Last Saturday morning, I went out to start the Citroën and drive over to the pharmacy in Saint-Aignan. The car wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't turn over at all. However, when I turned the key in the ignition all kinds of warning lights started flashing on the dashboard. There was an unfamiliar clicking noise coming from the dashboard. The battery seemed okay because the car's lights, radio, and electric windows opened and closed when I pressed the button on the clicker.
It was Saturday, so the mechanic's shop was closed for the weekend. I had to wait until Monday to go over there. I went Monday morning and told them about the problem. They said it sounded like the starter motor had died. What should I do? Call your insurance company and have the card towed over here this afternoon or tomorrow. I decided to wait a day, hoping the car would miraculously start if I continued trying. It didn't. I called the insurance company that afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, the guy from the insurance company came over. He tried to start the car. He listened carefully and said: It's the battery. Let me get my battery charger out of the truck. When he did and he tried, the Citroën started immediately. It purred like a kitten. He said the battery was still good but didn't have enough juice to start up the engine. He told me to keep it running, drive it for 15 or 20 minutes, and then turn it off. It would start right back up. He was right.
It was our mechanic who sold us that battery just three years ago. Why it failed was and is a mystery. The "old" battery was okay, the mechanic said. He said we just need to start it up and drive it for 15 or 20 minutes at least once every month or two. I'm afraid we had already been doing that over the past three years. I don't think I've ever had a car battery failure so early in any other car I've owned. Of course, when we lived in California I did a long commute by car several days a week. Wait didn't in his car because it was simpler for him to take public transit most of the time. The battery in his car never failed.
So I went ahead and bought a new battery. The mechanic installed it. Right this minute, I have to go out and try to start the Citroën after it has spent the night outdoors. It's pretty cold this morning, about 5ºC = 40ºF. I'll be right back... It started. I guess the other battery was somehow defective.
Unless I'm talking to a turkey, my title is pretty lame. I'm talking about a turkey leg (une cuisse de dinde) that I'm cooking this morning to make "pulled turkey". Pulled meat is a North Carolina specialty which is usually made with pork. Recently I've seen more and more N.C. BBQ joints making turkey barbecue, as it's called. Here in Saint-Aignan, I bought two turkey legs for about 12 euros. Pulled meat barbecue freezes really well, so we will enjoy it for a while, in sandwiches, tortilas or just plain with a knife and fork. Turkeys parts (legs, breasts, wings.) are nearly always available, year-round, in French supermarkets. That's not the case in the U.S.
Pulled meat BBQ is by definition spicy. You can see that in the photos just above. Paprika, hot red chili flakes, powdered cumin, fenugreek, cloves, black pepper, etc. — at your discretion. As I was browning the legs, I gradually added the spices I like. Then I turned the legs over, and poured in a little bit of vinegar. You can add some ketchup or tomato paste if you like. I turned the heat down at that point and started the slow cooking, which will take several hours over low heat. More tomorrow about the pulling part...
