Testing - La Pescajoune

https://www.vallee-dordogne.com/blog/recette-la-pescajoune-de-marielle
http://blog-domi.over-blog.fr/article-pour-ceux-qui-n-aiment-pas-trop-l-omelette-une-pasacade-recette-116685107.html
https://www.jours-de-marche.fr/specialites/pescajoune.html

This appears to be a versatile pancake-type recipe. Translated the site indicates that, sweet or savory, this was the dish made by the common folk of the Haut Quercy. In the evening, the elderly would slice in some lard in a pan to fry up the batter to make a complete meal with a salad of dandelion greens. But always made with lard.
As a dessert it was always seasonal fruits that were used, offering variety throughout the season.
The most delectable is cooked but the fire to lightly caramelize and absorb the smokiness of the hearth.
Best eaten while very hot!

1 - Tasty and fun to make. It really is its own thing; not a pancake, not a crêpe, not a cake, not an omelette, not egg foo young, but something all on its own. It does need baking powder or yeast - I'll try both. I made it in a cast-iron pan for which the dinner plates fit perfectly on top to flip the pescajoune onto. I greased the plate beforehand to make the flipping easier. It's essential that the pescajoune be cooked over low heat so that the top solidifies before the first flip, and that the bottom doesn't burn. I made this as two pancakes, but I think it would be fine as one giant pancake. It really does seem like such a flexible recipe that it can be done any number of ways.

3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cups milk
6 eggs
A sprinkling of vanilla and liqueur of your choice
2 large apples or 3/4lb apple, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbsps oil (preferably lard)

1. Mix together the dry ingredients then the wet, up to the apples and only adding the apple once the batter is well mixed.
2. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken a bit.
3. Heat the oil in a 8 to 10" pan.
4. Pour in the batter - it should make a 1" thick pancake.
5. Cook until the underside browns, then with the help of a plate flip it over onto the plate, and slide it back into the pan to finish cooking.
6. Once browned on both sides, flip back onto the plate and serve immediately with either powdered sugar or maple syrup on top.

Soupe à la choucroûte - Testing

pg 41 Country Cooking of France by Elizabeth David

https://www.ricardocuisine.com/recettes/7011-soupe-choucroute

https://www.750g.com/la-soupe-de-noel-ou-soupe-a-la-choucroute-r64084.htm

1 - real interesting and odd. Used store-bought sauerkraut, would like to try again by rinsing it, maybe soaking it because the soup was too acidic. I also did not blender the soup which seemed fine but I’m curious to see the difference. The bacon was good, the sausage was good but I’m curious to try some of the other meats suggested, such as the next time I make a ham.

80gr/3oz of bacon or rinds of bacon, chopped into lardons

1 lb sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 oz dried mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
1 bayleaf
6 juniper berries
2 tsps sugar
4 cups stock or water
1/4 lb raw salame (?) sausage or 2-3 smoked Frankfurter (?) sausages or 1/4lb smoked ham (?)
2 oz whipping cream

1. In a large pan cook the bacon until golden.
2. Add the stock sauerkraut, potatoes, mushrooms, salt, pepper, bayleaf, juniper berries and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour.
3. When cooked, remove the bay leaves and the juniper berries and pass through a sieve or process with an immersion blender and return to the pan. Bring back to a boil.
4. Cut up the sausage and cook it in the soup for about 15 minutes or until cooked. 
5. Add the cream and serve.
6. OPTIONAL - a sprinkling of cheese.

Soupe au lard et au fromage - Test 1

pg 41 Country Cooking of France by Elizabeth David

https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/baked-french-onion-soup/

1 - Ben was pleasantly surprised. It makes like a baked onion soup stew-like casserole. The bread and cheese completely dissolve during the baking, and it's an excellent way to use up the bits of cheese left clinging to the rind. I added some wine in the cooking as well as some thyme, and some broth instead of the plain water. Oh, and the onion should be browned a fair bit more - I made it so that it was just starting to caramelize, but it would be better with a more rounded browned onion flavour. I didn't measure the quantity of bread, cheese or cream, so that will come next. Ben would like texture variation like croutons. Hmmm... Perhaps I could do this by making butter croutons, popping them on top and doing a quick broil at the end?

