Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Preserving the Harvest: Courgette; Gardening continued....

2009-07-12T20:19:10+02:00

Nothing can strike fear into the hearts of a gardener like seeing a zucchini grow from 3 inches to 10 inches overnight.

Ideally, we should pick the zucchini when it's young and tender; but it only takes a moment of inattention for it to become a monster.

Fortunately, it freezes well.

I freeze it in 2 different ways:

To freeze for soup:

Peel or not, your choice: unpeeled leaves microscopic green flecks in the finished soup which can be quite pretty; peeled leaves the soup a creamy, pale green.

Roughly chop the zucchini and put it into a sauce pan with enough chicken stock to just barely cover. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let cool. When cool put into freezer containers or bags and freeze.

I freeze it in 2 cup portions.

Freezer bags work great - you can either lay them flat in the freezer or put them into a container to give them shape - removing when frozen.

To use for soup: Thaw or not. Saute a roughly chopped onion in 1 tbs butter in medium saucepan. When onion is tender add zucchini and 1/2 tsp of thyme. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Puree in a blender or use a stick blender. Add more chicken stock if needed to get desired consistency. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche; hot in winter, cold in summer.

Can also be added to other soups: Chicken Barley; Vegetable; Turkey Rice.... Pureed to thicken soup, or not.

To freeze for anything else:

Do not peel. Shred using large holes on box grater. Put into a freezer bag and freeze.

I freeze 1 1/4, 2 1/2, and 3 3/4 cup bags. The extra bit is for the liquid that you loose on thawing - if you want a cup of zucchini, freeze 1 1/4 cups.

To use: I toss into stir-fry's, casseroles, vegetable soups, anything where I want a bit more veg. I also use it on it's own in gratin's, and most of the recipes I use it for, fresh, in summer.

To store zucchini (courgette): Courgette will keep for 5 - 7 days in the refrigerator. Gently brush off any dirt but do not wash before storing. Take care to not damage the skin of bruise it.

Now for the confession: 3 zucchini plants gave us enough to eat it constantly for 2 months straight; freeze 12 containers of soup, and 30 packages of frozen, shredded courgette....

And, some for the compost pile....

Did I plant 3 again the following year?

No.

I planted 4 - 2 green and 2 yellow.... It's a sickness.....

Next week: Tomatoes

Barbecued Zucchini (Courgette); we've arrived; Weekly Menu

2009-07-10T19:14:22+02:00

It's official!

We live here.

Apparently, once the medical system of the Lot et Garonne decided to acknowledge our existence, it became fashionable for everyone else to acknowledge our existence.

This past week we have been inundated with adverts for fidelity cards, newspapers, cars, home repairs, gardening, everything a new owner of an old house could possibly want and then some.

Once the excessively slow wheel of the bureaucracy finally makes the turn everything else proceeds at breakneck pace.

Even the 81 euro check, that I mailed on Tuesday, to pay for our first trimester of coverage had cleared the bank by Thursday.

When mon mari checks back into the hospital on Monday I'll be able to give them the proper forms.

They'll be so happy to have their files all neat and orderly again....

I did mention that he was going back in on Monday....

We don't know why.

When we checked out 4 weeks ago they gave him a check-in form for his next admission.

And who says the French aren't efficient!

They didn't tell us why he was checking back in. I mean, as long as they know there's certainly no reason we have to know as well. We'll find out in good time. Have a little faith.

The docs don't really like to keep office hours. It seems that they just prefer to have the patients on site, snug in their rooms, so they can visit when they choose.

They don't really understand mon mari's obvious dislike of hospital stays. What's not to like? Lay around, watch TV and get waited on.....

He did explain it had something to do with the food.... And all the sick people....

I doubt he'll see this during his stay:

Barbecued Zucchini (Courgette)

1 medium zucchini, about 10 inches (25cm)
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
2 tbs ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs olive oil

In small bowl mix all ingredients except zucchini. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Do not peel first. Put rounds onto a plate and spoon a bit of sauce onto each side. Place directly onto grill of barbecue. Grill just until soft and starting to brown, 10 - 15 minutes, turning once. Remove and serve.

In addition to the above, for the week of July 10 we have Barbecued Salmon, Brined Cornish Hens, Roasted Potato Salad with Capers, Cobb Salad, Couscous....

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday. First two weeks FREE. (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners

Barley with Courgette (Zucchini) and Tomato; the Saga continues....

2009-07-08T20:15:22+02:00

Now.... Where was I....

Oh yes, France had closed for the Christmas holidays, leaving our change of address and all of our documents on some one's desk for eternity.

January comes.... And goes....

I've given everyone ample time to recover from their ski holidays so I start gently inquiring as to the status of our paperwork.

