09-05-2009
Pastas for 30 people!
To go with the chicken I was looking for something easy to prepare (30 people is a lot), but still light.
I have decided to cook Pasta with eggsplants and tomatoes.
What you need:
- 2 pounds of pasta
- 8 tomatoes
- 2 eggsplants
- 5 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
How to do:
Like I did for the zucchinis ( see http://frenchandeasy.canalblog.com/archives/2009/08/20/14801191.html)
cut tomatoes and eggsplants in small cubes, and cook them with garlic,salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta in a large amount of water, with salt.
Mix together pasta and veggies and serve hot.
Enjoy!!
08-30-2009
Chicken for 30 people
Yesterday we had a huge party for our anniversary.
As usual when we do parties in our place I cooked for everyone, we were more than 30 people.
So the today recipe is not really fine food, but as least it is french, light and very easy.
What you need?
- chicken legs
- herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregan, bay leaves ...)
- mustard seeds
How to do ?
Place the chicken legs in a large plate that can go in the oven, add all the herbs you want and the mustard seeds, and cook for an hour at 360 degrees.
Serve hot.
08-28-2009
The French Vinaigrette
French people make their own salad dressing and never use ready to eat dressing.
The more traditional vinaigrette is made with Dijon mustard, olive oil and vinegar. I prefer to use balsamic vinegar, but it is a question of choice.
How to do?
Mix 2 tsp of dijon mustard with 3 tbsp of olive oil until you get a kind of mayonnaise.
Add 2 tbsp of vinegar, salt and pepper and stir well.
08-27-2009
Scallops and Lobster flambe with Cognac
For our wedding anniversary I was looking for something light but elaborate.
I is a challenge when you try to cook light and easy!
I had some lobster tails and some scallops in my freezer, so I decided to cook them.
What you need:
- 1/4 tsp butter
- 5 scallops
- 2 lobster tails
- 2 tbsp cognac
- 1 pinch red pepper
- salt and pepper
For the dressing to go with:
- heavy cream
- paprika
- salt and pepper
How to do:
Prepare the pressing by mixing all the ingredients.
Remove the lobster meat from the shell, and cut it in cubes.
Heat the butter in a non stick pan, and cook the scallops and lobster cubes for 5 minutes.
Add red pepper, salt and pepper.
Heat the dressing 30 secondes in the microwave.
You can choose to eat the seefood with or without the dressing (that is lighter without!).
Asparagus cooked in Papillotes
Papillotes, means cooked in tinfoils, is an really healthy and easy way to cook.
Today I found asparagus, and I decided to simply cook them useing this technique.
You just need green asparagus, salt and pepper, and a aluminium foil.
Rince asparagus and cut the white part.
Place them on the aluminium foil, add salt and pepper:
Close the foil to make a papillote:
Cook in the oven (360 degres) for 30 minutes or more if you have a lare quantity of asparagus.
08-25-2009
An easy way to lightly cook fish
Yesterday I found Basa fish in my supermarket.
I knew the basa was a really tasty fish, and I was looking for something not to tasty (and light) to cook it.
I had the idea ok cooking the fish in the microwave using wax paper.
Then I used tomatoes and basil leaves to cook with.
What you need: (for 2)
- 2 white fish filets
- 1 tomatoes
- 5 basil leaves
- wax paper
How to do ?
Dispose fish in a large square of wax paper.
Add dice tomatoes and cut basil leaves on the top. Add salt and pepper.
Fold the paper like on the following picture:
Place the papillote on a plate, and cook it in the microwave for 6 to 8 minutes according to the sizeof the fillets.
Easy & Light !!
08-24-2009
La Ratatouille au four
The Ratatouille is not only a cartoon! It is a famous dish from the South Est of France.
Traditionally you have to cook all the vegetables one by one before cook them together.
I suggest to use the oven ("le four") to cook the ratatouille, since that is really easier, and also lighter (you don't have to stir fried veggies).
The longest is to cut vegetables, and wait until ratatouille get cooked!
What you need?
- 2 green bell peppers
- 4 tomatoes
- 3 zucchinis
- 1 eggplant
- 1 red oinion
- 10 garlic cloves
- olive oil, salt and pepper according to taste
How to do?
Preheat oven at 360 degres.
Cut all the veggies in small cubes.
Put a little bit of olive oil in a large pan that can go in the oven.
Place veggies in the pan with salt and pepper.
Cook in the oven for about 1 hour.
08-23-2009
Zucchini Gaspacho and scallop
We call Gaspacho a cold soup made with vegetables.
Again the presentation is very important. Here the scallop is swimming in the soup.
For easily eating the scallop, I would recommand to use a kebab pic.
What you need: (serving 4)
- 6 green zucchinis
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1 cube of vegetable broth
- 4 large scallops
- 4 kebab pics
How to do:
Cut the zucchini in 4.
Cook zucchini in boiling water for 4 minutes with vegetable broth.
Using a blinder mix zucchini with 2 cups of the water used to cook them.
Place the soup in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Place the soup in 4 nice glasses.
Using a non stick pan, sear the scallops 3 minutes on each side.
Place the scallops on the pics and the pics in the glasses.
Parsnip and Rubatas confit with honey
In France we call Parsnip and Rubatas the forgotten veggies. That is because there were cooked a lot many years ago by our grand mothers, and especially during the second wold war. So people bacame tired of this root veggies.
But today it is kind of fashion to cook them again, and not only boiled them in water.
I found a recipe to confit them with honey and spices. Since the recipe was not light enough I made some changes, and adapt it to my French and Easy Light Food concept.
What you need:
- 4 parsnips
- 4 rubatas
- 20 garlic cloves
- thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 anise
- 1 cinamon stick
- 1 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp of olive oil
How to do:
Preheat oven at 360 degres.
Peal all the veggies, and the garlic cloves. Cut the rubatas in 8.
Cook the rubatas in boiling water for 10 minutes.
In a large oven pan, add oil, parnisps, thyme, bay leaves, anise, cinamon stick, honey and salt. Cook them 20 minutes in the oven, and stir them often.
Add the rubatas to the parnisps, and let cook everything for 15 minutes.
08-20-2009
A very easy cold and spicy Tomatoes Soup
Yesterday, I didn't have enought time to cook for the diner.
So I decided to prepare a very easy appetizer, a cold tomatoes soup.
What you need:
- 1 large can of peel tomatoes
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 1 green jalapino, without seeds
- salt and peper
How to do ?
In the blinder mix together all the ingredients, and place the soup in the refrigirator until serving.
As I did yesterday, I place the soup in nice glasses to make "verrines". My husband had the feeling that I cooked for hours !
THAT IS ALL !! EASY!!! :-)
