Am I the only one?

I do have to ask…

Am I the only person in the world who, when he sees a cow, automatically thinks Steak, Pot au Feu and Roast Beef?

And start dividing the poor beast up, in my imagination, into suitable cuts.

I used to know someone who admitted that he did something similar, but with women;.

Imagining what they would look like undressed.

He was quite a wow with the ladies and he often got to find out!

Me, I’m more into mentally butchering poor harmless farm animals.

Here’s a picture of some steaks that I always make a point of saying hello to, after I’ve dropped the ThirteenYearOld off at school in the morning!

All the best

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Cheese and Wine

The idea came from  The Compleat Anglo and we didn’t quite put it into practise the way we thought we would but, the Girlie and I wondered if we could eat a meal that consisted almost entirely of cheese.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way as I was seduced by the oysters at the Saturday morning market at La Gacilly.

What we should have done is go and buy a small slice of each of the cheeses we wanted to eat.

Read more about… Cheese and Wine

Roast Lamb for Tea

Because I’ve been a good boy recently, the Girlie offered to cook dinner last night.

Because lamb was on special offer at the supermarket, lamb it had to be!

Also, as we’ve got things planned for today and are going to the Girlie’s house tomorrow morning (she’s got someone coming round to see it – hopefully a buyer), we decided to have Sunday Lunch on Saturday night.

Thus, I was banished from the kitchen (the Girlie used a Gordon Ramsay phrase; something along the lines of… Get the Fork out of my kitchen! or something like that!)

Read more about… Roast Lamb for Tea

Scallops and Salmon

As I’ve been feeling better, the last few days, I decided to celebrate and cook for the Girlie.

The Girlie had never eaten scallops before, so that was going to be on the menu.

I fancied Salmon for the main course.

The nice thing about cooking scallops and salmon is that they are so easy to cook and, the less you do to them, the better they taste!

Read more about… Scallops and Salmon

Pot au Feu

On Sunday morning I cooked Pot au Feu, or should I say, I started cooking Pot au Feu.

It should be ready tonight. We’ll also eat it tomorrow. Then, what’s leftover will be turned into soup!

Pot au Feu has to be one of the easiest meals to cook – and one of the most economical, as well.

The secret with pot au feu is to use the cheapest cuts of beef and cook them slowly, very slowly.

Read more about… Pot au Feu

Oysters in the garden.

Now, I know that it’s the middle of October and that we should be cuddled up in front of the fire but recently the weather has been nice enough for the Girlie and I to be able to spend some time outside and anyway, I don’t have a log fire to cuddle up in front of.

So, that’s how the Girlie and I found ourselves sat in the garden, the other lunchtime, eating a summer holiday meal of bread and cheese and oysters!)

I suppose that normal people would be thinking about winter stews around about now but then, I’m not sure that either the Girlie or I would classify ourselves as normal!

Read more about… Oysters in the garden.

Garlic and Oil

I have a thing about garlic. I love to use it in cooking and I also love to store it in oil.

Having been slightly greedy whilst out shopping, I realised that I had way too much Garlic in the house!

Only one thing for it – the Girlie and I sat down to store it in olive oil!

Read more about… Garlic and Oil

L’Épicerie

Bought my herbs – snow on the way!

The weather has been gorgeous, in the afternoons, at least.

The mornings are cold and foggy but I can live with that – where I work it is cold and my mind is often foggy, there.

So, convinced that summer is finally here, I bought 6 pots of herbs that were on sale at my local supermarket.

Read more about… Bought my herbs – snow on the way!

Guinea fowl for tea.

In my local supermarket, I found a Guinea Fowl for sale at half price.

From reading the label, I guessed that it had had at least some sort of life and so I bought it. I stuffed it with black olives, a handful of garlic cloves and a couple of whole, red onions.

I roasted it slowly and before long, that lovely Garlic stench was forcing me outside into the garden. Luckily it was warm!

I ventured back into the kitchen and then ate about a third of my Guinea Fowl with roast potatoes and boiled cabbage – gorgeous! When I get my Hobbit House, I am definitely going to think about breeding some Guinea Fowl!

All the best

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Bits of dead pig!

Someone on my favourite Brittany website was advertising some real pork for sale at the end of March.

I have just ordered a poitrine and a head and four trotters.

Read more about… Bits of dead pig!

Pot au Feu

I cook two different types of Pot au Feu. Neither are classic recipes – they just happen to work for me!

This is my recipe for the beef version.

I start off with a kilo of Plat Cotes de Boeuf. These are, basically, the ribs underneath the shoulder of a cow (or, more likely, a steer). I find that it is ideal in terms of quantity of fat, beef and bone – you need all three. It is, also, very cheap over here.

Read more about… Pot au Feu

Conger Steak – the easy way!

The fish van is came round this morning (whilst I was at work).

