Earthquake

I just experienced my first earthquake. I'd woken up in the middle of the night a bit warm, so I turned the radiator down. As soon as I'd done that, the whole house started to shake, but not for the normal cause (ie a train). I thought I'd done something catastrophic with the hot water for a moment, but then worked out what had happened.

Not my imagination according to the BBC.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7266136.stm

Sunshine, snow, great company and the food....

Home from another glorious trip to France, remembering the feel of the sun….

Ulrich and I stayed a week with his parents in Villeneuve d’Olmes, a little village near Lavelanet (so about an hour south of Toulouse) at the base of the Pyrenees. That latter point is most relevant because I got in a couple of days skiing at the small stations which are only an hour’s drive away from the house of Nicole and Serge.

And while skiing is itself always of interest, particularly when it’s been a few years since I last hit the slopes, this time it took on special importance as the only means I had of even beginning to start working through the food that Nicole was feeding me! Upon learning that I would be coming for a week, she set about creating a menu that would include all of the local Ariège delicacies. Oh la la! Strictly bread and water for me for the next month I think!!!

Here’s a sample of what I ate (from what we could all remember). You will note that there are considerably more dishes than days – it was lunch, entrees (before lunch and dinner sometimes), dinner and desert. Just a foodie's paradise :)

• Escargots dans d’ail, beurre et persil (snails with garlic, butter and parsley) - think of it as some sort of seafood and everything's fine. Plus of course, drown anything in butter and garlic and it's delicious.

• Boudin aux raisins (pig’s blood sausage and raisins) - now this was the biggest surprise. I definitely didn't think I would like this, but I did. Couldn't have eaten too much of it though.

• Foie gras (foie gras), I've had this a few times now, not bad with a bit of pepper (but again, really not too much at once).

• Jambon de sanglier (various cured meats, some ok, some too much blood and fat)

• Chèvres chaud avec oignons confit au miel (hot goat’s cheese on toast with onion with honey confit) - quite sweet and totally yummy

• Soupe tapioca (tapioca soup) - I'd always wondered what tapioca was and now I know

• Pates au saumon (salmon pasta) - literally, loads of yummy little salmon bits
• Ham and cheese sandwich for skiing (small! simple! welcome!)
• Salade de pates pour skiing (ham and cheese pasta - a Rico special :))

• Lapin purée (rabbit)

• Quiche poireaux saumon (quiche with leek and salmon) - now also known as "Hercule". As I was trying to learn/remember the word for this vegetable, I thought everyone was talking about the famous detective.

• Cotes de porc à la moutarde avec haricots verts (side of pork with mustard and shallots) - it was by about this point that I had exhausted my French superative vocab for describing the food!

• Pot au feu (beef in vegetables stew) - are there secret shops in England where I can get ingrediants this tasty?

• Fondue bourguignonne (beef) - it's a meal! and entertainment too!

• Langue de bœuf (tongue of beef with tomato and gherkin puree) - perhaps the only thing that I didn't really like at all, although the sauce was delicious

• Crêpes champignon épinards (mushroom and spinich crepes) - mmmm, I luurvvve crepes

• Truites aux amandes avec riz fondant de poireaux (trout with almonds with rice and fried leeks) - there's definintely a skill to deboning the trout. A little more time watching everyone else first and less diving straight in here would have been a good idea! Oh, but those crunchy almond bits on the melting flesh with those leeks... heaven

• Magrets de canard poire et pommes de terre à la graisse de canard (duck’s breast with pears and potoatoes in duck dripping) - there was some debate about whether magrets de canard poire wasn't better as canard peach or pineapple. I'm more than willing to sample the other two at some point so I can also give my opinion ;)

• Gigot avec oignons caramélises (leg of lamb with caramelised onions) - this is where things really started to go downhill, I really did not have space for all those extra slices.

• Poulet au four (roast chicken) - simple and delicious

• Gâteaux charlotte à l’ananas (cake with pinapple, cream etc)

• Biscuit de Savoie et mousse au chocolat (cake)

• Génoise de fruits (renverse) (upside down fruit sponge cake)

• Glace menthe

• Les fromages (cheeses) included bleu d’auvergne, roquefort, brie, camembert, gouda, comte, motin charretin, edam, buche de chèvre, cancoillotte - for me, the stronger the better. Roquefort, where have you been all my life ???

• Cerises à l’eau de vie, cognac armagnac, and about a dozen other types of apertif and digestif (spirits and whatnot, really, really, really strong drinks taken in small doses to whet the apetite (beofre) and help digestion (after), at least in theory (a good theory, worth testing over and over I think!)

• Vin Bourgogne Macon 2000, Bordeaux (Graves 95), Mercurey 98, Champagne Millésime Beaune 82, Marc de Champagne, Calvados 1952, Gewurtztraminer Riesling and much more wine, an appropriate wine to go with each entrée or dinner

• Erdinger beer

• Vraiment juste un peu de chocolat (honest!)

So now the really sad news. Of all the bloody things that France could decide to give in to the EU on (and believe me, there are plenty of things that they haven’t given in on, particularly in my line of work), they’ve apparently agreed to stop producing unpasteurised cheese. Goddamn Louis and his methods. Because I’ve grown awfully fond of French cheese!

Less so the wines, for that I’m still favouring the Spanish Rioja variety (pronounced ree ocka). I tend to find the French wines just a trifle bland for me, although maybe I just haven’t found the right variety. There were lots of lovely ones, including the 1982 variety opened especially on my last night (also the night before both Nicole and Serge’s b’days).

I’m led to believe that I should head towards the north eastern regions to discover the really good French beers. Of course, the more you head north east in France, the more you head towards Germany and Belgium so that might be a small factor.

I didn’t have any Crazy Elephant though. Andorra’s an interesting place – magic wonderland in the mountains, lovely buildings, and existing completely and utterly for people to go there and buy duty free goods.

However, I’m back at home in Mossley on my own, and so as I made my way from the Liverpool airport (I might have mentioned that I’m becoming the world expert in cheap travel between any part of France and any part of England), I stopped off at the co-op for some 2 for £3 ravioli and a bag of spinach (to make it healthy you see). A dribble of olive oil, some cracked black pepper and you’re dining fine at chez moi...

Schipol

I have now had a whole week at home, somemething to be happy about! So far this year I had a trip to Newcastle plus 10 flights in 10 days around Europe. I was walking through Schipol airport thinking how every airport was just the same (maybe not entirely fair as it really was the same airport!) when I saw these guys. They just looked exactly how I felt!




It finally snowed, although it didn't last very long. It did however last long enough for me to get a photo or two.