A Summer Bourguignon

Yes it’s the middle of July, and I’m cooking up one of France’s most esteemed winter hot pots, bœuf bourguignon. I haven’t quite lost my mind, but if this year’s summer sun is going to insist on playing hide and seek, then I shall fill my belly with wintry soul food accordingly. Succulent beef slowly braised for 3 hours in red wine was the perfect accompaniment to a drizzly, chilly mid-summer Sunday.

The dish has enjoyed a welcome comeback in recent years, making a cameo alongside Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in their blockbuster tribute to Julia Child’s culinary story, Julie & Julia.

To begin with, I turned up the wireless and seasoned 2 table spoons of flour with salt and pepper. Next I lightly dusted chunks of braising beef (500g) in the flour before browning it in batches with some olive oil in a deep pan. Next I added lardons (sliced bacon) and a knob of butter to the same pan with all the beef juices. After 2 minutes I threw in a chopped onion and 2 big garlic cloves, later followed by sliced celery and carrot. I let this cook for around 5 minutes before returning the beef, along with 2 bay leaves and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. I then added about a table spoon of flour to soak up the juices and thicken the soon-to-follow broth. Next came about half a bottle of Pinot Noir, followed by 200 ml of beef stock. At this point I simply covered my bourguignon, transferred it to my preheated oven and left it to work it’s magic for the rest of the afternoon at 140°C.

I took a few pointers from Britain’s very own Julia, Delia Smith, and added the shallots and mushrooms a couple of hours later. First I sautéed them whole in a butter for 2 minutes then added them to the bourguignon for the last hour, which meant that instead of  overcooked they were full of flavour.

My bourguignon came out of the oven and filled the apartment with a belly-rumbling aroma just in time for my housemate to walk through the door after spending the day at work. I served it with steamed new potatoes tossed in a little butter mixed with a dollop of mustard (because there’s never too much butter!).

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that we tucked into our supper so swiftly that there was hardly time to snap a photo before the contents of our plates had been devoured. This must be the sign of a nourishing, comforting – albeit not so seasonal – meal.

What’s playing today?

A special someone sent this to me recently and dared me not to laugh or smile… I failed.

Mr Bojangles by Sammy Davis Jr.

Quiche fit for a Queen

I realise this might be a sacrilegious thing to say as an honorary française, but quiche is quite honestly one of my least favourite meals of all time. I think it must have something to do with primary school-day memories of Quiche Wednesdays, when we’d receive a cold slice of watery egg that had been half-heartedly baked onto a tasteless soggy pie base. As a child who had recently left the colourful flavours of Nigeria and moved to rainy North London, I imagine that most Wednesdays my little face resembled Oliver Twist being served a puny bowl of gruel. Yes, it was that bad.

Since moving to France, I’ve thankfully enjoyed a few heartier slices of quiche made with flaky, buttery pastry crusts and an array of fillings, from gruyère cheese in a quiche vosgienne to a provençal and its juicy tomatoes, not to mention quiche lorraine, quiche aux champignons, quiche florentine… (the list is endless!).

I decided to conquer this aversion to savoury tarts by baking my own creation with some of my favourite foods, namely: caramalised onions, roasted sweet potato, goats cheese and spinach.

I started by blind baking a tart dish lined with pâte brisée (or short-cut pastry), pricked with a fork and covered in a sheet of baking paper and a load of black-eyed beans (my version of pastry weights) to ensure an even distribution of heat through the pastry and avoid it rising excessively. I used shop-bought pastry, but I’ve vowed to make my own next time, taking inspiration from my lovely friend at The Bake Escape. After 15 minutes at 180°C, I removed the beans and baked for another 5 minutes.

In the mean time I caramelized thin slices of 1 large onion, by frying them in butter, thyme and then a glug of balsamic vinegar. I lined the pastry case with these onions and chunks of sweet potato that I’d roasted earlier with olive oil, salt & pepper. I then whisked 6 eggs with 2 heaped tablespoons of creme fraiche and added some grated cheddar, a handful of baby spinach and flat leaf parsley. I poured this over the onions and sweet potato then dotted thick slices of goats cheese and vine tomatoes over the top. It went in the oven for around 35 minutes until this golden treat came out…

With summer teasing us from around the corner, I think this could make a very welcome addition to many a picnic basket.

Where?

My petite cucina

What’s playing today?

