Salmon Cakes, Thick French Fries And Romaine Lettuce With Fresh Tartar Sauce.

These recipes are on the blog already. You can find them in the search box.

Cold Virginia Ham With Mushrooms And Cauliflower A La Grecque And A Green Bean Salad.

Shrimp And Vegetable Risotto.

Grilled Chicken, Romaine Wedge With Homemade Ranch And Potato Bacon Salad.

What can I say? Ony Gorgeous. This was really good.

Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:1/4 cup of mayonnaise1/2 cup of sour cream1/2 cup of buttermilk1/4 cup of chopped cilantro1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice1 clove of garlic, crushed1 Serrano pepper, finely diced1 teaspoon of chopped fresh chives1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepperSalt and black pepper to tasteMethod:Mix all the ingredients together and let chill for an hour.Makes 1 cup, keeps for a week in the refrigerator.Notes: I like my dressing on the thinner side, so if you prefer it thicker use 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. And if you don't want it to be so spicy, feel free to omit the Serrano or substitute a jalapeno pepper instead. Also, you can use parsley instead of cilantro

Chicken Tagine With Dates And Preserved Lemons.

Wilted Spinach Salad With Bacon Dressing.

Big Bag Of Romas For $1.99.

Got this bag of overripe for $1.99 and made some tomato reserve for sauces and other dishes. As you can see these tomatoes were not really that bad so I diced them up and then sauteed some chopped onions in olive oil and then added garlic, thyme and bay leaf and finally the tomatoes. On top I added some jalapenos and dried chillis with some salt and pepper. The whole mix cooked on a medium heat for a few hours to get the water out and then it was bagged in ziplocks and put in the freezer. Aren't I the little squirrel?

Louisiana Gumbo Of Chicken And Shrimp.

Ingredients:
5 medium shrimp
5 chicken wings

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
5 medium garlic cloves, minced
salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces smoked sausage, such as andouille or Polish sausage, 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion

4 to 6 okra cleaned and cut in half
1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice
4 bay leaves and some fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cups long-grain rice
I chopped Jalapeno pepper .

Saute the chicken for a few minutes then add the sausage and shrimp. Cook for a minute or two then remove the shrimp and keep in a warm place. Add all the vegetables and allow to cook for five minutes or so until all the flavors are combined. add the rice then add the garlic and herbs, mix well in the pot and keep cooking until flavors combine then add water (about 2 to 1) and let cook over a slow to medium heat. Add the tomatoes at this point.

When rice is cooked add the shrimp and some chopped scallions. Let sit for a while and then serve in bowls with plenty of bread.

You will need some gumbo file which is a Louisiana spice mixture that you will find in the store. You can also do without it or make your own.

Ajaccio Corsica

Sometime around the early 80's I was sent to Ajaccio in Corsica to replace a chef in a small hotel on the coast. This was the crew I had. The experience was one in a million. The Irish and the Corsican temperament did not mix very well. I did get to see where Napoleon was born but unfortunately the house was under renovation. I was glad to get back to civilasition in Paris although it was great to see this great and wild place.

Variation On A Cassoulet.

More anon.

Another Paella.

This Paella is missing mussels, clams and other ingredients because they are unavailable here.

Paul Bocuse Palm Springs 1992

With his signature dish of bass in puff pastry.

Smoked Pork Ribs

The ribs are trimmed and portioned. They are smeared with mustard and rubbed with a mix and left to marinate for a few hours.

They are then smoked over hickory; these took about 3 hours and and then served with coleslaw and baked potato.

The mix for the rub is:

Paprika

Celery powder

Onion powder

Brown sugar

Black pepper

Bangers And Mash, Roasted Roma Tomatoes And Sweet Onion Okra Gravy

I was all set to have soup and salad tonight until I was inspired by a blog I follow to make this dish. It is an old english dish usually used in cafetierias and at home. It was outstanding. Recipes anon and you will find the link to the great blog at the bottom of this note.

http://www.my-easy-cooking.com/

Navarin D'Agneau, Pommes Puree

This is a great example of cuisine bourgeoise. Recipe anon. It was outstanding.

