Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

New Potatoes with Rosemary and Olives; Croissants on the Garden Gate

Remember all of those money-raising schemes we endured as children?

Selling magazines that nobody wanted?

Peddling chocolate bars and 'white almond bark' during the already sugar-bloated holidays?

Passing off 'genuine bees-wax candles' that burned for 50 seconds and left puddles of wax everywhere?

Somehow, at least here in the back of beyond, the French have figured out the proper way to handle these fund-raising rights of passage.

I have actually been waiting for several weeks for the kids to come around for their annual sale.

They finally did: last week.

And, this morning, around 8:00, they delivered.

Oh not to the door, mind you. 

This is France.  The Sunday morning 'lie-in' is sacred.  No one would dream of disturbing a French household on a Sunday morning anytime before 10... or, maybe 11.

The young lads asked where they should leave the delivery.  Normally they would just put it on the window ledge (remember, we have 18" walls), but they know that would wake the dogs, so they left it tucked in the gate.

This morning, while the coffee was brewing, I walked the 20 feet to the garden gate and came back with these freshly baked, flaky croissants and pan au chocolate.

We may not be able to get a pizza delivered, or have anywhere to go for Chinese take-out, but I'll take 'croissants on the garden gate' any day.

Even if it's only once a year....

Speaking of gardens, my herb garden is coming back to life: the oregano and marjoram is big enough to start cutting; the thyme and lemon thyme are all showing signs of new growth; the chives and garlic chives are well up and getting ready for their first flowering.

And that year-round work horse, the rosemary is having a spring growth spurt.

Rosemary is widely used in Mediterranean cooking and is classically paired with lamb and pork.

It is thought to boost the immune system and stimulate memory.

When I lived in Minnesota, I planted it every  summer (because it froze every winter) and used it sparingly.

Here I have a whole bush and use it with abandon.

I toss whole sprigs on the charcoals to impart a smoky, rosemary flavor to grilled meats, use the branches as skewers for kebabs, and put it into just about anything.

I (and the Greeks) particularly like it paired with olives.

I have another simple dish for this week's edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this week by Margot of Coffee and Vanilla.  Be sure to visit Margot on Monday for the round-up!

I may have mentioned rosemary in past Weekend Herb Blogging posts : Braised Potatoes with Rosemary and Roast Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary to name two...

New Potatoes with Rosemary and Olives

10 - 15 new potatoes
1- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 - 10 olives any color or combination
1/3 cup white wine

Lightly wash potatoes but leave whole. Put everything into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, gently for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking for another 15 - 25 minutes, depending on size, until potatoes are done. Stir occasionally. When done, a knife should go in easily and the wine should have reduced to a thick syrup.

I can't take these complicated recipes and challenging breakfasts.... I'm going to go have a nap!

Bon Dimanche!

Fried Asparagus; Roasted New Potatoes; How many blogs are there...Really?

This is not a food blog.

I am not a food blogger.

I thought I was.  Really, I did. 

I was pretty sure, actually - what with all the recipes and food photos.....

Apparently I was wrong.

It all started innocently enough.  I read a statement, somewhere, that there were 48,000 food blogs in the U.S.

That was such a nice round number, and such a confident statement, that I had to investigate.

I started Googling.

Then I Googled some more.

I will not insult your intelligence by giving you the many and varied words and word strings that I used.

I will not bore you by giving you all of the outdated facts and over-the-top opinions that I discovered.

I will not embarrass myself by admitting to how much time I wasted spent at this endeavor.

I will share a few interesting tidbits:

At one point, in 2006, someone (obviously with massive amounts of time on their hands) counted, and there were 56 million blogs.  I could find no more recent numbers that agreed with each other.

The consensus is that between 60% and 80% of all blogs started are abandoned within 1 month.

I couldn't find any statistic as to how many of the now-surely-in-excess of 56 million blogs were active.

At one point, 1.09 million blogs were only active for 1 day.

The average life expectancy of a blog is 126 days.

