Cod Fish and Broccoli Soufflé

It was a while since I was not cooking soufflé but not long after I revisited Le Soufflé in Paris. Located in the glamorous neighborhood of Place Concorde and Place Vendome (36, rue Mont-Thabor tel. 42.60.27.19) this not so new (!) restaurant is the paradise of soufflé lovers.

I love soufflés, so here it goes the first one.

Today I made Cod Fish and Broccoli's Souffle and here I leave the details.

1 piece of desalted cod of around 150grs

150 grs of broccoli
3 eggs
1 table spoon of flour

1 garlic clove

1 table spoon of parsley

1/2 small onion
1 cup of milk
1 tea spoon Dijon mustard
2 table spoons of Olive oil

Turn the oven 200º.

Start by boiling the Cod and in a separate pan boil the broccoli with a pinch of salt.

Once cooked, remove both from the water . With the broccoli make a pure and leave aside.

Remove all bones and skin from the cold. In a pan put the olive oil and the minced onion, let it golden and add the cod , the parsley and the garlic .Keep mixing until totally shredded in small pieces. Remove from heat.

In a sauce pan put the butter and once melted , add the flour. Mix well and add the milk. Once it gets the consistency of a cream , add to the cod fish.

Mix and add the broccoli pure and the egg yokes. Now try for salt and pepper.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and add to the cod mixture.

Line an individual souffle mold with butter and bread crumbs. Put the mixture and place it in the oven for around 15/20 minutes.

If you prefer,you can also make a bigger one, this quantity is enough for 3 persons.

If you like, add Parmesan before baking. It gives a different touch to our Portuguese cod.

TWO - Pantry and Fridge Storage

Here I am on another tip on how to make your life easy in the kitchen.
Cooking a quick and fresh meal can really be simple if you have the right ingredients .

THE PANTRY

This area needs to be dark, fresh and ventilated.
Organized shelves will allow you to check quickly what ingredients do you have.
It is also a good idea if you group your ingredients by product family:

For example:

all the different pastas

all the flours

all the rices

all the sauces and spices

Keep always, crackers (different kinds, I always have Melba toast, salt crackers or Mediterranean), pickles, olives, chutneys, a good olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar.

If you think, all this ingredients can be great for an appetizer - just add a good cheese or Pate or just a bunch of raw vegetables.

FREEZING

If you are freezing stocks or sauces this should be very well closed and stored on the colder shelf so it can freeze quicker.
The other good option is to use metal container as this will hold the cold and will freeze quicker.
Usually I take a Saturday per month to make my frozen foods.
I always make several sauces but mainly tomato sauce as it is something I use a lot, in pastas ,tomato rice, fish stew or really any kind of dish that requires tomato sauce. It keeps all the flavour for couple of weeks.
Best way to freeze this is to use the ice trays and make cubes of sauce or stocks. Then remove the cubes from the tray and place in a plastic bag. It is easier to store.

I also have meat balls which I keep raw but already flavoured (add some onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice, egg, bread and make balls). Freeze the balls on a tray and next day remove the meat balls to a plastic bag. Great with the tomato sauce too.

Keep always some frozen vegetables for an emergency - don't make it a routine but an exception as there's nothing better than fresh vegetables.

Remember that sometimes you cannot make your favorite dish because simple things are missing:

Keep lemon juice frozen (again make same process as with sauces and use the ice tray)

Keep a small box with frozen herbs for emergencies - remember that it is not possible to make «Clams Bolhão Pato» without coriander.

FRIDGE STORAGE - MEAT, FISH , VEGETABLES, CHEESE, DAIRY

Don't keep the meat more than 3 days in fridge.

Place the meat in a plate and cover with foil or film but leaving it loose so the meat can breath - place it in the colder shelf.

Fish - buy it same day or the day before you want to use it.

Vegetables - leave vegetables should be wrapped in humid cloth in the lower selves. Mushrooms should be kept in paper bags so it can breath. The herbs such as parsley, coriander, basil , etc. , will last longer if we cut off the stall, place it in a jar with water and cover with humid cloth or a plastic bag in the fridge.

Cheese and cold meats are usually sold in an hermetic bag. If so, you can keep it but with cheese, once open, place it in a cotton bag so it can breath and not sweat. Cold meats can be kept in film but not to tight.

Dairy products should be kept in the shelves and not the door, as once the fridge is open several times a day, this is the warmer place.

Basic Bread

Bread... is there anything better than warm fresh bread? I love bread.

Portugal has a great tradition on breads but the famous «broa» is the top star.

This is such an easy way to bake your own bread and surprise your family with the most different flavours.

1 kg of baking flour

100 grs baker's yeast

5 dl of water

1 table spoon of salt

1 table spoon of sugar

Put the flour on a clean surface and open a hole in the middle.
On a small quantity of water , mix the salt ,the sugar and the yeast. Mix well.
Add this to the hole of the flour.
Start slowly adding the water and wisk with your hands.
Keep adding the water until the dough is elastic.
Leave it to rise for at least 2 hours at room temperature.
It should duplicate the volume.

Now it is really up to your imagination.

Set the oven at 200ºC .

Split the dough into as many different breads you want to make or simple roll small balls and bake until golden.

Ideas to add to your basic bread:

• Add raisons and nuts. Make a big bread and brush it with egg yoke.


• Add toated onion and some drops of olive oil.


• Add sun dry tomato and basil


• Make a flat bread and brush it with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.

