Eggplant parmigiana

Today I made a yummy eggplant parmigiana (or baked eggplants with parmesan) following my nonna's recipe. I just slightly modified it to use some leftovers of roasted chicken. Serve with green salad or pasta if you really wants some carbs - that was a no-no for me trying to manage my weight after a decadent holiday trip.

Follow the instructions and travel to Italy!

And because, we never waste anything in my kitchen - it's not that dinosaurs eat really anything though - tonight I made bruschetta with the leftovers of the eggplant parmigiana. Take a slice of bread (which was a leftover of a cereal loaf I made two days ago), spread the eggplants parmigiana previously chopped, add tasty cheese on the top, 8 mins under the grill and there you go!

Ingredients (4-6 serves)

- 3 eggplants, large, sliced in the length, between 0.5 and 1cm

- 3 cans of peeled tomatoes, finely diced, or lots of fresh ripe tomatoes

- 60 g parmesan, freshly grated

- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- 5 tsp of olive oil

- 10 basil leaves

- 1 tsp of sugar

- 1 tsp tomato paste

- salt and black pepper

- leftovers of roasted chicken, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions (~ 45 mins) 

Pre-heat the oven, fan grill at 180C.

1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and stir the garlic in.

2. Quickly add the tomatoes and pour 1 can of water in. 

3. Stir in the tomato paste and the sugar. Season and add the basil.

4. Leave it on medium heat until it had reduced by half.

5. Brush the eggplants with the remaining oil on each side and precook them either in a frying pan or in the oven at 180C.*

6. Stack one layer of eggplant, then tomato sauce, parmesan and chicken (optional) after the other. Finish with parmesan.

7. Put in the oven for 20-25 mins. If the top starts burning, add foil on the top (which I obviously forgot to do today, hence a black-ish top on my eggplants - fail!)

Enjoy with pasta or green salad!

Good to know...

* I prefer the oven for its time-efficiency and it's less mess in the kitchen. But I prefer in the frying pan for the taste. Just choose the option that suits you the best, at the end they will be good anyway.

Stuffed tomatoes - Tomates farcies

Hello there!!

After nearly 2 months of  interruption due to a big Tiki Tour with my in-laws (yes we all survived this!), I am back, a veggie garden full of healthy goodies and - let's be fair - 6 kg to get rid of! So back on a healthy well-balanced diet, but without compromising flavours and mouth pleasure.

This is a French summer classic: Tomatoes stuffed with beef mince and herbs, usually accompanied by white rice, I chose quinoa and broccoli. There are many version of this recipe; I kept this one pretty simple - after 5 weeks on the roads of NZ, I need rest - so quick, easy and efficient!

Pork loin and lemon tajine-style

This recipe could not be a proper tajine recipe. To my knowledge, tajines come from North Africa where most people are muslim and thus do not eat pork. And I don't have a tajine dish. But this dish has some tajine-ish flavours and is baked into the oven. This experimentation using pork loin, summer veggies and lemons was stunning. We loved it!

Alright... I am not very happy with the pictures (well that's a good reason for replicating the recipe again and making new pics! yay!). Trust me it tastes much better than it looks. Plus it is a very healthy option, full of flavours and veggies, that you can serve with couscous for a complete meal. The sauce is awsome - rich but made out of the veggies and the lemons, with just a little bit of fat from the meat and the olive oil. Quite a healthy and addictive sauce. Believe me when I said that I loved this dish!

Even No.2 (nearly 1!!! yay!!!) loved it. The mix of veggies is perfect, the kumara and the tomatoes bring a little bit of sweetness to balance with the lemon. The veggies can be pureed, but they are so soft that it's easy for babies to eat in chunks.

Grapefruit and coconut chicken salad

Another great spring day - Summer is just around the corner! Here we are like busy bees in the garden: we started the herb patch, strawberry flowers are turning into small fruits, the raspberry plants are reviving and the earth of the veggie patch ready to get new seedlings. We already sow cucumber, zucchini, sweet basil, and lettuce in trays. Every day No.1 water his tray of veggies. I really enjoy watching him so excited about the sowing/growing vegetable process.
And you know what? while we were digging the ground, my little paleontologist even found a dinosaur bone. Yes a real one! He said that it would probably be a T-Rex arm. I did not make a picture so I was overwhelmed by the little stars in his eyes... love...

