Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Pork Chops with Tomato and Sage; Heat, Glorious Heat!

We have heat in our house.

Oh, happy day!

We've had our wood stove, which does a wonderful job of heating the kitchen, since last winter.

There was a boiler in the house when we bought it, but we assumed it was old and decrepit.

We were wrong.

When the guy cleaned our chimneys this summer he also cleaned the boiler.  He offered to come back and show us how to use it, but, as it was August, and hot, we brushed it off.

Last week, when the current cold snap moved in, we decided we should take a look at at.  Since we opened up the rest of the house we need more heat.

First, mon mari checked the fuel tanks. 

Two of them, 500 litres each. 

Very good.

They were connected at the bottom so that one fed into the other and then the boiler.

Also, very good.

The connecting hose had been cut  in order to drain them, so now neither one held more than 2 litres.

Not good.

Project # 1.  Buy a new hose, fittings, and reconnect the tanks. Done, by mon mari. 

Project # 2.  Find fuel, arrange an account over the phone, order said fuel and give directions to get it delivered.... All in French.  (Phone calls are hard...)  Done, by moi.  The driver even managed to find us after only going to one neighbor first! 

I'm so proud!

Project # 3.  Turn it on.

This was the tricky part.  The instructions are in French.

Mon mari, who knows about these things, doesn't read French.

I, who know nothing about these things, can read French but, as I wouldn't understand it in English, why would I understand it in French?

Mon mari could get it turned on, but it would only run for 5 minutes, than shut itself off.

To make a long, and decidedly tense, story short, eventually we took the manual, a magnifying glass and a torch (flashlight) and squeezed ourselves into the little room that houses the boiler.

Turns out this is a state-of-the-art boiler with a programmable electronic regulator thingy....

We can set the on/off times and temperature by day of the week. 

After about an 45 minutes of reading, translating and button pushing, in this semi-dark closet, we got the boiler all figured out and programmed.

Mission accomplished.

Still didn't work.

It came on but the water wasn't circulating (we have hot water radiators).

I left... I could do no more.

Mon mari, after I left, applied what he calls 'a little hammer persuasion' to the pump.

He may have been a bit frustrated....

It worked. 

That night we had actual heat in the radiator in the room we use as a bedroom.

I was so relieved....

I almost had to get out the long-sleeve, high-neck, heavy flannel nightgown.

And I'm not old enough to wear that.....

Of course, the hoses to the other radiators were cut to drain the water - rather than merely disconnected.

Tomorrow, reconnect the radiators to the water pump.

That's pretty much how it goes, chez nous....

One accomplishment creates two unexpected projects.

It's a wonder we get anything done.

This is what I did with my last few cherry tomatoes... and sage.

Sage not only goes well with turkey but it's great with pork and most fall vegetables. Use fresh if you can get it, if not, at least try not to use some that has been in the cabinet for years ;-)

Pork Chops with Tomato & Sage

2 - 4 pork chops, depending on size (12oz, 350gr total weight)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 tomato or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs chopped fresh sage 1 1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp pepper or seasoned pepper

Finely chop garlic and roughly chop tomato. In medium nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté pork chops until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add garlic and sage to pan and sauté 1 minute. Add wine, stock and tomato. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Return pork chops to pan, turning once to coat with sauce, and cover. Let simmer 5 - 10 minutes until done. Arrange chops on small platter or plate, pour sauce over and serve.

Tomorrow - the update.

Tortilla de Calabacín; Flowering Villages

Once in a blue moon the travel gods smile down and we stumble into fairyland for a brief moment.

As we drove into this village last week, we were fascinated by the 'flowers' covering the street.

It was so beautiful and fantastic..... But hard to capture with a few photos

Every street was festooned in a different color

 

The village square had a pole in the center, from which purple flowers went all around.

Beneath the walkways wisteria hung down.

It took the town's residents 6 months to make and hang the garlands of flowers. 

