Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

A farewell to Sedi

The Abandonada....

She was with us for eleven years.

 
We never knew where she came from or how old she was.

She showed up on our doorstep in Andorra, eleven years ago tomorrow, half starved, with a rope around her neck that she had, obviously, chewed off. 

She snapped and growled at us when we tried to get near her.

She refused to leave and set up home on our terrace.

Andorra has a policy of not putting animals down so both the French and the Spanish would bring unwanted pets into Andorra and abandon them, often tying them to trees so they wouldn't follow the family as they drove off.

She had decided on us as her new humans.

I told her she could stay but she was going to be picked (her shots), chipped (her ID), and spayed.

She agreed.

She was feisty, playful, protective and independent.

She'd survived on her own, after being abandoned, and it showed.

She loved her stuffed animal toys, took herself off on walks without telling us but always made certain she knew where we were.

She loved to play with balls, ropes, sticks.... anything, both alone on the lawn and with her humans.  Her favorite toys were pine cones, and they fell from the trees just for her.

We took her on long walks, with a walking group, in the mountains.  I was usually in the lead and mon mari was usually in the back.  Sedi walked three times the distance of everyone else, running back and forth, checking on her two humans.

She always ran off ahead, then turned to wait, whenever we walked.

She was always in the way... sprawled across the kitchen floor while I cooked or sprawled across the shop while mon mari worked.

Except when she went off into the woods and hid.....

She was boss dog in our house - and with every other dog she ever met.

I was never quite certain who was pack leader: me or her.

She had a stroke in October of 2009.  We didn't expect her to live.

As I said, she's a feisty girl.

Her back legs finally gave out - she could no longer stand without help or take more than a few steps without falling.

Her spirit stayed strong.

She will be missed.

Sedi

Born: 1998 ??      Died: February 28, 2011

R.I.P.

Spinach, Feta and Shallot Salad plus more Spinach recipes

Spring is almost here.

Those of you enjoying late winter snow storms may not believe it, but, really, it's coming.

With spring comes salads.

Because I don't buy produce that's not in season, the only salads we have in winter are made with Savoy Cabbage and / or Endive.

The first of March brings the first of the spring greens: lambs lettuce or mâche and spinach.

Spinach is one of the most nutrient-rich vegetables or greens that one can eat.

It has loads of iron, manganese, magnesium, potassium, copper and zinc; lots of calcium (although not easily absorbed); vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, c, E, and K; is a good source of folate, fiber and doesn't have a lot of calories.  Plus it's a wonderful source of lutein which has been shown to prevent and possibly reverse some eye-diseases including cataracts and macular degeneration.

For gardeners - plant spinach early, as soon as the risk of frost is past and the ground can be worked.  It likes cool weather and rewards you with salads long before the lettuce is ready.

And don't just limit yourself to salads.  I'm not a fan of overcooked, limp, naked spinach (although mon mari loves it like that as well as every other way), but tart it up just a bit and it's worthy of the most discerning palate.

First - the salads:

From the archives:   Spinach, Basil and Red Pepper Salad

And something new...

Spinach, Feta and Shallot Salad
 

4oz (120gr) fresh spinach
2oz (60gr) feta cheese
2 shallots
1 tbs olive oil
12 Greek or Kalamata olives
Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Slice shallots.  Sauté in oil until tender and starting to brown. 
Pit and slice the olives.  Crumble the feta.
Wash spinach if necessary, tear if needed and put into a large salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and gently toss.
Arrange salad on 2 plates. Top with olives, shallots and feta.

Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tbs apple balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
2 tbs good olive oil

Put vinegar, mustard into a small bowl and whisk well. Slowly whisk in vinegar.

Second - as a vegetable

From the archives:  Simple Fresh Spinach Gratin

And something new...

Creamed Spinach

3oz (90gr) spinach
1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) milk
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbs water
2 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup (1.5oz, 45gr) shredded cheese

Heat milk in a large skillet just until it simmers.  Add cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.  Add yogurt, dry mustard, cheese, and stir until cheese melts. Add spinach, stir briefly to coat, cover, remove from heat and let sit until spinach is slightly wilted.  Stir well and serve.

