other sides to this life | Robin Ellis

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Honey time or perhaps not…

Posted in other sides to this life, tagged honey harvest on June 26, 2013| 11 Comments »

The Intrepids—Alice Frezouls and Meredith Wheeler are ready to go to work again.

Fearless and determined–covered from head to toe in case the bees get too excited.

Meredith employs her favourite tactic–singing to them to calm and reassure them they’re in friendly hands.

(Alice is politely doubtful that this makes a ha’peth of difference.)

I am reluctantly persuaded to accept the offer of protective clothing for my job as cameraman.

Subject not sure he wouldn’t rather get stung!

I’m soon glad I did, as the guardian bees launch their attack.

The experts set to work–

Alice using the more traditional way of calming–a smoke gun! In it she burns her special brew: burlap (jute), dried herbs and grasses with a dash of lavender water. heady stuff!

and discover a hive of activity!

I join the bees and the experts in the tomato patch to record the first recolte (harvest) of honey this year.

We are not expecting much. It has been the worst year we can remember for the seasonal crops that keep the bees busy.

The sunflowers–usually approaching flowering time now, ready to show off their glory for the cameras covering the Tour de France–are in their infancy. Green shoots barely above the ground.

The Judas tree enjoyed a brief blossoming in April and the false Acacia. There was a buzzing overhead of happy workers happily employed.

Little since then.

Alice predicts there will be “treasure” in the hive, but how much?

She weighs and surveys the cadres (honeycombs) and predicts two to three kilos of honey–under the circumstances, “pas mal!”

showing off some “treasure”

They even allow me to hold the trophy for a photo!

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Fresh trout simply grilled with thyme

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged depeche du midi, griddle, Lautrec, trout on June 23, 2013| 4 Comments »

I wasn’t thinking of trout when I went to the market early Friday morning in Lautrec–I’ve got out of the habit of cooking it.

Rather, dorade (sea bream) perhaps or mackerel. When I approached the stall, which is usually packed with a good selection of fish,

it was covered in a white sea of ice but virtually no fish–except a small shoal of lonely-looking trout and an organic salmon–an unusual sight.

I’d noticed as I turned into the village that the road to Graulhet (fifteen minutes northwest of Lautrec) was blocked by two police vehicles and three determined looking gendarmes. I quickly decided my usual trick of not going fully round the roundabout but taking a sharp left into the village–strictly illegal but handy–was not a good idea!

Puzzled and dismayed by the absence of seafood I asked the unusually subdued fishmonger what was happening.

Qu’est ce que se passe, Monsieur?

Il y avait un accident avec le camion, il est en retard. [The fish wagon’s been delayed by an accident.]

Road blocked–gendarmes present–diversion signs–no fish—mystery solved–trout for lunch!

La Depeche du Midi (regional daily newspaper) carried the story the next day, with a graphic photo of the scene.

Mangled car in the ditch.

The young man in the car survived and is recovering in hospital. According to the report it took the rescue team two hours to free him. The lorry driver escaped with minor injuries.

It’s a safe bet that trout and salmon, obviously sourced elsewhere, remained the only fish on sale in Lautrec that morning!

This is what I did with the trout.

2 trout–gutted and cleaned

a handful of fresh thyme sprigs

olive oil

salt and pepper

Wash the trout and pat dry.

With a sharp knife, carefully make two shallow diagonal slits in the fish’s flesh each side.

Brush the fish top to tail with olive oil–(this helps to prevent them sticking to the griddle pad).

Rub salt and pepper into the slits.

Stuff the thyme into the cavities and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a griddle pad to hot–or use a sauté pan large enough to hold the fish.

Oil the surface.

Lay the fish on the pad and cook each side for about five minutes–testing for doneness by lifting the cavity and checking near the backbone. The cooking time depends on the size of the fish. (If pink/red, needs a little more time.)

Serve with green beans or a simple green salad.

