Grilled fennel salad with apricots & goat cheese

For ➍

2 fennels

4 large apricots

2 tbs roasted hazelnuts*

1 handful of basil

200 g fresh goat cheese

lemon

salt

olive oil

Heat the barbecue.**

Slice half a fennel into thin slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Pour the juice of a lemon over it and add a generous pinch of salt. Mix briefly and let it marinate. Cut the rest of the fennel into slightly thicker slices. Rub with olive oil and salt, and grill on the barbecue**. Use a grill with small openings for this, so that the fennel does not fall through. When the fennel is slightly charred and a little soft, remove it from the barbecue. Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits, then rub with oil. Place them on the grill** with the cut side down for a moment, until they soften slightly and develop black stripes.

Assemble the salad by mixing the roasted and marinated fennel (and the lemon juice in which they marinated) with the grilled apricots. Place the goat cheese on top and finish with the basil leaves and hazelnuts*.

Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with some good olive oil.

*Replace with walnuts.

**Use a grill pan for small quantities if necessary.

♥︎Quiche without pastry

For ➍

2 sweet potatoes, finely mandoline sliced

bag baby spinach

4 eggs

2 tbs Greek yoghurt or whipped cottage cheese

1 clove garlic, crushed

100 g smoked salmon

100 g fresh goat cheese or 1 goat cheese slice

olive oil

salt & pepper

Spread thin slices of sweet potato in a pie dish to make a good base. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 min until edges are lightly golden.

Whisk the yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper

Pour over the sweet potato. Divide the spinach over the dish. Add pieces of smoked salmon and crumbled goat cheese. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 min.

Serve with green salad.

Green apple & kale salad

For ➍
3 cups ribbed & chopped kale or borecole
handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cooked black lentils
1 green apple, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup shaved Parmigiano, or feta or goat cheese
dressing
one clove garlic
1 tbs honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
salt &pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.
For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more cheese if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

Autumn flammkuchen

For ➋

1 large puff pastry sheet

150 g crème fraîche

a few slices of pumpkin

½ red onion 

2 figs

100 g goat cheese

1 handful of walnuts

fresh rosemary

2 tbs honey

Spread Flammkuchen ingredients on the pastry sheet. Sprinkle some oil over it.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 200°C for approx. 20 m.

Marinated fennel with goat cheese & capers

For ➍ as a side dish, for ➋ as a main 

1 fennel bulb 

1 tbs fennel seed 

½ ts sea salt 

1.5 dl virgin olive oil 

2 tbs capers oil (for frying) 

1 soft fresh soft goat cheese, French 

1-1.5 lemon 

Grind the fennel seed with the sea salt in a mortar (but not necessarily until it is a homogeneous powder) and mix the result with the olive oil.* Scrape the fennel into thin ribbons with a mandolin. Mix them generously with the fennel oil* and let them marinate (that is allowed overnight, but half an hour is also good). 

Rinse the capers and pat them dry. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and fry the capers until they get a meaty texture with crispy edges. Let them drain.** 

Sprinkle the capers over the fennel and serve with the goat cheese. Serve with crusty bread, which you can dip in the soft cheese and marinade. 

*Make a lower calories lemon oil marinade with 2tbs olive oil, juice & grated peel of 1-1.5 lemon. Add the fennel seeds & salt. 

**Don't fry the capers when short in time.

Grilled fennel with citrus dressing & goat cheese

For ➍
2 fennel bulbs
4 clementines
50 g walnuts
120 g soft goat cheese
1 tbs olive oil
pepper & salt
dressing:
2 dl clementine juice
1 dl lime juice
2 tbs sugar
1 cardamom pod (or try ginger)
2 star anise
3 cloves

Make the dressing: mix the spices & sugar with the juice of clementines and lemons. Heat the seasoned juice and reduce to ½.
Cut the fennel bulbs lengthwise in (not too) thin slices, and drizzle with olive oil. Keep some fennel leaves on the side for finishing.
Heat a grill pan. Grill the slices of fennel and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the grilled fennel on plates, drizzle with the citrus vinaigrette and crumble the goat cheese on top. Peel the clementines and cut into thin slices.
Put slices on top. Add the coarsely chopped walnuts and a few tufts of fennel leaves far.

