|
Faking the South of France
Looking around my kitchen before work, I realized that I had all the
ingredients necessary for ratatouille. I also had some purple string beans which were getting a bit aged in my refrigerator. I started out by cutting three spicy Italian sausages into 1-inch lengths. (I know it's not a traditional part of ratatouille, but I like it.) I didn't remove the casings because I wanted the sausage to retain some of its shape. That went into a saucier and started cooking over medium heat. I didn't need to add any fat; the fat that rendered out of the sausage was sufficient. Once a bit of the fat had rendered out, I added a chopped onion, a chopped red bell pepper, and a chopped yellow bell pepper. I let them cook for a while, then added an eggplant and a zucchini, both of which had been left in fairly large chunks. I salted the mixture and added a fair sprinkling of herbes de Provence. I covered the saucier and let the mixture simmer for about fifteen minutes. Then I remembered that I had some mushrooms which needed to be used up, so I cut them into big chunks and added them. Covered the pan again and simmered for another eight or nine minutes. During the cooking of the sausage-vegetable mixture (which I don't think qualifies as ratatouille anymore), I put a big handful of new potatoes on to boil in salted water. They cooked for ten minutes while I cleaned and cut a big handful of purple string beans. (I should have put a couple eggs in the water too, but I forgot.) The string beans went into the water with the potatoes, and they cooked together for about seven or eight minutes. After that, I dumped them into a colander, then immediately into an ice water bath. They sat in the ice water for a couple minutes to cool down, then I lifted the ice out and dumped the vegetables into the colander again. The bowl which had previously held the ice water was used as a mixing bowl for the vegetables, to which I added a pouch of tuna and a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, making a kind of *******ized (and much abbreviated) Niçoise salad. That all went into a big Gladware container. Once I had the faux-Niçoise salad completed, I generously sprinkled the sausage-vegetable stew with finely-grated Parmesano-Reggiano cheese, then ladled out enough to mostly-fill a 4-cup container. I rounded out my meal with a ciabatta roll and an apple. (I don't know what variety of apple I got in my CSA box this week, but they're FANTASTIC for eating out of hand. Nicely sour, crunchy, and juicy -- and I'm not normally a big fan of apples.) Bob NOTE: Ratatouille normally has garlic in it. I considered adding garlic to the sausage-ratatouille stuff, but I didn't have enough time to cook it long enough for the garlic to mellow, so I left it out. It would have made a good and traditional addition. |
Faking the South of France
In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food should i be looking for? -- -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ http://web.mac.com/barbschaller http://jamlady.eboard.com |
Faking the South of France
On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:56:59 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote: >In article >, > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > >Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food >should i be looking for? May I go with you? -- Susan N. "Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974 |
Faking the South of France
Melba's Jammin' wrote: > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > should i be looking for? Bouillabaisse! The fish chowder of the Mediterranean gods. -aem |
Faking the South of France
Bob Terwilliger wrote: > [snips] > I generously sprinkled the > sausage-vegetable stew with finely-grated Parmesano-Reggiano cheese, [snip] I was enthusiastically with you right up to here. No way would I mask all those great veggie flavors with cheese. De gustibus ..., and all that. -aem |
Faking the South of France
On 27 Sep 2006 18:05:26 -0700, "aem" > wrote:
> >Melba's Jammin' wrote: >> >> Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food >> should i be looking for? > >Bouillabaisse! The fish chowder of the Mediterranean gods. -aem Bourride, another awesome fish soup, with aoili a part of it. Also try aoili, but be aware that it has a LOT of garlic. Of course, most things do down in that region. Christine, who is checking out all her cookbooks from Provence. |
Faking the South of France
Melba's Jammin' wrote on 27 Sep 2006 in rec.food.cooking
> In article >, > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > should i be looking for? My guess would be French food. |
Faking the South of France
