| Before we return home, I thought it would be a good idea to remember our European friends by paying a quick culin- ary visit to them. So, whet your appetites, climb aboard the "Virtual Food Express", get them cooking utensils ready and lets head to the "OLD COUNTRY". |
| FRENCH FOODS |
| A.) CASSOULET - French Casserole: |
| EUROPEAN COOKING |
| 1 1/2 lb. Great Northern white beans; 5 carrots; 6 medium onions; 4 cloves; 2 cans (10 1/2oz. size) chicken broth; 2 bay leaves, crumbled; 1/2 cup chopped fresh celery leaves; 1 1/2 tsp. salt; 3 whole black peppercorns; 3 cloves of gar- lic, minced; 1 1/2 tsps. dried thyme leaves; 1 tsp. dried marjoram; 1 tsp. sage; 1/4 lb. bacon, unsliced; 4 lb. roasting chicken, cut in 8 pieces; 2 tbls. butter or margarine; 1/8 tsp. black pepper; 1 can (1 lb.) peeled tomatoes, undrained; 1 lb. Polish sausage (whole); 2 tbls. chopped parsley: |
| 1.) In an 8-qrt. kettle with cover, combine beans with 4 1/2 cups of cold water; let soak 2 hrs., no longer. Do not drain beans. Meanwhile, peel carrots; cut into quarters. Peel onions; stud 1 of the onions with whole cloves. 2.) Add chicken broth, bay leaves, 1/4 of the carrots, the onions, the onion stud- ded with cloves, celery leaves, 1 tsp. salt, the black peppercorns, garlic, thyme, mar- joram, and sage, to the beans. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, cov- ered, for 1 hr. 3.) Add remaining carrots; cook covered, 15 mins. longer. In the meantime, cut the bacon into 2 pieces. In a large skillet, saute bacon until browned, turning on all sides. Drain off fat. Preheat oven to 350F. Turn bean mixture into a 6-qt. cass- erole and add bacon. 4.) Bake uncovered, 30 mins. Meanwhile, in hot butter in a large skillet, brown chicken (half at a time), turning with tongs to brown well on all sides-this should take about 30 mins. in all. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. 5.) Add browned chicken and undrained tomatoes to beans. With a sharp knife, cut 9 diagonal slashes, 1/8" deep, in top of the Polish sausage. Place the sausage on top of the chicken and vegetables. Cover tightly and bake for 45 mins., or until the chicken is tender. 6.) Bake, uncovered, 10 mins. longer. To serve, sprinkle with parsley. This dish tastes much better if made the day before and refrigerated. To serve: Let warm to room temperature, then reheat, covered, at 300F, for 1 hr., (if too dry, add 1 cup of chicken broth.) Serves 8. |
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| FRENCH FLAG |
| B.) BEEF STEW PROVENCAL: |
| 3 lbs. boneless chuck: MARINADE: 1 navel orange; 1 1/2 cups dry red wine; 1 1/2 tbls. dried thyme: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; salt; 1/4 tsp. pepper; 1 leek (8 oz.), washed; 1/4 cup butter or margarine; 2 tbls. olive or salad oil; 10 small white onions, peeled; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 bay leaves; 1 can (1 lb. 12oz.) tomatoes, undrained; 10 small new potatoes, scrubbed; 1 1/2 lbs. zucchini; 12 ripe olives; Chopped parsley for garnish: |
| 1.) Wipe beef with damp paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut the beef into 1 1/2" cubes, set aside. Make marinade: using a parer, cut strip of orange peel 1" wide, and 3" long. In a large bowl, combine oorange peel, red wine and thyme. Mix well. Add beef and toss to coat well. 2.) Refrigerate, tightly covered, for 2 - 3 hrs. Drain well; reserve marinade and peel. On waxed paper, coat beef cubes with flour mixed with 1 tbls. salt and the pepper; reserve remaining flour mixture. Trim leek. Cut off root, tips and most of the dark green stems. 3.) With a sharp knife, slice leek crosswise, 1/8" thick (this should make a- bout 1 cup). In a 6-qt. Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over high heat. Add beef cubes in a single layer (do not overcrowd). Saute beef over medium heat, turning to brown it on all sides. 4.) With tongs, remove beef to a bowl as it browns. Continue browning the remainder of the beef, (this should take about 1/2 hr. in all.) Add leek, onions and garlic to drippings; cook, stirring until golden - 10 minutes. Remove. Re- turn beef to Dutch oven. Add bay leaves, tomatoes and marinade. 5.) Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, cover- ed for 1 hr. Pare a strip of peel around potatoes, slice zucchini 1" thick. Add onions, leek and potatoes to the beef. 6.) Cook for 40 mins., covered. Add zucchini and olives; cook 20 mins., or until beef and vegetables are tender. Stir the flour into 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Stir into beef. Simmer, uncovered, 10 mins. Stir occasionally. Add peel, parsley. Serves 8. |