We are now past due on getting the license plates changed on our car, also. They still proudly claim affiliation with the Vendée. So we are perceived as tourists here in the Lot et Garonne; which is only a problem if the Gendarmes decide to check our paperwork.

We drive carefully.

Of course our driving licenses are also incorrect.

We drive very carefully.

I call the secrétaire.

Yes, I made a phone call to a French person (well, Russian person who spoke French).

I left a message. As it turns out she only works Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons in winter.

She called back the next week and said 'they were on the Prefecture's desk and should be signed soon.

This was Feb. 10. Our old ones expired on the 17th, which would make us illegal. I was starting to worry.

We got the new ones on the 17th; all nice and tidy.

They had decided to simply wait and do the annual renewal rather than an address change.

They could have told us.

Armed with our proof of legal residence we made the rounds once again.

Since we had gotten the list of required documents from CPAM (for the medical coverage) in November we thought that would be a snap.

I even remembered the rule to always forget to give them something so they have something to ask for that will be easy (They always ask for something you didn't bring.... Always!)

Apparently she wasn't impressed with my foresight. When I magically produced the first document she asked for, she shuffled the papers awhile, than asked for something totally unexpected.

Back home we go, file in hand.

The driving license and car plates were a first visit, so, naturally, we didn't have the right papers.

We went back the next week bigger files in hand.

Driving license and plates - all in order, here you are, thank you very much, no charge.

CPAM, after carefully scrutinizing every document, and asking for 2 more (that I had tucked away in my folder - HA!) they accepted the file.

This was on March 6th.

Mon mari went in hospital in the 25th.... without his proper papers. The French hate this - but, knowing their own bureaucracy, accept it without question.

At the end of April, still having heard nothing, we went back to CPAM. We met with the nice young lady who called the Powers That Be. Amazingly, someone had just looked at the file that very morning and, determining that it was incomplete, had sent the whole thing back to us. We should have it the next day.

We did.

They wanted one more piece of paper.

I copied it and sent it back.

In the meantime, we had gotten the required form from a doctor filled out for both of us as our primary doctor. We sent it in.

They sent it back, saying that we weren't in the system.

Then the file came back, saying that the doctor form was missing.

I sent the file and the doctor form to them... Again.

They sent the doctor form back again, saying that we weren't in the system.

I sent the doctor form back with a copy of the letter asking for it.

Mon mari was in hospital for his surgery and another 3 week stay....

Still without the proper paperwork.

Finally, a week ago we received a letter saying we had been 'accepted' into the medical system of the Lot et Garonne.

Did we change our address?

Or did we re-apply?

Yesterday we got the documents to actually get the little green card.... And the bill for the year.

Apparently, we are no longer indigent.

The hospital will be so pleased.

I was please with this... Yes, I'm still on a barley kick...

Barley with Courgette (Zucchini) and Tomato

2/3 cup (90gr, 10.5oz) 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
1 1/3 cups (320gr, 11oz) chicken stock (or more, depending on type of barley)
1 medium zucchini (courgette) about 8 " (20cm)
1 large tomato
1 medium onion
1/2 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs fresh basil
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp white Balsamic vinegar

Cook barley in stock until done, stirring occasionally. If all stock is not absorbed, drain.
Slice zucchini in half the long way and then into 1/4" (.6cm) slices. Slice the pepper into strips. Cut the onion in half, then slice. Mince the garlic. Cut the tomato into large chunks.
Heat medium nonstick over medium heat. Add oil, onion, pepper and sauté until starting to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and courgette and sauté until courgette starts to get limp, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, basil, cover and cook until tomato gets soft, 4 - 7 minutes longer.
To finish: When barley is done put into a medium bowl. When zucchini is done add to barley and gently stir in vinegar and serve.

With any luck we should have our green Carte Vitale in hand in, oh, another month or two.....

Tomato Consommé; Spy outed on Facebook; the update

2009-07-06T19:10:58+02:00

"007 outed in Facebook!"

A question:

Must one have intelligence to be in intelligence?

Answer:

Apparently not!

The wife of the new chief of MI6 - that's Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, just blew his cover on Facebook... Posting photos of their house, London flat, children, family, friends, diplomatic connections....

And the family has been posting congrats on his appointment on their Facebook Wall.

I am so in awe at the sheer stupidity of it all that I have nothing further to say on the subject.... Beating a dead horse and all that.

Instead, I'll update you on the sunflowers:

They don't actually turn with the sun, I'm observing, but face the sunrise.

The field is slowing transforming from green to yellow.

Every morning the dogs and I walk down to the field to appreciate the beauty.

Well, I appreciate it... They chase the bunnies....

The cabinet doors are in various states of gluing, varnishing, drying.

The bathroom window is having the glass replaced and being caulked.

There was actually a lot accomplished this week.... Just nothing finished.

One of the things we did was to get some bids on putting in stairs to the first floor.

