Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Spring is Purple, at Giverny

With a few touches of pink, blue and complimentary orange.

Along the walkway, in front of the American Museum, are a series of 'rooms', small areas, enclosed by hedges and themed in colors.  This is one of the 'Blue Rooms'

The American Museum showcases works from American artists.  The museum also welcomes both American and French students with grants, to live, study and paint at Giverny....

Sigh.....

Photos are not allowed inside Monet's house, which has been perfectly restored to reflect life with Monet.  One is allowed to take a photo from Monet's bedroom window, which gives a lovely view of the walled, Norman gardens below.

 

Visitors are not allowed on the interior paths of the walled garden... which means one gets to take photos without the tourists hordes. 

One of the many side paths in the walled garden.  The day we were there was a public holiday in France, VE Day.  There were crowds everywhere but the gardens are very well managed... As you can see by the lack of people in the photos.

Of course, we did get there in the morning before the bus loads from Paris.

Another path... With all of the purple, the orange really makes an impression.

There is an underground passage from the walled garden to the water lily pond and Japanese gardens.  The wisteria covering the foot bridge over the water lily pond was planted by Monet.

It takes 30 days of water temperatures above 16C (70F) before the water lilies bloom.  All I can do is use my imagination gazing across the pond.  Meanwhile, that red bush is rather spectacular!

The tulips were about done, but there were still a few prime specimens.  Please don't expect me to tell you what kind...

Did I mention the wisteria being in full bloom?

Just so you know we did more than look at flowers... We also looked at this 12th century castle built by Richard, Coeur de Leon, to defend Normandy from the French.

For more photos - there's a link to the album in the side bar.

Chicken Stroganoff; Moss, Mindless Meanderings..

One of my very few (ahem) faults is that I tend to underestimate the time it will take me to do something.  I always know that I can get more stuff done in a shorter amount of time than humanly possible.

I've touched on this endearing quality in the past.  It doesn't appear as if I will be ridding myself of this trait any time soon.

The only time I ever OVER-estimate how long something will take is if it's something I don't want to do and, in my humble, but always astute, opinion, doesn't need doing anyway.  But, 'nuff said on that topic... If mon mari reads this post I've already said too much....

What state of affairs brings this subject up again?

My website.

If you recall, I boastfully claimed that I was rewriting it and would be finished by the end of January.

Well, here it is, almost midnight on January 31, and, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to meet that deadline.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm not even close.  It's a much bigger project than anticipated (Quelle Surprise!).

I am, however (sprains arm back-patting) quite pleased with how it's shaping up.  I have the design done, the templates done, the files organized and all the main pages finished.

The simplest way to put it:  If I were building a house: the frame is up, the roof is on, the walls are up... all that's left is the finishing.... About 2,000 pages to convert.

Meanwhile, while I spend all my time on the computer, my herb garden is being taken over by moss.  Our damp summer, followed by a damper winter has made all the little moss plants very happy. 

Frost doesn't damage it - see first photo, taken yesterday morning, followed by second photo taken this noon. 

I asked our farmer neighbor how to get rid of it.  After 10 minutes of rapid French (on his part) I interjected 'without killing the other plants'; he laughed, pinched his fingers together and said 'Carefully'.  In other words, pull it out by hand.

Anybody have any better ideas?  No hurry, we have a cold spell coming in; then I'm off to the U.S. so I won't be getting at it until sometime in March....right after I finish the website...

Now, what am I forgetting.... Oh yeah, dinner!  (It's been a long day!)

Thankfully, I can always whip up a pasta dish, even at this late hour...

A classic with a twist is my submission for this week's Presto Pasta Nights, created about 48 weeks ago by the lovely  Ruth of Once Upon A Feast. 

You've probably all had, or at least heard of, Beef Stroganoff....

How about Chicken Stroganoff?

Chicken breast, cut up and quickly cooked, makes a very tender meat for the Stroganoff. You may never go back to the more traditional Beef! I break from tradition again, using Greek yogurt rather than the sour cream. Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier than regular plain yogurt, but lower in fat and calories than sour cream.

