Focus on food
Hello again
I started this post on 5th November and as is often the case these days, other more pressing matters took precedence. Now here we are at the beginning of December and all plans to post this before the end of November are forgotten or overtaken! Christmas thoughts are beginning to inch their way into my consciousness. However before they do it is high time I finished this post which is all about food – a subject dear to my heart and stomach!
One of the true pleasures of our life in France is the food, and wine of course! Food and the making and eating of meals remains hugely important in France. There are lots of customs that I love in various countries, but the stopping for lunch in France at around 12 is great. Some still get 2 hours for lunch from their working day. Restaurants fill up with working folk in towns as many still get the French equivalent of luncheon vouchers. They then just have a light supper – a ‘souper’ in French! I think this is the only country I have been to where people stop at motorway service areas for lunch and get out a proper meal with wine! Like everywhere there are more and more ready meals to help people manage busy lives, but there is still a huge emphasis on local fresh ingredients and markets are very much part of the weekly routine.
We have enjoyed many a market here and visit one each week. Often it is our local market at Cordes sur Ciel, where we feel like regulars with favourite stalls selling local produce. Another firm favourite and usually on our visitor agenda is St Antonin Noble Val’s Sunday market. This is a little further away but well worth the visit as it is bigger than Cordes but still small enough to really enjoy. There is a wonderful baker with a stall there who makes the best chocolatines amandes – a cross between a chocolatine (pain au chocolat) and an almond croissant. Just the thing on a chilly Sunday morning with a wonderful café alongé.
Over the years we have been here – 5 already – we have discovered a whole range of fresh produce that we didn’t know and come to appreciate the seasons more than ever before. There is such joy at each stage of the year as new produce appears – a focus for a few weeks enjoyed by all. Whether it is asparagus, the first cherries, summer’s glut of tomatoes or figs in the autumn, each is full of flavour and grown with passion. Recently it was mushroom season so market stalls were brimming over with an array of unusual mushrooms. One in particular is a new discovery for us: Trompettes de la mort – death trumpets, an ominous sounding name for a mushroom, especially as I am totally ignorant where collecting wild mushrooms and funghi is concerned. A little research and an enlightening chat with a market trader helped me uncover the origin of the name. The mushroom always appears at the end of October, beginning of November which coincides with the Fete des morts here in France, when people remember their departed friends and relatives.
November 1st is Toussaints here in France, a public holiday for All Saints Day. The following day is La Fete des Morts to commemorate departed loved ones, a long held tradition across many countries. Here in France people put chrysanthemums on graves. In the run up to this date, florists are overrun with this plant and cemeteries become a riot of colour. It is a lovely tradition which I wasn’t really aware of before I came here and had in fact got a little muddled up with Halloween being All Souls Days. Halloween is a much more recent tradition which has spread from Anglophone countries. All Souls Day is November 2nd! Well I got there finally – I probably knew this once upon a time but some things seem to slip from one’s memory!
Anyway back to food. So now you can see the link with these magical and slightly spooky looking Trompettes de la mort! We took the plunge and bought some along with some giroles du pays – another fabulous mushroom also known as a chanterelle depending on where you are. Here they are called giroles apparently. Cooking instructions received we enjoyed several evenings of mushrooms cooked simply with a little garlic and parsley and some crème fraiche at the end for a creamy sauce. We ate the giroles with gnocchi sprinkled with another local speciality Vieux Rodez, a cheese that is remarkably like Parmesan, but, in my view, better, if I dare say that.
Now we are in squash and root vegetable season so enjoying butternut and pumpkins, as well as different coloured carrots, turnips, and local sweet potatoes.
A favourite soup of mine is Roasted Butternut Squash Soup which is very simple and delicious, with endless variations.
Ingredients
I butternut squash – halved and scoop out seeds
1 large onion – peeled a cut into quarters
2-3 large carrots, peeled but left whole
A head of garlic, or half if you prefer a less garlicky soup
Olive oil
Seasoning (salt, pepper, herb or spice of choice (Suggestions: a dried curry mix works well, or alternatively use herbes de Provence)
A handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
Vegetable stock: ½ to 1 litre
Coconut milk: 1 tin
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/Gas 6
Place all the vegetable ingredients in an ovenproof dish, drizzle over olive oil to ensure a good coating and season. Put the onion quarters in one half of the butternut and the cherry tomatoes (if using) in the other.
Cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the butternut squash and carrots are soft. Watch the carrots as they can cook sooner if they are not very big.
Put the carrots, onion and tomatoes (if using) in a blender or food processor. Scrape out the butternut squash flesh from its skin, squeeze out the roasted garlic and add both to the food processor.
Blend until smooth, then add the stock to achieve the consistency you like.
Pour into a saucepan and add the coconut milk.
Heat gently and taste, adjusting the seasoning if required.
Serve with fresh baguette or a toasted cheese sandwich.
A lovely warming and easy to make soup.
You can use pumpkin instead if you wish and vary what you cook it with for a change.
I hope you enjoy this. Let me know
During December I am going to go all festive. This year, after last December’s challenges, I plan to really enjoy the season and all it brings.
Look out for some sparkly festive fun, Christmas markets, lights, mulled wine and more! I will also be highlighting the delicious patisserie that France is so famous for.
Enjoy your week and Happy December
A bientôt
Ali xx
