I burned my finger in our apartment in Paris. Gwendal sliced open a raw potato and put it on my hand. The starch, he said, would soothe the skin. Where do they learn this stuff? Where’s the Bacitracin? Sometimes it’s like being married to a Trappist monk.
That said, the potato thing actually works. As for the sheets in the moonlight, I’ve since heard various theories, all having to do with the combination of UV rays and bleach. Anyone? Anyone?
That night, I looked at my brightly colored silk underwear, swaying in the breeze like the pennants at a jousting tournament. My once plush sage-green wedding towels were hopelessly matted and rough. Then again, I mused, thinking back to the brassieres-at-large over the lavender field, at least I got to hang my underwear in private.
The T-shirts were warm—I stuck my nose into one, looking for that special smell. It must be an acquired thing. Alexandre’s socks hung in tiny pairs, each clipped with a single plastic clothespin. They were more than dry. But my mother was arriving from JFK in the morning.
I decided, with a pinch of irony, to leave everything exactly where it was.
* * *
Recipes from Our First Summer in Provence
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Velouté de Courgettes
Jean was right, and zucchini is still among my son’s favorite foods. Creamy here refers to texture, rather than ingredients, since there’s not a drop of dairy. Good olive oil gives the soup a rich quality without diluting the bright flavor of the vegetables. As with all recipes that count on one ingredient, buy the best zucchini you can find.
⅓ cup fruity olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2½ pounds zucchini, preferably organic, unpeeled
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
3 cups water
¾ cup dry white wine
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, and sauté over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until translucent and just beginning to color.
Meanwhile, wash the zucchini (leave the skin on) and cut in half lengthwise. Cut the halves into ¼-inch slices. Add the zucchini to the onions. Stir to coat. Cover the pot, but leave the lid slightly ajar—about an inch or so. Reduce the heat a bit and sauté for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Dissolve the bouillon cube in ½ cup boiling water. When the zucchini is tender, add wine, stir, then add the ½ cup of bouillon and the remaining 2½ cups water to the pot. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Using a hand blender, puree the soup. Leave the flavors to blend for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 4
Tip: Every once in a while I get a batch of very bitter zucchini and end up having to throw my whole pot of soup away—very disappointing indeed. It’s rare in commercially produced vegetables, but if you are using zucchini from the garden or the farm stand, always taste an unpeeled slice before you start. If the skin tastes unusually bitter, peel all your zucchini before you proceed with the recipe.
Zucchini Gratin
Gratin de Courgettes
All through that first summer, the zucchini never stopped coming. Often, the vegetables were so abundant we made a full meal of them.
3 pounds of zucchini, cut into ⅛-inch slices
1 red onion, diced
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 good pinch cinnamon
¼ cup (packed) dill, chopped, with some stems
1 cup aged sheep’s milk cheese or Parmesan, freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, toss all the ingredients, except the cheese, together. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour. The key is to not move the zucchini around, so it takes on the nice layered look of lasagna. Remove from the oven. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn on the broiler. Top the zucchini with the grated cheese—I use an aged sheep’s milk cheese with a texture close to Parmesan. Put the oven rack a bit higher and cook until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. You can serve this alongside meat or fish, but we usually eat it as a vegetarian
That said, the potato thing actually works. As for the sheets in the moonlight, I’ve since heard various theories, all having to do with the combination of UV rays and bleach. Anyone? Anyone?
That night, I looked at my brightly colored silk underwear, swaying in the breeze like the pennants at a jousting tournament. My once plush sage-green wedding towels were hopelessly matted and rough. Then again, I mused, thinking back to the brassieres-at-large over the lavender field, at least I got to hang my underwear in private.
The T-shirts were warm—I stuck my nose into one, looking for that special smell. It must be an acquired thing. Alexandre’s socks hung in tiny pairs, each clipped with a single plastic clothespin. They were more than dry. But my mother was arriving from JFK in the morning.
I decided, with a pinch of irony, to leave everything exactly where it was.
* * *
Recipes from Our First Summer in Provence
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Velouté de Courgettes
Jean was right, and zucchini is still among my son’s favorite foods. Creamy here refers to texture, rather than ingredients, since there’s not a drop of dairy. Good olive oil gives the soup a rich quality without diluting the bright flavor of the vegetables. As with all recipes that count on one ingredient, buy the best zucchini you can find.
⅓ cup fruity olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2½ pounds zucchini, preferably organic, unpeeled
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
3 cups water
¾ cup dry white wine
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, and sauté over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until translucent and just beginning to color.
Meanwhile, wash the zucchini (leave the skin on) and cut in half lengthwise. Cut the halves into ¼-inch slices. Add the zucchini to the onions. Stir to coat. Cover the pot, but leave the lid slightly ajar—about an inch or so. Reduce the heat a bit and sauté for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Dissolve the bouillon cube in ½ cup boiling water. When the zucchini is tender, add wine, stir, then add the ½ cup of bouillon and the remaining 2½ cups water to the pot. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Using a hand blender, puree the soup. Leave the flavors to blend for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 4
Tip: Every once in a while I get a batch of very bitter zucchini and end up having to throw my whole pot of soup away—very disappointing indeed. It’s rare in commercially produced vegetables, but if you are using zucchini from the garden or the farm stand, always taste an unpeeled slice before you start. If the skin tastes unusually bitter, peel all your zucchini before you proceed with the recipe.
Zucchini Gratin
Gratin de Courgettes
All through that first summer, the zucchini never stopped coming. Often, the vegetables were so abundant we made a full meal of them.
3 pounds of zucchini, cut into ⅛-inch slices
1 red onion, diced
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 good pinch cinnamon
¼ cup (packed) dill, chopped, with some stems
1 cup aged sheep’s milk cheese or Parmesan, freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, toss all the ingredients, except the cheese, together. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour. The key is to not move the zucchini around, so it takes on the nice layered look of lasagna. Remove from the oven. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn on the broiler. Top the zucchini with the grated cheese—I use an aged sheep’s milk cheese with a texture close to Parmesan. Put the oven rack a bit higher and cook until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. You can serve this alongside meat or fish, but we usually eat it as a vegetarian
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