The garden kept us so busy all week end that I had very little time left for the kitchen. After a busy week end in the garden, nothing much was available in the pantry or the fridge. Leftovers of roast chicken, some grapefruits kindly given by a colleague - thanks! - and a need for raw veggies, all in a fresh mix that would suit an 11 month-old. Half an hour later we were all enjoying a fresh grapefruit and coconut chicken salad!

Buttercup, kumara and spinach curry with chicken breast

I think I've already told you about our soup day at work. Few weeks ago, one of my (male) colleague's partner made a fantastic pumpkin and spinach curry. So rich in flavours, very hot, so well balanced. Probably, the best curry I ever had. When I asked for the recipe, I got a: 'emh... emh emh...' She actually had no recipe, she was just cooking from heart, and honnestly we could feel it. That vegan curry was awsome!

I don't pretend to even compare with this curry but this awsome pumpkin and spinach hot curry inspired today's recipe: a butternut, kumara and spinach curry, which I served with chicken breast rubbed in the same curry spices for those meat-lover dinosaurs.

This curry is not as spicy as the one that inspired it because I need to look after my little dinoboys' buds. But the combination of spices works very well. And you may not believe me, but this is a very healthy dish!

Ingredients (~ 6 servings)

- 1 buttercup, medium size, cubed (2 cm pieces)
- 6 kumara, cubed (2 cm pieces)
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled (en chemise)
- 4 bunches of spinach
- 1 onion
- 4 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp olive oil*
- a pinch of dry hot chilli (optional)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, whole
- 1 tsp cumin seed
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger ground
- 250 ml water
- salt
- 1 chicken breast (800 g), skin less, cut in two

Honey and grainy mustard-glazed chicken thighs with orrechiette salad

Sometimes, the best recipes are the improvised recipes. I recently received Rata honey for experimenting with it and grainy mustard from a friend. I thus improvised honey and grainy mustard-glazed chicken.

To serve with I used leftovers of home-made pasta dought, which I shaped into orrechiette to create a beautiful but simple roasted tomatoes and mushroom orrechiette salad. The salad is better served warm.

Spot on! all the flavours, from the chicken and the salad went very well together.

Home-made orrechiette are quite time-consuming - so we worked as a team: Dinodad rolled the little balls, Dinomum squeezed and rolled the balls on the board to form the orrechiette and Dino No.1 checked that the orrechiette were well shaped, while No. 2 was nicely sleeping! Heaven! These moments are so rare that I have to record them. But this is not the topic of this post!
Be reassured, you don't need to make your own orrechiette, dry orrechiette will be perfect instead!

Ingredients (6 servings)

- 6 chicken thighs, skinless, deboned
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey*
- 3 tbsp grainy mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt, black pepper
- 4 tomatoes, chopped in 16
- 10 mushrooms, chopped in 4 or 6 depending their size
- mixed herbs
- 400 g orrechiette*

Instructions (~ 45 mins)

1. Pre-heat the oven, fan bake, at 180C.
2. Mix the grainy mustard, the honey and the olive oil together.
3. Brush the mustard mix all over the chicken tights and roll it on itself. Salt.
4. Put the meat in a baking dish and in the oven for 30 mins at 180C.*
5. Cook the orrechiette and prepare the veggies.
6. Five minutes before the chicken is ready, add half of the tomatoes and the mushrooms in the baking dish and cook with the chicken for 5 minutes. Keep the other half of tomatoes raw for the salad.
7. Take the veggies out and mix in the orrechiette (cooked and drained). Drizzle the cooking jus from the baking dish over the orrechiette as a seasoning. Add one extra tsp of mustard if you want to give it a kick.
8. Add the raw tomatoes and sprinkle some mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
9. Serve and bon appétit!

Good to know...

