Simon's Radiotherapy Diet

Simon starts seven weeks of radiotherapy today. As part of his preparation he has to be able to retain 350 ml of urine in his bladder while the machine delivers the dose over 15 minutes. This has meant he has been diligently recording his intake and output times and quantities so he can establish a pattern and arrive at hospital in just the right state. It's much harder than it sounds as it's over an hour from home to the hospital.

 

Banned.

He is also not allowed to have intestinal gas. We've been given a diet sheet, which is a list of foods to avoid and a list of foods that are encouraged. It has meant a quite radical change in our diet and a lot of thinking on my part.

 

Banned.

Number one on the banned list is anything in the onion family, so I've made batches of chicken and vegetable stock with celery, parsley and carrots, no leeks, no onions. So far he has enjoyed my special chicken noodle soup, and there is vegetable, and tomato to come.

 

Banned.

Number two on the banned list is green vegetables, mostly anything Brassicae, but also chard and spinach, green beans and peas. Zucchini seems to be fine, and soft lettuce such as oak leaf is positively encouraged. Green asparagus is allowed too, but a) he doesn't like it, and b) it is out of season. 

 

Banned.

The only truly safe vegetables that he can eat and likes are carrots and potatoes, so long as they are peeled and cooked. I am going to be so sick of them by November, and sick of peeling them. 

 

Banned.

Other banned veggies are peppers, most root vegetables (cooked carrots and beetroot are the exceptions), cucumber and white asparagus. I'm taking the view that as tomatoes and aubergines are not mentioned they must be okay.

 

Okay.

Naturally the other big group of banned foods are pulses (leguminous veggies such as dried beans, chickpeas and lentils). This is a food group that we would normally eat several times a week!

 

Okay.

He can eat hard cheeses but needs to avoid soft cheeses and blue cheeses. Yoghurt is okay, and desserts such as rice pudding. I've been doing him stewed fruit to have with yoghurt, and he can eat all sorts of plain cakes and biscuits. Toasted white ham and cheese sandwiches are okay and now a mainstay. He's encouraged to eat honey, but he doesn't like it.

 

Okay.

The herbs and spices he can have are limited and I've been doing my best to liven some bland dishes up. He can have cumin, dill, fennel, cardamon, basil and turmeric. Saturday night I did a sort of pretend white chilli, with turkey, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and just about all of the allowed herbs and spices.

 

Banned.

Meat is restricted to chicken, turkey and white fish. I've no doubt he could have rabbit too, but he doesn't like it. Luckily we have a good new fishmonger at SuperU in la Roche Posay so I can get good fish easily.

 

Banned.

Considering that we are a household that easily reaches the recommended 30 plant species per week in our normal diet, and usually manages double that, this is going to be challenging. I've been scouring the Monash University FODMAP recipes for inspiration, but even they are not always suitable. They were designed to help people with IBS and a couple of other bowel problems though, so they are a good starting point.

 

Okay.

Further reading: the Monash University FODMAP website https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/

Packed For a Picnic

Fifteen August, Assomption, fell on a Friday this year so it was a long weekend throughout France. We enjoyed the company of Simon's brother, his wife and their friend. One of the things we did was join the annual classic car meet at Lésigny. This involves meeting at the river for breakfast, then driving a 40 km circuit through rural countryside and villages, along with hundreds of other classic cars following one after another. Once back at the riverside park it was time for a picnic, then a swim.

This is Claudette's boot packed with all the essentials for a picnic and swimming.

For the picnic we served melon and dry cured ham, followed by onion and goats cheese quiche (made by Simon), lettuce, tomatoes, homemade basil vinaigrette, and homemade pickled onions. That was followed by a cheese platter, then homemade mirabelle clafoutis. The drinks served were rose, sparkling water, ginger beer, and champagne.

Ratatouille

Organic heritage tomatoes at the Jardins Vergers de la Petite Rabaudière, where I buy my veggies.

It's ratatouille season in France, so here is a recipe to use up your tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and zucchini.

 

Organic homegrown zucchini (photo from our archive).

