Monday 5 February 2018

Send help


Reading and knitting, it must be winter. I do so love winter. Alicia put it well when she said, 'Nothing out there needs me.' I rewound my yarn which the puppy had messed up and I've started knitting again late at night when my brain is good for little else. Before, I was trying to knit with two great messy piles of wool and it put me off, having to do battle with it every time I did a couple of rows. Order is been restored now though and I'm away.

I'm reading Into The Water by Paula Hawkins. Not sure if I like it. I'm a bit confused to be honest. I don't always concentrate enough when I read and I lose track of who all the people are and what they've done. I could do with a list of them at the front of the book for reference. I've also been reading Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy, about productivity. I often find myself gazing out the window thinking about productivity. I am hoping Brian will help me with the whole concentrating and focusing thing.

I happened to be passing the churchyard today and I remembered to take some photos of the snowdrops. The winter sky looked lovely above the castle, all birds in bare trees and bunches of mistletoe.




There's an overgrown corner of the graveyard and every year it's covered in snowdrops. I just had the little camera with me, but you get the idea.





One last month of winter to enjoy before the things out there start needing me.

On another note, does anyone understand what the deal with paprika is? The biggest boy needed some for school cookery. It really tastes rather blah to me. Am I missing something? Do I not have the requisite taste buds? Fancy chefs are always waxing lyrical about smoked paprika and spiciness and warmth and on and on. I'm just not getting anything. It's a mystery. I don't understand parsley either. Coriander yes, delicious. Parsley, not feeling it. I have a feeling it's all too subtle for me. I need something unambiguous like a bit hit of lemon or a thuggish dried tomato.

We have a French student coming to stay later in the year. I fear I will have to up my game. Oven chips and baked beans will not cut the mustard. He has already written to say that in France the plates are very good. We have taken it to mean the food on the plates, although of course they may have very fine china as well.

I am in dire need of impressive yet simple recipes to appeal to the sophisticated French palate. Send help. But nothing tricky that will tip me over the edge (remembering of course that I permanently inhabit a place very near the edge as it is). I have paprika, if that helps.

30 comments:

  1. Poor paprika - it always makes me think of Michael McIntyre: 'Every day, I wonder if it is goulash day'! Having said that, I love the stuff; especially smoked. Not sure any of our veggie recipes would be suitable for your French student. Whenever we go to France we find that veggie meals are tricky to come by. French onion soup was eaten more than was good for us, and that was only if we didn't enquire too closely about the stock. Goodness knows how we'll get on now we're vegan. Your snowdrop photos are beautiful; I do love a nice cemetery. Happy knitting. xx

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  2. Dear CJ, I love parsley, particularly the curly stuff which seems to have more flavour than the Italian variety. I did think that a nice fritata with a good variety of veges and loads of cheese (especially French cheese) on top might go down well. How is Bertie? Still with a coat like velvet? Regards, Robyn

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  3. I have no suggestions for the French student, but I'm willing to guess that like most young men, he'll probably eat just about anything and lots of it, so I wouldn't worry too much. :) My mother used a lot of paprika (not smoked, I don't know whether that was a "thing" yet). I seem to remember it being a little spicy but also maybe a little bitter? I know she bought imported Hungarian paprika in a huge tin. I've never seen it where I live. I love the snowdrops! Wow, that's beautiful. I should think about planting some in my yard. I've given up on every other kind of bulb these days, but I haven't tried snowdrops yet.

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  4. I used paprika today in a new dish. The recipe called for sweet paprika, but I only had regular, so that is what I used and the sauce tasted fine. Maybe it would be sublime had I used sweet paprika!

    We have hosted two exchange students in the past few years, one from Germany, one from Japan (both female). Feeding them was my biggest concern, but I decided to cook for them the way I cook for my family, and they were happy. In each case it was their first trip overseas (I'm in the US), and I think they were thrilled to be having a foreign adventure, so it may not have mattered what I fed them. I did make sure they got to try traditional American fare, like burgers and pumpkin pie--not every single meal, of course, but here and there. I'm sure your French student will be happy with whatever you serve.

    Late night knitting is disastrous for me. When I knit, I must be wide awake and clear headed.

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  5. Maybe your paprika is old and has lost its taste.

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  6. I also find paprika a disappointment. we found our french students easy to feed, and charming to have. when my daughter did her french exchange student it turned out the students father was a alcholic and food was poor. sure it will be fine.

