Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘other sides to this life’ Category

Chimichuri–a fresh winter sauce for meat, chicken and vegetables

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , on January 28, 2015| 7 Comments »

The name alone makes this sauce from Argentina worth a try.

The taste is fresh and piquant.

IMG_9129

According to Wikipedia, the origin of the name dates from the arrival of Basque immigrants to Argentina in the 19th century–at least that’s one theory!

Tximitxurri was a Basque sauce loosely translated as “a mixture of several things–in no particular order!”.

It’s appealingly vague–and has the ring of truth.

I had some parsley to spare and a good supply of capers in the fridge–add red or white wine vinegar, olive oil, red onion or shallots and garlic–in no particular order and…

I tried it with the mackerel at lunch.

Meredith thought it overpowered the fish but I enjoyed it–made up a bit for the disappointing mackerel.

IMG_9093

Ingredients–(INPO!)

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp red onion or shallots–chopped

1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar

1 clove of garlic–chopped

4 good handfuls of parsley–chopped a couple of times by hand;

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put first four ingredients in a food mixer and add the olive oil, spoon by spoonful, after each pulse.

The parsley retains its brilliant green better if the leaves aren’t too bashed about.

Season and pulse once more before decanting the sauce into a favorite serving bowl.

Lamb chops with chimichuri or indeed chimichuri with lamb chops next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Baby broccoli and cauliflower gratins–a lunch that evolved…

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , on January 25, 2015| 24 Comments »

IMG_9086

This lunch seemed to invent itself over the course of an hour.

I was looking for something new to do with eggs.

I wasn’t having much luck–just the usual suspects–but then remembered the cauliflower and broccoli florets–not many–in the fridge.

Steam and serve with poached eggs over them, I thought…. Delicious.

But why not sear them on the griddle after a brief blanching (5 mins)? Even better.

IMG_9083

Then I remembered the little individual gratin dishes I’d bought recently.

One each–I love that!

Blanch, sear, remove them to a bowl, season well and sprinkle with olive oil (2 tbs) to coat them, while they are still warm.

IMG_9084

Distribute them in two of the dishes with sprinklings of parmesan and left-over breadcrumbs.

IMG_9085

I was beginning to feel hungry.

I set the oven to 200C/400F.

I had just enough vegetables for two layers so a sprinkling of the parmesan/breadcrumb mix on each and a drizzle of oil to finish.

Twenty minutes in the top of the oven and the little dishes came out sizzling.

IMG_9087

I poached two eggs each.

Thumbs up from Meredith until she started the clear-up.

I am writing this from the dog-house…

[MW writing here: Spilled egg whites all over the counter top and not cleaned up!]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Sucrine (baby gem lettuce), goat’s cheese and anchovy salad

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , , , on January 22, 2015| 12 Comments »

IMG_9024

Sucrine they are called here in France, I guess because they have a sweetness to them.

These tightly packed little tornadoes are known as baby gem lettuce in the UK.

They have an agreeable crunchiness that lends itself to strong contrasts–hence the addition of anchovy.

Anchovies are usually a background sound in cooking but here they solo occasionally. I love ’em–but they are not to everyone’s taste.

I ordered this a couple of days ago in our new favorite restaurant–Chez Germaine in Gaillac.

A pre-movie (Whiplash) lunch with Donald Douglas (aka Cap’n McNeil in Poldark!) and Emma Temple, his partner.

This place is the French version of a tapas bar–warm and convivial–and the food comes in small quantities on individual plates. I ordered a plate of baby squid persillade (in parsley and garlic oil) and this salad. Perfect with a glass of the local red wine (Gaillac).

The combination of the crispness of the lettuce and creaminess of the goat’s cheese with the occasional bite of anchovy had everyone dipping in!

Meredith–not too sure about anchovies showing up so brazenly–suggested substituting roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds–good idea.

You could add them anyway–but I like the salad’s simplicity.

for two

IMG_9014

ingredients

2 sucrine (baby gem) lettuces–deconstructed and sliced up

half a goat’s cheese “log”–or other shapes–pulled apart to spread its creaminess

3 or 4 anchovy fillets–sliced into smaller pieces

dressing

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic–pulped in a mortar with a pinch of salt

salt and pepper

—————–

Add the lettuce to a favorite bowl.

Add the cheese and the anchovy pieces.

Make the vinaigrette

Add the wine vinegar to the garlic in the mortar and whisk.

Add the olive oil and whisk it in to make the vinaigrette.

