A Walk in the Woods

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Néflier

The wonderful weather continues, even if it is a little late in the day for the local tourist industry.


A walk in the woods is a delight. This time of year is always great for wild food but I have never seen so many medlars.

It appears to have been  bumper year for he wildlife as well and there is a group of 17 wild boar (a sounder apparently) at large, who have already severely injured 3 hunting dogs. (Although I do wonder which hunter had time to count them and still not succeed in shooting any!) Hunters are behind every tree, it can certainly make you jump when strolling thorough the woods to hear someone calling your name and then suddenly appear from behind a tree wielding a gun…


It also makes me smile when you’re driving to the baker’s on Sunday morning and greeted along the way by more gun-wielding men dressed in fluorescent jackets, certainly wouldn’t have happende in St Albans!



Another bonus at the moment are the glorious sunrises and sunsets, I am taking my camera with me everywhere, don’t want to miss another beautiful moment.

Sew long

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Sew long

So I have this lovely long wool winter coat donated to me by my step-mother, it’s very “French Lieutenant Woman” , which is why I have managed to pretty effectively destroy the lining, wafting about in it and catching it on door handles, my feet etc. (yes, I’m not really designed for elegance!).
Anyway, this coat has been in my car for going on for 2 years, why? Well the seamstresses place is not exactly conveniently placed and the opening hours are what you might call flexible. On one occasion there was  a note saying back in 10 minutes which gave me some hopes, but after 20 minutes I gave up. So the other day I was amazed to see the door open, hurray! Unfortunately when I went in the lady there (in her 60 s) said she was only the daughter of the seamstress  and that she was not allowed to take items in in the absence of the boss. “OK how long will she be?” “Not sure, she’s gone shopping, she’s already been a while.” So (although she wasn’t keen) I left the coat and said I’d do a bit of shopping myself and pop back (there’s not much shopping to be done round there to be honest, but needs must!).
Anyway when I got back “The Boss” was there and as is traditional in the more old fashioned shop she was less than welcoming, something I quite enjoy it’s a challenge to win them round and most warm up eventually, it’s just part of the rather taciturn character of people from round here.The conversation started predictably in the tutting and “big job that” style that everyone will recognise. She wanted me to buy the lining from Rodez 30 km away etc. Eventually she admitted to having “a few pieces of material” that might be suitable and started to try and open some of the 30 odd drawers she had, various bits of material where excitedly held up then rejected, the front of several drawers fell off, some received kicks and “gros mots” and eventually we came up with enough off cuts to do the job.

So when did I want it for? Well that’s a loaded question, if you ask for it too quickly you’re implying people have got nothing else to do, if you give too long you’re criticizing their skills, well we agreed mid October,  but I’m not to turn up without ringing first. We’ll wait and see, maybe for next winter?

Bio

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Just as in the UK, provenance and organic are buzz words that have made the move from the sidelines to the big pitch and there’s plenty of “bio” options in Aveyron, where the fact that it was until recently the “lost” department has meant that the small scale production and lack of money for expensive “imports” has meant that many never really strayed far from their culinary roots.


The majority of people in our village have a potager, in fact when they talk about a garden that’s what they mean, and they definitely talk about it! “What are you growing?” “how are your tomatoes doing?” “Are the chickens laying?”


There is also a tradition of the smallholder, the small scale producer and the exchange of surplus produce, so it is only natural that there has been a proliferation of niche producers and now these are getting together in various small co-operatives.


The nearest to us is called the Drive Fermier, and includes producers of pork, foie gras, organic vegetables, milk and the most fabulous, if expensive, ice cream.

http://aveyronbournazel.blogspot.fr/

http://www.drive-fermier.fr/centre-aveyron/

Organic veg and local honey at Cransac market

Autumn’s Bounty

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walnut

Whilst the weather is still more like August than October the autumn produce is available everywhere. People can be seen stopped at the side of every road collecting the walnuts and chestnuts that have fallen. The apples look wonderful and we’ve had just enough rain to produce the famous Aveyronaise mushrooms. But with the mild weather there are still plenty of melons, tomatoes and even strawberries around.

What’s also great is that everyone gets involved young and old; yesterday for example a friend of my son’s rang up to see if he wanted to go collecting chestnuts, pretty sure that sort of thing wasn’t on the agenda when I was 13!

This is not an area that naturally supports cereals or large scale cattle farming so the relevant holes in the diet have been filled by other things.

Chestnuts have always been an important part of the diet around here, supplying flour, and used in soups and cakes. Walnuts provide oil as well as being eaten in cakes, salads and au nature. Apart from the walnut oil, pigs, ducks and geese also provide fats for cooking and preserving. Traditionally cheese comes from sheep or goat milk, although this is changing these days.

A salad that is popular around here is : lettuce(something substantial in the endive style) with croutons, warm gesiers, walnuts, crumbled Roquefort cheese, and a vinaigrette made with walnut oil.

Walnut skordalia is similar to a pesto-ground walnuts and olive oil blend to form this magical paste.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of walnuts (shells removed and dry roasted on a hot pan for 5 minutes)
  • 1 cup of day old stale bread with the crusts removed-I used wholemeal sourdough
  • 4 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 2-3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • 1/4-1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Take your bread and dip it into some water-remove it immediately and squeeze out all the excess water.

Place the bread, garlic, dry roasted walnuts and red wine vinegar in a food processor and blend until it resembles fine bread crumbs or meal

With the food processor still running start adding your olive oil in a thin stream until a fine paste forms. (be wary not to add too much oil here)

Add salt and pepper to taste, mix well and transfer to another bowl.