On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:56:59 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote: >In article >, > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > >Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food >should i be looking for? You should be looking for enough food to feed me too because I'll be hiding in a small carry on. :)) Have fun! No joke, take your chances... go to local mid priced restaurants and look at menus to see what appeals - you won't be sorry. |
Faking the South of France
On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 01:32:25 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito >
wrote: >Melba's Jammin' wrote on 27 Sep 2006 in rec.food.cooking > >> In article >, >> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: >> >> Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food >> should i be looking for? > >My guess would be French food. You must be a seasoned international traveler, Mr. Incognito! :) |
Faking the South of France
On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:50:18 -0700, sf
> wrote: >On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:56:59 -0500, Melba's Jammin' > wrote: > >>In article >, >> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: >> >>Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food >>should i be looking for? > >No joke, take your chances... go to local mid priced restaurants and >look at menus to see what appeals - you won't be sorry. Get The Food Lovers Guide to France, by Patricia Wells...she is a wealth of information. Christine |
Faking the South of France
Melba's Jammin' wrote: > In article >, > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > should i be looking for? > Bread. Bring your jam. I'll bet you can charm the village with a few jars of the stuff. Greg Zywicki |
Faking the South of France
Mr Libido Incognito wrote: > Melba's Jammin' wrote: >> "Bob Terwilliger" wrote: > > > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > > should i be looking for? > > My guess would be French food. Actually these days it's mostly muslim coozine. Sheldon |
Faking the South of France
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
> Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > should i be looking for? Bouillabaisse, bourride (creamy garlic fish soup), daube à la provençale (beef stew), estouffade à la provençale (lamb stew), pot-au-feu à la marseillaise, les pieds-paquets à la marseillaise (mutton tripe and feet), mesclun (mixed salad), tapénade (olive paste with capers). Bubba |
Faking the South of France
In article . com>,
"Zywicki" > wrote: > Melba's Jammin' wrote: > > In article >, > > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > > > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > > should i be looking for? > > > Bread. Bring your jam. I'll bet you can charm the village with a few > jars of the stuff. > > Greg Zywicki Heh! The TSA will probably view it with a jaundiced eye! -- -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ http://web.mac.com/barbschaller http://jamlady.eboard.com |
Faking the South of France
In article .com>,
"aem" > wrote: > Melba's Jammin' wrote: > > > > Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > > should i be looking for? > > Bouillabaisse! The fish chowder of the Mediterranean gods. -aem Ohyeah!! I love it! -- -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ http://web.mac.com/barbschaller http://jamlady.eboard.com |
Faking the South of France
In article >,
The Cook > wrote: > On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:56:59 -0500, Melba's Jammin' > > wrote: > > >In article >, > > "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote: > > > >Hmmmm, I'll be in Marseilles in about a month -- what kind of food > >should i be looking for? > > May I go with you? Sure. Having a roommate will reduce my cost considerably! The upcharge for a single room is something about $1200. -- -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ http://web.mac.com/barbschaller http://jamlady.eboard.com |
Faking the South of France
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