Pour it over the contents of the bowl.

Turn everything over carefully until the little lettuce gleams with pride.

IMG_9022

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Foot care, sparerib pork chops and broccoli–seared a little!

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , on January 6, 2015| 41 Comments »

2861869-monty_foot

Every three months I take a trip to see Cyril, my podologue, for a foot service–an essential on a diabetic’s check-up list.

Eyes next month.

It’s a relaxing 45 minutes–he has a naturally calm manner and doesn’t flinch at my halting French.

We chat while he gently works.

He’s signed the French version of our petition au sujet de l’église, he tells me.

“Merci beaucoup, Cyril!“

He told me he and his wife are expecting their second child–a girl–in three weeks time. They are favoring “Rose” as a name.

I booked another session in the first week of April and, stepping lightly on my “new feet”, headed across the road to the car.

I started pondering dinner–before lunch.

(One can never be too prepared….)

“Ah!” I remembered a friendly family butcher (husband and wife) nearby whom I occasionally frequent–and I recalled a one-pot recipe in Delicious Dishes that calls for spare rib chops, white beans and oranges. See recipe below….

From Delicious Dishes for Diabetics

From Delicious Dishes for Diabetics

Both husband and wife were busy working as I entered.

“Deux bouchers!”

“Une bouchère, Monsieur!” [One of us is a woman, Sir!]

“Ah–tout a fait!–excusez moi, Madame! Est-ce que vous avez d’ échine de porc?” 

“Bien sur!”

“Deux, s’il vous plait–assez fines [not too thick].”

Comfort food again.

I picked up some broccoli at the quiet Tuesday open-air market in Castres and headed home.

A couple of nights ago, I’d mis-timed the broccoli; it was ready too soon–so I drizzled it with olive oil, seasoned it and sautéd it a low flame to keep it warm.

When it came time to serve, one side was slightly charred but it tasted GOOD.  I enjoy happenstance in cooking and decided to try it again–deliberately!

IMG_8797

It works–and made a nice color contrast to the pork.

IMG_8800

Serves 4

This lovely autumn/winter comfort dish is based on one by the talented Frances Bissell.

2 x 400 g/16 oz tins/bottles white beans
4 spare rib chops (echine in France – these are the tastier ones)

1 onion – sliced
1 stick celery – sliced
2 oranges
1 tsp coriander seeds
150 ml/5 fl oz/1⁄2 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper
chopped fresh coriander or parsley

The timing for cooking depends in part on the thickness of the chops.

Heat the oven at 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

Rinse the bean and pour into the oven proof dish you will serve from.
Brown the chops well in a non-stick frying pan. (No oil needed as the chops are a bit fatty.)

Lay them  atop the beans.

Brown the onion and celery in the same frying pan – the fat from the chops will be enough to cook them in.

Lay them on the chops.

Carefully cut some strips of zest from one of the oranges.

Bury these in with the chops and beans.

Squeeze the juice from the two oranges over the chops.

Crush the coriander seeds and sprinkle over. Add the stock.

Cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours.

Check after an hour to ensure that there is enough liquid–but be careful not to add too much–or the concentrated taste of the sauce will weaken.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Before serving, sprinkle the chopped coriander or parsley over to garnish.

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Goat’s cheese and pancetta en cocotte

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , on January 5, 2015| 33 Comments »

IMG_8790

We first had this dish in an excellent little restaurant in Castres, called L’Envie [fancy] recently.

Apt name–I fancied trying to recreate it at home.

First I had to buy the little serving dishes!  Still haven’t found the ones I’d really like (in terra cotta).

The recipe itself is relatively easy to prepare and quick to cook. It’s both delicious and handy as a simple starter for company, as it can be assembled well ahead of time.

It’s a conversation starter too.

“What are those things at the bottom of the dish?”

“Shallots.”

“Nice!”

IMG_8749

For two (but easily scaled up for the number around your table–if you have the little serving dishes!)

Preheat the oven to 220C/430F (i.e. hot oven)

IMG_8779

2 shallots–very finely sliced

1 small “log” of goat’s cheese [chevre]

2 thin slices pancetta–(I started by using parma ham but Meredith suggested pancetta might be better and she was right! bacon would work too.)

4 small sage leaves–optional

olive oil for drizzling

—-

Spread the shallot slices over the bottom of two small oven proof dishes–roughly a shallot for each dish.

Slice the goat’s cheese log into four pieces about and inch or so long

Place two pieces in each dish.

Half the pancetta “rounds” and place one half slice in each side of each dish.