Pesto omelet

For ➊
3 egg whites
1 large egg
salt & pepper
35 g cooked chicken breast, into small cubes,
2 tbs goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs sun-dried tomatoes, packed (dip off all oil)
1 tbs pesto, green or red
fresh basil

Spray a small 10 cm pan with cooking spray and heat on medium-low heat for 2 m.
While the pan heats, whisk together the egg whites and egg and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture unto the pan and cook, making sure you occasionally tilt the pan and lift up the set egg, letting the uncooked egg run underneath it to cook. Cook until the omelet is just set, about 3 to 5 m, you don’t want the bottom to become too brown!
Spread the chicken over half of the omelet, followed by the goat cheese. Finally, sprinkle the sun dried tomatoes on top. Flip the other side over and on top, so it covers all the fillings. Let cook for a few s so the goat cheese gets warm and melty.
Spread the pesto on top of the omelet and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Tortilla with endives & raw milk goat cheese

For ➍
1 shallot, chopped
1 zucchini (or 100 g peas, frozen), cubed
4 heads of chicory, cored cut in strips
2 large flowery potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 tbs finely chopped chives
6 eggs
150 g raw milk goat cheese
baking butter
pepper & salt
rucola salad

Boil the potatoes in salty water.
Bake the shallot in a little butter until glassy. Add the pre-cooked potato cubes and fry for a while. Add the zucchini and chicory and let it bake. Season with pepper and salt.
Beat the eggs and pour them over the vegetables. Crumble the goat cheese over the mixture. Put the lid on the pan and let it cook on a low heat for 10 m.
Turn the tortilla and let it cook for 2 m.
Finish the tortilla with the chopped chives and serve with the rucola salad.

Haddock with cauliflower & romanesco

For ➋
2 mini romanescos*
2 mini cauliflowers*
400 g haddock fillets
2-3 tbs goat cheese
1 tsp curry
1 tsp turmeric

Wash the vegetables. Cut a cross in the base. Bring water to boil in a steamer. Steam uncut vegetables for 3-4 m.
Meanwhile, steam the fish in microwave (about 1 m per 100 g). When ready, sprinkle with pepper and salt.
Mix 2-3 tbs of cheese with the curry and turmeric. After removing the vegetables rom the steamer, put a suitable cup with the cheese in in the steamer for 1 m.
Serve the fish alongside with the vegetables and the curry mix on 2 plates.

*Use larger cabbages and cut them in florets.

Pumpkin risotto

For ➍
250 g risotto rice
600 g pumpkin, skinned & cubed
250 g smoked bacon
200 g black olives (canned), sliced into rings
150 g fresh goat cheese
Provençal herbs (marjoram, basil, tarragon, thyme, parsley)
olive oil
vegetable or chicken stock

Fry the bacon in a little oil. Add the pumpkin cubes. Bake until just not done.
Add some olive oil and fry the risotto rice in the panPour the remaining oil in the pan and pour the risotto rice. Let the rice on the oil fry until it turns translucent. Stir occasionally. Add hot stock and a pinch of the herbs.
Simmer the rice in the pan until soft. Add water if necessary.
Cut the olives into rings and add them.
Let it simmer until all the water is gone. Then stir in the goat cheese into the risotto just before removing it from the fire.
Serve with Parmigiano cheese.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Fennel & beet salad

For ➍ 

6 medium-sized beets
2 fennel bulbs
1 large grapefruit
walnut oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper
100-120 log goat cheese
coriander or tarragon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Wash the beets and cut off the root. Place beets root-side-down in a glass baking dish filled with 2 cm water. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 m or until the beets are tender. Remove beets from the oven and allow them to cool.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cut the fennel into thin strips and blanch for 2-3 m. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
Once the beets have cooled, discard the skins and cut them into matchstick sized pieces.
Mix 1 part grapefruit juice with two parts walnut oil. Add lemon juice depending on the acidity of the grapefruit. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the beets and fennel together in a large bowl and drizzle with the grapefruit vinaigrette*. Serve on top of slices of goat cheese.

