Asparagus are among the finest vegetables in French cooking. It is a spring herald. Here is a simple recipe to enjoy young green asparagus with little cooking to be done. You can serve it as a starter or as a perfect side dish. Your choice!

A salad bursting with flavors and textures. Its three components can prepared almost simultaneously the night before and put together in no time. An ideal candidate for your summer's day party. The finished dish appears a lot more complicated than it is.

This hearty dish from Calabria, Penne con Verza e Salsiccia, needs little else to provide a satisfying and tasty meal. Savoy's cabbage robust flavor and texture contrasts exceptionally well with the sausage and pasta. A fall and winter season favorite.

Tosta de Pimientos con Chorizo, a bruschetta from Spain and a typical Tapas dish. The peppers' sweetness and the spiciness of the chorizos transform a simple sauce into a great " fast food" spooned on a toast. A mixed salad on the side and you have a sublime light lunch. Toasted pine nuts and feta or goat cheese as a substitute for the chorizos make this a tasty vegetarian dish.

Filet de Porc en Croûte, an impressive entrée - juicy pork tenderloin all wrapped up in puff pastry. Perfect for entertaining. Puff pastry actually makes the cook's job easy. Just do not tell anyone!

Seafood, potatoes and fennel are layered in this mild version of a Moroccan tagine (aka tajine). Chermoula, preserved lemons and fresh coriander add zest and flavor. Any white firm white fish will do.

Jerusalem artichokes, topinambours or sunchokes, are the root tubers of a sunflower species with a skin similar to ginger root and a color ranging from dark pink to beige. A peasant dish in times when the harvest was not so bountiful. This almost forgotten vegetable is now back in style and at its peak taste from October to early spring.

A quick sauté of scallops and leeks flavored with a Marseillaise specialty, the pastis, an anise drink better known by the name Pernod or Ricard. If you decide to serve the scallops along other dishes, it is wiser to prepare them before. The dish requires very little preparation time.

A twist of the famous classic "Vitello Tonnato", a light summery dish and an ideal choice for a party. Poached and chilled chicken breast, turned into a feast with a creamy tuna sauce to go with it. A crusty bread to mop the sauce and a fresh green salad is all you need with it.

One of my favorite risotto dishes from the Liguria region in Italy. Easy to make, downright delicious - an ideal summer meal. Ask your fishmonger for smaller squids if you can. They are much more tender than the larger ones. Cooking the squid separately will avoid it to become though and chewy.

Petto di Pollo a la Parmegiana, an Italian-American classic, popularized by southern immigrants arriving on the American shores. It's simple and satisfying. My version is served with garlic sautéed spinach. A side dish of buttered browned gnocchis and a nice glass of red wine - a slice of homely heaven.

Delicious with everything. Perfect as an appetizer or as a side kick to grilled meats. A softly poached egg on top will crown the flavors and transform an appetizer in a real "fast food" option accompanied with a crusty bread. Bon appétit!

It is late summertime and the bounty of ripe and succulent nectarines is spectacular. This delicious dessert is simple to prepare and the list of ingredients is short. The result: a homey, comforting dessert, a sure pleaser for an outdoors party.

A savory tart loaded with enough garlic to ward off the most stubborn of vampires. But no worries, caramelized garlic brings out its natural sweetness. This delicious recipe from Marseilles is a great choice for a party, light lunch or a picnic.

Rabbit meat is low fat and has a delicate flavor. Cogniglio con Finocchio e Pancetta, a classic dish from the Marche region in Italy, uses fennel as its partner, which grows wild here. Fennel has a subtle, yet unmistakable anise flavor.

Tapas are certainly Spain's best food invention, real soul food. Simple ingredients presented with flair, especially appealing in warm weather. The red peppers gain in flavor when served at room temperature. The substantial amount of garlic and parsley in the vinaigrette, make this salad particularly tasty.

The smoky, spicy chorizo and the mild flavor of the chickpeas and spinach are a great combination. The vegetarian option is equally good. Leave out the chorizo and substitute the chicken stock for a vegetable one. Sopa de Garbanzos with chorizos or ham is one of the mainstays of the Spanish cuisine.

Petti di Pollo con Ripieno di Spinaci makes for a stylish main course for a dinner party. Don't be discouraged by the several stages involved in the preparation. The dish can be made ahead giving you time to enjoy your guests and get the "bravo" at dinner time.

Preparation of fresh snails is a lengthy process. So most of us will resort to the canned variety. Nothing wrong with it! Count at least 20 small snails per serving. Use small snails, if you can. In France I buy the Escargots Petits Gris, a very tasty variety with no fat.