I had handed in my order to Michelle (the landlady of my local bar) – the fish are freshly bought off the boats earlier in the day – I went for a Conger steak, to be slowly cooked in wine with tomatoes and shallots and served on a bed of rice.

Almost Italian!

As, I was in a good mood, I even splashed out on a few prawnies, for my masters (the cats who have to be obeyed), as well!

However, when I got home, I decided to cheat and do something different.

I’m not sure if it was the thought of washing up that pointed me in the right direction but, I did make the right choice. So, what did I end up doing?… You’ll need to look at the Kitchen section of this site, to find out!

All the best

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Buying and Storing Garlic

OK. Some things that I have learnt about buying garlic…

Always buy it from the Saturday morning market at Josselin. Well this works for me but might cause you some problems – I can assure you, however – it’s worth making the effort. The supermarket stuff just isn’t the same.

Garlic is grown in the south of France (the good stuff, that is) and is picked in early to mid summer (depending upon the area) and then dried for three months (in warm air but out of direct sunlight). L’ail blond de Lomage & L’ail rond de Limousin are the first to be found. Then L’ail violet appears (a good keeping variety) and is finally followed (and out-classed) by the l’ail rose de Lautrec.

Read more about… Buying and Storing Garlic

Buying and Storing Tomatoes

Some general rules about buying and storing tomatoes. Once again, from the Saturday morning market at Josselin.

1). Only buy Tomatoes on the vine. Tomatoes that are still on the vine don’t know that they have been picked. They might notice that there’s no water coming up the vine but they’re probably used to that.

2). Only buy local Tomatoes. Tomatoes that come from Morocco, Spain or wherever have been picked too early (before they are ripe). The have spent days (or weeks) in the backs of lorries. They may even have been treated to special gasses to make them last longer. They are not Tomatoes – they are imposters. They have no taste and, if you eat them, neither do you!

3). Only buy what you need for today. Buy your tomatoes on a daily basis. It’s OK to buy just three or four (if you’re single like me). Choose them carefully – no-one will mind. If they do mind, change your supermarket.

4). Never, ever put tomatoes in the fridge. If you buy them on the vine (and thus, they don’t know they’re dead) – why try to freeze all the flavour out of them. Imagine how perky you’d be if someone shoved you in a dark cold fridge for a few hours – especially if you were used to being outside in the sunlight and warmth.

My tomatoes get kept in a basket on the bookcase (yes, the one that gets all the afternoon sunlight). Sure, they won’t last very long (a couple of days at most) but does that matter? Not at all – I buy my tomatoes every day.

All the best

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Tomatoes and Terrines

Terrines – They come in all sizes and colours and cost about 2 euros each.

Originally used for making pate (or similar), I have about a dozen and don’t get stressed if I break one. I tend to use them a lot.

Tete de Filet Mignon

One of the things I really like cooking in them is Tete de Filet Mignon.

The Filet Mignon is the muscle that, in a castrated male pig, doesn’t get used very much – not at all, in fact. It is the pig equivalent of filet steak in a cow (I should say, male castrated bovine animal here – a steer, in other words.)

Read more about… Tomatoes and Terrines

Summer Roast Chicken

I only cook roast chicken one way now.

I got the recipe from Nigel Slater’s Appetite – surely one of the most sensible (and sensual) cooking books ever.

All you need are as follows…

A good chicken
Butter
A lemon
Garlic (of course!) – a whole head, cut in half

Read more about… Summer Roast Chicken

Too Much Olive Oil?

Perhaps I have too much olive oil at home. Many food writers (including the best, Nigel Slater) argue that, in the countries where the olives are grown and olive oil is a vital part of the diet, there will only be two bottles of olive oil in the kitchen. One will have been decanted from a tin drum and will have cost tuppence a litre. The other will have come in a bottle and will have probably have been a present from a friend or a neighbour who has grown and pressed their own.

Read more about… Too Much Olive Oil?

Conger Steak, the easy way!

The fish van is came round this morning (whilst I was at work).

I had handed in my order to Michelle (the landlady of my local bar) – the fish are freshly bought off the boats earlier in the day.

I went for a Conger steak, to be slowly cooked in wine with tomatoes and shallots and served on a bed of rice.

Almost Italian!

As, I was in a good mood, I even splashed out on a few prawnies, for my masters (the cats who have to be obeyed), as well!

Read more about… Conger Steak, the easy way!

Food Cruelty

I have been doing some thinking about Food Cruelty, which is something that has started to concern me more and more. I love cooking and eating but am getting quite thoughtful about where my food comes from and what sort of life it had before it ended up on my plate. Although I shall never be a vegitarian, I have come to understand what my friend, neighbour and colleague – Denis, has been telling me… “Eat less but eat better”. To find out what I am doing in order to approach this goal, read on.

Read more about… Food Cruelty