> (Victor Sack) wrote: > > > Bouillabaisse, bourride (creamy garlic fish soup), daube à la provençale > > (beef stew), estouffade à la provençale (lamb stew), pot-au-feu à la > > marseillaise, les pieds-paquets à la marseillaise (mutton tripe and > > feet), mesclun (mixed salad), tapénade (olive paste with capers). > > Sheepfeet, eh? I'll stick with the bouillabaisse and be sure to write > extensively to Rob about it. Don't you dare forgo bourride, one of the greatest fish soups of the world, and one which I would prefer even to bouillabaisse! For bouillabaisse, consider Restaurant Michel, at 6 rue des Catalans (7e)...it is considered by some to be the best in Marseille; or the famous Miramar, at 12 quai du Port (2e). For both bouillabaisse and bourride, go to l'Epuisette, at 138 Vallon-des-Auffes (7e). All these restaurants are not inexpensive, I'm afraid... but then good bouillabaisse and bourride are no longer inexpensive anywhere... > I'm going on the cruise alone ‹ with about > 1000 other people, I guess. You have my sympathy, especially considering that Marseille is not really worth a visit any more, Vieux Port perhaps excepting. Bubba |
Faking the South of France
|
Faking the South of France
TammyM > wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:49:53 +0200, (Victor Sack) > wrote: > > <snip> > >You have my sympathy, especially considering that Marseille is not > >really worth a visit any more, Vieux Port perhaps excepting. > > Out of curiosity, why is this so, in your opinion? I've not been > there, but we are planning a trip to France in '08 and plan to spend > some time in the south. Depends on where you actually want to go... to France or to a noxious version of Maghreb... Unfortunately, Marseille can no longer be considered a true French or Provençal city. It is full of North-African Arab underclass of a particularly unsavoury kind. It is disgustingly filthy and teeming with beggars, prostitutes, drug dealers and such. It is a high-crime area and unaccompanied women are liable to get molested or at the very least hear some lewd comments on a regular basis. ObFood: Bourride. The recipe is from _Bistro Cooking_ by Patricia Wells. Victor La Bourride de Baudroie Restaurant Lou Marquès Restaurant Lou Marquès' Monkfish Soup with Garlic Cream 1 pound (500 g) baking potatoes, such as russets, peeled and very thinly sliced 1 leek (white part only), trimmed, well rinsed, and cut into rounds 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into rounds 1 garlic clove, finely minced Grated zest (peel) of 2 oranges 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise 3 imported bay leaves 2 quarts (2 l) fish stock (see below) or water 1 cup (25 cl) dry white wine, such as Cassis 2 pounds (1 kg) very fresh monkfish, membrane removed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) slices 1 recipe aïoli (recipe follows) 1 large egg yolk 1/4 cup crème fraîche (6 cl) or heavy cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 to 12 slices country bread, for garnish 1. Preheat the oven to warm (about 210°F; 100°C). Place a large soup tureen and 4 to 6 shallow soup bowls in the oven to warm. 2. In a large, heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan, combine the potatoes, leek, carrot, garlic, orange zest, fennel, bay leaves, stock, and wine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the monkfish and cook, skimming frequently, until the fish is opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, combine 3/4 cup (18 cl) of the aïoli with the egg yolk and crème fraîche; whisk to blend. Gradually stir 1/2 cup (12.5 cl) of the hot soup broth into the aïoli mixture. Over low heat, add the aïoli mixture to the soup. Cook, whisking to thicken slightly, for 1 or 2 minutes; do not let the soup boil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. 4. Toast the bread. 5. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls, making sure everyone gets some of the fish and an assortment of vegetables. Pass the remaining aïoli and toasted bread separately. Yield: 6 servings Aïoli Garlic Mayonnaise 6 large fresh garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature 1 cup (25 cl) extra-virgin olive oil 1. Peel and cut the garlic in half, then remove the green, sprout-like "germ" that runs lengthwise through the center of the garlic. 2. Pour boiling water into a large mortar to warm it; discard the water and dry the mortar. Place the garlic and salt into the mortar and mash together evenly with a pestle to form a paste. 3. Add 1 egg yolk. Stir, pressing slowly and evenly with the pestle, always in the same direction, to thoroughly blend the garlic and yolk. Add the second yolk and repeat until well blended. 4. Very slowly work in the oil, drop by drop, until the mixture thickens. Gradually, whisk in the remaining oil in a slow, thin stream until the sauce is thickened to a mayonnaise consistency. Yield: About 1 cup (25 cl) Fumet de Poisson Fish Stock 5 pounds (2.5 kg) non-oily fish bones, heads, and trimmings (gills removed), well rinsed and cut up 2 onions, chopped 3 ounces (90 g) fresh mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced Bouquet garni: 12 parsley stems, 8 peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, and 1 imported bay leaf tied in a double thickness of cheesecloth 2 cups (50 cl) dry white wine 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1. In a large nonreactive stockpot, combine all the ingredients and add 2 quarts (2 l) of cold water. Bring to a simmer, skimming frequently. Simmer, uncovered, skimming frequently, for 30 minutes. 2. Line a colander with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth and place the colander over a large bowl. Ladle the stock into the colander; discard the solids. Measure the fish stock and, if necessary, boil until it is reduced to 4 cups (1 l). Yield: 1 quart (1 l) |
