Straccetti di pollo e finocchi al limone (chicken strips & lemon & fennel)

For ➋

2 chicken breasts
1 fennel
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon, juice
1 lemon, grated peel
1 ts grated fresh ginger
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Cut the chicken breasts into strips with a sharp knife or scissors, following the grain of the meat.
Put the chicken in a bowl to marinate with the garlic clove, oil, salt, pepper, juice and grated lemon peel and grated fresh ginger.
Clean the fennel by removing the tops and the leathery outer part. Cut it into very thin strips and add it to the marinade. Use the mandolin for best results.
Turn well and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 m (if you want even more, remix every 30 m).*
Heat a large non-stick pan. When it is hot, add the chicken and fennel with the whole marinade (discard the garlic, if you want).

Cook the chicken on a moderate heat for 10 m, turning it occasionally or roasting it. After 10 m the sauce will be reduced and will be more creamy, the chicken will have become more golden.  Cook for 10-15 m.

Serve hot.

*Adjust taste with some mirin, or white balsamico for a sweeter bite. Add some sumak for a touch of sweet sourness.

Pasta battuto (pasta with Ligurian pine nut sauce)

For ➍
100 g crushed pine nuts
2 sprigs of marjoram
50 g Parmigiano
pinch of salt
extra virgin olive oil
a little milk

Blend the ingredients, just adding enough olive oil and milk to make the mixture smooth.
Cook the pasta as usual and mix in the fresh sauce when it's ready. Use a roughly textured pasta with battuto.
Serve pasta battuto with a fresh salad. (Or eat it first and follow it with the salad).

Liguria is the Italian Riviera, with San Remo as main attraction. This battuto is close to pesto, and quite different from the traditional battuto, used in Roman cooking, an initial preparation, that can be developed into a sauce, a stew or a soup, like the Lazio minestra col battuto alla romana. Read a related Ligurian recipe, pasta with walnuts sauce.

Quick Japanese marinated salmon

For ➋
2 salmon fillets 150 g each
1 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs mirin
1 tbs sake
½ tbs oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a ziplock bag, remove as much air as possible and marinate overnight (or minimum 3 h).
Heat ½ tbs oil in a non stick pan over medium heat*.
Add salmon skin side down, cook for 2 to 3 m until crispy. Check the skin to ensure it isn't cooking too quickly - if it is, then turn down the heat and/or remove the pan from the stove briefly to allow the temperature to decrease.
Drizzle over remaining marinade in the ziplock bag over the flesh side. Flip and cook the flesh side for 2 m, or to your liking. I like salmon medium rare so the inside is very moist and just cooked.
Rest for a couple of minutes, remembering that the salmon will continue to cook while resting, then serve.

*Be careful to ensure you cook it over medium heat and no higher - because of the sugar in the mirin, if you cook it on too high a heat the sugar will burn before the inside has been cooked.
**Other method: to broil/grill, preheat the broiler/grill on high. Use the oil to grease a tray, then place the salmon on it and place under the broiler/grill (about 5 inches / 15 cm from the heat source) until cooked to your liking. The general rule of thumb is 10 m per 2.5 cm thickness of the fillet (measure the thickest part of the fish).

Quick risotto

For ➊
30 g rice
10-15 cl water
⅓ cube chicken broth or fish fumet
1 ts curry powder
½ onion
125 g mushrooms
100 g cod, frozen
1 tbs coconut milk or cream*

Bring the water to the boil with the rice and the chicken stock cube. Add the curry powder.
Cut the onion and the mushrooms into small pieces. Add them to the rice. Put the lid on the pot. Let it cook for 5 m.
Cut the deep-frozen cod into large pieces and add them to the mixture. Cook for another 5 m.
Remove the lid from the pot and set the fire to the lowest setting. Add the cococonut milk and let it cook for another 5 m without lid.
Stir well and serve.

*Optional
**Add peppers or peas for some colour. Replace the cod with salmon, polak ... or any other fish. Or try with ⅓ can chickpeas, quorn fillet or a fried egg. Also tasty with pieces of parma ham or beef or chicken cubes that you add in the end.