2 - I did not use the croutons and it was very good, even, as Ben put it, Burgoo good. Now that's saying something! I used white wine and beef broth, with may have rounded things. Oh, and a bit of thyme.

4 oz fatty bacon cut into lardons
6 small onions (2lbs), thin sliced
Salt and pepper

1 to 2 sprigs thyme, minced

⅓ cup white wine
3 cups (1½ pints) beef broth
8oz very thin slices of day-old/stale bread
7 to 8oz Parmesan cheese, sliced thin
¼ + cup cream 

CROUTONS

2 slices of crusty bread (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsps butter

1. Render the fat from the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until the bacon is evenly golden. 
2. Lower the temperature under the saucepan and add the onion to the bacon, cooking it very slowly until it turns a deep brown and falling apart - all the sweetness of the onion will come out at this point. 
3. Add the thyme.
4. If using a cast iron or stainless steel pan (recommended), a 'fond' will start to develop as the sugars in the onion begin to caramelize and stick to the pan. Don't avoid this stage, but enter it joyfully - this is where your flavour will come from.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
6. Season the onions with the salt and pepper, then stir in the wine. Cook down for a few minutes, then add the broth. Scrape up all that wonderful fond and continue simmering for about 30 minutes.
7. In an oven-ready pot or earthenware casserole dish, you will be making consecutive layers of the rest of the ingredients; put down a single layer of bread, a thin layer of Parmesan, a Tbsp of cream, some of the bacon, and repeat starting with the bread, until the casserole is half full.
8. Over these layers pour the onions and their stock. Bake in the oven, covered, for 1 hour.
9. TEST - meanwhile, make butter croutons

CROUTONS

1. Cube the bread to make croutons.
2. Over medium heat melt the 2 Tbsps of butter in a small pan (level of butter should be 1/4 inch) and allow it to heat up completely so that when a cube of bread is put in, it will quietly sizzle.
3. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring constantly so they brown evenly, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 
4. Burns easily!
5. Strain off the extra fat. 
6. With a slotted spoon remove the croutons.
7. When the casserole is baked, remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle the croutons on top and return to the oven to broil until the top is gently bubbling.

Potage Saint Hubert (Christmas soup) - Testing

 pg 40 Country Foods of France by Elizabeth David

1 - Because I will more frequently have leftover chicken, I opted to halve the recipe. Given that, it'll be easy to double it for a whole pheasant, if ever such a thing happens to me in my lifetime.
for 8 4 people

The first attempt was quite successful, and I look forward to trying it again. This time, my fine sieve was in the wash, so I only used the blender. Now I wonder  if, after running it through the blender, I can get it to be even more fine. As it was, the chicken easily separated from the liquid, and I'd like to make it more creamy and uniform.

Interestingly, I have only found reference to Elizabeth David's recipe under this name. However, in looking around, I found other recipes of the same name with totally different ingredients, including no fowl at all. Curious.

I would like to try thickening agents to smooth the texture, like a finely ground cooked potato or a roux. I've added a note.

1 lb 8oz duPuys lentils
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white parts sliced
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
?(5) cups water
?(3/4 tsp) salt

(1 Tbsp butter)

(1 Tbsp flour)

1 lb brown meat from chicken, turkey or goose or 1/2 pheasant
1 pheasant or 2lbs leftover goose or the brown meat of chicken or turkey
4oz 2oz cream

1. Make stock by cooking the lentils with the onion, leek, thyme and bay leaf in the salted water.
2. Either roast a pheasant or use mainly the brown meat from a roasted chicken or turkey, reserving some of the best parts to cube and add to the soup at the end.
3. Pound the meat into a paste. (see NOTE for alternatives)
4. Once the lentils are well cooked, reserve the liquid but strain out the lentils and add it to the chicken. Pass this through a fine sieve into a saucepan (or run it through a food processor).
5. Add the lentil stock until the desired soup consistency is achieved.

NOTE

If you don't want to to pound the meat by hand, I've tried the following:

1. Once the lentils are perfectly cooked, drain the liquid and set it and the lentils aside. 
2. Rinse and wipe the saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour; cook until the fresh flour smell goes away and it just starts to blond. Over medium-low heat, stream in 1 cup of the liquor from the lentils while whisking, until it starts to thicken. Once thickened, whisk in the rest of the liquor. Remove from heat and whisk in the cream.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine the meat and the broth and process until smooth. 
4. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
5. Reheat and serve.