Finally, if you're trying to sneak it past a reluctant eater...

From the archives:  Spinach Burgers with Mushroom Sauce

And one more:  Brown Rice Florentine

There are more spinach recipes in the Recipe Index....

Eat your spinach - it's good for you!

Salmon, Smoked Salmon and Potato Gratin; The Menu

A friend of my sister is planning a trip to Ireland.  As we lived there for a year, she asked for recommendations.

After a long meander down memory lane I decided one of the things I missed most was riding our bikes to Great Island (Cobh) to get smoked salmon.  We would take the car ferry across the harbour, ride to the house a neighbor had told us about, go around the back to the garage and buy our salmon, hand sliced on the spot, then wrapped in butcher paper for the ride home. It was a cash transaction.

That led my even further back in time - to the first time I ate smoked salmon.

I started writing about it.... then realized I already had (Hate it when that happens!)

    So, this is a reprint....

The first time I had smoked salmon was the longest lunch of my life.

I'd grown up eating smoked fish - smoked carp, actually.

I loved it.  Smoked carp is a bit on the fatty side, but it was a local specialty. 

The kind of local specialty one bought from scruffy looking old guys who carried it around wrapped in brown paper.... Usually selling it in the local bars, but a street corner would work in a pinch.

They caught the fish and smoked it themselves. 

It was hot-smoked fish, meaning that the fish was cooked with hot smoke and had the appearance and texture of cooked fish.  The most common type of smoked salmon sold in US supermarkets is hot-smoked. (Lox is cold-smoked)

The first time I had 'proper' smoked salmon was at this business lunch in London.  The people we were with had been telling us all morning that the restaurant we we're having lunch at had the 'best smoked salmon in the City'.

Naturally, I had to order it.

Naturally, I assumed I knew what I would be eating and assumed I would love it.

To say I was surprised when the waiter placed a plate of paper-thin, glistening, cold-smoked salmon in front of me would be an understatement.  

Cold-smoked fish is smoked at a much lower temperature so is not 'cooked'.  It closely resembles raw fish.

The entire plate was covered with the salmon.  The only accompaniment was a lemon wedge and a tiny bit of buttered bread. 

I took a bite.

All I could think was that I was eating raw fish.

And that I didn't want to be eating raw fish.

Did I mention that this was my first trip abroad?

Did I mention that this was a rather important business meeting?

I ate the salmon.

All of it.

It took forever - or, at least, seemed like it did at the time.

Funny thing was..... by the time I ate the last bite I rather liked it.

I ordered it again that night for dinner.

I did like it!

And to think - had I not been forced to eat that entire plate of salmon (good manners required I eat it all) I would probably have missed out on what is now one of my most favorite foods.

My apologies to the judges on one of those Food Network shows we get to watch now for putting cheese with fish.

In order not to offend you further, I will eat this all myself.

So there!

A mix of fresh and smoked salmon gives a lot of flavor to this simple gratin. Simmering the potatoes in milk shortens the baking time.

Salmon, Smoked Salmon and Potato Gratin

2 medium potatoes, 10oz (300gr)
1 cup (8oz, 240gr) milk
8oz (250gr) fresh salmon
3 - 4oz (100gr) smoked salmon
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/3 cup (3oz, 900gr) Greek or plain yogurt
1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) Cheddar cheese, shredded

The potatoes: Thinly slice potatoes. Pour milk into a medium skillet and heat to simmering. Add potatoes, in layers. Cook simmer, uncovered, until potatoes turn translucent, about 15 minutes.
The salmon: Cut fresh salmon into 1" (2.5cm) thick slices. Roughly chop smoked salmon.
To assemble: Remove 1/3 of the potatoes from the milk, arrange in a baking dish. Spread smoked salmon on potatoes. Top with 1/3 potatoes, in a layer. Arrange fresh salmon on potatoes. Top with remaining 1/3 potatoes.
To finish: Add dill, yogurt to milk and stir well. (Milk will be thick from the potatoes) Pour over the top of the gratin. Top with shredded cheese, cover with foil and bake, 400F (200C) for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, until cheese starts to brown. Remove and serve.

