Paul’s Recipes
www.giallozafferano.it:
authentic Italian recipes
www.joyofbaking.com: bible of classic baking recipes
www.marmiton.com: excellent French recipes
500g plain flour
7g yeast sachet, fast acting
300ml water warm
Put the flour into a large, warm mixing bowl. Add the yeast,
a good pinch of sea salt and then pour in most of the water. Mix to a soft
dough, by hand or using a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add more liquid
if your dough seems too tight.
Flour a work surface generously, then turn out the dough and
knead until it feels smooth and elastic. A good 10 minutes of firm kneading is
necessary if you are doing it by hand, five or so if you are using a machine.
Put the dough in its bowl and cover it with a tea towel or
kitchen film and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until it has almost
doubled in size. Generously flour your board, then roll out the dough to your
desired size and thickness.
3 big onions
2 garlic toes
200g green beans
6 or 7 carrots
1 pepper (puntpaprika)
500g lentils
1 potato (middle size)
1 tomato
Olive oil
Let lentils hydrate for one hour. Put them in a pot with
water the morning you'll cook them. Three times as much water as the volume of
the lentils at least.
Chop finely onions and pepper, and let them soften in the
pot with a good 30 ml olive oil. Add the
garlic toes -smashed- , the (peeled, sliced) carrots and the green beans. Let
them barely cook for some minutes (2-3).
In the meantime peel and cut the potato in 6 or 8 reasonably
big cuboid blocks and add it. Add the tomato, also cut in 6. Let them cook a
couple more minutes.
Add the (rinsed ) lentils.
Move the whole gently around with a spoon.
Add water to cover everything plus 1,5-2
cm more (2/3 - 4/5 of an inch :) This depends on the type of lentils, and how
much water they absorb. You can also skip the water first step, and add more
water here. You have to try yours to see)
Seasoning is something personal and also depends very much
on the cultural background, we use: salt, black pepper, 3 or 4 laurel leaves, 2
coffee spoons of sweet powder paprika, a good bunch of cumin seeds.
In our understanding, this mix is not hot, neither
particularly spicy...
If you have a pressure cooker you need some 6-7 minutes of
full steaming to have them done, that's typically 10 to 15 from closing the
pot, depending on the amount and the temperature at the moment of closing it.
Do not overcook, or else the lentils will go puree (set an alarm clock). Better a bit less than too much and then finish them off
with the open pot, to control the cooking.
After opening the cooking pot (once the Temperature is down
enough to have reduced the pressure)
If you see the lentils, but no brew, add a bit of water. You
had added too little in the first place. Lentils keep on absorbing it... Also,
how watery you'd like the final result is a matter of personal taste. I prefer
them dryer, my wife soupier. We eat them soupy.
If you prefer to cook the long way, the result is better,
and it takes longer. There is no mystery here. Check gradually the water then,
and (yes, it’s also riskier for the line) taste from time to time.
We finally add 0.5cm thick slices of chorizo ibérico (1 piece of around 150-200g).
And leave it melt and mix with the rest in the remaining
heat (no further heat is necessary).
The latter is not compulsory, but for non-vegetarians, it's
a big improvement!
Note: Try the same dish without lentils, with chickpeas and
spinach (spinach is just slightly first cooked in a wet floor of olive oil,
removed and added at the end, with the chorizo, and let rest. Dried chickpeas
need a longer water soak than lentils) and a more generous portion of cumin. A
potato is not really needed here, the chickpeas add the thickness to the mix on
their own. Green beans neither, spinaches provide for the colour.
400 g puff pastry
250 g pork
100g veal
2 echalottes
1 small bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
20cl dry white wine
1 egg
Salt & pepper
La marinade the day before, dice meat into small cubes 1cm wide, mix together.
Add echalottes and finely chopped parsley (fat parsley). Add garlic, but not too much. Mix well with meat.
Add white wine and cover with Clingfilm.
Leave for one night in fridge. Meat should absorb the liquid
Next morning:
Add salt and mix
Slice puff pastry into two pieces. Most will act as a base. The first rectangle will serve as a base. Place marinated meat in the middle of the base. Fold up the sides. Glue the smaller rectangle to the other piece and connect by applying light pressure with the fingers.
