Catching a Rainbow

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage;
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage...
The Passionate Man's Pilgrimage

Sir Walter Raleigh

With that poem begins one of the most awaited seasons of the year, not climatic but gastronomic, the Scallops or perhaps the better known, Coquilles St Jacques!
It is not unusual in France for their arrival to attract banner like announcements in the papers such as,
“They have arrived!”
People stop in the street and discuss what the coming season is going to be like: will there be enough, are they going to be more expensive than last year, but most of all, ‘when will they arrive.’
In the region of Brittany in which I live, nothing is anticipated quite like the first Coquilles St Jacques of the year, fairs being organised to celebrate this wonderful harvest from the sea.
Coquille St Jacques, as with other shellfish are not generally popular in England, we seem to find mussels, oysters and other shellfish somewhat daunting and yet, they are what the British want to eat when they come to Brittany on holiday.
France not only produces, but also imported 7840 metric tons of scallops in 2007 alone, including 60% of the UK catch . In the UK during 2007 nearly 18,500 tons of scallops were landed grossing £32,000,000 for the fishing industry, but so few are eaten by the inhabitants.
It is a sad fact that very few children in Britain will taste the wonderful sweet flavour of fresh Coquilles St Jacques and although the sale of frozen scallops has increased two fold in the past ten years, the availability of good fresh scallops, away from the coasts is still abysmal for a country surrounded by the sea. As a nation, unlike the French, we have not grown up with shellfish as part of our diet and our lives are poorer for it.


HISTORY:

The name Coquilles St Jacques is so recognisable; it transcends language barriers, being known as Coquille St Jacque in other tongues apart from French. Even in Britain the name Coquille St Jacque is more recognisable to most than the mundane scallop. The shell is the archetypal shape for a seashell, and the one most easily recognisable by adults and children alike.
The scallop shell is the traditional emblem of Saint James the Great, better known as James an apostle of Jesus or St Jacques in French. The shell is worn by pilgrims following the route to the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
More commonly known as Santiago, which is Spanish for St James, was named after the apostle who some believe spent time in Galicia, spreading Christianity. His connection to scallop shells comes from myth and legend and is derived from two similar stories.
In 40AD, James returned to Judea to continue his ministry, which was not long lived; he was put to death by King Herod Agrippa four years later. Following James’s execution, the king refused to give permission for the body to be buried and during the night friends removed the corpse and sailed for Spain, his final resting place.
The first story tells of James wading out into the sea and rescuing a fallen knight who had become unseated from his horse. When the knight emerged from the water he was covered in scallop shells. The other story, along similar lines, attests that whilst St. James's remains were being transported to Spain for burial, the horse of a knight fell into the water, and emerged covered in the shells.
Centuries later a hermit called Pelayo was sitting in a wood, when he saw a strange light shining over the place where James was supposedly buried. Pelayo named the place, "Campus Stellae", or ‘the field of the star.’ That name later evolved into Compostela and hence to Santiago de Compostella or St James- field of the star.


BUYING:

Scallops should, whenever possible be bought in shell, making it easier to tell if they are really fresh. Scallops are heavy. They have a large shell, full of dense flesh and sea water and a Kg of fresh shells will only render five or six scallops. €2-3 (£1.50-2) a Kilo is a good price but in times of poor weather they can increase to €6 (£4.50) a Kg. (French prices)
Shells can be closed or open as most scallop shells will open when brought into the warm but is not a sign that the scallop is dead. They should however close when tapped.
Scallops should never be stored in water and avoid tubs of shelled scallops sitting in their own juice, they are probably defrosted frozen. Frozen scallops are a good second choice and are ideal used in recipes using longer more involved cooking methods, but they should not be stored in water.
Unlike other shellfish such as oysters, mussels and clams, not all the scallop is eaten. In the case of scallops only the adductor muscle or the large off-white meat and sometimes the red or orange roe are eaten. The roe is not always present dependant on the time of year. Although scallops are often sold removed or shucked from their shells, freshness can easily be verified. They should be firm, moist without cracks of fissures and have a sweet pleasant aroma. The meat should be slightly off white. Brilliant white scallops have probably been stored in water, to increase their weight and cost, and should be avoided.
Hand-dived scallops are larger, and more expensive, but taste the same as the smaller dredged variety.


STORING:


Scallops are highly perishable and should be used as soon as possible after purchase and certainly within two days. They can be stored in the bottom of the fridge but as they exude a certain amount of water they need to be kept in a suitable container.
They freeze well.


