06 June 2012

Nice weather...

...for lettuces and lasagne. Today's the day for our blogger barbecue down in Preuilly-sur-Claise, but it looks like it will have to be an indoor event. The weather forecast shows off-and-on rain this afternoon, with a high temperature of 20ºC / 68ºF. That's hardly summery.

The lettuces Walt is growing — romaine and frisée —
are pretty happy with this weather.

So yesterday we spent nearly the whole day in the kitchen, even though for lunch we had leftovers of chicken tajine and asparagus & ham pie. We made lasagne with oven-roasted eggplant slices, cheese, and a meat sauce. The meat was turkey breast, which we ran through the meat grinder along with some smoked pork lardons.

Lasagne with a turkey meat sauce and lots of cheese

The tomato sauce for the lasagne included the ground turkey, a ton of finely diced mushrooms, onions, garlic, and herbs. We used ricotta, mozzarella, romano, and parmesan cheeses, along with the kind of lasagne noodles that don't need pre-cooking. It'll be a stick-to-your-ribs experience that might help ward off the chill.

Céleri remoulade, a typically French salad

We're also taking a salad to the picnic, and we decided to make céleri remoulade. That's celery root finely grated in the food processor and dressed with a mustardy cream and mayonnaise dressing. It's a little like cole slaw, but with celery root (celeriac) instead of cabbage. Here's a link to a recipe.

Callie the collie

In the morning, I took Callie out for a walk in the vineyard. It was a little chilly, but it wasn't raining. We went pretty far and enjoyed ourselves. What a contrast from last week, when it was hot and almost humid, even early in the morning. Everything out in the vineyard is green.

"Callie's view of the vineyard" is one of my
stock photos at this time of year.

With CHM, we have a standing joke about the weather here and in Paris in summertime. I ask him: « Est-ce qu'il pleut ? » ("Is it raining?") and he answers « Pas encore ! » ("Not yet!"). Summer in France, eh? I'm sure we'll have a good "barbecue" despite it all.

7 comments:

  1. I have great hopes that my blogger friends have a wonderful time together. That the weather gods are kind. And that the wine gods smile. Louise

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  2. Wow, what a treat that lasagne will be, I bet! It's already 4:00 in the afternoon there, so you've probably been having a great time for a while!

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  3. I did not know there were lasagna noodles that did not need to be pre-cooked. That lasagna looks delicious.

    85 degrees and sunny here in LaLa Land(LA).

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  4. That lasagne looks perfect!

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  5. I love your standard exchange on the local weather.

    Also, I'd be happy to wash your dishes any time!

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  6. Of course, it's warm in France now because we're not there. As soon as we arrive it will turn much cooler. You'll see.

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  7. Very jealous of your romaine lettuce. Ours has been eaten by its voracious occupants, which I was unable to contain. Must find the right insect to manage this particular kind that loves lettuce and basil for next year. It looks like one of the zucchini plants is going to be ok. The other is still trying to survive. Pumpkin, cucumber and tomato plants look all right.

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