Books We Are Proud Of : Julie Andrieu's Mes Cocottes !

You know what a cocotte is don't you? Sometimes called a dutch -oven, these enameled cast iron pans should be in everyone's kitchen. Preferably in several sizes. I prefer the word "cocotte" ! Cuter by far !

Whether you have a Creuset or a Staub or even one of the more generic brands. These pans last a lifetime and more. They make generous food. Slowly.

Enter Julie Andrieu  and "Mes Cocottes" ( Les Editions Culinaires /Alain Ducasse) 

Lovely Julie Andrieu is a friend to some of France's best known chefs,  a television presenter and cookbook author, she is also an intrepid traveller across the globe, hunting recipes the world over.

She has a nose for the unusual. Knows how to tweak recipes with a just a touch of originality and verve. Sure-fire favorites.that you were copying out, saving, sharing and passing on to friends and family. Ones you knew you were going to make again. And again.

"Mes Cocottes" was our* third book for Julie. It is divided into two sections.The first : classic french recipes revisited by Julie with flair and originality. The second section has recipes with a more world flavor. There isn't a bad recipe in here. Not one.

Our favorites if we had to choose but one or two or three? This is very difficult! But I'd say the Potimarron (Pumpkin Squash) with Spices was one. The Boeuf San Gilloise ( Beef with Onion, Herbs, Black Olives ) was another. See what you think!



Julie Andrieu's Caramelized Pumpkin with Spices

( for six) 

Ingredients: 
1.2 kg ( 2 1/2 lb) of Pumpkin or Kabocha Squash, peeled and de-seeded

1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Fenugrec  
1 tsp Fennel
1 tsp sesame seed

optional : 1 teaspoon black mustard seed
                1/2  teaspoon cubébé pepper 
fleur de sel ( sea salt crystals)  

2 Tbsp sunflower oil

1 heaping Tbsp raw cane sugar 

Cut the pumpkin into cubes more or less 2 inches square. 
In a large cocotte, gently heat the spices (whole not ground! ) in the oil until they color slightly and start to "pop" . Add the pumpkin, sprinkle the sugar, the salt and toss. Cover and let the pumpkin caramelize over a pretty strong flame for 10 minutes or until a sharp knife enters easily. 

Taste and add a bit of fleur de sel, and black pepper. 

She served this with a roast veal or pork. Tremendouus !



And here was our second favorite : 

Julie Andrieu's Boeuf St Gilloise ( Slow Cooked Beef with Onions, Herbs, Capers and Black Olives from the town of St Gilles in the Camargue )

(for 6 )

Ingredients:

6 slices of approx 2 cm (1 inch) thick entrecote (which is kind of a rib eye steak w/o the bone altho if ya got one in there leave it in there! It only adds to the flavor !! )
3 cloves of garlic
3 onions
12 or so anchovies (don't be afraid of these! They "melt" away and really add something absolutely unidentifiable to the whole thing! Take my word for it! No fishy flavor whatsoever !)
1 little jar of capers
3/4 leaves of swiss chard
15 or so black olives (nice quality!)
1/2 branches of celery
5cl (1 Tbsp) olive oil
10 cl (2 Tbsp) good red wine vinegar

25cl  white wine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large bunch of parsley finely chopped
generous helping of fresh thyme ( take the stems out)
3 laurel leaves
2 cloves

1 t coriander seed
fresh oregano /marjoram

The How To Part :

Marinate the beef in the wine and oil overnight in your fridge. The next day, preheat the oven to 150° C.  Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. In a large bowl combine the onions, garlic, capers, anchovies, black pepper, chopped parsly, thyme, the swiss chard chopped into large pieces and the clove. Don't salt it !

In a large size cocotte ( dutch oven ) make layers of the onions/herbs mixture and the meat (without the juices and marinade) Put several laurel leaves in here and there. Sprinkle the red wine vinegar 'round everything, Now add the juices/marinade. Cover with a bit more water. Put the top on and cook 3 hrs.

DO NOT OPEN EVEN IF THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE AT THE DOOR!

Sprinkle with lightly chopped fresh oregano (marjolaine) and cracked coriander seeds.

Serve in the cocotte, with a bit or red rice from the Camargue (which has a nice nutty texture and flavor)

- As the Editions Alain Ducasse changed hands earlier this year, "Mes Cocottes" can be found for a pittance on Amazon.fr. It is also available as an ebook on itunes. Whatever the format, I really recommend your getting a copy for your kitchen library. Yes, it's in French !

Oh and the cover? Not our doing. Which is why I haven't posted it. The beauty of this book is in it's interior !

- One hungry food stylist on a cold and wet Paris eve.  

*Photographs Rina Nurra, Food Stylist : Lissa Streeter

** our other books for Julie were : Julie Cuisine Le Monde Chez Vous ( Editions Alain Ducasse) and Mes "Mini's" de Julie pour Le Creuset.

Winter Blues Got You Down ? Vegging Out is an Antidote !

So what you need bubbling in your kitchen, is a pot of happily colored veg soup and some parsnip crackers !  Always nice to have a plan as to how to beat the winter grey here in Paris!

Veg soup is the easiest thing. Various veg, peeled and chopped some into chunks : carrots, rutabaga, red cabbage, some just cut in half: cherry tomatoes, and some left in their skin like the cloves of garlic. Few grains of cubébé black pepper, a larger generous sprig of thyme and the stalks of parsley that you might have thrown out, find a home here.

Two onions, browned slowly in a bit of olive oil, all the veg and goodies tossed in on top, water to cover and you are off! I start this out on top of the stove and move it to the oven after it comes to a bubble.  

Slow slow oven : 100° C

To go with my plain jane veg soup, I'm trying out a new recipe for parsnip crackers. This is a variation on making neat and tidy baked parsnip strip chips. Visually, these look much more chaotic!

 

Parsnip Crisps :
2 parsnips
5- 6 juniper berries ground with a mortar and pestle
small bunch of fresh thyme
bit of sea salt
Olive oil

Using the veg peeler, i make quick work of my two parsnips. Some of the strips are nice and neat and others are little shreds. Nothing goes to waste here!

Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil, add the freshly ground juniper berries, salt and thyme and toss as you would a salad.

Spread this in an even layer over a parchment paper covered cookie sheet which goes right in the oven above the pot of veg . Both while away in there for a couple of hours, sweet perfumes filling the entire house..

Take care to turn the pan every so often so that no one corner browns before another.    



I put this on in the morning and serve both at about mid afternoon.

Brightens up any day!

-L