* I used a Rata honey (Airborne); because it is a little buttery, I heated it slightly for better combination with the mustard and the oil.
* You're welcome to increase the portion of pasta, but after several months of WW diet (and 14 kg less! Yay!!!), I learnt to increase the proportions of veggies at the expense of the carbs. So if you want to keep this meal as healthy and balanced as possible, I suggest you stick with 60-70 g pasta per person.
* The honey, mustard and oil mix will slightly caramelised over the chicken. The pictures may look like burnt but it was just perfectly caramelised. That said, be careful that you oven temperature is not too high or the glazing may burn.
* For my GF friends, I suggest to replace the orrechiette by cannellini beans - you'll love this salad!

Mediterranean beef casserole

I love slow-cooking recipes! They are hearty, but can be made healthy, for quite cheap and require little skills. On the downside, it takes time to nurture such a dish. When I'm cooking for my family, it's always worth the time! And they give it back to me.
This Mediterranean beef casserole is perfect to warm up grey-ish days like today: a tiny tomato-ish, with spring seasoning based on thyme, balsamic vinegar, olives, capers and parsley, and a touch of red wine.

Served on mashed potatoes or pasta, all the family loves this hearty meal! Grown ups: Don't forget to compliment it with a glass of red wine ;)

Ingredients (~ 6 servings)

- 1 kg beef chuck strips (1 x 3 cm)
- 1 yellow capsicum
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1/2 olives (green or black)
- 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- salt, pepper

Goat cheese, bacon and Rata honey tartines with dried figues

You'll love this classic French and simple dinner. You just need some bread, bacon, and goat cheese. Any real French has goat cheese in his fridge! Then to make those goat cheese tartines look and taste more fancy, just add a little bit of honey - I used Rata Honey kindly offered by Airborne for me to experiment NZ honey -, thyme and dried figues. Serve with green salad with Rata honey dressing and don't forget a glass of Pinot Gris or Chardonnay.

Airborne Rata Honey suited these tartines to perfection: creamy, buttery and slightly salty, it brought a nice balance to the saltiness of the bacon and to the tang of the goat cheese. This honey revealed its whole potential in the dressing while it brings sweetness and softeness in to the sharpness of the mustard and vinegar mix. Nice!

Quick, easy and a touch of fancy - ideal for busy moms and for busy host!

In France, we often prepare such tartines for quick dinners or as a gourmet entry when hosting friends. One may like replacing the goat cheese with blue cheese or cream cheese and sprinkle with some nuts, but my preference goes to the goat cheese.

There are not limits to your creativity to make gourmet tartines! What would be your favourite topping?

Ingredients (3 servings - 2 tartines/serve)

- 6 thick slices of bread*
- 125 g of soft goat cheese (more or less to meet your greediness!)
- 3 slices of bacon, stripped
- 2 tbsp of honey, slightly heated (15-20 secs in the microwave)
- thyme
- 6 dried figues

Dressing:
- 1 tsp French mustard (generous)
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Rata honey
- 2 tsp warm water

Preparation (~ 20 mins)

1. Pre-heat the over, grill function, at 210C.
2. Toast the bread under the grill until slightly coloured - takes approx. 4 mins each side.
3. Take the bread out of the oven and crumble the cheese over and sprinkle the bacon strips. Drizzle the heated honey and sprinkle fresh thyme over the cheese..
4. Bake under the grill for 6-7 mins - but check the colouration.
5. Prepare the dressing: brisk together the mustard and the oil until smooth and well combined. Then gradually mix in the vinegar, the honey and the water. It's ready!
6. Serve the tartines on the top of greens and drizzle a little bit more honey.
7. Don't forget the figues! I forgot them on the pictures, but they definitively add a plus to the dish

Bon appétit!

Good to know...

* Here I used home-made cereal bread, but any rustic-ish bread would suit.

My NZ version of Paella: A seafood and meat one-pot dish

Seafood or meat? carbs or veggies? Why not all together in a gorgeous one-pot dish?
Today I'm sharing a rich nevertheless healthy Spanish-inspired one-pot casserole: A Paella.

