Bread Dumplings

To use up leftover baguette or any other bread.
I have used it to go with a casserole, with roast chicken, and in a broth.

For the dumplings

• 200g/7oz stale baguette or other bread (crust included)
• handful chopped parsley
• 250ml/9oz milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• 5-6 leaves of Sage (optional, instead of parsley)
  
  
  salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 free-range egg
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• butter, for frying
  
  
  1. Cut the baguette into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add the parsley or Sage. Bring the milk to a boil and pour over. Stir so that the milk is absorbed evenly, then cover and leave for 15 minutes.
  2. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir in the egg, and mix in one tablespoon flour. If the mix is too wet (it should be moist and only slightly sticky), add a second spoon of flour. Wet your hands a little to help stop the dough sticking to them, then make 12-14 dumplings (smaller than a golf ball).
     
     
     3-, heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan and fry the dumplings on a medium heat for five minutes or until golden-brown and crisp, then drain.
     
     
     4- Or cook them in the oven next to a roast
     5- Or shape into smaller balls and serve with broth

Tomato and chili Oil

A hot spicy dip to accompany roast meat or to simply serve with crusty bread, as an informal starter.

Ingredients:

4 tbs good olive oil
300 ml crushed tomato or passata
3 cloves of garlic
Chili flakes, to taste
1 dessertspoon of sugar
salt
pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Peel and slice the garlic, gently heat the oil in a sauce pan and warm the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the rest of ingredients, cook over a gentle heat for 20-25 min. check the seasoning.

Remove the sauce from the heat.
Serve hot or warm, with bread.

Tartiflette savoyarde

Tartiflette Savoyarde

(French Gratin potatoes)

The name derives from the name tartiflette of potato Savoyard tartifles, a term also found in Provençal tartifles. The Savoyards first heard of the tartiflette when it arrived on the menus of restaurants in the ski stations, conveying an image of friendliness, authenticity, and soil of the mountain.

It is hard to find Reblochon outside France, so I often use Raclette cheese instead.

time 50 minutes plus potato cooking time.

yield  8 people, as a side dish 

category potatoes

cuisine France

ingredients 

• 1,2 kg de potatoes, 
• 200 gr de bacon lardons
• 1 onion (optional)
• 1 reblochon cheese
• 1 tub  crème fraiche
• 1 glass white wine (vin blanc de Savoie)

directions

1. Boil the potatoes whole, until cooked through. Drain and cut into thick slices. About 0.5cm.

2. Fry the onion, sliced, in a little butter, until pale and starting to brown

3. Add the lardons to the onion, fry for a minute or so, turn off heat

4. arrange the potatoes in a well buttered ovenproof dish, spoon over the onion and bacon mix. Stir the wine into the creme fraiche, pout over the potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper.

5. Slice the reblochon over the potatoes, (Alternatively, use raclette cheese) 

6. bake in a hot oven 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.