Sweet Potato Soup.

The sweet potato is a staple of the Caribbean and American cooking, it is very versatile for it can be roasted, baked mashed and curried. High in fibre, it also contains vitamins A,C and E.

So with the above in mind here is a delicious heart warming soup for a cold Winters Day.

Serves 4 people

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

600g sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

140ml coconut milk

1 tbsp coriander

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion until soft. Stir in the sweet potato, pepper and coriander.

2 Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for about twenty minutes until the potato and pepper are softened.

3 Blitz, in a liquidiser in batches, then return to the pan. Add the coconut milk, heat once more and serve.

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Event:– 14 and 15^th January, Truffle Festival in Sarlat.

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Strawberry Ice Cream.

Strawberries picked the day before to sell at markets all over France make a cooling ice cream desert which is perfect for warm Summer evenings.

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Ingredients

450 to 500g (about one punnet) strawberries.
170g icing sugar.
1/4 lit double cream
1/4 lit single cream

Method

1. Hull and wash the strawberries in a colander, drain them and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut them into small pieces.
2. Put them into a liquidiser with the icing sugar for a few minutes.
3. Whisk the two creams until thick but not stiff; blend this well into the strawberry puree.
4. Spoon this mixture into plastic containers and freeze for about twelve hours.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer about an hour before serving and place into the refrigerator so that it thaws slightly.
I found that it was better to use small silicone cake molds for freezing the ice cream, it is a lot easier to extract and are the right portion size per serving.

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Events:-

Exhibition of sculptures and volumes, La Rogue-Gageac 18^th to 23^rd June.
Musical Festival, at Belves 24^th June.
Tennis Festival, St Cyprian 25^th June.
Vintage Vehicles, Sarlat 26^th June.
Exhibition-what did the Romans eat!, Belves.18^th June to 2^nd July.
Chamber Music/Mozart, Hautefort. 7^th July

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Aubergines Stuffed With Feta And Red Pepper.

Here is a quick and tasty vegetarian recipe which goes well with small potatoes, rice or salad.

Serves 4

2 aubergines

5 tbsp olive oil

4 roasted red peppers cut into strips

200g (7oz) feta cheese drained and diced.

75g (3oz) pitted black olives

1 Cut the aubergines in half lengthways. With a sharp pointed knife cut around the edge of the aubergines, about 2mm in from the skin. Then make criss-cross cuts up and down and from side to side across the flesh. Using a sharp knife scoop out the flesh and keep for the stuffing, leaving just the skins.

2 Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the aubergine skins;drain them and blot them with kitchen paper.

3 Arrange the skins cut side uppermost in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 200c, gas mark 6.

4 Heat the remainder of the oil in a pan, add the chopped aubergine flesh and fry until golden brown. Remove from the heat.

5 Place the roasted aubergines flesh together with the roasted red pepper strips, feta cheese and black olives, stir well. Divide the mixture between the aubergine skins and bake for about twenty to thirty minutes until they are golden brown.

Enjoy

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Event:- Sarlat 8^th May Brocante, 8 Avenue du General de Gaule.

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Roast Aubergines With Sweet And Sour Tomatoes.

A vegetarian option for Christmas Day,

This is a new recipe for me from the Middle East based on İmam bayıldı with a twist and it is so tasty that I am going to have the meal for Christmas day.

Serves 4

2 aubergines (about 750g in total)

3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil

1 onion or shallots, sliced.

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon tomato puree

50g sultanas or raisins

250g cherry tomatoes, halved.

50g pine nuts.

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5

1 Halve each aubergine down the middle, stalk to base. Use a sharp knife to make diagonal cuts deep into the flesh, repeat the other way to create a diamond pattern.

2 Using one tablespoon of oil brush each aubergine. Then place each aubergine halve in a large roasting tin and bake for about 30 minutes.

3 Combine the onion, balsamic vinegar, sugar, tomato puree, sultanas or raisins with the remainder of the oil. Mix well then stir in the tomatoes.

On the left are the aubergines before they go into the oven and on the right is the mixture which smells wonderful.

4 After about thirty minutes the aubergines should be nice and tender. Add the mixture on top of the aubergines pushing it into the slits. Trickle 100ml water over the mixture and return to the oven for about 30 minutes.

5 As soon as the aubergines come out of the oven spoon any mixture that has fallen back onto the aubergines with any juices. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then serve with a sprinkling of pine nuts and a green salad or rice.

The meal is ready to eat. Enjoy

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This will be our last post before Christmas so from both of us a Very Happy Christmas and New year.

Joyeuse fêtes, stay safe and healthy and we shall see you in the New Year.

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Peanut Butter Sauce with Wilted Baby Spinach and Basmati Rice.

This particular recipe was found on a Canadian Vegetarian site by our son Adam a few months ago. At first I thought that maple syrup and peanut butter would not be a good combination in a sauce, but I was so wrong, it is amazing so give it a try.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

baby spinach 70g/2.25 oz
basmati rice 1 cup
vegetable or chicken broth 1 cup
water 3/4 cup
extra firm tofu 200g /7oz or 2 chicken breasts
red bell pepper 1
garlic 1 clove
ginger root 2.5cm or 1 inch piece
chilli-garlic sauce 1 tsp
natural peanut butter 2 tbsp
soy sauce 2 tbsp
pure maple syrup 1 tbsp
virgin coconut oil 1 tbsp

Preparation

Drain and pat dry tofu, cut into 1.3cm – 0.5 inch sticks.
Or cut the chicken breasts into 1cm / 0.3 inch thick slices.

Wash and dry spinach.

Wash, de-seed, and slice pepper into strips.

Peel and mince or crush the garlic.

Wash, peel, and mince or crush the ginger.

Rice

Rinse the rice under cold running water, then drain and transfer to a small saucepan.

Add broth and1/2 cup of water; bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Once the liquid comes to a boil, stir the mixture, cover the saucepan, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice until the liquid is fully absorbed.

Remove the rice from the heat and let it stand, still covered.

Sauce

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the coconut oil and melt it.

Add tofu or chicken and pepper. Gently stir fry until pepper is tender and tofu/chicken is lightly browned.

Place the garlic and ginger in a bowl with the peanut butter, soy sauce, chilli-garlic sauce, ¼ cup of water, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and mix to combine it.

Add spinach to skillet, remove from heat and stir until spinach is just wilted and coated with the sauce.

To serve

Uncover the rice and fluff with a fork.

Place rice in a bowl and top with tofu and veggies.

Enjoy!

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