Posts Tagged ‘french cooking’

People who taste the various recipes of French cuisine are sure to fall in love with French food and most people who love French food are quite surprised when they hear that French cooking is greatly influenced by Egyptian cooking. This is because French cooking has been influenced by Egyptian cooking to a great extent because of the trade that took place between the two nation’s centuries ago. This can also be seen in Italian cooking where you will find plenty of orient influence in many of their recipes.

Napoleon Bonaparte who ruled France is a prominent figure who played an important role when it comes to introducing Egyptian influence in French cooking. It was he who encouraged this to a great extent. Napoleon Bonaparte tried to conquer Egypt as early as 1798 and it was this historical adventure that brought about the introduction of various Egyptian recipes in French cooking. There were 400 ships carrying nearly 34000 soldiers who were pressed into service to conquer the Port of Alexandria and other places in Egypt. But the whole operation proved to be a disaster but it ended up with many soldiers developing a taste for Egyptian food and bringing back recipes with them when they returned home.

An important influence of Egyptian cooking is the use of wine to soften meats and also to change the feel of vegetables. Many people think that it is part of French cuisine but actually wine has been in use by Egyptian and Mediterranean people in their cooking for many centuries. Bamya is a dish which consists of okra and meat made into stew. Though this is unique to the Egyptians it can also be found in French cuisine. Here is this recipe the okra’s slimy texture needs to be removed and to do this the okra gets trimmed at its head which is conical in shape and the vegetable pieces are soaked in a mixture of vinegar and red wine for half an hour.

Fish is actually a major staple diet in Egypt and it is also found to a large extent in French cuisine. Most French cuisines contain at least a single dish made of fish. The Mediterranean Baked Fish is originally an Egyptian dish and it is quite a great favorite in France and is often referred to as “Poisson ‘a la grecque ” but the credit goes to the Greeks as having come up with this unique recipe than the Egyptians. But it has been clearly established that the original recipe comes from the kitchens of Egypt.

The various spices and cooking methods which are used for French cooking are mainly due to the Egyptian influence. France has many great recipes which are truly unique to its own culture but it can also be said that many of the famous French recipes have Egyptian influence.

Author: Abhishek Agarwal
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty on LCD/Plasma TV

In France, this mashed potato casserole gets the fancy name of Hachis Parmentier. It’s a quick and easy dinner to prepare, yet still very typically French. And since it’s French, it comes with a wonderful story that you can entertain your family with at the dinner table.

Introducing Monsieur Parmentier

Antoine Parmentier was a Frenchman that lived during the 18th and early 19th century. A pharmacist by training, he spent many years serving in the Seven Year War, and was imprisoned in Germany. It was during this incarceration that he discovered the nutritional virtues of the potato. (The tuber had previously been brought to Europe from South America, but had spent several hundred years languishing in the vegetable garden, disdained by the people and even prohibited by the government.) When he returned from the war, it was to a nation that was starving.

It was Parmentier who saw in the humble potato the solution to France’s hunger problems. Through a long and genius marketing campaign, Parmentier single handedly changed the French peoples’ ideas about the potato, turning it into a significant food source for the starving population. Parmentier courted the French king, Louis XVI, in his efforts and even got the wife of the king, Marie Antoinette, to wear potato flowers in her hair. Parmentier was a brilliant scientist who spent his life working to improve the food quality of his nation and it is most appropriate that his name is synonymous with potatoes in French cooking.

Onto the Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe

For this recipe I recommend you use instant mashed potatoes, because that’s what makes mashed potato casserole so quick and easy to prepare. Do use a high quality instant mashed potato however — all it should have in it is potatoes. Read your labels.

The recipe here is for a fairly typical French version of Hachis Parmentier, but feel free to change the vegetables, seasoning, and even the meat in this recipe. Hachis Parmentier is extremely versatile.

Mashed Potato Casserole

• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence or other herbs
• salt and pepper (to your taste)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 4 – 5 cups mashed potatoes (instant is fine)
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (gruyre, emmental, or swiss)

In a large frying pan, cook the onions and garlic in the butter and olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, ground beef, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned thoroughly. Turn off heat and add egg yolk and Parmesan cheese, stirring to mix completely.

Spread the meat in the bottom of an lightly oiled oven proof dish (a 13 X 9 inch Pyrex dish would be perfect for the amount given in this recipe). Spread the potatoes on top of this and finish by sprinkling grated cheese on top.

Brown in 400 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Author: Kim Steele
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Pressure Cooker