The oldest abandoned blog was active for 923 days. (Couldn't stick it out to the 3-year mark, eh?)

WAIT!!!!!!!

I just discovered a new career!!! Blog Archeology:  The study of ancient blogs, defined as older than 900 days.  How exciting!

Back to the naval gazing....

Half of the pundits I read said blogging is on the way out, being replaced by Twitter.

The other half said it will replace print as the most important media for writing.

After that dip into the pool of general blog knowledge I decided to get on with the search specifically related to food blogs.

That's when I saw this in the number one spot on Google:

     "A comprehensive food blog directory: If it's a food blog you'll find it  here!"

Well, there you have it!  My answers, all on one site.

I clicked.

I scrolled.

I didn't find me.  There was no Thyme for Cooking, the Blog listed anywhere.

Apparently this is not a food blog.

I did find a number of, what I consider inactive, blogs listed, those with no posts for the last 3 months or longer.

The site itself had it's last update on Oct. 6.  And the one before that was June 18.

So, I wouldn't consider it active.... Or current....

Regardless, I got so depressed I could no longer continue my investigation.

Since I'm not a food blog I'll use the rest of today's post to discuss the merits of penile implants/enhancers. 

I've been getting a lot of fascinating spam on that lately and I just can't decide how big I want 'my  package', 'my rod', my 'love tool' to be.  Never having had one to start with, it's a particularly difficult decision.  Anyone care to advise???

For those not interested in the aforementioned topic, here are a couple of spring recipes that I made before I became more self-aware.  (Maybe I can't cook either.....)

Sautéed (Fried) Asparagus
Everybody roasts.  Why not fry?

10 - 12oz (350gr) asparagus
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter (optional, but I'm depressed)
1 tbs fresh, snipped chives
sea salt

Snap off ends of asparagus. If white use vegetable peeler and peel the bottom half of stalk. Put asparagus into a skillet big enough to hold them without cutting, add oil and sauté over medium heat until starting to brown and blister, 8 - 10 minutes. Remove, add butter (optional) and chives, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Roasted New Potatoes
New potatoes are early, tiny, immature potatoes of any color, usually 1" (2.5cm) or less in diameter. They have a high moisture content, are incredibly creamy

18 - 20 new potatoes
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Leave potatoes whole and unpeeled. Just wash lightly. Toss with oil, lightly salt and put into a baking dish large enough for them to be in a single layer. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Stir half way through baking time.  Serve... Be ready for a an OMG moment with the first bite.  

Now, could someone please tell me what I am?

Oh, and what size I should want my, "you know" to be.... muy importante, tambien!  I have soooo many emails to answer!

Pommes Anna, Spinach and more pickiness!

I just spent the entire day tweaking the fonts, lines and paragraphs on my website (not my blog).  Then I looked at all my work in three browsers and five different monitor sizes, many times, before I was satisfied that it was working properly.

Why am I telling you this incredibly boring minutia?

Because, though I'll freely admit that I tend to obsess over details and can get carried away with the picayune, why can't the people who are paid actual money to watch the details, um, watch the details?

There is a small city in Wisconsin  by the name of 'Eau Claire'.  I know this.  I've been there.  It's easy enough to verify on a map or on the internet.  Yet a book I just finished referred to it on two different occasions as 'Eau Claire City'.

Kenosha, also in Wisconsin, is, to my recollection, located in the middle of fairly flat farm country.  On an American TV show last night the main character returned 'home' to Kenosha, Wisconsin (yes, they pointedly supplied the city and state), and proceeded to wander through miles and miles of thickly wooded, steep hills and run into people with an Appalachian accent so thick I could barely understand them.

Does anyone watch 'Men in Trees'?  According to what I see on the telly, Elmo, Alaska gets more sunny days, more daylight hours, balmier temperatures and less snow in the middle of winter, than we do here in the Vendee.  If that's an accurate depiction, why live in South Carolina when the scenery is better and the climate nicer in Alaska?

Why do I care?  Because the little mistakes jolt me out of the story.

