The Little Paris Kitchen (20 page)

I first encountered
cassoulet
in jars at the supermarket, and I quickly discovered it's a dish seen more in jars than bubbling away on the kitchen stove (it's quite time-consuming to make). This recipe has the key
cassoulet
ingredients: duck, Toulouse sausage, tomato, smoked bacon, and white beans, but there's no stewing for hours. Instead of being a heavy dish, my cassoulet has a light touch, with its bouillon base, and duck and sausage dumplings.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER OR 2 AS A LIGHT LUNCH

For the dumplings:
10 oz duck breast, fat and skin removed • 1 clove of garlic, chopped • ½ onion, chopped • ½ tsp pepper • 10 oz Toulouse sausages, skinned

• 10-oz piece of smoked bacon •
⅓
cup sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed well if marinated in oil • 1 oz dried
cèpes
or
porcini
• 7 cups cold water • 2 tbsp tomato paste • 1 tsp brown sugar • 1 tsp salt • ½ tsp pepper • 1 cup drained canned white beans (e.g.,
cannellini
, Great Northern), rinsed • 2 carrots, thinly sliced into rounds • sprigs of parsley, to garnish

TO MAKE THE DUMPLINGS:
Roughly chop the duck and whizz in a blender with the garlic, onion, and pepper until the same texture as sausage meat. Using your hands, combine this mixture with the Toulouse sausage, then take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and roll into small balls. (These can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
*
)

Put the bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and dried mushrooms into a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Take off the heat, remove the bacon, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and discard. Whisk in the tomato paste and add the sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. (This bouillon can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
*
)

Bring the bouillon to a simmer and add the beans and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes (don't cook for too long or the beans may disintegrate). Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick frying pan until hot. Place half the dumplings in the pan and cook for 8–10 minutes, shaking the pan once in a while to stop them sticking. Remove and repeat with the remaining dumplings. Divide the dumplings among soup bowls, pour the soup over them, and garnish with parsley before serving.

*
Both the bouillon and the uncooked dumplings can be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost the dumplings for a couple of hours before frying.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: about 1 hour

This quintessential Provençal dish from Marseille combines the best local seafood with the flavors of Provence: fennel seeds, saffron, and orange. A simple dish has evolved into something much more elaborate, and nowadays a bouillabaisse may include three types of fish and three types of shellfish. In Marseille the stock is served as a soup with
rouille
and bread, followed by the fish and vegetables. I'm going back to its roots here, omitting the large assortment of fish, keeping it simple but retaining the original flavors. By using fillets instead of whole fish, it makes the dish less daunting for guests who fear the “fish bone in throat” situation. Hand the
rouille
round in a bowl, with crusty bread.

SERVES 4–6 AS A MAIN COURSE

For the
rouille
:
2 cloves of garlic • 1 egg yolk • a pinch each of cayenne pepper and saffron threads • 1 cup sunflower oil • salt

For the soup base:
4 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, finely chopped • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste • 2 tbsp tomato paste • 2 star anise • 1 tsp fennel seeds • 1 bay leaf • 3 sprigs of thyme • zest of 1 orange • a pinch of chile powder • 1 tsp saffron threads • 1 stick of celery, finely sliced • 1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced • 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped •
⅔
cup dry white wine • 4½ cups fish stock • juice of 1 orange (3½ tbsp)

• 14 oz fish fillets of your choice (I use hake, pollack, and salmon), cut into large chunks • 1 lb mussels, cleaned • 1 lb shrimp, no shells • salt and pepper • a couple of green onions, finely sliced

TO MAKE THE
ROUILLE
:
Crush the garlic cloves to a fine paste in a large bowl. Add the egg yolk, cayenne, and saffron. Drizzle the oil slowly into the bowl, whisking hard (you can use an electric whisk). Taste for salt, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
*

TO MAKE THE SOUP BASE:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, star anise, fennel seeds, bay leaf, thyme, orange zest, chile powder, saffron, celery, fennel, and tomatoes. Cook until the onion is soft, then add the wine and reduce by half. Pour in the stock and orange juice, bring to a rapid boil, and cook for 10 minutes.

