Spied this in our village.
Very tempted.
JamieOliver.com
Ispiring times at the moment. On the Easter weekend we were invited to lunch at Liz, Joe and Ryan’s at Domaine O’Vineyards to meet up with Danny McCubbin, the editor of jamieoliver.com. Danny and his photography assistant Anthony (both Aussies!) were travelling around the South of France and stopped by to taste some of the wines and produce from our region.
They’d been filming a luncheon the day before at the ‘La Barbacane’, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Hotel de la Cite,
a grand hotel situated within the walls of La Cite, the medieval city located inside Carcassonne, and were now out to see what gets served at a local ‘vigneron’s’ table amidst the vineyards.
I’ve got to admit that I was quite nervous about the whole thing (and I’m not even the winemaker! – can’t imagine how Benji must have been feeling), but once we’d met up with Danny and Anthony, I felt much better! They are great guys – so sincere and laid-back yet incredibly inspiring when you listened to what they get up to for the site and in their personal time. It’s inspiring to meet people like this who are so motivated to help and educate others. I know I was shaking at the knees beforehand, but inside I had been thinking that anyone working for Jamie Oliver would have to be cool as well as full of energy, and I was right.
It was a delightful afternoon, full of delicious nibbles and dishes prepared by Liz (would LOVE the recipe for your spicy sauce Liz!)…
And all of it washed down with wines by a few of us local producers: Domaine O, Domaine de Chamans and Benji’s…
Over the course of our marathon lunch some particular highlights in the wines for me were: Hegarty Chamans Blanc Minervois 2008, Trah Lah Lah 2008 and Benji’s Minervois 2010 and his St Chinian Organic 2009.
Thanks to everyone involved in the afternoon – we had a wonderful time.
a bientot!
….pssst, anybody there?
Well, it has been a while since my last post!?!!
School holidays, in-laws staying (more kitchen tips for me), birthdays, business dinners and tastings, Carnaval, unearthing village treasures. The time just goes!?! I’ve so many photos in my camera, it’s starting to belch from indigestion.
And the amount of wine bottles being ferried to the bottle bin… it’s embarrassing. Though come to think of it, it always is.
Much to catch up on and share so please stay tuned!
blossom dearies, everywhere!
Brrr it’s still chilly, but the countryside is beautiful with all this blossom! The Minervois is dotted with these beautiful trees and in the sun-filled afternoons, their relief amongst the landscape provides for the most magnificent views.
Putting your nose right into the flower, the smell is of intense honey. Benjamin thinks they smell of beeswax. He’s right. If I close my eyes and sniff, I’m propelled straight into an old shop full of antiques!
It’s all too tempting… I just had to pick some for home!
still time left for Winter food!
Here I am, sat at the computer, trusty old ugg boots on my cold feet (can’t knock the Aussie out of this girl – thanks Mum for retrieving them out of the bin in Oz) and a roaring fire in the potbelly to my left. Nearly all the vines in the area have now been pruned, the days still mostly crisp amd summer seems an eternity ago! It’s hard to imagine the abundant green leaves and plump fruits of the summer vines now that they’re bald and trimmed… BUT the days are longer and the blossom’s bright petals around the landscape signal Spring approaching. Before too long the leaves will be sprouting all over again! So now is the time to make the most of what’s left of the cold and enjoy some winter meals!
I have a trusty mother-in-law who provides me with ideas for new dishes (is she worried her only son won’t be eating well enough?!), and the first time I cooked this was last Autumn (ahh, the beautiful Minervois Autumn! – for a glimpse, see below).
This recipe is perfect for the Autumn/ Winter chill! It’s a braised cabbage dish, that you leave simmering slowly on the stove for a few hours. I bought the baby cabbages at our local Tuesday market from Valerie, an organic producer whose beautiful garden we visited a few months ago. It’s a luxury having access to such amazing produce. Her stall is one of my regular stops on Tuesday market day as her produce is so fresh and delicious – and after seeing her garden I’m in awe of how much hard work goes into filling her baskets of food each week. And no matter how frosty the market mornings get at this time of year, Valerie always has a huge smile and happy to share recipes. Merci Valerie! p.s. her home-made jams are worth trying too – especially the Muscat Jelly which is an incredibly good partner to aged ‘fromage de brebis’ (ewe’s milk cheese)
Here’s how I make the VERY SIMPLE braised cabbage:
+ Cut cabbage up into quarters (or halves if small) and steam for about 15 mins. Remove. ( this step is quite important if you suffer unwanted gaseous situations!)
+ In a heavy frypan or cast iron cooking pot, fry a couple of thinly sliced onions until golden in sunflower oil.
+ Add about 250g of chunky ‘lardons’ pieces (bacon) and fry together until browned.
+ Place cabbage pieces on top and cover with lid and cook on very low heat for about 2 hours.
Serve this on its own for a simple lunch dish, or with pan-fried crumbed veal. If you want something lighter than cabbage, use ‘endives’ instead. I think we call these ‘witlof’ in Australia? No need to parboil!
Whether you’re eating this on its own or with an accompanying meat, this tastes delightful when paired with a crisp, dry white. We often serve this with Benjamin’s Picpoul de Pinet 2009… which we actually enjoyed with friends last night!
The Vigneron's Wife 