1.5kg lamb shoulder cut into large chunks ( bite sized or larger )

4-6 Tbsp olive oil
(For garnish)
2 large carrots
Pearl or baby onions
White turnips
(For Cooking)
½ onion, chopped into large pieces

1 carrot cut into large pieces
1 stick of celery chopped up
½ head garlic, peeled and chopped
100ml dry white wine
2 bay leaves Several sprigs thyme2 tablespoons of tomato paste or so.
Sauté the lamb until nice and brown over a medium heat. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add the chopped vegetables and cook them in the same pan until all the flavors combine. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce to dry. Add the lamb back into the pan with the garlic, thyme and the bay leaf. Cook these together on a medium heat for a little while or until you see all the flavors combine.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or so stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add a little water to this mix and reduce. You will see a nice color develop so keep reducing until you have the color you want.
Add a couple of tablespoons of flour and combine the whole thing. Add water and allow to cook until the meat is tender.
Peel and shape the garnish vegetables and cook them al dente in some water. Strain and set aside.
When the lamb is cooked, remove the meat and strain the sauce. Reduce the sauce to the desired consistency and then add the meat and the shaped vegetables. Allow the dish to simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked.
Let sit for a good hour and then serve with mashed potatoes or a starch of your choice.

This is a relatively easy dish to make and has wonderful flavor. It is also better made the day before and finished the next day as is the case with most dishes of this nature. It is a staple of French Cuisine and is very often the plat du jour in french restaurants.

Escargots Bourguignon

For this I used 6 large escargots

1/2 Shallot chopped very fine.

A good measure of chopped parsley

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of dry white wine

about one to two ounces of butter.

Sweat the shallots in a little butter, add the escargots and cook for a minute or so. At this point they are usually flambeed with a little cognac. Add the white wine and reduce till almost dry. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley and the butter. Warm the butter until it is soft then place the whole thing into either an escargot dish if you have one or into an ovenproof ramekin as i did. Place in a hot oven until butter is bubbly and brown.

Serve with lots of bread.

These are not for everyone. Not only are the escargots an acquired taste but there is a significant amount of butter and garlic. If you are not used to eating garlic butter it may upset your stomach but it is worth it for the experience and you may get used to them.

Cream Of Tomato Soup With Potato Gnocchi And Cilantro ~ Homemade Salmon Gravlax With Pear And Mushroom Salad And Tossed Greens.

Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Ingredients
2 lbs whole baking potatoes

2 beaten egg yolks

1 1/2 cups flour

Pinch of salt
boil the potatoes

Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. (If you don't have potato rice you can mash the potatoes by hand and fluff them up a bit with a fork.) It is best to work with the potatoes when they are still warm.
Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not over mix.
Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inches in diameter. It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough. Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce). As the gnocchi are made, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper.

Bring at least 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a shallow saucepan. Gently drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining well. Arrange on a warm serving dish. Continue cooking the gnocchi in the same manner.
As soon as all the gnocchi are ready, add to the soup and serve. You can also use this gnocchi as a dish. Cover with tomato sauce and cheese and bake in the oven. Delish .

The tomato soup and the gravlax recipe are already on the blog I think. This soup is outstanding, smooth and silky.

Graham wanted to make it but did not tell me if he did or not or how it turned out.

Spaghetti With Gene Lamert's Special Meatballs.

This recipe is from an old friend of mine who has been in the business as long as, if not longer, than me.
Make a hearty tomato sauce or buy a good commercial one.
There is a recipe on this blog for tomato sauce.. you will find it if you do a search.
Gene’s Meatballs
I pound of ground (minced pork)
3 whole eggs
Garlic to taste
Chopped parsley
Italian breadcrumbs. ( a commercial product but very good)
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper.
Put the pork into a large bowl.
Beat the three eggs as if for an omelet
Add the eggs to the pork.
This is a high volume of eggs for such a small amount of meat so it will become very soupy. Don’t be alarmed.
Add the Italian breadcrumbs and the cheese so that you get a workable mass.
Add the chopped parsley , salt and pepper and the crushed garlic.

Form into balls about the size of a golf ball and poach for eight minutes in tomato sauce.

Finish your spaghetti with the tomato sauce and the meatballs.

These meat balls are tender and flavorful. The texture is much different than the meatballs you make with just Italian sausage.

This recipe is from my good friend Gene Lambert who worked in the Four Seasons Seattle with me as the purchasing director.