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Fennel and sweet potato curry with chickpeas

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged chickpeas, coconut cream, sweet potato., vegetable curry on June 21, 2013| 13 Comments »

Not a recipe that normally springs to mind in the middle of June but this isn’t a normal June.

Perhaps it’s new normal June!

Normally (!) we would be eating supper outside–sun going down–cats on the wall–cows in the field–pale blue sky streaked with high-flying plane tracers–and remarking on how lucky we are!

Instead we enjoyed this in the warmth of the kitchen, in nodding agreement that this was indeed not normal.

1 onion–chopped small

2 garlic cloves–chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp (each) turmeric, cumin powder, powdered ginger

1/2 tsp (each) coriander powder, cayenne powder

8oz tinned [canned] or fresh tomatoes–chopped

1 pint/500 ml stock (You probably won’t need it all!)

2 celery sticks–sliced in small (wine cork) size

1 smallish sweet potato–peeled and cubed

3 fennel bulbs–outer leaves removed, cored, cut in half vertically and each half cut thrice (i.e. six pieces in all–the ones in the photo are a tad too large)

3 tbs cooked chickpeas

salt to taste–bearing in mind there is salt in the stock

3 tbs coconut cream* or whisked smooth low fat yogurt

Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the mustard seeds.
When they start to pop add the onions and garlic, mix them in and sweat them until they soften and begin to colour.

Add the rest of the spices, the salt and mix in.

Add the tomatoes and cook on for five minutes to let them form a sauce.

Add half the stock and cook on for 5 minutes.

Add the cut up vegetables and mix in.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes–checking now and then that it doesn’t dry up (as it very nearly did for me!).
Add more stock as you need and cook on.
Turn off the heat and let it cool down.
When you are ready to eat, stir in three tablespoons coconut cream or whisked low fat yogurt and gently reheat.

*The difference between coconut milk/cream and cream of coconut is fully explained here:

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-coconut-m-75446/

It looks like milk, it is NOT sweetened and it does NOT taste of coconut!

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Sautéed new green peppers in a tomato sauce

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged antonio carluccio, diabetes-friendly recipe, green peppers, tomato sauce, vegetarian recipes on June 19, 2013| 6 Comments »

I was surprised to see locally grown green peppers–(they are lighter and thinly fleshed)–in the market yesterday, nudging small white peaches on a new stall.

Everything is so late this year.

I remembered a recipe I used to do years ago from Antonio Carluccio’s Vegetables book. Very Italian–simple and different.

The peppers are cooked whole in olive oil. They collapse, charring nicely and are finished in a quickly cooked tomato sauce.

If these particular peppers are unavailable use thicker fleshed ones–deseeded and cut into largish pieces.

500gm/1lb green peppers–tops and seeds removed

6 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves–chopped

14oz/400gm tin of tomatoes–drained of their juice and roughly chopped (fresh sun -ripe tomatoes, skinned and seeded would be good too)

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a deepish pan.

When the oil is hot carefully slide in the peppers–you may have to do this in two batches.

Turn them as they collapse and brown, for about 5 minutes–they should be tender.

Set them aside and spoon off four tablespoons of the oil–(I used this oil for sautéing later).

Slip the garlic into the oil.

When it starts to colour, mix in the chopped tomatoes.

Cook these over a high heat for five minutes to form a sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the peppers and cook on for another five minutes.

We ate these for supper last night served on lightly sautéed (in the excess oil) slices of leftover chickpea “bread” .

A recipe remembered and reclaimed.

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Courgette and bean stew–a hint of summer

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged courgettes, Jack Ellis, Martha Rose Shulman, stew, Theo ellis, wolf alice, zucchini on June 17, 2013| 13 Comments »

Just back from an unexpectedly extended London visit–thanks to a strike by air traffic controllers in France. In fact the extra days (4) were a blessing. A chance to catch up with brother Jack who flew in from Japan the day before we were supposed to leave and nephew Theo, who plays bass guitar in Wolf Alice–burgeoning indy band about to hit the big time.

Brothers as the backing group to the new kid on the block!

