2013/05/12
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2013.05.11Scènes de Montréal – Montreal Scenes 
Above
I like it when the new leaves have that Spring color and are still too small to hide all the tree limbs.
Pedro’s ordeal
Every Fall, I bring my iguana Pedro inside where he lounges on the hot spot over my coffee machine for the winter. In the Spring, I bring him back outside for the summer. That’s what I was doing sometime this week when to my surprise, he was nowhere to be found. I was in hospital when Fall hit this land and it’s Brother and Friend who took care of ‘winterizing’ my rear balcony. When I made the gruesome discovery
Friend was here. I asked him but he had no remembrance of where Pedro had been sent to pass the winter. I eventually went to look in the small shack on my balcony (we call this a ‘coqueron’ in Montreal, I don’t have a clue why) and there he was, stashed with gardening stuff, and the likes. He hasn’t aged that much since last year, already that iguanas never look that young to start with. Now that Pedro is back on his lamp on the balcony, I can officially declare my 2013 Summer season officially open. I hope it won’t rot on its way out in four months time, like it did last year. 
Boston… more and the same
Once a month, John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harper’s Magazine, commits a column in my daily (he speaks French fluently). His last one, on Monday, adressed the Boston events pretty much in the same light as I did. Here’s an excerpt:
«In the afternoon of November 22, 1963, after shooting President John F. Kennedy with a rifle from the sixth floor of a warehouse, Lee Harvey Oswald fled in the streets of Dallas, Texas. While the shock reverberated across the nation, the assassin went throughout the city by bus, taxi and on foot. Wanted by the police, he killed an officer with a revolver before taking refuge in a theater where was playing War Is Hell, a film non-competition film presented at Cannes. Fortunately, an alert citizen, manager of a shoe store, noticed the fugitive, visibly nervous, trying to sneak into the theater without paying his bill. This brave merchant informed the ticket vendor, who alerted the police. Oswald was indeed arrested, sitting in a chair at the back of the room and always armed, less than an hour and a half after having devastated the whole world.
I recall these details to emphasize the contrast with the manhunt after the terrorist attack in Boston. All comparisons are odious, it is true. But in this case, it serves to highlight how America has changed for the worse, since the assassination of Kennedy, of course, but especially since September 11, 2001.
How is it that a region of several million people could be shut down an entire day without anyone protesting against the decision – mainly military – taken by civilian officials? I’m not saying that Governor Deval Patrick dreamed of a coup that would install him at the head of the new kingdom of Massachusetts. But so far I have not heard a single expert who can demonstrate that having locked the population of Watertown and Boston has helped the police to recover faster the younger brother of the Tsarnaev duo. Instead, it is only after the curfew was lifted that David Henneberry came out of his house and found the tarpaulin from his boat parked in his garden, stained by the blood of Dzhokhar.
The differences between the political situation in Dallas in 1963 and Boston in 2013 may be obvious, but I insist on this point: the non-closure of the second largest city in Texas – where, unlike Boston, buses, taxis, pedestrians and movie fans had continued to circulate – did not prevent the rapid arrest of a dangerous assassin that traumatized America to the depths of its collective soul.»
Meanwhile in Congress, it’s to whom will get the blame for not having prevented the attack itself. All police and concerned departments are pitching the mud at each other. Twelve years, and they haven’t learned yet. Each organization is still working in its own close-knit little kingdom.
Spectacular the reaction to the attack. Spectacularly botched, that is.
Spring [bis]
Spring is springing back. It had been on leave for the last ten days or so, during which we had gorgeous summer weather: temperatures in the upper 20˚C and mild caressing winds topped by frequent sunny periods. The sun is staying but temperatures are taking a break, settling in the lower 20˚C.
Ariels
I know only two persons named Ariel. Ariel Castro and Ariel Sharon. Both are criminals.
