Fish Soup Basquaise / Sopa de Peixe Basca.

This month we are cooking from Paula Wolfert cook books for the Rainydaybites Cookbook Club.

The book Deborah chose was the "Unforgettable" but as it is a very difficult book to find, Deborah allowed us to cook from any of Paula's books.

I'm cooking from Paula Wolfert "The Cooking of South West France" book and this recipe is actually my first one for this month's cookbook club.

I can only compare Paula Wolfert book with Julia Child or Elizabeth David books, which, in my opinion, should be mandatory books for anyone that claims their love for cooking.

More than cooking books, they are reading books that show us their passion and deep knowledge for the cuisine and ingredients of the regions they're writing and cooking from.

To write this book, Paula Wolfert spent five years researching, investigating ingredients, origins of recipes and variations in techniques.

This recipe, a fish soup, not just is easy to make, but it's also fabulous and full of flavour.

According to the author, this soup is a modern interpretation of the classic onion and pepper fish soup of Bayonne.

Crab soufflé / Soufflé de sapateira.

As soon as I saw this recipe at Marmita's blog, I knew that I was going to try it as soon as possible, because not just, we all here at home love crab, but also because we all love soufflés and this one is perfect, delicious and so comforting!

ingredients (serves 2 as a main course or 3 as a starter):

1/2 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing

2 1/2 tbsp fine dry breadcrumbs

500g mixed crab meat (cooked)

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp plain flour, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

100ml milk

1/2 tbsp grated cheese

1 large egg, separated

1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg, to taste

method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Grease one soufflé dish or 3 individual ramekins with butter and coat with the breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.

Melt the butter in a small pan.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but without colour.

Add the mustard and flour paste and mix well.

Stir in the milk and keep whisking until you have a smooth paste.

Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the time.

Stir in the cheese, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Add in the crab meat, the egg yolk and the chives and season to taste with salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg.

Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and then gently fold it into the soufflé mixture.

Pour the mixture into the soufflé dish and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve immediately with a nice salad.

__________________

Assim que vi este soufflé no blogue da Marmita, fiquei logo em pulgas para o fazer, não só porque todos cá em casa adoramos sapateira, mas também porque adoramos soufflés e ainda por cima, tinha a quantidade necessária de carne de sapateira cozida e congelada, o que facilitou imenso o processo.

Bom, escusado será dizer que é divino e que, se gostam de sapateira, terão mesmo de experimentar esta fantástica receita.

Recipe / Receita: Marmita's blog / Blogue da Marmita.