Chokotoff sauce

For ➍
150 g chokotoffs, crudely chopped*
a bit of milk or cream*

Put the chokotoffs in a microwave safe jug.
Add a bit of milk or cream.
Put in the microwave for 3 m at 650 W.
Serve hot with ice cream, or as a topping over tiny crèpes with ice cream.

*Alternatively, mix 150 g of chopped chokotoffs, 1 chopped bar of dark chocolate, 10 cl fresh cream and a pinch of salt in a small pan. Melt everything on low heat. Serve with ice cream.

'Chokotoff' (from 'chocolate' and 'toffee', and a wordplay on the Brussels' 'tof', meaning 'great!') is a Belgian sweet, invented in 1934 by famous Belgian chocolate-makers Côte d'Or. It has a half-soft caramel inside, covered in crispy dark chocolate. Each piece is wrapped as a small present, featuring the Côte d'Or elephant. It is a national institution, and the news that production would move from Belgium to Lithuania caused quite a stir. New owners, Kraft Foods, and Mondelèz  introduced a milk chocolate version, a white chocolate version (abandoned) , and a choco spread with the same taste (abandoned) .
Read another Côte d'Or chocolate inspired dessert: parfait glacé Dessert 58.

Quick tomato nikujaga

For ➍
2 ts vegetable oil
2 tbs sugar
300 g beef, sliced thinly
360 g potatoes (8 small potatoes, peeled & cut in half)
230 g tomatoes (2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges)
220 g onion (1 small onion, sliced)
200 g shirataki noodles, drained, rinsed , chopped
170 g carrots (1 large carrot, cut into large pieces)
20 cl sake
5 cl soy sauce
80 g snap peas, sliced in half

Heat a pan large enough for all of the ingredients over medium high-heat until hot. Add the oil and sugar and swirl to coat. Add the beef and stir-fry until the beef is mostly cooked. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, onion, shirataki noodles, carrots, sake, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Partially cover with a lid and turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the vegetables and meat are tender, about 50 m.
Add the snap peas and cover and steam until they are bright green.

The traditional way to make nikujaga is to simmer beef, potatoes, onions and carrots in dashi, a type of Japanese soup stock. It gives the dish the signature Japanese flavor with an intense umami and a mild smoky flavor from the dried bonito. Replace with tomato & sake. Or make an easy version.

Fazantenfilets op zijn Brabants (Flemish pheasant fillets with endives)

For ➍
4 pheasant fillets, skinless
4-6 endives, finely cut
2-4 tbs fond
cream
savoy or turnips mash

Brown the fillets in a well heated pan. Lower the heat and cook the fillets for 5 more m.
Meanwhile sautée the endives in a little butter in another pan on medium heat. After 5 m, add the fillets and the fond. Cover and cook for 5 more m. Add the cream and thicken the sauce for a few m.
Put the fillet on a plate with some sauce.
Serve with a mash of savoy or turnips.

This a simple and quick version of a tradtional Brabant recipe. Read the similar elaborated recipe with guinea fowl.
Read the braising endives without water tip.
Read the cooking endives @ microwave tip.

English chicken casserole

For ➍
2 tbs vegetable oil
8 chicken thigh fillets
6 shallots, peeled & quartered
2 carrots, peeled & sliced thickly
110 g white mushrooms, cleaned & thinly sliced
8 new potatoes, scrubbed & quartered
1 l chicken stock
1 tbs roughly chopped flat parsley leaves, plus leaves for garnish
12 black olives, stoned
2 tbs crème fraîche
bread

Heat a large oven-proof casserole over a medium heat being careful not to make it too hot or the oil will smoke. Add the oil to the casserole and raise the heat slightly until hot but again, not smoking.  Add 4 of the chicken thighs and turn the thighs constantly in the hot oil until browned all over. Remove from the pan, place on kitchen towel to drain and keep to one side. Repeat this with the remaining 4 thighs.
Once the thighs are browned, to the hot pan add the quartered shallots,  sliced carrots, sliced mushrooms and the quartered potatoes . Stir thoroughly to make sure all the vegetables are covered with the oil.
Return the browned chicken thighs to the casserole,  pour the chicken stock over. Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 20 m on a medium heat, the casserole should be bubbling but not boiling fiercely.
Add the parsley and olives, cover again with the lid and cook for a further 15 m or until the potatoes are tender, when pierced with a sharp knife.
Remove from the heat the casserole from the heat, stir in the cream, garnish with the parsley leaves.
Serve with crusty bread, a must for mopping up the lovely juices.

