Easter
SIMPLY LIVING FRANCE
April Fool
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onions. Lovely on a slice of sourdough or thick multi-grain bread, served with a glass of rosé or Kriek, a cherry flavoured Belgian beer.
A
pril is always a special month for me… I’m an April Fool or Poisson d’Avril but I must admit, I relish the event with less and less enthusiasm…Looking back over the past few years, we seem to have spent more time in April in France than Belgium, probably to fit in with the school holidays of the grandchildren. Easter is a great time to visit, with sunny weather and the pool beckoning.
April 2021 we found ourselves in Belgium for a change. No doubt travel restrictions had something to do with it, but each location has its charms and it was a warm sunny spring. It’s lovely when all the tree blossoms emerge.
New seasonal radishes make their appearance, lovely and peppery, you can even make a pesto with the leaves but how we like to eat them is a Belgian treat at this time of the year…les tartines au fromage frais with radishes and spring
The new season’s lamb makes its appearance and we are lucky enough to get a lovely celtic, French-trimmed one, a treat for the Easter table! I like to serve it with a mustard and Provençale crumb crust. I’d forgotten about this alternative to the customary three veg. It was so tasty served with pesto pasta and pine nuts and a fresh green salad. Store pesto is good, especially from the cold counter but it is so easy to make using basil or rocket, a handful of grated parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, a touch of lemon and a glug of olive oil.
For me, the star entrant to the parade is new season asparagus. I must admit it is increasingly available all year round but nothing beats locally grown. When we are in the Hérault, the local producers sell also in the supermarkets as well as in the markets and at stalls by the road. It does tend to be mainly the green but I have seen the
