mac & cheese

Homemade Mac & Cheese
(2 servings)

* Cook and drain pasta for 2 people
* Saute 1/2 an onion in 1 tbsp butter
* Grate 2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese (mine was white cheddar but either one works)

Set all the different components to the side.
* In a saucepan:

Mix 1/2 liter of milk
2 tablespoons of corn starch (maizena)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Over low heat continuously stir until the white sauce (bechamel) thickens and if you run your finger over the back of the spoon the sauce is thick enough to stay off to the sides.
Quickly mix in the cheddar and the onions. Stir until the cheddar is melted and smooth then pour onto the pasta and mix all together. Serve with a pinch of paprika on top.

galettes de sarrasin

Galettes de Sarrasin

Here is the recipe I used for my batter for 2 people (2.5 galettes each)

* 125g farine de sarrasin (buckwheat flour)
* 1 egg
* salt
* about 50cl water

I started with a little less water and then kept adding some until the batter was the right consistency (should run a thin ribbon when poured with a spoon or ladle and swirl around easily inthe hot pan.)
Then we flipped them once and then filled them with ham, cheese and a cracked egg on top, (or anything else you want!) YUM!

risotto

Risotto

1 onion
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups risotto rice (the round kind)
veggies
1 liter chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dice the onion and saute until clear in the olive oil and butter. Add the rice and mix well. Add the white wine and lower the heat to a simmer. As the rice absorbs the liquid start ladling in the chicken stock letting it absorb between each ladle full. When you're about 2/3 through the stock add diced veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers etc) and any meat (turkey, chicken, seafood) and continue to simmer and add half the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit 5 minutes.

Serve with more Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

When the rice is just cooked through remove from heat and add 1/2 package of

tomates farcies

Tomates Farcies

4 large and firm tomatoes (slightly under ripe, you don't want them to get mushy) *you can also use round zucchinis!
250g ground beef (or 2 steak hachees)
1/2 cup cooked rice, cold if possible
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped (or garlic powder if you don't have any fresh on hand)
salt and pepper
butter

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides so you get as much room as possible. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (I use my hands to make sure they're well mixed). Split the mixture into 4 equal parts and stuff it inside the tomatoes. Put the "hat" back on and put a small nob of butter over the stem of each tomato to prevent them from burning (you can also add some bread crumbs but as I didn't have any gluten free on hand I left that out.)

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Coconut chicken

Coconut Chicken

* 2 skinned chicken breasts (I used escalopes de dinde)
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut

Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. In a shallow bowl beat the 2 eggs and on an extra plate pour about 1/2 of the coconut.

Dip the chicken in the egg, making sure to cover all of the chicken with egg.

Then transfer the chicken onto the coconut plate and "bread" it with coconut, repeat with the second breast.

Then cook over medium heat until cooked through.

I served it with fresh squeezed limes but I bet a nice chutney would be delicious too!

summer veggies

Summer Veggie Dish

3 medium tomatoes
1 zucchini
1 small/medium eggplant
2 bell peppers
1 fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil to sprinkle on top after baked

I made this veggie "lasagna" last night and added a few extra steps that could probably be left out if you're in a hurry. I wanted to make something that my vegetarian friend and Mystery Guest on his gluten free experiment could enjoy.

First I roasted the bell peppers in the oven until they were black all over (or you can do this over a gas stove but alas I run on electric...). Then peel off the skin and take out the seeds.

Second I peeled and sliced the eggplant and sprinkled salt over the slices to let them sweat out some of that extra water.

Finally I layered all the ingredients in a small dish topping the whole thing with the Parmesan cheese. I baked it for about 30 minutes until the veggies were bubbling and the cheese was golden brown.

I thought it might turn out to be too dry with no extra sauce but the veggies actually had a lot of juice when backed and the whole thing was quite delicious! I should have made some rice to go with it but I had run out :-( Next time!