Jill Scott’s Cross My Mind

The secret’s out…

I realise that this could upset some residents of the 20th arrondisement but I’ve never been good at keeping foodie secrets. Saturday night I dined at Cyclo, a tiny Vietnamese restaurant on rue de Belleville, and soon discovered why it’s one of the neighbourhood’s best kept secrets. The place was full to the brim, with most of the patrons on a first-name basis with the owner – a charmingly flamboyant Vietnamese native who takes the utmost pride in each dish that comes out of his kitchen.

There was a 50 minute wait for a table, so we left our names and trotted down the hill for un p’tit verre and some live folk music at Culture Rapide. By 10 p.m. we were soothing our grumbling bellies with 2 entrées of gỏi cuốn rice paper rolls filled with rice noodles, prawns and slices of pork, and deep fried pork nem rolls wrapped in fresh mint and lettuce leaves – each had its own bowl of sweet vinegary dipping sauce with grated carrots.

Next came a round of bún bò and phở bò. The first is a cold noodle salad topped with succulent beef, peanuts, nems and fresh coriander. It’s a close call but I think this is slightly better than the bò bún at Hanoi in the 11th. The second is a soup dish of rice noodles and thin slices of raw flank steak that cook in the steaming hot shrimp-paste-chilli-lemongrass-flavoured broth. It’s served with a wedge of lime, bean sprouts, fresh onion and a little pot of thick Hoisin sauce.

Once our ransacked bowls had been cleared away, there was talk of the D-word…dessert! I tried to graciously bow out of this round, until Mr Cyclo passed by with a tantalising tower of crispy coconut crêpes and ice cream. He paused to waft it under our noses, knowing full well that the slightest taunt would throw me over the edge, and of course I fell hook, line and sinker. We ordered the Délice de Banane, and out came a flat slice of steamed banana cake with a brown sugar crust. Just as we were about to tuck in, our man cried “halt” and began spooning over the pool of sweet coconut milk it was swimming in. He explained that this would enhance the flavour and was, of course, spot on. I could have eaten the entire cake tin just drenched in the stuff.

Where?
Cyclo – 78, rue de Belleville 75020 Paris * Métro: Pyrenées

How much?
Entrées & Desserts: €5-6
Mains: €7.50-10.00

What’s playing today?
I recently read a Life + Times of Scott post about Frank Ocean and loved two things, i) redefiniing the term ‘discovering music’ and ii) defending the illustrious love song a.k.a. “sappy singing”.
This is Whip Appeal by Mr Ocean

The art of Apéro

What I love most about my friends is how we all share the same core values about good food: plenty of it!

There’s nothing worse than arriving at someone’s house for l’apéro (drinks and nibbles), only to find that they’ve taken the concept of ‘un petit truc à grignoter’ (a little snack) to the extreme, and laid out an unappetizing bowl of dry cacahuètes. Thankfully this seldom happens amongst my foodie friends. Here are a few creative assiettes to which I’ve been treated lately…

chunks of bread with shallots fried in butter topped with a slice of smoked duck breast

carrot & avocado salad with a mix of orange, yellow and purple carrots from the market

mini blinis with smoked salmon & cream cheese and smoked aubergine purée with fresh tomatoes & sesame

my housemate’s homemade mini bread rolls topped with sesame seeds

classic French apéro of saucisson, pâté, fromage, and a sprinkling of cornichons

grilled goats cheese bruschetta

Here is one of the hosts Polly – a fellow Brit who really knows the art of l’apéro and how to lay on a serious spread! There was homemade guacamole, sangria, patatas bravas, delicious sundried tomatoes, melt-in-your-mouth cheese, 4 different types of cured ham… and a few olives in case we got peckish!

Where?

many petite cucina’s

What’s playing today?

Hello Dolly by Mr Louis Armstrong

Anyone for a full English?

I’m not sure if it’s because this nasty cold weather has given me a nasty rhume, but I’m feeling slightly blue and homesick at the moment. And of course, with the nostalgia comes cravings for delicacies that only Blighty can satisfy: hot cross buns, Yorkshire puddings, Bisto gravy, pork scratchings, Hobnob biscuits and the classic full English fry up.

The last time I was in London, a tequila-fuelled night in Camden with my nearest and dearest had us waking at midday and heading straight to the local greasy spoon caff. I really feel like this picture deserves a place in Cucina‘s gallery. Sure, it could be described as a heart attack on a plate, but to me it’s one of the Great British answers to soul food – others include shepheards pie, bangers & mash and my mama’s Sunday roast pork with baked apples (…sob!).

What’s playing today?

Rest by Michael Kiwanuka, who has just been crowned BBC’s sound of 2012. This is beautiful; like a cross between Bill Withers and John Martyn.

