Cooking in Cahors: Green Onion Dressing on Bitter Greens, Chicken with Rosemary


It makes me happy to putter around the kitchen and use whatever ingredients I have on hand to come up with a makeshift meal.

I find a sense of contentment in this task and find it more fulfilling than having a recipe to follow and the most costly ingredients. Perhaps this makes me a peasant in the kitchen. So be it.

On hand were truffle oil, some very fresh green onions and some seasonings. The sun was shining, the birds were chattering and the village church bells were ringing. I set to work.

I chopped three onions and set them aside. I poured a small amount of truffle oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar into one of those little French yogurt jars. I added the onions, and set the dressing aside for an hour or two, then added a dash of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper. I used this on some bitter greens for a simple salad.

I snipped rosemary from the herb garden. Even at noon, the breeze smelled of wood fires. This adds a bit of magic to the whole process.

I sliced onions and put them in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish, layering rosemary, chicken breasts and small red potatoes. Another layer of rosemary, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and they went into a preheated oven.

It was a simple meal, and we washed it down with an inexpensive white table wine.

Comments

Judy said…
Oh Mimi that sounds divine. I too love puttering in the kitchen and searching for ingredients I have on hand putting them together to make a meal. I think you have the best meals that way. I love rosemary with chicken and potatoes.
ChazFrench said…
"Peasant"?? I think not!

My friends constantly express their admiration for anyone who can just grab what's on hand an make a delicious meal.

The meal sounds wonderful, I wish I were there.
Unknown said…
Judy, I love that combination too and I am constantly on the search for more dishes that tie those ingredients together and maintain the integrity of the individual flavors.

Chaz, what fun it would be to get us all cooking together - bloggers, blog readers, etc - in France!
Eileen said…
I always think I enjoy puttering around my kitchen even more after I return from a trip. I always miss my kitchen and on my return I'm usually filled with inspiration.
Unknown said…
Same here, Eileen. It also seems to be a means of re-establishing myself at home.
Annette said…
That sounds so wonderful. It's only 9 am here, but now I'm thinking about dinner...
Unknown said…
Sorry, Annette! It was a great little dinner. We loved those dinners, and ate them while discussing our drive that day, which was sometimes deep into the French countryside and other times mostly around the neighborhood.

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