Confit onions.

Confit is a French word that is used to mean something cooked long and slow either in it's own fat or butter. I didn't take pictures of the onions in the pan as I have a stinking cold and the onions were making my eyes and nose stream! Not good to cooking you may think, but I needed something warm and comforting and this seemed like a good idea.
I started with four large onions and 30g of butter. A teaspoon of salt, half tsp of black pepper and a tsp of sugar (I used 2 because I like it sweet).
Cook over a very low heat for at least 2hours. You know it's ready when the onions finally start to brown. That's where the delicious flavour comes from.  This is a small Kilner jar so shows how much the onions have reduced.

I left about two tablespoons in the pan with some of the butter and added a beef stock cube, a little water to make a soup and about half a cup of sherry. Brandy is usually used or sweet sherry. I had neither so instead used Shaoxing rice wine and it was delicious.

I toasted some french bread topped with cheese and soaked it in the soup. This was total comfort food and possibly even better for a rubbish cold than anything else.

The jar of onions will keep in the fridge for a least a week and can be used instead of stock cubes or  in sauces. I'd like to try using more sugar and less butter next time to make a proper sandwich chutney as that's a favourite of mine with cheese and ham :D

More from France.

The weather has been so windy and stormy in England this week that it's quite difficult to remember back to the quiet, gentle days of our stay in France. There are times since I've been back that I've almost been overwhelmed with longing for the peace and solitude - soon we'll return.

The warm still evenings, sat outside with a bottle of Blonde as we watched the sunset

and the crisp sunrises, damp with mist and dew

as the sleepy Hamlet slowly woke up with little hurry to start the day.

We foraged in the woods and used the bounty there to make our food delicious.

Pork, apple and chestnut stuffing for a very delicious roast.

The sunsets were amazing, even as the mist descended, dragons roamed the skies.

Nearby was the holy well of Saint Germaine. A whole day is celebrated in his honour and the Hamlet is overrun with visitors.

Generally speaking, Christian wells are usually created at the sites of ancient springs, sometimes dedicated to much older deities (dare I say Pagan?). I found the original spring and where it burst out of the undergrowth. We followed it.

The woods around the spring were abundant in all things from mushrooms to whole carpets of fat juicy chestnuts.

The pathway was well used and further along we followed some very large hoofprints. Someone had ridden a big horse along here.

After a spell under heavy undergrowth, the spring emerged and grew into a small river. This was the beautiful light under the heavy autumn canopy.

Where the trees thinned out we heard wolves. Thankfully they were the other side of the clearing and heading away from us. It was a special moment, but I wasn't ready to meet them.

My companion wanted to know what I was photographing. "Nothing!" I fibbed ;)

The Fly Agaric were quite impressive and I did expect to see a fairy or two. I wonder if they're very different to English fairies???

It doesn't look so impressive here, but we called this the 'Indiana Jones' bridge as it was above the river, rickety and ready to collapse at any moment. We still used it to get across though. The horse had waded through and up the bank. I don't blame him!

Back home I had to dry my boots out as they were thoroughly soaked and so were my feet!

I may have a few more pictures to share before I give in and stop daydreaming about another place. My home needs some work, especially in the garden which looks like a tornado stopped for a visit!

Walking over water.

We crossed the ocean and walked in another land.  Although the day was damp and misty, the beauty of Fougeres was not dimished in any way at all. We sat in the shadow of the castle and ate home made pasties and crisps.

The castle was so beautiful but we could only explore outside as it was closed for the winter.

There were still plenty of places to walk and explore, although these stairs were so very steep and I stayed close to the wall!

This little French cat tried to come with us, oh, she was adorable <3

Amid all the grey was a beautiful splash of colour.

Our home for the week was an enchanting little Breton cottage, set amid a sleepy Hamlet.

I fell so in love with this place.

We had our morning tea in the sun

and cooked lovely meals in this kitchen.

We walked for miles through valleys and towns, but mostly we took time to rest and think.....

I love nature more.

No words speak more clearly than these.

Soupe de couenne.

Well, my version, at least.
Preserved pork skin     or bacon rinds    or lardons.
Dried mixed beans, soaked overnight and then boiled for 10 minutes and simmered for 20minutes.
Garlic and onions to taste
This is a good,  basic French dish.  Filling and nutritious on a cold Autumn night.