In addition to this, for the week of February 25 we have Avocado Cocktail, Braised Chicken with Rice, Linguini Amatriciana, Peppered Pork Tenderloin, Beef and Mushroom Lo Mein....

Thyme for Cooking is a Weekly Menu Planning Service focusing on healthy, seasonal foods, now with more options:

• Complete menu for 7 dinners, main course and sides, including 2 with first courses
• Complete menu for 6 dinners, main course and sides only

Join now and try it free for a week!  The menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instructions, and shopping list is available each Thursday.  (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

Don't need complete dinners?  Try the Main Course Menu Mailer option: 6 new main courses every week - with suggestions for side dishes.

Sauerkraut Hot Dish - the modern version; it was HOT!!!!

Those who know me know I don't do hot food.

It's a simple enough reason - or so I thought.

I have a rather esoteric allergy.  I've explained it all before and won't bore you with doing so again

Suffice it to say that I don't eat spicy food because the tingling in my mouth is identical to the beginning of an allergic reaction.

Or so I thought.

I have been buying and eating these long, skinny green peppers for years... Stuffing them with various stuff (Here with goat cheese and Prosciutto).

I've roasted them, fried them, eaten them raw in salads....

They've had just slightly more intense flavor than a regular old bell pepper.

The other day, at the market, there were both red and green peppers.

How pretty!

I bought one of each, planning on slicing them in rounds for a salad.

As I was cutting the red one, mon mari looked at it, and asked if I was sure it wasn't hot - it was red, after all....

I handed him a slice, he ate it.... Not hot. 

I continued on.

I popped a slice of the green pepper in my mouth.

Have you ever given a begging dog something they don't like?  Tossing it from a distance so they catch it?  They can spit it out so fast one wonders how they knew... like a batter with a baseball....

That was me.

I didn't even bite down on it. 

It was like popping a burning torch into my mouth. 

Instant fire.

Never in my life have I had anything remotely close to that hot in my mouth.

I was screaming in agony.

Mon mari was having a hard time not laughing at his wimp of a wife.

I asked him to taste it.

He complied.

He spit it out.

He, who likes and eats hot foods, said he'd never had anything that hot.

I didn't know what to do to ease the pain.

I applied ice; I ate yogurt; I used mouthwash; I ate cheese; I rinsed my mouth with milk....

I was in pain and desperate.

I was so flummoxed I forgot that I had cleaned them with my bare hands - as always.

I had scrubbed my hands as soon as I realized it had been a hot pepper..... and scrubbed and scrubbed.

I still got it in my eye.

Twenty minutes later, mon mari's mouth was back to normal - no tingling, no burning.

Mine hadn't abated one bit.

An hour later it had subsided enough I no longer felt the need to call an ambulance (Initially, it was such a shock I actually felt weak and breathless).

Two hours later it had subsided enough I could eat dinner.

Two days later, after God only knows how many hand washings and a couple of showers, I still felt pain if I forgot and touched my eye.

Is it possible I'm just more sensitive than most?

BTW, these were not the infamous Pimientos del Padrón - the cute little peppers served as tapas in Spain.... about every 12th one is very hot. 

I know what they look like and avoid them.

Unless they were a much larger cousin.....

I'll be avoiding these from now on as well....

Are there really people who enjoy that suffering?!?!?

Okay, some could say the same about people who enjoy sauerkraut, which I happen to love.  I didn't always - but I told the sauerkraut story here

We get wonderful kraut here in France, but there is still one problem...

What to do with the leftover kraut?

Well, I mean what to do with it that's interesting and not just a repeat of the first dish....

Well - if you have old-fashioned food, check an old-fashioned resource: not the internet but Church Cook Books.

And this is what I made - Sauerkraut Hot Dish for the 21st Century

Pasta with Sauerkraut

1 1/2 cups sauerkraut
12oz (350gr) ground beef
1 medium carrot
1 onion
1 rib celery
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/3 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/4 cup egg noodles

Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Drain.
Roughly chop carrot, onion, celery.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Add carrot, onion, celery, paprika, fennel seeds and sauté 5 minutes.  Add beef and sauté, breaking it up as it browns.  Add kraut, beef stock, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in yogurt and keep warm.
When noodles are done, add to skillet, stir well to combine.

