Seafood feast

Starting from mid October when the weather cools down, I like to go to the fish market at Biarritz. There are lots of different shellfishes and fat sardines, a wonderful feasting time, especially with friends.

Oyster FIne Claire

Oyster Fine Claire, I prefer this roundish type of oyster than the Pacific type of oval ones. It is the original variety in France, the flesh is thin with good flavor.

shrimp Bosquet

Shrimp Bosquet, the only live shrimps available in France, they are small, the flesh is firm and sweet. I blanch them in boiling water until curl up, around 15 seconds.

scallops

Scallop, only available alive in the winter months, and better in the beginning of the season than the end (Jan-Mar) when they start to form orange corals, always sweet and tender. I brush olive oil and sprinkle some salt, bake at 200˚C for 10 minutes.

mussels on charcoal

Mussel, from Northern France near Mount St Michel, very small flesh and full of flavor, bbq until slightly charred on the edges.

grilled squid

Squids, cleaned and grilled, no need to add any seasoning, their natural taste is delicious enough.

sardines

grilled sardines

Sardines, finally they are fatty, according to the fish monger, they are the best in the coming 3 months. Later on they will produce eggs and will be less oily.

Stew beef cheek

 beef cheeks

 

The organic cow farmer who cut grass on our land to feed his cows in winter, gave me 2 beef cheeks to cook. Nice to think that these cheeks are from cow that have been fed on our grass.  

Stew beef cheek broth

I make a broth with onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cloves, dry figs, miso and salt. Simmer the cheeks in the broth with some liqueur for 15 minutes, transfer to a slow cooker to slow cook until tender, around 5 hours. 

Stew beef cheek

I like these cuts of meat, full of flavor and collagen, cheap to buy and easy to cook, and one cooking serves 3 meals for 2 persons.

Baby carrot and beetroot

Every year some vegetables grew well and some not that well. This year it is root vegetables like carrot and beetroot that did not have a good time, they seems to stop growing during summer and hence stayed small like baby vegetables. I am clearing the ground now and have to lift them all up. This is why I like to grow many different types of vegetables every year.

Baby carrot and beetroot

Washed and shaken with some olive oil, they are simply baked at 180˚C until soft, around 30 minutes, my way to taste their natural flavors.

Seared qunice

Seared qunice

Instead of using quince in making jam or in dessert, I also tried to used it to accompany savory dishes. Cut into chunks and seared in butter like apple, browns well, and the denser and firmer texture make them easier to handle. 

Seared qunice with lamb and cream sauce

They have a mild sour taste and a texture like a less solid potato, tasty and filling.

Baked cheesy mix vegetables

Baked cheesy mix vegetable

I can still find some sun loving vegetables from the garden, a couple of small eggplants, bell peppers, some runner beans, not enough to make a dish on its own. Combine together I could prepare a colourful baked vegetable dish.

1. Cut vegetables into bite size cubes, season with salt, pepper and sour cream (for some moisture). 

 mix vegetables

2. Place in a baking dish and grate cheese on top. Bake at 180˚C until cheese turns golden and vegetable cooked, around 25 minutes.

Quince crumble

quince

I am reading the new book by Dave Goulson, The Garden Jungle, and on chapter 2 is a recipe for Quince crumble. He describes quince as a very fragrant fruit with complex flavors and feel sorry that this fruit is not well appreciated.

I only know quince being used in making jam (Membrillo in Portugal) and do the same for the few harvest from my own young tree, I failed to associate this fruit as being fragrant.  

Quince crumble

So I made this crumble to serve with friends, we all agreed that it has a little bit more flavor and texture than apple or pear.

1. Peel quince, cut into roughly 1cm cubes, mix with a little lemon juice and zest, sugar. Cook in a little water to soften, for 5-15 minutes depending on how hard it is.

2. Place in baking bowl to cool down. 

cooked quince

3. Make crumble mix:

 1/2 portion mix nuts roughly chopped, 1/2 portion flour, sugar, 1/3 portion butter and a pinch of salt.  Rub butter with flour sugar and salt then mix in chopped nuts. Form into lumps and keep in the fridge.

3. Just before baking, place lumps of crumble mix on top of cooked fruit, bake at 200˚C until crumble golden, around 15 minutes.

Smoke salmon potato cake

Smoke salmon potato cake

Need to prepare a snack for friends driving from far away to stay with us for the night. Not knowing exactly when they will arrive in the evening, I decided to use the quite salty smoke salmon to make potato cakes. They just need 15 minutes to reheat and ready to serve as a tasty and filling dish. 

