Camping, french style! (Week 33 - France)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed France week. I stuck to the more traditional meals, that maybe don’t do French cuisine justice; but nevertheless we all enjoyed eating them and I found them fun to cook. I still wish I had been brave to try croissants, but will do at another time as it just wasn’t convenient on this occasion. We were going camping, so I cooked the ratatouille before and took it with us. My husband was rather sceptical, as camping = bbq to him. We heated it up and ate it with fresh baguette, sat outside our tent with ponies wandering around and the sound of wildlife. Bliss, shame it wasn't sunny. He agreed it was nice although did wonder if that was because we ate outside! I do profiteroles on a regular basis, as a bit of fun we have them filled with Smarties and cream or broken After Eight mints. 


Czechoslovakia next...

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Coq au Van……………………………………………………………86

Beef Bourguignon……………………………………………………………86

Ratatouille……………………………………………………………86 

 

Coq au Van

Source: World Table (Marks and Spencers)

Serves 4

Ingredients

750g spring onions

6 rashers rindless bacon, chopped coarsely

310g button mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 chicken thigh fillets

35g plain flour

500ml dry red wine

375ml chicken stock

2tbsp tomato paste

3 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary 

1. Trim green ends from the onions, leaving about 4cm of stem attached; trim roots. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in large frying pan; cook onions, stirring until browned all over, remove from pan.
2. Add bacon, mushrooms and garlic to pan; cook stirring, until bacon is crisp, remove from pan.
3. Coat chicken in flour, shake off excess. Heat the remaining oil in same pan. Cook chicken, on batches, until browned all over, drain on absorbent paper.
4. Return chicken to pan with wine, stock, paste, bay leaves, herbs, onions and bacon mixture. Bring to the boil; reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, about 35 minutes or until chicken is tender and sauce has thickened slightly. 

Beef Bourguignon

Source: World Table (Marks and Spencers)

Serves 6

Ingredients

280g baby onions

2 tbsp olive oil

2kg stewing steak, trimmed and chopped

30g butter

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 rashers rindless bacon, chopped coarsely

400g button mushrooms, halved

35g plain flour

310 beef stock

625ml dry red wine

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley. 

1. Peel onions, leaving root end intact so onion remains whole during cooking.
2. Heat oil in a large flameproof dish; cook beef, in batches, until browned. Remove from pan.
3. Add butter to dish; cook onions, garlic, bacon and mushrooms, stirring until onions brown lightly.
4. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture, cook stirring, until flour mixture thickens and bubbles. Gradually add stock and wine; stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.
5. Return beef and any juices to dish, add bay leaves and thyme; bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered for about 2 hours until beef is tender; stirring every 30 minutes or so. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves and stir in parsley.
   
   

    

Ratatouille

Source: Around the World in 450 recipes

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 medium aubergines

4-5 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, halved and sliced

2 or 3 garlic gloves, finely chopped

1 large red or yellow, pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

2 large courgettes cut into ½ inch slices

1 ½ lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or 14oz canned tomatoes (I used a combination of both)

1 tsp dried herbs de Provence

Salt and pepper 

1. Preheat the grill. Cut the aubergines into ¾ inch slices then brush the slices with oil on both sides and grill until lightly browned (you can fry them off, but grilling is quicker). Cut the slices into cubes
2. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and cook onions over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, pepper and courgettes and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the tomatoes and aubergines cubes, dried herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer gently, covered, over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and continue to cook for 20- 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and the cooking liquid has thickened slightly. Serve ratatouille hot or a room temperature.

 

 Again, as it is summer hols still, we have some light hearted facts....

• French is the second most studied language in the world after English.
• France is the most visited country in the world, with over 80 million visitors every year.
• The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world. The famous Mona Lisa painting is on display in this museum.
• The famous Eiffel Tower in Paris was built as the entrance point for the 1889 World Fair. It is one of the most visited monuments in the world.
• Apparently there is only one ‘STOP’ sign in the entire city of Paris!
• It was the also the first country in the world to introduce the licence plate.
• The Millau Bridge in southern France is the world's tallest bridge and France's tallest structure. At its highest point, it stands 343m (1125 ft) above the ground.
   

CUISINE

According to my mothers old book French cookery derives from the 4 schools: 

• La Haute Cuisine – the aristocracy of art
• La Cuisine Bourgeoise – home or family cooking
• La Cuisine Impromptue – unpremeditated, or pot luck
• La Cuisine Regionale – the character or each separate French province

I think this is a lovely description of a country’s cuisine. France produces more than 300 types of cheese, and much of its countryside is given over to vineyards and produces about a quarter of the worlds wine. Cafe culture was started in France in the 1600’s; now a world phenomenon. The French have a reputation of elegance, and Paris (its capital) continues to be a world leader in the fashion world.