la vie en france – THEFRANCOFLY

Les Marchés Parisiens

After eating lentils all week, I often lose track of what day of the week it is! ~~Not that you should not try the delicious aforementioned recipe.~~ However, it very well could be just a side effect of freelancing; any day could be Saturday. But what always keeps me on track is the local market, every Thursday and Sunday morning. In Paris, there are several markets in every neighborhood, twice a week. And it takes a tremendous amount of effort and resources. Sanitation workers set up a row of metal frames and tarps are rolled out to commence the market. Everything is promptly cleaned up and hosed down without a trace of the bustling, haggling, crate-strewn bi-weekly tradition. The only trace is the fruit and veg seen in the still life above.

The tremendous joy of food shopping in France is unparalleled in the States. Although there are supermarkets and aptly titled ‘hypermarches’ to make a weekly grocery run, just looking at the streets of Paris will give you a clue of the sensibilities of shoppers. On my short walk to the Metro from chez moi, there is a boucher, a fish shop, four boulangeries, a cheese shop, two Kosher sushi places, four sandwich shops, a honey boutique, and a handful of grocery stores. I cannot tell if the French are just completely obsessed with food or they just value the craft of their neighborhood artisans. To faire le course, the mundane task of food shopping, can take several stops. Although it would be more efficient to stock up (American-style) at the grocery just once a week, our fridge is half the size of those which can accommodate a proper trip to Kroger. This is precisely why I love the market; twice a week, I can stock up on the freshest products that I need in just one place. Take a look at these quick tips.

Tips

1. If you are visiting Paris, click here (http://marche.equipement.paris.fr/tousleshoraires) to find a market near you. Spring is just around the corner. And there is no better way to assemble a fabulous picnic.

2. Shop around. There is something for everybody and a booth for everything: bouchers, chicken specialists, fish mongers, Greek specialties, eggs, cheese. Prices and quality vary with each vendor. In general, the deeper into the market, the less expensive. Often times, prices are cheaper than the grocery stores and the quality is superior

3. If PRODUCTEUR is advertised in a stall, the fruit and vegetables are coming directly from the source. Although the produce may not be as impeccable-looking as neighboring booths, its freshness is top.

4. Say hello to your vendors. I have been going to the same bargain booth for years now. And the venders recognize my loyalty. They call me princess and give me free avocados. And they don’t give me a hard time when I beg them not to use plastic bags. Hypermarche be damned!

Although the farmers market trend is going strong in the States, the bi-weekly market is a simple pleasure, deeply engrained into everyday life. So you can have your still life and eat it, too.

Lentils Continued…

Yes, here is the recipe for lentils I promised you a few weeks back! Oh, Lentils. The mighty, high-protein, highly-economic standby food! Like all simple foods in France, they get the VIP treatment. Lentils are always dressed up with bits of foie gras or smoked salmon. However, considering we just bought an apartment, they rest unadorned, but nonetheless delicious.

Sadly, my husband is opposed to spice. He will find ways to eat around herbs. As I heard so eloquently said recently (in David Lebovitz’s blog), Americans are into fireworks when eating. However, the French prefer something truly simple and well-made. It goes to show that my own personal style is to throw a handful of cilantro on everything. Needless to say, the following recipe is tasty whether you choose to dress it down for dinner for two, served with some baked potatoes and grilled sausages. Or in my case, incorporate some chopped ginger, garam masala, creme fraiche and a handful of cilantro for lunch!

Compromise be gone!

Lentils for one and all (or 8 people)

1 ½ Cup Green Lentils, soaked for several hours or overnight

2 leeks, finely chopped

3 small onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic

2 carrots, shredded

3 plum tomatoes, grated

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. olive oil

6 cups water, more if needed

1.) In a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the leeks and onions over medium/low heat until soft and translucent. Add bay leaves, carrots, garlic, pepper and tomato. Cook until softened and lightly caramelized

2.) Add the drained lentils and cover mixture with water

3.) Cook for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and stewy. Add salt

4.) Enjoy!

Even thought the winters in Paris are a moderate step up from the brutal winters I have known in Chicago and New York, there is still nothing more comforting than a hearty bowl of soup. This is one of the things my mom always whipped up on weeknights when I was a kid. A leftover chicken would make a rich tortilla soup. Or a few pantry basics would inspire an avgolemono. Even if the soups were quick, she would always steal a few moments to make her famous cheese muffins. Turns out the trusty recipe was found in the recipe booklet of our avocado green blender. Or we would quickly whip up some baking powder biscuits together. My American friend Catherine just returned from the States gifting me with a jar of apple butter. This brought me back to the Midwestern winters of my childhood. With no further haste or nostalgia, I had to make biscuits and an accompanying soup.

C is convinced that soup is strictly an appetizer. But if I dress it up with some homemade quick bread, he doesn’t complain. I can see why he feels this way though; I’ve noticed that soup in France is usually pureed. We don’t have a blender, one of the wedding gifts that never transpired. So I have to dig back into my mental archives for other ideas. I never ate much lentils growing up. But when slowly stewed with leeks, celery, and garlic, they could have easily been in my mom’s soup repertoire. Recipe to come… Bisou!

Happy 2012! I apologize for being a bit absent. Since I last wrote, there was a wedding, a trip to New York, a honeymoon holiday in Nice, and many trips to the Prefacture de Police. As of today, I have my residence permit, which means I will be bureaucracy-free for the next 9 months! (Unless I decide to apply for a bank account, a library card, a masters program, leave my apartment. Wait a minute…) I wish I could celebrate by torching the rainforest of paperwork I have accumulated the last few months while singing ‘J’ai Deux Amours’ at the top of my lungs. But alas, from now on I need to adopt the ‘French touch’ of maintaining a color coordinated bureaucracy binder.

Paris is cooling down. Although my style integrates fairly well, I’m inevitably challenged to layer gracefully. I’ve noticed on the streets, many women deal with either a ‘doudoune’, a duvet of a jacket or carefully calculated cashmere layers. Me, I have a few chunky long, wool sweaters that I wear under either a camel jacket or my wool vintage herringbone blazer. However, this recently backfired. Case in point, on a quick trip to the local health insurance office, after I taking a number, I was quickly ushered by the hostess to a chair because I was mistaken as being ‘enceinte’ or with child. Bundling up should not be mistaken for a bundle of joy. “EXCUSEZ-MOI!!!” I gasped. “JE SUIS PAS ENCEINTE!!!” The hostess was just as mortified as I was. (Take that, bitch!) Half-hearted apology unaccepted, I walked out of there forever mortified. Maybe it is time to swear off my dear chunky knits. Maybe it is time to lay off the fromage. And maybe an Hermes Kelly Bag would certainly solve all of my problems…