ribs and lentils

Lentils I think are not consumed in States  quite enough. they are delicious and very healthy they are a good source of proteins and fibers, contains  folic  acid and potassium and are good for the heart. In France as the child I remember eating lentils quite often  They are not  inexpensive , they are good braised with meat , and make delicious soup and salad.

this ribs and lentils dish is easy , not very time consuming , rather economic, particularly if you buy the ribs on sale . hope you try it and enjoy it

Ingredients

3 ribs
I branch of celery
1 and 1/2 cup of  carrots
2 cups of lentils
1 cup of white wine
3 tbs of olive oil
garlic
salt and pepper

instructions

Prep . the vegetables
salt and pepper the meat
 In a very heavy and hot pan saute the meat till brown

when the meat is well brown put it on the side
saute the carrots and the celery in the same pan for about  5 mins

.
De glazed the pan with the white wine
add the meat back in the pan and the garlic
add the chicken stock
the chicken stock should cover the meat only to the middle.

ass salt and pepper
Cook about 2 hours at 350 degrees F or till the meat fall apart.
When the meat is done add the lentils
cook for 30 mns or till  the lentils are done

the meat fall apart, the lentils and the carrots taste delicious in the very slowly cook sauce.

Miam miam   Bon appetit

shrimp" saute" in garlic on fettuccini

Ingredients  2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil  salt pepper  Your favorite Italian dressing  about 3/4 lbs fettuccine  2 cloves garlic  1 lb large shrimps   2 springs of parsley 2 springs of dill  1/4 cup of dried tomatoes  the zest from 1/2 a lemon  1/2 a glass of white wine.  a sprinkle of red pepper flakes Directions In a medium pan heat the olive oil on medium heat. brown the shrimp till they are pink about 5 minutes. Brown them in batches do not crowd them In the same pan brown the garlic and the tomatoes add the white wine add the shrimps to the pan . Add the parsley and the chives. and the lemon zest keep warm Cook the pasta in a lot of  boiled salted water as indicated on the box. When the pasta is done drain it( Keep some of the water to add to the sauce if needed) Add the pasta to the shrimps. I make the same recipe without tomatoes but with cream and Parmesan cheese in the winter but this version is a lot better in warm weather. you may want to use linguine instead of fettuccine actually I like it better but I used what I had in my pantry! i always like to use wine to deglaze the pan but you could omit it and use a little chicken stock. A table miam miam bon ap

roast chicken

When I live in France the most usual Sunday dinner meal was roast chicken. A farmer  brought us a nice plump organic chicken almost every Sunday. After a few preparations the chicken cook all by itself the oven and you can enjoy a relaxing Sunday

                   All trussed and ready to cook

Ingredients

 1 nice organic chicken ( or any fat good looking chicken)
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
2 or 3 rosemary sprigs .
4 or 5 potatoes
2 or 3 carrots
salt. pepper.
green onion
4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preparation
Prepare the vegetables
peel the carrots and slice them
peel the potatoes and cut in small cubes
"blanche" the carrots for a few minutes
In a bowl toss the potatoes and carrots with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining of the chopped rosemary

Rinse the inside of the chicken.
Dry the chicken very well
put 2 tablespoons of butter a spring of rosemary and some chopped green onion in the cavity
add some salt and pepper
make a paste with the rest of the butter, some salt and pepper and the chopped rosemary

Introduce the butter paste between the flesh and the skin spreading it good.
Put the chicken in a large roasting pan and cook in the  preheated oven at 400 degrees

.
Roast for about 15 minutes

Bring the temperature down to 375 degrees F
Add the vegetables around the chicken and continue to cook for 30 to 45 minutes
Check the chicken ounce and a while and toss the vegetables add a little more butter or oil if necessary
The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when  the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife.
Take the chicken and the vegetables out of the pan
deglaze the pan with the wine and a little  chicken stock
Serve the juice with the chicken and the vegetable

Add a green salad and you have a delicious Sunday dinner
Bon appetit!

Note . you just can relaxed why your chicken is ready.
if this chicken is just for you and your love you will have a lot of chicken left over you can make a lot of different dishes for the rest of the week or froze some in plastic bag for future dinners

chicken terriyaki in crock pot.

