Zucchini purée (purée de courgettes)

Today is stormy here.

And when it happens, it means "iron day", for me.

Yippee...

Can your hear the excitement in my voice ?...

Well, you could reply that, living in a place where it doesn't rain too much, it's not a big deal to iron time to time.
You should be right.

I made a mistake 20 years ago. I told to my husband (who was not at this time) that it didn't bore me to iron.
At this time, it was true.
We were young, crazy and just had 3 tee shirts and 4 jeans to iron.  Easy !
But now, I still have a husband plus two children, among which a girl...

I'm lucky, my children don't care about fashion or expensive clothes. We're not like that, so we didn't edecuate them this way.
But my sweet little daughter likes to be well dressed and she changes clothes everyday... Every single day.

But magical clothes which go alone to the washing machine don't exist. And most strangely, they don't get ironed by themselves...

Two years ago, while I was taking my children to school, I looked at their clothes at the end of the day.
They were so creased that, the evening, in front of a clothes's mountain to iron, I took the biggest and the greatest decision of my life !

I'LL BE FREE ! 

I will iron just what I will OBLIGATED to !

But I mean, REALLY obligated !

Which means some shirts. 

AND BASTA !

The principal is to spread out correctly. And when I take off my linen, I fold it up immediately. 

This decision saved my life !

My best friend (a man) is divorced and he's alone with 3 girls !! He was becoming mad ! I gave him my solution. 

Now, more than being his best friend, I'm his hero ... ! After IronMAn, I am IronWoman.

Well, all this story, just to say this, with rain and storm, we want to eat hot and sweet. 

It's time for another purée ...

Yes, I know, I cook purée often. But it's such an easy way to eat vegetables. 

So, here's you'll need for this zucchini purée.

• 5 or 6 zucchini
• 2 HUGE potatoes (or 4 little) 
• 2 beautiful leeks white. I'm so happy leek season is coming. 
• 2 cloves of garlic
• And the ingredient who will change everything : 100 grammes of cream cheese and 30 grammes of Tartare

For cream cheese, you can use Philadelphia. You'll need 100 grammes of it.

In France, we find easily Tartare cheese, I don't know if we can find it easily in other countries. If you don't, no problem, just add one more clove of garlic, 30 grammes of cream cheese and some fines herbs.

On my balcony, I have some persley, thyme and basil. 

Usually, it's for our rabbit ... Yes, she's too spoiled. My husband uses to make horrible humor, saying that she will taste good when we will eat her.

... 

I won't iron his shirts anymore ! 

Step 1 : 

Peel potatoes and cut them in pieces. Pour them in a steamer. 

Step 2 : 

Cut up leeks, garlic and zucchini. As they will all cook together, better cutting little pieces of potatoes and big pieces of zucchini.

Let cook all that for 30 minutes. It must be very chewy.

Step 3 : 

In an adapted dish, add cream cheese, Tartare, the parsley you have saved from your rabbit and salt, pepper.

Step 4 :

Heeelllloooo Blender ? How are you, today ?... 

Step 5 :

... No, sorry, there's no step 5 ! It's ready, good appetite ! 

We needed some sun. My husband cooked us merguez sausages.

... MAYBE I will keep on ironing his shirts.

• 
  

Récapitulative : 

• 5 or 6 zucchini
• 2 HUGE potatoes (or 4 little) 
• 2 beautiful leeks white. I'm so happy leek season is coming. 
• 2 cloves of garlic
• And the ingredient who will change everything : 100 grammes of cream cheese and 30 grammes of Tartare

For cream cheese, you can use Philadelphia. You'll need 100 grammes of it.

If you don'tTartare, just add one more clove of garlic, 30 grammes of cream cheese and some fines herbs

Peel potatoes and cut them in pieces. Pour them in a steamer. 

Cut up leeks, garlic and zucchini. As they will all cook together, better cutting little pieces of potatoes and big pieces of zucchini.

Let cook all that for 30 minutes. It must be very chewy.

In an adapted dish, add cream cheese, Tartare, the parsley and salt, pepper.

Blend until it becomes a purée.

Pasta with half and half cream and mushrooms

I LOVE PASTA ! 

Whatever the kind of sauce, whatever the form, I live a wonderful love story with pasta. 

I keep, from my life in Italy, some gustative feelings and surprises that I won’t never forget. 

I remember, of course, coffee. 

A tiny cup with an extract of coffee so strong that the first time I drunk it, I thought I was losing my oesophagus !

But, you get to everything.