Originally from the province of Valencia in Spain, there is not one version of the Paella, but many local or family versions. Here is my NZ quick - well relatively quick - and easy recipe!
Paella is a mix of white rice, green vegetables, meat (including rabbit, chicken and other) and/or seafood, beans, saffron-based seasoning and olive oil. This dish is originally cooked in a pan (not a pot as above) but you need a very large pan, so my version uses a pot (iron-cast). This cooking ustensil inspired the name of the Paella after the old French word for pan: paelle.

You'd be surprised how well this dish matches NZ food. It is actually a great dish to showcase the delicious - although a bit too big for my taste - green mussels from Coromandel and NZ shellfish like cockles freshly picked from Cockle Bay, Whangaparaoa - a great kid activity by the way! we love it!

Don't worry about the quantity of ingredients, it is still very easy to make. You can also adapt the recipe to your fridge and pantry, but my favourite version this mixed seafood and chichen Paella. Although today I had no prawns which also go very well in this dish.

Ingredients (6 servings)

- 750g cockles

- 24 green mussels

- 6 chicken drumsticks

- 1 whole squid, sliced*

- 1 whole hot chorizo, sliced*

- 2 tomatoes, peeled* and diced

- 250g green beans*
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 large red (or green) capsicum
- 1 onion, chopped
- 10g butter
- 1 sprig of parsley
- 1 shallot
- 1/2 cup white wine (Pinot gris)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 1/2 cup of parboiled rice
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock*
- 1 1/2 cup seafood stock (included in this recipe)
- 1 dose of saffron*
- salt, pepper

Cooking instructions 

(~ 1.5 hour)

The preparation

First prepare all your ingredients: slice the chorizo, the squid and the capsicum; chop the onion and the shallot; peel and dice the tomatoes; cut the green beans' tails.

Lemon confits / Preserved lemons

Thanks to my FB follower who spotted a inconsistency between my FB page and the blog! I had accidentally removed this post from the blog... I probably got distracted by something... or someone... wonder who this might be... Anyway lemon confits are back!

The winter has ended; it is a good time to finish harvesting the lemons (or to buy them at a fair price), but you don't know what to do with all these lemons!? Let's prepare some jars of lemon confits or preserved lemons for summer salads and tajines. This is a very simple preparation that will add the little plus to your, sweet and savoury dishes, cakes and cookies...

Ingredients

- 1 kg lemons (~ 8 lemons), preferably organic if not coming straight from your garden
- 200 g salt
- hot water
- 1 big jar

Instructions

1. Incise the lemons in four quarters - do not cut them, the quaters must keep together (see picture above).
2. Stuff with one tablespoon of salt.
3. Squeeze all the salted lemons in a steril jar.*
4. Add the remaining salt in the jar and cover with hot water.
5. Close the jar tightly and store for at least 3 weeks before use.

Tips

* To sterilise the jar, first clean it, then keep it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

Lamb confit in olive oil and lime jus - Delightful!

The dinosaurs have been quite discrete in my kitchen lately. Don't you worry! They are still around. We even have got a baby dinosaur. It's a T-Rex, but he doesn't bite. He is scared by humans because he is a baby. Dixit my 4 years-old.

Few days ago, while I had to work from home while looking after my sick baby, my big boy commissioned me to take care of his baby dinosaur, who was also sick. It's was really cute to see my big boy talking and comforting to 'his baby dinosaur' as a parent would do. 'Don't worry my baby. Ma maman will look after you while I'm away at daycare. Don't cry. I'll come back later.'
And to me: 'Maman, please put him under the blanket and don't leave him alone. He is little and unwell. Don't be scared. He won't bite.'

What a relief! As long as he won't bite, I'll take care of him... That day promised to be quite busy, perfect for a 7-hours lamb leg confit!

I've already told you about the recipe I'm sharing today. You, busy working mums, busy mums at home, busy daddies, you greedy meat-lovers, working girls, business man, well you who is looking for a stunning dinner to full-fill your family or your hungry man, to impress your friends... with a minimum effort for a maximum effect, there you go: the 7-hours lamb leg confit or lamb leg a la cuillere.