Barley and Ham Potage - PUBLISHED

https://www.afamilyfeast.com/ham-vegetable-soup/

1 - I made a lot of alterations to use what I already have and make less soup! My version is first, then scroll down for the original. I will want to make it again with the parmesan rind, thyme, bay leaf and beans, as for the tomato, maybe try a little lemon rind or juice instead?
2 - This is turning into its own thing. I'm curious about the original recipe, but I'm also going to run with what I've cobbled together. The barley lends substance but also creaminess, eschewing the need for cream.
3 - I substituted arugula for kale and it was still good. I notice in the original recipe that there are bean... I think I'll try that next, maybe adding it as an optional ingredient.

4 - This holds up, but it is thick enough that I might want to call it a stew. Generally, the name sucks, so I'm open to something better. Ben felt that the bacon could be cooked more, but I used a last little bit of last year's bacon, which to me had an unpleasantly flavored rind, which I suspect is what he was reacting to. Nonetheless, the bacon could be more crisped because it shouldn't burn if the veg is added next, with all their moisture. Oh, and I suspect that I have doubled the cooking time - currently I have cooking time to 20 minutes covered, followed by 15 minutes uncovered.

5 - Used the lard and I used cabbage instead of the kale - our kale is done for the winter, and I didn't want to buy more given that I can use a head of cabbage for several dishes and a bunch of kale is probably good for one, maybe two. It was quite good - filling, rustic, flavorful.

6 - This seems to be on point except for salt and pepper. I also suspect it would be greatly improved with the addition of dry beans as a non-optional ingredient.

7 - This is proving to be a pretty solid recipe. I tried it with beans and it continues to be good. Adding the Parmesan really is better than in the original recipe where they add cream. Happy discovery, Permesan rind cooked in the soup seems to work just as well.

1/4 cup dried small beans

3 Tbsps lard OR 2 slices bacon en lardons + 1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin (10oz)
1 carrot, diced (2oz)
1 med potato, diced (215gr)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups Chicken stock
2 sprigs thyme
4 leaves kale, ribs finely sliced and leaves cut into thin strips

OR

8 oz fine sliced cabbage
1 large tomato (7oz)
5oz  ham, diced
1/2 cup pearl barley

1 1/2 tsps salt

1/2 tsp pepper
2oz Parmesan cheese OR 1 small parmesan rind

1. If using the optional beans, soak overnight and cook the next day until tender. Set aside.
2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot, heat the lard over medium high heat (OR heat oil and add bacon; cook for 7-8 minutes until the bacon is nice and crispy).
3. Add the onion, carrots and potato and cook until onion is well soft and starting to brown.
4. Add the garlic and cook one minute.
5. Add the stock, thyme, kale or cabbage, tomato, ham, beans (if using) and barley and, if using the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until veg are tender (about 20 minutes).
6. Taste to make sure the veg is cooked to your liking and, if using, stir in the cheese and remove from heat to serve.

ORIGINAL RECIPE, below
  Prep Time: 30 mins  Cook Time: 2 hours 45 mins  Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes  Yield: 8-10

Ham Stock
4 pounds meaty ham bone
4 cups onion, large dice
4 cups celery, large dice
4 cups carrot, large dice
4 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
2 ½ quarts water
4 whole pepper corns
Soup
Ham stock from above, about 1½ – 2 quarts
1 quart vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon, diced
1 ½ cups leeks, white only, cleaned of sand and diced
1 cup celery, small dice, about two large stalks
2½ cups carrots, one inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dry thyme
3 bay leaves
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
8 ounces Parmesan cheese rinds, optional (we save them in the freezer for soups)
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
1 head Tuscan kale, cleaned from ribs and cut up
2 cups frozen kernel corn
1 15.5-ounce can small white beans, drained and rinsed
1½ pounds leftover ham from bone diced (or purchase a deli ham steak and dice)
1 cup light cream

1. Start by making the stock. Add all stock ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for two hours. Strain stock and pick meat from bone. Discard the rest. This step can be done in advance and the stock frozen until needed. Cool and freeze in zip lock gallon bags.
2. Mix ham stock with vegetable stock and heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, but salt only if needed.
3. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat and add bacon. Cook for 7-8 minutes until just short of crispy.
4. Add leeks, celery and carrots and cook for five minutes.
5. Add garlic and cook one minute.
6. Add stock, thyme, bay leaves, tomato and optional Parmesan rinds. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
7. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are just short of tender.
8. Add potatoes and kale and bring back to a boil then simmer until tender, about five minutes.
9. Add corn, beans and diced ham and simmer five minutes.
10. Stir in cream and remove from heat.
11. Pick out bay leaves and Parmesan rinds and discard. Serve immediately.