 

Ingredients

A big aubergine, cut into 2cm chunks

Olive oil

2 medium zucchini, cut into 2cm chunks

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 red and 1 yellow sweet pepper, cut into 2cm chunks

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

4 medium tomatoes, cut into 2cm chunks

Pinch red pepper flakes

Pinch of sugar

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

½ tsp dried thyme leaves

Ground pepper

 ¼ cup torn basil leaves

Method

1. Salt the aubergine and allow to drain for 20 minutes. Dry with paper towel.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook the zucchini for a few minutes.
3. Add more olive oil and the aubergine to the pan, cook for a few minutes.
4. Add more olive oil, the onion and the peppers to the pan, cook for a few minutes.
5. Add more olive oil, the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and sugar to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the vinegar, thyme and pepper to the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Stir the basil into the pan contents and serve.

 

Garlic drying in a shed on one of our walks.

 

Tomatoes.

 

Organic heritage tomatoes.

 

Organic tomatoes at the market in Preuilly.

 

Onions drying in a shed on a farm near le Petit Pressigny.

 

Chillies drying at a specialist herbalist.

 

Ingredients for ratatouille.

 

A serving of ratatouille.

Organic green and yellow peppers at the gardens of the Chateau de Villandry. Visitors can take these for free (you are encouraged to leave a tip for the gardeners if you do so).

The Mystery Revealed

 What, we asked on Friday, is this object?  [link to be inserted]

Further rummaging around in the cupboard at the gîte revealed that the object had a twin, with an extra piece that explained all. 

It's a cruet set! The trilogy (triptych? triumvirate?) of little revolving bowls are for salt, pepper and mustard. No doubt you can pick them up at any broccante...

Potato and Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi)

 

This is a vegetable curry. Aloo is Urdu for potato, gobi is cauliflower and sag spinach.

Organic cauliflower, grown in a local garden, cut into florets.

I love this dish. It is so intensely savoury, real comfort food. It's a great dish for trying with people who hate cauliflower or spinach. Carnivores are often quite happy to eat it. One person who is notably not happy to eat it is Simon, so if I make it, I have to have an alternative on hand for him.

Chard can be substituted for the spinach.

The quantities in this recipe are extremely flexible. If you have already taxed the cauliflower for a few florets to have with lamb chops and cheese sauce for dinner yesterday – don't worry – just chuck in another potato.

Tomato and spices mix.

Serves 3-6

Ingredients

1 cauliflower

3-4 potatoes

1 onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges

1 small piece of fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 fresh red chili, finely chopped

3-6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons tumeric

1 large bunch fresh green coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately

1½ teaspoons ras al hanout or garam masala

1 teaspoon salt

100g fresh spinach (or in a pinch, a couple of blocks of frozen) – optional

Method

1. Divide the cauliflower into florets and discard the trunk.
2. Scrub the potatoes and cut into chunks 5-8cm across.
3. Put the tomatoes into a bowl with their liquid. Rinse out the tin with about ¼ cup water and add this to the bowl. Put the tin in the recycling bin.
4. Add the coriander stalks, tumeric, chili, ginger and salt to the tomatoes.
5. Heat the oil on medium in a large deep frying pan (a kadai - one of those that looks like a heavy, flat based wok is traditional and ideal), then fry the cumin and onions until yellowish-golden but not brown. Yes, this is quite a lot of oil. You probably could use less, but if you have Pakistani or Indian friends and have watched them cook, you will know that they tend to be quite generous with the oil when frying off onions and spices. Flavour molecules tend to attach to fat molecules and become enhanced and accessible. The dish gains a textural quality as well as just imparting flavour sensations.
6. Add the tomato mixture and fry for 3-5 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat then add the cauliflower and potatoes. Stir well.
8. Cover and let simmer over a medium low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are done.
9. Turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander leaves, spinach and spice mix. Stir carefully then cover and let stand while you cook rice.
10. Serve with rice, dhal (lentils) and/or chapatis or naan.

I am not a fan of very hot food, although I like spicy. I see no advantage in spending a meal with eyes watering, nose running, sweating and gulping in cool air after every couple of mouthfuls, so I limit the chili. If your tolerance is higher, put in 2, 3 or even 4 chillies.

