Being a tourist in Italy exhausted me! We never stopped. Never planned a light day. So the first item on my French agenda is to give myself a break.
On arriving in town about 3 p.m., I stopped first at the Carrefour supermarket to pick up a couple of days worth of supplies. Unfortunately I missed the Monday morning marché in Duras, but I am well stocked and will not have to go out again until I recharge my batteries. So I am holed up in the Clocktower Cottage until further notice.
I got to the cottage and found all in order as I knew it would be. Sue was in to give it a good cleaning and bring the box I mailed to myself in care of her address.
Soupe. Potage. Pot au feu. Whatever you call it, I wanted some, and bought everything I needed to make a big pot of soup. Some people like to burn incense or candles to chase out the musty smells. I like to cook! And, I like to personalize the house by cooking something that will waft through the rooms, up the stairs, out the open windows and through the neighborhood.
My soup started with a chicken, a big leek, some carrots, celery, water, salt and pepper. I went out to the street to see if I still had some of the herbs I planted in a pot in the spring. I did, and I cut several sprigs of thyme, some rosemary and some parsley. After everything had simmered together for 1.5 hours, I removed the chicken to a big bowl and let it cool a bit. I chopped up half the chicken and added it to the pot, then put a couple handfuls of tiny elbow pasta. I let it simmer again until the pasta was cooked then took it off the stove to cool a bit while I did some laundry and took a shower.
When I began to feel like myself, I poured a glass of rosé, which Sue is now trained to pop into the fridge to get cold in time for my arrival, then I feasted on my perfectly comforting and warming potage.
There's plenty of it! I think I know what I'll be eating every day this week.
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