Drizzle with a little olive oil on top

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/walnuts.html

http://www.aveyron.com/gastro/recette_noix.html

http://www.aveyron.com/gastro/recette_gesiers.html

http://www.chataignier-conservatoire.com/sauvegarde_vergers.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3458000619.html

To Market, to Market

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People arriving from the UK are always keen to visit a French market while they’re here, even people from other parts of France want to investigate the differences to their local markets.

The “go to” market around here is the Thursday morning market in Villefranche de Rouergue.
http://www.villefranche.com/fr/gastronomie-terroir/marches-terroir.php and it certainly is a magnificent market, picturesquely situated in a bastide town and maintaining a core of genuine local producers, but…..

For me real life is reflected more genuinely in the little local markets, why? Well let me see:

Let’s start with the basics, it’s easier to park! OK maybe not the best reason, what else? Well all markets will have several fruit and veg stalls, (including little local producers and at least one larger “professional” green grocer), a butcher, and a cheese stall. So there really is no need to waste, time and petrol going elsewhere. Plus a smaller market you use regularly allows you to develop a rapport with stallholders, which makes it a more pleasant experience and means that they are able to advise you based on your habitual purchases and to source things you might request.

My personal favourites locally are;
Montbazens on Wednesday mornings, which has 4 local veg producers, a lady selling pork products from her own local farm, two fruit and veg stalls, a local chicken producer, 2 cheese stalls, a fish stall, two butchers and a horse butcher. You can even buy aligot or paella for your lunch. Can’t see that you need much more!

Cransac is interesting, blink and you miss it, it’s Saturday 1 to 3! Even smaller than Montbazens, but still has local producers of, fruit, veg and honey, (including a local organic producer) and butchers and bakers if not a candlestick maker!

Cransac marketP1020842 P1020844 P1020847 P1020849
So support your local market and local producers and save some time in the car and money on petrol, what’s not to like?

A Gastronome in Aveyron 2

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So as well as the  Label Rouge for veau d’aveyron, there is one for the Agneau d’Allaiton d’Aveyron, lamb raised in traditional ways with its mother (herself fed a special diet) in Aveyron and in fact one of the main farmers has a base in our village  (http://www.allaiton.com).

One of the other big gastronomic treats of this area is everything duck and goose, ranging from confit legs to stuffed neck and the ever contentious foie gras.

 

The Gastronome in Aveyron 1

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Despite what I may say from time to time Aveyron can actually offer a lot to the lover of good food. there are some great restaurants and some great produce avaiable.

One of the first things that come to mind is “veau de Aveyron”. I often hear chefs on British TV saying that you can’t get rosée veal “on the continent” that dark land across the water! Well veau d’aveyron is one example of veal from calves raised with their mothers either outside or in large barns in bad weather, I see them happily gambolling (do calves gambol?) about whenever I go out. What’s more this is not new, I remember eating rosée veal in Auch 26 years ago. Below is the recipe taken from the official website.

Pour 4 personnes
> 700g de veau en morceaux (poitrine, collier
ou jarret)
> 2 verres de vin blanc
> 1 litre d’eau
> 1 gros oignon
> 3 carottes
> 30g de beurre
> 30g de farine
> 1 jaune d’oeuf
> sel, poivre
> 1 bouquet garni
Roti de veau, fond paysage segala  SAVEUR >  RECETTES

fleche Blanquette
de veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala
• Mettre les morceaux de veau
dans une casserole et couvrir
d’eau froide. Porter à ébullition
et écumer.
• Ajouter le vin blanc, le bouquet
garni, l’oignon émincé, les carottes
coupées en rondelles et assaisonner.
Porter à ébullition et cuire 1h30.
• Égoutter la viande, dresser dans
le plat à service et tenir au chaud.
• Faire un roux blond avec la farine
et le beurre, mouiller avec le jus de
cuisson et cuire 10 min. Lier avec le
jaune d’oeuf et verser sur la viande.
Faire réchauffer sans faire bouillir.
 Blanquette de veau d’Aveyron et du Ségala

temps de preparation 20 min
temps de cuisson 1h30
conseil

Pour une blanquette gourmande en texture et en goût, mélanger les morceaux avec et sans os, maigres et entrelacés.

Master baker

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Something that Brits find when they get here is their sudden elevation in the baking stakes. It must be said that locally there is not a great tradition of cake making and the famous French patisserie is not in great evidence. Even in the bigger towns you have to search out anything that departs from the Aveyronnaise. I have a friend who is from Alsace; a region that combines the best of German and French cake making, who also bemoans the quality of the local offerings. So a simple victoria sponge gets great praise. Around here English baking has a great reputation, although many are still convinced that we have problems getting bread, unless it’s white sliced.

 

Local food based specialities include: fouace , an extra dry madeira style cake, served with white wine at morning events sometimes saved by the addition of yeast and therefore more like brioche. Soupe de fromage, which is a kind of mixed up savoury bread and butter pudding, tripoux, stuffed stewed tripe, tête de veau, slow cooked calve’s head (I actually quite like that one!). The last two are traditionally served at celebration breakfasts, and the soupe de fromage in the early hours of a party or wedding to keep you going.

Soupe de fromage

 

 

 

Bakers, even those also calling themselves patisseries have limited selections; for example mixed fruit tart, which is basically a tin of fruit salad on a pastry base, or the prune pasty…….why? This means though that in my middle years I have suddenly become a great cake maker!

Before people get the idea that Aveyron is a gastronomic desert, think again, because you can eat very well here. I’m already working on that for the next post!