Ragoût de légumes

A carrot or or two, a courgette or two, a turnip or two), some celery stalks and leaves, a Belgian endive, some tomatoes, and some bell peppers — those are some of the vegetables that went into the ragoût or mijoté I made for lunch yesterday.

Cut the vegetables into fairly large pieces so that they will tenderize but won't disintegrate when they cook. Put them in a big pot or wok with some vegetable oil and some salt and pepper. Pour a cup or two of water over them, put a lid on the pot or wok and then and "sweat" them over medium heat until they are just starting to get tender (about 15 minutes).

Then add enough water to the pot or wok to barely cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables finish cooking. It will take 40 to 60 minutes. Add some herbs — dried thyme, bay leaves, and dried oregano).
 

Optionally, serve the stewed vegetables with grilled chicken breasts or sausages.

Village paths and streets

These are some of the streets and paths lead to our village center (called le bourg) which is on the left bank of the Cher river deep into the river valley. They start on the higher ground on the southern edge of the river valley, which is mostly fields and vineyards. Actually where we live is equidistant from the village center and the little town of Saint-Aignan. The village has a population of 1,200 and an area of 12 square miles.

Flowers in the drear

The word for today is moche. I like the word because it sounds like what it means.  It's the TéléMatin weatherman who started throw it around this morning, lamenting the fact that the whole country is having awful weather. The only thing I can think to do to dispel the gloom is post some pictures of colorful flowers.

Callie the collie on April 11, 2010

Here's Callie the collie in her element. If you walk out of our back gate and turm right, you go down a fairly steep hill. You then enter the woods and keep going downhill on a path that eventually leads to the village we live in, with its church, mairie, and a few shops and other businesses. The village center is about 1.5 miles from our back gate.

Callie the collie

This is a picture of our border collie, Callie. I took the picture in 2010, when when she was just three years old. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 10. We still miss her.

Les escargots comestibles

Comestible means "edible" — good to eat. Here are the two snails that are considered edible in France. The one above is the petit-gris, the little gray snail. They are plentiful here where we live. We don't eat the wild ones, but they are available in cans or frozen at the supermarkets. We do eat those, once or twice a year.

 

The gastropod below is the most highly esteemed variety. It's called l'escargot de Bourgogne or le gros blanc. It's two or three times as big as the petit-gris. Most would say that it's two or threew times as delicious too.

I've only ever seen one gros-blanc snail here in the Saint-Aignan area. It was out in the vineyard. I didn't disturb it because it's illegal in France to do so during the Burgundy snail's reproductive season, and I'm not sure when that is. If memory serves, I saw this snail two or three times over a three-year period, always in springtime. I've never seen it again.

L'escargot des bois...

...or l'escargot des haies. Both names are used in French. In England, it's called the grove snail. I haven't read anything that leads me to think that people eat them. Like me, maybe they just admire their shell's pretty colors.

We don't see a lot of these gastropods around here, but I did see one slowly crossing the road

 out near our front gate a few days ago.

Une blanquette pour Pâques

For our Easter dinner this year, we had a blanquette de veau. That's un ragoût (a stew) of veal with carrots and mushrooms. The liquid for the stew is veal broth that you make by simmering chunks of veal for two hours in water with a little white wine, the carrots, and some onions, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper. It's a tasty consommé (a clear broth) with which you make a white sauce using butter, flour, and cream

Below are three photos of the veal that I bought at the supermarket for my blanquette. I cut the meat into smaller pieces before I cooked it.

Bright colors...

...dreary April days.

Early spring bloomers

Here's another tree that blooms in early spring. It's out in our back yard. It was here when we arrived more than
20 years ago. It's a cherry tree, I believe, but it doesn't produce any fruit. It's just decorative.

I took these photos yesterday morning at sunrise when I was out walking around with Tasha.

Wandering around the hamlet with my camera

I'm having a lot of trouble with my eyes these days. I think it might be pollen allergies.'Tis the season. I'm also having a lot of trouble with Blogger this morning. Maybe the two are related. It's hard to read tiny print (Blogger uses plenty of that) when your vision is blurred.

Risotto

For yesterday's noontime meal, Walt and I made an Italian rice dish called risotto.The rice for it is not boiled but sort of steamed and sautéed at the same time. The first step is is to start cooking the rice grains by filming the botton of a non-stick pan with a little bit of olive (or other) oil and tossing them in it over medium-high heat until the grains start to become translucent. Then you start adding hot meat broth (beef, veal, chicken, turkey...) to the pan over high heat and letting the rice absorb the liquid. Keep stirring the rice and scraping the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking. You repeat that step as many times as necessary for the rice grains get tender — no longer crunchy — and for all the liquid to be absorbed or evaporated. It takes 15 or 20 minutes.