Soupe aux marrons (Chestnut soup) - Untested

French Country Cooking by Elizabeth David, pg 39
https://www.femmesplus.fr/recettes-potage-a-la-puree-de-perdrix.20787.722.html

From the Pyrenées

2 slices of crusty bread (about 1 cup, cubed)
2 Tbsps butter
40 chestnuts
6-8 cups of Chicken stock
1 Roast Partridge (or 18oz of cooked chicken or pheasant)

To make the croutons:

1. Over medium heat melt the 2 Tbsps of butter in a small pan (level of butter should be 1/4 inch) and allow it to heat up completely so that when a cube of bread is put in, it will quietly sizzle.
2. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring constantly so they brown evenly, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 
3. Burns easily!
4. Strain off the extra fat. 
5. With a slotted spoon remove the croutons and divide croutons between two plates.

To make the soup:

1. Cut an X at the top of each chestnut and dry roast them in a 300F oven for 15 minutes. Remove the tough shell and peel away the thin inner membrane to reveal the creamy flesh (do this while still quite warm or it all becomes brittle and difficult to work). 
2. Cook the chestnuts in the stock for 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, pound the meat in a mortar or pass through a meat grinder or use a food processor to turn into a paste.
4. Once the chestnuts are cooked, add the meat, mix thoroughly and pass through a sieve.
5. Return the soup to the pan and bring to a boil to reheat.
6. Serve with the fried croutons on top.

La Potée (vegetable bean soup) d'hiver - Test 1

Inspired by French Country Cooking, pg 40

In Elizabeth David's book, these are made with spring vegetables - all are baby veggies and fresh beans and peas. I'm trying to expand the availability of this soup. Given that peas can be available much sooner and much later than fresh beans, I'm also using dry beans for a fall/winter/early spring soup. The quantities are a little all over but there you have it, I'm trying things as I go along. Basically the proportions are established by mass - equal amounts of root veg, half as much in mass of dry beans etc.

0 - I've used a basic weight of 8oz of potato as my metric, and enough bacon for 2 people.
1 - A very nice vegetable soup and a valiant first attempt. I started with 8 oz of the root veg, which makes enough for 8 servings.
2 - This continues to be a good soup. Quite different for me since it has no browning of the veg, but it isn't missed in this instance. I went back to the Elizabeth Davis book because my instructions are a little vague. Now I can't remember why. Nevertheless, I graduated it from Testing to Test 1.

1lb (2 to 2.5 oz of bacon x person) cut into lardons
Half as much of the quantity of potato's mass of:
- 4oz  Small dry beans (or dry peas?)

? water 
Equal proportions in mass of:
- 8oz Potato
- 8oz Carrot
- 8oz Turnip or rutabaga
- 8oz Onion
- 8oz Peas
- 1/8 cabbage, sliced in thin, noodle-like strips

Salt and Pepper

1. Soak the beans overnight. 
2. Boil the lardons with the beans in ?L of water, until the beans are cooked.
3. Add the root vegetables and simmer slowly until almost cooked. 
4. Add the peas and the cabbage  and cook an additional 30 minutes.
5. The root veg should be quite soft and starting to crumble when done.

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Jacques (apple spooncakes) - PUBLISHED

From the Perigord region of France.

