tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post8977984617358916555..comments2024-03-28T18:57:20.920+01:00Comments on Living the life in Saint-Aignan: Bœuf braisé aux carottesKen Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-84942262409850920552009-05-04T18:50:00.000+02:002009-05-04T18:50:00.000+02:00Your additions to the recipe sound good to me. I w...Your additions to the recipe sound good to me. I would have put in some celery if I had had any.<br /><br />You know, Saint-Aignan isn't that much farther from Tours than Montrichard is, now that there's the autoroute. I kind of depends on where you are going in Tours, I guess.<br /><br />You are close to Valençay and not that far from Selles-sur-Cher too. Good market over there.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-88732198555698150992009-05-04T17:51:00.000+02:002009-05-04T17:51:00.000+02:00Hi, Ken. Yes, my husband and I live in Faverolles ...Hi, Ken. Yes, my husband and I live in Faverolles en Berry (next village after Chateauvieux)...at least for now...our house is up for sale. We find we need to be in a village/town and closer to his specialist in Tours. <br /><br />I am aiming for Montrichard, if we can afford it; Geoff would prefer St. Aignan, but I think it's still too far from Tours. We also have LOADS of land here and we need less of that to keep up.<br /><br />So our goal is a small pavillion or bungalow (single-floor living), with a small garden or courtyard...under 600 m2. <br /><br />We go to St. Aignan for our shopping, doctor, dentist, etc. and consider it our nearest town...although Valencay is about as close, we like St. A. better.<br /><br />I have been reading your blog for a couple of years and lurking in the background! I am from New Orleans originally; Geoff is from London; and we moved here from Cornwall in 2006. We really love this area! <br /><br />The beef with carrots is simmering away on the stove (1 1/2 hours so far---should be ready by 7:00 or 7:30 tonight...just in time for a fashionable dinner at 8:00!) It smells divine and tasts good already. <br /><br />Being from New Orleans I just couldn't resist adding a couple of stalks of diced celery and some minced garlic to your recipe along with a hint of Cajun seasoning and a few red pepper flakes. I also threw in a couple of bay leaves (love having bay trees in the garden!) and a small handful of fresh thyme from the garden.<br /><br />Hope we can meet up with you and Walt sometime, now that I have 'met' you. It would be great to talk to other Americans...all the English-speakers we know are British.Sharon Attwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14581396006945495571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-87578883745364682402009-05-04T17:15:00.000+02:002009-05-04T17:15:00.000+02:00Hi Susan, yes, we eat a lot of carrots. Raw and co...Hi Susan, yes, we eat a lot of carrots. Raw and cooked. And yes, porcini. That's how they're known in the U.S. I think. We buy them dried at the Paris Store in Blois, when we can find them.<br /><br />Hello Sharon, hope the beef with carrots turns out good. It needs to cook for 2 or even 3 hours to tenderize. I was interested to see that you are in the Centre and maybe not that far from Blois. Close to Saint-Aignan?Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-60339821001694117942009-05-04T14:15:00.000+02:002009-05-04T14:15:00.000+02:00Ken, you gave me the perfect recipe for tonight! I...Ken, you gave me the perfect recipe for tonight! I was going to make a beef stew (got the boeuf pour bourguignon at Super U on Saturday) and have been planning ever since. I had never thought to add lardons to it, but that sounds deeee-vine! I usually put potatoes in the stew, but think I'll just do them on the side tonight. YUMMMMMM! I can hardly wait for dinner now.Sharon Attwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14581396006945495571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-8896726927585423152009-05-04T10:25:00.000+02:002009-05-04T10:25:00.000+02:00You carottaholic you :-)
Boletus = porcini = ce...You carottaholic you :-) <br /><br />Boletus = porcini = cepes<br /><br />Pork belly or bacon is a magic ingredient in these sorts of dishes. It adds the best collagen, which will be released by slow cooking, ensuring the beef is moist and tender and the sauce unctuous. Sometimes beef doesn't have enough of the right type of connective tissue bits. In my opinion that is why the recipe in your French cookbook calls for the pig skin, as well as the reason you have given and the two things are connected (pun intended).Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com