Food in Provence (and elsewhere)

I said a couple of weeks ago that hygiene concerns probably meant we could only watch whilst the cows were being milked. That wasn’t the issue. The problem then was that there weren’t any spare protective aprons. There were, though, when I went along again today so I had the opportunity to milk a little by hand (just to check for mastitis) and to attach the milking machine head to a few of the cows. There’s no photo evidence, I’m afraid, as there was no one to take pictures. But here’s one of the cows—very reluctant to get along to the milking parlour today. Apparently they are at their most reluctant just when you want them to get a move on: when it’s raining!

Another thing cows don’t like is being milked by hand, they have to stand around too long. Luckily the dairy equipment doesn’t break down very often.

After that, I had another busy morning in the kitchen since as well as the assigned recipes of mussels with ‘nduja and a sticky toffee pudding (and sauce), I also had to cook the spiced beef I started on Monday, make butter as my duty for the day and melt chocolate & pipe decorations to tick off the last of the techniques I’m supposed to have learnt before the exam tomorrow.

Surprisingly, to me at least, the dates in sticky toffee pudding have to be soaked in tea for at least half an hour, longer if possible. To get a head start on that I made some tea in the cottage last night so I didn’t have to worry about making and straining some this morning. Still, that needed a pan on the hob to warm the tea, I needed another for the sticky toffee pudding sauce, another as a bain marie to melt chocolate and a really large one to boil the beef. My mise-en-place is another thing I don’t have a picture of but my partner was pretty alarmed at assembly time. Fortunately I could boil the beef on the hob that’s used for making stock but we had to juggle our pans around this morning and borrow a couple from other sections.

Before boiling the beef I needed to roll and tie the spiced pieces and Francesco taught me how to tie a joint the way that butchers do. I hope I remember as I’ve needed to roll and tie joints at home a number of times in the past and never managed it very neatly. Again, no picture before cooking, but here’s an after one:

There were weighted down whilst cooling, initially to room temperature, then in the fridge for a couple of hours and they’re now all wrapped up in the fridge for future use.

The sticky toffee pudding and sauce turned out well…

… as did the mussels with ‘nduja—although Francesco and I agreed that simpler mussel dishes are better. His home town in Italy, Taranto, is known for its mussel production in an inland lagoon and it seems the mussels are just cooked simply in olive oil. I said I’d try that some time as an alternative to Moules Marinière.

No picture of the butter, either, I’m afraid, but I have my list of techniques ticked off.