Not the prettiest pasta dish - but very tasty!

My grandmother would have been proud....

Butternut Squash, Leek and Rice Gratin; the update

Yes, I'm still finding new ways with my never-ending butternut squash.

But first - we have actual, visible, easy-to-see proof that we worked last week.

We papered.

Because he had to cut the sheet rock panels in half to get them upstairs, they were missing the beveled edge needed for a smooth finish.  Paper seemed the logical choice.

You can't really tell - but I was very pleased when I discovered that the paper exactly matched the blue in the bathroom tile.  That other wall will be painted as soon as the plaster dries.

It was just a little tricky working around the beams - but, hey, we need a challenge occasionally.

The light paper actually has a thin blue stripe to it, as well as some mottling.

 

Now that the walls are done he's starting the trim.  You can see a bit of it on the ceiling.

More in the hall - he had to cover the beam joining the 2 'ceilings'.

And let's not forget the other bedroom.... - the ceiling is half done there, as well.

Now that the walls are done, he can start the floor.  Since he has to finish all the boards before laying them, that will take awhile - allowing him to finish the trim, the other ceiling, the bathroom, and start the second bathroom.

Oh, and plaster the walls in the second bedroom. 

I so worry about him becoming bored with so little to do.....

In my desperation to continue to be creative with my butternut squash I think I have come up with one of the best recipes of the season....

Butternut Squash, Leek and Basmati Rice Gratin

1/2 cup Basmati rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
8oz (250gr) butternut squash
1 medium - large leek
1 1/2oz (45gr) bacon
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook rice in 1 cup of chicken stock until done.  Remove and fluff,
Trim, clean and thinly slice leek.  Roughly chop bacon.  Cut butternut squash into small cubes.  Heat oil and paprika in a large skillet.  Add bacon, squash, leeks and sauté until vegetables are tender bacon is done, about 10 minutes.  Add chicken stock, thyme, cover and keep warm until rice is done.
To finish: combine rice, vegetables, yogurt and Parmesan.  Spoon into a baking dish and bake, 400F (200C), for 15 minutes, until top starts ot brown. 

This was seriously delicious - even the next morning, standing in the fridge, eating the last few bites cold.

Cooking with Wine

I cook with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food.  (W. C. Fields)

I've always been a fan of W. C. Fields.

I've always been a fan of cooking with wine - in both senses.

If you don't regularly use wine in cooking, and even if you do, here is some info you might find interesting.

First: Allow me to address the 'alcohol evaporation' myth.

If you add alcohol to a boiling liquid, then remove it from heat, you retain 85% of the alcohol.
     An example is adding a bit of sherry to finish a cream soup or sauce.

If you flame the alcohol you retain 75%. 
     An example would be Cherries Jubilee.

For braising, simmering, and slow-cooking the amount of alcohol retained depends on cooking time:

15 minutes           40% retained
30 minutes           35% retained
60 minutes           25% retained
90 minutes           20% retained
2 hours               10% retained
2 1/2 hours           5% retained

For de-glazing a pan the amount retained depends both on how hot the pan is and how much you reduce the wine, but, generally, you are using a small amount of wine in a hot pan with a large surface, so even though it's cooked for a short time, the alcohol retention would be at the low end.

Second: Why cook with wine?

Wine is a great marinade.  It's acidic, so it helps to tenderize the tough fibers in meats.

Wine adds flavor.

That last statement is the important one. 

It's the reason I cook with wine.

The flavor added is as subtle or bold or light or complex as the wine you choose to cook with.

Ah, you say.... And what wine would that be?

Absolutely anything you're willing to drink.

Never, ever, ever use cooking wine - it has salt added for one thing, and it tastes bad for another.

I keep dry sherry on hand for adding to stir-fries, finishing soups and cream sauces; and it's the perfect liquid to add to the peanut dipping sauce for samosas.

I use white vermouth a lot in the summer in marinades for chicken and pork before grilling.

