Your photo quality is so crisp - feels like I could reach out and take a bite!
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Same here. Made a bell pepper dish called frita (close to piperade) with tomatoes, garlic a few days ago. One of the essential ingredient is paprika. I even bought a big can of la Chinata. Not exactly the same taste, although acceptable. I wonder now how could I finish up with that can of 750 g…
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What coincidence! My MIL made the same Frittata too, with mushrooms yesterday.
Like usual, she cooked for 10, although there were 4 of us.
Gratton of Lormont
Salad with heart of palms, mozzarella, red onions, olives, garden cucumbers, tomatoes, bread crumbs and Provence seasonings.
Pork chops with herbs
There were also some ratatouille, I forgot to photograph the dish.
Some canapés to accompany champagne
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Wow! That looked like a beautiful feast!
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Thanks, it’s always very festive chez my in-laws. I guess it’s due to MIL always cooks for a big family in her life, now even all the children are gone, she still retains this style.
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That “Gratton of Lormont” is a show stopper! I have never seen it before, Googled it and it sounds quite amazing. You are a very lucky camper!
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La Chinata is the one generally available in UK supermarkets. They do a “sweet” one, as your photo and a “hot” one. I always have a jar of the hot in the cupboard.
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I’ve got the hot one too, though much smaller size, they were bought together as a set from Amazon. Supermarkets here don’t stock these.
It’s something you find in the Aquitaine region, i.e. around or in Bordeaux. I have never seen it in Paris.
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Excellent! Thanks so much for the detail- I have everything I need, which is always good. I do enjoy a good wander through the Asian grocery store, but I try to limit my trips because I’m a chronic impulse buyer haha and I only cook for one, and hate waste. And I also already randomly stopped at the Indian grocery store this morning… Anyway, thanks again! It sounds like it’ll be right up my alley.
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spectacular.
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omylord! i’d never heard of Gratton of Lormont, but now i must have it!!
wonderful spread, I’d gladly crash these parties!
what a perfect dish - that orzo sounds amazing.
This dinner has me salivating. That pork! Those potatoes!
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We’ve been in Amsterdam for a few days. Dinner will be brown gloop from the freezer. There’s a small bag of beef based pasta sauce and another of beef olives. We’ll heat them up along with some pasta. Normal service at Harters Hall will be resumed tomorrow.
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Bday dinner Tues. night with the BF at the Spanish tapas place - they also do paella but we didn’t feel like waiting 45+ minutes. But wonderful, all of it. Our friend/server made suggestions which we followed. Bubbles, a fancy gin/tonic, red wine, and more bubbles accompanied.
We split everything: Manchego and marcona almonds; jamon iberico de bellota with pan con tomate (amazing - pan con tomate is my all-time favorite tapa, and the jamon just gilded the lily); Swordfish crudo in a melon/cuke gazpacho (incredible - a stand-out); tomato and bread salad with charred Jimmy Nardello peppers (wonderful); shortrib with two kinds of mojo and hazelnuts (delish, especially the potatoes with the mojos); patatas bravas (the only time we strayed from our friend’s recs - my pick, as they’re another one of my favorites; deep fried and perfect!). “Dessert” was a nightcap at the Argentine steakhouse around the corner from our apt. 
Tonight is a bday happy hour with a bunch of friends. I am expecting to be hurting tomorrow. 
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I do love your descriptions and photos that bring about salivation syndrome to me…but I always wonder is this what you eat in one meal? (lol)
Hope to be back in your part of the world in a couple of months…maybe we can have a French HO Down?
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I can understand why. But let me try to convince of the even better Mallorcan “pa amb oli” - bread with oil.
You want a good crusty bread with a dense (but not dry) interior. Slice and lightly toast the bread. Then rub it with a cut clove of garlic. Now rub and squidge a cut tomato over it - don’t even think of using anything other than the most flavoursome tomato you can find. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Finally drizzle over olive oil - obviously the best olive oil you’ve got. Eat. Enjoy - 'tis a veritable feast.
You will find places on the island that add cheese, ham or salami but these are additions for tourists. What you really want is pa amb oli. Try it, MC, just try it.
Belated b’day salutations.
Can I also recommend Tomas Graves book “Bread and Oil” which is the English language version of his Mallorcan original. Great read, full of foody stuff and island culture. He’s the son of poet Robert Graves.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-Oil-Majorcan-Cultures-Stand/dp/1904943527
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I’ve thought about it but am not blogging or producing video at the moment.
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Excellent!
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