Ma Cuisine

Today the three youngest kids went to an amusement park for the day with their dad and cousins. I went to work to get Zac ready, then I was done. No school run today. I did have to do dinner though. I thought I would have plenty of time to cook, take pictures, relax, etc. No such luck. I don't know where time went, but went it did. By the time I finished getting the chicken from the boucherie and the rest of the food from the grocery store, it was already 6:30. And yes, I go to the grocery store every day before cooking. Dinner is usually ready around 7:15pm. Oh no. But then I forgot my camera, so I ran back to my flat to get it.

I started dinner at 6:35pm. Time was ticking. I decided to cook Apple Curry Chicken with Couscous, one of the kids' favorite meals, since they would probably be incredibly worn out from running around all day. My boss told me about another entree this week, so I thought I would give that a try also.

So...for tonights meal, these were the ingredients: 5 chicken breasts, red pepper, two apples, creme fraiche (I have no idea what this is in the US, maybe just heavy cream), harissa, curry, cilantro, cumin, butter, raisins, couscous (medium), canned chickpeas, olive oil...Once I had been cooking awhile, it became second nature of knowing which order to do things in. First, steam the couscous. It takes a good 25 minutes. I made enough for 5 people (bellies of varying sizes).

Next, peel the apples and cut them in rather small pieces. I quartered them first. Melt a good chunk of butter in a pan, then add a heaping tablespoon of curry. Mix them well, then add the apples. Sautee them together for a couple of minutes. Then add a lot of creme fraiche. You might need to know that I NEVER measure anything. It's too time consuming. Once you have added the cream, add another regular tablespoon of curry and a bit of salt. Let all of it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the chicken. Make sure to get the sauce all around it so it marinates. Put on lowest heat and cover.Time for the couscous. Dice the red pepper first. Get another pan and melt another good chunk of butter. Add some olive oil in there too. Most people don't use the two together, but I do. I don't care what the wizards say. After it's melted, add a teaspoon and a half of harissa. Be careful because this stuff has some major kick! Then add a cup of raisins and the pepper. Let these simmer for a few minutes. Add some salt if you'd like. Then add the couscous. Tonight mine was really dry, so I had to add some more oil to loosen it up. It's really pretty when it's all together. Couscous has no rules, so if you want to add more to it, go for it!

The entree (in French cuisine) is usually some sort of vegetable which prepares the stomach for the meal. I've got a book full of entrees. I love to experiment with them. Tonight I made Chickpea Salad. You can get dry chickpeas, but it takes a long time for them to soften, so I just got a can of them. First add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of harissa and 2 teaspoons of cumin and a good bit of fresh cilantro. Mix them well together. Then pour in the chickpeas and stir, stir, stir. Voila! It's done!By this time, the chicken should be PERFECT! At this point Balthazar came out and looked at the food. When he opened the lid to the chicken we both just went "ahhhhhh" because it smelled so incredible good.

Now this all looks difficult, but it took me only 45 minutes to do this from start to finish. And it is a good, good, goood meal.Balth was the only one at home to eat when it was ready, so I kept him company. The rest of the gang got back much later. He loved the chickpea salad. That made me happy. And I guarantee he's taller than any of you reading this. I have been trying to fatten him up, but it's not working.
I like blogging all this, so there will be more...