No Sorrow That It's Sorrel Season...and no pity for pityocampa

The spring after our arriving here in the autumn of 2009 was mostly dismal as the garden had been neglected over a decade. The light-green whorls of perennial, tough sorrel had beckoned like a refreshing oasis poking out of the surrounding, rock-hard soil which was mercilessly smothered in matted layers of rank, dead weeds. 

Its season which started in February will be coming to an end fairly soon. Sorrel's beloved culinary characteristics are a lemony flavour and an ability to melt into a sauce in a few minutes when sauteed in butter.

Chiffonade: stack sorrel leaves, roll into a cigar shape, and slice thinly

Adding scrambled eggs makes a dynamic duo.

Let the mixed eggs coagulate a bit before scrambling

Chez nous is still the kingdom of quick meals so the green-streaked eggs were piled between slices of sourdough rye.

In the garden it's the right time to prune lavender. More harsh pruning than just the light trim they need after their summer flowering can be done with a fair amount of safety now as the warming weather will encourage new growth. However, such reduction still needs to be paced over several years to avoid losing a plant which can happen when cutting into woody branches that may remain unproductive. It has taken several years to transform the leggy bushes flanking our front pathway into compact mounds.

Newly leafed-out roses hidden by a lace curtain, irises, not-yet-blooming peonies, and lavender hedge

Leggier /ropy lavender in June 2012

Though Thaumetopoea pityocampa is an innocuous moth, an encounter with its larval form can be injurious as it was to our neighbours' small dog. What energetic doggie could resist licking some as they seductively wiggled their sinuous way while touching each other tail to nose forming a long caterpillar caravan?

Photo taken from here

The tufts of hairs growing on their segments trigger inflammatory reactions ranging from mild to lethal. The little dog's tongue developed some necrosis. He of course needed medical attention and happily is doing well once again.

Soon after, Madame M told me that early one morning--she had wanted to wake me so I could take photos but refrained--as she entered her garden she spotted a long branch on the patio and wondered from where it fell. Then it moved! White vinegar poured on them was to no avail, so some careful foot stomping got, well, underfoot. The pile of carnage was removed to the back of the garden where I suspect Monsieur M will burn them. A fifty percent/fifty percent mixture of bleach and water is supposed to be deadly. Bleach in our cabinet? Check!

Hopefully Elmo the Cat will remain safe from the caterpillar chain gangs.

Note to Elmo:  Do not confide in processionary pre-moths, in essence, keep your tongue to yourself

Monsieur M and The Calm One raised our one-cubic-meter, rainwater harvester on cement blocks so a faucet can be fitted to enable the filling of watering cans. Elmo made himself right at home.

The black plastic covering was done by Monsieur M to stop red algae from forming

À la prochaine!

RELATED LINKS

More about Pine Processionary Moths

Apple Crisp/Crumble...and savoury fritters made from leftovers

Apple crisp served warm is a lovely and simple winter dessert. Crumble is how the British describe this comely duo of juicy apples and a candied, spiked-with-cinnamon, buttery topping while the Americans refer to it as crisp. Since no rolling out of pastry is required, this treat is really easy to do compared to tarts and pies.

Saucy crumble splashed with heavy cream

Ingredients

• Apples, tart and firm, (I used Granny Smiths) 870 gms (about 5 medium apples)
• Flour, plain 160 gms
• Sugar, 300 gms
• Butter, sweet, 170 gms
• Cinnamon, 3/4 tsp
• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice, fresh, 1 T diluted with 1 T of water (total of 2 T liquid)
• Cream or ice cream for topping

A square oven dish measuring about 20 cm by 20 cm by 5 cm will give a nice proportion of topping to filling. If it comes with a lid, all the better.  If not, then fit some foil over the top.

Wash the apples. Quarter them, core the quarters, peel, and then slice thinly, putting them into an oven-proof dish as you work. The thinner they are, the more like apple sauce they will become.

Toss the apple slices with the diluted lemon juice. Even out the slices as much as possible.

Preheat oven to 177 degrees C. Mix the the flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon together.

Cut the cold butter into small chunks, about 2.5 cm square and put them in the mixing bowl.

Using with your finger tips (or ingredients can be put into a processor for a minute or so), work the butter and flour mixture until it is mostly coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces here and there. It should take about five minutes.

