Beating the one-size-fits-all blues

"What will destroy the world?" asks a voice filled with gloom, doom and disaster. At the breakfast table, nogal.

Before I can formulate an answer, she supplies it. "Sugar!" she cries and I stop spooning the death-dealing substance over my porridge.

This is a somewhat typical example of the vapid conversations I generally have in the place now my abode, an old age/convalescent/et al home.
One doesn't admittedly expect scintillating conversation but my interest in the oft and oft and oft repeated stories of dead husbands, happy homes, ungrateful children, tends to wane, never forgetting the constant stream of thefts, almost all imaginary. It's all very wearing.

Having got that off my irate chest, a few recipes as I yearn for sophisticated food with subtle French sauces instead of admittedly well made but dull food suited to every palate.
From Anne Willan's French Regional Cooking comes Piperade Basquaise, a pepper and tomato puree with eggs, which I've always liked and often made.
Ingredients for 4: a half-dried chilli pepper or a pinch of cayenne or hot red pepper; 4 tbs oil; 2 onions, chopped; 3 red peppers, cored and chopped (green is an alternative but as I dislike it I never add it to any recipe); 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1kg tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped; sa 8 eggs beaten to blend.

If using a chilli pepper prepare and chop it. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook over low heat until soft but not brown.
Stir in the peppers, chilli pepper (if using) and cook over low heat, stirring, for 5 minutes,
Add the tomatoes, a little salt and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or so until the mixture is very thick and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste, adding the hot red or cayenne pepper at this stage.

Add the beaten eggs to the vegetable puree and stir over low heat until mixture has thickened but remains soft and moist. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

This is a delicious dish for a Sunday brunch or a special breakfast. The addition of crisply fried bacon or browned pork sausages won't do any harm either. And note that there's no sugar!

As hake often seems the only fish available to city dwellers, I include Merluza, Salsa Verde, hake in a green sauce.
Basque green sauce, I am told, is not a sauce at all but a garnish of green peas, asparagus and chopped parsley. Often baby potatoes are included and the fish and vegetables are cooked together with plenty of garlic and hot red pepper.

This recipe will serve 4.
Ingredients: 350g little new potatoes; 200-300g shelled fresh or frozen green peas; 500g asparagus; 4 slices hake; flour; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 3 cloves garlic finely chopped; pinch of cayenne or hot red pepper; 3 tbs chopped parsley; 125ml water.
Boil potatoes until just done.

Cook peas in boiling water until just tender. Rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly.
Peel the asparagus and trim off stalks (use for soup).

Cook tips in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Rinse under cold water, drain. Set oven at 190?

C. Wash and dry the hake.
Season with salt, coat with flour.

Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan and brown hake lightly on both sides. Transfer to a shallow baking dish.
Sprinkle with garlic and hot pepper.

Add the potatoes around the edges of the baking dish and top with the asparagus tips and peas.
Sprinkle with parsley, a little salt and the the remaining oil. Pour in the water, cover and bake for 15-20 minutes until fish is tender.

Serve from the dish.