Some exciting news

Magrets & Mushrooms, the sequel to Goose Fat & Garlic by Jeanne Strang, is published today by ckbk, the cookbook app.

The newly published sequel draws on the wealth of additional research that Jeanne carried out while living in France with her husband in the years following the publication of Goose Fat & Garlic. Strang digs deep into the region’s food traditions, while also capturing the evolution of food and cooking in the area to incorporate influences and ingredients from further afield. The 138 vibrant new recipes include several for the plump duck breasts (magrets) of the title and showcase traditional dishes which make the most of the produce of local orchards, farmyards, and fishing villages. But this is more than just a recipe book. Woven through with Jeanne Strang’s warm anecdotes and witty observations, Magrets & Mushrooms is a window into the culinary soul of South-West France, capturing the central role of food in a traditional way of life that is fast disappearing.
For further information, see the feature article on ckbk

Magrets & Mushrooms is simultaneously published as an eBook (£7.99), paperback (£11.99), and hardback (£14.99) and is available via Amazon, and is also included in ckbk Premium Membership. The digital editions include my photographs from this blog (I have cooked some 40 recipes thus far), and more will be added as I work my way through the book. So, I had better get cooking!

What a surprise!

The person who devised this recipe, la soupe à l’ail rose de Lautrec / pink Lautrec garlic soup, knew what they were doing. Here is the list of ingredients: water (or stock), garlic, vermicelli, mustard, eggs, oil, salt and pepper. I didn’t hold out much hope. I added chopped garlic and vermicelli to a litre of (home-made, so good) stock and simmered until cooked. Meanwhile, I made a mustard mayonnaise by beating egg yolks with Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and gradually adding the oil (I used light olive oil, the recipe suggests sunflower). I allowed the garlic broth to cool a little and then whisked in the egg whites. I diluted the mayonnaise with a ladle of broth and then poured it into the soup, stirring well. The result was a delicious soup – what a surprise! On a blind tasting, we could imagine we were eating a delicate garlicky cream of mushroom or celery soup in a posh restaurant.

Pink garlic is a speciality of the Lautrec region in the Tarn

Not my usual supper

I don’t often cook prawns because I am concerned about where they have come from (usually fish farms in South-East Asia for the big ones) and their impact on the environment (replacing mangrove wetlands), but it is possible to buy prawns with an ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) label, which means that their production conforms to the world’s leading standard for responsibly farmed fish and seafood. I don’t often cook risotto because it seems tricky and takes some time but, armed with my ethical prawns and a free evening, I decided to tackle le risotto de crevettes / prawn risotto. I put the raw prawns (with shells on) into a saucepan and covered with water. I added some vegetable stock powder and brought to a simmer, cooking gently for a few minutes. I removed the prawns, shelled them and tipped the bits back into the liquid to simmer for a further 20 minutes, thereby extracting as much flavour as possible. Then I drained the stock, discarding the shells, and returned it to a low heat. Meanwhile, I chopped the prawns into small pieces. I gently heated some sliced shallots in olive oil, added risotto rice, stirring until translucent, followed by some white wine. I stirred for a few minutes until absorbed. I added a ladleful of the warm stock and continued stirring until this was absorbed too, repeating the process for about 30 minutes until all the stock had been used up and the rice no longer had a chalky core. Just before the end, I added the prawns back into the mixture to heat through.