The occasion was a 2-day festival  the first weekend in July, honoring the poetry and music of the language of Occitan.  This is a roving, annual festival; it was in this village, this year. 

A neighboring village was celebrating it's 750th anniversary.  In honor of the occasion the Maire (mayor) asked the primary school children to create tiles, painted in the village colors, of their favorite sights from around the town.

 

The art teacher coordinated their efforts with this mosaic, from 170 students, the result.  It will hang in the Mairie (Town Hall).

It was a good day.....

Still have zucchini in the garden?

Try this....

Tortilla de Calabacín (Spanish-Style Omelet with Zucchini)

Zucchini is everywhere in summer! If you don't have it in abundance or simply don't want it, you can substitute fried, sliced potatoes, sautéed onions or sliced tomatoes. Everything else stays the same. You can trim the rind off of the brie, or not. I didn't. It left interesting white strips on top of the omelet. I don't flip this omelet because the brie gets rather runny ...which is why it's so good! You can use another, harder cheese - cheddar, Gruyère if you prefer.

1 small zucchini, (6 inches, 15cm)
1 tbs olive oil
2oz (60gr) Brie cheese
3 eggs
2 tbs fresh snipped parsley
olives for garnish if you have some on hand

Cut the zucchini in 1/8" (.3cm) thick slices. You want enough to cover the bottom of the pan in one, non-overlapping layer.
Heat oil in medium, 8 - 9" (20cm) nonstick skillet or omelet pan (20cm) over medium heat. Add zucchini slices and sauté 5 minutes. Turn and sauté another 5 minutes.
Whisk eggs. Pour half of the eggs over the zucchini. Let cook until almost set. Slice the brie and lay on top of the eggs, sprinkle with parsley and pour the rest of the eggs over the top. Cover and let cook.
After about 5 minutes, lift cover and check. If center is not set lift the edge of the omelet and pour 1 tsp of water under. Quickly replace the cover and let cook another minute. That should finish it off nicely. (if, for some unknown reason it doesn't, repeat the trick with the water - it creates steam to cook the top.) The top will not be brown. Slide it carefully onto a plate. Cut it into quarters. Arrange 2 quarters on each plate, garnish and serve.

Courgette (Zucchini) Cups; the Glorious 12th!

Garrison Keillor once asked:   "Why do the inhabitants of Lake Wobegon lock their cars in the month of August? So their neighbors won't leave bags of zucchini on the back seat."

Here, in the French countryside, people don't lock their cars.  They rarely lock their houses.... except at night.

At night they close up tight.  All of the shutters, including the shutters on the doors, are closed every night.  That's why there are no screens on windows or doors here: one wouldn't be able to reach through to fasten the shutters closed. 

We, of course, being the crazy/ignorant/poorly raised Americans, don't do that. 

We, actually, not only do not shutter our windows; we open them.  Yes, we do!  We open our windows at night.  We let in night air.   We have screens to keep the bats out (removable ones, so we can close the shutters when we're gone overnight - otherwise the house insurance is invalid), but the windows are open.

I know we are eternally damned for such a transgression, the local gendarmerie have been warned to keep an eye on us, and the mayor murmurs a small prayer when he sees us, but... I just can't help myself.  I like fresh air when I sleep.  I like the cool air after a hot day.  At the very least, I like to know when it's daylight!

When we lived in the Vendée there was another advantage to having our windows open:  At precisely 8:05 each morning, Madame, the lovely 85 year old that lived next door (with her husband of 94) opened her front door and stepped outside to fasten her shutters open for the day.  The gentle thump, thump of them hitting the side of the house was our wake-up call.

Here, even more remote, we only have the birds flocking in to feed on the sunflowers to let us know it's time.

What has that to do with zucchini?  Absolutely nothing but it's the Glorious Twelfth and my mind wanders.... 

You do know what the Glorious 12th is, don't you?  Besides being my birthday, that is?

