tartiflette

For the idea thanks to the lovely french place near work.

1.3kg waxy potatoes, skin left on

a couple tablespoons of butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

200g smoked bacon and/or ham, cubed

150ml dry white wine

250ml whipping cream

salt, pepper, chives

1 reblochon (450g)

1 clove of garlic

green salad, to serve


Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until just tender to a fork, but not cooked right through (10-20 mins depending on size). Drain well and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a frying pan and saute the onions and bacon until the onions are soft and both are beginning to brown. Tip in the wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce to half. Stir in the cream off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 200C/175C fan/400F/gas mark six. Cut the potatoes into smallish cubes (roughly 1cm). Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan and saute them until golden (in as many batches as you need, I did 3). Cut the cheese in half horizontally, then into large (2-3cm) cubes.

Rub an ovenproof dish with the cut clove of garlic, then cover the base with half the potatoes. Spoon over half the onion and bacon mixture and season well with pepper and very little with salt. I will also sprinkle some herbs on top next time, chives can be a good addition. Top with half the reblochon then repeat the layers, with the remaining reblochon half, rind uppermost, on top.

Bake for 15 minutes until browned and bubbling, then serve with a green salad and a glass of dry white wine.

Serves 6

Inspired by The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/feb/27/how-to-cook-perfect-tartiflette

thai red curry

Staple recipe. You can make substitutuins to almost anything, meat, vegetables, curry sauce, depending on what you have at hand.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small white onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch nub of ginger, minced

sprinkle of salt

400g shrimp, raw or precooked, cleaned

3 small courgettes, cut into small cubes

1 medium aubergine, cut into small cubes

2 bell peppers (I like to use different colors if available), sliced into strips or cubes

3 carrots, cut into half then sliced

Thai red curry paste (4-5 tbsp, I used one sachet this time)

1-2 cans  of coconut milk

100g thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first)

3 teaspoons coconut sugar

4 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari)

3 teaspoons rice vinegar

handful of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, to serve

1 cup cooked rice (brown basmati or jasmine), to serve

Cook the rice in boiling salty water according to packet instructions (brown rice cooks in 30-40 mins).

Mince the onions and ginger together with a food processor. Chop the vegetables. 

Once done, put a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat and add the olive oil. Fry the onion mix with a sprinkle of salt and cook until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the curry paste, mix it together, then immediately add the shrimp and brown the sides a bit.

Put in the vegetables (except kale), cook together for a couple of minutes. When they are halfway cooked, add the coconut milk, sugar and kale, along with some water if needed. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until everything is fully cooked (10-15 mins).

Pull off the heat, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, maybe fish sauce and lime juice, and salt if needed.

This makes approx. 8 servings (I usually freeze half). If you are using half the amount of vegetables, be sure to use half of the spices as well.

I used the recipe below for a start:
http://cookieandkate.com/2015/thai-red-curry-recipe/