After the Palace

 Versailles, and we walked miles around the estate, I had many a café creme, so cold, almost snowing ! My caffeine intake is increasing. Most of the milk here seems to be long life, which is, as my best friend said: "is quite addictive"scalded sweet when boiled. It is easy to find organic milk and yogurt; not in your coffee though.

Eyes where tired from looking at all things beautiful, I was glad we had purchased the little green French lentils when we shopped yesterday. There was enough produce left in the fridge to put a meal together.

Dinner: Braised de puy lentils with winter vegetables, finished with tangerine gremolata with a salad of saute white beans and radicchio. An all vegetarian affair seamed appropriate, after looking at such opulence.

In the one large pot I sweat the carrots, celeriac (cut with the one bad knife) with thyme and bay. Tossed in some organic tomato puree, let it intensify and braised the lentils in that till near cooked. Added roughly shredded savoy cabbage, that my daughter was getting sick of and let it simmer away till done. To add zeal it was finished with a tangerine parsley gremolata.

The salad on the side, was like as my mother says , "like bringing coals to New Castle" more vegetables. But it cant hurt, right !? The radicchio needed eating ! Making a perfect partner for the white beans that I sauté in olive oil, adding a tiny bit of moisture to steam them through. All dressed with a little citrus and olive oil .

Thursday I went to the Butcher!