You really ought to know....

And if you want to see me on a bygone Glorious Twlefth at the tender age of 12..... click here

Besides, you really didn't want to hear about zucchini, did you?  Haven't you had enough of it yet?  Check your back seat...or back door step (another good place to leave it)

Warm Stuffed Zucchini Cups, a first course for two

1 zucchini (courgette),  about 2-1/2 inches (7cm) in diameter and at least 7 inches (18cm) long
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
3 - 4 green onions,  thinly sliced (about 3 tsp)
1.5 oz (45gr) cheese,  cut into short, thin sticks
handful fresh basil leaves, snipped into thin strips
olive oil
Greek olives, optional

Cut the zucchini into six 1 inch (2.5cm) rounds.  Using a teaspoon scoop out the center of each round leaving  1/4 inch (.6cm) on sides and bottom.  Dip the bottom of each zucchini cup into oil and put on a baking sheet.  Divide the green onions and put into each zucchini cup.  Divide the tomato and put on top of the onions, mounding it up a bit to get it all in.  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 30 minutes.  Remove and arrange cheese around the edge of the zucchini trying not to let it hang over the sides and leaving some tomato uncovered (prettier).  Return to oven until cheese melts.  Remove, arrange three on each plate, sprinkle with basil, garnish with olives and serve.

One of these days I'm going to skip the ramblings and just post a recipe.... something for y'all to look forward to....

Courgette (Zucchini) with Feta and Greek Olives; The Update

Work has commenced in earnest, chez nous.

The kitchen cabinets have been relegated to 'odd moments'.  They're finished except for the doors, which involve lots of small amounts of work and large amounts of waiting.

We're getting down to the serious stuff now.

 

We decided to start in the room with the least amount of crap to move around: the hall.  (The door goes into the bathroom.)

Sheet rock went up on this side of the bathroom wall, wallpaper came down, and the subfloor is being finished.

 

The new ceiling as been started and the staircase ordered.

The scaffolding is back in use.  

Mon mari was busy last week putting light switches and outlets in the other three rooms, where there were none, or only one.  We can now turn on lights in every room!

And we got the fireplace cleaned, the stove cleaned, the furnace cleaned and all 3 chimneys swept.

The sunflower update:

 

The sunflowers are slowly loosing the last bits of flower and turning their energy to see production.

The fields have gone from green to brilliant yellow, back to green and are now turning a pale green-gold, reflecting all of the bowed sunflower heads.

Spritiual Sunflowers, as a reader pointed out......

 

It was not exactly a spiritual experience when I did a last check of my messages last night....

And looked up to see Kermit watching me.

What is it with this house, my computer and critters?

But, note how he blended with my green file folder....

He would have matched the zucchini as well.

 

Sautéed Courgette (Zucchini) with Feta and Olives

Use a smaller zucchini (courgette) for this dish, and a yellow or red pepper. Add the feta and olives at the end so they only start to get warm.

1 courgette (zucchini), about 7" (17cm) long
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup dry, Greek olives, about 12
1 1/2 oz (45gr) feta
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp Worcestershire
2 tsp olive oil

Cut zucchini into sticks about 1 1/2" (4cm) long. Roughly chop pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pepper, zucchini and sauté until zucchini is tender, 7 - 10 minutes. Add oregano, Worcestershire and stir to combine.

Pit olives if needed and cut into thirds. Crumble feta. Stir olives and feta into zucchini, remove from heat and serve.

One can never have to many zucchini recipes!

Stupid woman finds her proper place.....

I have been smacked down, put in my place, chastised, severely punished, beaten into submission, and whipped into shape after my last post.

Apparently, the Powers That Be did not find it humorous. 

A mere minutes after clicking 'Publish' I had to turn everything off (as any good geek would) due to, yet another, thunderstorm.

The next morning, Thursday, when I turned everything back on, not everything did.... Turn on, that is.

