Small towns are wonderful! Move to one and you’re sure to get your “15 minutes of fame.” On Monday I was interviewed by Olivier Richard, a courteous and clever journalist for our regional newspaper L’Yonne Republicaine. By Wednesday morning, my picture was on the front page of the newspaper and the buzz at all the cafes in town was about me, my name on everyone’s lips 😀 M. Parret’s picture was also featured in the main, almost full page article on page 8. He was standing in the kitchen while the journalist was taking pictures and just sort of eased in 🙂
Anyway, enough about me, let’s talk me cooking 🙂
Normally the fresh bean season is late August-early September. I’m leaving in a few days and was just bemoaning the fact that I wouldn’t be here when the beans came out.
Lo and behold, there were some early Coco beans at my favorite vegetable stand on Monday! Yeah, baby! Just in time for my birthday! Plump and firm with creamy interiors, fresh beans can not be compared to canned or dry beans. Fresh coco or mogette beans are in a league of their own. I’m really, really going to miss them.
I gathered up the usual suspects, including a handful of very sad looking cherry tomatoes that were happy to partner with a seeded, normal tomato and the beans.
Really, you don’t need anything else but a bowl of these beans and perhaps a slice or two of baguette. However, the American in me just won’t leave well enough alone.
And if it’s lamb chops, the sin of gluttony is not considered deadly 😀 Season with salt and pepper, quickly sear and add herbed butter.
See you guys next in Pennsylvania where I’ll probably lose weight. Unintentionally.
Coco de Paimpol Beans
1/2 cup lardons or diced bacon
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, slivered
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered or 2 normal tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2-3 cups of shelled fresh coco beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Brown the lardons, remove from pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the fat in the skillet and cook until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and herbs, then cook for a minute or two. Add the beans, lardons, broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 50-55 minutes.
Your beans look fantastic!
Thank you tiny. I love these beans!
What, no link to the newspaper article?
Those beans and chops look fab – I’m a big fan of pulses too!
Bon voyage 😉
Thank you Mad.
looks so yum!!!
Thank you idbora.
Are you moving back to the States? That would be sad (but also interesting) for your many readers …
Actually Linda we have a house in both France and PA. We’ll be going back to the States for our daughter’s school year and hopefully be in Sens again for the summer vacation next year.
That should make for some interesting food combinations! How lovely to have the best of both worlds. x
I will continue the blog under the same name and see what I can find out about food in our area.
Looking forward to it. All the best. Linda.
Looks delicious.
This looks like my kind of comfort food. Emma.
Your dish of beans and lamb looks magnificent…truly birthday-worthy and Happy Birthday! Have a great trip and I hope the pickings aren’t too slim food-wise when you get to the states.
I was hoping you’d share the article with us! Or a link. 🙂
That title made me think of the TV series from the eighties… All the dancing and shit.
Congrats on that new found glory… I hope we can still be friends!! 🙂
Great looking beans, too.
You’ve been famous to us for ages, but way to go!
Loved the article. “Comme une appellation, un label de qualité,” indeed. And glad to see Roger and M. Parret had cameos.
Congrats on your newspaper article! Those beans look heavenly. I wonder where I could find them in the states.
Congratulations on your fame. Lovely beans too.
Always nice to get some well deserved recognition. Dish looks great by the way – I’m pretty sure I couldn’t resist adding the lamb chops either….
Wonderful food – congrats on the fame. Funny to see you on the billboard!
This looks wonderful! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog. Having spent a semester living in France, I so wish to go back sometime soon and hopefully work/live there for a year. It’s so inspiring to read about someone who has lived internationally for so long! I wrote a bit about my time in France as well –
http://onetasteatatime.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/throwback-thursday-to-paris/
Félicitations !! What great publicity for you and your delicious recipes and photos!! Where are you going in PA? We lived for quite a while in Villanova, outside of Philly, and we have a weekend home in the Pocono Mountains? Will you be anywhere near either of those places? Bon voyage!
Congrats on the article. Pretty soon you’ll have the paparazzi after you!
Great looking lamb and beans 🙂
Bonne voyage and joyeux anniversaire you fabulously famous person! Gorgeous beans too 🙂
Looks delicious!
Hi Rosemary, great articles in the paper, have just found them on-line. Good luck with the move and look forward to hearing about food stateside!!
Congratulations on the article! Wonderful press and wonderful photographs of you and M. Parret!