We bought the type of rice you need to make risotto at one of our local supermarkets. It's called Arborio rice. I had plenty of home-made turkey broth in the freezer. Walt went to the outdoor market in Saint-Aignan and bought some green asparagus spears. We poached the asparagus spears in the turkey broth until they were tender. The asparagus gave added flavor to the broth. After they had cooked we cut the spears into half-inch pieces and added them to the rice. As the rice and asparagus finished cooking, we stirred it all together with some grated parmesan cheese. It was really delicious.Don't forget the salt and pepper. This would also be good with green beans or mushrooms instead of asparagus.

One day I want to go over to the Saint-Aignan train station, just three or four miles from our house, and take to train to Bourges, a small city with a long history. The ride takes an hour. I've been there before, but I've never spent enough time wandering around in the town's historic district, where there's a fantastic cathedral.

If you take the same train in the opposite direction from Saint-Aignan, you end up in the bigger city of Tours, and that ride also takes an hour. Above is a photo of the train that links us to Bourges and Tours, both of which are worth a visit. The train is a TER, un Train Express Régional.

Un chien dans les vignes

Callie dans le vignoble de la Renaudière, le 27 mars 2008. Notre maison est visible de loin.

Pulled turkey barbecue. I pulled (shredded) the slow-cooked turkey leg and thigh meat with my fingers after it had cooled down. We ate it in a sandwich on (a whole wheat hamburger bun) with lettuce in a cole-slaw dressing. We had a side dish of new potatoes that were browned after a first cooking in boiling water, so were never cooked in oil or butter.

Shredding by pulling

There's not much to say about the term "pulled" in the expressions pulled pork or pulled turkey, etc. Recently I saw a package of "pulled chicken" (in English) at our local Intermarché supermarket here in Saint-Aignan. "Pulling" means, first, pulling the meat off the bones. The first two pictures above show what the two sides of the two cooked turkey leg-and-thigh pieces looked like once I pulled the skin off the meat. Then I pulled the meat off the bones and shredded or pulled it some more (photos tomorrow). No more skin, bones, or fat. A second step in pulling the meat is to shred it as finely as you want using two forks or your fingers. Some BBQ restaurants also chop the meat with a cleaver after it has been shredded/pulled.

Here are some of the spices and herbs I seasoned the turkey legs with as they cooked. Plus salt and black pepper, of course. In Eastern North Carolina, the cooking liquid is vinegar-based. In Western North Carolina, BBQ chefs might add ketchup, tomato paste, and even sugar to the cooking liquid, which in turn flavors the meat and keeps it moist.

Pulling your leg

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...

Le confort des pieds

Homebody that I've become, it was about time for me to buy myself a new pair of shoes. They're "slip-ons."

They are not as easy to slip on as I thought they'd be, but never mind. The fact is they are supremely comfortable. I'm going to wear them indoors for now. They are much softer and warmer than the Birkenstock-style sandals I've been wearing as indoor shoes for years... until yesterday.

Are my eyes failing?

Why has the font my blog is displayed in gotten so tiny? It wasn't my choice. Blog text and the text that displays comments are different this morning. Both are much smaller. I can barely read them. I think Walt's blog has a much smaller font than it did before, too.

Of cars and batteries

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.

 

Banana Pecan Cake

with maple syrup

 

For the topping (optional)

15 or 20 banana chips (dried banana slices)

15 or 20 pecan halves
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

 

Make the topping by putting the listed ingredients in a small bowl and mixing them together. Set them aside. 

For the cake
1 cup (215 g) flour 

2½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch of salt

8 Tbsp. (75 g) butter, softened

½  cup (110 g) sugar "soft brown" or "raw, called cassonade in French

2 eggs, beaten
450 grams (1 lb.) of bananas, weighed in their skins (about four small bananas)
75 g (½ cup) chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF. prepare a 20-cm (8-inch) round cake pan.

 Set them aside. Peel and mash the bananas. Set them aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar using the whisk attachment. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour, pecans, maple syrup, baking soda, and baking powder. Level the top of the batter and spoon or arrange the topping ingredients over it. Drizzle over any residual syrup over all.

Bake the cake for about an hour, covering it loosely with foil after 30 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack before serving.

 

By the time I remembered (two days later) to take a photo of the cake, we had eaten most of it.