Pretty little pavlova

I passed this salon de thé on my lunch break today and, despite the bitter arctic winds, I had to pause and admire their window. I wasn’t alone either; next to me a little toddler in a fuscia pink skisuit stopped dead in his tracks to point at this display of giant rainbow-coloured meringues.

You can’t quite tell from the photo, but these meringues were practically the size of my head! And while I’m all for indulging in an afternoon treat, I think that tucking into one of these crunchy candyfloss domes might have been a little too much for my conservative colleagues to witness. So as little pink skisuit was ushered away by his maman, I too left disenchanted and slightly peckish… Don’t think for one moment that I’m not going back when noone’s looking!

Where?

Somewhere on rue Lagrange in the 6^th

What’s playing today?

Bad girls by M.I.A.

Va bene Così

So I’ve been a little MIA the last few weeks. I temporarily abandoned both my cucina’s and took up residence in someone else’s. With the festive season coming up, I decided that it was time to earn some pocket money, so I got a part-time job at one of the city’s finest café gems, Cosi.

I call it a gem because Cosi is frankly the only place to get a decent sandwich in this capitale gastronomique. So banish any thoughts of dry baguettes, greasy panini’s or glutinous croquet-mr’s, and think… creamy ricotta mixed with walnuts, sweet roasted onions, tandoori spiced turkey, juicy coriander roasted tomatoes and much more.

Drew and Juan opened Cosi in the ritzy Saint-Germain quartier over 20 years ago. They envisaged a place where you could get kick back, listen to some opera music and tuck into a decent sarnie, full of the kind of treats that you’d like to find in your fridge at 2 a.m …roast beef… mature cheddar cheese… home-made mayo…

Cosi has kept faithful to this vision, and if the unrelenting flow of regulars is anything to go by, I think we can safely assume that it worked!

One of the key ingredients in Cosi’s success is that absolutely everything is cooked on site; from the sea salt roast salmon, to the grandma’s-secret-recipe carrot & walnut cake. But the pièce de résistance would have to be the bread! Rich, warm focaccia-style bread is kneaded with love and baked in the wood-stone oven by the chefs all day long!

You can make your own creation from the list of fillings, or order one from the winning menu. Popular choices include the Cheesy English (roast beef, cheddar and mayo), the Stonker (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, parmesan, basil and roquette), and a delightful Naked Willy (roasted vegetables with ricotta & walnuts). Each sandwich is finished with a healthy glug of olive oil and a sprinkling of chives.

The salads are also pretty popular, due in main part to the generous topping-to-lettuce ratio. The Sanchez Seasonal for example has a dollop of fresh olive tapenade, bean sprouts, red onions and raisins topped with fresh mint and coriander. And by way of dressing you can have a squeeze of fresh lemon, olive oil or a home-made mustard vinaigrette. Salads are served with the famed bread, as is the soup which changes daily.

Now, I love a good sandwich as much as the next man, but where I’m powerless is when it comes to the dessert menu. Hot apple crumble with that old-school crunchy topping over sweet stewed apples, or classic chocolate cake, creamy tiramisu and a lovely baked lemon cheese cake.

All of the wine on offer is organic, and if you like what you sample here then head onto La Dernière Goutte – a wine shop by the same owners, which is just around the corner. They also own the restaurant, Fish, which sits directly opposite Cosi. I’ve been dying to try out the menu so I think I might treat myself to a birthday supper in the new year (…post to follow!)

Most importantly (and not meaning to toot our own trumpet), the staff are quite fabulous. A far cry from the typically irritable French wait staff who are ready spit on your soufflé for the simple request of a carafe d’eau, we’re a happy international posse from all over the world.

Sadly my cosy Cosi time is coming to an end as I’ve just taken a new job for the new year. I’ll miss the cheeky chefs, the first-class serveuses & serveurs and the glamorous 90-year-old dame who comes in most nights for un p’tit verre, escorted by her poodle. Vive la COSI!

Where?

Cosi – 54, rue de Seine 75006 Paris * Métro: Odéon or Mabillon

La Dernière Goutte – 6, rue Bourbon le Château 75006 Paris * Métro: Odéon or Mabillon

How much?

Sandwiches: €5.50 – €8.50

Menus (sandwich/salad + drink + dessert): €9.50 – €11.50

Teas and Desserts: €3 – €3.50

What’s playing today?