Specifically, the internet didn't work.

We have a 'Livebox' which is what connects us to the rest of the world.  If the Livebox doesn't work I call 'Orange', the internet company, who then walk me (stupid woman) through a number of steps to make certain that I have it plugged in, turned on, connected to the phone lines, etc.

Once they're happy that there really is a problem they walk me through another number of steps to determine where the problem might be.  If the problem is with the actual Livebox, they give me a number, I take the Livebox to the nearest Orange office (20 km) and exchange it for a new one.

Which is what happened.  Naturally, by this time it's 1:00 and the office is closed for lunch.

At 2:00, when they reopen, I am in line to exchange Liveboxes.

Back home, I unpack and install the new one.

Still doesn't work.

I could write a 900 page epistle on what followed but let me be brief:

I spent the rest of the afternoon working on it, alone and with the folks at Orange over the phone.

No success.

They told me they'd send a technician - but not until Saturday.

The guy came Saturday; spent all afternoon.  No luck.  He'd be back on Monday.

Two guys came Monday; worked all afternoon and evening.  Finally!

They had to replace the new Livebox, again.

Turns out that the problem was the line coming to our house.

And the switch/whatever at their main routing station.

And I was given a faulty Livebox when I swapped out the old, faulty Livebox.

To have all that go wrong, and only effect me, not the neighbors on either side, bespeaks a personal  vendetta, a divine malevolence....

Please, contemplate this and reread my opening sentence.

Am I right?

On the other hand, not being online gave me an opportunity to unpack the last few kitchen boxes and, since mon mari finished all of the interior shelves, and the drawers, to finally, and officially, organize my kitchen.

I found my blue-handled kitchen scissors.

 

And I put it in my new drawers.  Aren't they gorgeous?

Notice the gaping hole above the drawers?

That's where my cook top should be. 

The one that is in the shop and should be ready last Thursday..... But wasn't. 

It should be ready tomorrow.

Which means yet another trip to Bordeaux this afternoon.

And I have to pick up the new computer to replace the one that was fried last week and the guy has been here for 2 days cleaning the chimneys and is afraid of the dogs so I have to run interference whenever he goes outside and we're leaving on Thursday to meet family in Paris for a much needed getaway and I still have to find clothes to wear and water the garden and .....

Deep breath.

Calm down.

We are taking the train to paris for a 3 day break.

We deserve it.

So.....

No food today; no more posts until next week.

But, I'll leave you with the sunflower update:

Yes, this is the sunflower field.... They've all stopped looking at the sun and are now contemplating their roots.

Existential Sunflowers.

I'm going to spend a lovely afternoon contemplating Monet's Waterlilies.....

A bientot!

Salmon Patties with Tarter Sauce; our house with a buzz-cut

Salmon Patties with Tarter Sauce

It was rather exciting getting our property all cut. (Before photos)
We were hoping it would end up all neat and tidy lawn.

I think I've mentioned my great expectations in the past....

Still, I can now walk the girls all the way around our house - and see where we're going.  That's Lady Hamilton (Emma) having a sniff at a rabbit hole.

We decided to leave a little stand of trees at one end - someplace for all of the displaced rabbits and snakes to go - rather than our cellar.

The whole area was filled solid with these young trees and blackberry brambles before they cut.

Here is our new little woods as seen from our house: (the big trees behind belong to the neighbor)

We saw a few big grass snakes slithering for cover and the guys killed 2 vipers.  I'm really hoping with all the grass and brush gone the serpent all move on.

Mon mari got so enthusiastic about it all, he found a flat patch, got out the roto-tiller and dug over a wee patch for my vegetable garden.

For comparison - the photo below is of the same area as the first 'before photo' .

Our only disagreement with the workers was when they tried to convince me that all the cut grass was good mulch/fertilizer.

They wanted to leave it.

I agreed that it would be good mulch/fertilizer if it hadn't been so long... And they still needed to cut off the tree stumps and clear the brambles.

