until the pumpkin is soft and roasted.

10min before the end of the cooking time, prepare the meat. Pat it dry with kitchen paper, then rub it all over with a little olive oil. Season a board with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and the mustard seeds. Roll the fillet in this.
Preheat a thick-bottomed pan, add a little olive oil, get the pan very hot, then sear the fillet for about 1.5-2min on each side. This gives the outside some texture while the inside will be blue. Remove from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
With a sharp knife, slice the fillet as thin as you can.
Divide the leaves between the serving plates. Dress them up with a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a touch of lemon juice. Add the slices of meat, the pumpkin from the oven, and grate over some parmesan to finish.


Another tested alternative, very good:
Marinate the meat for 1 hour in 2 tablesp olive oil, 2 tablesp balsamic vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes.
Prepare the salad bed with:
- salad mix, rocket, watercress.
- 1 avocado, cubed and mixed with 1-2 tablesp lemon juice, fleur de sel
- steamed asparagus

Remove the meat from the marinade and grill it in a frying pan for 2 min on each side, let it rest.
Meanwhile ,heat up the rest of the marinade with a good pinch of sugar in a sauce pan for a minute. Pour this dressing over the prepared salad.
Slice the meat very thinly and lay it over the salad.
Top with shaved parmesan cheese. Serve with roast potatoes.

Cake aux Patates Douces, Épices et Graines de Potiron

300g de patates douces
300g de farine
2c.café de levure chimique
1c.café de bicarbonate de soude
3 gousses de cardamone, en poudre
une pointe de muscade et de girofle moulus
1/2c.café de cannelle
3 oeufs
80g de sucre en poudre
80g de sucre de canne
une pincée de sel
quelques gouttes d'essence de vanille
100g de beurre, fondu
30ml de lait
30ml de jus de citron
environ 30g de graines de potirons (en supermarché)



Préchauffer le four à 190 degrés.
Peler et cuire les patates douces à la vapeur. Passer la pulpe à la presse patate, comme pour une purée.
Mélanger la farine, les poudres à lever et les épices, et les tamiser.
Monter les œufs avec les sucres, une pincée de sel et la vanille (bien battre pendant au moins 10min), ajouter le beurre fondu en continuant à battre.
Réduire la vitesse du batteur et ajouter par petites quantités le lait, le jus de citron et les patates douces. Incorporer le mélange de farine tamisée, et les graines de potiron en dernier.
Verser dans un moule à cake beurré et fariné (foncé avec du papier sulfurisé si nécessaire), et enfourner. Baisser la chaleur du four à 180 degrés et cuire pendant 50-60min. Le temps de cuisson dépend de la taille du moule, contrôler avec la pointe d'un couteau (dans notre four il a fallu 70min!). Démouler à la sortie du four.

Kefta Mkaouara (Meatball and Egg Tajine)

Serves 3:

For the meatballs:
300g minced meat
2 tablesp bread crumbs in 3 tablesp milk
1 teasp ground cumin
3 ground peppercorns
1 teasp paprika
1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1/2 teasp dried coriander
1/2 teasp cinnamon
a good pinch of salt

For the sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
1/2 teasp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 teasp fennel seeds, ground
1 teasp turmeric
3 peppercorns, ground
1 teasp paprika
1 teasp ginger
1/2 teasp cayenne pepper
1/4 teasp allspice
1 tomato can
2 cloves garlic, mashed
a good pinch of sugar
salt to taste
water (about 200ml)
a hanfull of fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs


Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix thouroughly until everything is homogeneous. Shape up meatballs of about 1.5cm diameter and set them aside.

In a deep frying pan, saute' the onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil, for several minutes over low/medium heat. Add the spice mix (coriander seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric, peppercorns, paprika, ginger, cayenne, allspice) and stir for a couple of minutes on low heat. Add the tomato can, garlic, sugar, salt and water. Mix well and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat. Control the taste and adjust if necessary. Add the meat balls one by one, the parsley, and continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes on low heat with the lid on.
Make three slight dips in the mixture and break an egg into each one. Let it sizzle until the eggs are just set (about 5min).
Serve with couscous or slices of toasted bread.

Lamb Biryani with Aubergine Raita

This dish is a little bit elaborate but totally worth the fuss. At least for us spice addicts, flavour and taste are just perfect!





