Posts from the ‘peaceful’ Category

Fresh Ravioli Night – Simple simple simple

Fresh Ravioli Night

This recipe is so very simple.  First –  go to your local Italian Market, (like in Saint Louis, that would be “The Hill”)     and                        2)  purchase the freshest pasta you can possibly find.
Every Wednesday and Friday in Cassis there is a huge market.  The Italian guy is standing happily  with his fresh pasta from Italy.  I don’t know how he does it, but he’s always there (one year now I’ve seen him every wed and friday, ) and his home-made pastas and ravioli’s are incredibly deletable – like I’ve never tasted.  After purchasing your ravioli,  you really  can’t do much wrong with it (except over boiling it).  We put it in the water for only 5 minutes, or less,  and it’s done.

Sometimes we put crème fraîche in it, or tiny cut veggies on the top.  Last night it was just sautéed matchstick carrots, shallots in bit of butter with herbs d’Provence.  Stirred some crème fraîche in the veggies and topped the steaming pasta.  It was absolutely PERFECT.

Fresh handmade ravioli from the “Italian Guy” at the Cassis market – topped with matchstick carrots and shallots, & tiny bit of creme fraiche

Here’s my friend Sandrine with an “German actor friend” ooooh la la, and here is our pasta dish.  No, only Sandrine enjoyed the pasta with me and David.  The actor was not invited.  hmmmmmmm.

Sandrine and the German Actor, oh what’s his name

Bon Appetit

“How to Peel an Acorn Squash” – I LOVE THIS NEW BLOG I FOUND!!!!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

My husband is a true romantic.   Me, on the other hand,  CAN be, but I smashed his efforts this morning.  No, this is not X-rated.  It’s about our breakfast.

He sweetly handed me a little bowl of fresh strawberries and bananas with a darling swirl of whipcreme on the top.

Heartfelt strawberries

He barely got the words out – before I grabbed it from his loving hands and started stirring the contents together.    I’m pretty starving lately as I have been trying to diet before our big cruise.   He then says, “Well, I made a HEART for you, with the whip creme! “    I looked at it, and could not discern that because in my haste I swirled it………and smashed it.

Ahhhhhh, impetious spouse that I am………

Ginger Chicken Curry

GINGER CHICKEN CURRY                

Ginger Chicken Curry

6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped  ,( mix with the ginger in bowl)

1 can coconut milk (400 ml) or plain Greek yogurt as substitute for coconut milk

1 large onion

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 small can of red curry paste  or 1/2 jar of Paste for Curry (210 g)

1 bouquet of fresh cilantro

1/2 cup + cashew nuts

Chicken Ginger Curry night in Marti & David’s apartment

to make it

1. Slice each chicken breast into bite size pieces
2. Put in the bowl with the ginger, garlic, mix well
3. cover chicken mixture and leave in the fridge to marinate until ready to cook
4. For the best flavor do this in the morning or, better still, the night before.
5. Peel and quarter onions & very finely chop them.
6. Heat olive oil in a large pan , then add the onion; cook until  translucent.
7. Add the chicken mixture with the marinade and cook over a high heat until the chicken changes color
8. Add Curry Paste and stir in well
9. Add tomatoes (do not drain)  and cook few minutes – — Pour in the coconut milk, (or the 1 – 1/2 cups yogurt)  add 1/2 cup  water or chicken stock if it gets too thick,  then cover and simmer gently for 20 mins until the chicken is tender
10. Stir in chopped fresh cilantro from the bouquet,  then serve over rice.  Naan bread is a good accompaniment if you can find it.  I used a baguette.
11. Garnish the top of the Chicken Curry with more Cilantro and the Cashew nuts

If the curry is too hot, you can add more yogurt.  Usually 1 cup is enough.

My little story:   We had friends come the night I prepared this Ginger Chicken Curry.  It was only the second time I had made Curry Chicken.  I changed the recipe from the original one from the British Embassy Chef who prepared this one afternoon at the Paris Embassy for a bunch of bored housewives.  Is there such a thing anymore?  Housewives?  Well, anyway, hers was absolutely divine, but since I’m a GINGER fanatic, thought it should have more of this, not just a powder.  I love to grate ginger anyway.  The smell is so fantastic.   Sandrine who joined us that evening was allergic to coconut milk, thus, the other guest, Christopher, said – just use plain yogurt in place.  I did that, going to the market to find Greek PLAIN yogurt because it’s so thick .  It worked fine.

I prefer the coconut milk because of the taste, but it’s not for everyone.

My rice was BASMATI, and because I didn’t have a rice cooker, it came out gooey – But Christopher, the ever gentleman that he is reminded me that in Japan (where he used to teach) the rice was gooey there.  Okay, well, thanks for that – it sure made me feel better, and no one complained.  😉

Enjoy!

Bon Appetit

from
Marti

in Cassis

2013

How to Cook a Wolf

The Oven gets a workout

Okay, maybe not a whole wolf, like M.F.K. Fisher writes about in 1930’s France from
THE ART OF EATING  – but a FISH.   This was a real WHOLE MAQUEREAU (mackerel) head, eyes, and all.

