My wife leaves in about six days, so evenings she is scrambling to pack up items and such so that when she leaves, I’ll be ready to move everything into the kitchen, the shed, and the front porch (and elsewhere) so that the floor refinisher and interior house painter will be able to do his work.
Every day in the kitchen before this is a rare delight.
Tonight I did a Brittany style Mussels Marinière which, honestly, held few surprises for me, even if presented by the wondrous David Tanis in his Heart of the Artichoke cookbook.
In a large dutch oven, aromatics are cooked in a bit of butter, then flavored with white wine, thyme, bay leaf, and the usual suspects: salt and pepper.
After about ten minutes and a little stirring, the mussel shells all opened and with some slices of thin baguette tossed under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and thus dip into the Marinière sauce, it was quite a satisfying meal.
For a side, I made a simple watercress and chopped egg salad, with a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, Sherry vinegar, olive oil, walnut oil, and a bit of dijon mustard. Wifey barely took a bite; she isn’t keen on ‘peppery’ greens like the watercress or arugula. Damn shame, as I ended up eating most of the salad myself. It was good (even though she didn’t like it) and even the toasted baguette slices might have not passed muster were it not for the sopping aspect of dipping into the sauce.
Don't Call Me Chef!! 