Caprese skillet eggs

For ➍
2 tbs olive oil
60 g (½ cup) chopped onion
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ ts salt
½ ts pepper
4 large eggs
120 g (½ cup) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
5 (¼ cup) mixed chopped fresh basil, oregano & chives*
toasted sliced pane Pugliese or ciabatta

Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 m. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and released their juices, about 5 m.
Use a spoon to make 4 wells in the tomato mixture and crack an egg into each one. Cover pan and cook until whites are firm and yolks are just starting to set, about 2 m.**
Sprinkle with cheese and cover again to melt cheese slightly, about 1 m. Add some freshly baked bacon or ham if wanted.
Sprinkle with herbs and serve with toast.

*Use a mix of basilicum pesto (and fresh basilicum) instead.
**Use poached eggs instead.

Moroccan chicken

For ➍
1 tbs olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbs chicken broth
salt & pepper
100 g cooked or canned chickpeas
1 tbs honey
50 g golden raisins
50 g toasted almonds
2 ts cinnamon
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled & seeded

Heat the oil. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides.
Add cinnamon, tomatoes, broth and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 m.
Add chickpeas and honey and simmer for an additional 5 m.
Top with toasted almonds.
Serve over rice or couscous.

Read tip on cooking chickpeas.

Chicken in milk & lemon

For ➍
1.5 kg chicken***
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
olive oil*
½ stick cinnamon
1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
zest of 2 lemons**
10 cloves garlic, skin left on
50 cl milk

Preheat the oven to 190°C.***
In a fitting pot for the chicken, season it generously all over, and fry it in a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden.
Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramel flavour later on.
Put the chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook, lid on, in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk.
To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds.
Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.
Squeeze the cloves of garlic onto the chicken (or on slices of thick country bread).

*Use butter for better resistance to high temperature.
**Use 1-2 chopped preserved lemons (citrons confits) instead (cut down on the salt, as the lemons are pickled). Wash them with cold water to remove some salt, remove seeds as well.
***Smaller quantities, like 4-600 g chicken thigh fillets without bone, can be prepared at stove-top. Adapt quantities of other ingredients. Brown the chicken, add the other ingredients, cover and cook on medium fire for about 30 m.

Rosemary chicken

For ➍
350 g small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tbs leaves
1 clove garlic, smashed
pinch of red pepper flakes
juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (150-200 g each)
250 g cremini mushrooms, halved

Preheat the oven to 225°C. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 m. Drain and set aside.
Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 ts salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 m. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon.
Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 m.

Quick lemon chicken

For ➍
2 small chickens, or 600 g chicken meat without skin*
½ ts each, oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary (if fresh, increase to 1 ts each)
flour
2 tbs olive oil
5 tbs fresh lemon juice
5 tbs dry white wine
5 tbs chicken or veal broth
125 g fresh Roma plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded, cut into slivers

Dust the (salted and peppered) chicken pieces in a plastic bag with flour.
Brown the pieces in olive oil.
Melt some butter, add the chicken, herbs, wine, lemon juice and broth.
Cover and simmer for 5 m.
Reduce the liquid in the pan over high heat, adding the Roman tomato slivers just before finishing.
Serve with rice.

Read the traditional version.

tip: game cooking times

wild boar steak             skillet           10 m
boar leg                         oven              30 m /500 g
fawn roast                     oven              20 m /500 g
doe leg                           oven              30 m /500 g
doe cutlet                      skillet            20 m (low-medium fire)
wild rabbit                    pot                30 m /500 g
hare                               pot                30 m /500 g
young partridge           skillet           15 m
pheasant                       pot                30 m /500 g
pheasant cutlet            oven              15 m (180°C)
wood pigeon fillet        skillet            10 m (high fire)

tip: cooking chicken in a skillet

For ➋
500 g boneless chicken breasts
2 ts olive oil
salt & pepper

Rub the chicken with a little olive oil (1 ts), salt and pepper.
Heat another ts of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, place chicken breasts in and cook until edges are opaque, about 10 m.
Flip to the other side, then cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for another 10 m.
Let the chicken rest for at least 5 m before you cut to avoid the juices running out.

