0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #228

This week, Kashim at "Paulchens FoodBlog?!" (Austria) is happy to announce that he is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #228...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in his blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact him via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

0 A DAY TRIP TO LYON - PART I

Two weeks ago, during our holidays, we decided to do a day trip to Lyon, the third biggest town in France after Paris and Marseilles. As we are lucky to have the TGV train stopping right here at the Geneva train station, it was the opportunity to discover that fantastic town which has the reputation of being the French capital of gastronomy...

There, we ate at a famous Bouchon (article soon to come) and played tourists in the old parts of Lyon. It is such a magnificent and peaceful city (the center that is, not the suburbs, unfortunately...) that we didn't see time fly. We loved it and will go there again very soon!

Lyon is a city of central France and is situated in the Rhônes-Alpes region, 160km away from Geneva. It has a rich history and is very interesting culturally-, architecture- as well as culinary-wise.

The romans named it Lugdunum (meaning "the hill of light" or "the hill of crows"). At that time (1st century B.C.) it was proclaimed capital of the three Gauls. During the 11th century, the church declared Lyon the seat of the Primate of Gaul in the 11th century, and then by the end of the 15th century, it became an important center of trade because of it's fairs and a well-developed banking system which attracted commercial interests from all over Europe. All that richness and commotion attracted the social, intellectual and artistic elite which settled there. Development continued through the 17th and 18th centuries with the Lyon silk industry. The city continued to gain in size and equipped itself with hospitals, public squares and impressive edifices. The French Revolution in 1789 brought a brutal halt to that expansion, but development was re-vitalized under the Napoleonic empire. Lyon became an industrial city, pursued its urban development and never stopped growing until today...

0 STUFFED QUINCES - COINGS FARCIS

Lately, I have been delving into the world of Turkish as well as Middle Eastern food and have developped an immense passion for that delightful Mediterranean cuisine. That is why, today, I will grace the pages of this blog with a wonderful seasonal recipe that I have found in famous Egypto-English book author/culinary journalist Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" (a book that does not disappoint)...

"Stuffed Quinces" or "Ayva Dolmasi" is a very scented and refined dish that is typically Turkish, but which can also be widely found in Persia as well as Georgia.

This Middle Eastern speciality is totally irresistible. In my opinion, there's no better way to celebrate autumn than by cooking a savory, spicy and totally original quince recipe which will fulfill your cravings for sweet and sour combinations. And what a fabulous and totally unique approach to preparing that lovely scented fruit. A perfect ode to fall!

Although this dish contains so few ingredients, you might be tempted to add another spice (garlic for example) or play a little around, but for godsake's don't! You would ruin the flavors of this dish which are very delicate, yet very complex and so well-balanced. "Ayva Dolmasi" doesn't lack character or taste and is
highly satifying gustatively speaking.

The quince pulp gives an ambrosial sweetness to the meat filling while the quince shells deliver a suprising tangy sharpness that contrasts luciously with the mellow roundness of the meat as well as the round and nutty taste of the pine nuts. There is no dissonance in this dish, only voluptuous aromas...

You will see, it is impossible to not fall in love with that fine example of the harmonious cuisine from Turkey"!

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With this Turkish recipe, I have decided to participate to Tobias' (at Tobias Cooks) "Mediterranean Cooking Event" in order to share my love for that cusine and maybe get the chance to win a great cookbook... So I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

~ Stuffed Quinces or Ayva Dolmasi ~
Taken from Claudia Roden's "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 Large quinces (450g each)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs Olive oil
4 Tbs Pine nuts
240g Ground lamb or beef
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground allspice
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Wash the quinces and rub off the light down that covers their skin in patches.
2. Put the quinces on a baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 170° C (325° F) for 1 to 2 hours, until they feel soft when you press them.
3. For the stuffing, fry the onion in the oil until soft and translucent.
4. Add the pine nuts and stir, turning them over, until golden.
5. Put the ground meat in a bowl with the spices, and work them to a paste with your hands. 6. Add the onions and pine nuts and work them into the paste.
7. When the quinces are cool enough to handle, cut the quinces in half lengthwise and remove the cores and discard them.
8. Then scoop out about one third of the pulp, chop it, and add it to the meat mixture.
9. Divide the meat between the four quince halves and press it into the quinces.
10. Return the stuffed quinces to the baking sheet and bake for half an hour at 180° C (350° F).
11. Serve with the accompaniment of your choice.