Using a sharp knife, cut two small holes to allow steam to escape.. Add a pinch of salt to an egg and whip. Brush top of pate.
Using shape knife. Decorate pate with lightly cut lines.
Place pate in fridge for at least one hour to firm.
In a preheated over 180-200°C place pate for about 40 minutes (depending upon pastry’s browning. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes before eating.
Note: is accompanied by a light lettuce salad with a tangy vinaigrette
300 grams flour
150 grams unsalted (quality) butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons cold water
pinch of salt
Alternative: use an expensive pre-rolled 'pure butter'
shortcrust pastry
200 grams grated cheese (Emmental,
Gruyere or similar)
250 ml crème fraiche (also good quality such a d' Isigny)
100 grams (or more) bacon (smoked or salted)
4-5 large eggs
Note: the true quiche Lorraine does not contain any cheese.
To make the true version is simply removed the cheese from the recipe.
Put all dry ingredients into food mixer. Turn mixer on
medium speed. Add 1x1cm cubes of butter into the mixers waiting 5-10 seconds
for cube to be blended. Once all butter in combined and mixture resembles
coarse meal add egg and water mixture (mix egg with fork beforehand) and blend
for further 20 seconds until mixture starts to form lump.
Wrap mixture in clingfilm and put
in fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.
On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling
pin roll roll pastry into a circle. Take care to
regularly turn pastry adding small amount of extra flour above and below while
rolling out. Once desired size achieved loosely roll pastry around rolling pin
and transfer to grease-proof paper.
Lay pastry onto square of grease-proof paper cut to fit
quiche (tart) mold. Use rolling pin or knife to
remove excess pastry from edges.
Place mold into fridge.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
In a frying pan gentle fry bacon chunks 0.5x0.5 cm or
smaller until lightly crisp. Lay bacon chunks onto some kitchen roll to remove
excess fat.
In a bowl add crème fraiche and eggs, season with salt and
pepper. Whisk for 1-2 minute until well blended and only slightly airy.
Add grated cheese and bacon chunks to eggs mixture and mix
with a spoon for a few seconds. Add contents of bowl onto pastry and spread
out. Filling should cover whole mold to a depth of
+/-2 cm
Add mold to to
oven, reducing heat to 180 degrees C. Bake quiche in oven for 40-45 minutes
until golden brown on top and inflated.
Serving suggestions: Serve with lettuce salad and French
vinaigrette.
1 litre full fat organic milk
1 pot old yoghurt (greek
or thick)
Heat litre of milk in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stay
close to milk. Careful to avoid milk boiling!
Milk is at 80C when it starts to give off steam and bubbles rise on the
side of the pan. When milk is hot turn
off heat and allow to cool.
Wait until milk reaches 50C (until you can hold your clean
finger in milk for 20 seconds). In a jug mix yoghurt with three spoons of warm
milk. Then add remaining milk and mix thoroughly. Pour liquid into yoghurt pots. Place open
pots either in yoghurt machine or warm draft free area for 12-15 hours. Once
yoghurt is ready refridgerate for 24 hours before
eating.
Serving suggestions: Serve with jam, honey, sugar or alone
4 salmon steaks
12 slices serrano ham
Green lentils (preferably du Puy)
Organic yogurt
Fresh corriander
Fresh parsley
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
Heat your oven to 180 degrees centigrade
Lay 4 slices of ham on a baking tray. Place salmon steak on
4 slices and wrap using a tooth pick to maintain ham in place. Repeat process with 4 salmon steaks. Season
the wrapped steaks with pepper and lightly drizzle with a little olive oil.
Cook in oven for 20 minutes.
Cook lentils in water following prescribed recipie. Drain
lentils. Add juice of half a lemon. Chop
and add one generous handful of corriander and
another of fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl gently mix yogurt adding freshly ground
pepper.
Presentation: Place baked salmon on plate surround with
lentils and add dollop of yogurt sauce on top of lentils.
250 grams quality butter (room temperature)
250 grams sugar (alternatively half brown and half white
sugar)
250 grams flour
4 eggs
1-1.5 teaspoons baking powder (alternatively use self-raising flour)
Vanilla (sugar, essence or preferably bourbon / real
vanilla)
Pinch of salt
250-400 grams high quality chocolate (for chocolate cake
version)
Heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
In an electric mixer with a blade add sugar and soft butter.
