Happy thanksgiving to all! Which is a uniquely American holiday, and which I love to prepare for friends in France. For our post today, we are of course going to be talking about food.
Have you ever been to a French marché? You may have drooled over Les étals (stalls) groaning with the most gorgeous vegetables you've ever seen, and lingered over a dazzling display of fruit. But here's what I've always wondered: when and how do the French EAT all these veggies, and in such grand quantities? French meals are decidedly meat-heavy.
With these abundant markets, it's easy being a vegetarian in France, except when you go out to eat. I am a vegetarian, or rather a semi-pescatarian; if I didn't eat fish, I might perish from hunger at French restaurants. To be fair, that's slowly changing; the French chefs are finally becoming enlightened, offering up more veggie choices.
I am married to one of those pesky carnivores, with a French attitude. So he alone gets meat at least a few times a week, chez nous. Which makes cooking a challenge, but over the years I've learned to manage two diets with a minimum of effort. If the thought of divergent diets overwhelms you (as it did me, at first), here are des astuces: some tips. And they are tofu-free.
Have you ever been to a really good steak house in the US, where they typically have such a mouth-watering list of sides that you want to order them all? And even the meat-eaters dig into them, even before cutting their steaks? I use those for my inspiration. At most meals I try to make at least one delicious side dish--which is what I eat for my dinner--and then sometimes I cook a piece of meat on the side, for Ron. A scrumptious salad is always an option too.
I have my list of veggie sides (or main dishes) that please us both. Think baked mac and cheese; fried rice, rich with eggs and lots of veggies; a tomato and zucchini tart; a spinach/red onion quiche; fresh asparagus with brown butter, almonds and bread crumbs; a cheese and black bean enchilada casserole; a mushroom bourguignon; a luscious French vegetable gratin--you get the idea. Keep a list of the veggie side dishes and gratins you really love, and feature them. Pasta dishes are especially vegetable friendly. Who doesn't love a spinach and mushroom lasagne? Also note that with some casseroles, it's easy to add meat to half of it. An example is a Chicken (or turkey!) Divan, which is layers of chicken and broccoli and a rich cheese sauce. Just leave the chicken layer off, on one side of the casserole dish, and you've got a vegetarian meal.
The other tactic is to use minimal meat, just to flavor a dish. Just a bit of bacon, ground beef, or ham can transform a pasta, rice, or veggie dish.
My resident meat-lover has been known to order vegetarian dishes at US restaurants, because they are so tempting there. I make note of these, and try to make them at home. Ethnic restaurants seem to do the best job of this.
Like this week, when we went to an Italian restaurant. He bypassed the boulanaise sauce, the moradello, the proscuitto, the veal, in favor of a mushroom ravioli with tomato cream sauce that sounded so enticing that everybody at the table ordered it. And it was delicious! Trying to copy it at home, I skipped the homemade ravioli for fresh refrigerated pasta, and it was still yummy (and super easy). Make if for a post-Thanksgiving meal that won't keep you in the kitchen long, when you've overdosed on leftovers.
Here's a photo of the ravioli--my copycat version is below.
Bon appetit, y'all! And on this day I'm particularly thankful for my loyal readers who have stuck with me these many years!
RECIPE: Ravioli with Tomato Mushroom Cream Sauce
This is an approximation of the wonderful Italian dish we had. It serves two.
- 1 small onion, chopped, or a shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 8 oz (250 grams) cremini mushrooms
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- a dozen grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth, white wine, or a mix of broth and wine
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 packed cups of baby spinach
- 1 8 oz (500 gram) package cheese ravioli ( or your favorite kind. Toretellini works just as well).
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Sauté the onions and mushrooms in olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes in a large skillet, until mushrooms are cooked thorough (if they give off more liquid than will evaporate, drain mixture in a colander, then return to pan and finish cooking). Add the garlic and the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chili flakes, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper, and stir for another minute.
Meanwhile, cook ravioli, per package directions, drain, and set aside.
Add the broth/wine and the tomato paste to the skillet, stir, and reduce for a couple of minutes on a slow boil. Then add the cream, bring back to a simmer, and add the spinich. Cook and stir until spinich is just wilted; this will only take a couple of minutes. Stir in half the parmesan and then the ravioli, just to heat. Dish it out into pasta bowls and top with remaining parmesan. If it's handy, a little chopped basil on top would be welcome.
In the COMMENTS: Paula, grandkids seem to be the number one thing that keeps folks attached to a particular spot—and understandably so. Not an issue for us, since ours are far away in Australia, but I certainly understand the pull. I think in fact you are living the dream, if not the one you envisioned. Monty, thank you for your enlightening comment—readers should know that you and Ali were a huge help to us, in making the leap to move. Candi, yes I also thought that photo said so much! Christine, I admire your resolve to give up the news, but I haven’t been able to do it—I sometimes wish I could (and I love Louise Penny). Bonnie you are a kindred spirit, as is Tom, a loyal reader who’s journey from the US to France I have followed over the years. Martin and Natalia, je suis d’accord--it’s hard to over-emphasize the importance of learning the language.
Favorite READS: If you liked the last post, you might enjoy Karen McCann's post, "5 Things We've Learned about Living Abroad. Karen and her husband are expats living in Seville. Natalia has a Christmas gift idea for your favorite sugar addict (of which I am one), Life’s Sweetest Moments, by a famous French pastry chef. Her description in the Comments will make you want to run out a scarf up a copy.