Age by Lianne La Havas

Market Treats #2 – smashing pumpkins

Forget the blazing heat of last month; autumn has officially swept into Paris. With knitted hats and gloves out in full force, my seasonal clock is yearning for me to take cover, hibernate and wake up in the spring. But rather than deny the looming winter, I’ve decided to embrace her with a soul-warming bowl of spicy pumpkin soup.

Bastille Richard Lenoir Sunday market

The French may not be big on Halloween tricks and treats, but the markets are still rife with pumpkins and squash of all shape and sizes. There’s nothing more autumnal that cooking up this soup on a chilly Sunday afternoon. It’s very simple and also super duper cheap – I got this slice of pumpkin for a little less than a euro!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 onion
• 1 leek
• 1 red chilli
• 1 slice of fresh pumpkin
• 1 potato
• Chicken stock
• Thyme
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika
• Butter and a drizzle of olive oil
• Crème fraiche

Fry up the onions and leeks in a little butter and olive oil. While they sweat, chop the pumpkin and potato into cubes and add them to the pan with the sliced chilli. Once the pumpkin and potato has slightly softened, add the thyme, paprika and then the stock.

Leave it to simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is cooked through. Once this is ready, take it off the heat and season with salt and pepper. When it has slightly cooled, use a blender and turn it into a thick, smooth soup. Add a dollop of crème fraiche then gently reheat and serve!

Spicy pumpkin soup

*A little tip* – don’t go throwing away the pumpkin seeds – you can roast or toast them with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika for a scrumptious snack!

How much?

Well under a fiver!

Where?

My petite cucina

What’s playing today?

Simply beautiful by Al Green – a perfect sunday soundtrack!

Head over Hanoi

This afternoon I’m fighting through a delirious food coma to bring news of a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant in my neighbourhood, ParisHanoi. As a street-long queue of eager diners snakes along rue Charonne, I feel like the tail end should be holding signs that read, “yes, it really is worth the wait!” It’s a snug fit, but this just adds to the lively bistro buzz, which is perfect for an evening date or lunch with the girls – as I did today.

With temperatures outside soaring to the 30˚C mark, I decided that a fresh bò bún (noodle salad) would be the perfect accompaniment to the October Indian summer. And it truly was.

Bò Bún Nem

Served in a colossal porcelain bowl, the Bò Bún Nem is a generous mound of crunchy lettuce, carrots, bean sprouts and cold rice vermicelli dressed in sweet sesame and soy. Add to this thick chunks of sautéd beef, crispy pork nems (spring rolls), peanuts and fresh coriander – the dish is bursting with flavour and all for just €10.50. In fact, nothing on the menu is over €12.

ParisHanoi doesn’t take reservations so it’s best to arrive early or be prepared to wait in line with torturous wafts of sizzling lemongrass chicken or fragrant chilli prawns. With so much on the menu still to try and nothing but a 5-minute stroll between the resto and my house, I fear that I might be headed towards a Hanoi overdose. It can’t be helped…addiction is a disease.

Where?

ParisHanoi – 74, rue de Charonne 75011 Paris * Métro: Charonne or Ledru-Rollin

How much?

• Starters: €5 and under
• Mains: €8-11
• Desserts: €5 and under

What’s playing today?

my favourite Miriam Makeba song, Kilimanjaro, covered by a great British band, the Noisettes.

A cup of rosy lee

When a friend asked me to help research a piece she was writing on Parisian salons de thé, it took me all of 4 seconds to valiantly accept. What sort of friend would I be if I didn’t agree to spend an afternoon indulging in tea and cake?

Tea Corner is a lovely little spot just off rue Montorgeuil in the 2^nd arrondissement. In keeping with our beloved British teatime, we arrived in the late afternoon to find a couple of fellow tea drinkers peacefully buried behind books and laptops.

On Jane’s recommendation we ordered 2 mugs of Chaï tea and a delightful little muffin.

Thé Chaï

The Chaï arrived with a special infuser and a mini hourglass. The waitress explained that once the last grains of yellow sand had passed through the timer, the tea would have had enough time to perfectly infuse. And like clockwork, 5 minutes later the black tea leaves were ready to be drained, leaving a creamy cardamom and clove-infused milk.

Our muffin came straight out of the oven with a cheeky warm Nutella filling and an extra dollop on the side. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Muffin au coeur de Nutella

Where? 

Tea Corner – 6 Rue Mandar 75002 Paris * Métro – Etienne Marcel

How much?

• A mug of Chaï – €3.50
• A muffin – €5

What’s playing today? 

I used to have it all by Maverick Sabre