Now we just have the stairs in the barn:

They're not in the best of shape:

The new stairs will be in the house, in the hall. Eventually we'll have 4 bedrooms and two bathrooms on that floor.

First, we have to clean up a bit.... All of this lovely insulation has to be removed and the whole thing cleaned before they cut the opening for the stairs.

We may have to give some thought to heating it as well - before winter.

We may also have to give some thought to repairing the barn stairs before we start using them in a regular basis....

I'm giving it some thought, anyway. Mon mari says if you walk on the edges it's perfectly fine....

What a guy~!

Summer started this week. Long, sunny days with the temps hitting 35C (95F).

Makes me grateful for our 2-foot thick stone walls!

This is a favorite 'it's too hot to cook' starter:

Tomato Consommé

25gr (.85oz) gelatin
1 cup (225gr, 8oz) beef stock
1 cup (225gr, 8oz) tomato juice
2 tbs Madeira
Fresh basil leaves

Heat stock in a saucepan. When boiling whisk in gelatin and whisk continually for 1 minute. Stir in tomato juice and let cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from separating.
To serve: Snip the basil. Gently stir half of the basil into the consommé. Spoon into pretty serving dishes and garnish with remaining basil.

Serve with something chilled and bubbly....

Garlic Dill Pickles; The Garden, part 4

2009-07-05T21:37:45+02:00

You laid it out carefully, planted, hoed, fertilized with your very own organic compost, watered, and now you get to the fun part: harvesting!

Wait a second....

I forgot a few things....

First, watering.

Your plants need water and lots of it.

They also need to learn to fend for themselves. You don't want them so dependent on you that you can't leave them alone.

If you water every day they will develop shallow roots and you'll have to water every day.

You do have to water the seedlings every day, but taper it off so you are giving the plants a good soaking every 3 - 4 days once their established. The roots will go deeper, looking for water and you'll be able to leave your garden unattended for the weekend.

Oh, and only water the plants, not the dirt... No need to encourage the weeds or waste the water.

Second, succession planting.

When you pull up the remains of your lettuce, plant some Swiss chard for late summer harvest. When the beans are done plant some autumn spinach. When the tomatoes are finished, plant some lettuce for late autumn salads. When you pull out the sweetcorn - don't.... Plant some more pole beans around the stalks.

Now, back to the harvest.

Years ago, before I had a garden, I would buy a bushel basket of tomatoes and one of pickles and one of green beans and so on.

I would then spend 8 - 10 hour days for a week or more canning, bottling, freezing and preserving.

With my own garden I can do 30 - 60 minutes a day, a few days a week and, like magic, my pantry and freezer are full to overflowing with very little effort.

Over the next few weeks I'll share the easy way.

Garlic Dill Pickles

For each quart jar (or in my case, ¾ litre) you need:

1 thick onion slice
2 cloves garlic
1fresh head of dill that has gone to seed or 1 tbs dill seed, or 3 tsp dill weed
1 tbs pickling or sea salt (do not use Iodized or rock salt)
1 tbs sugar
1/8 tsp alum
4 juniper berries
¼ tsp mustard seeds
2 tiny, dried, hot bird's eye peppers (about ½ inch long)
¼ tsp black peppercorns
1 small bay (laurel) leaf, broken

Put all of the above in a jar. Tightly pack in the pickling cukes. Pour over

½ cup white vinegar

Fill with boiling water, put hot rubber ring / lids on, seal and process in a boiling water bath, for 15 minutes.

To start, put your clean jars in a 250F (125C) oven for 10 minutes and leave them there until needed. Put the rubber rings or lids and rings in a pan of softly boiling water for 10 minutes.
While all that gets nice and sterile, scrub your gherkins.

Wipe the rims of the jars after packing and before sealing with a paper towel dipped in boiling water.

Cut everything in half for pints.

When my garden is in full production I picked the gherkins every three days and made 4 - 5 jars. After I had made 40 jars I quit - that is all we can eat in a year. I planted 6 groups of 3 vines each, in two rows - with the dill in the middles.

Savory Beef and Vegetable Kebabs;, the French Saga continues; Weekly Menu

2009-07-03T19:09:51+02:00

I've had a little, niggling worry at the back of my mind for the last several months.

When we left the Vendée, we made certain that we knew how to change our address for all the proper French governmental agencies.

Most of it could be be done online, but some, like our Carte de Sejour, needed to be done in person with the proper authorities in the new Département.

We got our file together: passport-size photos, copies of passports, Carte de Sejour, electric bills, contract for the house, birth certificates, marriage license, the dogs' passports, bank statements and the all important RIB - authorization for whoever to take money out our bank account. There might have been a few more papers....

I'm sure there were more papers....

We started making the rounds.