I found that extremely easy easy recipe on Pinterest . After trying it I was not to happy with it. Here is my version of it.  It is still pretty easy.  Your mother said she made that recipe and you really like it.

ingredients

6  chicken thights
1tbls oil
1 tbls butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup  teriyaki sauce
3 tbls vinegar
1 tb minced ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 cup corn stach
1 cup water
soy sauce


preparations

heat up the oil and the butter.
Make sure the chicken thights are dry. salt them and pepper them and brown them in the hot butter and oil
add the chicken to the crock pot
add all the ingredients but the water and corn starch

Cook for 4 or 5 hours till the chicken is cook
In a small pan mix the corn starch in the water and cook till thick about 5 minutes mixing all the time

Add to the chicken.

serve on steam rice
Steam broccoli will be delicious with the sauce too..



I brown the chicken before because when you "braise " any meat I think it is better to brown the meat before. it seems to develop a better taste. but if you are short in time just add the chicken directly to the crock pot.
I added powder ginger because ginger root will not be a thing you will always  have on hand
Add some soy sauce has needed

Miam miam miam Bon Appetit 



cabbage and sausage

easy to make and comforting on a cold day. Jesse and Jermy love this.

Ingredients

1 kielbasa( or other kind of sausage)
1 piece of salt pork or bacon cut in small pieces
1 onion
1carrot
1 head of cabbage .
8 potatoes
2 cups of white wine  or 2 tbs of wine vinegar
olive oil
butter
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Preparation

Prepare vegetables
Peel onion and carrots and cut in small cubes
Clean  the cabbage. Take the core and  the old exterior leaves  out. cut in quarters.

Peel potatoes cut in small pieces

Brown the salt pork( or bacon) in the olive oil
Add the carrots and onions cook a few minutes
,
 add the sausage cook a few minutes

,add the white wine and cook 5 more minutes

,add the cabbage and potatoes and water to barely cover

add salt pepper and the bouquet garni.

cook for about 40 minutes or till the potatoes are cook.( or put in a crock pot on low for about 7 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

notes : if you don't have a bouquet garni just add bay leave, Thyme, rosemary what ever herbs you like. If you don't have any fresh herbs you could add a little bit of "herbes de Provence "or" Italian seasoning". It is about the same thing and you can keep a jar in your kitchen at all time.

I like to have sour cream and mustard with it. and cornichons or pickles

easy chicken stew

when Brigitte came to visit us she made this for dinner and Jesse loved it . very easy to make.

Ingredients

4 pieces of chicken thighs
1 tbls of oil and 1 tbls of butter
1/2 small onion
I branch of celery
2 large carrots or a few small ones
1 cup of wine
enough chicken stock to cover the chicken
1/2  tbls Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

preparation

clean the celery and the carrots
chopped the vegetables

Make sure the chicken is very dry . Dry it with paper towel if necessary.

Salt and pepper the chicken
Brown the chicken in the butter and oil
put the chicken on the side
in the same pan brown the vegetables
When the vegetables are cooked( about 1o minutes)

.
Deglazed with the wine

cook about 10 minutes
add the chicken back to the pan
cover the chicken with the stock
add the Italian spice add some more salt and pepper if needed

 cover the pan and put in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes . Check if it cook after 30 minutes.

A table , bon appetit, Miam miam.

Notes
-You may keep a bottle of wine for cooking  a long time in your refrigerator.
but if you don't have any wine you may add a tbls of wine vinegar.
-Make sure you pan is a pan that go in the oven, if you don't have one you may finish cooking the chicken on the top of the stove on medium heat.
-You should try to use onion if you chop them very fine you won't ever feel them. If you absolutely can not use onion at least try some onion powder.
-Brigitte made this stew with  chicken legs it was delicious too.
_I like to serve this chicken on boiled rice or you could add potatoes before to put in the oven
Enjoy!


.

lean day : Rice, corn and beans.

this is a meat less dish but it could to used as a side dish for meat or fish.

Ingredients

1 cup left over rice
1 can beans
1 can corn
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)

preparation

mix rice, beans and corn in a pan
cook till warm
add the cheese till it melt.
serve with sour cream if desired.

note
Easy way to cook rice
 Put 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water or chicken stock bring to a boil and then cover and cook slowly till ready. if you use water add 1 tbls salt..
will be nice serve in a soft taco.

pretty tasty

A table. Bon appetit
. Miam  miam Miam