I wanted them to clean it.

I won.

One of them left for a few minutes and came back with a carload of teenagers armed with rakes.

When they left, every one of them came up and shook both my hand and mon mari's and said a proper goodbye.  I'm always so impressed by how very polite the young people are here.

Now... We have to mow it....

I like fish.

Mon mari really doesn't

I think it's important to eat fish.

Mon mari really doesn't.

I normally fix it on Friday - part old habit and part because that's the day I do the shopping and I like it fresh.

Every Friday I ask him what kind of fish or seafood he would like.

Every Friday he tells me fish sticks.  You know, the frozen, breaded, no-name molded fish.

With tarter sauce.

He really just wants the tarter sauce.

Friday, I finally gave in.

Salmon Patties with Tarter Sauce

8oz (250gr) salmon, net weight
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 tbs chopped capers
2 tbs snipped chives
3 tbs bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbs olive oil

Drain the salmon and put into a large bowl, breaking it up with a fork. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add mustard, capers, chives and breadcrumbs, mix well. Add egg mixture to salmon and gently mix. Divide into 4ths. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add salmon, forming into patties.  Fry, 7 - 9 minutes, until starting to brown. Carefully turn with a spatula and sauté another 5 - 6 minutes. Remove and serve, tarter sauce on the side.

Tarter Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
3 - 4 tbs chopped dill pickle (2 medium - index finger size)
1 tbs chopped capers
1 tbs snipped chives
1 tbs snipped tarragon
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients,  Best if made at least 15 minutes early to allow flavors to blend.

When I was at university we used to order onion rings with tarter sauce at the local restaurant.... And pretend we were eating batter-fried shrimp.

Next week: Kitchen Cabinets. 

Asparagus Omelet; Weeds, Wandering French Guys...

Asparagus Omelet

A small, empty, flatbed truck pulled up to our house Thursday morning.  A man and his young son got out and proceeded to rattle on in rapid French.  (Is there any other kind?)

At first I thought, because of the empty truck, he was looking to collect scraps, of either wood or metal.  I really didn't want to take the time to try to understand so I just kept saying 'non'.

He finally gave up and handed me a little typed sheet with his name and a list of jobs he would do.

Top of the list was 'Big Garden Projects'.

Hmmm....

We happen to have a hectare of weeds desperately in need of a trimming.

In some cases the weeds have turned into actual trees.

I asked him if he could turn our field into a proper lawn.

Never mind that it has never been a proper lawn and is full of ditches, mounds, brambles, bushes, trees, rabbits, snakes and vipers.

Always ask for the best!

We walked around and looked.  He asked if he could come back later with his friend. 

Of course!

He and a friend came back a couple of hours later. 

They walked around, talking and gesturing.

The friend (the 'negotiator') quoted me a price. I told him it was too much.  They left.

The two guys and a third friend came back later that afternoon. 

They walked around, talking and gesturing.

Then they walked around the house, inspecting the walls and roof.

Then the 'negotiator' got to work. 

To make a very, very, very long story short, in addition to cutting the weeds, the trees, the bushes, cleaning it all up and hauling it away, they wanted to fix the crack and holes on the side of the barn, repair the barn flour, build a staircase, paint the back of the house, fix a crack and paint the side of the house, shore up the platform in the barn where we have the boxes, and, for all I know, scrub the kitchen sink.

The repair of the barn wall was proposed separately, with a price...  

Which we said was too much....

He then added an additional piece of work for only a small amount more.

When we said it was too much, another piece was added for only a small amount more.

I would put this guy up against any Union negotiator anywhere in the world. 

He would run around, demonstrating his work, helping us envision how wonderful it would look.

The guy was good.

We finally settled on the original weed/tree project, plus the repair of the barn wall.... Which we got for the original quote for the weeds.... Which we said was too high.

I think....

It was getting very confusing....

