Gratin de macaronis à l’Emmental et au Canard Confit (Macaroni Gratin with Duck Confit)

Are you searching for an ideal winter dish? Something as simple like as to say “Hello”? Then you’re at the right page!!
This is a recipe I copied down from a book featuring some of the recipes of the famous young prodigy, Chef Cyril Lignac…so, I tried my hand at making this copious dish before the end of snow, and it came out to be a surprisingly delicious, tasty and comforting dish, simple, easy and quick to prepare and turned a simple dinner into a gourmet feast. Hope you’ll like it too…

Ingredients: (for 4)

350 g Macaronis
3 legs of Duck Confit
200g grated Emmental cheese
750 ml Milk
350 ml Heavy Whipping Cream
20g butter ( diced into small pieces)
3 shallots chopped finely 8 shallots chopped finely for me
1 garlic pod crushed roughly 5 garlic pods for me
A few branches of Parsley leaves (washed, pat dried and chopped) (I’d say it’s the key ingredient, so, the more the merrier)
Pepper, Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (needs at least 15 minutes)

In a wide pot, boil one and a half liters of water with the milk and some salt.

Add the Macaronis and cook until al dente (refer to instructions).

Drain and add half of the grated cheese along with 200 ml of the cream while the pasta is still hot. Stir well and keep it warm.

Meanwhile, warm gently the legs of the duck confit in a pan, in order to separate the fat. Drain and save the fat separately.

Now, remove the skin from the duck and crumble/ shred the meat to small thread like pieces.

Heat the fat (saved previously) and fry the shallots and the garlic until they change color.

Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley leaves and the shredded duck and stir gently.

Make a mixture of the remaining cream and the grated Emmental cheese. Keep aside.

Grease a baking tray, spread some of the prepared macaronis and top with the prepared duck/parsley preparation and finish the rest of the preparation in the same manner.

Coat with the Cream/Cheese mixture. Sprinkle some diced butter (yes, yes, you have to!!!) and add some freshly ground pepper and bake this for about 20 minutes.

Accompany it with green salad and Enjoy!!!

Wine suggestion: A Madiran would be an excellent pair!

Nadjibella from Saveurs et Gourmandises offered this lovely award to me!!! What could be more rewarding than a sign of appreciation from a wonderful foodie like her? I love trying out her recipes , specially those mouthwatering delicacies from the Orient ....Thank you Nadjibella!!!

I would love to share this award with the following friends who concocte excellent dishes in their kitchens too:

Kamala
Bong Mom 
Asha
Ushnishda
Jagruti
Kavitha
Malar
Vicky Xavier
Nithu Bala
Ramya Vijaykumar
Priya
Vineetha
Cham
Sumi
Balakrishna Saraswathy 
Palatable
Padhu
Yasmeen

Have a nice day, Cheers l!!!

Reshmi Kebab (Chicken Kebab) and Mint /Coriander Dip

Apart from the fact that the Mughals have left some of their great architectural traces in India, their strong influence in the Indian cuisine is an undeniable fact too; their rich, aromatic and spicy food style has conquered the whole country, especially in the northern parts of India. These succulent kebabs are one of their specialties too.
I did these for the aperitif on New Year’s Eve (ideal to pick, dip and eat while dancing, right?)and was a great success in the party. Since this was the first time I’m making it at home (have relished them for the first time at a restaurant in New Delhi), I took reference from these amazing cooks, Hetal and Anuja from “Show me the curry”. It came out so good, a big thanks to both of them for sharing this recipe!!! Hope my readers would like them too!!

Ingredients:

700g boneless meat from the thigh part of the chicken
A tbsp pasted garlic
A tbsp of pasted ginger
4 to 6 green chilies (I like it very hot; you may increase or reduce according to your taste)
3 tbsp of cleaned coriander leaves
3 tbsp cleaned mint leaves
Salt
½ a tsp of pepper (+/- according to your tastes)
250 ml heavy whipping cream
50g powdered Almonds (the original recipe didn't require)

Method:
Chop the chicken into bite size pieces. Pat- dry with a kitchen towel to remove any excess water.

Deseed the green chilies, chop the coriander and mint leaves roughly and grind all to a fine paste. (You may do this along with the ginger garlic too).

Whip the cream slightly along with pepper and salt together.