Blend on high speed, scraping down the sides 2-3 times, until mixture is white
and fluffy (+/- 4 minutes).
Add, vanilla and then eggs one at a time and blend on medium
speed for 15-30 seconds between each egg until just combinded.
Using a sift add flour, baking
powder and salt together and mix until just combined (1 minute or less). Feel
free to mix using a spatula instead of the blender.
Prepare tin by greasing and dusting it with flour (rub thin
layer of butter onto tin and then add tablespoon of flour and shake until
buttered surface is covered). Pour cake mixture into a baking tin
Place in center of oven and bake
for approximately 45 minutes (if heat is uneven turn cake half way through
bake). You can turn down the heat to 160 degrees centigrade after 20 minutes
(expect a longer cooking time). The cake is ready when a clean knife emerges
from the center of the cake without any wet cake
residue. If cake is getting too brown place sheet of foil above cake.
When cake is cooked, remove from oven, place on a wire rack.
After 5 minutes run a sharp knife around edge of spring form tin. Remove side
of tin, place upside down wire rack on top of cake and flip cake. Use sharp
knife to separate base of cake from base of tin.
Note: For a delicious chocolate cake simply add 250-400 grams of high quality melted baking chocolate (70% cacao or more) to the butter, sugar and egg mixture blending for 30 seconds before adding the flour, salt and baking powder..
Waffles will never be the same again once you have tasted
these.
2 Eggs
1.5 dl. Sugar
3 dl. Skimmed Cultured Milk
3.5 dl. Whole Milk
350g. Plain Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla-flavoured Sugar
1 tsp. Cardamom
150g Melted Butter
Crack the eggs into a bowl.
Add in the skimmed cultured milk and milk.
Sift in the flour and add in the remaining ingredients and
mix well.
Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Brush the waffle iron generously with butter.
Bake the waffles until they are golden.
Serve with sour cream and jam or cheese and butter if desired.
315 grams flour
3 grams salt
35 grams granulated white/brown sugar
180 grams unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into small
chunks (1x1cm)
1 large egg (2 small)
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract (not vanilin, but vanilla!)
2-3 tablespoons ice water
6 apples (4 small tin) depending upon the size of the
spring-form baking tin
Apricot (or other) jam
Madeira wine (you can try sherry as an alternative)
Flaked almonds
1-2 tablespoons flour
Cinnamon
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor and
process until combined (10 seconds).
While spinning at medium speed add the butter stick by stick
and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds between
sticks).
In a small bowl, whisk the egg, cold water and vanilla.
Restart processor and pour into in a steady stream until the
pastry just holds together when pinched (20 -30 seconds and no more).
Transfer the ½ pastry to an spring
form cake tin and press evenly over the bottom. For sides roll thick sausages
of pastry using remaining ½, press along sides & between side and bottom.
Do not leave crust too thin. Cover tin with clingfilm
and refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Peel, core and cut apples into 1.5x1.5 cm chunks. Place
apples into small saucepan, cover with several tablespoons (or more) of Madeira
wine or replacement alcohol. Cook apples for 5-8 minutes on a medium heat in
order to part cook them and in order to release some juices.
Remove cake tin from refrigerator. Cover pastry on bottom of
tin with a thin layer of apricot jam. Cover jam with generous sprinkling of
cinnamon. Spoon hot apples into tin taking care to leave juices in saucepan. Sprinkle
top of apples with 1-2 tablespoons of flour, some cinnamon and a handful of
almond flakes (you can also add raisins, chocolate chunks, pecans etc.).
Put cake into hot oven and reduce temperature to 180 degrees
C. Cook for about 40 minutes or until biscuit starts to brown on the edges.
When cooked, remove from oven, let stand a few minutes. Run
small, sharp and thin knife around edge of tin and pop spring-form tin. If you
have doubts that sides will hold keep side of tin open, but surrounding cake. If confident, remove and allow cake to cool.
Serve with freshly whipped cream (cream & sugar) or
vanilla ice cream.