Now back in France and a stew with SUMMER in its DNA–though the seasonal sweetness of fresh tomatoes may not yet be fully expressed–and enough comfort factor to lift the spirits after a wet and wretched May here–not to mention the tempest raging outside today!

It’s inspired by a Martha Rose Shulman recipe in The New York Times.

Few ingredients, simple to do and a pleasing look–just the ticket!

1 medium onion–chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves–mashed with half a teaspoon of salt

3 medium courgettes/zucchini–cut in centimeter rounds

3 tbsp chopped tomatoes–tinned [canned] at this time of year

200gm/8oz cherry tomatoes–halved

250gms cooked white beans, tinned or jarred–(the best you can find–I favour jarred)

3 sprigs of thyme

salt and pepper

Sweat the onion in the oil until soft; then tip in the garlic and sauté for a few seconds.

Add the courgettes/zucchini and turn them over in the mix.

Cook until they too start to soften–about 5 minutes.

Add all the tomatoes, thyme sprigs and a seasoning of salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until the cherry tomatoes start to soften.

Add the beans and their liquid and/or a couple of tablespoons of water.

Cook for a further 15 minutes.

Check the seasoning for salt and pepper.

We are having the stew spooned over a baked sweet potato tonight.

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Lina’s dried fruit compote

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes on June 3, 2013| 9 Comments »

This is a recipe from my new cookbook–Healthy Eating for Life–due out in early January 2014.

It’s simple to do–no fuss and can be made anytime of year.

I don’t as a rule eat dessert but when Meredith hands me a small bowl of this with a dollop of yogurt–I find it hard to resist.

Yellow apricots lighten the colours but the darker untreated ones taste as good.

These amounts can serve at least ten people but as it tastes even better the next day and the day after having sat in the fridge any left over will serve well over the following few days.

serves 10

400gms prunes

250gms dried apricots

350gms dried figs

50gms raisins

25gms dried cranberries

1500ml water

2 rosehip tea bag

7 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

25gms flaked almonds

yogurt or creme fraiche

Wash the fruit.
Boil the water and pour it over the teabags in a china bowl—leave for 10 minutes.

Remove the teabag and pour the liquid into a pan.
Add the dried fruit, cloves and cinnamon sticks and simmer 15 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Serve with flaked almonds and yogurt or creme fraiche.

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Les CO triumph!!

Posted in other sides to this life on June 1, 2013| 6 Comments »

Les Bleus de Castres have just won the Championship de France.

19 points to 14 points

On a gagné!

So tense I couldn’t watch! Followed it on the the internet. The kitchen has never been so clean. I even prepared my breakfast for the morning.

It went down to the wire but Castres held on.

Allez les Bleus!!

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Cup Final fever…allez les Bleus!

Posted in other sides to this life, tagged castres Olympique, French rugby cup final, jonny wilkinson on June 1, 2013| 6 Comments »

Seven this morning and I’m on my way to the market in Castres.

I pass through the next small hamlet which has white and blue balloons hanging from the front doors and windows.

I’m reminded that this evening there is a match in Paris at the Stade de France and that Castres Olympique, whose colours are white and blue, are one of the two teams involved.

It’s the final game of the French rugby season–which decides the top team of 2013.

I continue on my way but am held up by a large white coach gallumphing through the narrow country lanes. I get close enough to see it’s full of people.

Seven o’clock on a Saturday morning! Never seen such a sight.

Ah!–must be on their way to Paris for the match.

I pass several small groups of bleary eyed people gathered round single cars all wearing tell-tale blue and white scarves and hats–must be on their way to Paris for the match!

I later learn from the fish-stall in the market that 39 coaches are doing the seven hour trip up the motorway.

A number that has increased at each stall I shop at!

Ten thousand people are on their way, I’m told.

No wonder the market seems empty–not just because the weather is dismal, making it difficult to grow things–everyone’s on their way to Paris for the MATCH!