Chicken Stroganoff

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 medium onion
4 oz mushrooms
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs paprika
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 1 tbs water
1/2 cup (4oz, 125gr) Greek yogurt
1 1/4 cups farfalle (or egg noodles)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Peel and vertically slice the onion into thick wedges. Brush any dirt off the mushroom and slice - trimming off the tough stem ends. Heat 1 tbs oil in large non-stick skillet and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until onions are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove to a plate. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Put flour and paprika into a medium food bag - large enough to easily hold the chicken. Mix the flour and paprika, then add the chicken. Shake to coat well. Heat remaining 1 tbs oil in same skillet. Add chicken and sauté until golden, 3 - 4 minutes. Add chicken stock, onions, mushrooms, thyme and mustard to skillet, cover and simmer 5 - 7 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into pan. Continue stirring until quite thick. Remove from heat, add yogurt, mix thoroughly. Put the pasta in large pasta bowl, spoon the Stroganoff over and serve.

Now, I'm going to have a glass of wine and commune with my moss

Butchering the Great Pumpkin: A Pictoral

He tried to hide.  Really, he did!  He had a nice little mouse family living in a hole underneath him.   He was happy in the garden.
But it was not to be.  We got him!  We had to haul him up with the garden tractor; he was too unwieldy for my trusty wheelbarrow.

We let him and his baby brother cure in the garden for a few weeks - until I had the time to do the cooking.

Then the big day came!  Time to do the butchering!
Mon mari got out the trusty machete....scrupulously cleaned, of course.

Fortunately the garden table is sturdy. 
Fortunately mon mari needed an 'aggression break'.   (Actually, he's been painting the house so any excuse for a break is welcomed.)
Let the butchering begin!
WHACK!!!!!

Finished.  Now I get to clean up the mess.  (Typical!)
What is it about boys and toys?  I have never had a strong desire (or even a teeny tiny one) to own a machete but when mon mari saw this baby it was a 'must have'.  It now has a purpose; it's useless in the brambles.

I picked the last butternut squash this morning.  Isn't it darling?  I call it 'Arrested Development'.  This baby will not meet his fate at the point of the machete.   I still have 5 the size of the big one that are destined for the oven today, as well.

After cleaning them, and duly saving the seeds for toasting, I cut them in big  chunks, cover them with foil and roast them 375F (190C) for a couple of hours.

When the pieces are past fork tender and well on the road to mush, I take the pans out and let them cool.  Basically, I bake it until it's the consistency of a purée  For most recipes it's ready to use as is.  For creamy soups I purée the finished soup in the blender.

I scoop it off the skins and let it sit in a colander for several hours or overnight.  It will release quite a bit of liquid.  I keep trying to think of a use for it....

I put the drained pumpkin in freezer bags, using 1 1/4 cups to end up with 1 cup thawed.  It will release about 1/4 cup of liquid, again, when thawed.  (That liquid I use as a substitute for water or stock in whatever recipe I'm making. 

The pumpkin in the colander is 1/4 of the Great Pumpkin, about 9 cups. 

When it's all roasted, drained, and tucked away I should have 30 - 35 cups of pumpkin purée.  I'll use it in soup, soufflés, bread, muffins, timbales and anything else I think of.

Why do I do this? 

Christmas.

My two favorite Christmas treats are Cranberry Bread and Pumpkin Bread.  That first Christmas we lived abroad I realized that not everything would be easy. 

We were in Ireland and there was no pumpkin anywhere: not canned, frozen or fresh.  I found cranberries; Ocean Spray, even, but they were pathetic, old and wrinkled.  I bought 2 bags in order to get 2 cups of berries (I was desperate) and it cost me about 15 dollars (I was REALLY desperate). 

The next year we were in Andorra and there were no cranberries.  (Actually, I've never seen cranberries, since.  There is a small berry that the Brit's and French call a cranberry but it doesn't look at all like a 'real' one.)   

But there were pumpkins.  Big green ones at the markets that the tiny little farmer used to prop on his belly to cut with the smallest, sharpest knife: cutting towards himself.  I was always terrified he was going to give himself an appendectomy while getting me my pumpkin.

Then we moved to France: no cranberries; no pumpkin.  Now you know!

Recipes to follow as I come up with make them.

Come into my garden.....

I've been tagged by Cyberdelia of Avidly Dreaming for the "seven random garden facts" meme. 

Now I am wondering: is it because I have a garden?  Or because I have a tendency to wander randomly?

Regardless, I take these things very seriously.  Interspersed with the seven random facts will be four actual photos of my current 'potager' (vegetable garden).  

