A lot of the time, the meals I used to cook in Paris were just some form of meat cut, marinated in whatever I thought would work, and served with some veg. I’ve always thought that it’s important to have a few different side dishes up my sleeves for these occasions. Here are two of my favourites that work with a lot of different options.
Asparagus
Bunch of asparagus chopped in half
1⁄2 lemon
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Get a griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle over the olive oil and chuck in the asparagus – but not until the pan is hot enough. It needs to get a nice colour on it to get flavour. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and at the end squeeze the juice of half the lemon. Feel free to drizzle afterwards with some extra virgin olive oil.
Peppers
Two bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced into orbits
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Chopped basil or parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
Drizzle some oil in a pan over a high heat and sauté the peppers and onions. Sprinkle in the sugar and mix well before drizzling in the vinegar around the sides of the pan. Keep stirring and give it a taste. It should have an intense, sweet and sour flavour, so add some more sugar and vinegar if it doesn’t smack you in the face. There you have it: two lovely side dishes which go perfectly with any of my meals from this term. I hope you have learned a few new meals and tricks! 