I hear you thinking: "7-hours?! She's completely out of her mind!!!... I'm too busy, can't afford the time..." COME BACK! - I said: come back! Pleeeaaase! You won't regret it.
The roast will cook for seven hours, but it will take at most 15 minutes off your time. Trust me! You can either go out for shopping or work (using the stop cooking function of your oven), spend your day playing/looking after the kids, gardening, doing cross-words or maybe doing some Lebanese bread to compliment your lamb leg confit... while the lamb leg is slowly cooking for you...
Just try it, you'll love it!

With this lamb confit recipe, you'll get a moist and tender meat falling off the bone with a beautiful olive oil and lime jus to baste the meat and the veggies. The meat will be so moist and tender that you can spoon it! Hence the French name 'a la cuillere'. De-Light-Ful!

Revisited Vietnamese nems - A healthy trick for kids

This post could have been titled 'How to make your kids love cabbage', but instead I preferred the reference to nems, the traditional Vietnamese rolls.

Traditionally, nems are fried rice paper rolls stuffed with pork, prawn or beef. They are quite easy to make and flavoursome. But they are not the healthiest Vietnamese food because they are fried.

While I was shopping at the local veggie store, looking for seasonal veggies other then carrots, parsnips and pumpkin, I saw cabbage. This is such a controversial veggie for children. I personally love red cabbage; it's a quite regular vegetable at home. I was after something less usual. White cabbage... we all like it raw in salad, but cooked it is quite controversial for my No.1. Then I saw savoy cabbage - they look so beautiful - and as I couldn't remember when was my last attempt with this kind of cabbage. I thus decided to go for this beautiful savoy cabbage. Then started the thinking... how could I sell this to my No.1.

Spark of genius! what about making nems? but instead of using rice paper, I'd use savoy cabbage leaves. And instead of frying them I'd steam them. I was not quite sure about the preparation and cooking process, but the idea was worth a try!

My revisited nems, served with sweet soy sauce, turned out gorgeous and so tasty! No.1 even asked for a second serve! Mission accomplished? Oh yes!

What's your trick to make your children eat cabbage? 

Lemon and parsley chicken breast with butternut, spinach and Israeli couscous salad

I have heaps of parsley in my herb patch. And that's cool because I love parsley. I wanted a dish full of this flavour. I thought about making a parsley soup, but wasn't sure whether dinosaurs (in particular mini T-Rex) would like it.
I recently attended a team cooking challenge with my workmates; the chef taught us how to prepare a 3-course meal for 12 people in 2 hours or so - The time went so fast I don't exactly remember how long it took. Well, one of the dish was a lemon and parsley chicken breast - perfect to satisfy my sudden crush for parsley. Although I slightly revisited the recipe to make it a bit healthier - the question was: can I make such a moist and yummy chicken breast with a minimum of fat? The short answer is 'Yes! You can!'

I did remove the skin off the chicken and dramatically reduced the amount of oil. I put a twist on the original recipe, which was served with Salsa Verde, by adding the capers into the marinade to give it a little tang. And it work out gorgeous!
On the side I served a yummy butternut and spinach Israeli couscous salad, naturally sweetened with sultana.

Avocado, ricotta and shrimp spaghetti - As quick as lightning!

Back to working days... And I've been quite lazy about shopping this week-end, so I had to deal with what was left in my cupboards and what was left of my time after hours to make dinner.
I quite like this kind of cooking challenge, although it does not necessarily bring up my favorite style of food. But tonight I was very happy with my creation given that it took barely 20 mins off my time watching my little one first adventure, exploring our place and crawling backward #stupidproudmom

Today, on the menu: Avocado, ricotta and shrimp spaghetti - humble, but incredibly quick n' easy! Perfect for busy working moms and daddies willing to give a hand in the kitchen ;) Would also work well for students busy with their dissertation or exam preparations, cook beginners wanting to impress friends, families watching on the budget and starving people looking for a healthier option than fish n' chips... Well, it should work for anybody though!

Beef and brown lentil casserole

Just another lovely winter Sunday! Grey sky to remind you the season but mild temperature to let you have a walk in the bush. I love those NZ winter days. It reminds me only the best aspects of European winters: the time slows down, the streets are more quiet, family members get together, parents play board games with children, grannies would bake with grand-daughters, grandpa would share old stories with grand-sons and families sit all together around a hearty meal that cooked nearly all day long! Winter can be very comforting.