1. In Andorra I had an herb garden only slightly bigger than a postage stamp, right next to our door.  It had 1 sage plant, 1 rosemary plant, 2 thyme plants, 1 marjoram plant and 1 clump of chives.  I had basil and parsley in pots.  When it rained in Andorra it came down by the bucket full.  The water would come rushing down the mountain past our house (3000 feet)  to the village below.   After one particularly hard rain, my little herb garden was buried under a foot of rocks. The water coming off the wall by our house had changed direction ever so slightly. 

2. I love green beans.  Always have.  I am terrified of spiders.  Always have been.  (It's an irrational fear, but what can I say...it's irrational!).  When I was about 12, our neighbor had to be gone for a week.  As a treat for me (so the story goes) she told me that I could have all of her beans provided I picked them.  I happily agreed.  The first day I went to  pick beans there was a spider (naturally) on one of the leaves.  I very gingerly picked only the beans I could see without moving or touching the leaves.  By the time she came back the plants were full of huge, tough, inedible beans and had quit producing.  She was not pleased!  But then, neither was I... I'd hardly had any beans!

3. It's about 150 yards from my kitchen to my vegetable garden.  To run down and grab a zucchini for dinner takes about 6 minutes.  The dogs love it!

4. I bring seeds back from the U.S. for our 'American' vegetables: sweet corn (pig food), acorn squash (pig food), green beans, (bigger then the tiny 'haricot vert').  I keep waiting for the GM (genetic modification) police to come and haul me away! 

5. I always plant too much.  I just can't seem to help myself.  There are so many seeds in those little packages and my German Catholic upbringing just won't let me throw them out.  (That's right, blame it on the nuns!)  Instead, I carefully plant, water, weed, hoe.... and end up throwing rows of lettuce and radishes in the compost pile.  For the other stuff ... 

6. I have a 'Vegetable Freezer'.  It's sole use is for the harvest from my vegetable garden.  It's kind of an interim stop before the compost pile.  It goes like this:
Plant all of the seeds.
Eat as much as we can; what we can't goes directly to the compost pile if it can't be frozen.
If it can be frozen it goes in the freezer until the freezer's full; what's left goes in the compost pile.
Eat what's in the freezer until the next planting season, or until we're so sick of it we can't bare the thought; what's left goes in the compost pile.
The compost pile is clearly the  winner in all this.  Mon mari claims I could eliminate a lot of steps if I just wouldn't plant all the seeds....right!  Then we'd have to buy fertilizer!

7. I love dill pickles.  They don't exist here, anywhere.  There are the little French cornichon, which are very good, but they're not dill pickles.  So I have to grow my own little pickling cukes and dill (I have to bring the seeds from the U.S.) and make my own pickles.

The photos, from the top:
1. The entire garden.  I plant in combination to save space (and hoeing).  The pumpkin is in between the corn rows, the melons are in the beans, the dill is in the pickle patch, etc.  The empty dirt is where my tomatoes were before they bit the dust...sigh!
2.  My monster zucchini!  We had such a cool start to summer the foliage on everything went crazy... I'm just now starting to get some vegetables.
3.  The cucumber, pickle and dill patch.
4. The dogs in their spot at the end of the lane going to the house.  On their left are blackberry brambles; on the right apple, pear, fig, plum, walnut and hazelnut trees, and table grapes.   The cherry, peach and more plum trees are in a different pasture.

Oh, yeah, it's all organic... which means the garden is full of slugs, snails and....spiders!

My herb garden is up by the house.... that's the banner picture...

I will pass on this tag to everyone with a garden... go to it!

Weeding and Snails; Procrastination and Escargots

I may have mentioned in the past that I have an amazing ability to convince myself to avoid / evade work.  Did I also mention how much more satisfying it is to accomplish a really big task?  In an effort to secure this ultimate pleasure for myself, I routinely forbid me to do such things as cleaning or weeding.   I have stalwartly avoided weeding my gardens (I have 7 distinct gardens - fool!) for months so that I could really enjoy it - when I had no other choices and the excuses finally ran out. I should say, at this point, that the herb garden and the vegetable garden are mine.  I planted them, I like them, they feed me.  The 5 flower gardens were here when we bought the house and they are a pain in the ass.  Why would anyone need 70 rose bushes - 69 red, 1 yellow, all in the same place?  (Or anywhere, for that matter?)  And 2 huge iris beds.  Have you ever tried to weed an iris bed?  The weeds come up between the rhizomes and you can't pull them out.  I'm sorely tempted to 'Round-Up' the whole lot;  but, then I remember spring; I take my wheelbarrow, clippers and gloves and go back to work.