Now, take a non-metallic bowl and add all the above pasted ingredients, the cream mixture, the powdered almonds and the meat and stir it all together.
Taste and correct the salt if necessary.

PS:(the meat is going to absorb the flavors from the spices during the marinating time and the salt is going to be absorbed too, so it is advisable to keep the marinating liquid just a little saltier than the normal so that it tastes perfect after it is been cooked. (I precise, just a little more :) )

Now cover the bowl with a plastic wrapper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (If you have enough time, I’d recommend leaving it overnight, so that the meat has enough time to become extremely tender and juicy)

Pre heat the oven to the maximum (since the heat of a Tandoor, used traditionally to do these kebabs can attain 480°C, so……)

Thread the meat on to the skewers, which should have been soaked in water for few hours, which would avoid your skewers to burn while grilling.

Arrange the skewers on a lined and greased baking tray. Place the baking tray at the nearest possible to the heating element.

Bake until they brown, let me say for about 15 to 20 minutes (maximum) and enjoy it right away with a delicious Mint/Coriander Dip

PS: Re- heating the meat or cooking the meat too long would make the meat dry. In order to keep the meat juicy inside, take care to grill it at the highest possible and minimize the cooking time!!




Kothamalli/Pudhina Chutney (Coriander-Mint Dip for Kebabs):

Ingredients:

2 cups of coriander leaves
A cup of mint leaves
A tbsp of Cumin seeds
Salt
250 ml yoghurt (+/- according to the desired consistency)
3 or 4 green chilies (the more the better)
6 pods garlic and ginger (equal or half the quantity)
A tbsp or two of dry pomegranate seeds (may be substitutes by some lime juice)

Method:

Grind all the ingredients (except salt and yoghurt) to a smooth mixture, add salt and yoghurt and blend it once again. Enjoy with the Kebabs.

Enjoy and have a nice week end!!!

Elumicha pazha Rasam (Lemon Rasam )

Rasam is a staple south Indian sour curry/soup which is done in most South Indian homes, almost everyday. One main reason for which it is prepared on a daily basis is that it contains the spices which facilitate digestion… so if you get to taste a traditional South Indian meal, you simply can’t miss the Rasam in your second course, which in turn is usually followed by some curd.
Rasam is made in many different ways using different ingredients like Tamarind/ Tomato/Pineapple/ Neem leaves and many more… and each one of them has its own distinct flavor. Lemon rasam is my favorite one and it can be eaten mixed with rice or drunk as it is, as well. Though most of you might know the recipe already, I 'm posting it for my dear readers from other parts of the world but also for my own record! hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:
A cup of moong dhal
2 or 3 tomatoes ( chopped roughly)
A pinch of turmeric powder
¼ tsp black pepper powder

To temper:
3/4th tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
2 green chilies ( I leave them whole)
A pinch of Asafetida
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 tbsp (heaped) chopped coriander leaves
2 or 3 crushed garlic pods (we don’t want to paste them, just crush them with the back of a spoon)
Juice of 3 lemons
Salt (as needed)
2 tbsp Ghee

Method:

Soak the moong dhal in water for few hours (reduces the cooking time)
Pressure cook the moong dhal along with triple it’s quantity of water, a little bit of salt, turmeric powder, green chilies, tomatoes and pepper powder until mushy.(If you’re not using a pressure cooker, then, simmer it for about 20 minutes until it’s cooked)

Drain and save the dhal water. (You may use the dhal for other dishes)

Now in a pan, heat the ghee, splutter the cumin seeds followed by the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. Add the crushed garlic and the green chilies now. Add the asafetida and turmeric powder followed by the tomatoes and the coriander leaves and stir for few seconds (we’re not going to cook the tomatoes completely);

Now remove the pan off the flame.

Pour the lemon juice to the above and add all this to the dhal water that we saved previously.

Taste and correct the salt if necessary and serve warm.

Fimère from "Aux délices des gourmets" (a wonderful foodie, whose recipes are ravishing one as the other) offered the following award to me:

Merci pour ce magnifique cadeau qui m' a beaucoup touché chère Fimère!!! Thank you dear!!

I would like to pass this on to the following bloggers:

Gita
?
Devi Meyyappan
Sushma Mallya
Swathi
Sashi
Erica
Dolly
Mythreyi Dilip
Rohini Vijay
Nandini
Namitha and Sunitha
Sharmilee! :)
Adukala Vishesham


Cheers !!!!!!!!