But, I'm not confused about this.

I know I want to participate in the Bl0g Your Omelet party that Núria, of Spanish Recipes is having. 
She'll have a recap of all the Omelets, Frittatas and Quiches on May 18th.

I also know that there is nothing unique or newsworthy about an Asparagus Omelet.

But....

Sometimes we have to stop being inventive and just enjoy the season's bounty.

And enjoy it simply....

Asparagus and Green Garlic Omelet

10oz (300gr) green asparagus,thin if possible
4 egg
3 green garlic
2oz (60gr) strong, ripe, soft French cheese  Coulommiers, Brie, Camembert
1 tbs olive oil 

Asparagus:  Snap off bottom ends of asparagus.  Cut into 1 1/2" (4cm) pieces.  Bring a medium saucepan half full of water to a boil.  Blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes.  Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water.  Drain again and lay out on paper towels to dry.
Omelet: Trim green garlic and slice, using as much green as possible.  Whisk eggs.  In a medium nonstick skillet (8". 20cm) heat 1 tbs oil.  Add green garlic, asparagus and sauté 4 minutes.  Add the eggs.  Let cook a minute or two, then life up the edges to let the uncooked egg run under. Cut the cheese into smallish pieces and lay on top.  When almost done, remove from heat, cover and let rest for a minute or two.  Remove, cut into wedges and serve.

As to the lads and the work?  Stay tuned....

Pasta Primavera Salad; Why oh why.....

Pasta Primavera Salad

1.  Why do the French insist on calling my mobile phone even when I ask them nicely to call my 'land line', explaining that I don't live on my mobile.  In fact, I only turn it on if I have to make a phone call whilst away from my house.

I have a perfectly good phone, 2 in fact, in my house.  I see no reason to walk around with my mobile in my pocket.

If I'm not using it I see no reason to have it turned on.  It just wears the battery down, leaving it useless when I do want to use it.

Why, oh why, after I explain this to people do they still call my mobile? 

I spent the morning at my desk, my phone inches from me.

As I'm going to be out running errands tomorrow I decided to check the charge on my mobile. 

I turned it on and there were 2 messages, both received within the recent hour.

Both leaving long, rapid, nearly unintelligible messages in French to which I had to listen 5 times each to get even the vaguest idea what they were about.

Is that why they call my mobile? 

To leave messages and not have to talk to me?

2.  Isn't there anyone, other than me, in the entire universe interested in knowing the nutritional values of natural foods?

I have spent far more time than I am willing to admit over the last 2 days looking for a book/chart/something to give me the nutritional values of just regular old food - you know, carrots, chicken breasts, potatoes... That sort of thing. (Need it for mon mari - not calorie but carb counts)

I found lots and lots of places to tell me everything I want to know about every bit of fast food / junk food / crap food on the planet.

It would seem that people who live on Big Macs have a morbid curiosity about what they're consuming but people who cook and eat natural foods are totally unconcerned.

The few places I found that did give information on regular food couldn't quite get away from the idea that everything was 'name brand'.

Take the lowly carrot.

I could find out how many calories in 'Dole baby carrots, 5'.

I could find out how many calories in 'Green Giant, 1 carrot, medium'.

What if the name on my package isn't 'Dole'?  What if it's 'Peter Rabbit Baby Carrots'?

Are 5 Peter Rabbit Baby Carrots the same as 5 Dole Baby Carrots?

What the hell is a baby carrot anyway?

Is my medium carrot the same size as your medium carrot?

Couldn't they have said: 1 medium carrot, app. 4oz?

I'd be happy with that.  They needn't be more precise, though that would be nice.

They put this information on all the fast food crap so someone has to know it....

Why won't they share?

          I'm done now....

Here's some regular, old, no name food that I combined to make dinner.  I have no idea of any nutritional values.

Just trust me.... It's good for you!

