Every week, Release offers you a complete menu for less than 5 euros, which does not require sophisticated utensils or convoluted condiments. Today, we draw on the classics of French and Italian cuisine, starting with mimosa eggs, continuing with spaghetti with fried zucchini, a dish that you can share with all your friends since it is vegetarian, and ending with an orange panna cotta.
The recipes, which are all given for four people (you will invite your roommates or you will have extra for the week) of the starter and the dessert are taken from Cook well accompanied, by Philippe Etchebest (ed. Albin Michel, 2021), and that of the dish of Big Mamma, Italian cuisine in thirty minutes (ed. Marabout, 2022).
Starter: mimosa eggs
For this starter, you will need: 4 eggs; 10 sprigs of fresh chives; 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon; 1 tbsp. old-fashioned mustard; salt and pepper ; 170 g of mayonnaise.
Immerse the eggs in a saucepan of cold water, then bring to a boil. Cook them for 10 minutes, then refresh them under cold water. Peel them, then cut them in half. Gently collect the yolks, then chop them very finely with a white. Arrange the remaining whites on a serving platter. Finely chop the fresh herbs.
In a bowl, mix 170 g of mayonnaise with the chopped yolks and the herbs. Add the mustard and mix. Adjust the seasoning, then garnish the whites with the yolk and herb mayonnaise.
Dish: spaghetti with fried zucchini
For this dish, you will need: 500 g of spaghetti; 4 beautiful courgettes; 6 egg yolks; 250 g of pecorino or parmesan; sunflower oil ; pepper as if it were raining.
Cut all the courgettes finely to obtain nice round slices about 3 mm thick. Fry them in a pan of very hot sunflower oil until they get a nice golden color then set aside.
Immerse the spaghetti in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for as long as necessary. Understand: pasta, to know if it is cooked, you have to taste it. When you find them good, take them out of the water and drain them. In the meantime, stand by and stir them. Yes, yes, we are looking at you. Save time when cooking pasta, quickly put the egg yolks, grated pecorino or parmesan and pepper in a container large enough to accommodate the entire dish.
Pour the cooked pasta directly into the same bowl and mix. Pepper again, add the fried zucchini and place the dish in the center of the table. Stir, serve and pass. Turn quickly, it is eaten hot.
Dessert: an orange panna cotta
It is best to prepare this dessert a few hours in advance, so that it has time to freeze. You will need: 3 sheets of gelatin; 1 organic orange; 40 cl of milk; 10 cl of liquid cream; 30 g caster sugar.
Soak the gelatin sheets for 10 minutes in a bowl of cold water to soften them, then drain them, pressing them well between your hands. In a saucepan, pour the milk, cream and sugar, then add the orange zest. Boil the water. Add the gelatine leaves off the heat and whisk well. Pour into verrines or ramekins, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
At the last moment, peel the raw orange and lift the supremes above a container to collect the juice. Cut the supremes into thin strips. Place them with the juice on the panna cotta and serve.
