Tomates Farcies (Stuffed tomatoes)

Stuffed tomatoes are always a crowd pleaser (provided said crowd likes cooked tomatoes...).

I've always loved this classic dish and make it at least once a year. There is just something very comforting about those little balls of deliciousness and I usually combine it with baked tomato rice, which coincidentally is also one of my all-time faves.

Here's how you can make them.

INGREDIENTS (4-6 people):
- 6 large beefsteak tomatoes (with stems will look nicer, but without stems works fine too)
- 2lbs ground meat (I used a combination of ground pork and lean beef, but I would recommend either full pork, or using fatter beef, like 80-20% instead of 95% lean)
- 2 shallots, diced
- 3 fat cloves of garlic, grated
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (not pictured)
- salt, pepper to taste
- optional: 2 cups white rice
- optional: a few sprigs of thyme
- optional: 4 cups of chicken broth


RECIPE:
- pre-heat your oven at 400F
- in a large bowl, mix the ground meats, diced shallots and grated garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and reserve in the fridge until ready to use

Note: my stuffing tasted good, but was really lean and turned out a little dry to be honest. I would recomment adding an egg and 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs in the mix to ensure moist and tender meatballs
- slice the tops off the tomatoes and spoon out the seeds and inside flesh, reserve both on the side.

- divide the meat filling in 6 and stuff the tomatoes, covering back up with the tomato tops

- place the tomatoes in a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes at 400F or until the meat is cooked through
Optional rice dish:
- if you decide to bake the tomatoes with the rice, place your stuffed tomatoes on top of the rice in a baking dish and sprinkle with thyme

- dice the reserved tomato meat and drain the seeds, keeping the juice

- sprinkle the tomato dice between the stuffed tomatoes and add the tomato juice and heated chicken broth

- cook for 45 minutes at 400F or until the meat and rice are cooked
- Enjoy!

Roasted eggplant and tomato soup

This is the perfect soup.

Simple, fast, easy on the wallet, low fat and delicious. What else do you want? Now get in your kitchen and go make this!!

Best enjoyed on a cold night, while wearing cozy pyjamas and couch-potating (yes, that's a word!) Crosswords optionnal.

Note: this soup was not designed as a vegetarian recipe but can easily be adapted to a vegetarian/vegan diet.



INGREDIENTS (4 people or 2 people with leftovers; 1hr cooking time):
- 3 medium eggplants
- about 3lbs tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, peeled
- 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled
- about 1 tbsp tomato paste
- a sprig of thyme
- 4 cups of beef broth
- 2 salted anchovies in oil
- a splash of olive oil
Vegetarian option: switch to vegetable broth and omit the anchovies


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 425F
- cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, sprinkle with olive oil and place cut side down in an oven-safe dish. Oil the garlic cloves, wrap in aluminium foil and place next to the eggplants

- place in the pre-heated oven and roast for about 45 minutes until golden.
- while the eggplants are roasting (about 10 minutes in), heat a little olive oil in a deep pot and melt the anchovies over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and thyme and cook for a few minutes; add the tomato paste and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until soft

- add the quartered tomatoes, the broth and bring to a boil

- cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. The garlic and eggplants should now look like this:


- tell me that isn't the most scrumptious thing you've ever seen! I dare ya!
- scrape out the eggplant flesh, and reserve in a bowl with the roasted garlic until ready to use


- when the tomatoes are soft, add the eggplant and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes

- turn off the heat and blend the soup until smooth (I used a stick blender)

- serve with a slice of crusty sourdough bread (can you tell I love sourdough?!), or a grilled cheese sandwich for a fancy complete meal :)

- Enjoy!

Roasted leg of lamb (Gigot d'agneau)

A traditional French dish I've been missing a lot since I moved out of France almost ten years ago is the traditional Easter roasted leg of lamb. Invariably, my mom would cook the most delicious, succulent, tender "Gigot de Paques".

I've been craving it, and I took it into my hands to make it happen ;) Plus, it feeds an army!



INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 people)
- 1 leg of lamb (10-11 lbs, bone in)
- 2 lbs of assorted small roasting potatoes
- 6 large carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks (or if you can find spring carrots, even better! in that case, use 2-3 per person and leave whole)
- 4-6 baby zucchini, quartered
- 2 heads of garlic (peel the cloves of one head, and leave the cloves of the other head in their skins)
- a few bunches of large scallions (or 3-4 leeks)
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- about two to three cups of water or broth to baste the meat (if you don't use it all, keep it you will need it for the gravy)
- 2 tbsp AP flour
- 1 cup of red wine


RECIPE:
- using a paring knife, punch a few holes on all sides of the meat, and insert the peeled garlic cloves in the tiny holes.

- slather olive oil all over the roast, salt and pepper generously. Lay the rosemary sprigs on top of the meat, and insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part if you have one. Add the garlic cloves with their skins around the roast and cook in a 400F oven for 25 min/lb (the meat will be well done).

- when the meat is about one hour shy of being done, add the quartered potatoes and carrots, toss in the dripping juices and cook for 30 minutes
- after 30 minutes, add the scallions and zucchini, and cook another 20 minutes

- remove the meat from the pan, and let rest for at least 20 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil

- put the vegetables in your serving dish and proceed to making the gravy with the juices

- put the roasting pan on your stove top, and cook the flour in the drippings for about 1 minute, scraping as much of the drippings as possible, then add the remaining broth (at least a cup) as well as the wine. Make sure to stir well to avoid any lumps, and pour in a serving bowl
- for a more impressive display, serve the roasted lamb whole on top of the vegetables, otherwise carve the meat and serve on top of the vegetables

- Bon appetit!

PS: amazing leftovers for a tweaked Shepherd's pie! Separate leftover potatoes and mash them. Mince the meat, and any remaining veggies and soak with leftover gravy. Pack the gravy-meat-veggie mixture in a baking dish and put the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for 45 minutes at 325F.