Place two small sage leaves in each dish.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of olive oil round and over the contents of each dish making sure the shallots get their fair share.

IMG_8782

Roast in the top shelf of the oven for about ten minutes or so.

Meredith said I was stingy with the pancetta!

If you spot those little terra cotta serving dishes, let me know!

Read Full Post »

Hiver est arrivé–(Winter’s here) and we have a fight on our hands…

Posted in other sides to this life, Robin Ellis, tagged , , , on December 28, 2014| 35 Comments »

Hiver est arrivé!

IMG_8493

Crisp and even!

Just as it should be but isn’t always these days as the seasons come unstuck.
They are planting the garlic and our birds are back on the bird table–tits, nuthatches and a robin.
Surprising how good it makes one feel–seasonal balance.

It helps this morning as we wait with our builders for someone from the La Mairie of Lautrec to arrive with the key to the church–the future of which has been an on-going concern, or to put it more crudely–has been bugging us for the past three months.

An unwelcome distraction from the food and everyday life blog.

The mayor (maire) announced at a meeting of the parishioners at the beginning of October (the first night of my cooking workshop, so Meredith had to go alone) that he is wants to sell the church.

He claimed that it is in a dangerous state and about to fall down.

Lautrec is in debt he said and short of money.

He claimed there was someone interested in buying the church and converting it into a living space.

Oh my goodness!

It’s no more than ten yards from the présbytere-the priest’s residence–our residence now.

DSC01736

So IOBY (in our back yard)–literally.

IMG_2931

Ben on the lookout!

EEK!

Meredith suggested there were other solutions.

OK says the Mayor, you have three months.

Right…

The church is no oil painting but we have grown to love it and its reassuring presence.

DSC08017

It was built about 1870–a hundred and fifty years after the presbytere (priest’s house) to replace the original chapel that was destroyed at the time of the French Revolution (1789-1794…).

In 1905 Church and State were separated by law in France and the churches became the property of local government.

SO–the church belongs to the commune.

In March at the local elections the Mairie changed hands and the new Maire decided that the church had to be sold.

(It was deconsecrated as a church sometime ago.)

A local woman had shown interest a couple of years ago but the then mayor assured us it was not for sale.

Phew!

After the election, however, the same woman approached the new mayor….

We have been busy these three months.

We’ve consulted notaries, lawyers, the citizens advice bureau in our local town and all agree, after studying the documents that there is NO ACCESS to the church from our side and our neighbors, the farmers who own the land surrounding the church say they will not grant access from their side.

NO ACCESS!

There is also NO WATER on the site and NO SANITATION--ie septic tank.

The only land is the narrow path that circles the building–NO TERRAIN.

As to the state of the building today two builders examined it inside and out and their shared opinion is that it is NOT ABOUT TO FALL DOWN.

There is structural work to be done to secure the chapel on the north side–but tis would not be “grande choses”.

One of them suggested that two exterior buttresses would render that chapel safe.

At the meeting in October the mayor assured the parishioners of St Martin, many of whom have family tombs in the adjacent cemetery and for whom the ongoing presence of the church building is significant, that it would retain it’s outward footprint—ie look the same.

The lawyers in Albi and Castres told us this assurance does not conform to French law in the case of rural churches.

Indeed the prospective buyer has told us that, if successful in her bid, she intends to knock down the two side chapels to provide window views on the north and south sides of the building.

SO MUCH FOR THE FOOTPRINT!

We heard last week that the town council has voted to sell the church.

Though many people we have talked to say “BE PATIENT!” this is MAD and will not happen, it is a distraction.

We have set up a worldwide petition in favor of preserving the church as a significant presence and with the possibility of using it as a cultural centre and exhibition space. Please sign it:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-the-church-of-st

IMG_2541

The interior of St Martin showing some of the murals depicting the life of St Martin.

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

A Tale for Thanksgiving…

Posted in Diabetes, other sides to this life, tagged , , on November 25, 2014| 60 Comments »

Touching story this.

Meredith and I were at the La Gare in Castres some weeks back seeing our friends Anne and Ray from Maryland onto their midday train to Toulouse.

Double seat benches faced each other in the waiting area–perfect for two couples.

Problem was that on one of the benches sat a hooded figure hunched forward, asleep perhaps–his face hidden, anyway showing no signs of being about to move.

Not a threatening presence exactly but hooded figures give you pause.

It was a chilly early autumn day. He was wearing shorts and sandals and a plastic bag rested at his side.

