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From The Rock to the Land of Wine

Back again in France after an eventful last few weeks on The Island. We’re spoilt brats, getting the best of both worlds again. Having enjoyed a fabulous summer of sun and blue skies on The Isle of Man, we are now enjoying a late summer here in France (while UK is suffering heavy rain and high winds!).

But, before we left, it was the forthcoming winter we were afraid of because we had a leak somewhere on the roof or in the gutters that had percolated into the bedrooms and left a trail of water and mould (don’t you just love old houses!). Our neighbours, Terry and Julie had the same problem so we shared the costs and had a scaffold erected across both houses and called in the roofing guys. And, since the scaffold was already up, we decided it was an ideal time to paint the fronts of the houses too! Now, with rain and high winds on The Island, we shall see if our leaks have been cured (or not!).

pork cracklingBefore leaving the island, Terry and Julie invited us to theirs for a splendid roast dinner. Never has so much good grub been served to so few without collapsing the table! It was delicious and, for me, brought back great memories of pork crackling and roast spuds and parsnips and oh so much more. I suspect we also did some considerable damage to Terry’s stock of wine. There seemed to be a lot of empty bottles rattling round at the end! (Reminder to myself: I need to get Julie’s recipe for the starter… a lovely little salad with a vinaigrette that was as light as fairy wings and as tasty as … well, anything you can possibly imagine!)

Postscript: Got it!!!!…. Julie’s Salmon & Prawn with Lime

tajineAlso, before leaving the island, Bruno and Jill invited us to theirs for a dinner. Bruno had prepared a great tajine for us. A tagine is a dish from North Africa that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. The traditional pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay and consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to return all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.

Typically, a tagine is a rich stew of meat, which can include beef, chicken, fish, or lamb, and most often also includes vegetables or fruit. Bruno’s was a chicken tajine and darn tasty it was too!

The only disagreeable part of the evening was that I had taken round a summer pudding and, since it was the first I had made from our home on The Isle of Man, had used a plain stainless steel dish that I wasn’t used to (as opposed to the fluted Tupperware dish we have used for summer puddings when in France). So the summer pudding looked like a splodge of red mud instead of a nicely-shaped invitation to taste its inner delights! I’m not in competition with Bruno to beat the unbelievable apple flan he brought when they came to ours, but it would have been nice to have come up with something halfway presentable! Ah well – better luck next time, Graham!

Haggis Neeps and TattiesAlso before leaving, we had a pleasant evening with my brother Steve and my sister-in-law, Jeanette. They’re great at keeping an eye on the house while we are away, not to mention forwarding the mail, looking after my car and much more. For some reason, however, the whole summer had passed by without the four of us having a quiet evening together. So, since Steve and Jeanette had been to Scotland earlier in the year and had brought us back a haggis, I decided to do my famous Haggis, Neeps and Tatties as a starter, followed by Rich Gravy Lamb and finished with a nice Fresh Fruit Salad. All very simple but wallowing in taste!

Our trip back to France was not without its unwanted “highlights”! At Charles de Gaulle airport our suitcases didn’t appear on the baggage carousel and we were obliged to seek the help of the lost luggage office. It eventually transpired that someone down below (turning the cogs of the baggage handling machinery) had switched off whatever brain cells he might have had and had decided that our cases (and a few others) should be sent back to Manchester (our transit airport). Fortunately he was stopped in time and ‘requested’ (rather firmly) to engage brain and send the cases up!

One hour later, the lady in the lost luggage office got a big hug and we got our cases back… only to find that the railway line between the airport and Paris was being repaired so we had to get a bus into central Paris and then a train out to Acheres where we live. We eventually walked through the door just a few minutes short of midnight. However, fortune smiled on us just a little bit because I had envisaged a possible delay and had made a couple of baguette sandwiches before leaving The Island, just in case we were too late to get to the restaurant … Any port in a storm!

sashimiSince being back, we have, of course, been to our “local” – Happy Sushi – where we were greeted with kisses and big smiles (makes a pleasant change from the surly faces in the airport restaurant at Manchester!). Their maki sushi (for me) and sashimi (for M-D) with sushi rice is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach! Though we are always happy to be on The Isle of Man, we’re always glad to be back in France so we can make the occasional foray into Japanese cuisine in relaxed surroundings. (In fact, we went again a few days ago with M-D’s sister, Christine).