*Change the herbs to tarragon which is a classic herb for chicken.
Remove the olives and crème fraîche, adding canned borlotti or haricot blanc beans instead.
Keep the olives but remove the crème fraîche and add a can of drained chopped tomatoes.

Cannellini soup with garlic & parsley

For ➍-➏
8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 ts chopped garlic
350 g cooked cannellini or other white beans, from dried beans (recommended)*
salt & black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
25 cl homemade beef stock or water**
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)

Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until is becomes colored a very pale gold. Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 m.
Take about 100 g of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth.
Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 m, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley, and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls.

*cannellini bean = white kidney bean = fazolia bean
For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 h. Drain and rinse, then put them in a large pan, cover with 5 cm of cold water, bring to the boil, scoop off any foam, then boil for a further 10 m. Scoop the foam off again, then add just a little salt (too much salt before they're cooked will harden the skin, as will anything acidic like lemon juice or tomatoes), and simmer gently with the pan lid half on for 1 to 1.5 h, until tender. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more if necessary.
**Use a little less water or broth (5 cl) and oil (2 tbs) to make a thicker mash that can be served as a side dish with roast white fish, spicy chorizo and grilled scallop, or spread on thick bread.

Quick prawn curry

For ➋
250 g large prawns
20 g butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 ts curry
2 witloof endives, sliced
2 tbs of chives

Wash and dry the prawns.
Heat the butter and garlic. Add the curry.
Add the prawns. Bake 2-3 m on each side.
Add the sliced endives. Cook for 1 m longer. Add a dash of whiskey, bourbon or pernod, if wanted, or lemon juice.
Sprinkle with chives. Serve with garlic bread.

Quick mint cider

For ➊ drink
½ tbs white mint syrup*
15 cl brut cider**

Freeze long-stemmed glasses until frosted. Put mint syrup in glass. Pour cider in.

*Avoid syrups that are too sweet, or that contain artificial colouring or flavours.
Or make your own fresh mint syrup.
Or put some sugar and fresh mint leaves in a larger glass and pour over the cider.
**Use a good Normandy bitter apple cider, not too sweet.

This is a quick version of a traditional mint cider punch. (Put a good bunch of chopped fresh mint and 1,5 l apple cider in a pot, bring to boil and simmer for 5 m. Cool and strain. Add 25 cl lemonade or soda and refrigerate. Add 10 cl lemon vodka and 10 cl green apple vodka before serving. Cut the vodka if you want.) This also inspired the Rumor cocktail (mix white old rum, mint, cider, fresh lime and top with soda).
Recently, the Japanese beverage giant Suntory launched a soft drink Cool Mint Cider, with just too much sugar in it, and dressed with icy penguins.

No-churn coffee ice cream

For ➓ dl
30 cl heavy or double cream, well-chilled*
175 g sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs instant espresso powder
2 tbs espresso liqueur

Whisk all the ingredients together just until the whisk leaves trails of soft peaks in the bowl, and you have a gorgeous, caffe-latte-colored airy mixture. Fill two 50 cl airtight containers, and freeze for 6 hs or overnight. Serve straight from the freezer.
Serve with a chocolate sauce or with little brioches.

