French in a flash: capture the spirit of French home cooking with these easy recipes

With their penchant for potagers (vegetable gardens) and fondness for farmers' markets, the French are serious about their vegetables. Many traditional French side dishes are hearty enough to serve as entrees. Both the Cauliflower and Leek Potage and the Eggs with Asparagus would make a great lunch or light supper when served with crusty bread and an olive tapenade. The Easy Ratatouille goes well with pasta, rice or polenta. And the Potato-Turnip Gratin makes a homey meal with steamed vegetables or a salad. For the full French effect, don't forget the red wine.

EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS

Serves 4

30 minutes or fewer

We guarantee this incredibly simple
dish will become a weeknight favorite.
To speed things up at mealtime, steam
the asparagus beforehand, and store in
an airtight container in the fridge.

1 1/2 lb. medium asparagus, trimmed
    and, if desired, peeled
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
    cheese
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Cook asparagus
in large, deep skillet of salted boiling
water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
Transfer to paper towels to drain.

2. Grease 4 individual oven-proof gratin
dishes. Divide asparagus between them;
season with thyme and salt and pepper
to taste. Sprinkle with half of cheese.

3. Heat butter in 10-inch nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat until
foam subsides, then fry eggs, seasoning
with salt and pepper to taste, until
whites are set, about 2 minutes.

4. Carefully transfer 1 egg to each
gratin dish using a slotted spatula,
placing on top of asparagus and cheese.
Sprinkle eggs with remaining cheese,
and drizzle with any butter remaining
in skillet.

5. Bake until cheese is melted and eggs
are cooked as desired, 4 to 5 minutes
for runny yolks. Serve immediately.

PER SERVING: 200 CAL: 13G PROT; 15G TOTAL FAT
(8G SAT FAT); 5G CARB: 240MG CHOL; 320MG
SOD; 2G FIBER: 2G SUGARS

POTATO-TURNIP GRATIN

Serves 4 as main dish or 8 as side dish

This is a great way to serve turnips.
Jean, my French husband, who claims
his mother made the world's best
gratine, happily are a second helping.

4 medium-sized red potatoes,
  thinly sliced
4 small turnips, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
  and separated into rings
1 1/2 cups shredded Emmental or soy
  cheddar cheese
1 cup whole milk or plain soymilk

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an
11 x 14 baking dish. Place one-third
potato slices on bottom. Top with
one-third turnip slices and half of
onion. Add salt and pepper to taste,
and sprinkle with one-third cheese.

2. Repeat layer once, then top with
remaining potatoes, turnips, cheese,
and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour milk over gratin, distributing
evenly. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes
to 1 hour, or until casserole is bubbly,
vegetables are tender and top is
browned. Let stand 5 minutes
before serving.

PER SERVING: 390 CAL; 19G PROT; 14G TOTAL FAT
(8G SAT. FAT); 47G CARB; 45MG CHOL; 150MG
SOD: 6G FIBER; 10G SUGARS

Serves 6 Vegan   30 minutes or fewer

CAULIFLOWER AND LEEK POTAGE

Serves 6 * Vegan * 30 minutes or fewer

This nondairy creamy soup is very
easy to make if you have a hand-held
immersion blender, which allows you
to puree the ingredients right in the
pot. Herbes de Provence add a medley
of dried-herb flavors in a dash.

1 large cauliflower, trimmed
  and chopped
2 medium-sized leeks, trimmed
  and chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp. herbes de Provence
2 cups unsweetened soymilk

1. Combine cauliflower, leeks, stock and
herbes de Provence in large saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low,
cover and cook, stirring occasionally,
about 15 minutes.

2. Remove from heat, and stir in
soymilk. Puree soup with immersion
blender or in food processor, adding
more soymilk if needed for desired
consistency. Return soup to pot, and
stir in salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

PER SERVING: 110 CAL 7G PROT; 2G TOTAL FAT
(0G SAT. FAT); 18G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 270MG
SOD; 6G FIBER; 7G SUGARS

EASY RATATOUILLE

Serves 4 * Vegan * 30 minutes or fewer

This streamlined version of a classic
Provencal dish freezes well, so double
or triple the recipe for future meals.
If desired, stir some chopped fresh basil
into the vegetables just before serving.

3 Tbs. garlic-flavored olive oil
2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced
  1/2-inch thick
1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into
  1-inch cubes
1/2 lb. zucchini, sliced crosswise
    1-inch thick
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, cut
  into 1-inch pieces

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat in
large, deep skillet. Add tomatoes,
eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally.
until vegetables are very tender, about
20 minutes. Serve warm.

PER SERVING: 160 CAL: 3G  PROT: 11G TOTAL FAT
(1.5G SAT FAT); 16G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 20MG
SOD; 7G FIBER; 9G SUGARS

Vicki Chelf is the author of Cooking with the Right Side of the Brain, the Arrowhead Mills Cookbook and several French books. She divides her time between teaching and writing about vegetarian whole foods, cooking and painting.