Mind you, it also works in reverse; while we are in France we dream of getting an “Indian fix” at The Royal India, our favourite Indian restaurant on The Isle of Man where the owner, Jose Verananickal, is both friendly and professional and the food is perfectly balanced.

Like I said at the beginning, we’re spoilt brats, getting the best of both worlds!

 

Back on “The Rock” and Jumbo Prawn Stir Fry beckons!

We got back on “The Rock” (The Isle of Man) three weeks ago (mid April) and will stay here now until mid-August. We’ve been lucky so far, since the weather has been kind and we’ve enjoyed regular walks along the sea front, around Peel castle and onto the harbour to watch the seals steal the fish off the lines of the fishermen!Peel Isle of Man

We enjoyed the company of M-D’s grandchildren (Clémence and Eléonore) for ten days and later M-D’s daughter (Muriel) came over for a few days and then took them back to France. Naturally, we did all the tourist stuff with them (Steam Train etc) but we also took them to one of our favourite local restaurants, The Royal India Restaurant. In fact, we took the girls twice (by unanimous demand!)

It might sound a bit strange to choose a small (about 30 covers) Indian restaurant for a holiday treat but the food is so good and tasty that it’s difficult to resist. In fact, I just got back from there about two hours ago after another visit with just Marie-Danielle and myself (Dingri Methi for me and Cafrial for M-D… yummmm!). Our French guests loved the food because, while there are many arabic restaurants in France, there are very few true Indian restaurants so, for them, it was a voyage of discovery and having really first class Indian cuisine so easily available (it’s only about 250 metres from where we live) is an added bonus. Eléonore (aged 10) voted the Chicken Biryani her favourite, giving it 21 out of 20! I had a fiery Madras curry that should have carried a government health warning (or at least been served with an optional fire extinguisher)!

We also visited Jade Harbour, a Chinese restaurant that has always been most pleasant. Sadly, our regular waiter and waitress weren’t there and the service was not up to standard. Whilst the food was good, the slow and erratic service somewhat spoiled the evening.

Isle of Man RailwayHowever, one place that never fails to please is Station Hotel in Port Erin. Yes, it’s just a pub, but their food is hot and fresh and served with a big smile. It’s mighty convenient if you arrive in Port Erin by train since it is just across the road from the little railway station (often described as the most beautiful building in the village) where the famous Manx Steam Train terminates.

There’s nothing wrong with pub grub as long as it’s good pub grub! If it’s plentiful, freshly cooked, tasty, hot and served by people who appear to be happy that you are there, then a meal in a pub with a nice glass of beer can be one of the great pleasures of life, just as much as an intimate evening in a top class restaurant.

Basking SharkAs we were out walking the other day, we met one of the local “characters” – a lady by the name of Pauline who, it turns out, is involved in the monitoring of Basking Sharks, which are often found in the plankton-rich waters around the Isle of Man. The Basking Shark is the second biggest fish in the world (second only to the Whale Shark) but it is truly an endangered species. It is a slow moving filter feeder that has a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. These enormous fish have been measured up to 12.27 metres (40.3 ft), and weighing an estimated 19 tonnes, yet these gentle giants are not aggressive and are harmless to people.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Pauline encouraged us to go see a film that was being shown yesterday evening at the local “Centenary Centre” which revolved around the Basking Shark, but also covered lots of other wildlife on this curious island. Why do I say curious? Because, amongst other things, we discovered that The Isle of Man has the largest Wallaby poulation outside of Australia! Since they have no natural preditors here and do no damage to crops or hedges, the wallabies thrive in the hills yet it seems that very few people even know they are there (including me until last night!).