Now, remember, this is to change our address. We already live in France, pay French taxes, and are on the French medical insurance system. All we did was move.

We went to the local Mairie for the Carte de Sejour. We were given the list of documents we would need by the secrétaire (who happens to be Russian). The list was longer than when we applied for permission to live here.

Next we went to CPAM, the agency that handles the medical insurance. We were given the list of documents we would need, again, longer than the first time, and told not to come back until we had our new Carte de Sejour, from the correct Département, in hand.

This was in early November.

All we wanted to do was change our address.

About a week later we received a letter from CPAM of the Vendée canceling our medical insurance.

At least, that's what I thought it said.

I called a friend and official translator in the Vendée and read it to him.

He called The Powers That Be.

The next day he called back and explained that we had, indeed, been canceled....

But only from the contributory plan.

We'd been transferred to the free plan (for indigents, I guess).

It seems that, with the euro/dollar exchange rate becoming less favorable to the dollar, our income had fallen below the poverty level in France and we were no longer required to contribute the 150 some euros per year for our health coverage.

Worrier that I am, I hoped this wouldn't effect getting our Carte Vitale (the little green card that does everything for medical care) from the Lot et Garonne.

Yes, I know, we were just trying to change our address....

But, it felt like we were starting the whole 'getting permission to live in France' bit all over again.

This was all supposed to take a month.

Five weeks later, mid-December I went to see the secrétaire. Perfect timing, as at were.... They needed more documents.

I gathered the documents and took them to her the next day.... that she worked, which happened to be the following Monday.

I knew that we wouldn't see any activity for at least another month. No work is done in the 3 weeks or so surrounding the Christmas holidays.

It's like dropping your paperwork into a black hole.... It gets sucked in and disappears.

Fortunately, I had a good teacher when we moved here and I make a copy of every copy of absolutely everything I give to them.

Redundant, yes.

Sanity savor, bien sur!

In the meantime, this is when mon mari got the infection in his toe that started our recent odyssey.

Every time he took out his trusty little green card, whether at the clinic or at the pharmacy, it was examined, and he was told that 'he must apply for the proper card from the Lot et Garonne'.

Yeah, we know.... But we can't apply for the proper card because we still haven't gotten the address changed on our residence card because the entire bureaucracy is off skiing in the Alps until February for the Christmas hols.

And I'm still remembering that cancellation letter I got in November....

To be continued......

Have get to this gorgeous recipe - perfect for a 4th of July picnic this weekend....

Savory Beef Kebabs

These are best if prepared earlier in the day and allowed to soak up the flavors - plus it makes dinner a breeze! By doing the meat and some of the vegetables separately you can cook the skewers for different times: allowing the onion to get done to your liking without overcooking the beef.

12oz (350gr) beef loin or sirloin, cut into 1 1/2" (3.75cm) cubes
1/2 yellow, orange or red bell pepper save other half for Tuesday
1/3 green bell pepper use slightly more than 1/3 - we just want to save a bit for the Pilaf on Wednesday
1 red or sweet onion
1 small - medium zucchini (courgette) 8" (20cm)
6 - 8 mushrooms, large enough to be skewered
6 - 8 large cherry tomatoes
4 - 8 skewers, depending on length if wood, soak in water while preparing the rest Marinade
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs ketchup
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
Hot pepper sauce or red pepper flakes - optional too hot for me ;)

Put wooden skewers in water to soak.
In small bowl whisk together all ingredients for marinade. Pour over meat and let marinate for 20 - 30 minutes, or longer. Clean mushrooms, removing stems. Add to marinade.
Cut each half pepper into 1 1/2 " (3.75cm) squares. Peel and cut onion into 8 wedges. Cut zucchini into slices about 1/2 inch (1.25cm) thick.
At this point you can set it all aside while the meat marinates, or assemble the skewers and allow to marinate on the skewers.
To assemble: Remove meat and mushrooms from marinade. Put onions, zucchini and peppers in the marinade and stir to coat.
Thread meat, tomatoes and mushrooms onto half of the skewers, alternating.
Remove vegetables from marinade and thread onions, peppers and zucchini on the remaining skewers, alternating.
To cook: Start to cook the vegetable-only skewers first, over indirect heat with the cover closed. After about 7 minutes, lift cover and turn vegetables, moving over direct heat. Add beef skewers over direct heat. Cook for 6 - 10 minutes, or until beef is done to your liking, turning halfway through cooking time. Vegetables should be crisp-tender. Remove and serve with Basmati Rice or Couscous.

In addition to the above, for the week of July 4 we have the Yogurt Dipping Sauce for the Kebabs, Grilled Scallops, Spicy Barbecued Burgers, Honey Mustard Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf Salad....

For more recipes visit my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners

Note: I have started a forum on my Diabetes, Diet and Recipe blog....