I don't like to be jolted.

Now, I shall stop.  It's not been a good day and I tend to get nasty and....

I rarely post about my boring, everyday, reliable foods...so I shall.  Both easy.  One healthy, one not so much... You decide.

The first is another recipe whose origins are lost in the mists of time. It's delicious, easy and helps me get my weekly ration of spinach. Even non-spinach lovers are happy with this. With a bit of bread and a salad it can also make a light lunch.

Mock Spinach Soufflé

1 package frozen spinach, 8 - 9 oz, or the equivalent (250 gr)
2 eggs or 2 egg whites
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp olive oil

Thaw spinach (use microwave, hot water or saucepan) and squeeze out excess moisture. In medium bowl beat eggs well. Add yogurt, Parmesan and nutmeg. Mix well. Add spinach and mix well. Lightly oil a small baking dish. (I use a 7 inch square glass baking dish) Pour in spinach and bake at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes or until set. Remove and serve directly from baking dish.

A mandolin makes quick work of slicing the potatoes but is not necessary. Clarifying the butter is not difficult, just a bit fussy. Try to make the first layer as neat as you can. Remember this will be the lovely, golden brown top when you unmold the Pommes Anna. This serves 4 - if you're in the mood to share...

Pommes Anna

1/3 cup butter
3 - 4 medium potatoes, 24oz, 750gr, peeling optional (I don't bother but purists would be appalled).
salt & pepper

Clarify butter: melt butter in small pan over low heat just so that it is melted. You will notice the white milk solids in the butter. We don't want these. With a small spoon skim off as much of the floating milk solids as you can. Then carefully pour the clear (mostly) butter into a glass measuring cup leaving behind the remaining solids.
Using a basting brush and some of the clarified butter, generously butter the inside of a round, glass baking dish. Mine is about 8" (20cm) in diameter and the potatoes will come up about 2/3's to the top. Slice the potatoes into paper thin slices, using a mandolin, box slicer, food processor, or a sharp knife. Line the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of potato, brush very lightly with butter. Add a layer of potato, brush with butter. Repeat until you have used all of the potatoes. If you use salt & pepper put a little on the middle and top layers. Cover with a lid or foil and bake in 400F (200C) oven for 60 minutes. Remove, and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Invert on to a large plate - it should retain it's shape. Slice half of the Pommes Anna into wedges and serve.

It's not as pretty as normal: for some reason the potatoes right in the center stuck a bit.

What can I say...It's been that kind of day! 

Tomato Tarts, Potato Chips and Good Wine

Our wine has finally gotten off its lazy metaphorical ass and started working.  There were a few hisses and fizzes yesterday morning (It's a big barrel, it's in the cave, it's easier to listen then to look).  This morning it sounded like hundreds of tiny firecrackers going off.  It's definitely working.

Thank Bacchus!  We got the Declaration in the post today. 

We don't have to pay tax to make our own wine but we do have to report it every year.  I've already had one argument with the powers-that-be because our harvest and final production is not as great as that of the prior owner.  I had to file an affidavit stating how many vines we owned.  They came back and said there should be more. 

We went out and counted, again.  Filed, again.  The second time I was a bit more clever.  I said that I didn't know how many Monsieur had owned but this was how many we had purchased.  And we didn't make as much wine because we were just learning. That seemed to satisfy them. 

Actually we don't make as much wine because we don't pick every bad grape and raisin on the vines.  We do a first pressing and a very light second pressing...instead of the 5 or 6 done by the locals.  We are trying to get 125 litres of drinkable wine rather than 300 of plonk!  Since the locals think the plonk is better than a Premiere Cru there's no point in discussing it.

But its working!   Yay!

Before I get into the story about penises I thought I'd share a couple of favorite recipes.

The first uses brown rice to make a tart crust.  I may have mentioned in the past that I'm not much of a baker.  Brown rice makes a lovely crust and it's healthier....so there!  Pfft!