Mustard seed/rape/canola is probably traditional, but sunflower or peanut will be fine. Traditionally, quite large quantities of oil are used too, but you may wish to be more moderate and go for the lower limit suggested.

I know preparing the leaves and the stalks of the coriander separately sounds tedious and time consuming – but do it – it's worth it for the extra flavour you get. Wash the bunch of leaves and shake vigorously to get as much water as possible off. Dry your hands and pick off the leaves. If you have wet hands when you are pinching off the leaves they will stick to your fingers in a thoroughly irritating way. Chop the pile of leaves finely. Gather the stems together into a neatish bundle and cut them into 5mm lengths – shorter if you have the knife skills and patience. You can just gather the bunch together after washing and separate the leafy bits with one firm cut at wherever seems best in order to get a pile of stems and a pile of leaves, but this shamefully cavalier and impatient attitude doesn't produce quite as good a result.

Preparing the coriander can put you off making this dish. This step alone will take about 20 minutes if you approach it calmly and steadily. But for me the dish is so delicious and so comforting that I have been known to make it after a particularly frustrating day at the office when I thought I couldn't be bothered with food at all.

If you can't buy ras al hanout in the shops it is especially easy and economical to put together if you buy your spices in the generous quantities offered in shops or markets catering for people from Africa or India. To make the blend, combine 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons ground coriander, 1 tablespoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder, 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika and 1 teaspoon smoke essence. Store in a sealed jar and use as a rub on meats prior to grilling or frying, sprinkle on potato wedges, in recipes that call for garam masala or curry powder as well as ras al hanout.

What is smoke essence I hear you ask? Smoke essence is a brilliant idea from Sally Schneider's 'A New Way to Cook'. Take ½ cup Lapsang Souchong tea and whiz at high speed in a blender or spice grinder for 1 minute until it turns into a fine powder. Use it to give ordinary grilled meats and veg that straight from the barbecue flavour.

Buy Local Honey

If you want to support your local economy and ensure you are buying a quality product produced by someone who cares about the environment, then buy honey directly from your local small scale apiarist. In France, look for the wording on the label which says 'Récolté et mis en pot en France' ('Harvested and potted in France'). Reject honey that says 'Miel d'origine UE' ('Honey from the EU') or worse, 'Miel d'origine hors UE' ('Honey from outside the EU').

 

Chestnut honey and forest honey, from two different Loire Valley apiarists.

Why buy local honey? Beekeepers themselves will sometimes spout a load of nonsense about how you are helping endangered pollinators and biodiversity, but this is rarely true [see my post about 'The Trouble With Honey Bees]. What you are doing though is contributing to a circular, short distance economy, helping it to be resilient, durable and if necessary, reactive. 

 

Buckwheat honey.

You will also be getting a much more interesting range of flavour profiles than anything in the supermarket, which is nearly always blended on an industrial scale, not single source. You will quickly learn how to tell honey produced in the spring (pale, floral, very sweet) from honey produced in the autumn (dark, fruity, with a touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness). Then you can learn the differences between linden (Fr. tilleul), robinia (Fr. acacia), sunflower (Fr. tournesol), buckwheat (Fr. sarrasin), chestnut (Fr. chataigner), heather (Fr. bruyère), canola (Fr. colza) and buckthorn (Fr. bourdaine). I've even had carrot honey from one apiarist!

 

 Linden honey.

Cheap honey is always adulterated with syrup. If it is imported it has been through several hands, all with the opportunity of cutting it to make more profit. It has been transported long distances and has thus contributed to air pollution and greenhouse gases. 

 

A swarm of honey bees in a bush.

I recommend visiting your local apiarist and buying direct from their shed. Ask if they will show you around -- usually they are delighted to show you how they work and to talk about honey bees. And now that you know them, you will have someone to call when one day a swarm of bees takes up residence in your peach tree (or whatever, in your garden...). Your apiarist friend will come and collect them, and thank you for calling them.