Lower the heat and add the seafood, then cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes, shaking the pan a few times. Taste for seasoning before serving sprinkled with the green onions.

*
The
rouille
is best made on the day of serving, because of the raw egg yolk, but you can make the soup base the day before as this will give the flavors time to develop. When ready to serve, simply bring to a boil and throw in the seafood.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

Meunière
translates as “miller's wife,” referring to the flour used to dredge the fish before it is cooked. This acts as a protective barrier, preventing the delicate flesh from drying out. I use lemon sole for my
meunière
(Dover sole is just too expensive), but why not try other fish such as Pacific halibut or even trout? If you have a reputable local fishmonger, have a chat with him to see what he recommends. A key factor in making this dish delicious is the brown butter and lemon sauce, although the capers and chopped parsley make a tasty addition too.

SERVES 2 AS A MAIN COURSE

• 2 fillets of lemon sole (about 5 oz each), skin removed • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour • ½ tsp salt • a generous pinch of pepper • 1½ tbsp sunflower oil • 3 tbsp butter, cut into cubes • juice of ½ lemon • 1 tbsp chopped parsley • 1 tbsp small capers (optional)

Check the fish for small bones and use tweezers to pull out any that you find.

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper and spread out over a large plate. Pat the fish fillets in the flour so they are evenly coated, and shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat, When the oil is smoking hot, place the fish fillets, fleshy-side down, in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 1–2 minutes on one side until golden, then turn the fillets over and cook for another 1–2 minutes until the second side is golden.
*
Place the fish on a warmed plate and cover with aluminum foil.

Wipe the pan with paper towels and return to a medium heat. Add the cubes of butter and heat until they melt and become light brown, then turn off the heat and add the lemon juice (stand back a little as it will splatter). Add the parsley and capers (if using) and swirl the contents of the pan around. Return the fish to the pan, spoon over the juices, and serve immediately.

*
Flat fish fillets need only 1–2 minutes cooking on each side. If you're cooking thicker slices or fillets from a fish like trout (¾–1¼ inches thick), then 3–4 minutes on each side should be fine.

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

Rooster stewed in red wine for several hours is traditional
coq au vin
. I thought I'd shake that on its head and make a barbecue version with a red wine dipping sauce.

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE

For the marinade:
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • 1 onion, finely chopped • 2 tbsp butter • 4 small sprigs of thyme • 3 bay leaves • 2 cups red wine

• 1½ lb boned chicken legs, with skin on
*
• 5 oz lardons or cubes of smoked bacon • 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks • 8 small new potatoes • 8 small button onions, peeled and left whole • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar • 1 tbsp cornstarch • 1 tbsp sugar • salt and pepper • 8 small button mushrooms, brushed or peeled • 1 tbsp olive oil

8 barbecue skewers—if they're bamboo, soak them in water for at least an hour before using

TO MAKE THE MARINADE:
Fry the garlic and onion in the butter until golden brown. Add the thyme and bay leaves and cook for another minute before adding the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

Cut the chicken into large chunks, place in a large plastic container with the lardons, and add the cold marinade. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours (best overnight).

Lift the chicken and lardons out of the marinade, then strain through a sieve. Measure 1¼ cups marinade, pour it into a pan, and set aside. Put the carrots, potatoes, and onions into a large pan of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Parboil for 5 minutes, then drain the vegetables into a sieve and hold under cold running water for 2 minutes. Leave to cool.

On a high heat, reduce the marinade by half before adding the vinegar. Mix the cornstarch to a thin paste with some water, whisk into the sauce, and boil for 5 minutes or until the consistency of heavy cream. Add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down in direct contact with the sauce. Keep the sauce warm until needed.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with the lardons, parboiled vegetables, and mushrooms. Brush with the olive oil before cooking on the barbecue (or indoors on a griddle pan) for around 5 minutes, turning regularly. To check the chicken is cooked, cut a piece open—the juices should run clear, not red or pink. Serve with the sauce (reheated in a pan or microwave if necessary).

*
Chicken legs have more flavor and tend to be juicier than breast, or you could use boneless chicken thighs (skin on) instead. Breast meat will be fine too, as long as you are careful not to overcook it.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Resting time: 4 hours
–
overnight
Cooking time: 20 minutes