“It’s in old pots that we make the best soup (or the best jams, depending on the version)”… This culinary adage could easily have appeared in the surtitle of Cooking around the pot (2022), by Harmonie Begon (Ulmer, 224 pages, 28 euros), this beautiful book which talks as much about cooking as about pottery, “more dishes (objects) than (cooked) dishes”, through 60 recipes for traditional dishes, stewed or simmered for a long time in pots and casseroles, in bowls and other stoneware or earthenware terrines made by potters in France. To make these Moroccan lentils, these fried eggs or these honey-roasted carrots, these three great classics selected by “Tuesday is veggie!” », and sublimated here by old-fashioned cooking in artisanal earthenware dishes, forget your induction pots and pans and bring out this pretty clay pot found in flea markets which is sleeping at the bottom of the cupboard… The good one will never have been so beautiful.
Moroccan lentils
For 1 to 2 people
Ingredients
- 8 cl of olive oil
- Fresh parsley and coriander
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tomato
- 150g lentils
- ½ tsp. teaspoon of salt, ¼ tsp. teaspoon of pepper
- ½ tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground coriander, ½ tsp. teaspoon turmeric
- 30 cl of water
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced. In the earthenware pot, pour 8 cl of good quality olive oil. Chop parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic and tomato, and add them to the pot. Then pour in the previously rinsed lentils, then all the spices. Mix well. Place the pot in the oven with its lid and cook for 1 hour. Check the cooking. If necessary, add water and continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes. When ready to serve, pour the contents of the jar into a large dish and season with fresh olive oil, cumin and salt.
This recipe is made in an earthenware pot from the Ernewein-Haas pottery, traditionally used in Vendée for cooking white beans over a fireplace.
Fried eggs
For 1 person
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 40g butter
- 150 g chanterelles
- Fresh parsley and chervil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 piece of Comté or Parmesan cheese
- Salt pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a pan, melt half the butter and sauté the chanterelles with the garlic and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for around fifteen minutes. In a small oval dish, place the remaining butter and place in the oven. When the butter is melted and hot, crack two eggs directly into the dish. Cook for between 5 and 8 minutes preferably, making sure that the yolk remains runny. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the egg whites with the pan-fried chanterelles and a few shavings of cheese. Season with fleur de sel, ground pepper and small fresh chervil leaves. Enjoy with a piece of fresh baguette, directly in the dish.
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