Pg. 174-5 in Country Cooking of France by Elizabeth David

1 - Very nice, slightly custardy little cakes. I was frustrated that I couldn't get the second layer perfectly round, but Ben liked it. I used old apples that had started to wrinkle and dehydrate, which were perfect as they held their shape and absorbed the rum more readily. We ate them with maple syrup (of course...).
2 - Making the little pancakes was taking forever and Ben had a meeting, so after making a bunch for him and serving him, it was my turn. I decided to just make a big pancake. I've listed the changes in the recipe itself, because I think this is indeed the way to go. There is flavour missing, as well, to my taste. Ben quite liked the little pancakes as they were.
3 - So interesting! It's end of August and the transparent apples are nearing their end; whatever's left on the trees are already unpleasantly soft and only (or so I thought) good for apple sauce. I tried it in this, grated it like usual which made a grainy mush, but cooked, it imparted a nice apple flavour and the lemon juice provided a pleasant acidity.

4 - I'm not sure how to record this latest experience. I used different apples, probably a Spy type, and the skin was tough but there was a pleasant tang. The type of apple seems to have a big impact.

5 - Really quite nice. I did the full-on storing overnight and it definitely makes a difference. I don't know if it's a mild sourdough that takes, but the batter becomes creamy, the cakes puff up a bit more when they fry, and the inside is custardy gooey good. They're very good when you don't let the batter sit overnight, but they are much better if you do.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp oil
a pinch salt
1 tsp sugar + more for sprinkling
2 eggs
2 or 3 small apples, preferably old and wrinkled, grated. If skin is tough, remove it.
Optional: rum or brandy
the juice from 1/2 lemon
Butter

1. NOTE: This recipe should be started several hours before making, preferably left overnight. 
2. Mix together the flour, milk, water, oil, salt, sugar, and eggs; stir the batter very well, then let it rest for several hours to overnight.
3. Grate the apples and mix in the lemon juice (and/or booze). TIP: if it's a fresh apple, take fists-full of the grated flesh and squeeze out as much juice as possible. Lightly desiccated this way the apple will more easily soak up the lemon or booze, and won't make the pancakes soggy.
4. Coat a thick bottomed pan with a pat of butter and heat up until the butter just starts to froth. Turn the heat down to medium low for a slow fry.
5. Using a wooden mixing spoon, drop a spoonful of batter onto the hot pan, making room for more; you should be able to cook at least four little spooncakes at-a-time in the pan. They are done when both sides are nicely browned.
6. Put more butter in the pan for every new batch of spooncakes.
7. Serve immediately. Tasty with maple syrup and/or apple butter and yogurt.

Test 2 - Groaty Dick Pudding

https://recipeland.com/recipe/v/groaty-dick-pudding-45107
https://justafewrecipes.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/groaty-pudding/
http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/groatydick.htm
http://greatbritishpuddings.com/savoury-pudding-recipes/groaty-dick-pudding
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/beef/groaty-pudding-groaty-dick.html

The variety and entertainment value of traditional recipe names continues to please. This is a good wood-stove recipe or, if you don't have one, slow-cooker.
NOTE: The quantity of meat-to-grain can vary - more grain-to-meat is perhaps more desirable if trying to decrease meat consumption.

1 - Success! Very simple, and pleasantly satisfying. I will make the veg mandatory, and I will standardize the cooking time and temperature.

2 - Again, very good. I made it only with onion, but the mix with the milder flavor of the leek would make it much, much better in my opinion. You really can't skip the vegetables though - it would be too stodgy otherwise. They lend a noticeable and pleasant sweetness to the dish.

3 - Again I only had onion. I wonder if, when leeks aren't available, halving the quantity of onion and replacing it with something else like the optional carrots and/or celery or even a strong herb like parsley would do the trick? The goal is to lighten the stodginess of the barley and beef.

1 lb stewing beef (traditionally shin of beef) (or more or less) (flank steak works well)
1 1/2lbs mixed leeks and onions chopped
1/2lb groats (oat or barley) (or more or less)
beef stock to cover (or water)
bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp Salt (be liberal - the grain will absorb and mute a lot of flavour)
Pepper
OPTIONAL
2 carrots, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 tsp + fresh thyme, minced

1. Put all of the ingredients (do not brown first) in an earthenware pot.  Layer the ingredients as given.
2. Pour the stock over top and stir. Put lid on. Put in medium-low 350F oven for 3 to 16 hours, or in a slow cooker. 1 1/2 hours.
3. Groats will absorb stocks and juices and expand. Check occasionally and top up the liquid from a recently-boiled kettle, if necessary. The finished dish should be a little soupy.