PREPARING:

How to open and clean a scallop
1. To open a scallop, Hold the curved side up and hinge away from you
2. Insert an oyster knife between the two shells and rock the knife from side to side to break the muscle that forms the hinge. You can tell the scallop is alive for as you cut the hinge the two half’s of the shell try to close and this is an indication of freshness. Scallops should always be bought live.
3. Insert the knife or a spoon between the top and bottom shells from the right side, just in front of the hinge, and cut the muscle away from the inside of the top shell (the curved one) this release the top shell.
4. Open the scallop and discard the top shell.
5. Then scrape off and discard all of the innards except the sweet, white muscle.
6. Do this by gently scraping off the dark innards, starting from the hinge side of the muscle and scraping over the muscle towards the front. You can always pull any bits free with your fingers
7. Properly done, this will peel the innards from the muscle, leaving it attached to the bottom shell.

Cleaning Scallops Part 1



Cleaning Scallops Part 2




COOKING:


Scallops have a delicate sweet flavour which can easily be overpowered by strong spices and seasoning. As with much seafood the simplest methods of cooking are often the best and scallops are no exception.
A favourite method of cooking and one, which only takes a few minutes, is to heat a dry pan until hot, then add some oil,
• Warm the serving plates.
• Open and clean the scallops.
• Carefully dry each with a cloth, so that when they go into the pan the oil will not cool resulting in the scallops boiling in their own juice rather than searing and sealing in their liquid
• Add the scallops and cook for about a minute on one side, without shaking the pan.
• Turn the scallops over and cook for a further ten seconds.
• When cooked place the scallops on the warmed serving plate.
• Add a good sized lump of butter to the pan and when melted and begun to foam and a splash of Noilly-PratTM, give the pan a quick shake and pour the butter over the scallops.
• Grind on some black pepper and a sprinkle of fine Guérande sea salt.
• Serve with a green salad, and fresh bread.
• Sublime with a fruity Muscadet, but not one that is too dry.


Searing scallop video.





OTHER


What are Coquilles St Jacques?



They are bi-valve molluscs, related to the oyster, although scallops have a larger adductor muscle, which is the edible part of the shellfish.
They have the distinction in being the only bi-valve molluscs, which are capable of self-propelled independent movement; which they achieve by rapidly opening and closing their shell thus expelling water at force, and enabling the scallop to move; a natural form of jet propulsion. Scallops use this method to migrate around the seabed their position depending on the season, the tides and the climatic conditions.
Scallops are hermaphroditic, which means they can change sex and it is their sex, which determines if the shell will contain the additional delicacy of the roe or not. A red roe indicates a female scallop; white for male, and it is usually only the bright red or orange roe of the female scallop, which is eaten.
The flesh of a scallop is firm with a delicate sweet flavour. The row has a much softer texture and is less popular owing to its softness.
The Swedish name for a scallop translates as The Pilgrim Mussel and in Dutch Jakobsschelp, which means ‘James shell.’ The French means Shell of St James.


Swimming scallop video.




Fishing for Scallops.


Scallops are traditionally caught by dragging the seabed with a specially designed metal drag net, or dredger. There is however, a market for dived scallops, which are hand selected and usually larger than the fished varieties.
There are two main areas of scallop fishing in Northern France, The bay of the Seine, in Normandy, and the Bay of St-Brieuc in Brittany. In Britain the Irish Sea and the west coast of Scotland are the main areas of scallop farming and more recently large reserves have been found around the Isle of Mann.
In France, which has a far larger scallop rearing industry the rights to the fishing grounds are fiercely protected and fishing for scallops is restricted by a great many statutes. The size and number of dredgers permitted per boat is also controlled. They must not be wider than two metres and have a metal net of interlocking rings fitted whose diameter must be greater than ten centimetres, thus allowing smaller specimens to fall through the net and be returned to the sea bed unharmed. Large boats can drag up to thirty dredgers at a time, but in the Bay of St Brieuc the maximum number permitted is two per boat.
The time permitted for fishing is also strictly controlled and any breach of the regulations results in the fisherman’s licence being revoked and hence his livelihood. The boats are limited to no more than 13metres in length with engines no bigger than 250 hp. They are only allowed to fish twice a week and for no more than 45 minutes at each session. They are only allowed to catch 250 Kg of scallops per fisherman on board regardless of how long it takes to catch them.
The opening of scallops on board is forbidden as is the taking of undersized specimens and the scallops must be no smaller than 102mm in diameter. The open season for scallops is between October and May; the exact date varies from year to year. Diving for scallops is permitted all year round in the waters surrounding Jersey.





References and Acknowledgements.
http://www.sud-goelo.info/
http://www.ouest-france.fr/dossiershtm/coquille/30.htm
http://www.ifremer.fr/envlit/pdf/actualitespdf/20041207Coquille_Saint_Jacques_Bretagne.pdf
http://www.eurofish.dk/indexSub.php?id=3255
http://www.red2000.com/spain/santiago/
http://www.noillyprat.com/default.aspx
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2004/20040012.htm
Fete de coquilles st jaques 2006, Cotes de Goelo

Cabbage, one of the oldest of the brassica family is the ancestor of modern day broccoli and cauliflower.
Many varieties of cabbage are found today, but here I will concentrate on the green cabbage varieties such as Savoy, Kale, Curly kale and the Drumhead.

