Looking beautiful in the Autumn light - some Dordogne pumpkins
I think this is the third day of incessant rain in these parts and the rivers are beginning to fill by degrees once more. By all accounts we have been lucky here in the Aquitaine. There are 15 French departments on 'Vigilance Orange' due to rain, wind and flooding. The Rhone Valley has been particularly badly hit. When I read the news nowadays I almost expect the rain to continue for another 37 days and 37 nights.
The silence this morning when I awoke was deafening. I could not hear the breakfast chatter of our resident starlings; perhaps they have had enough of the water and finally headed off for North Africa. I read that large flocks can contain as many as a million birds and having observed them as close neighbours for a few years now I can well believe it.
1973 Artwork care of The Hamlyn Publishing Group
With so much water about and it being a Dordogne Sunday what better time than to delve into the bookcase in search of a seasonal recipe. At this time of year that can only mean one thing; pumpkins. The French seem to use pumpkin or squash mainly as a vegetable for making country soup, and when one visits those small village auberges which you can still find here (albeit in declining numbers) you will often find pumpkin soup presented as a starter. Of course pumpkin soup is not limited to country auberges and it can also be found at the best gastronomic venues in the autumn months.
They really are amazing things and packed full of goodness
The material is not difficult to find. Our particular specimen was found on the D709 between Ribérac and Saint Vincent de Connezac to the south. At this time of year M. Lafaye displays a fine range of all different colours and sizes of pumpkin for your delectation. The one we chose came in at four euros and weighed about 10 kilos. That makes for a lot of soup and pie. Far better to buy from the roadside than the supermarket where the equivalent would have been well over 20 euros, but with the roadside variety you do have to do a little of the work yourself...
Forcing the pumpkin pulp through the sieve
Robert Carrier's recipe advocates using canned pumpkin but the whole point of the exercise is to surely use something fresh. RC also suggests the addition of single cream and double cream (remember this was the early seventies when anything went). Lesley and I omitted this as we find the pumpkin pie filling quite sweet enough sans creme.
I'll dry these out and snack on them with a banana or two
The pumpkin was dissected (preserving the seeds) and then cut up into small pieces prior to boiling. When the pumpkin became soft it was drained and then forced through a sieve to make the pulp or filling. After 20 minutes or so of bashing and kneading a shortcrust pastry into shape and the filling to which had been added nutmeg, ginger, cinammon, cloves and some soft brown sugar the pie was ready to enter the oven.
If one has the ratio right the result should be something very well balanced, not too sweet but imparting a subtle spiciness; that is the beauty of pumpkin. You can treat it as a savoury ingredient or something seasonal and sweet to accompany your afternoon cuppa! That's how we like to enjoy it. Rather too much it seems, for we have now run out and find ourselves pieless. So while the season is still with us we intend to head south again to Saint Vincent to see if Mr Lafaye has any remaining pumpkins decorating the roadside.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating...
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