Tomato and Chevre Tart

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 oz, 30gr) shredded cheese
1 tsp olive oil
chevre, (goat cheese) not the creamy kind  but a proper goat cheese: log-shaped and wrapped in paper. It will have a thin rind that is edible.
3 - 4 oz (100 - 125gr) Prosciutto or other dry-cured ham
2 tomatoes
3 eggs
1/2 cup (4oz, 125ml) plain or Greek yogurt
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed

Lightly oil a 9" (22 cm) pie or quiche plate.  Lightly whisk 1 egg.  Add 1/4 cup cheese and the cooked rice.  Mix well.  Pat into a quiche plate, working it up the sides as best you can.  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 5 minutes.  Remove.
Slice goat cheese into 1/4" (.6cm) rounds.  Slice tomatoes about 3/8 " thick (.3cm).  Tear or cut Prosciutto into large pieces.  Whisk eggs and yogurt together.
Arrange sliced goat cheese on crust.  Top with Prosciutto and basil leaves.  Pour egg mixture over as evenly as you can.  Top with tomatoes; do not overlap.  Bake for 30 minutes, until center has set.  Remove and let rest 5 minutes, slice and serve.

And as long as we're back in the kitchen with the oven on:

Baked Potato Chips

2 large potatoes
1 tbs olive oil
sea salt for sprinkling

Slice potatoes the long way into 3/16 inch (.5cm) thick slices.  You should get 5 - 7 slices from each potato - discard 'end's.  Put olive oil on a small plate.  Dip both sides of potato slices in oil and lay on a non-stick baking sheet (if you have one - just makes it easier).  Put in a 400F (200C) oven and bake for 45 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove pan, turn potato slices and return to oven for 15 more minutes.  When done, remove from pan, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Now, about the penises: (no photos, sorry)

We were in the kitchen, making dinner and not paying attention to some mindless cop show on T.V., when I happened to glance up and saw the front of a naked guy filling the screen.
Now I WAS paying attention.  He was  quickly replaced by another naked guy, well, not the entire guy; they were filmed from navel to thigh.  One after another, first the front, then a lovely profile, then the next guy, filling, yes I said filling, the screen.   Bigger than life size.  Scary.
I was definitely paying attention.  There was a male voice over during the, um, show, and interviews with the, ah, owners, talking about how fond they were of this particular, er, appendage; giving pet names, euphemisms, love monikers,etc.  All in all I had the honor of viewing 15 - 20 (or more, who's counting) flaccid wankers.
Now I'm really paying attention...and trying to figure out what the hell we are watching.
Then we see one of the, uh, models, um, manipulating said appendage...(I thought that would hurt!)  and the voice explaining that every most many some men will do anything to improve on what mother nature provided: to make it bigger.  The camera cut to a surgery involving penile implants, I grabbed the remote and shut it off (can't stand the blood).
Apparently we had been watching a documentary (yes, really, a documentary, not reality T.V.) on 'male enhancement techniques'. 

You never know what you're going to see on British television....

The guy doing the voice overs was hilarious.... I learned a whole new vocabulary...

Herbed Potatoes a la Two Fat Ladies, and the ever elusive, Time!

There are 2 kinds of people in this world:
Those of you who are always prepared, had your homework done before you played and are always early for appointments.
And those of us who put on make-up, make meeting notes and talk on the phone whilst speeding done the motorway, late, yet again.

I am not the one in my seat 15 minutes before the curtain raises; I'm the one running down the street screaming for the doorman to wait and let me in.

I have, many times in the distant past, dropped my car off at valet parking at the airport (no time to park) and raced down the concourse waving and yelling to keep the doors open.  (Wouldn't dare, now!).  I actually even got a plane to turn around and come back to the gate for me once (small airport).