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  7. *LOVE* your Snowdrop photo.. so classic! Funny.. I was just tromping through the mud and grass to take a photo of my biggest patch of Snowdrops for my Wednesday blog post. As for the Paprika. You might need to toss your tasteless jar of it and get a fresh new one. My mom adored using it on potatoes and pasta salad and deviled eggs. I am now crazy about smoked paprika, it has one big punch of smoky flavor. You should get some. I'm kind of jealous of the exchange student.. I always thought it would be neat to have one. I agree with the others, feed them as you feed your own and that's the best way for them to learn your culture. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  8. I’d go with plates to mean fine china and content yourself with oven chips and baked beans. Very British. There’s always a new culinary fad. I blame Delia. I seem to remember a fad for capers in her day. Everything had capers. My family hate capers. Love the churchyard and the snow drops. Beautiful. Keep knitting. :). B x

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  9. Good post and pictures, especially the churchyard ones.
    I'd stick with your usual fare and crockery, as I'm sure your visitor won't mind. xx

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  10. Oh, yes, winter's the perfect time for reading and knitting (plus a bit of baking to ensure something tasty to munch whilst doing both). Same here with book characters, especially those with the unpronounceable names in the Scandi crime novels I seem to be always drawn to (though bought a copy of In The Water last week for 50p in a charity shop). As for paprika, maybe you're not adding enough. I find it's best being generous, adding at least a tablespoon of the smoked variety to give a definite flavour (though it will be nothing like the hit you get from chilli or cayenne).

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  11. Don't get stressed by the French student , I live in France and in my experience very few are gourmet especially students . They eat lots of pizza lots of pasta roasted meat cordon bleu which my daughter says you call hamwich, but never a jacket potatoe the French have no idea what a jacket potato with filling is . Bon courage it will be easier than you think .

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  12. He’s coming to England to experience Englishness in all its rich variety so I wouldn’t be overly troubled about cooking different food to normal. It sounds like he’s more worried about the China than what’s on it anyway 😆. Paprika, yes, parsley and coriander, no. I haven’t knitted at all this winter, been dropping off to sleep by the fire in the evenings instead. I must be getting old! Lovely snowdrops xx

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  13. Love snowdrops! We have a local castle where they do a 'snowdrop walk' for charity. Very good - finding clumps in nooks and crannies.
    Don't worry about the student. We had two French and one Spanish and like most youngsters so long as the food was plentiful and identifiable they were fine. MacDonald was popular (only once each trip!) even at the height of BSE accompanied with comments about mad cows. Didn't stop them wolfing burgers! They don't understand veggie though. My daughter had omelettes galore and salad when she did the return leg.

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  14. I do love your posts they always bring a smile to my face. I agree serve your student English fare for the whole English experience and plenty of it. When I have visitors I tend to go for 'one pot' meals quite a lot. You can easily double the quantity if needed and they always go down well. My American friend even ended up buying a one pot recipe book to take home with her so that was a good sign. And you can always add a salad or fresh crusty bread on the side to make sure no one goes away hungry. I like the BBC Good Food recipes - their are plenty on line. The other thing visitors from other countries have loved is the full English breakfast (not every morning of course!) and good old Sunday roast. I love snowdrops too - the promise of Spring - beautiful.

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  15. I love snowdrop time - we are planning a snowdrop visit if the weather holds out. I think the French have an overrated idea of how good their cuisine is. When in France we usually seek out and Indian or Italian restaurant. When we have stayed in French hotels we have noted that they just don't seem to use as many vegetables as we would. The exception to this is when eating rustic food in the countryside.
    When my french penpal came to stay my mun stressed about food but she was happy to eat as we did.

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  16. I love your snowdrop pics.Drifts of them are so pretty at this time of year. Hope all goes well with the French student. Fish and chips is always a good bet!

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  17. Sometimes when there are lots of characters in books I actually write myself a list of who they are to help me remember. I lack concentration too! And as for cooking tips... I bung smoked paprika in loads of things but I'm with you on parsley. Not worth the effort chopping it up!

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  18. Funny your comment about the paprika. We received an unexpected Christmas gift from my husband's relatives and it was a "gourmet" box of two types of red pepper flakes and three kinds of paprika - smoked, sweet, and regular. I was ready to give the box away, but my husband likes spicy things. I have now used the sweet paprika in chili-type soups. Don't know if the two special kinds really add anything better than the regular though...I'm with you on the parsley - not needed.