It is also great to freeze and bake it any time.

ONE - shopping can be easy and quick

As promised, here I am to share some tips on how to get organized on your kitchen.

IN THE KITCHEN - SHOPPING

Shopping can be easy and quick :

Make a list of all you need and organize your kitchen store-room by sections.

Basic - Check what is missing and make a list. Buy all the essentials such as rice, potatos, onions , garlic, olive oil ,pasta and flours. Make sure you have always all the dry herbs/spices that are more often used on your kitchen, such as bay leaves, oregan, pepper.

If you store these products in correct way, it can last for three months or more.

Special Shopping - I love the adventure of gourmet shopping and am always ready for a visit to a good store in search for new ethnic food. I load my kitchen with all the different spicies, italian pastas and asiatic sauces.

Try to have always - butter, low-fat cream , a good dijon mustard , curry paste - I use a great one from COSTA's called Goa Curry and it is a prepared so you just have to add to your favorite - chicken or prawns.

Buy fresh - I try as much as possible to use fresh products as they will be responsible for half of the sucess of the meal but there are products that are as good frozen, like peas, broad beans, soya, these are very convenient to have always at home.
Vegetables by fresh - the best is to buy your vegetables once a week as they can really last very fresh if you know how to store them. I will speak about it.

Meat and fish are also possible to buy once a week but you have to make sure that the quality is very good and fresh and by doing a correct storage, they can last for the whole week.

One important thing, specially if you have a family, is to always have pre-prepared meals as this are very helpful when kids arrive for lunch without notice.

On my weekly stop at the butcher , I always buy minced meat ,which I then cook into meat Sauce for pastas, meat balls that are great with potato purée, hamburgers , which I freeze for the week.

Cheese - try to buy on a specialist as they can help you about flavours and maturation. You shouls always have a good cheese at home as this can be a great snack or even a full meal.

From all the cheeses , the most important to have in Parmiggiano specially if you cook a lot of pastas and italian food.

Peach Jam

Today I picked the first peaches of the season from my old peach tree.

They are quite small but have that great smell of the organic fruit.

I decided to make a nice peach jam that can be used as breakfast or just as a desert for cheese or even with meat such as duck.

For 1 kg of clean peaches

500 grs of sugar
1 small glass of port wine
Lemon juice

Bring water to boil and add the peaches one by one for a couple of minutes. Remove from water and peal.

After removing the skin and the sead, it is now time to weight the peaches. Now cut into small pieces.

Put the sugar and port wine in a jam pan and cover the sugar with water. Bring to boil.

Add now the peached and cook slowly for at least one hour.

Try when it is ready by placing a spoon on a plate and after cooling dip your finger in the jam - it is ready when the finger sticks to the jam.

If it is ready, add few drops of lemon juice. Mix well.

Let it cool and put it in jam jars.

It is last for 6 months.

TORINO ITALIA

I was back in Turin this last week.Turin, Torino in Italian, is an interesting city in the Piedmont region of Italy. Famous for the Shroud of Turin ( is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth) and Fiat , Turin has a lot more to offer. From its Baroque cafes and architecture to its shopping arcades and museums,Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics and is in 2008 the World Capital of Design. The city is home of Museo Egizio, one of the most impressive collections of Egyptian arts in the world.









Piazza San Carlo, is a beautiful baroque square with the twin churches of San Carlo and Santa Cristina.
Piazza Castello and Palazzo Reale are at the center of Turin. The square is a pedestrian area with small fountains, surrounded by beautiful, grand buildings.
Il Quadrilatero is an interesting group of backstreets with small markets and beautiful churches. This is another good place to wander.
Elegant and historic bars and cafes are everywhere in central Turin.
One of Turin's well-preserved historic cafes — complete with original furnishings — Caffé Platti on Vittorio Emanuele II opened its doors in 1875
Certain foods, including Gorgonzola cheese, white Alba truffles, and frito misto are part of Torino and the Piedmonte region lifestyle, as is vermouth as an aperitif and Barolo wines.
Try a bicerin, a local layered drink made with coffee, chocolate, and cream. The city has plenty of great offers of Trattorias but is also very updated and trendy when it comes to modern cuisine.
Try RESTAURANT AB+ in Via Della Basilica, 13
When in Italy, I love eating in Trattorias as these kind of simple restaurants usually managed by family , can really take you to the essence of Italy and its regions.
I have tried PREMIATA OSTERIA DELL'HERMADA T.0118190541 and the food is tasteful and home made.

Italy is always worth going but if you like truffles , go around October/November as Alba is only 100 kms away.

Want to learn more about cooking?

Time...Little time we have for the kitchen!
This is why, we need to use it in a clever and organized way .
I though of giving some tips on how to start having a smart cooking and I will try to give you interesting solutions to prepare meals that can suit busy people, lonely people, friends last minute dinner, family informal dinner , sunday treats.
I will be writting about how important it is to have the right tools and ingredients, how you can clean/cut the meats and the vegetables in advance , how you can make a weekly menu that will guide you and avoid the stress of planning what's dinner.
My articles will be based on tips for:
ONE - shopping can be easy and quick: make a list of all you need and organize it by sections. What should you always have in your kitchen and how you can store it?
TWO - shopping - to cook a quick and fresh meal can be really simple - its enough to have your fridge well packed.

THREE - Preparation - organize yourself in a way that you can make things right and reduce the time that you spend cooking a meal.

FOUR - I will start giving you simple things to make every day.