*Or use mascarpone.
**Variations:
-vanilla flavour: 1 ts vanilla extract
-ginger flavour: 100 g stem ginger, chopped, plus 4 tbs syrup from the jar
-coffee & brandy flavour: 2-3 tbs coffee essence, 2 tbs brandy
-raspberry flavour: 15 cl sieved raspberry purée (you could also use strawberry)
-rum & raisin flavour: 100 g raisins soaked in 4 tbs rum for 2 h

Noodles with marinated salmon @ wok in orange sauce

For ➍
200 g soba or rice noodles
½ broccoli in florets
100 g green asparagus
1 handful mangetout
400 g salmon, skinless
20 cl fresh orange juice
2 ts fish sauce
2 ts soy sauce
½ tbs sesame seeds (optional)
1 cm ginger, grated
½ chilli, deseeded, cut into rings
2 tbs sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1 scallion, cut into strips
fresh coriander

Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.
Make the marinade: put ginger, garlic, orange juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and chilli in a bowl and mix.
Cut the salmon into chunks and mix among the marinade. Let marinate for 10 m. Set aside.
Bake the salmon pieces (without the marinade) in a wok for 3-4 m. Remove the salmon from the pan and keep aside.
Pour the remaining marinade into the wok and boil for 1 m.
Add the broccoli, mangetout and asparagus. Cook for 5 m until al dente.
Mix the noodles in the marinade.
Serve the noodles with the sauce. Put some salmon chunks on top. Add some spring onions, coriander or seaweed.

Prawns & artichokes

For ➍
1 tbs olive oil
500 g large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1½ tbs dried red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
400 g diced tomatoes
2 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ts paprika
½ ts salt
1 can (400 g) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add shrimps, pepper flakes, and garlic. Sauté 3 m.
Add remaining ingredients. Cook 3 m, stirring frequently, or until shrimp are done and mixture is thoroughly heated.

Maze kare (Japanese dry meat curry)

For ➍
250 g ground pork or beef
2.5 cm ginger root, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 small green bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs butter
1-2 tbs curry powder
3 tbs ketchup
1 ts Worcester sauce
30 l chicken broth
700 g steamed sushi rice

Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry ginger, garlic, and onion until transparent on medium heat.
Add meat and fry until color changes.
Add carrot and green bell pepper in the skillet.
Sprinkle curry powder over the ingredients and stir-fry until well mixed.
Pour chicken broth in the skillet and add ketchup and Wrocester sauce.
Simmer on low heat until the liquid is almost gone. Add butter and stir well.
Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper.
Serve dry curry over steamed rice.

This curry contains less liquid than basic Japanese curry and is called dry curry in Japan. It's similar to Keema curry. Dry curry is often served on steamed rice.
Curry (karē) is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. It is commonly served in three main forms: curry rice (karē raisu), karē udon (thick noodles) and karē-pan (bread). Curry rice is most commonly referred to simply as 'curry' (karē).
A wide variety of vegetables and meats are used to make Japanese curry. The basic vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. For the meat, beef, pork, chicken and sometimes duck are the most popular, in order of decreasing popularity. Katsu-karē is a breaded deep-fried pork cutlet with curry sauce.
Curry was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era (1869–1913) by the British, at a time when India was under the administration of the British. The dish became popular and available for purchase in supermarkets and restaurants in the late 1960s. It has been adapted since its introduction to Japan, and is so widely consumed that it can be called a national dish.
It was originally considered to be Western cuisine. This Western-style curry currently co-exists alongside Indian-style curry, which has become popular since the increase in Indian restaurants in the 1990s. A third style that combines these two, original curry (orijinaru karē?), is also available. Western-style curry draws its influence from stews mixed with curry powder, which were popular amongst the British Navy.
In the Kansai region, beef curry is most common, while in the Kantō region pork curry is most popular. This contrasts with South Asian curries where, due to the strong influence of Hinduism and Islam, vegetarian, chicken and lamb curries are most common.

Sweet potato with feta, olives & coriander

For ➍
300 g feta
½ ts fennel seeds
½ ts coriander seeds
1 chilli pepper
4 large sweet potatoes
125 g black olives
1 bunch fresh coriander
olive oil
pepper

Preheat oven at 180°C.
Prick with a fork some holes in the sweet potatoes and place them in the oven until they are completely cooked (about 50 m).
Remove the seeds from the chilli. Cut it fine.
Remove pits from the olives. Cut them into pieces.
Crumble the feta. Mix with the fennel and coriander seeds, olives and sliced ​​chilli. Add a few tbs of olive oil and mix into a smooth mixture.
Halve the cooked sweet potatoes, remove a scoop and put the feta mixture in.
Finish with a handful of coriander leaves.

