Il faut fêter quoi!

This celebration also happened to fall on Carnaval

Jie and Klara working on the salad

So as I’ve mentioned before, the other assistants and I like to get together and celebrate holidays and random events, especially birthdays.  There aren’t very many cafés or restaurants in Semur (esp not any we could afford), so we wind up cooking quite a bit.  The food is a whole range of things from German shnitzels or sweet pancake like things with raisins (Kaiserschmann, sp?, Monika) to Mexican food and chili (me), Asian cuisine (Jie), French quiches and other dishes (Vir and Monika), and salads (Jie and myself), plus yummy desserts (Vir, Klara).  Monika and I baked so much in the winter (out of boredom and the holidays) that we started referring to the place as a biscuiterie or cookie shop. 

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not really a cook and have to really be inspired to want to spend time cooking, but as Monika and I take turns cooking lunch a few times a week, I’ve been trying more and more.  Recent creations of mine have included vegetarian quesadillas, peanut butter banana pancakes with yogurt, breakfast burritos, Senegalese bean sandwiches, squash soup, veggie heavy dishes like pastas or skillet creations, pumpkin pie, and salads with anything you can think of (chick peas are my recent addictions).  They’re usually inventive and only somewhat follow a recipe and I love being pleasantly surprised when they turn out pas mal.

Joyeux 24 Vir!

On Tuesday we fête-d Vir’s birthday and my going away with an Italian feast and some of our fave teachers and Frenchies.  We don’t eat much pasta at all ever and were missing it so decided to make two types of pasta (spaghetti and farafelle) and two sauces (Bolognese and a meatless for vegetarian Klara), a tomato mozzarella salad, bread, and tiramisu.  I was in charge of the vegetarian sauce and wanted to do something that was cheese or cream-based instead of just a meatless version of Monika’s sauce.  I searched online and all of the alfredo sauces were super boring, just cream, flour, and perhaps a little cheese.  And then I found it!  A cheesy alfredo with an interesting mix of veggies.  Whereas most called for peas and ham (obviously not vegetarian), this called for artichokes (we just so happened to have a can in the pantry) and suggested mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes (a bit of a search to find them and I found the last jar at the last store in Semur), along with a healthy dose of fresh parmesan, vegetable broth, and soy milk (I used regular).  I must say, it was quite the hit, even among the non-vegetarians. J

Though I’ve mentioned about not being a foodie (I’m really not, esp after traveling with two in Morocco and walking away less interested than I started), I am proud when a recipe that I find online and adjust turns out well and I wanted to share it with you all because I want to make it someday again.

Cheesy Artichoke Pasta Sauce (man, I’m salivating just thinking about it again and the way the flavors perfectly meshed).  From the website: Creamy Artichoke Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup (soy) milk
• juice from one lemon (approx. 2 tablespoons)
• 1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh
• 8-10 oz pasta
• Sun dried tomatoes
• 1 can of mushrooms

Monika with her bolognese
and my creamy deliciousness

Preparation:

Cook pasta in large saucepan or pot. While the pasta is cooking, simmer the butter or margarine, flour and and vegetable broth in a small saucepan until it thickens, forming a roux, mixing well. If the mixture does not thicken, turn up the heat and add more flour. Add remaining ingredients, except for pasta, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing flavors to blend and cheese to melt. Drain pasta when done cooking, toss with sauce and enjoy!

Monika and I also had a difficult job picking out wines to match our sauces, but I chose a Touraine, a white wine that had a suggested pairing with cheese and got positive comments from the real Frenchies at our soiree.  Woohoo!  A French cooking victory!

Our table, set for 13

It was a fun evening with everyone and was another reminder that I will definitely miss some certain aspects of life in Semur.  I like being able to see friends regularly, as in daily or every few days and enjoy meals together (it’s been YEARS since I’ve been able to do that).  Some day again.

Monika, moi, Jie, Vir, et Klara