When the train arrived, the four of us made our way onto the platform with the other waiting passengers.

Mr Hooded Figure followed amid the general animation, fearing perhaps being moved on unless he gave the impression he was traveling too.

We said our goodbyes to Ray and Anne and headed back towards the hall.

Meredith looked for Mr HF.

He was sitting on a bench on the platform still hooded looking straight ahead; unfocused, dazed, unengaged–certainly benign but lost and hungry, Meredith thought.

She made her first move.

For this story is about the moves that Meredith makes that others (like me) might not always leap up to make.

I said I’d get the car started–wary of being too eager a samaritan.

Meredith doesn’t recognize “wary”, be it dog or human, when she senses need.

She went up to him and asked if he’d like something to eat and drink.

He said he would and they made their way to the little news stand where the refrigerated shelf held sandwiches and salads.

He said he just wanted water but Meredith persuaded him to accept a small tabbouleh salad with the bottle of water.

She was also concerned about his state of mind and asked him if he wanted to see a doctor or go to the hospital.

He eventually agreed to go to the hospital.

My face when she turned up with him was a picture, she says.

She explained the situation and the young man got into the back of the car.

I said “Bonjour Monsieur”; took a deep breath and set off.

When we arrived at the hospital Meredith accompanied him into “Urgences”, the emergency reception.

I parked the car and hung out.

It took a while.

When she came out she said she’d left him waiting to see a doctor.

To her surprise he’d produced his identity card and carte vitale (health system card) from a deep pocket in his shorts, when asked by reception.

She later went back to the hospital with a bag of clothes but found that he had been discharged–to her dismay.

The receptionist said the doctor who’d dealt with him was busy with other patients and she’d have to wait.

After 45 minutes she reluctantly gave up and drove home.

She later found him on Facebook and left a message wishing him well and hoping he was alright.

Last week she received this email from him.

Bonjour, je suis la personne que vous avez aidée à la gare de Castres.

Merci pour votre humanité et votre gentillesse.
Je vous souhaite une bonne continuation.
Thanks,
Denis

She found this quote from Voltaire to include in her reply:

 La vie est un naufrage, mais nous ne devons pas oublier de chanter dans les canots de sauvetage

“Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats!”

IMG_4370_2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Today is World Diabetes Day–the importance of a good BREAKFAST!

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , , on November 14, 2014| 14 Comments »

 Today is World Diabetes Day–Nov 14th, birthday of Fred Banting, who along with Charles Best first discovered insulin, revolutionizing the treatment of diabetes.world-diabetes-day

The World Diabetes Day 2014 campaign marks the first of a three-year (2014-16) focus on healthy living and diabetes.

Special focus will be placed on the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast. (see below!)

Facebook question for Robin & Meredith: What do you guys have for breakfast? The cookbooks don’t mention anything and I’m curious ~Maire Martello 

To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.

                                     ~ W. Somerset Maugham

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.            ~ John Gunther

Oysters are the usual opening to a winter breakfast. Indeed, they are almost indispensable.

~ Grimod de la Reyniere (1758-1838)

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” 

~ I’m sure my mother said that a few times!

Breakfast–before I set off on my walk–is the same every morning (and no sign of an oyster)!

IMG_6671

large organic oat flakes mixed with…

freshly-cracked walnuts (watch out for rogue pieces of shell that crack your teeth)

a dried, untreated apricot–chopped

a teaspoon of linseeds

a prune (cooked),

half a pot of plain organic yogurt

cinnamon–sprinkled on top (Some studies show cinnamon helps lower blood sugar levels.)

and moistened with unsweetened oat or almond milk

Two slices of 100% organic rye bread with a little butter and pear & apple fruit spread (no added sugar)

and a small black coffee

The same every morning?

Yes!

Dull?

Not for me. I look forward to it–once a day, at least!

Maybe we are at our most conservative, most in need of ritual, just after waking up. I find the assembling and eating of this bowl of goodies a daily delight.

Meredith’s version of breakfast heaven is cooked oats (she’s eating it as I write!) :

breakfast

Porridge: small oat flakes cooked in organic milk, organic plain yogurt, a cooked prune, perhaps some seasonal fruit, cinnamon sprinkled over.

Neither of us feel the need to snack before lunch–the oats keep us going.

Latest estimates* suggest that there are 382 million people living with diabetes worldwide.

What makes the pandemic particularly menacing is that throughout much of the world, it remains hidden.

In my case, there were NO symptoms. My Type 2 diabetes was picked up in a routine blood test.