 

Bernard the apiarist, showing Joy and me inside a hive.

If you can't make it to your beekeeper's shed, buy from them at your village market. You can still have a chat about the bees, their work and the honey, and they'll still come and gather up the swarm in your garden if you ask them.

My personal preference is for the dark strong autumnal honeys like chestnut. I'm not overly impressed by 'acacia', which is the most popular honey in France. But at least in France there is an expectation that you take food seriously and treat it respectfully, hence people knowing what the different varieties of honey are like, just as they know what the different varieties of strawberries or apples are like. Honey is not just honey in France.

Picnic in the Rain

Last Thursday we visited some of the painted churches of the Anglin Valley. We packed a picnic just in case the weather was ok, and were in Prissac when lunchtime arrived and we thought we'd take a chance.

Prissac has a lovely picnic area next to an etang, with plenty of picnic tables, so we chose one under a tree (there was the possibility of a shower, but no storm) and set out our food. At which stage the rain hammered down. We waited at the table just long enough to get soaking wet, then packed up and ran to the car. (In the process of packing the table tipped up and deposited me on my back, but no damage was done except to my dignity).

Anyway - here's our picnic. You can't see the bread, but we had four types of cheese, tomatoes, olives, pickled onions (home made), smoked beef, terrine, hummus, and fresh fruit. And lashings of ginger beer.

We located to a picnic shelter that was being vacated by a couple of white van men (and their microwave oven). We would have started there but there was only one table in the shelter, and you hate to impose. It's an excellent shelter, with running water, a sink, and a couple of working power points.

Apart from soaked clothing it was a most successful picnic. The shelter needs more tables - and it would be nice if they were stable - but apart from that, excellent.

Bleu d'Auvergne

I was excited to see this in the Coles supermarket in Manly. I was also "excited" by the price.

$84 per kilo is about 47€. We often buy exactly the same cheese at home in France for about €12 a kilogramme. It's makes a fairly regular appearance in our household as a very reliable inexpensive blue cheese - especially if it's in the anti-gaspillage (anti - waste food nearing it's end of display date) section at 30% off.

Almonds in France

 Almond blossom (March).

The French consume a lot of nuts, and three sorts in particular are grown in France - almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. Almonds are especially widely used as they are one of the mainstays of the French pâtissier's art. All over France, almond paste, meal or powder appears in yesterday's croissant; as marzipan, macarons or nougat; and in biscuits and cakes of all sorts. In restaurants, almond slivers come swimming in the beurre noisette with fish. 

 

Homegrown almond, with its leathery green sheath behind.

Almonds are not much grown in the Touraine, which is walnut country, but almond trees are seen in many gardens to the south of us, in the Charente. The flavour can be sweet (milky fresh blanched almonds), moreishly nutty (unblanched dried almonds) or somewhat overpowering (almond extract). Excitingly, the flavour of almonds, like the kernels of other stone fruits, comes from highly aromatic chemicals which include cyanide. Almonds must be quite closely related to peaches, because on the tree, still clothed in their fleshy outer layer, the crop looks like rather poorly performing peaches.

 

Green (fresh) almonds from Spain in the supermarket at la Roche Posay (June). 

Once upon a time pastry chefs and confectioners pounded their own almonds to make paste for their goods. Almond paste had been a stock in trade of the patissier since Renaissance times. 

 

Organic locally grown almonds at the market in Preuilly (September).

Terraroma, in Provence, is the largest almond producer in France, with 20 000 trees producing top quality nuts which are much prized by confectioners (Fr. confiseurs). The sweet almonds are grafted onto bitter almond stock, and some of the trees are 200 years old. But most almonds used in France are grown in Spain. France simply can't supply the demand.

 

Organic almond orchard in Provence (June).

Low Food Miles Apples

Our ComCom (Communauté de communes Loches Sud Touraine) has joined a network to allow small local producers to distribute within our local area more efficiently. The platform, which originated in Lyon, is called la Charrette ('the cart'). It connects and matches producers, distributors and social canteens (schools, aged care facilities, etc).

 

Tony at the market in Preuilly with organic apples.

In the Sud Touraine 80% of consumers do most of their food shopping at the supermarket. The supermarkets do sell local produce, 'playing the game'. However, most supermarket shoppers may like the idea of 'local' but are motivated by other concerns when spending. 

There are exceptions within the supermarket franchises, with several managers of local supermarkets convinced of the value of stocking local produce. They've done deals with nearby breweries, dairy co-operatives, orchards and graziers. They acknowlege it takes more time, and the products have to be carefully positioned, but they find it rewarding both personally and financially.

 

Sandy at the market in Preuilly with organic apples.

Buying 'local' is an act of political and social responsibility. Thus the local authority is keen to encourage and facilitate it.

I buy my organic apples from local orchardists Tony and Sandy, who own Fruit Ô Kalm, just outside of town. They deliver a small part of their production to the primary school canteen in Yzeures sur Creuse. Tony says that when he delivers €50 worth of apples to the school, it's not really financially rewarding, but it's about contributing to the education of the kids, and acting on his and Sandy's personal values. Tony and Sandy's fruit can now also be found at Saveurs Lochoises, thanks to the ComCom's new network. He's happy, but if he could sell enough in Loches he would not bother to go all the way to Tours to sell his produce. Distributing his own produce several times a week is really time consuming, and can be expensive. The new network can help with that, bringing producers together so they can share deliveries. At the moment there are 80 members of the network.

 

Bus stop advertisement for Centre-Val de Loire produce.

Tony and Sandy are already used to working with similar networks and use the regional network Bio Centre-Val de Loire to get their produce to Paris. It costs them €150 per pallet, but it's worth it when that is transporting €2000 worth of produce.

The schools and other social canteens (Fr. restauration collective) are important drivers of the project, as since the beginning of last year they have to be working with good quality ingredients that are at least 50% from sustainable sources, and 20% organic.

Information from the ComCom newsletter No 12 été 2025.

Lamington

This is a proper sized lamington (don't worry, that's a side plate) photographed in Tenterfield, New South Wales.

As much as the idea appeals, we're not making lamingtons as snack food for watching the Tour de France tomorrow. Look for us and our Aussie flag as the Tour passes through Preuilly sur Claise.

A New French Phrase

 A new term for me: "Sans exhausteur de goût" = "no added flavour enhancers".

Although I could guess from the context I was curious enough to ask the checkout operator what an 'exhausteur de goût' was. Her response was that 'c'est quelque chose qui ramène du goût'. Then a shrug, and she added 'c'est chimique'. Literally, 'it's something that brings back flavour. It's chemical.'

The product in question, for those of you wondering, is thin slices of turkey breast wrapped around slices of ham and cheese, then crumbed. It's really intended for children I think, not really considered a grown up's meal in this cheap and cheerful version. The portion size is certainly small anyway. I buy them occasionally because I can do them in the air fryer and have a quick light cheap meal for the two of us, served with steamed veggies.

Oysters at the Guinguette

Our guinguette (riverside summer pop up bar) Le Lavoir knows how to pull in the crowds. Recently we went down for their special oyster service. The oysters themselves were amongst the best we've ever had, and the condiments were good too. Normally I just have oysters nature (plain), but the shallot vinegar and the citrusy dressing were both excellent and both enhanced rather than overpowered. 

 

Opening oysters as fast as he can. The bowls contain condiments -- 'caviar', citrus, shallot vinegar.

The oysters came from the Ile de Ré, off the Atlantic coast, raised and served by the Dealer d'Iode (chasseur d'huitres) https://dealerdiode.com/. Guinguette Sommelier Louise was taking orders and serving a carefully chosen white wine. The oyster farmers are fifth generation and the family have been producing oysters since 1920. As ever when I've had really good oysters, they were not large. These ones had a very impressive algal fringe too.

 

 Louise taking orders, customers taking their oysters. The little bottles contain smoked vinegar.

COVID was a real turning point for the business, and they decided to develop oyster bars and host events and visits.

To keep up with the guinguette's news, follow Guinguette Le Lavoir on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/guinguettelelavoir/

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.