And why not? This could be an historic day. Castres Olympique last won the cup in 1993. Twenty years is a long time to wait for another chance.

But it is going to be tough.

Toulon, the opposing team, are favourites by some way and they have the advantage of English rugby-man Jonny Wilkinson’s right foot–a dangerous limb. He makes a habit of kicking teams to victory. He won the last-but-one World Cup for England on the last kick of the game.

Castres maybe sparsely populated this morning but it’s awash with blue and white–and those left in the market are buzzing with anticipation.

Dominique–from whom we buy our cheese–has two short stripes–white and blue of course–painted across each cheek.

Tribal signs are everywhere. Balloons in shop windows, pendants hanging from lampposts and car aerials–no-one dare not display their allegiance today.

I meet our neighbour Maïte–always early to the Saturday market and we talk–about which channel to watch the game on. She recommends Channel 2.

I say everyone is so excited and happy.

Oui—she says doubtfully–but there could be tears before bedtime.

(Could have been my mother speaking!)

Well yes, but as the French also often say so wisely:

On ne sait jamais! [You never know!]

Kickoff at 8.30pm!

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Griddled courgettes (zucchini), spring onions/scallions and chilis

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged grilled chilis, grilled courgettes, grilled scallions, Lautrec, salmon fillets, zucchini on May 31, 2013| 10 Comments »

Few spring vegetables on the stalls yet.

Asparagus and spring onions, yes–but where are the broad beans?

The rain continues to pour and it’s still cold–making it near impossible for local vegetable growers.

(Our neighbour, Serge’s younger brother told me in Lautrec market this morning that there was a year in the Fifties–he’s too young to remember which–when it rained until September!)

Brainwave!

I buy a couple of fat courgettes (Spanish, no doubt) and think to grill them in thick slices on the griddle and top them with scallions/spring onions done the same way.

Could make a pretty picture…

… and go well with the salmon fillets I just bought.

2 plump courgettes–carefully sliced lengthwise, not too finely, lightly salted and left to drain for an hour

1 or 2 plump scallions/spring onions–sliced similarly

2 long chilis–sliced lengthwise

olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat the griddle to hot.
Mix the the courgettes slices with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Mix the onions and chili with a little less olive oil.
Place the courgettes slices on the griddle and leave for five minutes to char and soften.
Turn over and repeat the process.
When you judge they are done sufficiently remove to a serving plate and grind over some pepper.

Distribute the onion and chili mix over the griddle.

Grill for about five minutes to soften and char these too.
Remove them to the serving plate, season and serve.

This lunchtime they made a nice contrast with the salmon fillet cooked slow (see recipe in Delicious Dishes for Diabetics!).

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Chickpea soup

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged chickpea soup, chickpeas, classic italian cookbook, Marcella Hazan on May 29, 2013| 18 Comments »

Easing back into the flow and with one foot–so to speak–still in Italy, I go to my comfort zone for guidance and authenticity.

my culinary Bible

Marcella Hazan’s first cookbook–still usable, though much patched-up and thumbed.

She doesn’t purée this nourishing and warming soup–though some do, she says.

I’ll go with roughly 1/4 whole chickpeas to 3/4 puréed.

I’ve also added a hint of fire! A couple of small dry red chilis left in the cooking tomatoes for five minutes and then fished out; or leave them in–but careful you don’t swallow them later.

I’ve used twice the liquid she suggests. Italians like to eat their soup almost solid.

3 garlic cloves–peeled but left whole

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp rosemary needles–chopped fine

8oz/200gm tinned (canned) tomatoes–chopped with the juice

14oz/400gm can cooked chickpeas–drained

450ml/1 pint stock–I use organic vegetable stock cubes

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic until it is well browned.
Take it out; it’s job–infusing the oil–is done.
Throw in the rosemary and stir once, then add the tomatoes with their juice.
Cook these down to a sauce–about 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid it burning.
Add the chickpeas and stir these around for five minutes to inform them with the tomato sauce.
Add three-quarters of the stock and stir it in.