Up to HALF of all people with diabetes worldwide remain UNDIAGNOSED!

A simple blood test is all that is needed for a diagnosis.

If you have a family history of diabetes, as I did, a routine test is a good idea!

Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly arranged and well-provisioned breakfast table. 

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

* International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas

Read Full Post »

Vegetable–“check out the crisper”–Soup

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , on October 30, 2014| 21 Comments »

IMG_7717_3

A couple of days ago I announced that I was thinking of making fennel soup for supper (we need a photograph of it for the new book).

“You should use all those veggies in the crisper,” said Meredith, in practical mood.

After years of taking a moment to understand what “crisper” meant, I now know it’s the bottom drawer of the fridge where salad and (forgotten) vegetables are stored.

IMG_7722

It still sounds odd to me–crisp and vegetable?

“Any road”–as Aunt Mary used to say–I found a treasure trove of useable vegetables.

MINESTRONE!

So…

I chopped into small dice:

2 carrots

2 small celery sticks

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

and sweated these over a low heat for a good half hour or longer in

3 tbsp olive oil

I then added:

2 fennel bulbs–outer casings removed and chopped into larger dice

more celery–similarly chopped

more carrots–similarly chopped

a handful of mini onions–peeled and halved

some cauliflower florets

Then I spooned in 3 tbsp cooked white beans, from a jar preferably (I prefer them to tinned/canned),

tucked in a small bouquet of parsley and bay and a piece of parmesan rind (I happened to have one to hand!)

I poured in 1 1/2 pints of stock–in this case made from organic vegetable cubes,

and seasoned well with freshly ground black pepper and a teaspoon of salt.

Brought this up to the boil, turned down the heat to low and simmered it for an hour.

Then I added a handful of green beans–escapees that were loitering in the crisper–snapped in half–and 2 medium courgettes–the last from the garden, sliced.

Cooked all this on until these last were tender.

Served it with a swirl of best olive oil and grated parmesan.

(The crisper promoter showed her approval by having thirds.)

IMG_7714

 

 

Read Full Post »

Green beans with cherry tomato sauce

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes on October 27, 2014| 31 Comments »

IMG_7651

Recipe-sharing has been on hold for a while. This is a “relaunch”.

My excuse? I’ve been busy and distracted: putting on wigs, trying to remember my lines, running a cooking workshop, demonstrating no-potato fishcakes at a literary festival*, preparing a third cook book, worrying about the sale of the adjacent church for a private residence…

I’ve missed finding new recipes, cooking them and writing them up.

So here goes….

(Could be a hostage to fortune!)

Early Saturday morning at Castres market, I spied a pile of green beans on the small display table.

I was surprised.

“These are the last,”  said the local grower, who also had some promising looking cherry tomatoes laid out.

I bought a pound of each and here they combine to make the simple vegetable dish from Delicious Dishes for Diabetics.

I’ll sprinkle over some feta and a few juicy black olives to make a light lunch.

It’s warm enough to eat al fresco in the courtyard–the SUN is refusing to retire and is out every day–a delayed summer (July and August didn’t deliver.)

Warm enough to ripen the fruit that normally we enjoy weeks earlier–even our figs are finally showing signs of ripening.

We are not complaining.

250gms/8oz green beans

250gms/8oz cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic–thinly sliced

2oz  feta cheese  (optional)

half a dozen juicy black olives  (optional)

First make the tomato sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and add the garlic slivers.

Cook for a minute or two to soften.

Add the tomatoes and cook on a low-ish heat for 15 minutes, stirring and gently squashing them occasionally.

You should end up with a viscous sauce–the tomatoes retaining some of their shape.

IMG_7636

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the beans in boiling, salted water until just tender.

Drain and lay them on a pretty plate.

Spoon the sauce over the beans.

Add olives and/or feta (optional).

IMG_7655

*Festival Litteraire de Parisot

Parisot is a delightful, hilltop village in the Tarn-and-Garonne department, a little to the north of us.

IMG_7228

This was the second year of their book festival and it was a triumph.

Brilliantly organized over a three-day weekend, events ran parallel in French and English, serving the two communities simultaneously.

A grand sweep over the literary landscape included a writing Masterclass, talks by first-time and established novelists, a workshop given by an expert in Arab calligraphy, a talk on organized crime in France, a superb analysis of the causes of the first world war by Clive Ponting and much more–including a light-hearted account of my acting career, given while cooking pumpkin soup and no-potato fishcakes.

IMG_7239

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »