Christ is Re-Risen

Back in April I was out with Les Galoches walking group from Yzeures sur Creuse and we passed a large stone cairn at an intersection. I asked what it was, which resulted in gales of laughter.

The plinth in April.

The cairn is a plinth for a crucifix. Yzeures sur Creuse hosts a very successful rock festival every year in the summer. I'm told that last year, during the festival, a somewhat inebriated young man seeking to impress his girlfriend climbed the plinth and hung off the cross, which promptly came crashing to the ground.

The newly repaired crucifix.

Local social media groups apparently had a good deal to say about it, of the 'young people today!' variety, but it seems that the young man was instantly mortified, and first thing the next morning, turned himself in. He went to the town hall to 'fess up, and they were completely sympathetic. They commented that the metal rod fixing the crucifix to the plinth was so badly rusted that they already had it on their list to deal with. In their view the young man was just unfortunate and they were glad no one was seriously hurt. The crucifix has now been repaired and is in tip top condition for further festival highjinks next month...

Baked Korean Chicken Wings

When we get the chance we always try to cook a big batch of something tasty, interesting, and almost as importantly, quick to turn into a meal after taking out of the freezer. This is a recipe I prepare three or four times a year, with chicken wings and drumsticks. Lately I have been adding turkey wings to the mix, because you can occasionally buy them in bulk at the supermarket.

Whatever meat you use, it needs to have a bone in it, because it's a meal best eaten with your fingers. If using turkey, cut the wings lengthways.

Ingredients 

1 kg poultry wings (2.2 pounds), drumettes & wingettes

In a bowl;
1 cup milk (250ml)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Marinating and basting sauce (mix these together in a large ziplock bag)
1½ Tbsp gochugaru (or 1tsp chili flakes)
3 Tbsp gochujang
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1½ Tbsp rice wine
3 cloves minced garlic
1 bird's eye chili minced

Instructions

Put the meat into the bowl of milk. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Drain and let it sit in a sieve for about 5 minutes.

Once drained, put the wings into the bag containing the marinade. Seal the bag and vigorously shake and massage so that the sauce covers the meat. Marinate it for at least 4 hrs in the fridge (24 hours is better) and massage occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 220 degree Celsius.

Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lay baking paper on top of the baking tray and line up the pieces. Make sure they are not stacked up on top of each other.

Put the bag of excess marinade to one side for later.

Put the tray into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Take the tray out, turn the meat over and put it back in the oven. Bake for 10 more minutes.

Transfer the meat for immediate consumption to an air fryer (or preheated oven). Brush with some of the excess marinade using a basting brush.

Cook at full blast for 2 minutes or until the skin is charred. Turn the meat over and brush again, and give it another 2 minutes.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

If, like us, there's only two of you and you're trying not to eat too much, 1kg of meat is too much for one sitting. I usually cook a double batch, and freeze the majority for later use.

Divide the remaining cooked (but not air fried) and cooled meat into servings, and put in freezer bags with divided up excess marinade. Keep in the freezer.

When you're using the frozen meat, you have two choices:

For salad composée: defrost, then baste with the marinade, and heat in the airfryer at 160°C for 15 minutes basting continually. Turn over after 5 minutes.

To have hot: defrost, then reheat at 160°C for 10 minutes in an airfrier. Then turn up the heat to maximum, baste liberally with the marinade from the bag, and give them 2 or 3 minutes a side, basting with the remaining marinade when you turn them.

Who Goes There?

 If I told you the genus I'd only be guessing. The furthest I'd be prepared to go is Macropod. I think.

The Co-operative Bakery

Fabrice Doucet is our remarkable local historian, and his depth of knowledge about Preuilly's past is incredible. He's meticulous about accuracy and sources, and maintains a very extensive personal research archive of clippings and photos. He's active on Facebook, and every now and then I cheekily 'steal' one of his posts and translate it for the blog. The story of the co-operative bakery on what was then known as Place du Marché (today Place des Halles) is one such post.

 

The co-operative bakery was to the right of the angle in this building. Now a private home, the windows have been altered so it is not so obviously a shop front.

 

"In the wake of workers movements in the 19th century, co-operative societies appeared all over France. The aim was primarily to get the price of sales as low as possible. This was the case in Preuilly, and from 1909 there was a co-operative bakery on Place des Halles, just down from the current co-operative grocery store.

In 1928 the co-operative society had 280 members. The term Place du Marché was still in current usage and was what appeared on the bakery's invoices. In 1931 the co-operative bakery was taken over by Roger (Gaston) Nibeaudo, and he ran it until 1946. The co-operative was dissolved at an unknown date. Following this the baker was Roger Dubreuil (1957)."

Fabrice also includes a newspaper clipping reporting on the new bakery on 19 September 1909.

"A co-operative society has been formed in Preuilly, with M. Clément as president, for running a bakery outlet. 

The sale of bread will start at the beginning of next month and the depot is installed on the Market Place. The oven has already been built and the workers are putting the final touches to the storefront. Different local workers were employed for all the improvements, and the creation of this co-operative bakery is an important event for our area."

[Source: Opening of the co-operative bakery at Preuilly, la République, weekly newspaper, Indre et Loire.] 

According to another source, this is where the baguette first made its appearance in provincial Preuilly sur Claise.

I've Done Some Decorating

Susan has written in the past about her large REG vases. That's not the only REG ceramics she owns.

Yesterday, while she was out shopping, I grabbed my tools, drilled a hole and hung a mirror. I must have been feeling competent, because I didn't stress about it - but it is an over engineered hook.

I'm impressed that 35 years ago Susan bought pottery that perfectly colour matches a house she first saw 19 years ago.

What the Heck is That?

Many Linden trees in the Touraine are currently sporting weird red growths on their leaves, like tiny fingers pointing upwards. 

 

Underside of a leaf.

They are called Nail Galls (Fr. Galles cornues) and they are caused by microscopic mites in the Eriophyes genus. There are not just a few galls on affected trees, but several dozen on the upper surface of each affected leaf. The galls can be up to 15 mm long and range in color from pale green and yellow to red. On the underneath of the leaf you can spot a tiny hole, and inside the gall's hairy centre there will be an invisible worm like mite measuring 0.2 mm long.

 

Upper side of a leaf.

The galls start appearing at the end of spring. The mites are present all over Europe, but particularly in France and Great Britain. Each species of Eriophyes is particular to one, or occasionally two, species of Linden. The galls pictured are on a neighbour's Common Linden Tilia x europeus (Fr. Tilleul commun), so they are probably caused by Eriophyes tiliae. But it's impossible to say for sure without expert knowledge of the group and microscopic examination. Common Linden is a hybrid, so it can be affected by several species of mite, which also affect the parent Linden species.

If your tree is affected, don't worry. There are biological controls (other predatory mites) but they are not very practical to apply, and normally it is not worth employing them. The Eriophyes mites and their activities do not hinder the growth of the tree or harm it in any way. They just make it look a bit weird for a while.