Remarks:
I used beef, but lamb would surely be tastier.

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot with rice pilaf, rice with chickpeas or bread and yoghurt.

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~ Coings Farcis A La Turque ou Ayva Dolmasi ~
Recette tirée du livre "Arabesque: A Taste of Turkey, Morocco and Lebanon" de Claudia Roden et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Pour 4 personnes.

Ingrédients:
2 Gros coings (450g chacuns)
1 Oignon moyen, haché
1 1/2 CS d'Huile d'olive
4 CS de Pignons
240g de Viande de boeuf ou d'agneau hachée
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/2 CC de Tout-épices (poivre de la Jamaïque)
Sel de mer et poivre, à volonté

Méthode:
1. Laver les coings en s'assurant de bien enlever le duvet qui les recouvre.
2. Mettre les coings sur une plaque de cuisson (recouverte de papier sulfurisé) et les cuire pendant 1 à 2 heures dans le four préchauffé à 170° C, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient mous au toucher.
3. Pour la garniture, faire revenir les oignons dans l'huile afin qu'ils soient transparents et tendres.
4. Ajouter les pignons et bien remuer jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés.

5. Mettre la viande hachée dans un bol avec toutes les épices et pétrir cette masse à l'aide de vos mains.
6. Ajouter les oignons et les pignons. Bien les incorporer dans la masse.
7. Quand les coings sont manipulable (tièdes), coupez-les en deux et retirez les pépins ainsi que les queues.
8. Prélever une petite partie de chair que vous hacherez et incorporerez à la viande hachée.
9. Diviser la garniture en 4 portions égales et farcir les coings.
10. Mettre les coings farcis au four et les cuire pendant 30 minutes à 180° C.
11. Servir avec l'accompagnement de votre choix.

Remarques:
J'ai utilisé de la viande de boeuf, mais je suis sûre que ce plat serait encore plus goûteux avec de la viande d'agneau.

Idées de présentation:
Servir soit avec du riz pilaf, du riz aux pois chiches ou du pain arabe et du yaourt.

0 WEEKEND CAT BLOGGING #227

This week, Breadchick and LB at "The Sour Dough" (USA) are happy to announce that they are hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #227...

To submit your kitty picture(s), you can either leave a message in their blog's comment section (with your permalinks) or contact them via e-mail without forgetting to give all the needed information.

A clown named Maruschka.

0 SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEESES

Being Swiss, it is difficult not to like cheese. I have eaten that delicacy since a very early age and never fell out of love with it. Cheese has always been part of my life and we will never sever...

Our country has many wonderful cheeses and we are also very lucky to find great foreign specialities (French, Spanish, Italian & English) in our stores or at our local cheese dealer. For a cheese lover like me, it's paradise (unless you look at the - high - prices, that is).

I mean, is there anything better than quality cheese with homemade bread and a bottle of good wine?!

Saint Nectaire from Auvergne.Le Vézalay from Yonne.Maroille from Picardy and Nord-Pas-De-Calais.

0 GOURMET IS DEAD...

Sad news on the foodie front.
After 69 years of loyal services, the irreplacable Gourmet Magazine is scheduled to close!
I'm so disappointed by Condé Nast's decision.
This makes me so sour and gloomy..........

0 SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR...

IN A WHILE, CROCODILE!

I am just taking a small break, but don't worry, my next recipe will be posted in two weeks...

Je fais une petite pause bloguesque, mais pas de panique, ma prochaine recette sera publiée dans deux semaines...