When I came back to France, each cup of coffee seemed water for me.

At the same period, I met an American family. 

Then, I discovered the difference between an Italian coffee and an American one and understood how American actors could drink so much… coffee in movies ! 

I remember pizza and my deception. Yes, I’m sorry to admit…Italian pizza deceived me. Maybe I was too habituated to French pizza. 

I remember the “Panettone” counter of my supermarket, for Christmas ! 

In France, in the east south (close to Italy), you find easily panettone for Xmas, in supermarket, of course (even during the year).

But in Italy, I remember ENTIRE counter, panettone, on each side, from bottom to top. 

I’m totally addicted to panettone. I’m not kidding. 

This is something I avoid to buy, because I’m able to eat one entire panettone during breakfast, for example. 

I bake Tiramisù, the favourite dessert of my son.

Cheeses, diabolic cheeses… ! Pecorino, Parmeggiano, Mascarpone, Gorgonzola…

My Italian teacher told me, one day :

“You know that Zola, the French author wasn’t French. He was Italian. And his real name wasn’t Emile. It was Gorgon … Gorgon ZOLA.”

Ice cream … Rrrrrhhhhhooooaaaa, ice cream !!! Even in France, we call them “Gelati”, to not mix up with classic ice cream. 

And of course, the queen of Italian cook : Les pâtes ! 

I ate TONNES of pasta. So many different sauces and so many way of cooking them !

There’s no limit for pasta, except your imagination.

On the same time, it’s considered as a friendly dish. You must have pasta in your kitchen cupboard. 

If ten friends come unexpectedly, you always can make a quick dish of pasta. 

If you’re tired and don’t want to cook, you always can make a quick dish of pasta.

If you’re tight with money, you always can make a quick dish of pasta.

Pasta are our friends ! 

I cook pasta very often. Even when I’ve got guests. You can make all you want with pasta. 

I’ll post very soon a simple dish with lemon and salmon. 

But today, for the first time since several month, the sky  is grey and it’s colder than before.  

So my body wants pasta, cream and Parisian mushroom. 

I didn't have fresk mushroom, so I used cans. 

But you can use any kind of mushroom you like.

Here what you'll need : 

• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 20 cl of half and half (Thanks Dr CaSo ;))
• 200 grammes of mushroom
• Olive oil
• Pasta
• A washed lemon 
• And some parsley.

Step 1 : 

Now, you know me : everything begins with olive oil, onion and garlic ! 

On a low fire, in olive oil and salt, make brown the onion. 

Step 2 : 

When they are golden, add the garlic.

Step 3 : 

After 3 - 4 minutes more, add the mushroom and make them brown too.

Step 4 : 

In the meantime, make boil your water, and if you've got, put a vegetables cube.

Step 5 : 

When your mushrooms are brown, pour the cream and grab the lemon.

Let boil 5 minutes, not more. Salt and pepper, of course.

Step 6 : 

Dredge with parsley.

Step 7 :

When your pasta is ready, add to the mixture one cup of pasta's water. The starch will help to thicken the sauce.

Sorry for the poor quality of this pic, but difficult with the steam.

Stir with pasta, and it's ready ! I'm hungry ! 

Récapitulative : 

• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 20 cl of half and half (Thanks Dr CaSo ;))
• 200 grammes of mushroom
• Olive oil
• Pasta
• A washed lemon 
• And some parsley.

On a low fire, in olive oil and salt, make brown the onion. 

When they are golden, add the garlic.

After 3 - 4 minutes more, add the mushroom and make them brown too.

In the meantime, make boil your water, and if you've got, put a vegetables cube.

When your mushrooms are brown, pour the cream and grab the lemon.

Let boil 5 minutes, not more. Salt and pepper, of course.

Dredge with parsley.

When your pasta is ready, add to the mixture one cup of pasta's water. The starch will help to thicken the sauce.

Stir with pasta, and it's ready ! I

Pumpkin velouté (velouté de potimarron) or our only Halloween night ...

As I told some times ago, I don’t buy my vegetables in supermarket but to a farmer. 

Each week, I have a basket with carrots, eggplants, zucchini, potatoes …etc …

Year ago, I bought a "POTIMARRON". 

I don't know if the english word exists.

It's a kind of pumpkin but smaller, with a sweet hazel taste.

I mean … I bought it to EAT IT !

I used to buy it just for decoration. 

I love the "potimarron" form. 

It reminds me Halloween. I love this period. 

For me, it seems to help to cross over the beginning of fall, the lost of summer …etc ..;

It’s a step between summer and Christmas. 