Serves 4:

1kg lamb shoulder, without bone and fat, cubbed
vegetable oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
9 whole green cardamon pods
1/2 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
1 teasp coriander seeds
1 teasp ground coriander
1/4 teas ground clove
1 teasp ground cumin
1/2 teasp chilli powder
1 teasp grated ginger
2 teasp salt
3 garlic cloves, mashed
juice of 1 lemon (about 40ml)
water
200ml yoghurt
1 teasp garam masala
2 tablsp fresh chopped coriander
275g basmati or jasmin rice
2-3 whole cloves
5cm piece cinnamon stick
1 teasp turmeric (or saffron if possible)
50ml milk
2 bay leaves
a handfull of sliced almonds

Aubergine Raita:
3 small aubergines (japanese size)
300ml yoghurt
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground cumin
dried coriander to decorate



In a wok or a frying pan, brown the meat on every side in a little bit of oil, and set aside.
In a wok, deep fry the onions, in 3-4 batches on low/medium heat. It will take about 10min per batch, they should have a nice golden colour without getting dark brown. Set them aside on a plate overlaid with absorbing kitchen paper.
Grind 5 cardamon pods, the peppercorns and coriander seeds with pestle and mortar. Combine with ground coriander, ground clove, ground cumin, chilli powder, ginger.
In a large pan, heat up a few tablespoons of oil. Add the spice mix on low heat and fry for a couple of minutes. Add half of the fried onions and continue stirring for a minute. Add the lamb meat, garlic and salt and mix well, let it get coated with all the spices for a few minutes. Add the lemon juice, and water to cover up the meat. Let it go back to sizzling and remove the impurities that come up to the surface. Cook for a further 5 minutes and remove from the heat.
Incorporate the yoghurt, 1 tablespoon a time, mixing well inbetween each tablespoon. Put back on low heat and let the curry simmer for two hours, until the lamb is very tender.
Add the fresh coriander and garam masala, mix well, cover and let it rest for 30min at room temperature to develop the flavour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degreesC.
Meanwhile, wash the rice in cold water and soak it for 30min. Boil a large amount of water, add 2 teaspoons of salt, 4 whole cardamon pods, 2-3 whole cloves, the cinnamon stick, and boil the rice for 5 minutes. Drain the water, and keep the rice warm (with the whole spices) and covered.
Dilute the turmeric in milk and set aside.
Set up the Biryani. My alsacian claypot terrine work well for that, otherwise a large pot with tight lid will also do. Start with a layer of meat (half of the lamb) with 2-3 tablespoons of the curry sauce. Overlay with half of the remaining fried onions, and half of the rice. Drizzle half of the turmeric-milk over the rice.
Continue layering with the other half of the meat, fried onions, rice, turmeric milk.
Pour 100ml of the curry sauce, top with two bay leaves, cover, and bake for 30min at 180 degreesC.
Meanwhile, roast the almonds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until they get some colour, and set aside.
Serve the Biryani strait from the clay pot, with an aubergine raita and topping of almonds.


Aubergine Raita:
Wash and cut the small aubergines in half (longitudinal) and put then under a grill until the flesh softens and can be scooped with a spoon. Collect the flesh and homogenize it in a blender. Let it cool down and add yoghurt, a pinch of salt and ground cumin and put in the fridge until serving. Decorate with dried coriander.

Bouillabaisse

Notre version de la bouillabaisse, bien sûr sans rascasse et autres poissons méditerranéens, mais ils peuvent être facilement remplacés par des poissons à chair blanche que l'on trouve ici.
Autre différence, le fenouil hors de prix au Japon a été remplacé avec succès par des graines de fenouil et du céleri en branche. Et ma foi, c'était succulent, comme à Marseille, ou encore mieux...