Read tip on cooking sweet potatoes & microwave.

Scallops & endives

For ➍
4 heads of endives
12 scallops
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
truffle oil
nutmeg
salt & pepper

Clean the endives and cut it into chunks. Fry them in a pan with butter and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the sugar and extinguish with balsamic vinegar and truffle oil.
Cook the scallops over high heat in a pan with non-stick coating for 2 m per side.

Read the braising endives without water tip, the cooking endives @ microwave tip and on cooking (frozen) scallops. Read another version or the related scallops with endives & leek recipe.

Pork steaks with fennel

For ➋
2 pork steaks, 1 cm thick
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
salt & white pepper
side dish:
200 g white button mushrooms, sliced
bunch of parsley

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Season the meat. When the oil is hot, add the pork and fry on 1 side for 1-2 m. Turn and fry other side.
Turn down the heat. Add the fennel. Cook for another 7-9 m.
Remove the meat and keep warm. Add the fennel fronds and lemon juice. Boil for 2 m.
Pour over the pork.
Serve with a salad of sliced white mushrooms, olive oil and parsley.

Coq au vin (chicken & red wine)

For ➍
1 chicken, in pieces* (or boneless thighs)
200 g mushrooms, sliced
100 g smoked bacon
3 onions, diced
1 laurel leaf**
1 sprig thyme**
1 bottle strong red wine***
½ tbs flour
1 tbs butter
salt & pepper

Heat the butter in a frying pan. Brown the chicken. Sprinkle the pieces with a little flour.
Pour the wine on the chicken. Reduce the heat, add thyme and laurel, cover and let simmer for 20 m.
Meanwhile brown the bacon. In another pan, heat the onions in some butter, until translucent. Add the mushrooms.
Add onions and mushrooms to the chicken, cover and let simmer for another 5 m. Add the bacon.
Add salt & pepper and serve.

*With skin if possible. Remove skin before serving.
**Remove before serving.
***Strong red wines of South Western France are well suited to this dish. Try to find some Négrette-based wines.

This is a quick version of a traditional French dish, made with with strong-headed wines and old roosters, done with crowing. Recipes vary depending on the region. When an old rooster is used, marinate it overnight in a mix of wine, sliced carrot, thyme and laurel, and some chopped garlic. Then, add a small glass of cognac, cover and let simmer for about 2 h.
The Négrette wine grape, named after a rather full-bodied black female, is grown primarily in South West France in the region between Albi and Toulouse. It is a descendant of the mavro variety, meaning black in Greek, on Cyprus, but is also found in Irak. It is believed to have been carried to France by the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in the 12th century during the Crusades, though some sources seem to suggest that it was already growing in the South West in the 6th century.
The principal appellation using this variety is the Côtes du Frontonnais (red and rosé), requiring that 50% to 70% of the blend be comprised of the Négrette grape, augmented by cabernet franc and cabernet-sauvignon, or syrah, cinsaut, gamay, mauzac and merille. Other blends are sold as (some of the) Fronton and (some) Côtes de Gascogne. In California the vine is known as Pinot St-George.
For a white wine version, read coq au Riesling.
Read the chicken cooking tip.

Mug chocolate cake @ microwave

For ➊-➋
4 tbs flour, sifted
4 tbs sugar, sifted
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa, sifted
2 tbs whisked egg*
3 tbs milk
3 tbs oil
3 tbs chocolate chips**
splash vanilla or other flavoring, e.g. peppermint or cinnamon
icing sugar

Add all of the dry ingredients to the mug and mix.
Add the egg* and combine well.
Stir in milk and oil.
Add chocolate chips** and splash of vanilla. Stir well.
Microwave for 3 m in a 1000w oven, or 4 m in a 700w oven.
It will crown over the top of the mug, but collapses once the heat stops.
Shake out of the mug. Serve warm with a dust of icing sugar. Or let it cool for about 30 m. Serve with red fruits.

*1 egg is too much, 1 egg white is too eggy, 1 yolk is too dense. Omit egg for a fudgier texture. Or replace with an extra tbs of milk.
**Or a broken up candy bar.