A hunter buddy offered us with a brace of pheasants and we invited him to eat them with us. He seized the chance to lecture Luc, at size and moderately bossily I believed, on the truth that he’d cleared away an excessive amount of of the undergrowth amongst the pine bushes, inflicting the animals to flee. If they’ve fled, they haven’t gone very far; I discovered a few deer within the tack room final night time, serving to themselves to the horses’ grain.
Spherical and spherical and spherical once more
France has the doubtful honour of getting probably the most roundabouts on the planet. (And likewise probably the most well-known roundabout on the planet: The Arc de Triomphe in Paris.) With a complete of 42,986 roundabouts (and counting), France additionally ranks first in the case of variety of roundabouts per capita. My apologies for sounding as if I swallowed a duplicate of ‘Boring Stats for Nerds’.
Roundabouts had been ‘imported’ from the UK within the ’70s, as a result of intersections had been changing into too harmful; French drivers merely didn’t cease. Though they’ve improved issues, danger-wise, it’s not unheard in any respect of to see tyre marks going proper by the center. Driving across the outskirts of Bordeaux this weekend, I used to be all of the sudden struck by simply what number of there have been; we went round a complete of 16, in underneath six kilometres. Sadly my internal ear stayed in roundabout mode and I spent the afternoon veering to the best, like a haggis on flat floor.
A Panorama Gangsta and inappropriate comedy
In different information, Java has adopted full-on Panorama Gangster mode (just like the insatiable roundabout builders). Now we have extra holes within the backyard than I’ve ever seen, which isn’t ultimate if you’re as liable to spraining your ankle as me. I feel the sodden floor has simply proved too irresistible for her. I noticed Luc having an apparently amusing and in-depth chat with a put up field the opposite day. On additional inspection, I found he was truly speaking to a safety guard who was sitting beside the put up field. However for a second, from the place I used to be standing it appeared for all of the world like he was within the midst of a psychotic break.
We simply acquired again from the funeral of a buddy from our city. For some motive Luc used his recently-installed Waze navigation app, to get us to the church. That’s, our church in our precise city; it’s nonetheless not clear why the app was wanted… Anyway, in the course of the service, throughout a hush (in fact), it all of the sudden blurted out: ‘FAITES DEMI-TOUR DES QUE POSSIBLE’ (do a u-turn as quickly as potential). And this, on repeat till we had been in a position to get it underneath management. Getting it underneath management was no imply feat as I used to be affected by that shame-making, dignity-stripping, sweaty, uncontrollable silent laughter that ill-timed comedy moments trigger. A poignant message for a tragic afternoon nonetheless, I believed.
Recipe for pheasant with pancetta and prunes (serves 4)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 300g thickly sliced pancetta, lower into strips
- 2 pheasants, gutted
- Sea salt, freshly floor black pepper
- 400ml white wine
- 200g prunes
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place a casserole dish ( giant sufficient to take each pheasants) over a medium warmth and add the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme and bay leaves and prepare dinner for about 5 minutes till the onions are comfortable and barely golden. Add the bacon and fry for an additional 5 minutes till golden. Add the pheasants, season after which prepare dinner for a few minutes, turning typically, till nicely browned on all sides. Add the white wine after which the prunes, and convey to a mild simmer. Cowl and prepare dinner within the oven for about an hour. I feel that is finest served with a potato and butternut squash purée and inexperienced peas.
