What to Eat?

When our children were growing up, the highlight of each year was our summer holiday. We always stayed in fabulous hotels in France and Switzerland.

Only one problem for me, on our return home, I couldn’t get into the routine of cooking again! It’s the same now after Christmas. You may wonder why French food has such a world wide reputation. It’s because the French care about food. There’s an annual competition in Paris to honour the best baguette. Simple bread becomes an art form!

Simple food can be delicious. What about dips? I love garlic so my favourite is “Le Grand Aïoli”.

• Soak a slice of de-crusted bread in milk for about 10 minutes.
  
• Squeeze and discard the liquid.
• Next pound the soaked bread with 4 cloves of garlic.
• When it’s smooth whisk in an egg yolk and about 250 ml olive oil plus lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
  

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge and use that day. Of course you can double or treble these amounts  depending on your number of guests. If your family are like mine, there will be vegetarians and non-vegetarians around your table. I fill one platter with sliced cold meats or sea-food and another with brightly coloured vegetables and fruits. Each platter would have it’s own bowl of aïoli in the centre.
 
I don’t go to the trouble of making this dip just for myself. Instead, I stir some tomato ketchup into some mayonnaise and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley! Don’t forget a variety of different flavoured crisps. Enjoy these simple feasts, and if like me, wash them down with your favourite wine. I love Merlot, as it is full flavoured, without being heavy.
 
Have a “dippy” January!
Esmé