Smoke salmon potato cake

1. Boil potatoes until soft, crush roughly.

2. Cut smoke salmon into small cubes, mix with potato, use a big spoon to form round thin cakes.

3. Brush olive oil on both sides, bake at 200˚C for 15 minutes.

Autumn fruits

Left home in early October when autumn just arrived, came home after 2 weeks and the cold and humid condition of autumn has settled. 

Happily there are still fruits on the trees. 

tree tomato

unripe fruits of tree tomato

This is tree tomato, a native South American fruit, I got the seeds from Ecuador 2 years ago. The fruit is deep red when ripe but is sour, usually made into a refreshing drink.

persimmon tree

persimmons

Persimmon is a beautiful fruit tree, the leaves are thick, large and shiny, no pest here and no need any care at all. Fruits are ready in October, sweet and firm at first, great to eat as such or add into salad.

pomegranate

This pomegranate tree is grown from seed taken in Sicily around 10 years ago. It started to have flowers a couple of years ago and this year finally set fruits. I counted a total of 8 fruits on the tree, only these 2 are of medium size, the rest very small, summer not long enough here for them. 

apple Vermillon d'Espagne

Apple tree Vemillon d'Espagne, produces small fruits with deep red skin, mature late, good crunchy texture, great to eat and to look at.

crab apple tree

I planted a few wild apple trees (crab apple) around the orchard, to attract pollinating insects. Every winter they bear a whole tree of small apples, such a cheerful view, and good food source for wildlife.  

Scampi

One of the treat in Rovinj is live scampi, from the coast on the east side of Istria. Having a good relationship with the fishmonger is important, to be informed of the arrival and we could request to hold certain quantity to be pick up soon.

scampi

One kg is a good portion for 2 persons, I can even ask for mainly medium size ones. The very big ones could be tough and small ones are a lot of work.

They are blanched a few at a time, in a big pot of water with salt and ginger, for 2 to 3 minutes according to size.

The claws are cut up and boiled with more ginger and white pepper to make a simple bisque.

Plaice fin muscles

Plaice

Bought a decent size plaice in the fish market in Rovinj, slightly salted it for half a day, bake at 200˚C for 10 minutes and rest with oven door ajar for another 5 minutes.

Plaice fin muscles

The flesh is tender, but not as waxy as turbot. The best part of flat fish for me are the fin muscles, pretty, juicy and have a good texture.

Istrian Cepes, Croatia

Istrian Cepe

After a couple of rainfalls, the Istrian central mountainous area is full of mushrooms. I can't find any cepes in the walk the other day, but in the market in Rovinj, there are a lot for sales, very good quality, meaning picked just as they come out of the ground and not attacked by slugs yet.

Istrian cepes

I simply cut them up into 1cm slices, sear in olive oil and served with a sprinkle of salt and slightly cooked parsley. I have to admit that the flavor is very mild, unlike what I used to have in France.  

seared cepes

Autumn in the forest, Delnice, Croatia

Countryside east of Istria, Croatia

Drove to east of Istria to near the town Delnice to walk and admire autumn colour in that valley. 

Delnice, Croatia

An easy walk in the forest in Japlenski Vrh park near Delnice bring such a pleasure, for the eyes with the beech leaves changing colour. 

Japlenski Vrh beech forest

Japlenski Vrh beech forest

Most amazing is that the ground is scattered with so many mushrooms, of all types, different colours and shapes, unbelievable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A unique place, Rovinj, Croatia

Rovinj old town

I have been coming to Rovinj every year for the last 15 years, during shoulder seasons, for its relaxed seaside atmosphere. Also for the nice cycling path along the coast right outside the town, able to step out of the harbour in the centre for kayaking, and for the little market that sells locally grown and foraged greens and fish stalls selling local caught fresh wild seafood. 

View from Park Hotel bar

It has a small classic old town centre with fishermen's cottages and some grand buildings. In recent years, on the outskirt of the town a couple of 5 stars hotels were built, on new grounds or replacing outdated buildings. Both hotels are within easy walk from the centre, both were done in subtle style, blending in well with the environment. 

Park Hotel

one of the restaurants at Park Hotel

This latest one, Park Hotel, in front of a marina, is amazing. Covered with glass, wood and lots of trees and shrubs, it is not at all an eyesore at the seaside. 

Park Hotel

The terraced design ensured that every room has a small garden in front and the roof covered with plants. 

dessert

The roof top bar offers a panoramic view of the old town and the coast. The 3 restaurants serves grill, local and international cuisines, dishes are well made and at very affordable prices.

evening view from Park Hotel

This little town is a gem in my mind.