For dinner we went for more serious stuff ! Pork blanquette with Basmati rice. It is supposed to be veal blanquette, but good luck finding veal here.
BTW : If somebody has an address for veal, I am all ears.
The full recipe is here :
This guy is French but speaks perfect English and his cooking is typical French food like at home.
Mise en place :
Note the "Bouquet Garni", an assembly of vegetables and herb to aromatize the sauce.
Mise en place for the Basmati rice :
Proces for the rice : 2 or 3 spoons of olive oil in the pan, brown slightly the rice for a few minutes, add all the spices, cover with boiling water and let simmer till the rice is cooked. Don't forget to "mix" every 5 minutes....
Achtung : The rice is supposed to stay "al dente", not become the mushy white stuff they often serve in local restaurants !
Final result :
Plated (and yes, I forgot to wipe the plate clean...)
Can't give myself a good note for this :
1) I forgot the mustard (OK, added when serving)
2) not enough white wine
3) I tried to add bacon instead of pancetta, and it did impact on the taste of the sauce. Normally I pass on the pancetta / bacon.
Well, it can't always be a 10/10 .......
Timewise, well we start the mise en place a 03:30 pm in order to have everything ready between 05:30 and 6:00 pm.....
Today the remaining Basmati rice will be used to make fried rice for lunch. Taste is completely different than with regular rice.