I find NZ winter somehow more comforting: I feel less endangered by the sun rays, but we can still enjoy outdoors; sunrises and sunsets are just perfectly timed to be enjoyed, and I have the chance to live so close to the sea front... I love winter sunsets on the bay.. There is no buzz or rush in the malls, no stress about Christmas coming up soon (in spite of the magic of winter Christmas, it can be quite stressful). In absence of Christmas celebrations in NZ winter, there is at least one thing that does not change: kids are still super-excited (or in a dinosaur mode for some) and drive their parents crazy! If this is your case, just take them to the bush and leave let them have a walk for an hour or two and they'll sleep in the car on way back home.

Beyond super-excited kids, NZ winter gives you the time to enjoy your time at a slower pace under a mild climate. - Okay, okay... I'm a bit biased by the quite dry winter we have this year... or maybe by the new house, fully insulated and double glazed, that changed our life since few months! Anyway, when it's not pouring raining, I love NZ winter!
Besides rain, cold or sun, we still enjoy a slow-cooked one-pot dinner during NZ winter. No worries, I assure you this hearty beef and lentil casserole did not cook for all day long! There is a little trick to avoid that lentils take ages to be soft. Just follow the recipe ;-)

Braised pork tenderloin with butternut squash and fried polenta

Sunday, I left baby and partner home and I took my 4 years-old to the movies. The movie was very good for little ones, a lovely story about friendship between a bear and a mouse: Ernest & Celestine. After only few minutes, I felt blessed - and a little bit stupid to feel a bit emotional while watching a kid movie with my son - probably the lack-of-rest effect.
I felt so blessed to live in New Zealand, to be allowed to raise my children in this amazing country, to raise them as bilinguals and to share my native language and culture with my growing kiwis. What does it have to do with the movie? The movie was in French! When I left France, I gave up the idea of going to see a French movie with my children. But that was due to my ignorance of New Zealand way of integrating cultures. Not only New Zealand offers an amazing lifestyle, it also accepts and encourage the diversity of cultures. I couldn't tell for other cultures, but as French living in Auckland, we are blessed with a very active community that allows parents like us to pass our culture on our children thanks to playgroups (I love the kiwi culture of playgroups/playcentre, it's just a shame I have limited access to it because I work full-time), the preschools, the bilingual sections in primary schools and the various socialising French events and other festivals. Beyond the language, of course, food is another way to pass on our culture, and not only to our children.
After the movie, I felt even more blessed when I came back home where a meal from an original recipe by my mum had perfumed the entire the house after 2 hours of slow cooking earlier the same day: a braised pork tenderloin with a rustic-tasting but elegant sauce made from onions, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms. This dish was well-known of all the kids from the neighbourhood in my home-town; this for the holy good reason that it is deliciously rich of flavour, while balanced and not overly fat.

Lime marinated beef kebab, chickpea and pumpkin casserole

I try to provide a variety of meals to my family. I recently posted a Mexican-style pork chili, a prawn and noodle Thai soup and some French cuisine-inspired dishes. But foremost, I cook like I feel. 

After the chocolate cake topped with chocolate ganache that we shared with our neighbours yesterday, today, I felt like something healthy but flavoursome and spicy but not hot. I also wanted something very quick to cook - Monday is only the first day of the week, it's safer to save some resources for the rest o fthe week. My dinos wanted meat.
So I came up with this North Africa-inspired marinated beef kebab with a chickpea and pumpkin casserole served on couscous. And yes, this took me only 30 minutes or so to make it! And jackpot for busy moms to little bubba, the chickpea and pumpkin casserole can be blended or puréed. Chickpeas are rich in protein and low in fat, so a very healthy option. This recipe also follow proportions as recommended by WW* - so a tasty healthy meal for little and big dinosaurs. Enjoy!