Red vermouth, sweet sherry or port add a lovely touch to a fruit dessert.

The only thing to remember is that the flavor of the wine will come through in the finished dish.  After that it's up to you to taste and experiment. 

If you love merlot and hate Zinfandel, use merlot, even if the dish calls for the Zinfandel.

If you don't like oaky Chardonnay don't use it to make the sauce for your poached sole. Use a Riesling if that's what you like.

There are, of course, other rules, just like there are for drinking:

White wine with light meats - fish, chicken.

Red wine with dark meats - beef, game.

Let me correct that earlier statement - they are not rules but very flexible guidelines.

Chicken Braised in White Wine is lovely...

But it's not Coq au Vin.

Boeuf Bourguignon has a different flavor then Beef Braised in Barolo, or Beef Braised in Chianti or Beef Braised in White Wine.

I can't imagine starting a risotto without that first half cup of white wine....

Unless it's Sausage, Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto.

Eggs Poached in Red Wine? This is so utterly, fantastically, delicious - it's a D.O. (digestive orgasm)

Did some one say 'white wine with fish'? Bacalao a la Marinera

And, of course, those Samosas with Peanut Sauce

And a stir-fry - Pork Amandine

So uncork a bottle of your favorite, pour yourself a glass, and in the immortal words of Julia Child 'add a good glug or two' to whatever is in the pan.

Peas with Parmesan; wascally wabbits; Weekly Menu

I saw a most upsetting sight the other morning.

After all the work I did last summer - reinforcing the chain link fence with chicken wire dug into the ground; adding a 12 inch high wooden fence around the entire front garden; filling in the holes in the ground; patching the holes in the fence....

We are still not bunny-proof.

The other morning, when I opened the barn to let Sedi out for her morning constitutional, I saw a rabbit, not a little bunny, mind you, but a big, hulking rabbit calmly munching my newly emerging herbs.

It took off towards the fence. 

I fully expected it to hit the fence and bounce back, which is what the last one I caught inside did. (And then ran around screaming and bouncing off the fence - pathetic sight... one less rabbit)

Apparently we have rabbits capable of learning.

It hit the chain link fence, above the wooden fence, on the fly. It got stuck momentarily (I said it was big).  Had I been closer I could have grabbed it's cute little bunny tail.

It squirmed a bit, got through and raced off the other side.

It was laughing at me.

I was not amused.

Poor Sedi just sat and watched, remembering her glory days.

At least, I like to think that's what she was doing.

More likely she fell over trying to, ahem, relieve herself.

She used to catch bunnies.

She caught one just 2 years ago, right after we moved into this house.

Now she can't even stand up without assistance.

She doesn't need a lot of help, just a hand on her hip to steady her, but, the time is coming.

I like to think she was remembering her days of catching bunnies.

I was.

Poor old girl....

Since we know her days are nearing an end, we are helping are live it up, as it were... Canned dog food mixed with her usual Senior kibble; table scraps; many, many treats....

Strangely enough, things she used to turn her dainty nose away from she now eats like the best of treats....

Like peas.

Never knew a dog that liked peas.

As you know, I don't use a lot of canned and frozen foods, but some things, like peas, I think are actually better frozen; as well as difficult to get fresh. And easy is nice....

I keep a 2lb bag of frozen peas, no sauce, in the freezer all winter to toss into stir-fries, quiches, shepherd's pies....

And to eat like this:

Peas with Parmesan

8oz (250gr) fresh or frozen peass
1/4 cups chicken stock
2 tbs freshly grated Parmesan

Put peas and stock into a small saucepan, cover and simmer until peas are hot and tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover, add sprinkle with Parmesan, stir and serve.

In addition to this, for the week of February 18 we have Baked Cod with White Wine Mustard Sauce, Pork with Red Wine and Greek Olives, Chicken Tarragon Risotto, Spinach Burgers with Mushroom Sauce....

Thyme for Cooking is a Weekly Menu Planning Service focusing on healthy, seasonal foods, now with more options:

• Complete menu for 7 dinners, main course and sides, including 2 with first courses
• Complete menu for 6 dinners, main course and sides only

Join now and try it free for a week!  The menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instructions, and shopping list is available each Thursday.  (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

Don't need complete dinners?  Try the Main Course Menu Mailer option: 6 new main courses every week - with suggestions for side dishes.