Pour environ 4 personnes:

quelques c.soupe d'huile d'olive
1 grand oignon, en tranches fines
2/3 d'une branche céleri et 1/3 des feuilles, en petits morceaux
1 blanc de poireau, en petits morceaux
1 c.café de graines de fenouil, légèrement concassées
3 gousses d'ail écrasées
un petit verre de vin blanc
4 belles tomates, en dés
1 c.soupe de purée de tomates
une poignée de persil hâché
une feuille de laurier
1/2 c.café de poivre de cayenne
1 c.café de curcuma (remplacer par du safran si possible)
sel et poivre
environ 500ml de fumet de poisson (voir en-dessous)
4-5 belles pommes de terre, pelées et coupées en 3 ou 4
4 grosses crevettes
selon la taille, environ trois poissons à chair blanche (rascasse, daurade, congre..), écaillés et évidés par le poissonier


Pour le fumet de poisson:
la carcasse (tête et os) d'un grand poisson (chez le poissonier)
une botte de persil
1 feuille de laurier
1/4 onion
1/3 de céleri en branche et 2/3 des feuilles
la partie verte d'un poireau
environ 1 litre d'eau

Pain grillé et rouille pour servir



Préparer le fumet de poisson: mettre tous les ingrédients du fumet dans une grande casserole (à froid) et faire bouillir à feu moyen/fort pendant une demi-heure, en enlevant les impuretés qui montent à la surface. Filtrer le tout et réserver.

Préparer la bouillabaisse: dans une cocotte, faire revenir l'oignon dans l'huile d'olive sur feu doux pour le faire dorer.
Ajouter le céleri et le blanc de poireau et continuer à remuer pendant 2-3 minutes. Ajouter l'ail et les graines de fenouil et touiller encore un peu. Verser le vin blanc et incorporer les tomates et la purée de tomates. Mélanger et ajouter le persil, le laurier, le poivre de cayenne, le curcuma ou safran. Saler et poivrer (comme le fumet n'est pas salé il faudra environ 2 c.café de sel).
Laisser mijoter pendant 5 minutes, et ajouter environ 500ml du fumet de poisson petit à petit, en contrôlant le goût et la teneur en sel. Ajuster si besoin).
Laisser cuire encore 5 minutes puis ajouter les pommes de terre. On peut partiellement couvrir la bouillabaisse et laisser cuire les pommes de terre à feu modéré pendant 10-15 minutes, jusqu'à environ 70% de leur cuisson.
Retirer la bouillabaisse du feu. Avec une louche, retirer la moitié de la soupe (sauf les pommes de terre) et la mixer pour l'homogénéiser, puis la verser à nouveau dans la cocotte avec le reste. Mélanger.
Remettre sur le feu et ajouter les crevettes et les poissons (préalablement bien lavés), couvrir et laisser cuire pendant 5 minutes où jusqu'à ce que les poissons et les pommes de terre soient cuits.
Servir avec du pain grillé et de la rouille, accompagné d'un vin blanc (Pinot Blanc ou Riesling Alsaciens sont parfaits)

Salmon and Cabbage Tamarind Curry

Serves 3-4

3 tbsp tamarind juice (taken form 1 tbsp block in 100ml warm water)
6 salmon filets
1 teasp salt
1 small onion
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teasp grated ginger
1 teasp ground coriander
1 teasp ground cumin
2 teasp ground turmeric
2 dried chillies
1 tbsp tomato purée
400ml coconut milk
about 200ml water
1/2 teasp garam masala
1 teasp brown sugar
1/4 cabbage, leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped


Prepare the tamarind by softening 1 tbsp tamarind block with 100ml warm water.
Cut the salmon into bite-sized chunks, rub with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and set aside.
Halve and finely slice the onion. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the onion until soft, but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and fry for a further 1 minute, stirring all the time.
Turn the heat down low, sprinkle over the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chillies, and stir continuously until the spices give off a warm, toasted aroma - about a minute.
Add 3 tbsp of the tamarind juice, tomato puree, coconut milk, water, the remaining salt, garam masala, and the sugar. Simmer the curry, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before tasting. If you feel the curry needs it, add a touch more tamarind and chilli.
Add the cabbage and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the fresh coriander and the fish to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, or until cooked. Serve with steamed rice.

Golden Pancakes for Breakfast

Serves 3

400ml flour (including 1/10 of whole flour, optional)
2 teasp baking powder
50ml sugar
a good pinch of salt
80ml milk
2 eggs
a few drops of vanilla essence
a knob of butter



In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Crack in the eggs and mix with a whisk. Add the milk and vanilla essence and mix until the batter is homogeneous.
Heat up a knob of butter in a frying pan. Over low heat, pour in the batter with a ladle to form pancakes of about 15cm diameter and 1cm thick. Bake for about 2min on each sides over low heat, until golden. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Serve with butter, honey, marmelade or maple sirup.