ST.- SULPICE

I took a little walk through my neighborhood.  Jardin Catherine Laboure is a sweet little spot down the street from my apartment.  Inside the walls is a community vegetable garden.  Although there are signs posted everywhere saying "no dogs allowed", I spotted this little fellow at the entrance gate with his owner.  Seems to me that a common thread between Texans and Parisians is that they LOVE their dogs.

Since the weather has cleared up, as well as my allergies, a stroll to St. Sulpice seemed like a good idea.  The square, well all of Paris for that matter, was bustling. 

St.-Sulpice is a Late Baroque parish church.  It's now more popular than ever with tourists because of its prominent role in the novel  The Da Vinci Code.  The Church of St.-Sulpice was founded to replace a small Gothic church.  Various architects contributed to the design of St. Sulpice over a century (1646-1745) which explains the different design styles within the same structure.

What a sacred place.  I lit a candle and said a prayer for Graydon and Raquel in one of the small chapels of the cathedral.  

Since most grocery stores aren't open in Paris on Sunday, I decided to stop at La Grande Epecerie.  That place is heaven for anyone who likes good food.  I go there EVERY DAY.

Each and every section of the store is a visual feast.  They have such a rockin' wine section that I wanted to send you a shot or two of it.  When the manager saw me taking pictures, he said, "Madame, you can take a picture of me, but not of my wine!"  I apologized, and he was very nice about it.  Don't know what the rule is exactly, but I had already taken a few shots.


Outside of my apartment windows there is a gorgeous courtyard.  I'll post a pic, but I'm waiting until I can get a shot of Stella.  That's the name that I gave her.  She's this groovy bird that lives in a nest nearby, but it appears that there's a nest under construction on my bedroom window.  I never open that window.  I don't want to disturb her work, but more than anything, a visit from Stella while I'm asleep would give me a heart attack.  She won't hold still for a picture, but I'm not giving up.

EAT PRAY LOVE

So last Thursday I went to see "Eat Pray Love" with my friend and neighbor Ellie.  The first part of the protagonist's (Elizabeth) journey happens in Rome.  She is focused on food.  Not too difficult to identify with for a girl like me.  Anyway, ever since I saw her eating pizza and spaghetti, I've had a hankerin' for some good old Italian cuisine.  To that end, I made a heavenly pot of marinara today.  Heavenly!!!

Twenty five or so years ago my dear friend Madeline's mom Nanette Cellante taught me to make marinara.  Well, if she were with me right now, she would probably scold me for not doing it exactly as she taught me.  Fast forward to my friend Nick, who in my opinion owns the finest Italian restaurant I've ever been to (at least in the U.S.).  I didn't do what he told me to do either.  He always adds Italian parsley and usually I do too.  I was too lazy to get out into the weekend tourist traffic to go after it.  Sometimes you just have to make an informed decision.  Nonetheless, there's a theme here.  I have to make recipes and dishes my own!  I have taken advice, the best advice, and incorporated it into my cooking, but the bullheaded girl that I am has to do it her own way. 

Luckily I had all the ingredients that I needed at hand.  First of all, I grow basil, oregano, and thyme at home.  It's convenient!  Really convenient!  Tomatoes come in a can, but herbs have to be fresh.  First, I finely chopped some fresh garlic and yellow onion.  (For my Texan friends - I would have used 10-15 onions if I could have gotten my hands on them.  Just that Texan pride showing.)   I sweated the onion in organic extra virgin olive oil, added the garlic and then the tomatoes.  I always use San Marzano tomatoes.  You can't beat them.  They come whole, crushed, or pureed.  Today I used crushed.  Crushed and pureed just cut down on the cooking time.  I added some red wine, kosher salt, black pepper, crushed dried red pepper, (I like spicy food - arabbiata) a pinch or two of sugar, lots of fresh oregano and simmered for three hours on low to medium.  Toward the very end I added a ton of fresh basil.  Everything tastes better with basil.  The more the better.

I made a lot of sauce.  This afternoon I'm surprising Ellie with some gorgeous imported angel hair, a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a container of marinara. 

This is a simple recipe.  Well, there really is no recipe.  Anyway, I love uncomplicated food with the best of ingredients.  Eat what sounds good, what's fresh, and what's in season.  Remember, it's your kitchen.  You're not making a mistake unless of course you have to call the Fire Department.

Depending on who might be around this week, I'm thinking of another Italian dinner.  Only this time, I'll do it at my dining room table.  That movie really got me thinking about Italian food - in a BIG way!  Stay tuned.

Time to eat.  I'm starving!