Faking the South of France
|
Faking the South of France
On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:43:07 +0200, (Victor Sack)
wrote: >TammyM > wrote: > >> On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:49:53 +0200, (Victor Sack) >> wrote: >> >> <snip> >> >You have my sympathy, especially considering that Marseille is not >> >really worth a visit any more, Vieux Port perhaps excepting. >> >> Out of curiosity, why is this so, in your opinion? I've not been >> there, but we are planning a trip to France in '08 and plan to spend >> some time in the south. > >Depends on where you actually want to go... to France or to a noxious >version of Maghreb... Unfortunately, Marseille can no longer be >considered a true French or Provençal city. It is full of North-African >Arab underclass of a particularly unsavoury kind. It is disgustingly >filthy and teeming with beggars, prostitutes, drug dealers and such. It >is a high-crime area and unaccompanied women are liable to get molested >or at the very least hear some lewd comments on a regular basis. How terribly sad, Victor >ObFood: Bourride. The recipe is from _Bistro Cooking_ by Patricia >Wells. <recipe snipped> Oh MY, this sounds wonderful! I suspect this will be on one of my menus in the very near future, thanks so much. TammyM |
Faking the South of France
sf wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:43:07 +0200, (Victor Sack) > wrote: > > >Depends on where you actually want to go... to France or to a noxious > >version of Maghreb... Unfortunately, Marseille can no longer be > >considered a true French or Provençal city. It is full of North-African > >Arab underclass of a particularly unsavoury kind. > > Welcome to the real world, bud. Calfornia has been in this position > for decades. What a strange thing to say. Of the scores of significant immigrant groups in California, North-African Arabs must be pretty far down the list. According to the 2000 census, about 0.005 of the population of California is of Arab descent or origin, of which the largest groups are from Syria and Lebanon. Egypt accounts for less than 0.0001 of the population. You must be very sensitive to the presence of the North-African Arab underclass. Or did you mean that California hasn't been considered truly French for decades? -aem |
Faking the South of France
On 30 Sep 2006 10:27:35 -0700, "aem" > wrote:
>sf wrote: >> On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:43:07 +0200, (Victor Sack) >> wrote: >> >> >Depends on where you actually want to go... to France or to a noxious >> >version of Maghreb... Unfortunately, Marseille can no longer be >> >considered a true French or Provençal city. It is full of North-African >> >Arab underclass of a particularly unsavoury kind. >> >> Welcome to the real world, bud. Calfornia has been in this position >> for decades. > >What a strange thing to say. Of the scores of significant immigrant >groups in California, North-African Arabs must be pretty far down the >list. According to the 2000 census, about 0.005 of the population of >California is of Arab descent or origin, of which the largest groups >are from Syria and Lebanon. Egypt accounts for less than 0.0001 of the >population. You must be very sensitive to the presence of the >North-African Arab underclass. > >Or did you mean that California hasn't been considered truly French for >decades? -aem Are you actually that stupid or just acting stupid to entertain yourself? |
Faking the South of France
Victor Sack wrote: > Depends on where you actually want to go... to France or to a noxious > version of Maghreb...It is disgustingly > filthy and teeming with beggars, prostitutes, drug dealers and such. It > is a high-crime area and unaccompanied women are liable to get molested > or at the very least hear some lewd comments on a regular basis. > So it's more like France a century or two ago? According to some literature. Greg Zywicki Or, supposedly, Italy twenty or so years ago. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:51 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
FoodBanter