Out to Lunch in the South of France: - Sautéed Asparagus with Warm Onion Vinaigrette

 

The winter view of the Castillet in Perpignan waiting for Christmas decorations to arrive

Bonjour à toi! (hello to you!) C’est si bon de te voir! (It’s great to see you!)

The doorbell rings, my heart sings. When I heard it, I put the kettle on. It’s been a while since we shared adventures, time, and the beauty of life. I need to do better. I'm changing my ways - at least I will try! No blogs about writing (for at least 2 seconds, I promise.) and no blogs about how France is dealing with Covid (It’s more like the flu now, if a lot harder on some people. I see very few masks, and life feels normal again.)

Yes, I know I’ve been a bit invisible on the social networks for months - writing. You say that’s

Tea or Coffee?  

nothing new, and I have to agree. However, it gives me great joy, and is my passion in life. Enough about me. Tell me all about you. Come into my French-American kitchen and let’s have a cup of something warm. Your choice, of course there’s coffee: espresso, regular, and even non-caffeinated, also, there are all kinds of teas as well as herbal mixes. I’m having a cup of ginger honey lemon tisane. It’s the one that steered me calmly through my last book. (Calm is a relative term.)

You and I sit down in the sunlight that streams through the kitchen windows and we have a long chat. You tell me about your visit to Perpignan and Argelès-sur-Mer this morning. I love these moments. I’m glad to hear your news and commiserate on the not-so-great moments as well. Life sure isn’t perfect. But we’re both here. That’s enough.

Decos go up!

You are right, the kitchen had a big makeover during the last 18 months. Three good friends gave me inspiration and shared their time, energy, know-how, and brawn. It all came flat packed in kits and transformed the house. In fact, I now love writing at this table. The light and warmth is amazing. I still write in cafes and love that but it is never as productive. Today why don’t we stay in and enjoy each other’s company right here?

 Mince! (dang), you are laughing. You know that the real reason is because I want to decorate the house later today! We finish our drinks and you know what? I'm hungry!  It may be because that new book I've finished (Taste the South of France) is all about good food I've shared with you, my friend. It could also be because it's lunch time.

 You and I clear away some of the Christmas wrapping and presents that are on

Our lunch together

the table then take out the fixings from the fridge. I love that white asparagus from the village little store. It won’t take much for it to be the star in our lunch.

Yes, put some olive oil in that pan - it’s my favorite.  It's a gym workout in itself to take down from the hook, and later to replace because of that heavy cast iron polished so fine - it is practically nonstick.
Notice the word practically. I still have to keep the food moving in it to be safe. The oil helps. I like the taste of the olive oil and they say it’s good for us. If it's considered unhealthy and I like it - well, I'll be sparing in decadent enjoyment of it. If it’s good for us well, even better! If they say it's good for us, and I don’t like it, you’re not gonna get it near me! Yeah, I'm looking at you Kombucha....

Today, we'll keep it simple. I'll make a salad. while you give the asparagus a few turns in the hot skillet. We'll split an avocado for starters, enjoy the salad and finish with les asperges grillées avec vinaigrette à l'oignon tendre. Oh, pardon my French! We'll have those asparagus you have braised so perfectly served with a warm
dressing I made earlier. The recipe?

First I cut a small sweet onion in rings and sauté it in olive oil - I used the one pressed with garlic for extra flavor- miam, miam! (French for yum yum, bien sûr!) Then mix with my vinaigrette.

The basic vinaigrette. Good hot or cold.

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

braising asparagus

4 Tablespoons white Balsamic vinegar (You could use white wine vinegar)

a teaspoon of dry basil (If you use fresh, use about a quarter cup and chop tiny.)

a teaspoon of dry shallots. (again, if fresh, use one and make mince of it!)

3  Tablespoons virgin olive oil

1  tablespoon Dijon Mustard (if dry use 1 teaspoon)

2 pinches of sugar

a tiny pinch of salt

big pinch or two of black pepper

I use a small jar with a good lid to mix my vinaigrette in these proportions and shake like crazy until it’s smooth. More sane people use food processors. Probably a good idea.

Add the vinaigrette to the sautéed onions, stir together until warm then cut the heat. No need to cook it.

The star dish today

We have our starter and salad.  Then I serve the asparagus and spoon generous amounts of the sauce over the tender spears. Once devoured, we sop up the delicious sauce with fresh baguette from the boulangerie. Finally that gorgeous, a bit strong, camembert cheese. This wine? It’s from Mas Christine a nearby winery. I agree, the name Dog Strangler is horrid. But the wine – well – it’s divine!

Time for a little walk around the village before you go home. Leave the dishes. I’ll deal with that later.

Mas Christine's front desk

The walk refreshes us and it’s already time to say, Au revoir for a little while. I’m so glad you came for lunch. Next time – we’ll go out.

The end of the day closes the book on yesterday. Set your sights ahead. As a much-read book reminds us, “that was then, this is now.” The future beckons and it will be good because we’ll face it together, mon ami. A la prochaine! (Until the next time.)

Our view of the village from the Church steps