It was not intimidating.   I kept thinking of Daddy.    When he wasn’t flying he was fishing.  He ‘d bring that smelly fish (as I use to call it, only it wasn’t the fish, it was HIM, ha) into the big kitchen on 94th Street in Miami Shores and start scaling it, then washing it, gutting it and frankly I was pretty impressed.   What I didn’t realize, was that this fresh fish we were enjoying  that evening and every week thereafter was the freshest and most tasty food I ever ate.   The rest of the time it was TV dinners, because that was the ERA.    Sometimes,   (a lot actually) we ate out at Watson’s where it was , um, not bad, but the vegetables were definitely canned.  The only thing that might have been fresh were the “chicken croquettes”.

When we left for North Carolina each and every summer, it was fresh fresh everything……collards, green beans, okra, black eye peas, all picked that same day from neighbor’s local farms.   That taste of fresh stayed in my memory forever.   

That’s what makes cooking a fresh mackerel very exciting.   Knowing that this is something that was – well, swimming this morning!

I was so busy with this fish, that I failed to take pictures of after it was done  – and it was a bit of a lesson in removing the head and separating the entire top from the filet in one fell swoop.   It was more like bits and pieces, but ahhhhh when it came time to taste, it was absolutely fine, tender, tasty.    The recipe is darn easy.  I, personally need more practice on the removing of head, tail and bones ……….

Little mackerel’s have a potato in their mouths, isn’t that so cute???

Easy Roasted Fresh Mackerel  (In French:  Maquereau )

For 2 people:

2 small   cleaned whole Spanish mackerel or bluefish (with head and tail).   Mine was “bluefish”

Can of tomatoes in herbs or fresh tomatoes chopped, with olive oil and S & P and herbs d’ Provence

Sliced potatoes and carrots

S & P

Saute the  carrots & potatoes in olive oil and a bit of butter till browned but not totally cooked.   Save on plate.  Place cleaned whole fish in casserole, sprinkle with S & P and a bit of olive oil. Pour tomatoes on top with herbs, add potatoes and carrots.  Put in 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.  Watch it carefully.  When fork tender or eyes of fish turn white – it’s done.

There are YouTube videos of how to separate the fish from the filet, from head and pulling right off to leave one nice whole filet, but if it’s too soft may fall apart.  That’s okay, remove head, bones, tail and remove from skin.

Incredibly tasty.

Bon Appetit

from Marti in Cassis

Would you happen to have a plastic baggie or some Centièmes?

My friend Martha in Tennessee, wanted to know if I had storage since I had such a small apartment.

I told her “I have no storage.  We are probably called “minamalists” since we have come to France with little.”    Then I took a pic of my “storage containers” which are here, and nothing but cardboard file containers from IKEA.  Yes, all two of them.

“storage” for our entire lives – in France

But there’s another problem, —-   my various bags.

Today I have started cleaning out just my handbags and my backpack that I usually take on all my walks with me, (not all at the same time, ) however, the variety of material that I have found inside and placed on my bed, is astounding.  It is a wonder that my shoulders aren’t lopsided.   I have never seen so many various and assorted “emergency”  sundries in my life.   I have found allergy pills that were missing for months and I daresay are any good,  Band-Aids that are so old, they probably wouldn’t stick if I needed them, a vast amount of lip softeners, chap-sticks, etc that I shant need another one for the rest of my living days………a receipt from PHILADELPHIA airport café where I promised the girl I’d sign in and give her a good writeup, (will) –  a  variety of paperclips, writing tablets, post-a-notes, pens,   And, strangely enough,  a tiny bottle of Bayer Aspirin, in case I have a heart attack, that was dated 2004;  4 sets of white stereo earphones, 181 centièmes,  26 small plastic bags so in case, God forbid, I have to carry an entire bottle of ADVIL with me instead of tucking a few pills here and there in teeny tiny baggies for the huge handbags,  AND an Irish Journey Blessing, an expired Starbucks card, AND a pair of scissors.  I am ready to nurse, heal, overdose, write an entire novel from the amount of paper inside, soften everyone’s lips that lives in Cassis, buy my way through at-least 3 trips to the “beach attendant toilet guy” that wants 60 centièmes to use the toilet there.   He loves it when I pour out the 60 centièmes from my little plastic baggies!!!!   Not.    OH!  Mon dieu – I just found 2 more items!   A St Louis Lottery ticket from LAST year and my mother’s hair pik from the 70’s!!   I’ve been looking for that thing!!!   (I dare not look up the numbers, it’s void after 180 days -what if I had the numbers?????!!!!!!!!!)    Better not to know.

And I tease my husband for being “OCD!!!”   Which, by the way is “TOC” in French.   (Trouble Obessionnel Compulsif );   Never say you haven’t learned a cool French Acronym from me.

the hand bag contents

Okay, time for me to get the heck out of here and walk walk walk,  and find ingredients  at the market for my SOUFFLE tonight.    My friend Sandrine is coming to enjoy that Souffle – and to give me yet another French lesson, of which we both laugh out loud from the “mistakes” and the “misunderstandings” .    I wonder if she needs a couple hundred plastic baggies.