Autumn and winter is leek and mushroom season. This Quiche aux Poireaux et Champignons is impressive but easy to make. A real comfort meal for family and friends.

Salt codfish is widely used in Portugal in all shapes and forms. It's no surprise, then, that there is a codfish soup. Rarely found on restaurants menus, it's dearly loved by country folks.

A simple Tuscan dish with impressive looks. Fennel, another favorite which grows wild in the Tuscany hills, imparts a light and refreshing flavor that seeps into the roast while cooking.

Eggplants are an excellent pairing to pasta. Their nice texture and capacity to absorb flavors make them a great substitute for meat. Sun dried tomatoes enhance this vegetarian option or light summer meal.

Soups of the hearty variety are common in the Aosta Valley in Italy. Zuppa di Valpelline is no exception to it. Traditionally made with old bread and topped with melted Fontina cheese. This variation calls for large raviolis (2 per person) as a substitute for the cheese bread. Easy to make and rewarding. A perfect fall and winter meal.

Serving lamb is the traditional way Italians herald the spring. Braising lamb with artichokes in a rich tomato herb sauce is an elegant way to present it. A winning combination for sure. Creamy polenta or a nice crusty farm bread completes the delight.

Açorda, the Portuguese bread soup, resembles a bit the Pappa al Pomodoro soup from Tuscany. It has a porridge like texture. Aside from bread, ingredients vary from region to region or heirloom recipes. A poor man's soup, nourishing, simple and cheap has found its place on the fine tables of Portugal. This recipe is the rich man's version.]]> http://chezbasilic.com/portuguese-bread-soup-with-shrimps.html Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:52:17 GMT braised-marinated-beef-roast-pasticciata-alla-cagliostro.html

Pasticciata alla Cagliostro, a hearty dish from the Marche region in Italy. Marinating and braising is a traditional way of preparing meat in many parts of Europe. In Italy this age old tradition has been revived with the increasing popularity of the slow food movement.

A tasty salad from Apulia in the South of Italy. It's a fabulous dish on its own with a crusty white bread and glass of white wine.

Squid and Octopus are a staple of the Greek cuisine. Its rocky coast, the myriad of islands and clean waters are the perfect habitat for them. This recipe is a Greek favorite often served in bars and bistros in Athens, a typical Mezze dish.

Domates Yemistes is a popular summer dish. "Yemista" means filled or stuffed. It can be served straight from the oven as a side dish to meats or cold accompanied with a salad on a hot summer day. Given the abundance of tomatoes in the Mediterranean region, filling them with rice, meats, a variety of grains enhanced by herbs and spices is an obvious choice.

Stuffat tal Fenek is a national dish from Malta. The mild, tender rabbit meat is infused with rich, hearty flavors from the red wine sauce and spices. A marvelous slow cooked dish enjoyed by Maltese families on Saints Peter and Paul day on June 29.

Halloumi is a lightly salted hard cheese from Cyprus. It has a high fat content and is great grilled or pan-fried. It will not melt even at high temperatures. Like its counterpart, Kefalotyri, it is made from sheep's or goat milk. A great recipe for the unexpected vegetarian guest and a tasty accompaniment to roasted veggies. Nowadays Halloumi is available in most parts of the world, especially in Greek and Middle Eastern food stores.

This rice-vegetable pilaf (aka pilav) has Swiss Chard also known as Silverbeet or Mangold as one of its ingredients, a vegetable little known in the US, but widely available in Europe. It has a slightly bitter taste which fades when cooked. It lends an original touch to this dish from Turkey. If you cannot find Swiss Chard, use spinach instead.

One of the best known pasta dishes in Italy. An honest fare made with simple ingredients. All'arrabbiata means "fiery style", named as such due to the heat of the peppers.

Caldo Verde (green broth) is something of a national dish in Portugal. Originally from the Minho region in the north, it is served nowadays from humble homes to fine restaurants in Portugal and Southern Brazil. It can be a one-course meal for lunch or a light choice for the evening. More than often it is served in restaurants after the main course, following an old tradition.

Arista di Maiale con Cipolle alla Caramella, a hearty pork roast from the Toscana. Have you ever eaten spit roasted suckling pig (Maialino allo Spiedo) in one of those roadside osterias in the Toscana? This dish is very similar: tender, juicy pork meat with a delicious crust and bursting with flavor.

Spinach and Feta Cheese combine well and the anchovies give this dish an extra subtle flavor. A variation of the popular Spanakopita recipe from Greece. Light and well rounded in taste.