*If using dark-colored beets, slice them into rounds and serve them under a pile of the fennel and light-colored beets. If tossed together, the dark beets will color the whole salad an unappealing shade of pink.
**Eventually, add some coriander or tarragon.

Beets and goat cheese are natural allies.

Shakshuka with kale & goat cheese

For ➍
6 cl olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 heaping cup chopped kale*
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 ts ground cumin
1 ts chipotle powder (or dried red pepper)
900 g can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
sea salt to taste
4 eggs
50 g goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs parsley, chopped
1 tbs basil, chopped

Heat oil in a 20 cm cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chopped onions, kale and garlic and stir until soft. Add cumin, chipotle powder and stir for another m. Add tomatoes and their liquid to the skillet. Reduce heat, simmer for 15 m. Add a little water, if necessary: the mixture should have a sauce-like consistency.
When the tomato mixture has thickened slightly, stir in a dash of salt.
[Move to small individual skillets].
Make a little hole in the sauce with a wooden spoon and crack egg into the cleavage, repeating three more times with the remaining eggs across the surface of the sauce**. Cover the skillet(s) and cook for 4–5 ms, depending on how runny you like your yolks.*** Remove from heat and finish with goat cheese and herbs.
Serve with buttered toast.

*use broccoli or cavalo nero instead. 
**or mix the eggs through the mixture instead of poaching the eggs.
***or cook the eggs longer on very low fire for 10-12 m. When in doubt about the freshness, or to avoid salmonella risk, cook on low fire for 20 m.

Shakshouka means 'mixture' in Arabic slang. [3] It is likely that it was first known as chakchouka, a Berber word meaning a vegetable ragout. It is a staple of Egyptian, Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan cuisines traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with bread to mop up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel, where it was introduced by Tunisian Jews.
Tunisian cooks added artichoke hearts, potatoes and broad beans to the dish. According to some food historians, the dish was invented in the Ottoman Empire, spreading throughout the Middle East and Spain, where it is often served with spicy sausage. Another belief is that it hails from Yemen, where it is served with zhug, a hot green paste. Some versions include salty cheeses.
It is similar to the Turkish dish menemen, and the Mexican breakfast dish huevos rancheros. In Turkish cuisine, there is also şakşuka, which is more like a ratatouille. Shakshouka is also similar to Spanish pisto manchego, a traditional La Mancha dish from southeast Spain, usually also accompanied by a fried egg.
This fusion version is built around healthy kale (or borecole, derived from the Dutch 'boerenkool'), of the same cabbage range as broccoli.

Goat cheese, green beans & walnuts

For ➋
150 g fresh goat cheese roll
150 g fine green beans
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs walnut halves, toasted
marinade:
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs walnut oil
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, squashed flat
1 ts fresh thyme leaves
1 ts coriander seeds, cracked
1 ts fennel seeds

Cut the goats' cheese into thick slices.
For the marinade, combine all the marinade ingredients (olive oil, walnut oil, shallots, garlic, thyme leaves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds) together in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the goats' cheese slices, cover, and leave for a few hours or overnight, turning once.
The next day, drain the goats' cheese and reserve the marinade, discarding the garlic.
Top the beans. Cook in simmering salted water for 5 m. Drain.
Toss the beans in 1 tbs of the reserved marinade and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the beans on two dinner plates.
Preheat the grill to medium. Transfer the goats' cheese to a sheet of foil and place under the grill for 2 m, or until just melted. Divide between the 2 plates, add 2 tbs of the marinade. Decorate with the toasted walnuts.
Serve with fresh toast.

Toast with scrambled eggs, North Sea shrimps & goat's cheese

For ➍
4 thick slices of bread
6 eggs
0.5 dl cream
½ bunch of chives, chopped
25 g butter
200 g peeled North Sea shrimps
100 g fresh goat cheese
black pepper & sea salt

Toast the bread slices.

Beat the eggs, the cheese and the cream. Mix in the chives and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture and cook stirring constantly until the eggs form a smooth paste.

Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the shrimps.

Spread on toast, garnish with goat cheese and serve immediately.

