9 Comments
Oct 16Liked by Julia Watson

I couldn’t agree more about the pleasures of simple food. I have been married to a French man for 40 years. We’ve been going back & forth from 🇺🇸 to 🇫🇷 since then. We’ve never once eaten French haute cuisine in France. We’ve been to a few such restaurants in the DC area & NYC & while back in the day, La Colline, Citronelle & Jean-Louis at the Watergate were fantastic experiences, I wouldn’t want that often.

My 🇫🇷 MIL taught about producing simple, delicious meals. Her dinners began with/a homemade, puréed vegetable soup of many sorts, perhaps a whole chicken cooked wi/onions, potatoes and carrots, a green salad w/homemade vinaigrette & finally, a cheese course & fruit. There was always a fresh baguette.

I’ve cooked that way ever since & we eat that way in 🇫🇷 w/family, friends & at the corner bistro.

Thank you for your delightful post.

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author

Now, that's exactly the kind of French food I do love. Honest and richly simple. I'm glad you enjoyed the post

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Oct 16Liked by Julia Watson

You're putting ideas in my head! Definitely one for the slow cooker, and variations on the theme for a week! (I'm on my own, so a large recipe like this tends to be portioned out and some of it frozen!) I like the sound of your beetroot and horseradish purée. A dish of Savoy cabbage, braised in cream, or sautéed with sesame seeds as a side ... A propos, my favourite bistrot in France served me up a dish of boudin noir and potatoes braised in cream, with a leafy salad dressed with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (the thick, sticky kind!). Food for the gods, and couldn't get much simpler. And I absolutely loathe those awful foams (cuckoo spit on a plate!), so delighted they're losing favour!

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Hahaha. Cuckoo spit on a plate!! I LOVE it and wish I'd seen it myself! Adding sesame seeds to cabbage sounds smart. What I loathe are caraway seeds, often added to cabbage. Charlie McLeod's black pudding for boudin noir braised in cream with potatoes? Hmm. Sounds like A Must Try.

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Whoops! The value of careful editing ... sorry, no, the boudin noir was steamed or boiled, just the spuds done in the cream! Delighted, by the way, that you always seem to appreciate my comments. And I must get out of the habit of bespattering my obiter scripta with exclamation marks! :-D

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Oct 16Liked by Julia Watson

As always, Julia, terrific stuff! We make some riff on this almost weekly in the colder months… and to Pam’s comment above, you can simplify even more by embracing a “rustic chop” on your veg and throwing everything into a slow cooker.

(I’d still recommend browning the beef and deglazing with wine and stock for the braising liquid.)

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Great advice for Pam - and for me! I was chopping more neatly than I usually do for the photo but I'll for your 'rustic chop' in future - after all, 'rustic' is the mood of the moment.

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This looks like a very complicated recipe!

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It really isn't - about the same as preparing a stew, a bit of chopping to begin with then everything comes quickly together for a slow braise. I don't think it takes me more than sipping a quarter of glass of wine to make. But the list of ingredients may make it appear daunting.

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