It's not that I'm unaware of time.  I'm very, very aware.  My mental conversations go something like this:
Let's see: 5 minutes to dry my hair... I can shave 30 seconds off that, damp is okay;   
6 minutes to shower...no one needs that long, snap to it, 3 tops;
4 minutes to curl my hair.... I can easily do that in 3, skip the bottom;
3 1/2 minutes for makeup - that' easy, do it in the car at stoplights - hate it when they're all green;
5 minutes to get dressed... stuck with that one,  unless I wear the sweater instead of the blouse...no buttons - 10 seconds saved;
2 minutes for breakfast - skip the juice, grab a handful of raisins.

I have now saved 9 minutes and 40 seconds.... What to do with all this time?  I could sleep later (popular choice in my youth), I could read 4 more blogs (popular choice, now) I could clean the kitchen (never popular).

The one thing that never, ever occurs to me is to be early. 

My first 'adult' job had the unreasonable starting time of 7:00 in the morning.  We were a sales office; none of our clients started that early.  We sat around and drank coffee for an hour; unless the boss was watching, in which case we did paperwork.  I just couldn't do it.  Every morning, after my usual late start, I spent the 45 minutes of my commute working on excuses:  Stalled train across the road?  Nope, used that last week.  Overslept?  Never a good choice.  Accident?  Too easy to verify.  Family emergency phone call?  Yeah, that might work...

My boss finally came up with the brilliant (or so he thought) idea of fining whoever was late $1.00.
We actually thought it was rather brilliant, too.  The next morning all of us perpetual late-comers waltzed in, independently, about 8:00, handed the boss a dollar and sat down.  It was so worth it!

He relented and changed the starting time to 7:30.  So, instead of arriving at 7:05 every morning I got there at 7:35... I just can't help it!

I keep telling myself I excel under pressure.

Two of my favorite cooks were never in a hurry and always relaxed in whatever kitchen they had appropriated: Jennifer and Clarissa, the Two Fat Ladies.  They were eating locally and seasonally before it became popular.  They also totally ignored such bothersome things as calories and carbs.   They had a wonderful time cooking all sorts of marvelous foods; they way it should be.

For Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted right here, chez moi,  I decided to do the 'herb-iest' dish I know, a recipe I adapted from the Two Fat Ladies.

It has no cream, milk or cheese in it; nothing to mask the taste of the fresh herbs and garlic.  This time of year, with my herbs at or just past their peak and the weather conducive to cooking in the oven, these potatoes are perfect.   The Worlds' Healthiest Food site lists 130 items for healthy eating - and everything in this recipe is included!  That means it's got to be really good for us, right? 
Not to be a food snob, but if you don't have fresh herbs, don't bother making this; it just wouldn't work!  But you can use any herbs and combinations that you like - as long as you use lots!

Potatoes a la Two Fat Ladies with fresh herbs

4 - 6 potatoes, depending on size, (24 oz, 750gr)
3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
3 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 tbs chopped fresh oregano or rosemary
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic
2 - 3 tbs olive oil, the good stuff
1/3 cup chicken stock

With a sharp knife thinly slice the potatoes.  Put slices in a large bowl of cool water and set aside.  Finely chop garlic and mix together with chopped herbs.  Remove potatoes from water, lay out on kitchen (paper) towels and pat dry.  Drizzle a bit of the oil in a baking dish, just large enough to hold ingredients.  Make a layer of potatoes, sprinkle with a bit of the herb/garlic mixture and drizzle with a little oil.  Repeat 4 more times.  Pour the stock over all, cover with foil and bake at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking another 30 minutes.  The top potatoes should start to brown and get crisp.  Remove from oven and serve.

Come on back on Monday for the round-up.  There's lots of really good stuff being sent my way...

Allioli; Aioli...What's in a name? An egg yolk!

One of the guys I played golf with in Andorra was Spanish.  Yeah, I played with the guys.  What can I say, I've always been one of the guys.  I'm just not a girlie-girl, although I can tie a scarf with the best of them (I am French, after all...see previous post) and I am rather fond of shoes.....

Luis was a proper Spaniard and spoke proper Castillano: Barcelona is pronounced 'barthalona,  (soft 'th' like 'thin' not like 'there'); the city to the south is balenthia (Valencia); and the dark red beverage he drank with his breakfast of bread, olive oil, tomatoes and garlic was 'beeno tinto' (red wine).

