Saturday, May 16, 2009

Something tasty for the weekend - Saturday market, Chartres.

Staying as we were in chambres d'hôte (on which more later) we were not able to avail ourselves of much of the produce available on the wonderful Saturday morning market in Chartres. So, I had to enjoy most of it by only visually.
However, if we had been, a fine dinner could have been made.

First though, one would had to make sure you had chairs.


This man specialised in reseating them, in maize straw, or cane. (I am so not a street photographer. My attempts lack something, and the most potentially interesting, a shot of a shrewd-looking nun buying groceries from a shrewd-looking market trader, turned out with both their faces being obscured by the price labels of the goods...)

Then you would need to get dressed up.


These girls were helping to promote Macedonia week in Chartres. An even smaller girl gave me a booklet about Macedonia with some lovely pictures.

Then what would you like for a starter? Artichokes?


The ones on sale here were enormous, far bigger than any I have seen in Brittany, said to be the artichoke heartland of the world. I was assured by Breton friends that this was probably because all the biggest and best Breton artichokes are sent towards Paris, and some may have found their way here.


Or perhaps crudités, some radishes,


or a tomato salad?


Then perhaps the fish course,


Which would go nicely with some spinach.


Whatever you have as a main course, make sure to cook it with plenty of garlic,


some little earthy red onions (Roscoff pinks were also available...)


and some spring carrots, or celeriac, or Swiss chard,

and some more garlic.


And then there's the cheese.


If you're feeling a little liverish after that, what about some pruneaux d'Agen?

When I consider how the English brutalised prunes in school dinners and similar, I almost think we deserve the contempt in which our culinary reputation is held in the rest of Europe, which normally I rail against with persons of any nationality who come my way. Real prunes are the most unbelievably luscious, sumptuous things, almost more like a sweetmeat than a fruit. I did buy some of these.

Or, if none of that grabs you, you could go alpine, and have a fondue.


But don't forget to rub the pot with plenty of garlic.

13 comments:

Zhoen said...

Love the girls in costume.

Catalyst said...

Lucy, your food photos remind me of our visit to the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, Germany in 1985. For a foodie, it is paradise!

re: garlic - I'll bet you don't have any trouble with vampires!

Granny J said...

Lovely pictures that reminded me that our local farmers' market opened today for the season. Unfortunately, neither those fish nor the yummy looking cheeses will show up here.

Roderick Robinson said...

It's like a trailer to our own holiday - starts in about a fortnight. Lodève, the nearby town, has a similar market which rambles round a host of narrow streets. But I doubt we're going to see artichokes that size, and so symmetrical too. It won't be the season for it but we'll be having, at my insistence, plates-côtes, that wonderful flavoury cheapo from the butcher that I personally discovered. Gosh, you've set me off.

Query: have you now lived in France long enough to recognise (and remember) all the fish by their French names?

tristan said...

( drooling & dribbling )

oh stop it, you are awful !

Jen said...

That artichokes photo would look amazing on my kitchen wall... I can almost smell the market through your pictures. Scratch 'n' sniff blogs, that's what we need. Fabulous.

Rouchswalwe said...

Best lookin' fish I've seen since I lived in southern Japan ... where's my cooking spoon, my recipe book, quick, quick! Thank heavens I don't have to work today so that I can start stirring and chopping and inviting friends and eating. Excited? No, not at all. What makes you say that? (singing, food glorious food) fade into the kitchen...

Lucy said...

Thanks all, glad you enjoyed.

Yes, markets smell good too, of course.

The girls were very lovely, and happy to be photographed!

Michelle said...

The colours, the textures, the patterns ... *swoon*

Bee said...

I'm very out of blog touch, and have been trying to catch up with your considerable output! The beauty of this veg demands a comment, though. I've never seen such artichokes . . . I wonder how they taste? (Did you buy some?)

The Crow said...

Such joy and happiness those phots give a foodie like me. Wonderful images, Lucy! What talent you have; an artist of many media.

marly said...

Delicious images... The artichokes remind me of the labyrinth images.

meggie said...

Sigh... it all looks so ..me.