Cantal Jeune and some Roquefort. Donchoo love it when you walk into a store and find “white label” Roquefort? Yeah, me too.
Why Hello Foie Gras, I Missed You
I’m trying my best to space out the pots of foie gras I have in the fridge. But I could no longer hold out. There are still a few pots left. I see a foie gras omelette in my future.
… And yes, that is a pair of special wire cutters in the background that are supposed to be used for your special bicycle “fixie” collection and instead we use them for fencing. It’s the Gascon way, use what you have and make what you don’t have.
My Tenderoni
Along with our beef, we also do veal. Now this is not little baby veal stuck in a pen without daylight. This is veal along side its mum, out on the field eating grass and drinking milk. They become fat and tender and as it turns out, incredibly tasty. I’ve not known veal to be beefy, but our veal … is beefy. A total surprise. And tender. Tenderoni.
One of the cuts of veal is Tendron. It’s basically a beef poitrine ( belly ). I’ve cooked Tendron many times in many ways. One of my favorites has been in stir-fry.
Cooking Tendron is fine and all were it not for this nagging Bobby Brown song that me, all by myself, is tormented with. As I love my husband very much, I thought I should share with him the tune that dominates my brain while I cook lunch or dinner or even think about veal cuts. Because he’s my tenderoni, he’s the only one. I’ve been playing this song for him so he understands my plight. So he feels pain.
It’s a lovely cut. Quick to fry up. Quick to eat. Gives you that energy you need to do your job until your next meal.
And for those following along at home, I offer you “Roni” … my tenderoni. This Tenderoni was served with Coles’ slaw, but every Tenderoni is unique. Only tenderonies can give a special love. A special kind of love that makes ya feel good inside
And You Think
Here I am chopping up some veal in preparation for little stir fry after a running running boy party. My boy is eight. Our cows have at last stopped mooing for their mama. I’m really cold yet I wear purple stilettos and a short mini because, damn it, it’s Saturday. The onions make my eyes water. The ginger makes me salivate. Winter is still bringing on its wind and rain. But my boy, he is happy. And me? Heck yeah. This is exactly where I want to be.
Broccoli
Red pepper
Mushies
Ginger
Garlic
Onions
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Parsley
and Veal Tendron
Guess What I’m Making
Despite the 16 and 17 C degree weather we’ve had, it’s still winter. I’ve been a lazy soup dragon and slacked on delivering that warm broth that keeps you warm and fueled for our workload as beef farmers.
At last, I remembered to keep my steak bones and makes some beef stock.
Onions + Beef Broth = French Onion Soup.
With these cold, stone Gascon houses, you can understand why one would keep a pot of warm broth on the woodburner. So tonight and lunch tomorrow, we have soup.
I use a Saveur recipe “Soupe a l’Oignon Gratinee” that has never failed me. I leave out the flour and the crouton. Though, the crouton is definitely missed. But with a huge selection of Comte and Gruyere, I’m fortunate to keep that authentic flavor alive. Don’t use any other cheese. First, it must be Gruyere. Failing that, aged Comte. But under no circumstances should you use any other melty cheese. Just cool the soup and take a field trip for the right cheese.
Colby != Gruyere
Is It Ready, The Pancake?
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Oh hello my little French speaking child. Is your pancake ready you ask? Why yes it is. And here’s some Nutella. Mommy and Daddy had a big day on the farm. If I had access to take out or Mcdo’s, I’d be all over that.
But instead, you get crepes smothered in rich, hazelnut ju-ju.
And you will turn out okay. And you can tell your mates at the pub that when mommy and daddy weaned the calves, you’d get pancakes. And I love you. Pancakes for dinner builds character.
Lunch: Steaky Bits with Mushies and Onions served with Slaw
Gordito, the Bœuf that keeps on giving. Gordito was packed in fleshy, freezy lumps of unidentifiable origin. So when I defrost some beef, it’s always a surprise ( say “sur-preez” ) when it’s all warmed up and ready to go. Today’s beef was steak. I decided to thinly slice some of this entrecôte and brown it, remove and then rest.
Meanwhile, I slowly buttered up some onions and mushrooms with a clove of garlic. Easy now, don’t go browning the onions. A nice softening is what I was after. Don choo just love onions and mushrooms in a pan bubbling with butter? Yeah, me too.
I added a splash of wine to grab some flavor off the bottom of then pan. I added back in the steaky bits and lunch was ready. I served with cole slaw. My cole slaw is actually a slaw copy made by Coles supermarket in Australia. So really we call it Coles’ slaw. The essential ingredient to bring it from American Slaw to Coles’ Slaw is the addition of some chopped carrots with all the rest of the mayo and things.
… and yes, that is a lime-green Porsche Cayman by the steaky bits. This photo was not fluffed. You’ve just peeked onto my kitchen bench into my world where a Kinder Egg Surprise toy makes it to my workspace and is not moved until after I snap a photo and realize, ” oh look, a Cayman.”
Tastes Like Chicken
What to do when you had a busy morning and forgot to bring the frozen flesh out to defrost. You reach for ” cooked porky bits.”. A fleshy bit roasted, enjoyed, put to the back burner then frozen waiting for a moment, the moment, to save my arse when people need to be fed and I ain’t got nut’in. At last, “cooked porky bits” stepped up to show me what it’s got. and this was its fate:
1) Chicken Pot Pie – the biscuit edition.
Chicken pot pie is a quick “oh crap” dinner. Made from scratch, it’s probably quicker and more tasty than the frozen equivalent. For this round, with these ingredients, I substituted pork for chicken. In southwest France, chicken is hard to come by. “Cheap” chicken is bad, very bad and not so cheap. We are in duckville. I can make duck confit cheaper and tastier than I can serve chicken. So why fight it? I embrace and work with what I have. Which is pork, duck and beef.
My chicky pot pie was served without a hint of change until Lucy caught on and the buzz ran quickly around the table. Otto, my number one chook pie fan, loved it. The others didn’t detect anything. It tastes like chicken. Brent gave it a taste and said “it could be ritz crackers” for all he knew.
2) Stir fry
If you don’t dig on wheat ( though said pie was made with Einkorn ), I used the rest of “cooked porky bits” on a spicy stir fry for the adults.
Ginger
Garlic
Onions
Hot peppy spice
Broccoli
Red peppers
A couple mushies
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
All fried hot hot in lard
When The Man Sharpens Your Knives
Just step back and line up your steel.
Not unlike riding the shoe-shine wagon, you need to keep ’em coming. He’s on
A roll. Work it. Love it.
If Only The Interwebs Could Solve Scratch-N-Sniff
The smell of slow, buttery onions followed by small bits of garlic and ginger sprinkled with curry leaves. A setting that awaits your next move fills my small corridor kitchen of dreams and excitement.
This beef simmers in Sri Lankan wonder waiting for the cauliflower spice that doubles as rice.
Girl On Grill Action 