Here is where the recipe  changes a little according to taste (ie. my tex/mex spin)
Tomato puree        chicken stock       white wine      Sharp cheese or cheddar

Fry the chopped bacon skins/lardons along with the onions until crispy and almost caramalised. Transfer to an oven proof dish or stew pot.

 Then fry the beans and garlic until crispy. Add to the stew pot, or casserole and cook until thick and wholesome, unless going down the adventurous route!

Add tomato puree, home made chicken stock and some white wine.

Add to the oven dish and mix with the lardons. My chicken stock was homemade so had chunks of chicken, carrots and celery in it.

 Pour in the beans and tomato puree.  Top with sharp cheddar and bake for 30 - 45 minutes until thick and chunky.

Serve with crusty bread. And enjoy :D

Bacon - part 2

It worked! It may not win any prizes for the prettiest piece of meat, but by golly it tastes good!
The fatty bits will be used as a sort of lardon while the top piece will be sliced for big, chunky rashers.

 I sliced off some thin pieces to fry, just to be sure it was ok of course ;) and it was amazingly delicious. I know this will barely last the weekend, but I'm hoping to cook a sort of Soupe d'haricots couennes, which uses primarily pig skins. I'll use the lardons and some of the skin with a big pot of beans.

I doubt my recipe will be true to it's origins as I do like to mess around with ingredients, but I'm sure it will be good and hearty.

Silly me!

Sunday was glorious. We went on one of our best walks along the coast and then inland a bit towards a little Inn by the harbour.
Two boys finding lots to sniff at in the long grass. Manchee likes to hunt little creatures, but rarely catches anything!

 Walley prefers a more wild approach to the water. This little freshwater stream runs into the sea and gives the boys a chance to wash off and have a drink.

 A quick gallop,

 and then it's our turn to sit on the harbour wall and have a drink of our own. Manchee was so chilled out, in the sun watching other dogs play in the mud. It's not his thing to get too wet and sticky!

 A rare picture of me at work with Finn and Bamban while the roast cooks. I had a sudden idea!

What would happen if I put some Alpaca wool into the water that I'd cooked the beetroot in? Well, not a lot. I used vinegar as a mordant but the colour was weak, so I added a few drops of red food dye (it was all that was left, to be honest). Still not much uptake.

Finally, I just boiled it for a bit and hoped for the best. It's a kind of pale apricot, but I'm thinking the colour would have been better had the fleece not been so saturated with dirt, despite my many washings.
I don't think I'm very good at dyeing and clearly need loads more practice! Or maybe a good book on natural dyes for Christmas (hint!)

  

However, the dinner was excellent and the roasted beetroot, in my opinion, the star of the dish :D

Bacon.

I haven't cured pork for bacon for a very long time, but after my dear companion served me some of his home cured bacon, I realised I needed to make it again. 

Armed with a selection of salts, juniper berries, demerara sugar and Hughes preserving book, I tackled a piece of pork loin. Loin makes a sort of back rasher but for streaky, you need a good piece of belly pork.
I bashed the juniper with some of the salt to release the flavours.

Put all the ingredients in a large bag and mixed well. The pork was coated well with a fifth of the mix and left overnight in the fridge in an airtight box.

The next day, a good amount of fluid has come out and the meat is starting to look darker. It won't take on that pinky bacon colour as that comes from the pink salt which has been linked to some forms of cancer. I'm just using kitchen and sea salt.

After draining the first lot of water, another layer of salt mix has been rubbed all over the pork and then it's back in the fridge for another 24hours.

Today the weather is glorious and although we'll take the dogs to the coast later, right now, I need to tackle some long overdue jobs in the garden. I may even get more fleece washed :D

Shawl progress and weaving.

The shawl is progressing slowly and now looking the way it should. (edited to add, this is the same picture as before, doh! but it is getting bigger, honestly!)

The loom is now up and working and I love the colours of the weave. This will be a Christmas present for someone :D

These are the colours of the wool and it's not something I spun myself as it would have taken too long to get it finished in time. Especially as I have so many other spinning and knitting projects in the bag!

As soon as I saw this wool, I knew instantly who it would be for as she wears these colours a lot. She also doesn't read my blog, so I'm quite safe ;)

Tomorrow, I'll be making bacon!!!