Spring Has Arrived in Normandy!

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Photo du Jour - It's a Jungle Out There!

Lots of rain followed by lots of sun equals a garden that is growing out of control. In record time.
Does anyone have a machete I can borrow?


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A Rainy Day Chickpea and Spinach Curry

I think spring got it all wrong this year.

March was beautiful, soft, sunny and warm. Which we totally deserved after the big freeze of February.
So I figured the worst of it was over.

Well, April has had other ideas.


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Tickled Pink

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Photo du Jour - Wisteria

simply.gorgeous. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Spring

The rosemary is in bloom and the village bees are keeping busy. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Colors of May

The fields in May are splashed with color. Poppies, irises, lavender, dandelions, wild orchids, and many, many others that I wish I knew the names of. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Smiling

Spring green leaves and clear blue skies.
These brilliant colors are making me smile today. Pin It

Photos du Jour - Almost...

Basking in the sun and loving the warm air. Clearing out the cobwebs and the clutter. Throwing open the windows and letting the house breathe. Waiting for asparagus and strawberries to arrive in the markets.

It is almost spring.



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Photo du Jour - A Warm Welcome Home

The plane touched down in Toulouse early Sunday evening. Barely two hours of sleep during my twenty hour journey home meant that I was slightly delirious and definitely crabby.

Then I stepped outside.

The air was soft and warm and the overcast skies were splashed with pink from the setting sun.
Such a welcome change from the freezing temperatures and dark, threatening skies I'd left behind in Spokane.

Monday morning the clouds broke up and the brilliant blue skies of the Minervois welcomed me home. Pin It

Photo du Jour

New growth on the fig trees and a little fig-lette. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Pink Mimosa?

I think this is a Mimosa tree.
Can anyone tell me if I'm right?


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Baked Asparagus Risotto - No Stirring!

Risotto is one of those dishes that I find particularly easy. I've made it so many times that it's kind of like second nature. And I love its versatility.
There is always some sort of vegetable or leftover meat lurking in the back of the fridge or freezer that I can mix with pearly, fat grains of arborio rice, hot stock and Parmesan to make a hearty meal.

The one thing about risotto is that you have to stand there and stir. And stir.
For about 30 minutes.
Sometimes this can be tedious. Especially when there are more interesting things to do. Like laugh at celebrities on gofugyourself.com read up on world events or study French.

So to give myself more time to be studious and worldly, I have a baked risotto recipe that cuts the amount of time in front of the stove by about two thirds.

The texture is a bit different that stovetop risotto. The grains are softer, not as al dente, but the flavor is wonderful!

Baked Asparagus Risotto

• 8 ounces/250g thick, smoky bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons/25g butter plus 1 tablespoon/12g
• 10 ounces/300g risotto rice
• 8 ounces/ 250g fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup/125ml of white wine (optional)
• 3 cups/700ml hot chicken stock
• pinch salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup/50g Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oven to 200C/400F
Fry the bacon pieces in an ovenproof pan or casserole dish with a lid for 3-5 minutes until crisp.
Stir in the onion and 2 tablespoons/25g butter and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add the rice and stir for a minute or two, until all the grains are coated.
Pour in the optional white wine and cook for 2 minutes, until absorbed.
Add the hot stock, the salt and the asparagus pieces, then give it all a quick stir.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and bake for 20-30 minutes, until just cooked.
Stir in half of the Parmesan and remaining butter.
Serve, sprinkled with the remainder of the cheese and pass the pepper mill.

Serves 4


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Photo du Jour

A cascade of wisteria. That icy-blue color is amazing! Pin It

Photo du Jour

Buds about to open. Pin It

Photo du Jour

The weather hasn't been very spring-like around here since Friday.
This burst of yellow next to the bright blue of our neighbor's painted door and shutters was an encouraging sight.


We're in the midst of several days of long, lively lunches with friends. Today we're heading to a casual, pot-luck style Easter lunch with lots of nibbles and one hearty main dish, which I'm making.
Very non-traditional, this pasta dish, but we enjoyed a whopping gigot d'agneau yesterday, so we're lambed out!


Baked Shells with Sweet Sausage, Tomatoes and Peas
serves 4 as a main course

from Food and Wine magazine

The pasta shells in this hearty dish don't get stuffed; instead, they are tossed with the sauce and hold the small pieces of meat and vegetables.

• 1 pound medium pasta shells
• One 28-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound baked ham, cut into 1/3-inch dice
• 1/2 cup frozen baby peas
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
2. Puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Pass the puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage and cook over moderately high heat, stirring the meat and breaking it up with the side of a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, heavy cream and oregano and season lightly with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Add the sausage and ham and simmer for 10 minutes longer.
5. Stir the sauce into the pasta along with the peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is heated through and the Parmesan is melted. Serve hot.

MAKE AHEAD This baked pasta can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight. Add about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Happy Easter! Pin It

Photo du Jour

A big, fat bumblebee - taken near the beach in California.

Our neighbor, the beekeeper, was telling me that our early spring-like weather is confusing our local honeybees. C'est catastrophe, he said. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Spring is in the Air

Les primevères- primroses.
Early signs of spring are everywhere! Pin It

Photo du Jour

Very early signs of spring in our neighbor's window. Pin It

Paris in the Spring

What a cliché. But I can't wait!

I haven't been to Paris in eight years. Eight years! We've lived in France for four years and we've never bothered to make the trip. My sister is coming to France at the end of April and we're spending four glorious days in Paris.
She wants to go to the Louvre and I want to take her to the Picasso Museum and to the Rue Cler market. And the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Musée d'Orsay and Spring restaurant and the Marais and the rue des Rosiers where I want to try the strudel at La Boutique Jaune de Sacha Finkelsztajn and have her taste the thickest, richest hot chocolate ever at Angelina on the posh rue de Rivoli.
And, and and...

I don't think four days will be enough. Pin It