As it happens to have pasta in it I'm sending it over to Tigerfish, of Teczape, the host for this weeks Presto Pasta Nights, founded by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Tigerfish will have a round-up of all the wonderful pasta dishes from around the world on her blog on Friday.

I have always had a complaint about most 'Pasta Primavera's. 

It's meant to be 'spring' pasta, but often has things like summery courgette/zucchini or autumnal mushrooms in it.  Then I ended up adding some red bell pepper for color, so there you have it... It's been like that lately....

Pasta Primavera Salad

1 avocado
8oz (250gr) asparagus, white or green
3oz (90gr) mangetout (snow peas)
2/3 cup (3oz, 90gr) halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 red pepper 
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup bite-size pasta

Vinaigrette

1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
3 tbs olive oil - the good stuff
2 tbs tarragon white wine vinegar
1 tbs fresh snipped chives
1 tbs fresh snipped tarragon

Cook pasta according to package directions.
While it cooks: Trim and cut asparagus into 1 inch lengths. Cut pepper into matchsticks. Trim snow peas and cut large ones in half.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in large nonstick skillet over high medium high heat. Add asparagus, snow peas, pepper and stir-fry for 2 - 3 minutes until just crisp-tender (longer if you prefer, but, remember this is a salad!). Remove and put into a large bowl.
Add cherry tomatoes and herbs.
Make Vinaigrette: Whisk together mustard and vinegar.  Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until it emulsifies. Add herbs.
To finish:  Pour vinaigrette over vegetables and toss to coat (tongs work well).
When pasta is done drain, add to salad and toss to combine.
Cut avocado into cubes, add to salad and stir gently.

I must remember: Why ask why?

Pork Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts; the Weekly Menu

Pork Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts

I had the most astonishing thing happen yesterday morning....

The phone rang, which, in itself, is a rare occurrence.

I answered and was told to wait on the line for someone.

At least, I think that's what I was told.  One can hardly ask a recorded message to repeat itself. 

Well, one can ask...

A few seconds later a voice comes on the line, speaking rapidly in French, and asks me if I'm having any trouble with the internet.

Since it was such a bizarre question, I asked him to repeat it, certain that I had missed something.

No, that was the question.

As it turned out, for the last day or two it had gone off and on occasionally, for 4 or 5 seconds at a time.  It was irritating, but didn't really cause any problems.

I explained that to him as best I could.

Then I panicked, thinking now I've gone and done it; it's someone trying to sell me a different internet service and I've just given them ammunition!

Wrong again.

The voice on the other end said:  'We'll send a technician right out'.

Then he hung up.

I was so astounded I stood for a minute with the receiver in my hand.

Apparently the technician came and fixed it (they rarely have to actually come to the house, just the nearest 'box') as it's been working perfectly ever since.

It was rather an eerie feeling, a bit too much like Big Brother (no, not the stupid reality shows), until I realized it was likely because of the storm last Saturday.

At least, that's what I'm going to believe.

One challenge I have, cooking at Vlad's house, is that I have 1 skillet, 2 saucepans, but only 1 with a lid, and 1 dutch oven.  (Yes, I know I could unpack, but it's the principle!)

The other challenge is they don't all physically fit on the cook top at the same time without hanging half off.

So, I've gotten rather good and combining foods to cook.

And, in case you're wondering, for some reason, at my local grocery store, I can only buy Brussels sprouts prepackaged in 1 kilo boxes.... so I tend to get creative there, too.

Pork Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts
Sliced pork tenderloin and Brussels sprouts cooked together in a brown sugar and hot mustard sauce. Serve over brown rice for a healthy, one-dish dinner.