Da food section
Another boring instalment, I’m afraid (it’s an expression, I’m only afraid of stupid people who are given powers). Not much is happening on the culinary front these last months. I often munch too much in the daytime and when its gets to supper time, I’m not that hungry. Besides, with my current limitations, I don’t feel like engaging into anything too elaborated. Or maybe it’s just post-partum depression (from hospitals
). I’ll try to compensate with “trying to be funny” descriptions. I’ll start with this which has to be one of the easiest recipes invented by humans: «poulet à l’échalote et au xérès» (shallot and sherry chicken). In fact, the hardest part is to skin the chicken. But it’s not even an obligation, only if one wants to avoid chicken fat. After having browned the chicken in butter, you let it simmer, covered, until fully cooked. Ten minutes before the end, you add finely chopped shallots. When the chicken is ready, it is removed and kept aside in a warm plate(s). To the pan is added sherry wine mixed with a bit of thickener (like corn starch), and a pinch of cayenne pepper. When thickened, the sauce is poured on the chicken and that’s it. Nice with neutral element, like pasta or potatoes. That means NO fries.
I don’t have a pic of the final product (a glistening chicken leg looks like a glistening chicken leg, whatever the recipe
) but I do have one of an extra stage I have to put up with. [upon further research, I do have that pic] Theoretically I’m supposed to avoid alcohol, at least until further notice. Sherry has about 20% alcohol so I have to remove it and the best way to do this is to set in on fire. I first thought the absence of alcohol in the sauce would kill the recipe but it doesn’t. The only consequence is a little added sugary (caramel?) taste, but barely noticeable. Another consequence could be setting the apartment on fire, but happily, since I’m not supposed to drink alcohol, I’m theoretically also sober as a Pope when I indulge into that blazing procedure. 
This other one, which I had on April 30, is a favorite of mine. It’s “salade au lard et au mesclun” (lard and mixed salad). It’s one of those hot/cold mixtures. Optimally, the mixed salad should be a “mesclun”, a mix of salads typical of southern France (for those who have lived in Hawaii, Wikipedia says that “nalo greens” is similar to mesclun). They didn’t have any at the supermarket so I had to settle with what they had, a “spring mix”. This salad is a mix of mesclun, pan-fried cubes of lard (salted pork) and streaky bacon (half and half), cubes of cooked and still hot potatoes, salt and pepper of course, and as a finishing but essential touch, some red wine vinegar, old if available, and heated and slightly reduced in the same pan used to cook the bacon and then poured on the salad.
I never did this recipe, because I prefer using pancetta instead of the two lards mentioned above.
First and foremost because I always have pancetta on hand, which is not the case with the other two. Good bread to accompany this salad is almost a must. I see that I have two other pics of this salad in my Xanga pics so I’m pretty sure I’ve already posted about it. However, if wine appears in those pics, it’s surely real one, contrary to below which is “dealcoholized” wine. Yup, boys and girls, that’s where I’ve dropped to. 
The Italian Corvo above, and the Willm Riesling, are half bottles I keep “for the visitors”. 
I don’t know if I was mad about something on May 1st, but that evening was dedicated to a quick “pasta al’arrabbiata”, here in its traditional version of Penne all’arrabbiata. Arrabbiata means angry in Italian. The degree or angriness depends on who makes the sauce I guess. In this case, for 250 ml (1 cup), one tiny dried pepperoncino is plenty enough to pass the message.
Fresh basil having been added in the jar at potting time, I could have added some parsley (traditional recipe) but instead I put a bit of dried oregano and thyme, and a bay leaf. I guess everyone knows that penne is the plural of penna which means “pen”, like those old ones made of bird feathers and cut in a slant. For once that an English word comes directly from an Italian and before that Latin one, savour the moment! Be careful with those little peppers, though. I could have added some chopped parsley to top this pasta, as I did the last time I posted about it. In fact I looked and it is also the case for all the other meals talked about above, a repeat I mean. Seems like novelty is on vacation… 
More weird recipes in the next post… We’re gonna rock the plates.
Add-on: the two ‘liquids’ referred to in the comments below.
Comments (16)
I was wondering how Pedro was doing. I never would have stashed him in a coqueron.
Poor thing. I’m going to get some penne after seeing the photo. Sometimes I need a reminder how wonderful some things are. 
I made this last night. Surprisingly delicious. Full of flavor.
Cooking gets rid of most of the alcohol. Non? You shouldn’t have to flamber to avoid health-threatening booze.
Ps – I used unskinned chicken legs, and skinned them as I was shredding the meat. (The skin is for doggie.)
When I need skinned chicken legs, I ask the butcher to do it. That’s why he’s there.
Strong Iguana to survive the winter.Hurrah for Pedro.
Oswald was not very difficult to catch: he left quite a lot of evidence. I wonder if he was not very smart, or was he set up.
The same low intelligence I would also give to the Boston bombers. Not a good plan to escape.
Security can do what they want nowadays, nobody dares to complain. Time to change people, enough of the sh….
I am surprise how can you light up this sherry. Sure it is sherry? 20% seems very low to make a molotov. (By the way sherry has most about 16-17 ù alcohol, not easy to ignite…I must be missing something.
A couple of drops of balsamico could add to the salad.
I agree with origano and time but the bay leave I would left out. Pecorino could be a good choice instead of parmiggiano, but sometimes one has to put what he has at hand
Penne rigate I suppose, they keep the sauce stick better to the pasta.
By the way what is doing the glass of Corvo di Salaparuta on the background? not just for decoration i hope.
I don’t remember “nalo greens,” it must be a relatively recent usage deriving from the farm in Waimanalo. It would make sense too, I think that sort of farming is a relatively new thing that emerged after the old economic base of big agriculture (sugar and pineapple) and tourism cratered. Now I realize what that salad is, it’s greens and lardons, not lard!
@lausanne_guy - Just by the list of ingredients, I can imagine what it tastes like. Yummy! At first I thought it was a Peruvian recipe. Although “lima” is the correct Spanish for “lime”, I don’t recall having heard it in my 15 or so trips to Mexico. The thing is that they use limes extensively in their cuisine or simply as an accompaniement. Simply put, it’s everywhere. So they call it limón, and the yellow one “limón amarillo”, the exact opposite of us who in French often say citron and citron vert, reflecting our own multiuse of the yellow one. But this can be the object of a heated debate.
About the alcohol, “cooking” amounts to the time between when the xérès is added in the end with the corn starch, and when that sauce has thickened, which is not very much, not enough in my view to get rid of the alcohol. For example, the flames in my pic lasts at least between 1 and 2 minutes, so there’s a lot of alcohol to get rid of, and a lot of time needed if this is done by normal cooking evaporation. I rather play safe than dead … oh geez, isn’t that expression just kind of appropriate in this (my) particular case.
@carlo - The sherry I used (xérès in French) has 20% alcohol. You’re right though about not lighting up immediately. It has to be heated to near boiling point then if you put a flame nearby, poofff!
The Corvo bottle is not opened. I bought it for visitors, who they can drink real wine 
. What’s in the glass is not the Corvo but a California Cabernet-Sauvignon which has been ethnically cleansed to remove any trace of alcohol. Well, almost. There still is 0,5% of it. I posted above a pic of both (or will in a few minutes).
I think I have pecorino (romano lupa) in the fridge but it’s a mess (the fridge) and I have to bend to find it in the capharnaüm and if there is indeed some pecorino, it’s not grated so I went to the easiest. At least the grated parmesan I used comes from Italy.
…. hey, I just checked again on the pack of grated cheese and it’s marked on the label “Parmesano & Romano râpé Prod:Italie”. Romano IS pecorino, no? 
Click on the arrabbiata pic, it will get larger and the label will be visible.
Yes they are penne “rigate”. That’s what I use most of the time, for the reason you mention. I do have a nice and simple recipe using penne “lisce” though. Maybe I should make it soon.
