Alexis Gabriel Ainouz - Just a French Guy Cooking

Its such a joy to be writing the foreword to my good mate Alexs beautiful book. We first met when I was looking for a fresh Food Tube star to join the family a few years ago, and as soon as I saw Alexs French Guy Cooking videos I knew wed discovered a hidden gem. Since then, Alexs channel has become super-successful. And he still cracks me up every time we cook together!

Alexs food is fantastically fun. Its simple but delicious, and always delivered in his brilliantly quirky way. Hes a self-taught genius, and he knows exactly what home cooks really want to make. You cant watch him in the kitchen without smiling, and thats what the recipes in this lovely book are all about.

From the French treats you might expect, like the cheats croissants and the epic magic-crust quiche Lorraine to delights such as ramen four ways and street lamb shish kebab, Alex gets to the heart of joyful, happy cooking. For me, these recipes tick all the big boxes: simple, exciting and ultimately eat-me food!

Its food to spark the imagination of beginner and pro cooks alike, with lovely chatter and helpful tips from Alex running throughout. And with the step-by-step pics, too well, you cant go wrong!

So guys, turn the page, dive into this bright and colourful collection of gorgeous dishes, and start choosing what youre going to have for dinner! Ive got a feeling youll come back to this lovely book time and time again.

Alex, what can I say mate? Youve absolutely nailed it. Its a beaut.

Jamie Oliver

Salut guys and thank you for getting my book!
Remember: my recipes are here to inspire you and bring you confidence but they need a chef to cook them... thats YOU!

Alex

Cheeky shakshuka

Just writing this recipe makes my mouth water. Its the combination of the freshness of the tomato, the umami of the tomato pure, the sweetness of the peppers, the smoothness of the onions, the kick of the harissa and the decadence of the egg running over everything at the end that I find totally irresistible.

Serves 4

a little olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 merguez sausages or, if not available, 225g [8oz] chorizo, cut into small pieces

2 red and 2 green [bell] peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into strips

1 Tbsp tomato pure [paste]

1 tsp harissa (personally I add 1 Tbsp)

4 garlic cloves, crushed

salt and pepper

4 eggs

Heat a non-stick saut pan or deep frying pan [skillet] over a medium heat, add a little olive oil and fry the onions and pieces of merguez or chorizo. Once the onions are soft and lightly golden, add the peppers and tomatoes.

Stir in the tomato pure and harissa. Pour in 225ml [1 cup] hot water and add the crushed garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. If necessary, add an extra 115ml [ cup] water.

Once the sauce has thickened, make 4 indentations in the mixture with the back of a ladle and crack an egg into each. Cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the eggs are done just how you like them.

Harissa storebought or homemade?

Good harissa certainly has a spicy taste but is also sweet and well balanced. It is a beautiful, brilliant red colour and is not at all bitter. So, if the only harissa you can find in your local supermarket is not up to scratch, make it yourself. To do this, remove the stalks from a handful of mild red chillies and blitz them to a paste with 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of ground coriander. Keep in a jar in the refrigerator, covered with olive oil.

Youve-been-doing-it-all-wrong scrambled eggs

I have nothing against traditional scrambled eggs that consist more or less of eggs stirred fairly aggressively in a red-hot saucepan so they spin round a few times. Accompanied with some scorched bacon, they do the job! However, there are also mornings when youd like to wake up in a luxurious, palatial bedroom and eat a huge posh breakfast. Here is the recipe expensive for just those mornings.

Serves 1

3 organic eggs

1 Tbsp very cold butter, diced into small pieces

salt and pepper

Serving suggestions

1 Tbsp chopped smoked salmon trimmings

1 slice of toast, buttered

1 tsp finely chopped fresh chives

1 tsp salmon roe

Place a saucepan over medium heat and fill it one-third with hot water.

Break the eggs into a heatproof bowl that has a rounded base and is wider than the saucepan. Sit the bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the boiling water doesnt touch the bottom of the bowl.

Stir constantly, ideally moving your spatula in a figure-of-eight motion, until the mixture thickens. At this point, add the butter to stop the eggs cooking any more and to make them a bit creamy and glossy. Season with salt and pepper.

If you wish, you can also add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped smoked salmon and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped chives at the same time as the butter, mixing them in well. Remove from the heat, spoon onto a slice of buttered toast, and top with 1 teaspoon of salmon roe (and more chives, if you like).

Omelette, Ppin-style

Jacques Ppin is a French celebrity chef who for a long time has been an icon in the US. Very talented, a bit cheeky and with an accent you can cut with a knife dont look at me!, he is particularly famous for his incomparable omelettes. This is my take on how he makes them.

Serves 1

3 eggs

pinch of fine salt

a drizzle of neutral flavoured oil

1 tsp butter

Equipment you must have

non-stick frying pan [skillet], 2224cm [910in] in diameter

a wooden spoon

First of all, beat the eggs, but only lightly as they must not be frothy. Add a pinch of fine salt.

Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the oil and butter. If you cook the omelette over a low heat, it will be solid and cooked evenly all the way through. Its also important to add just enough fat to the pan so the omelette fries but doesnt brown. The mix of oil and butter should sing when it comes into contact with the pan, but not scream.

Pour the eggs into the pan. Shake the pan from front to back holding the handle with your left hand and, with your right hand, use the wooden spoon to stir the eggs in a circular movement (Im right-handed). The flecks of cooked egg that progressively appear allow the heat to be distributed throughout the omelette and not just remain at the bottom. Gently pull the sides towards the centre.