Bread Baking Babes Celebrate in Style!

It's a party!

We love parties.

Any excuse to pull the cork on a hearty red and break bread with friends will do, but this is a truly special occasion.

We are 3 Years Old!

Three years and 36 breads later the Bread Baking Babes are still baking bread.... mostly.

We may not all always get into the kitchen to get our bread made, but we all always appreciate the efforts and celebrate with those that do.

And raise a glass in cheer, of course.

Here's how everyone celebrated this milestone!

There was no 'universal' bread - everyone was to bake their favorite.....

A bit hard to choose....

Karen, of Bake My Day decided to let her family decide... 3 sons, 1 husband, 4 breads....

Here's one.... Poilane

Elizabeth, of blog from OUR kitchen decided to make something she hadn't made before... You can check her entry to see why duck fat rules - Ensaimadas

Elle, of Feeding My Enthusiasms, decided to brave the lovely, warm day and make Croissants

Sara, of I Like to Cook, also had great ambitions - 1 bread from each year.... She settled on Brunkans Langa

Natashya, of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, likes to put the whole meal together.... Naan, with a curry to go with it. was her choice.

Ilva, of Lucullian Delights, was having a hard time selecting a favorite - but decided on the one the dog swiped....  Challah

 

Lien, of Notitie van Lien, also elected to let the family decide. They decided on sweet: Sûkerbôlle.

Breadchick Mary, of The Sour Dough, also opted to do one bread from each year (Where do these women get so much ambition?!?) She even did the Croc again!!! This is Sukkar bi Tahin

Susan, of Wild Yeast, also made the Croc - but, funny, she wouldn't share the photo... Something about snowshoes.... This is another of her favorites, the Royal Crown Tortano

 As for me, the Bitchin' Bread Baking Babe Bibliothécaire, let me give you two of my past favorites:  The Potato Pizza made with a crust that was so runny I poured it on and then.... It's a long story....

And the Potato Bread with Chives from last spring - just 'cause it makes me feel like spring will be here soon.

If you want to get in on the fun and be a Bread Baking Buddy, choose a bread from the links here and send your info before or on the 29th of February (Name, Blog name, Bread you baked and the link to the post) to Tanna at My Kitchen in Half Cups.

 

Niçoise Beef Braised in White Wine; Juliet's Balcony

When we lived in the US our house was on a lake.  Naturally, we had a deck across the front.

At one point we finally conceded defeat to the hordes of mosquitoes we shared our view with and decided to screen in the deck, turning it into a three season porch.

We duly applied for permission.

As a deck it was fine.

As a porch the far left corner was too close to the property line.

It was 14 feet from the property line.

The property dropped off about 6 feet right at the line with our neighbor's land being on a lower level. 

The distance between our two houses was 30 or 40 meters.... a long way.

Any structure had to be 15 feet from the property line.

We had to cut the corner of our deck/porch off and put in a cute, and expensive, little corner window.

When we moved to France we had been warned that, while one could do most anything inside the house, one had to be very careful about anything to the outside, particularly if one's house was of a certain age.

They, likely, didn't want to see cedar decks hanging off of 14th century towers.....

In our house in the Vendée, for example, we could only have non-opening windows out of glass you couldn't see through.... (in other words, glass blocks) on one side of our house.

It was too close to the property line - actually, that wall was right on the property line.

We have heard many horror stories of people not getting permission to put in a new door; or adding a green house to their property and having to tear it down; not being allowed to turn a cellar into a garage and so on.

We have a little balcony - I call it Juliet's Balcony for obvious reasons. (Old photo, before mowing, but it was raining today....)

It's right off of our kitchen and we would like to make it a bit larger so we can put a table out there for summer dining.

We've already replaced the window with a door, without permission, but it had been a door at one time, so we figured we were putting it back to the original. It's rather obvious when you look closely because the shutters don't go all the way to the bottom of the door.

