facultatif, tive (fa-kewl-tah-teef, teev) adjective
1. optional, voluntary
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
Today I share my belle-mère’s* stuffing recipe. Instead of presenting it in a logical recipe-type format, I am including the actual letter she wrote to her son (which, she would add, was scratched down in a very haphazard fashion) along with a rough translation. As for weights and measures you’ll just have to do as my belle-mère does: cuisiner au pif (cook by guesswork). It works brilliantly for her 🙂 Volunteers who might like to help translate this recipe into English, thank you for using the comments box, here.
The letter begins:
“Mon chéri,
Je t’envoie donc la recette de la farce.
Mettre le foie de la dinde + 2 ou 3 foies de volaille dans le saladier + le gésier + le porc haché (300 g) avec veau haché (300 g) ou jambon cru avec échalotes (3 ou 4), ail (3 gousses), et persil.
Tu peux mettre des marrons, des champignons (cèpes ou morilles, on en trouve en bocal séché). Il faut les tremper 1 heure dans de l’eau tiède, et ensuite bien égoutter et rincer.
En premier tu trempes le pain dans du lait que tu ajouteras à la farce avec un oeuf, un bouillon cube que tu fais fondre dans un peu d’eau chaude.
Facultatif: cognac 2 à 3 cuillères à soupe. Ça relève.
Préchauffer le four 1/2 heure avant à 230°C.
Tout bien mélanger la farce il faut qu’elle soit lisse. Mettre dans la dinde et coudre. Prévoir du fil fort pour coudre avec une aiguille. Cuire la dinde au début à 230°C, arroser et surveiller….”
…………………
*References: la belle-mère (f) = mother-in-law
The bible of French home cooking, Je Sais Cuisiner, has sold over 6 million copies since it was first published in 1932. It is a household must-have, and a well-thumbed copy can be found in kitchens throughout France. Its author, Ginette Mathiot, published more than 30 recipe books in her lifetime, and this is her magnum opus. It’s now available for the first time in English as I Know How to Cook. With more than 1,400 easy-to-follow recipes for every occasion, it is an authoritative compendium of every classic French dish, from croque monsieur to cassoulet.
French oven by Creuset made of enameled cast iron. See customer reviews for this classic cooker, here.
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Kristen,
I loved the inference that your mother in law is teaching you without lessons that it is far more important to sit and listen than it is to be distracted by the odd patch of missed dust although I suspect that you don’t really need teaching. Her ‘sisters’ network sounds wonderful. My neighbour has just lost her husband and she is bemoaning the fact that there is a multitude of widows in our small village. I go over to see her a couple of times a week to try to lift her spirits.
The recipe looks marvelous and I will print it out for future reference. It could easily be converted to a pate recipe. I won’t do the translation though, you have readers far more scholarly than myself.
Incidentally I can thoroughly recommend ‘Je Sais Cuisinier’ for the recipes and their simplicity, which suits a beginner like myself, still in only my second year or learning to cook.
I could do with a little advice from one (or more) of your readers. I have 12 for dinner next Monday and have decide to give them Chicken Cacciatore as the main course because it can be prepared, and for the most part cooked in advance but what is the traditional accompaniment? I was considering penne pasta. The rest of the meal is easy: pate to start, cheeses after the main, and I shall make some ice-cream with a little Cointreau chopped peaches and crumbled meringues (you have to do something with the egg whites) for dessert.
Please help all you chefs de cuisine.
Thanks for another good daily read Kristen and Bonne annee to you and yours,
Mike.
Merci beaucoup for sharing something common to us all this time of year…. paying attention to those we don’t have the privilege of visiting very often. They share with us in so many ways…memories, aches & pains, laughter, regret. So many lessons we can learn from them. Eat better, exercise more, laugh often, value friendships, etc. Ah, but WILL I apply this my own life? I do hope so. I am resolving to try anyway! Bonne année et bonne santé !
moi aussi!
mille mercie pour toutes les recipes, fotos et les mots
bonne annee
(je suis en train etudier la cuisine & toutes les choses francaise!)
:))
Quelle gentille petite histoire!
@Mike Hardcastle – since you seem to be starting the meal with a pâté, you might want to consider Coq Au Vin instead of Chicken Cacciatore. It can also be prepared ahead and reheated (gently) before serving. A mixed green salad and roasted potatoes would make good sides.
@Kristen, Thanks again for all of the marvelous éntrées into your life. You have a true gift for presenting these little vignettes. All the best to you and all your famille for the New Year
Thanks Jim,
I could change but I have given them Coq au Vin previously. It seems that penne pasta is a suitable accompaniment for Chicken Cacciatore and I will take your advice with the green salad.
The pate is in the fridge, the ice-cream is made, as is the meringue. Chicken is in the freezer until tomorrow and I have everything else I need except for the bread which I will buy on the day.
Cheers,
Mike
Mike, I realise this comment will arrive too late for your dinner, but will share none-the-less. I think that Chicken Cacciatore is a perfect dish for your dinner – good choice! If it is any help to you in your preparations (I know how stressful these things can be) you can actually pre-cook the pasta too, a couple of hours before the dinner. Once you drain it, toss it with a little olive oil to stop it sticking together (and that goes for if you are serving it immediately too!). If you let it drain and cool in a bowl, when you are ready to serve, pour boiling water over it, let it sit for just a minute to warm up, and then drain.