Comments from the author:

“More of an ideas page rather than a recipe list. The recipes are definitely not a three grams of this and half an ounce of that type recipes, anyway. If fact, you'll only get the vaguest outlines here. After all, the stuff I buy in my local market is probably different to the stuff you buy in yours. Take everything that I say here with a pinch of salt (or pepper, whatever). If I suggest using a kilo of Ceps - that's because I've picked them myself - for me, they're free. I hate to think how much a kilo of Ceps would cost in the UK. Be flexible, use something else, instead....”

Reading back through what I've written reminds me that there have been some really great food writers. Writers who have transcended their subject; geniuses who can fill our stomachs with mere words, carefully prepared & beautifully presented.

People like Elizabeth David, George Lassalle, Alice B. Toklas (well, I like her writing) and, perhaps the best of the lot, Nigel Slater. Reading back through what I've written reminds me not to give up the day job!.

This is stuff I learned the hard (or easy) way. Much of it has come from friends, neighbours and the people who have stalls in the Saturday morning market.

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Conger Steak, the easy way - 22/02/07!

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?....

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Pigeon Pie (or not) - 25/11/06!

Michelle, the landlady of my local bar, gave me a brace of pigeons last Monday. She then spent 10 minutes explaining how to cook them. Then the rest of the customers joined in. At that point I had about a dozen ways of cooking my 2 pigeons. The next day, at work, I asked Dennis (who is constantly trying to teach me French - not the language, you understand but how to be French - much more important!) as he started to explain, some of my other colleagues joined in. Now I have about 40 methods for cooking my 2 pigeons.

As it looked like war was about to break out - "My Grandmother did it this way!", "My Grandmother used shallots rather than onions". "What, you crush your Garlic - it needs to be sliced, don't you know anything?" etc. I slipped away - food and cooking are taken so seriously here, in France! What did I end up doing?......

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Freezer Clearout - 25/11/06!

I've finally decided to clean out and defrost the freezer. It's something that I do once a year. Thus, I have been eating all the things I've squirreled away there (finding some suprises along the way - ice cream... yum, yum).

Now, all that is left are five large packets of sliced pork belly - the question is, what to do with them?

Father brought over a copy a copy of Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson when he came over last week. A quick scan through only shows appropriate recipies for Rilletts which is not really what I am after, so I am going to have to go it on my own.

What am I going to do?......

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - The French Kitchen Garden

My kitchen garden consists of about a dozen plant pots (some big, some little) containing the following... Tomatoes (3 different types), peppers (both chilli and caspuscin), Basil, Rosemary & Thyme. To liven the place up there are also some fuschias, marigolds and heather. Round the side of the house, there is a small patch of garden where I have 3 rose bushes and more tomato plants and, of course, my courgettes. All my friends at work have kitchen gardens - even those who admit to not having mains verts. I think that it is part of being French......

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - 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......

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Pot au Feu

I love this time of year. I love being able to buy a lump of beef and cook it slowly (in wine) with vegetables and then spend the next three days eating it.

One of the things that I've found is that it tends to taste better the following day than the day that it is cooked. I realised that I was not alone in this when Michelle, the landlady at the bar in Le Gree St. Laurent explained that she cooks hers one day, lets it rest for a day and then re-heats it and eats the result. I've tried this - it works well!.... To find out what I do...

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Summer Roast Chicken

I haven't been doing too much cooking recently - it's been too hot. Obviously, I been using my courgettes as I pick them (see the kitchen page) but instead, have been treating myself to a lot of seafood. No cooking, thus minimal washing up. You can eat it slowly, at your own rhythm - and the cats love the prawnies. The only problem is - The cats love the Prawnies!

However, the other day Madam (my landlady) asked me if I would mind ordering some pork from work for her (I get trade discount) - of course I didn't mind and, a week later I delived a large box containing a pig's head, some barbeque chops and some Tete de Filet Mignon. A few hours later she came round with a chicken for me as a thank you. I did protest that there was no need but, I have to admit, I didn't protest too much!

Madam buys chicks (a few days old) - about 20 or 30 at a time, puts them in a large outbuilding with a couple of halogen lamps (they need to be kept warm), lets them run round her garden (eating what they want) as soon as they are old enough and then despatches them when they are nice and plump. This is what I did with the one that she gave me....

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Slow Cooking

When I came over in January, Father gave me his old slow cooker (having ugraded, himself, to a larger one). I wasn't sure if I would use it and was tempted to 'accidently' leave it behind. I didn't and now find that I'm using it about one a week. The following document explains what I do (and how).....

Thursday - 22nd February - 2007 - Tomatoes & Terrines!

In the supermarkets (and even, my village SPAR shop), it is possible to buy terrines for about 2 euros each. I think that they get sold off for food safety and hygine reasons - who knows? They come in all shapes and sizes and I have about a dozen. The following document explains what I do with them....