Above is a pic. of one of the iris beds at the beginning of the week, 2 days into weeding.   At left, the same garden, 4 days into weeding. I bet you can tell what part is done! I might say that I am not incredibly slow, but weeding is incredibly boring and I can only bear to force myself into 2 hours a day.  More than that is against the Geneva Convention (Does anyone else remember what that is?) Plus, there is the odd moment when I get sidetracked by something more interesting. 

I was just reminiscing, deep in my subconscious taste buds, about all of the wonderful, traditional bistro food we ate in Paris.  Escargots were, naturally, first on the list:  that lovely, garlicky butter, with tons of fresh parsley floating on top, enveloping the little snails in flavor.  Then I looked down and saw this guy.  Big guy!  I ran back to the house (Why would I run?  It was a snail,  for god's sake!) to grab my camera.  He was obviously top snail in the garden; or, at least the biggest, and a bit of a show-off.   He proceeded through a series of snail acrobatics that kept me, and the rest of the snails, slugs and little green worms, glued to the spot for the better part of 20 minutes.  He was quite a talented little bugger and I took lots of photos plus one very slow movie (since deleted).  He was so entertaining that before I knew it my allotted 2 hours for weeding was up and I had to go on to my next task for the day, which, if I remember correctly, was lunch.

Speaking of food: It's just as well that I enjoyed my Escargots before I saw this one.  No, it's not that my Vegetarian Side gained supremacy for a moment and I would have felt guilt over eating him....It was the 'ick' factor:  He looked rather large, tough and chewy...and the slime trail has always rather been a turn-off for me. 
I probably won't be eating Escargots again anytime soon.  At least not until the next time I'm in Paris....or Lyon....or Dijon....or Beaune... I'm getting hungry....where did he go....

Weeding and Gardening, 101

Weeding has to be one of the most excruciatingly boring jobs in the world (thank god for my ipod).  I didn't realize this when we lived In Ireland.  Our entire garden consisted of a postage-stamp size lawn that mon mari used to cut with a scythe-thingy on the end of a golf club: swing practice and lawn trimming in one stroke!   In Andorra, it was smaller - not a lot of flat land in the Pyrenees.    So, when we moved to the Vendee where the highest elevation is fifty feet and we have 7 acres of land... I might have gone a wee bit crazy.  I was so overcome with joy at the vastness of it all that the first thing I did was dig up the lawn in front of the house and turn the whole thing into an herb garden - roughly 30 x80 feet, complete with gravel paths.  I still love it....but it is a bit large for the culinary needs of two people. 
Then there was the potager (vegetable garden)!  It's about a 5 minute walk from the house and a lovely area, surrounded by grass, roses and some huge trees.  I could see where the prior owners had their garden and decided one half that size would be right for us me. (In true French tradition mon mari roto-tills in the spring and eats the produce all summer - nothing more).  How wonderful to have all of this space - room for sprawling melon, pumpkins and cucumbers plus lots of sweet corn and tomatoes.  And asparagus!  Spent the whole first summer, everyday, all day tending that damn garden.  Big mistake was I let the weeds take control in the spring and I was never able to wrench it back.  I spent the winter reading gardening books (Amazon.com, .uk, and .fr - see side column).  Here is what I know now that I didn't know then:
Only plant what grows - Our ground is hard clay.  In year one my carrots were 1 inch (2.5cm) long by 2 inches wide,  I don't plant carrots...or parsnips.  Peppers don't do well, nor does (sigh) asparagus.
Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!  If your garden needs hoeing it's too late.  In year one I weeded constantly.  In year two I hoed for an hour twice a week - never weeded....not once! 
Efficient use of space:  My garden is half the size it was originally and I have more planted and get more food with less work.  Inside my 3 rows of sweet corn I have pumpkin and squash growing.  They like the shade and keep the weeds down in the corn.  Inside my 3 half rows of tomatoes I planted radishes.  By the time the tomatoes are big the radishes are picked.  Inside my 3 half rows of various green beans I planted melons.  I planted the pickling cukes inside the rows of dill, and the lettuce goes in and around the zucchini (courgette) plants and in every other little nook I find - it's all picked by the time the other plants get big.  The cucumbers go in with the peas and there is a border of spinach on the side with a bit of shade.  I vigilantly hoe all this until the vine plants get big - then they keep the weeds out for me!   
It's a much easier garden to handle, I get to enjoy summer and my vegetable freezer is full by the end of September!  If only I could do something about all of those roses...who needs 100 rose bushes, anyway.....