When it comes to cooking I prefer simple yet tasty foods that are easy to make. Even if I like cooking, I want to avoid spending too long in the kitchen. I like it quick and good! The recipes I’m sharing below are traditional French dishes that I love. They are the perfect comfort food for cold or gloomy days and will make your belly and soul happy. Enjoy!

Hachis Parmentier (French Cottage Pie)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2lbs potatoes

1lb organic ground beef (85% lean/15% fat)

1 onion

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Milk

1 egg yolk

4 tbsp butter

Salt and black pepper

Instructions:

Peel the potatoes and place them in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water, cook them for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and slice the onions finely and cook them in a roasting pan with 2 tbsp of butter for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook them until they turn slightly golden. Add half a cup of low sodium chicken broth and stir the onions. Put in the ground beef, salt and pepper. Let it cook.

The potatoes should be done by now, place them in a large bowl and mash them. Add 2 tbsp of butter and some milk while stirring to make the mashed potatoes smooth. You’re almost done! Turn on the oven to 425°F/220°C and butter a baking dish. Place a layer of meat, a layer of mashed potatoes alternately. With a fork, draw strips at the top and brush the egg yolk on it. Put the dish in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the surface gets golden.

Soupe à L’Oignon (Onion Soup)

Serves 4 - I use the recipe from the book “Eat Beautiful” by Wendy Rowe, that I like a lot.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

5 medium onions

3 garlic cloves

5 cups vegetable stock

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Salt and black pepper

Grated Gruyère cheese (Swiss cheese)

Bread

Instructions:

In a large pan, place the oil and butter set over high heat. Once melted, add the onions and garlic. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes or until they become brown.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. By then, the base of the pan should be covered in a rich, nut-brown, caramelized film.

Pour in the stock and the vinegar and stir well, scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the caramelized onions. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Season before pouring into bowls. Serve with grated cheese on top (Gruyère) and slices of bread.

Saucisses aux Lentilles (Sausages with Lentils)

Serves 4 - This recipe is cooked with a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

2 cups of green (Puy) lentils

4 pork sausages

1 onion

3 carrots

1 chicken stock cube

2 bay leaves or rosemary

2 cinnamon cloves

Salt and black pepper

Instructions:

Start by peeling and cutting the onion in half or slice the onion finely if you prefer, then peel the carrots and cut them into thin slices. Rinse the lentils and place them in a pressure cooker. (I use an Instant Pot) then add 1 3/4 cups of water for 1 cup of lentils. You double the water quantity for 2 cups of lentils.

Add the onions and carrots, the sausages and all of the other ingredients: 2 sprigs of rosemary or bay leaves, 1 chicken stock cube, the cinnamon cloves, salt and pepper, in the pressure cooker with the lentils. Set your Instant Pot on Pressure Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on your lentil cooking preferences: 8 minutes if you like your lentils firm or 12 minutes if you like them softer. I personally cook them for 12 minutes. You can also add bacon and pork chops to this recipe. The bacon add extra flavor to the dish. Simply cook the bacon and pork separately in a roasting pan with butter, while the lentils and sausages are in the pressure cooker. Add the bacon and pork to the lentils and sausages. Voila, it’s ready to be served!

Add a salad as an appetizer to make your microbiome happy! I do a red cabbage and carrots salad on the side that I simply season with olive oil, a bit of lemon juice (I squeeze a lemon’s wedge), salt and pepper.

Coq au Vin (Rooster in Wine)

Serves 4 to 6 - This is one of the most famous French dishes, it’s the most delicious in my opinion!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 lbs organic free range boneless chicken thighs if you cannot find a rooster

1 bottle of red wine (choose a Burgundy or Beaujolais wine to honor the origins of the Coq au Vin)

2 carrots

1 onion

1 garnished bouquet (rosemary, thyme, bay leaves)

2 tbsp grape-seed oil

40ml cognac

1 Tbs flour

2 garlic cloves

1 cup of low sodium chicken broth

10 oz white mushrooms

4 slices bacon

Salt and black pepper

Instructions:

The day before, place the chicken in a large bowl with the sliced onions and carrots. Pour the bottle of wine into the bowl, add the garnished bouquet (rosemary, thyme and bay leaves) and black pepper. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for an entire night.

The day of cooking, drain the chicken and vegetables from the salad bowl and dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Filter the marinade and keep it for later.

In a dutch oven, pour a bit of grape-seed oil, place the chicken thighs, salt and pepper and let them brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and put the vegetables instead. Let them cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir. Place the chicken in the dutch oven and add the garlic cloves. In a separate pan warm up the cognac. Use rum or brandy if you don’t have cognac. Pour the cognac into the dutch oven and ignite with a long lighter or long lit match. Wait until the flames subside. (NB: make sure your extractor hood is turned off when you flame the meat) Pour in the wine that was left on the side from the marinade and add a cup of low sodium chicken broth, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 2 1/2 hours.

While the chicken is cooking slice the mushrooms. In a separate pan add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms with the sliced bacon for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bacon to the dutch oven 15 minutes before serving. Serve the Coq au Vin with a side of potatoes or pasta.

Bon Appétit!