tip: cook boneless lamb fillets

Remove the tenderloin fillets from the refrigerator and let them reach room temperature in a shallow dish. Lamb fillets need high heat to sear properly. Placing cold fillets in a hot pan lowers the temperature of the oil too much, too fast, and interrupts the searing process.
Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel and season them to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using only salt and pepper preserves the delicate flavor of the tenderloin.
Pour a few tbs of flavorless oil, such as sunflower or canola oil, in a heavy-bottomed saute pan and swirl it to coat. Stainless steel pans work best, because they retain heat well, but you can also use a nonstick saute pan.
Place a sprig or 2 of fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, in the pan. The oil releases the herbs' flavors, which flavor the lamb as it cooks.
Set the stove to medium-high and let the oil heat for about 5 m, or until it appears to shimmer in the pan. The shimmering lets you know it's hot enough.
Place the lamb fillets in the pan, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. Don't overcrowd the pan, or it will take the oil too long to heat back up, which prevents a good sear.
Sear the lamb fillets 2 full m and tilt the sauté pan towards you slightly, still keeping the edge of it on the burner. You want to tilt it just enough for the oil to collect at the bottom where you can spoon it up.
Spoon the hot oil up and pour it over the top of the fillets. Spoon-basting helps the fillets cook evenly, and keeps them covered in the herb-infused oil.
Cook the fillets another 3 m, which makes 5 m total. Turn the filets over with tongs and sear the other side for 2 full m. Tilt the pan towards you again, and spoon-baste the other side of the fillets a few times.
Cook the lamb fillets for 5 m, bringing the total cooking time to 10 m. The lamb fillets are medium-rare to medium after 10 m of total cooking, depending on their thickness. If you want the lamb well-done, lower the heat to medium and cook the fillets another 4 or 5 m.
Remove the fillets and place them on a plate. Cover the lamb fillets loosely with aluminum foil and let them rest for 12 to 15 m before serving.

More tips

tip: meat in a skillet

approximate times

beef:

steaks: 1-3 m per side*

tournedos: 1-3 m per side*

burger: 1-3 m per side

meatball: 15-20 m

roast: 15-20 m per 500 g

pork:

cutlets: 3-4 m per side

fillet: 4-5 m per side

chops: 6-10 m per side

kebab: 3-5 m

roast: 30 m per 500 g

roulades: 15 m

sausages: 15 min

meatball: 15-20 m

lamb:

tenderloin: 2 m per side

chops: 3-4 per side

roast: 25-30 m

meatball: 10-15 m

kebab: 3-4 m

Fry small pieces of tender meat in butter, margarine or a mixture of oil and butter. The skillet should be just large enough to contain the meat to avoid stewing and burning of the fats. Make sure the meat is at room temperature, brown quickly on all sides. Pork should always be well cooked, beef and lamb might be rosy or well done.*

Heat the pan and let a knob of butter or suet to melt. When the fat stops foaming, put the meat in the pan. Sear the meat on both sides. Lower temperature.

Let the meat rest for a few m after cooking.

*The baking time of beef depends on thickness and how the meat is cooked. A 3 cm thick steak will be saignant in 4 m. 6 m will result in à point (medium), bien cuit needs 9-10 m.

Read more tips. Read tips on cooking meat in the oven, on grilling and broiling in the oven.
Read more meat recipes.

tip: fish & seafood cooking times

Oven baking
Whole	175°C	1.3-2.2 kg	25-30 m
Fillets	175°C	1.3-2.2 kg	25-30 m
Steaks	175°C	1.3-2.2 kg	35-40 m
Pan frying
Whole	Medium Heat	whole	8-15 m
Fillets	Medium Heat	2 cm	7-9 m
Steaks	Medium Heat	2.5 cm	9-10 m
Deep frying
Whole	175°C	whole	3-5 m
Fillets	175°C	2 cm	3-5 m
Steaks	175°C	2.5 cm	4-6 m
Grilling
Whole	Medium Heat	whole	10-20 m
Fillets	Medium Heat	2 cm	7-9 m
Steaks	Medium Heat	2.5 cm	9-10 m
Steaming
Whole	Gently Boiling Water	whole	10-12 m
Fillets	Gently Boiling Water	2 cm	10-12 m
Steaks	Gently Boiling Water	2.5 cm	10-15 m

tip: fish & seafood types cooking times

minutes	Stove top	Poach	Oven 200°C	Stew	Microwave 50%
whole fish 250 g
trout	8-10	8-10	15-20	15-20	3-5
sole	4-6	4-6	15-20	10-15	3-5
small sole	4-6	4-6	15-20	10-15	3-5
prawns	3-4	3-4	7-10	7-10	3-5
fillets 150 g
cod	4-6	4-6	15-20	8-10	2-3
saithe	4-6	4-6	15-20	8-10	2-3
red fish	3-5	3-5	15-20	8-10	2-3
plaice	3-5	3-5	15-20	8-10	2-3
salmon	4-6	4-6	15-20	8-10	2-3
catfish	4-6	4-6	15-20	8-10	2-3
swordfish	4-6	4-6	15-20	8-10	2-3
baked mussels	6-8
baked fillet	8-10
pieces 100 g
tuna	4-7	4-7	15-20	8-12	3-4
salmon	4-7	4-7	15-20	8-12	3-4