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  19. Such lovely photos of the churchyard and snowdrops. I agree, love winter and inward time for reading and knitting.

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  20. As everyone else has said, I'd stick with what you usually cook as I'm sure it'll be perfect. You could have take-away fish and chips out one day, if you don't want to cook every night. Good luck (I'm sure it'll be fine). I'm not a fan of smoked paprika at all; plain old paprika is ok but I don't love it. I prefer coriander, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, etc. I heard bits of 'Into the Water' on Radio4 a few months ago and didn't really understand what was going on :-) The snowdrops in our lawn should be at their peak in the next week or so – your churchyard ones are lovely, as is the churchyard. S x

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  21. I've found you again after losing you a few years back for some reason!! I agree 100% with everyone about the French student. You feed him what you feed your family as he is coming to experience British life in all its glory!! The snowdrops are beautiful - we just have lots and lots of snow here in Ottawa with another 5-10cm tomorrow!!

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  22. I'd say cook as usual, but stock up on milk and cornflakes. Even the faddiest of eaters have cornflakes, don't they?

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  23. I love paprika and parsley. We use paprika in all sorts of things. A Swiss classic would be raclette (melted cheese) with a sprinkle of paprika. I also like a tiny sprinkle on the yolk of a fried egg. I love the smoked variety in meatballs, it makes them a little more special. I often make a Hungarian style stew with beef, lots of paprika, peppers and potatoes. There is a genetic determinant to how we experience flavours. Coriander tastes like soap to many people, including myself and some experience cucumber as exceptionally strong (seriously). The French student will be excited to taste English food. He'll have read "Asterix and Obelix in Britain" (an example of a very popular cartoon series in France and Switzerland) and therefore will expect the worst and will be all the more pleased with your culinary habits, even baked beans (they make me shudder). Must dash, I have some listening to do (How the dead live by Will Self). xx

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  24. Paprika is great with chick peas and roasted peppers, and chorizo, although you won't want the sausage being veggie.

    As for the French lad - omelette Arnold Bennett?! Xx

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  25. I love paprika, and smoked paprika. The smoked stuff is a staple in my household. I love fresh parsley as well. Lemon, garlic, chopped parsley and pepper to make a nice garlic compound butter than can be used to jazz anything up, toast, pan seared fish, roasted veggies.

    Which comes to your young french visitor. The fresh love a roast chicken, they love roast chips. They seem to be a fan of roast vegetables. what about little salads, celery root, fennel. tomato and red onion or shallot. Also veggie tarte? cheese who is allowed to eat cheese w/o digestive issues likes cheese. Pretty sure it's written somewhere besides here. ;) Why don't ask your son to write him and ask what kinds of foods he likes? Maybe that will give you some ideas or be inspired to try a few things?

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  26. You could get two birds with one stone and try the Nigella Lawson Chicken, Chorizo & Potato traybake recipe - delicious and perfectly fine enough for a French teenaged boy. So easy too, if you can stomach cooking all that meat. If you add paprika (I always do), you'll get the double hit with the chorizo as well. Personally, I'm all for paprika :)

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  27. I use a lot of smoked paprika in recipes. It does seem rather in vogue.
    All the health benefits are here.
    https://www.ecellulitis.com/12-amazing-health-benefits-of-paprika/

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  28. I just read Girl on the Train over the holidays and I'm not sure I'm ready to read another of Paula's books just yet. I liked it and the writing, but it was so dark. You'll have to let us know what you think of her latest. The snowdrops are beautiful. I love being pointed to the little things you notice like that.

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  29. You are taking on a french student? Well bless your heart that will be fun. We had a swimmer stay with us for 9 months, he was the same age as my oldest at the time, to advanced teenagers. His girlfriend was also staying close by at another home, they were 14 and 16, need I say more? I was a wreck the whole time. Seriously what mother of a 14 year old girl would let her live across the country near her boyfriend?

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  30. On the subject of plates, you may need to provide helpful modelling on 'weird things British people do at mealtimes', including spreading toast ON THE PLATE and not on the table, having different plates for savoury courses, and changing cutlery for the same. I have lived in France, but it still took me by surprise when my daughter's lovely French exchange partner from an extremely well-brought up family started buttering her toast on the tablecloth. Agree with previous advice just to cook what you would anyway. Indian food, whether home cooked or a takeaway i.e. traditional British food would be novel for your guest.

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