And, like any good Spaniard he always ate his garlic, usually 2 big cloves, raw.  I tried to greet him, with the obligatory 2 kisses, before he had his breakfast. 

Spaniards, like most of the Mediterranean people, like garlic.  Before moving to Andorra I thought I used a lot of garlic....I was wrong.  Luis helped me see the error of my ways.  I was introduced to allioli.

Real allioli,  not the namby-pamby stuff you buy in jars.  Real allioli is not garlic mayonnaise.  It does not have lemon, vinegar or egg yolks.  Garlic, olive oil and a bit of sea salt; nothing more.

Real allioli is hot enough to bring tears to your eyes....tears of joy, maybe, but true tears nonetheless.

Real allioli is HOT, HOT, HOT; a little goes a long way.  Real allioli is not for the faint of heart

Allioli is Spanish, in particular Catalan.  The French aioli normally adds an egg yoke to the mix.  As I am submitting this to Heart of the Matter I'm making the Spanish version. Lest you still think of this as mayonnaise, and not possibly heart healthy, let me assure you that one small teaspoon of this goes a long, long way to add an incredible flavor punch.   Oh, and make sure the people you are living with/dating/whatever eat some too!

The theme of Heart of the Matter this month is 'the grill'.  We cook almost everything on the grill for our 6 months of 'summer' cooking (only minimal relationship to the actual season) so I'm really looking forward to lots of new recipes.  Joanna of Joanna's Food will have the recap right after August 23. 

Grilled Potatoes with Allioli

3 - 4 medium potatoes
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Slice potatoes in half the long way, then in half again.  Then slice in half or thirds the short way.  Put remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  Add potatoes and toss, coating thoroughly.  Put them into an old metal pie plate or cake tin or foil barbecue container (or whatever) that you will never use for any purpose but the barbecue again (you should have one of these).  Cook on barbecue (grill) for 20 - 30 minutes or until done... you will need to stir them with a long-handled wooden spoon occasionally as they tend to develop 'hot spots' and can get a little crispy.  When done remove potatoes and place on paper towel briefly to remove the excess oil.

The potatoes are great on their own or toss with allioli.

Allioli

4 large cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp sea, kosher or other coarse salt
2 - 3 tbs olive oil

You have to do this with a mortar and pestle.  The garlic has to be mashed.  A blender or food processor will not work.  Have I made this crystal clear?  If you do not use a mortar and pestle you will get a bland garlic mayonnaise.  The pounding pulverizes the cells, releasing allicin which gives it the sharp, hot flavor.
Smack the garlic once with side of a knife to start breaking it down then put it in the mortar along with the salt.  The texture of the salt helps break down the garlic.  Pound with the pestle until you get a paste.  Yes, this will take awhile.  (It took  10 - 15 minutes for me to make this.)  When you have a thick paste add the olive oil a few drops at a time and work into the garlic.  Once the drops are incorporated, add a few more.  Continue adding oil until it becomes difficult to incorporate then stop.  If you add too much the sauce will break.

Taste it.  In my mortar (shown in photo) I had about 2 1/2 tbs of allioli.  I added 1 tbs of light mayo to half of it and used it as a condiment for a grilled pork tenderloin.  The other half I tossed with the potatoes. 

I don't think the allioli will keep.  I made it about an hour before using and it was starting to break.  If you do have a bit leftover mix it with some mayo.  It will be the best garlic mayonnaise you ever had ;-)

I brushed my teeth and tongue twice before bed.  The dogs left the room.  It was good!

Check out the  Heart of the Matter for the last 5 months worth of heart-healthy foods, and, don't forget  Joanna's Food on August 23.

Now get out your mortar and pestle, you know it's buried in there somewhere!

Note: I make these potatoes lots, adding Dijon mustard, Balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, whatever to the oil before adding the potatoes.  The real key is the old metal pan....