April Fool

April Fool

April 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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white, favoured by the Belgians who can seemingly eat it by the ton load. The white is grown in the dark…hence it doesn’t produce chlorophyll which gives the green colour when grown in sunlight. They are similar in flavour, the white being slightly more delicate, the green more grassy….some people refer to the green as sparrow grass…a slight exaggeration. And of course, a favourite pastime of locals and those in the know is foraging for the wild asparagus that grows in the fields and hedgerows. We chase them off our field then go and pick it ourselves.

I can’t leave the asparagus without mentioning the recipe loved by Belgians…Asperges à la flamande. You can use the white or green variety. With the white, trim off the woody ends but you may like to peel the stems…the outer skin can be a bit tough… then steam or simmer till just tender. Dress with hard boiled eggs chopped up with an alarming amount of melted butter, seasoning and parsley and, if you want to be super extravagant, and I usually do, add grey shrimps or little pink ones or even, dare I say it, strips of smoked salmon. A feast fit for a king or queen.

Asparagus is quick and easy to cook. For the green, simply crack off those woody ends and steam till tender. It doesn’t take long. Serve simply with melted butter or a poached egg, on its own as a simple lunch or starter or, I love it with salmon or fish as an accompaniment. This salmon dish is a real favourite, en croute with a smoked salmon pâté filling, steamed asparagus, hollandaise sauce and a few new potatoes… because we’re greedy.

April in Belgium or France…lucky wherever we are. Bon appétit et joyeux Pâques à tout le monde.

Philippa Xx