Thursday 29 January 2015

A simple Italian feast

On a depressingly dark, cold wet Wednesday morning, I suggested the Italians sand two doors in Le Grand Salon. They cleared the dust and went to grub up the three young plum tree roots that I razed to the ground in the Autumn. Over five years I let them grow but I could not get the mower between and with no fruits they were unattractive where they were!
I had a dental appointment. One wished to purchase clothing as washing had been left in the machine at their last residence, from which they escaped unexpectedly, one night before their intended departure.  A valid story.  They had been intimidated, nay threatened!
My dentist is good but always at least one hour late! Eventually, after almost two hours, I found the two at The Loft, where I suggested we had a warming drink.  Then we proceeded to look at garden stones / gravel at Jardiland - only to dismiss the shop as ridiculously expensive.  Missing the turning to Bricomarché, we went to Lidl and Leclerc for food, as there were no fruit or vegetables dans la maison, apart from onions and potatoes. Laden and tired, we returned home.
For lunch we had the last of the garden leeks that I thought were non-edible! I made them into soup with garlic and mashed potato from the previous evening but one...plus juice from one lemon. Delicious. I also made individual shortcrust pastry tarts baked for ten minutes, then filled with a mixture of canned spinach, mashed potato, cinnamon and cream into which is cracked an egg and baked for another 15 minutes or so!
It was agreed they would cook the evening meal!  He used the factory-produced, 'fresh' Tagliatelli from Lidl and made a sauce of cream, milk, butter, olive oil, gorgonzola warmed but not boiled. Crushed walnuts and grated nutmeg were added.  Meanwhile the pasta is cooked in a pan of salted water, drained and the sauce poured over and mixed.  I wished to scatter rocket over it ... but they preferred to have the rocket and walnut oil afterwards.  Each had one glass of a Roche-Mazet Chardonnay.  Still hungry, he tucked into Goats Cheese and the 'Pain Nordique' that I discovered in Châtellerault.  Marvellous! Exactly the same bread that I discovered on the Ile de Re. I  tried to emulate it without a recipe but mine was too heavy! I will try again.

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