@n_e_i_l - I was not really happy with using the word “bacon” for that recipe, since in its original form, it is indeed lardons which are called for, and both of them, that is lardons made with plain cubes of salt pork lard, and the rest made with cubes of streaked pork (same as salt pork but with streaks of meat in it), and none of the two having been smoked, as the word “bacon” often implies. Maybe this recipe is good with cubes of bacon, I don’t know. I prefer pancetta to the original two for taste and commodity reasons. It is also not smoked like bacon is, only salted, aged and dried. Also, both lards, regular or “streaked”, are fresh, which means that besides having to go out of my way to buy them for this particular recipe, I’d get stuck with the unused portions.
@titus_bigglesworth - As Carlo mentioned, it is better to go for “penne rigate”. Those have small ridges which catch the sauce. “Penne lisce” are slick as the back of a duck so their usage is less appropriate for heavy sauces.
The recipe you linked to is a LOT more complicated than mine. (No French dispute on limes, btw.). What amazed me about the one I used was that with so few ingredients the flavour was so complex. / Usually, I cook Indian. Many different spices. / The one major difference I did was to use la sainte trinité.
Put the sherry in sooner.
@lausanne_guy - A LOT? You can say that again. My bets your recipe is WAY closest to the real authentic thing. I linked that page for the comments section where there was a “bisbille” about how to call “lime” (down there).
There’s nothing like a good California wine which has been ethnically cleansed.
I haven’t had any wine today so I’m feeling kind of cleansed myself. (not in a good way) 
Last year, when I still had colleagues, I got into a lively discussion with a French colleague about this very issue of citron vert/lime/limette… I won.
@Banyuls - Thanks for your answer. The sherry i used to drink some years ago (about 30) when I was in the Netherlands, was mostly around the 16% Tio Pepe was my best brand. We used to drink it as apero. i see that there are more around with 20% Like the one you’re using.
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The Amontillado is a demi- sec and that explains the small amount of sugar (caramel) in your receipt. Must have tasted good.
Romano is a pecorino – actually should be labelled Pecorino Romano, a cheese that is mostly made in Sardinia and it is called Romano for some of the Italians mystery. No way the poor Sardinians can get their Appellation to the own cheese.
Romano and Parmesano( the spelling of parmesano looks a little odd too. together does not mean much, but it is probably a fancy name. I am sure that is tasted good.
Don’t take too serious what I say. My taste is gone very much DOWN DURING the last couple of years and i don’t know it is me or the products I’m buying are less quality. I buy always cheese in pieces, but doesn’t taste much like parmiggiano anymore.
Pedro est ton horloge des saisons .
L ‘ assassinat de JF Kennedy a marqué la fin d ‘une époque pour les Etats-Unis et pour l’ Europe . Kenenedy et sa femme Jacqueline étaient très populaires en France . je me souviens très bien de ses funérailles auxquelles assistait le Général de Gaulle , au premier rang .
Le Xérès fait partie des rares mots commençant par un x. je n’ en bois que rarement mais je me promets toujours d’en acheter une bouteille . la dernière fois que j’ en ai ai bu c ‘ était en 1967 en Espagne( Bilbao ?? ) , dans un bar . C ‘ était encore le temps de Franco.
Amitiés
Michel
Merci de ta visite . je transmettrai ton souhait à mon cousin René à propos de son ” réveil ” de plafond .
A propos d ‘ heure je ‘ ai finalement trouvé que c’ était important d’avoir une heure qui sonne . J ‘ ai ainsi pensé à la “chanson d automne” de Verlaine que j’ ai postée . Si tu as une meilleure traduction que celle que j’ ai trouvée je t’ en serai gré .
Amitié
Michel
RYC : merci pour la traduction que tu as trouvée sur la page anglaise de Wikipedia pour “chanson d’automne ” . Elle est meilleure que celle que j’ avais trouvée . Je l’ ai dond mise dans l’ entrée .
A ce propos je suis attristé de voir le peu d ‘intérêt des lecteurs habituels américains de passage ( footprints ) pour un poète comme Verlaine . Un peu décourageant .
Merci beaucoup de ton aide .
Amitié
Michel