14oz (400gr) pork tenderloin
1 onion
2 tsp olive oil
14 - 16 Brussels sprouts
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 cup (8oz, 250ml) beef stock
1 tbs maizena dissolved in 2 tbs water

Roughly chop onion. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Slice tenderloin into 1" (2.5cm) thick rounds. Move onions to the side of the skillet and add pork. Brown about 2 minutes per side.
Add sugar, mustard, and stock; stir to combine, cover and simmer.
Trim Brussels sprouts: slice a bit off of the stem end and peel away the outer leaves - any that are damaged, wilted or discolored. Cut in half. Lay the Brussels sprouts around the pork, cut side down. Simmer until sprouts are fork tender, about 10 minutes longer. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Move pork to the side, stir in cornstarch mixture, stirring until thickened.
To serve: Put rice on a small platter. Arrange pork in the center and Brussels sprouts around the pork. Spoon sauce over and serve.

In addition to the above, for the week of January 30 we have Hot and Sour Soup, Red Sauced Shrimp and Fried Rice for Chinese New Year, Chickpea, Shallot and Tuna Salad, Roast Cornish Hens, Meat Loaf Florentine....

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Filet Mignon with Shallot and Red Wine Reduction; Neat Meat

Filet Mignon with Shallot and Red Wine Reduction

Revelation number 1:

French butchers go through string as fast as French bureaucrats go through paper.

It has long been accepted, at least by those of us who carry around thick folders stuffed full of numerous copies of document wherever we go, (aka: non-EU French residents) that the French are masters of generating mountains of paper.

It's the sole reason why forestry is such a big industry in France: they need the trees for the paper.

French butchers are doing their best to dominate the string industry in much the same way.

I have never bought a piece of untidy meat in France.

The art of string tying must get equal time with that of cutting meat at the French butchers' schools.

Regardless of the cut or purpose, all meat is neatly tied up in string, complete with bows.

Well, except for hamburger....

They would reach the pinnacle of their profession if only they could conquer tying minced (ground) beef.

Also, please note, regardless of the cut of meat, there is never enough fat to cook it properly.  Thus, extra fat is always prettily tied around the edges.

I wanted to get filet mignon for our New Year's Eve dinner. 

Apparently, so did everyone else in the Lot et Garonne as the butcher's case was stacked high with whole tenderloins, each carefully wrapped in back fat and tied with festive bows every centimeter... precisely.

I made my choice and asked for thick slices.

Revelation number 2:

Always look for a fat butcher.

We have discovered, after 12 years of dealing with butchers, if you ask a skinny butcher for a thick steak he'll happily cut a piece about 1/2" (1.25cm) thick before you can shout to stop him... Normal for a steak here is about 1/3" (1cm).

If you ask a fat butcher for a thick steak, he'll lay his knife about 2" (5cm) from the edge and look up, grinning, waiting for permission to cut.

My butcher on this day was a bit plump....

He started at 3/4" (2cm) and after several 'plus' from me we got to a mutually acceptable thickness.

He cut the 2 steaks and before I could blink, trotted back into the work room with them.

I was not to be allowed the risk of untidy meat at dinner!

They do look rather, um, neat, don't they?

Naturally, rebel without a cause that I am, I untied them immediately... And fed the fat to the girl-dogs (New Year's treats and all that)

Still... They didn't turn out badly, now did they?

Filet Mignon with Shallot and Red Wine Reduction

2 steaks, 7oz (200gr) each
3 large shallots
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup (4oz, 125ml) red wine

Peel and thickly slice shallots. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and sauté until starting to brown and caramelize, about 15 minutes. Remove shallots to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Increase heat to medium-high and add steak. Quickly cook steaks for 2 - 4 minutes per side depending on type and thickness. When done, remove and cover to keep warm.
Add red wine to pan and scrape up all the yummy brown bits on the bottom.  Add the shallots, sugar and vinegar. Cook, stirring over high heat, until sauce is reduced and starting to thicken. Spoon a bit over the each steak and serve.

BTW: I once bought what I thought was a roast.  When I got it home and untied it (see above) I discovered I had short ribs.  Of all the times I searched in vain for short ribs, and then to buy them by accident when I really needed that roast!