If the holidays already seem far – too far – behind us, that’s no reason to forget them. How to do it? By instilling summer flavors here and there in our daily dishes. Flavors of Greece, Spanish dishes, cheeses from our mountains and dishes with summer vegetables, that’s the ideal program for this week.
Long live sharing dishes!
To save as much time as possible in the kitchen during this already very busy week, the best solution is to focus on generous dishes to share, such as quiches, savory tarts, shepherd’s pie, generous pastas and rice dishes, complemented by vegetables and animal or vegetable proteins. The idea is to prepare generous quantities, even if there are only a few of you at the table, and to keep the leftovers in airtight containers, for the following meals or to take to the office.
The magic of batch cooking
In a quiet moment – like the weekend – anticipating your meals and preparing cooked legumes and cereals, sliced vegetables or even a whole roast chicken in advance, to cut up and serve hot or cold, is an effective method when time is short during the week. The idea is not to spend an infinite amount of time in the kitchen on the weekend, but to start several cooking/preparations in parallel to save time the following week. The good idea? Prepare generous quantities, and not just for a single meal!
Coming soon, 3 recipes for a more delicious back-to-school experience than ever.
Recipe #1: Eggplant Lasagna
© Pierre Javelle
A dish in which eggplants judiciously replace lasagna noodles. For a 100% gluten-free result, replace the wheat flour with rice or chickpea flour.
How do we do it? Cut 3 eggplants into strips. Brown them in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
In the same pan, brown 500 g of ground beef with 2 yellow onions and 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Add 1 tbsp. of cumin, 1 tbsp. of paprika, 1 tbsp. of ras el-hanout spices, 1 tbsp. of tomato puree, salt and pepper from the mill.
Prepare the béchamel. Melt 50 g of butter in a saucepan, add 50 g of flour, whisk off the heat. Put the saucepan back on the heat, and gradually pour in 50 cl of milk while stirring. Cook until thickened. Add 1 tsp. of nutmeg.
Alternate layers of eggplant and meat in a baking dish, then cover with béchamel.
Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.
For 6 people
Discover the recipe for eggplant lasagna
Recipe #2: Cycladic spaghetti
© David Japy
Holiday flavors that feel good this back-to-school week.
How do we do it? Roughly chop 1 tbsp. of capers and 1 dozen pitted black olives. Drizzle with 4 tbsp. of olive oil. Chop the zest of 1/2 untreated lemon. Crumble 100 g of feta cheese in between and mix with 2 sprigs of thyme. Chop 1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
Bring water to the boil, add salt and add 400 g of spaghetti. When they are cooked al dente, drain them, keeping 10 cl of cooking water.
Put the pasta in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients and a little cooking water. Mix and serve piping hot.
For 6 people
Discover the recipe for Cycladic Spaghetti
Recipe #3: Express paella
© Valery Guedes
An easy dish, simply leave to cook in the oven.
How do we do it? Preheat the oven to 220°C. Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and 1 onion. Cut 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper into strips, as well as 2 diced tomatoes.
In an ovenproof casserole dish, brown the onion, garlic and 4 chicken drumsticks until golden, then add the peppers and diced tomatoes. Then pour in 300 g of white rice, 8 large shrimp, 12 squid rings, 1 bay leaf, 3 doses of saffron and sprinkle with 70 cl of chicken stock.
Close the casserole dish and put in the oven for 40 minutes. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add 50 g of frozen peas and serve immediately.
Discover the recipe for Express Paella