Millefeuille aux poivrons (peppers mille-feuille)

For ➍
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
olive oil
veal stock (fond de veau) or vegetable stock
250 g soft goat cheese
5 tbs olive oil
chives

Mix the cheese with 5 tbs olive oil. add salt & pepper. Let cool in refrigerator for a few h.
Cut the peppers in half. Sprinkle the skins with some olive oil. Blister the skin of the peppers under a grill. When blackened, put the peppers in a closed plastic bag and leave for 10-15 m, so the steam will loosen the skin. Peel off the skins. Pull off the stalk, taking the white ribs and seeds with it.
Soften the peppers in warm veal stock for 15 m. Let them cool.
Dry with kitchen paper. Cut into 16 equal circular or square parts. (Bake in oil)*.
Make little towers of 4 differently coloured pepper slices, with the cheese mixture between them. Add a drop of oil and decorate with chives.

*Optional.

Originally, mille-feuille is a gâteau, made up of three layers of puff pastry, and two layers of crème pâtissière. As the puff pastry traditionally is prepared in six stages of folding into three, the milfoil/ mille-feuille/ mille foglie comprises 729 layers. In the 20th century, savory mille-feuilles were developed.

Asparagus & pancetta hash

For ➍
125 g pancetta, diced
500 g spring potatoes, peeled, cut & diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
250 g asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2.5 cm segments
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil*

Heat a cast iron frying pan* over medium heat. Fry the pancetta, turning it frequently so that it browns and crisps, for 10 m. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.

Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan*.

Add the potatoes. Don’t move them for a couple minutes. Use this time to season them well with salt and pepper. Once they’ve gotten a little brown underneath, begin flipping and turning them, then letting them cook again for a few minutes.

When the potatoes are about ¼ as crisped and brown as you’d like them, after 15 m, add the onion. Cook for 5 m more. Add the asparagus, cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 m, or until crisply cooked.

Remove the lid, return the pancetta to the pan for another minute, to reheat.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Serve immediately with fried eggs, dabs of goat cheese and slivers of green onions. Or with broiled salmon. Or pork cutlets.

*With a well-seasoned cast iron, this should be all the fat you need. Otherwise, use 1 tbs of oil. Or, when not using pancetta or pork, 2 tbs of oil.

Cervelle de canut (French goat cheese spread)

For ➑ servings
225 g fromage blanc or chèvre
5 cl (3 tbs) white wine vinegar
2 tbs crème fraîche or sour cream
1,5 tbs light olive oil
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 ts dried chives or 1 tbs fresh chives, chopped
1 ts dried chervil or 1 tbs fresh chervil, chopped
¾ ts sea salt
⅛ ts ground black pepper
1 day-old baguette, sliced for toasting (1 cm).

Drain the fromage blanc for 15 m. Put it, along with the white wine vinegar, crème fraîche, and olive oil into a food processor. Process the cheese until it is smooth and of medium consistency.

Add the shallots, chives, chervil, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture just until the herbs are incorporated into the cheese.

Refrigerate the cheese for 2 to 3 h before serving.

Toast the baguette slices. Spread the cheese on them. Serve as an appetizer or small starter.

A canut is a silk weaver, especially in the Lyon region, where the silk industry was developed in in the 18th century with introduction of the mechanical Jacquard looms, replacing the manual home looms. 'Cervelle' is French for brain, the combination meaning 'silk weaver's brain', which might have been an insult, or mean language of the rich owners of the factories. The mercilessly exploited canuts staged two major uprisings in 1831 and 1834, becoming an example for workers' revolts in the 19th century.
More recipes from the Lyon region: matefaim salé, braised chicken with cream sauce, salade lyonnaise.

Fennel & goat cheese

For ➑
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
green fennel stems
30 cl olive oil
4 (French) soft goat cheese
1 ts salt
2 tbs fennel seeds

Brown fennel seeds for a few s. Crush fennel seeds and salt.
Add to the olive oil. Add sliced fennel. Marinate for at least 1 h in the refrigerator.
Serve fennel on individual plates. Add 2 tbs of goat cheese. Sprinkle with fennel oil.
Decorate with green fennel stems.