Testing - Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/44318/lamb-and-winter-vegetable-stew/

1 - I made it in two ways - first meal was without the flour and cream; the second meal I added flour and cream. The clear winner was the second meal. The first version was ok but we preferred the second. Since the second version was a re-heat of the first meal with added ingredients, I just need to work out the best way of integrating the cream and flour during the usual cooking process.
2 - Yes, the cream sauce addition is a really good one. I added some turnip, which only added to the yum. The onion was still overly firm, so I think I'd like to get it to get all gooey and melty, so I'm going to add it to the meat stewing time.

2 Tbsps vegetable oil
1 lb lamb stew meat, cubed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups peeled, seeded, and sliced butternut squash
2 peeled, sliced carrots
2 peeled, sliced parsnips (cut smaller than carrots - parsnip cook more slowly)
2 peeled, diced sweet potatoes
1 lb turnip or rutabaga, diced
Optional : 1 cup 2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbsps flour

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and brown the lamb meat on all sides. I continue to brown the meat until any fat has rendered off. Drain fat, and stir in the onion, beef broth and wine. Season with garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes for 1 hour.
2. Mix in the carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, celery, and turnip. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer briskly, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 
3. (last time I did this, the liquid boiled down to almost nothing. I added the flour and mixed it in, then added the cream followed by more broth until the desired consistency was achieved - lovely unctuous gravy).
4. SEE POINT 3, ABOVE: In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and flour. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup of the hot stew mixture.
5. Stir the sour cream mixture into the saucepan. Remove the bay leaf, and continue to cook and stir until thickened.

Frankensteining - Italian Wedding Soup

http://blog.giallozafferano.it/cucinapassioneegusto/minestra-maritata-ricetta-napoletana/

1 curly escarole
1 smooth escarole
1 bundle of rapini
1 lb of chicory wild or Catalonia
1 lb of spinach
1 lb of swiss chard
80 gr. of pecorino romano cheese (aged 30 months for lactose intolerance)
100 gr. of grated Parmesan cheese (matured for 30 months for the lactose intolerant)
2 liters of chicken broth
extravirgin olive oil
coarse salt
1 clove of garlic

Boil all the vegetables in salted water, then drain them al dente. Take a pot, brown a clove of garlic in 5 tablespoons of oil, then remove the garlic. Add the chicken fillets with the boiled vegetables, browned over high heat for a couple of minutes. Finally add the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile, grate 100 grams of Parmigiano Reggiano and cut into cubes 80 gr. of pecorino romano. When cooked add the cheese, turn off and serve the hot dish. You can serve the marinated soup with croutons.

Advice in the kitchen to get a good chicken stock:

To make sure that the broth has a limpid aspect, you should avoid mixing it during cooking and do not pour it out of the pan; it is in fact advisable to work delicately, using a ladle, and to keep boiling and regular. Also try to remove the foam from the broth every time it settles on the edge of the pot. The broth can also be prepared using only beef or hen but there are those who prepare it with chicken breast (it is lighter and more digestible). The ideal cuts are the chump, the tip of the scoop, the tip of the chest and the muscle of the hock. The broth can be frozen: it is preferable that it is not kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours, because micro-organisms tend to multiply very quickly.

1. Prepare the chicken broth:

In a pot with cold water, insert the whole hen, carrot, celery, onion, then bring to a boil. Boil the broth at least for 2 hours over medium heat, remove the foam, with a skimmer, which is formed afloat. As soon as the chicken meat is cooked, remove it from the pot with the help of a perforated spoon. Finally filter the broth and keep. Put the hen in a dish, let it cool and then cut into fillets, remove all the skin, fat and bones of the hen. A trick taught by the grandmother to degrease the broth to perfection is to make it cool in the refrigerator for a few hours' cause so the fat particles will thicken on the surface and can be easily eliminated.

Bistecche di maiale con cavolo nero in umido - Untested

http://www.rimedidellanonna.it/a355-ricetta-bistecche-di-maiale-con-cavolo-nero-in-umido.html

0 - This seems quite plain. I may want to add wine to the kale instead of just broth. As for the steaks, any flavouring? Or just the grilling?

