Mint & Brocciu Quiche

My grandmother is from Corsica, and she has some very nice recipes up her sleeve. A lot of them are made from this fabulous cheese called Brocciu, but unfortunately it's quite hard to find it. If I can't get some at the shop I tend to replace it with cottage cheese.

This quiche is very nice and fresh thanks to the mint. I added some courgettes in it but it's just as nice without them.

• 1 jar of Brocciu or cottage cheese
• 1 courgette (optional), cut in very small cubes
• 1 bunch of fresh mint
• 3 eggs
• 15 cl fresh cream or sour cream (yes I cook with Fresh cream)
• 1 rolled puff pastry sheet
• A handful of grated cheese (parmesan or gruyere)

Preheat oven at 180°C. 

1. Sautee courgette in skillet or grill until tender. 

2. Chop the mint finely, mix it with the brocciu and the courgettes.

3. Roll the pastry sheet in a circular quiche dish, lay the cheese mixture evenly.

4. Mix the eggs and the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pour the egg mixture in the quiche. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. 

6. Cook in oven for 30 minutes or until the quiche is golden and firm.  

Simple green chicken curry

• 2 chicken breasts, cut in cubes
• 2 carrots
• 1 courgette
• 1 red and 1 orange capsicums
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 onion
• 2T green curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1T fish sauce
• A handful cashew nuts

1. Cut the meat in cubes and slice the veggies in stripes (or little cubes if you want to reduce cooking time).

2. Heat the oil in a wok on high temperature, then brown chicken all over. Add onion and garlic, cook another 2 minutes, then add green curry paste and let cook another minute or two until fragrant. 

3. Pour the coconut oil, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to simmer. 

4. Add all the veggies and the fish sauce, cover and let cook for 15-20 minutes. 

5. Add cashew nuts, fresh parsley or basil leaves. Serve with rice or noodles. You can also add a little bit of lime juice to add extra flavor. 

Marinated grilled peppers with chickpeas.

As a kid I loved when my mum made marinated capsicums. It was never often enough though. For some reason I still don't cook them very often, probably because my husband and son are not too keen on them. They're amazingly simple to make though, and they're a great side dish for a barbecue dinner, or to keep in the fridge and enjoy as a starter. 

This time I made them and mixed them with chickpeas because I had a can open, and it worked really well. I had them with merguez (spicy sausages) and it gave the meal a nice moroccan feel. Or so I thought, I wouldn't know, I've never been to Morocco!

• 3 red peppers
• 1T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1T lemon juice
• 1 can chickpeas

1. Grill the peppers in the oven on 220° for 20-30 minutes, rotating them regularly, until the skin is brown all over.

2. Wrap them in foil or place them in a ziplog bag, leave them to cool down. Remove the skins and seeds, cut in striped. 

3. Mix olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and combine with peppers and chickpeas. Place in the fridge for an hour. 

4. Serve as an entree or as a side dish with grilled meat.

Tomatoes "Provençales"

I'm French and from the south, so this a classic dish with a mediterranean influence. It can be done with many variations, using mixed herbs instead of parsley for example. Adding anchovies might work as well I think.

• 4 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3T chopped parsley
• 2T breadcrumbs
• 2T olive oil

1. Prepare topping: mix all the seasoning in a bowl: olive oil, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs

2. Cut the tomatoes in half. Salt them and let them render their juice for a while

3. Heat a skillet on high heat and add olive oil. Cook tomatoes on their flat face for 5-10 minutes, until soften. 

4. Transfer tomatoes in an oven-proof dish, flat side up. Cover each tomatoe with a generous amount of topping.

5. Bake in the oven at 180° for 20 min.

Last time I made them I serves them with rice, steamed broccoli and grilled veal chops.

Curried chicken salad

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut in stripes
• 1 avocado
• a bunch of cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cashew nuts
• 1/2 iceberg lettuce
• 1 pineapple yogurt
• 4 TB mayonnaise
• 1T curry powder
• 1T olive oil

1. Mix the curry powder with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Marinate the chicken in it for 30 minutes. 

2. Grill / fry the chicken in a skillet until brown and cooked through.

3. Place all the ingredients together in a bowl

4. For the dressing: Mix the mayonnaise and the yogurt. Adjust quantities to taste. Serve and enjoy.