About ten years, in France, we tried to celebrate Halloween. But  it never really had success. 

The commercial part was more important than the culture and festive part. And it failed. 

Today, some children still try to have candies but they’re very few. 

When my gnome was 2 years old (my gnomette wasn’t born yet), it was the beginning of the fancy for Halloween. 

For October 31th 2001, we went to my brother and sister in law, for Halloween evening, to spend a very good family time. 

We were eating when suddenly … (Always use “suddenly”… good for suspense …), someone rang at the door…

Adults knew what it was. But children, no. 

We were expecting laugh and funny shouts …etc …

My brother in law opened the door and discovered a vampire adult, a little witch and a little ghost under the front porch. 

And the drama happened… 

In my opinion, this adult had a dream : The dream of his entire life was to be a real vampire ! This night, he had the opportunity to live his dream ! 

No way to avoid that ! Tonight was THE night.

Maybe, in his daily life, he was a mechanic, or a doctor, or a baker, or a teacher …

But THIS – NIGHT … He was Dracula ! … (Unfortunately, Edward Cullen wasn’t known at this period).

So, when we opened the door, he yelled at us.

His yell was sounding so real. We felt that it was coming from the deepest of him. I’m sure he trained himself in front of his mirror to look real. 

On the contrary, my son didn’t train himself. But I promise that his own yell was much more better than the vampire’s one !

He shouted without stopping for several minutes (only for breathing). 

His howling could have broken every window in the district. 

Something who can terrified the most tremendous monster in town ! 

The adult who were dreaming to be Dracula, became suddenly a scared bat ! 

The little witch and the little ghost began to scream too.

Such a crazy concert in the house : my son was screaming, the Dracula’s children were screaming, we were laughing like never (yes, because we’re very bad parents)…

A great moment together that we still remember !!

… We never celebrated Halloween again. 

But I love POTIMARRON :D

Here’s a tasty recipe of potimarron velouté.

You'll need : 

• 1 potimarron (weight 1 kg or so)
• 3 beautiful potatoes
• 1 big onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 liter of milk (better to use 1 liter, but I just had 1/2 liter at home)
• 3 tablespoon of semi heavy cream. 
• chives (frozen, for me)

Step 1 : 

Wash the pumpkin. Cut it up in two and scoop out it with a tablespoon.

Step 2 : 

Being very careful, cut it up in pieces. No need to peel it ! Thanks God ! 

Step 3 : 

Slice your onion and make it brown in olive oil. Salt and low fire.

Step 4 : 

Cut your garlic and add it to the onion, when this one is golden. 

Step 5 :

Add your potimmaron.

Step 6 :

Peel potatoes and carrot, cut them up and pour them in. The carrot will give a sugared flavor to your dish. You can also add a tablespoon of white sugar, if you like.

Step 7 :

Pour the milk and the same quantity of WATER. 

Step 8 : 

The 3 tablespoons of cream. 

Step 9 :

Salt and pepper and cover the dish. 

On a low fire, let it cook for one hour. Take off the lid when it will begin to boil.

Here what it looks like after one hour.

It seems to be not cook. But don't worry. It is.

Step 10 : 

Once ago, I told you blender was my best friend. Let's blend, baby ! 

 Before ...

After ...

Step 11 : 

Dredge some chives. Or any kind of herbs you like : parsley, basil ...

... some gruyère, if you have. If you don't, some cheddar. But not too much, it could hide the taste of the mixture.

And ...

Récapitulative : 

• 1 potimarron (weight 1 kg or so)
• 3 beautiful potatoes
• 1 big onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 liter of milk (better to use 1 liter, but I just had 1/2 liter at home)
• 3 tablespoon of semi heavy cream. 
• chives (frozen, for me)

Wash the pumpkin. Cut it up in two and scoop out it with a tablespoon.

Being very careful, cut it up in pieces. No need to peel it ! 

Slice your onion and make it brown in olive oil. Salt and low fire.

Cut your garlic and add it to the onion, when this one is golden. 

Add your potimarron.

Peel potatoes and carrot, cut them up and pour them in. The carrot will give a sugared flavor to your dish. You can also add a tablespoon of white sugar, if you like.

Pour the milk and the same quantity of WATER. 

Pour the 3 tablespoons of cream. 

Salt and pepper and cover the dish. 

On a low fire, let it cook for one hour. Take off the lid when it will begin to boil.

Let's blend, baby ! 

Dredge some chives. Or any kind of herbs you like : parsley, basil.