Pile the contents of the mixing bowl on top of the sliced apples in the oven dish and spread it out to fill all four corners of the casserole. Place on the lid and put the crumble/crisp in the oven.

To guard against any messy spills, the dish is placed on a parchment-lined cookie sheet

After a half hour, remove the lid and let bake for another thirty minutes. It is essential to uncover the crumble at this time or else there will be no crisp topping as it will mostly dissolve into the juicy apples. When done, the topping will be nicely browned and crusty with apple-juice rivulets bubbling up through it. Test by inserting a knife in the centre which will slice right through if the apples are soft enough.

Wait about ten minutes before serving to give the juices time to congeal a bit.

The next day we served the crumble cold with a wedge of coffee ice cream, and our lunch guest said that the two accompanied each other superbly.  We eagerly agreed, especially The Calm One who came up with the pairing idea!

The marinated roast loin of pork I made a few weeks back yielded several meals, but there was still a couple of slices remaining. Leftover peas, mashed potatoes, and minced pork were combined to make an easy, delicious make-over with an Asian accent. I added an egg, about a half teaspoon of baking powder, a few tablespoons of flour, a minced flake or so of red pepper, a minced garlic glove, a bit of minced fresh ginger, and some salt. More thorough directions for making fritters can be found here. I doused the whole lot with soy sauce and really enjoyed them. Leftovers can be yummy!

One of the present garden tasks is to start pruning which means tools need to be clean and sharp. Last week the asparagus and raspberry beds got their trimming. The one-year old asparagus plants were cut down to the ground. In order to put all their energy into making roots strong enough to generate good cropping, we will wait another year before harvesting them. However, during this waiting period, it is important to keep the bed free from weeds as they will become entangled with the roots.

The raspberry canes got trimmed to about fifteen centimetres above the ground.

The warm, wet winter continues, slowing down the planting preparation for early potatoes, onions, peas, and spinach. But I am not too miffed because the weather can present some fantastic skies at dusk. One twilight, I walked out from the sous sol to see what I thought was a billowy, smokey blaze.

Mummified fruit was left on the fig tree for the birds.

It turned out to be a fantastic, back-lit rack of huge, fluffy clouds.

À la prochaine!

RELATED POSTS

Planting asparagus

Golden Shrimp Chowder

During my childhood in New York City, my favourite soup was creamy New England Clam Chowder.  I know, I know, being a New Yorker I am supposed to be partial to a thinnish, tomato-based monstrosity called Manhattan Clam Chowder.  For me a chowder has to be thick, milky, salty, floury, and redolent with black pepper in order to be called a chowder.

I have yet to find large, succulent clams in France that I use for making a really good chowder, but it is easy to find fairly decent frozen, prepared shrimp.   Though substituting shrimp for clams, this recipe still retains many characteristics of my favourite chowder.  Lacking cream and butter, this soup isn't highly caloric as its richness and golden colour relies on some of the shrimp and carrots being blended.

Ingredients
(makes 5 servings or lunch/supper for two)

• Flour, white, 5 T
• Shrimp, frozen, and already prepared/cooked, 1 1/4 cups*/200 grams
• Water, 4 1/4 cups*/1 liter
• Shrimp liquid, 1/4 cup*/60 ml
• Carrots, small dice, 1 cup*/160 grams
• Potatoes, cubed, 2 cups*/260 grams
• Rosemary, fresh, 2 small sprigs (surplus can be dried) or dried, a large pinch
• Milk, about 2 cups*/475 ml (depending on desired thickness)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*American measure, that is 8 fluid oz cups.

Gather your ingredients.

Either thaw shrimp or gently heat frozen shrimp.

Heat shrimp gently for just a minute or two as not to make them rubbery.

Wring shrimp with your hands as dry as possible letting the liquid run into a small bowl.  Reserve shrimp. Pour the shrimp liquid into a medium-size pot and add the water.  While the soup base is being brought to a simmer, cube potatoes and dice carrots.  Carrots need to be in smaller pieces than the potatoes.  Simmer carrots for about five minutes till half tender.

Add potatoes and cook for another ten minutes or until the veggies are tender.  Remove one half of the veggies and add them to the reserved shrimp.

Add one half to two thirds of the shrimp to the pot and blend the contents till smooth.  You can add extra shrimp if you want a stronger presence of seafood.

