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!

Cheesy scalloped potatoes (Gratin de pommes de terre)

Who doesn't like a rich, creamy and comforting cheesy potato gratin? I sure do :)

Here's how you can make it!



INGREDIENTS (4 people as side dish):
- 4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Golds)
- at least 1/2 pint heavy cream (I did not measure exactly how much I used, just splashed it a few times over the dish)
- nutmeg (I prefer using freshly grated, but already ground is fine too)
- salt, pepper
- grated Gruyere cheese (it really makes a big difference here. I would rather not use cheese at all than use anything else; Gruyere has a very specific nutty taste that no other cheese can recreate :) )



RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 350F
- peel the potatoes and slice them really thin using a mandolin

Note: be careful with the mandolin and use the guard! If you do not have a mandolin, you can use a knife.
- lay a single layer of potatoes in the bottom of an oven-safe dish, season with salt and pepper and grate a little nutmeg and sprinkle grated Gruyere on top

- repeat with other layers of potatoes until there is no more!

Note: only grate nutmeg every other layer, otherwise it will be overpowering. Salt, pepper and cheese can be used every layer :D
- finish with healthy dose of grated Gruyere and splash heavy cream on top (between a half a pint and a whole pint)

- bake for an hour at 350F, then turn off the oven and leave the potatoes to cool in the closed oven for another hour
- serve alongside a green salad for a light dinner. It's also a fantastic side dish to red meat.
- Enjoy!

Chicken pot pie soup

Today I bring you a tweaked version of the ultra-classic chicken pot pie. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE me a thick and creamy chicken pot pie, but! I also love, love, love soups.
There is nothing better in the winter than a large bowl of steaming hot soup, and if it tastes like a delicious homey comforting chicken pot pie, then it's even better!

Here's how I make it.



INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced finely (I like them to be the size of frozen peas)
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas
- 1 8oz basket of fresh button mushrooms
- 4 tbsps butter
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 4 to 6 cups of chicken stock or more if you want your soup thinner
Note: if you make your own chicken stock (click here for a recipe), it can get a little fat. No worries, just let it sit in a pitcher and spoon off the fat from the top
- a splash of olive oil
- optional: oyster crackers


RECIPE:
- slice the mushrooms thinly, and saute in a skillet in a splash of olive oil over medium high heat. They will first release a lot of moisture and get slimy, but continue cooking them and stirring until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms get golden. Reserve on the side until further use

- in a pot, make a roux: melt the butter, add the flour and cook over medium heat while whisking constantly until the flour is bubbly and frothy (should take 1 to 2 minutes)

Note: be careful not to burn the flour at this stage! just use medium heat and stir a lot :)
- add the chicken stock in one go and whisk, whisk, whisk! The roux will melt in the stock and the smooth thin white sauce will be your soup base.

Note: in a regular chicken pot pie, this would be the step where you make the thicker white sauce, using more flour and less stock.
- add the carrots, chicken and peas in the soup and cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat, or until the carrots consistency is to your liking (the peas will cook really quick and the chicken just needs to warm up since it is already cooked)

- serve hot, sprinkled with oyster crackers
- Enjoy!

Borscht (Eastern European beetroot soup)

I want to say my immense love of beets is behind the idea of this soup, but not at all! I actually do not even like beets that much. However, there is something so comforting about the piping hot vinegary taste of Borscht, not to mention the hypnotizing deep burgundy color of this delicious Eastern European soup...

I'd been toying with the idea of making Borscht for the blog (and for my tummy, too!) for a few months, when I saw a video on Youtube yesterday of a lady preparing one for her family. This was the trigger and I decided right then and there that I would be cooking Borscht for my next PITK recipe.

Here it is guys! Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
for the broth:
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, with rind
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
- 2 to 3 bay leaves (fresh or dry)
- 10 black peppercorns
- a big pinch of salt
- 12 cups of water
for the soup:
- 2 lbs of red beets
- 1/2 small head of green cabbage
- a bunch of fennel leaves (I should have used dill, but only had fennel at hand)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar (not pictured)
- a dollop of sour cream and a few dill/fennel leaves for serving (not pictured)

RECIPE:
- in a deep stock pot, heat a splash of vegetable oil and brown the pork (skin down), onions and carrots on high heat until caramelized

- season with a healthy pinch of salt, the bay leaves and peppercorns and add the 12 cups of water

- bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour

- drain the stock, discard the vegetables and thinly slice the meat against the grain after removing as much of the fat as possible

- bring the clear broth back to a simmer, then add the beetroots peeled and cubed and cook for 30 minutes on medium-high heat

- after 30 minutes, add the shredded cabbage, chopped fennel and meat into the soup and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked through. If the liquid evaporates too much, you can complement with beef broth, vegetable broth or just water

- when the vegetables are done, turn off the heat and add 1/4 cup of white vinegar

- serve piping hot, with a dollop of sour cream on top
- Enjoy!


Note: for a little extra oomph, you can serve the soup with pierogi-like mushroom dumplings (recipe coming soon)

Jamaican crab curry (A recipe from Climbing Grier Mountain)

Lauren from Climbing Grier Mountain posted this recipe online yesterday. It took me 27 hours to make it happen.

Also, if you haven't done so already after seeing this picture of amazeballissimo deliciousness, go check her blog out!

PS: I am slowly getting back into my kitchen after taken 3 weeks vacation. I am editing a recipe at the moment, and will shoot another one or two tomorrow. Can't wait to start posting again!