2 pork steaks
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
20 leaves of kale (black or lacinato per preference), stalks removed, roughly chopped
Chicken broth (as needed)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook the pork on the grill on very low heat: it will take about 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brown the chopped shallots in a pot, then add the chopped tomatoes with salt and pepper.
3. Then add the kale leaves cleaned of the stalk and chopped roughly into pieces. Cook for about 20-25 minutes turning often and adding broth if needed.
4. Serve hot, steak on top of the kale.

Soparnikish (Croatian soparnik) - Test 1

https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/croatian-soparnik-kale-pie/

https://www.196flavors.com/soparnik/

https://www.croatiaweek.com/croatian-recipes-soparnik/

Starts at :33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9yTzw3u_M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2da36lyDlQ

1 - This is surprisingly good. All sorts of variations are possible, which I've added as Options in the recipe. I hope I'm able to remember the changes I made to the original recipe. I thought I would not be able to stuff in 1kg of kale, but I may start to try to increase until I know how much I can put in.

1.1 - Ok, I made it again. Kind of. But it doesn't count. I stopped reading the recipe after I rolled out the dough, and forgot to add to the greens the olive oil, the salt and the pepper. So everything that brings out flavour. In addition to this, I had the great idea of putting the top dough in a bowl to make it easier to stuff in the greens, but two things happened - I didn't oil the bowl so getting the dough out was a nightmare (although it actually worked) and I also seal the crust, trapping all the air in... Next time, I should try using a pie plate. I just can't see how to put in all those greens! I did it once, but I really don't know how I managed it. Anyway, I'll be doing it properly, again, soon!

2 - I added an instructional video that indicates you tear a hole in the pastry while baking, which may help with the whole puffed belly look I've been struggling with. I realize that the traditional method uses hot embers on top, which would also have weight to keep things down, so I could try putting a cookie sheet on top, maybe weighted? Oh, it was very good with fried onion and mushrooms added inside.

3 - I don't know if these is enough as a main dish. It's good, but just not very filling. 

For the dough:
300gr plus more for dusting
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
warm water 2/3 cup 
For the filling:
1kg 500gr to 750gr greens (Swiss chard, kale, spinach, arugula or turnip greens, etc) THIS STILL MIGHT BE TOO MUCH, TRY JUST PUTTING A LAYER ON UNTIL IT LOOKS RIGHT AND THEN WEIGHING THAT

1 handful of chives or 1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

Salt
Black pepper

Topping:
Extra virgin olive oil 

3 cloves garlic minced

OPTIONS:

1 onion finely diced and caramelized

? cups crumbled feta

? gr mushrooms

? gr pine nuts

1. Add the plain flour, olive oil and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Gradually adding the water, knead the mixture with clean hands until it comes together into a dough. The dough should be moist but not sticky. Add or water if necessary to get the dough to hold together.
2. Continue to knead for a few more minutes, until the dough is fairly elastic. Cover with a tea towel let rest for at least 1 hour.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Remove any tough stems from the leaves and finely chop them. 
4. Add the chives and parsley and any of the optional ingredients, along with the olive oil and a touch more salt and pepper. Mix well, and set aside.
5. When the dough has rested, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Divide the mixture evenly in two, and roll the first section out very thin, of a size as wide as the baking tray. Keep sprinkling with flour if it starts to stick.
6. Transfer the rolled-out dough to the baking sheet and, leaving about 1" around the edges uncovered, pile on the kale filling.
7. Roll out the second piece of dough in the same way, and place it over the kale filling.
8. Press the two layers of dough together over the filling to expel as much air as possible, brush water around the 1" lip to help with sealing, and tightly pinch the edges. 
9. Mix together the garlic and olive oil, brush the top with the this mixture to evenly spread the garlic.
10. Bake at 350°F for around 20 minutes, then with a skewer, tear a small hole somewhere along the edge to let the steam out. Continue to bake the soparnik until the surface is lightly browned.
11. Cut with a pizza cutter, and serve warm, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Testing - Potato Scones

https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/food/5-incredible-scottish-recipes-for-vegetable-dishes/

1 - First test was very positive. I only skinned the potatoes after boiling as I usually do. And I didn't cut the rounds into quarters, which seems fine. Although I wonder if they would puff up more if they were cut like this? To try!