We have a rather spectacular view and we would like to sit out there, glass of wine in hand, and enjoy it.

Preferably without the balcony falling off the house.  It's in rather bad shape - besides being too small to do more than step out, turn around and step back in.

Last week we marshaled our arguments, took lots of photos of the crumbling concrete and gaping holes in the wrought iron railing and went off to talk to our Maire (mayor).

He looked at the photos, looked at us, laughed and said of course we didn't need anyone's permission to enlarge and fix the balcony.  After all, no one was close enough to see it so how could we offend anyone....

A very pragmatic view of governmental control of building issues, I thought.

Works for us.

We'll just add another project to mon mari's list - wouldn't want him to run out of work.

One normally pairs red wine with beef and white wine with chicken.

Unless, of course one is making Coq au Vin (Chicken in Red Wine) or this delicious beef dish from Nice.

Niçoise Beef Braised in White Wine

24oz (750gr) beef, suitable for braising or stewing
2oz (60gr) smoked bacon
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
6oz (175gr) mushrooms
1 cup (8oz, 240gr) chopped tomatoes
2 cup white wine
2 tbs flour
4 tsp olive oil, divided
15 - 18 Greek, dry-cured black olives
bouquet garni
4 bay (laurel) leaves

Cut beef into cubes, 2" (5cm).  Roughly chop bacon. Chop onion, mince garlic. Trim mushrooms and quarter. 
Heat t tsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bacon and sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain all but 1 tbs oil / fat from pan.
Return pan to heat, add beef, a few pieces at a time, and brown on all sides.  When all beef is brown, add garlic, sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, a few minutes longer. Add wine, stirring up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Return bacon, onion to pan, add tomatoes, herbs, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer (small bubbles just breaking the surface), cover and let cook for 2 hours.

To finish: 15 minutes before beef is done, sauté mushrooms in remaining 2 tsp olive oil. 
Remove beef from pan, remove and discard bouquet garni and bay leaves.  Add olives, mushrooms to pan, increase heat and cook, reducing slightly, for 5 minutes.  Return beef and heat through.  Serve on creamy polenta, mashed potatoes or gnocchi.

Potato, Ham and Broccoli Gratin; the update

Exciting times chez nous....

We have a finished, painted wall in our soon-to-be bedroom!

Okay, not quite finished... It still has the phone wire sticking out of the top that has to be tucked into the corner and run down the wall.  Remember, stone walls don't allow things to be neatly hidden away.  That's were the outside phone cable comes in.... Rather important.

He's started plastering the other wall, and if he hadn't run out of plaster he'd probably be done....

He started the ceiling in the other bedroom we hope to finish this spring:

 
He had to add all the little cross supports for the ceiling - and that long white thing is a sheet rock box he had to make for the ceiling lights.

Unfortunately, he had to take down the ceiling boards you see here.

He had to change 'direction' and not use such long boards.  This ceiling is even more uneven (if such a thing is possible) than the first.

Still a bit of wall repair to be done in this room.

All things in time....

Speaking of time - This gratin just takes a bit of cutting and slicing, add flour and cover with milk and cheese. 

An hour later a dinner, piping hot and creamy, pops out of the oven, ready to serve.

Potato, Ham and Broccoli Gratin

2 medium potatoes
1/2 medium - large head broccoli
1 onion
8oz (250gr) baked ham a slice about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick
1/3 cup flour
1 cup (8oz, 250ml) milk
1 tbs Dijon mustard
3/4 cup (3oz, 90gr) shredded cheese

Cut broccoli into small florets, including stems. Cut the onion in quarters then slice thinly. Slice the potatoes 1/8 inch (.3cm) thick. Cut ham into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares.
Put the broccoli, potatoes, onions and ham into a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat as evenly as possible. Put the whole lot into a large glass baking dish.
Whisk the milk and mustard together, pour carefully over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Cover and bake at 400F (200C) for an hour or until the potatoes are done.
Uncover for the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Note: You could bake it in a slower oven for longer: 350F (175C) for 90 minutes, if that suits your schedule.

We might even hang some wall paper this week....

Can we possibly stand so much excitement?!?