Monthly Archives: July 2014

Rascasse à la tapenade

The fish known as rascasse in French is called scorpion fish or rock fish in English. Apparently the name derives from the Provençal word rascous, meaning ‘rough’ or ‘ornery’. It’s a rather ugly creature and some varieties are even venomous … Continue reading

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Confiture de prunes

Lightning struck my plum tree. At least that’s what I thought when I arrived in Burgundy last Friday and saw my proud, 100-year-old, fruit-laden tree split in two. Then my gardener friend Mathias arrived and said, no, it was the … Continue reading

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Pâtes aux tomates fraîches, mozzarella et basilic

On a very hot day in Sicily many years ago, I wandered into the kitchen and found my friend Gisella chopping tomatoes into a large bowl. I sat and watched as she smothered the tomatoes in basil, chopped in some … Continue reading

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Assiette anglaise

The infamous rivalry between the French and the British is perhaps expressed most explicitly in their traditional slurs for each other, each of culinary origin: ‘the frogs’ and ‘les rosbifs’. Sure, the French eat cuisses de grenouille (frogs’ legs) and … Continue reading

Posted in 7. Meat Dishes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments