We never tire of barbecued red mullet with a warm tomato vinaigrette (see the recipe for rougets aux feuilles de vigne). But this recipe, adapted from one at marmiton.org, makes a very pleasant change, especially if it’s not barbecue weather.
Category: Main Course
Roast chicken with winter fruits
Made with a free-range, corn-fed chicken or a capon, this dish is worthy of Christmas dinner, and is very quick and easy to do — once it’s in the oven you can sit down and relax with an aperitif. The sauce is wonderful. We thought chestnuts would be a nice addition to the fruits (especially as after indulging in several pre-dinner drinks I forgot to put the almonds in).
Credit: Marmiton.org — an excellent site if you know enough cooking French to be able to follow a recipe. The comments by people who have tried the recipes are particularly useful.
Risotto primavera
The method is unconventional, to say the least, but the result is a lovely fresh-tasting risotto. You can vary the vegetables to taste. Serves 6.
Rice pilaff with serrano ham and broad beans
It’s a lot of effort skinning the broad beans, but for this recipe it is worth it. Delicious and unusual.
Pork tenderloin with mustard
Low-fat, quick to make, and very tasty (provided your pork is good quality, and the tomatoes really are ripe).
Pork blanquette paprika
An old favourite of mine which I’ve been making for donkey’s years — not the least of its attractions is an excellent score on the effort versus results scale. Credit: Josceline Dimbleby, who describes it as a cross between a French blanquette and a Hungarian goulash. She makes it with veal but I am dubious about French calf-rearing practices and I don’t like veal much anyway, so I always make it with pork. The meat should not be too lean — use shoulder or boneless pork steaks.
Pintade aux choux
This may not sound promising. You may not even like cabbage. But whether you do or not, this recipe is worth trying.
Peppered Tuna Boulangère
Bored with our usual ways of cooking tuna (plainly grilled, or pan-fried with onions and bacon) we decided to try this recipe from our favourite cookery magazine, Cuisines et Vins de France. A truly excellent choice — though more time-consuming, the result was delicious, and very different. Highly recommended. Serves 4.