I started off writing this post with the intention of mentioning a stir fry that we often do (and did while the grandchildren were here)… but I seem to have sidetracked myself! So – Jumbo Prawn Stir Fry… this is a recipe that is very, very simple and doesn’t take much looking after. I know that, traditionally, stir-fries are cooked quickly over a very high heat but this one is much slower over a low heat! It’s a mixture of vegetables and King Prawn, with a good splash of Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce. You can mix-and-match the vegetables to suit yourself but I personally use two onions, a very small cabbage (or half of a larger one), two carrots, a handful of fresh peas, a handful of mushrooms, a tin of beansprouts and a tin of bamboo shoots. But the recipe is very versatile because you can add small pieces of broccoli, water chestnuts, miniature sweetcorns, sliced bell peppers, spring onions, mange tout (snow peas)… almost anything you fancy, in fact!

Peel and slice the onions, chuck them in the wok with a tablespoon of goose fat and cook them very gently to soften. Meanwhile, cut the thick stems out of the cabbage, leaving just the leaves, roughly tear these and add them to the work. It may seem that you have a lot but they shrink and reduce quite drastically. Peel the carrots and Julienne them (cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks) then toss those into the wok. Add a good splash (4-5 tablespoons) of Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce (I use one called Lee Kum Kee, but it can be any stir-fry sauce that takes your fancy). I often add a splash of light Soy Sauce as well – but that’s just a personal preference. Cook this mixture, stirring frequently, over a low heat for about 15 minutes to soften the vegetables.

Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Thinly slice the mushrooms and add to the mix. Drain the beansprouts and bamboo shoots and add these to the wok, along with the peas. Stir and cook for a further five minutes. Now add your Jumbo King Pawns and increase the heat. Turn the mixture regularly and watch as the prawns change colour from translucent grey to whitish-pink. These should be cooked for about 4-5 minutes (no more), then serve your stir-fry and enjoy! It’s a recipe that’s simple and VERY tasty and it has the advantage that you can choose your own preferred vegetables and even your own preferred seafood (we’ve done this recipe using Queen Scallops before now, and very tasty it is too!). Serve with a nice, crisp white or rosé wine and you’ll think you’re in heaven!

Almost time to leave ‘The Rock’ again

How time flies. It only seems like yesterday that we were unpacking our loaded car having arrived from France. Now we are planning loading all the stuff we are taking back and catching the ferry to UK and on to France until June.

When we come from France we bring wine (wouldn’t you know it), tins of things like cassoulet, confit, snails (yes- honest!) and lot of other interesting goodies that you can’t easily get in UK. When we go back to France from The Isle of Man, we take stuff you can’t get in France like party poppers, custard, haggis and jelly beans! Yeah – I know – we’re real adventurous rascals, aren’t we!

While we’ve been here this time, we’ve had two or three interesting meals at home with friends and relatives including Cubes of Veal with Spicebread Sauce, snails (which we brought over with us and packed into the shells ourselves, along with garlic butter and parsley and, tonight, since my niece, Sally and her husband, Danny, are over for a few days, we’ll be having one of my regular favourites, Filet Mignon (Tenderloin of Pork) with Sage and Rosemary.

Abbey Restaurant, Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man
Abbey Restaurant, Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man

Marie-Danielle and I also managed to fit in a visit to The Abbey Restaurant at Rushen Abbey where I enjoyed some amazing Grilled Manx king scallops in hazelnut butter as a starter, then both of us had Chicken Ballontine with dauphinois potatoes, oyster mushroom cream and cranberry sauce. All this, washed down with a bottle of their amazing 2004 Chateaux Lyonnat Saint Emilion. I don’t know how much longer their stocks will last, but, boy, is that a great wine or is that a great wine!

The other things we discovered on this visit were two great local restaurants. One was a Chinese – The Jade Harbour Restaurant overlooking the marina where the food was excellent, the service was spot-on and the prices were right. The other was an Indian – The Royal India – in the little market place just down the road from where we live. Small (only about 30 covers) but clean, friendly, well-priced and with excellent Indain cuisine, this little gem is one we have revisited twice already!

So now, we are looking forward to being back in France so we can visit The Happy Sushi and La Petite Rôtisserie – our two “canteens” that we make plenty of use of! Wish us “Bon Voyage!”