Add some pot liquid to flour in a bowl and blend with a hand-held mixer till smooth. You can cream the flour with the hot liquid with a spoon, rubbing the mixture on the sides of the bowl until lump free but it is a laborious task.

Add more pot liquid to flour mixture until it is on the thinnish side.  Whisk well.

Add back to pot and cook while stirring for five minutes till thickened and raw taste of the flour is gone.  Add rosemary and milk.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Simmer gently while stirring a few minutes more or until nicely thickened.  If desired, soup can be made thicker with more flour paste or thinner with more milk. The rosemary bits can be sieved out using a slotted spoon if desired though I leave them in because they add a pretty touch.

Add the remaining veggies and shrimp and heat gently for a minute or two. Though subtly flavoured, this soup is satisfying both visually and taste-wise with its warm colour, veggie chunks, and unctuous consistency.

In the potager, the last bits of pruning are being done and transplanting is getting under way.  The grapes vines were one of the last candidates for pruning.  There are two common ways of vine pruning, cane and spur--I prefer the latter method.  Grapes are produced on the previous season's growth, therefore, it is necessary to cut back that growth to several buds.  If it is cut back completely, no grapes will form this late summer/early fall.

Before pruning

After pruning

The buds should be spaced several inches apart on the vine's scaffolding.

One of ten vines, a make-shift birdbath, and a blackberry bush in the right background.

I had already transplanted two rhubarb, but kept procrastinating about doing the third and last one.  Dayo graciously reminded me of this pressing task--which needs to get done before the plant fully leafs out--by skirting around the end of the bed that still was home to unproductive, four-year-old strawberry plants requiring removal as to allow room for the remaining rhubarb transplant.

Since rhubarb needs to be kept moist, I made watering wells around each plant.  As mulch is so precious in my garden, I will wait for this entire bed to be filled in fairly rapidly with their large, exuberant leaves.  The huge leaves will act as a living mulch.  Before that happens, I will scratch in an organic, balanced fertilizer (NPK of 10-10-10) around each plant and water well.

That scattering of white flowers in the upper left are wild English daisies.

Relieved that I finally gotten around to finishing the rhubarb transplanting, Dayo was able to relax in the sun, rolling about and joyously rubbing himself against the patio.

Being no slacker, Dayo soon returned to active duty, on alert for any unfinished chores.

À la prochaine!

RELATED POSTS

Transplanting rhubarb
General pruning instructions
Strawberry general care
Rhubarb Crumble

When Busy, Fritter Away Your Time!

Spring has arrived along with all the work, excitement, and joy that goes with it.  So what can a gardener working long hours throw together fast for a hot and tasty supper?  How about gathering whatever is lurking in the cupboard/fridge/garden such as canned tuna, broccoli, adding some flour, baking powder, and herbs/spices then binding the mixture with a beaten egg, forming it into patties and sauteing them until golden brown and happily dipping (finger food!) the warm, crunchy-but-moist delights in a cold sauce of yogurt, capers, and tomato paste?  I am speaking of course of the ever versatile fritter.

Or how I like to describe them:  a meal in a biscuit though these are more like pan-fried stuffing morphing into fish cakes.

Broccoli, garlic, and thyme came from our potager.

Spicy Roasted Broccoli & Tuna Fritters with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
(Makes sixteen 3-inch fritters)

• Flour, white, 155 grams/1 cup*
• Tuna, drained and mashed, individual serving can, 95 grams
• Salt, 1/2 tsp
• Baking powder, 1/2 tsp
• Egg, one large
• Broccoli, roasted, 50 grams/1/2 cup* (I used fresh, but frozen should work also though you may need less water or more flour to make the mixture)
• Red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper per preferred heat level (I used just a few flakes)
• Ginger, fresh or frozen, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp
• Thyme, fresh, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp or dried, 1/4 tsp
• Garlic, 1 or 2 cloves, crushed
• Oil, vegetable (I used a mix of olive and sunflower as olive oil by itself is not the best frying medium but I love its flavour!)
• Tomato paste, 1 T
• Capers, whole or finely chopped (for more flavour and ease of dipping), 1 T
• Yogurt, plain, 125 ml/4 oz
• Lemon, sliced thinly
• Thyme, fresh, several sprigs for garnishing

* American measure, that is, 8 oz

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C.  Gather your ingredients.