Sunday lunch: Marinated pork fillet, orange and cranberry sauce with quinoa, amaranth and green beans

When I was a child, in France, Sunday was a special family day. All the shops were closed. Only bakeries, patisseries and restaurants would be open. Everybody gets well dressed, some goes to the church, then to the local pub to take the 'apero' (apéritif). I sometimes went with my grand father and would be given the permission to drink a lemonade with a tiny bit of bier, we call it a panaché. Then, it's lunch time, with the close family or the extended family.

In my family, it was a tradition to have Sunday lunch in the dinning room while we would have our meals in the kitchen the rest of the week. This lunch was not just a quick, improvised, lunch, but well planned. It could sometimes be a 3-course meals, but often offered a dessert. This Sunday meal looked amazing on our plates. As children, we were looking forward to this special family moment. But once the lunch finished, our tummies were so full that the elder ones could not resist a nap.

This has probably changed now, 25 years later... But I remember those Sundays. They are good memories. 

Now, we live in New Zealand, a lovely and amazing country but far from our extended family. For these reasons and others, we tend to spend lot of our time keeping ourself busy with varying activities every Sundays, thus leaving little room to develop such custom in our family.
But now we have two kids, both working full-time, after the older one's activity on Saturday morning, we must acknowledge that we quite like spending a nice and quiet family Sunday at home - especially since we moved into our new house. Such a family Sunday would not be the Sunday of my childhood without a classy family lunch made with heart by mum.
Last Sunday, I spend just a minimum of time in the kitchen to make this surprising dish: Marinated pork fillet, quinoa, amaranth and green beans, with an orange and cranberry sauce. The pork marries very well with sweet flavours, and the sauce is very easy to make. While you could serve this dish with a classic butternut puree or egg noodles for an Asian twist, I opted for a healthy side: quinoa, amaranth and green bean. Even dinosaurs loved it!

What about YOU? Where ever you are, how does a Sunday lunch look like in your family?

Ingredients (4 servings)

- 2 pork fillets (1 kg)

- 1/2 cup light soy sauce

- 1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

- 3 tsp raw sugar*

- 3-4 tbsp dry cranberries* (to your taste)

- 1 cup quinoa and amaranth mix

- 250g green beans

- a pinch of chilli powder

- 1 orange, finely sliced (for garnish)

Leek and onion tart with blue cheese

Yesterday, I posted a recipe to use unused egg whites. This post brought a very smart question: "What do you do with the yolks?"
The answer to this question is multiple and I will dedicate a post to recipes that will use only yolks or only egg whites, as long as I feed this blog.
In my case, the question could have been "What did you do with the yolks?"
This question was an easy one: I made a leek and onion tart.
A tart - not a quiche - this tart was inspired by the classic French onion tart with a twist: leeks and blue cheese.* By contrast with the quiche, this tart filling is creamy and delicate. It can be served as a light dinner or as an appetizer with a glass of Pinot Gris.

Ingredients (8 servings)

For the pastry:

- 160g flour
- 70g butter, diced, at room tempreature
- 50ml water
- a pinch of salt
For the busiest cook, just use an industrial savoury pastry - you'll save about 10 mins.

Prawn, ginger and coconut vermicelli soup - Thai inspiration

I quite knew it wouldn't be easy to conciliate children, dinosaurs, work, a passion an obsession for cooking and eating, a healthy and balanced dietary, and a cooking blog. Well I never claimed I would post fabulous recipes everyday, anyway. But what I did not expect was that No.2 would start teething and having poor poor or quasi non-existent nights, the same week I would finally start my blog!
Consequence: As usually, when I am under stress or tired, I compensate with food - Catch 22!
Tonight, I thus chose a rich and comforting, but so easy, Thai-inspired prawn vermicelli soup, a tiny bit spicy (or more just as you like!)

Ingredients (6 servings)

- 36 raw prawns, peeled (tail on)* 

- 300g rice vermicelli (dry)

- 350g of mixed veggies including: strips of red capsicum, broccoli, thin strips of carrots, chopped spinach, chopped green beans*

- 10g chinese black mushroom (dry, also found as dried fungus)

- 165 ml coconut cream

- 1.5 L chicken stock* 

- 40g fresh ginger, crushed

- 1 or 2 tsp red curry paste (to your taste)