8 oz potatoes
2.5oz (a half cup?) flour
1oz butter
½ tsp salt
A pinch of pepper
¼ tsp baking powder

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. 
2. Drain the potatoes and mash them with the butter, salt, pepper and baking powder. 
3. Mix in the flour to make a stiff dough. NOTE: not all potatoes are made equal so, the texture of the dough here is important - add flour if the dough is not stiff enough, about a Tbsp at a time) 
4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to around ¼" thickness. 
5. Cut into rounds, using a saucer as a guide. 
6. Prick all over with a fork and score the dough to mark 4 equal wedges. 
7. Cook in a heavy pan or griddle which has been very lightly greased. 
8. Cook each side for about three minutes on a medium heat or until the scones are golden brown.

Rumbledethumps - PUBLISHED

https://foodanddrink.scotsman.com/food/5-incredible-scottish-recipes-for-vegetable-dishes/
https://www.thespruceeats.com/rumbledethumps-recipe-435824

1 - This turned out to be quite interesting. I make Skirlie as well and served them together. Honestly, the Rumpledethumps would be a bit bland on its own, but with the toasted Skirlie, it is quite good. I made it with kale.

2 - Another surprising delicious adventure. It was the right choice to add the Skirlie, it is essential to making this an excellent meal.

3 - I also usually double this recipe. Last time I increased the cabbage to good effect, the original being 8oz, increased it to 12, therefore to double the recipe it will be 24oz.

4 - The doubled amount works well. I didn't have rutabaga, but I did have kohlrabi, and it was quite good. I'm adding it as an option.

4-5 servings

500g 1 lb 2lbs potatoes, cooked and mashed
10 20 oz turnip or rutabaga or kohlrabi, cooked and mashed
2 1/2 5 oz 75g butter
8 oz 250g 24 oz cabbage or Kale, sliced very thin
1 tsp salt 

Pepper to taste

1 oz 25g 3 oz cheddar cheese

1 recipe of Skirlie

1. Preheat the oven to around 180 C 350F 
2. Combine the mashed potato and turnip in a large bowl. (If you have to boil the potato and turnip to make this, boil them together).
3. Melt all the butter in a frying pan and braise the cabbage or kale until softened (do not brown). 
4. Add the cooked veg to the potato mixture and combine thoroughly, adding in any remaining butter from the pan. 
5. Put the mash in an oven-proof baking tray, cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling. 
6. While baking, make the Skirlie.
7. Remove the lid, sprinkle the cheese on top and cook until golden brown, another 15 minutes.
8. Serve with Skirlie on the side for each diner to sprinkle on top as needed.

Sausage, Kale and Barley Stew - Test 1

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/03/kale-recipes-crisps-stew-salad-10-best

0 - The original recipe called for the kale to be added along with the sausage. My experience with kale is that the longer it cooks, the better. At least, it's easier to cook the voluminous kale down to something that resembles its actual mass even if only to prevent it from overflowing the pot.
1 - April 1 2020 - The flavour is good and it's pretty easy to make, and Ben liked it just fine. For me, there was something missing in the experience. Maybe cutting up the sausages instead of crumbling them? Or not cutting up the kale quite so fine? I was saying how it felt like a side dish, but Ben suggested that maybe what it needs is a side dish of its own, but then, what? Whole or mashed potato? A salad? Just buttered bread? Rice? Pasta? I thought, in making it, that with the barley, it would provide all the starch we needed. Maybe I just need to eat it again as it may have just been I mood I was in, given that it was a feeling, not anything material!!!
Actually, in looking at the recipe, the sausage is actually left whole! Woops! Well, then, I'll give that a try, next time!

2 - Bread it is! It really is all it takes to finish the dish.

Serves 4
2+1 tbsp oil, for frying
8 1 lb sausages (trying Sweet Italian), whole!
2 red or white onions, sliced
2 parsnips or carrots, peeled and diced
10 oz cavolo nero or other kale, roughly chopped with stalks removed
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed with cold water
2 sprigs rosemary, minced
4 cups chicken or veg stock
1 tsp salt 

Black pepper, to taste

Fresh bread

1. In a large pan fry the sausage in 2 Tbsps of oil in a large pan until nicely browned on all sides, for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the oil to the pan. Gently fry the onion and carrot for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the kale and sauté until wilted and bright green.
3. Add the barley, stir for a minute before adding the rosemary and stock. Season well with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then return the sausages to the pan. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through.