Ever since my G+ friend +Rajini Rao turned me on to roasting cauliflower and broccoli, I have put away my childish things, that is, boiled broccoli and became an adult, at least in how I handle members of the cruciferous family.  Coarsely chop and put the pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Dribble one tablespoon of olive oil and mix until all the broccoli is well coated.  Roast about 10 minutes.  Then stir them and roast for another 10 minutes till browned on the edges and mostly tender.

Meanwhile mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.  Make a well in the centre and crack an egg into it.

Stir with a fork until lumpy and add the ginger, red pepper flakes, crushed garlic, minced thyme, and mashed tuna.

Add the finely minced, roasted broccoli (mince finely after the coarsely chopped broccoli is roasted). Dribble water tablespoon by tablespoon till mixture becomes a paste.

Pour an inch of oil into a skillet over high heat for a couple of minutes.  Meanwhile dip your fingers into cold water, make approximately 3-inch patties from about a slightly rounded tablespoon of mixture.

Test to see if the oil is hot enough by flinging a few drops of water; they should sizzle for a few seconds.  If the oil is sufficiently hot, you are actually steaming the fritters more than you are frying them as the oil will stay mostly on the outside and can be blotted off with paper towels--fried food is not demonic!  Lower the heat to medium-low and place the patties in the skillet, without any of them touching each other.  Brown about 3 minutes on each side.

While the fritters are frittering, mix yogurt, tomato paste, and capers together and reserve.  Thinly slice a lemon.

When nicely golden brown, remove the fritters and drain on paper towels.

Serve garnished with the lemon slices and fresh thyme along with the dipping sauce.

In the garden, pruning which has been going on for a couple of weeks will be finished soon.  I do all I can on my own, and then I make an appointment with The Calm One.  After a few cancellations and reschedulings, we come together, me armed with a pointer--not that one, this one and cut above the swollen bit, that is, the collar--and him with everything else: ladder, lopers, saws, ropes, and a very business-like attitude.

The Box Elder which enjoys a serious flirtation with various wires strung along the street--hovering just underneath them with its plentiful buds insinuating eventual luscious summer growth when a full-blown affair could happen--takes our animated discussion as to the fate of its limbs in stride as if it knows love will conquer all, and it will some day have a rendezvous with those tempting wires.

The Calm One rigged up a rope set-up with my pulling down at one end so when he completed the pruning cut the large limb did not crash into the wires or on the car parked below.  Success!  Perhaps now we will be left in peace during the summer when various work bombers descend on the quartier, 'suggesting' our tree's affection for the wires must be tamed with butchery pruning done in the wrong season.

The Box Elder was no exception to the abuse done to the trees during the ten years prior to our moving here.  The collar which contains wound-healing chemicals is still trying to knit over an inconsiderate pruning cut done years ago.

The Box Elder's main crotch is where Dayo likes to snooze.

Spring is also the time when promises made to crowded and ill-placed plants are kept.  I pledged the whole block bed to the rhubarb in a weak moment late last summer.  As the two plants looked up at me from their wedged-in corner of the bed I could see they had not forgotten my word.

I first carefully spaded around the rhubarb to determine the depth and width of the hole needed to be dug--the hole needs to be a few inches wider and deeper than the plant.  Soil was then filled into the space around the transplant and firmed.  Lastly, the rhubarb was watered thoroughly.

The compost in the red crate was put in the bottom of the hole and mixed into the soil.

And when I did the rounds, their long-lost sibling hurriedly planted in a not-so-sunny spot in the front garden made it known that it wants out of the darkness and into the light.  It arrived with the other two in a shipping box several years ago and pines for a family union.

Soon, little one, you will join the others!

If all this exuberant budding and birdsong were not enough clues that spring has sprung then Dayo pulling his first all-nighter of the season is indisputable proof that Spring is officially here.  Early the next morning The Calm One opened the sous sol and in dashed the Prodigal Cat.  So knackered he was, he slept most of the day.

Gallivanting all the night apparently is thirsty work.

ASHOO! (Yet another clue, oh, dastardly spring allergies!)  Ooops, I meant, à bientôt!

RELATED POSTS/LINKS

Pruning Guidelines 
Joe Pastry on frying is more like steaming
Roasted Broccoli Parmesan Bechamel Soup 
Composting