HISTORY:

Cabbage has eaten in Europe for more than 4,000 years even before it became a domestic vegetable. The original cabbage, related to the mustard family, was a large open leafed plant, which has been bread since the Middle Ages by northern European farmers to produce the large dense headed vegetable we know today. It soon became a major crop in Europe being perfectly adapted to a northern European climate, produces high yields per hectare and stores well throughout the winter.
The Latin word brassica is said to derive from the Celtic word for cabbage, bresic. The English name cabbage comes from the French slang caboche, meaning head, which refers to its round form.
Common green cabbages have thick leaves, which are tightly wrapped to form a large dense head. The leaves of the Savoy cabbage are crinkled and thinner than common cabbage, and the Savoy has a les pronounced flavour.
Cabbage, as with other brassicas, has a high sulphur content, which is released whilst cooking and is one possible reason for cabbage having such a bad name as a vegetable, we all remember the smell of over boiled cabbage from school.


BUYING:

As with all green vegetables, freshness is the key to success. Cabbage should always be eaten as fresh as possible, as it has the most to make up compared to others. Often wrapped in cellophane making it difficult to fully assess how fresh the vegetable really is. A cabbage should have large outer leaves left intact as it is these which wilt first thus showing the cabbage is not as fresh as it could be. These outer leaves, too bitter to be enjoyed, are removed and discarded, preferable composted. The inner cabbage head should be bright, firm and feel heavy in the hand. The leaves should squeak as they are removed-a sure sign of a fresh cabbage.

STORING:

Cabbages can be stored for a week or so in a cool well ventilated place, the bottom of the fridge is not ideal as the leaves soon become desiccated, losing nutrients and flavour.



PREPARING:

• Discard the large, dark outer leaves leaving just the tightly packed head.
• Carefully remove the leaves one at a time and remove the central vein running up the middle of each leaf.
• Place a manageable quantity of leaves stacked one on the other in a pile on a chopping board.
• Using a large cooks knife cut across the pile of leaves, shredding them as finely as is possible. The finer they can be shredded, the quicker they will cook and the better they will taste.
• If you wish the central stem can also be shredded, it can be bitter, and is not to everyone’s taste, so many prefer to discard it.



COOKING:

The trick to making cabbage not only edible but a joy is to cook it in plenty of lightly salted boiling water and to cook for only 3 or 4 minutes depending on taste. Once cooked, and it must have some bite left in it, drain swiftly and add to a pan containing melted butter, just foaming. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

OTHER INFORMATION:


Cabbage is one vegetable that does not benefit from long cooking or being ‘messed about with,’ quick simple cooking is preferred.
The flavour of cabbage, which is strong and peppery, is well complemented by any of the following spices: black pepper, caraway seed, celery seed, dill weed, garlic, mustard seed, nutmeg, savoury, tarragon and thyme.
Cabbage goes particularly well with other winter vegetables such as carrots, leeks, onions and potatoes.
Cabbage is an ingredient in certain varieties of borscht, when combined with beetroot. In Central Europe it is made into a soup and is also extremely popular in India. Stuffed cabbage is an East European delicacy. The leaves, which are often used in place of vine leaves, which are filled with chopped meat and rice.
Cabbage is the basis for the famous German sauerkraut and the lesser known Korean kimchi.



RECIPES.


Caldo verde (Portuguese green soup)

Wilted cabbage salad with bacon and cashel blue cheese

stir fried green cabbage

assorted cabbage recipes

spiced Indian cabbage

In France the sixth of January is known as the Day of the Kings, and in common with many other countries of the world it is the day when figurines of the three kings are traditionally added to the Christmas nativity scene; thus extending the festival beyond the customary twelve days celebrated in Great Britain.

The French have a rich and varied culinary history and French chefs have for centuries adapted their skills and recipes to commemorate famous historical events.
Whether it is a pastry commemorating the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, or a chicken stew with eggs and crayfish to celebrate Napoleons crushing victory at the Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800), or even the much-maligned Peach Melba, invented to commemorate the visit of a famous opera singer to England.

In the case of Epiphany they created a cake… the Kings Cake, made in celebration of the three wise men and their visit to Bethlehem 2007 years ago. The moniker kings did not appear until the third century AD and was an elevation of the term, wise men, or magi.




The Gateaux des Rois or the Galettes des Rois, depending on whether you live in the north or the south of the country, fill the shelves and window displays of both Boulangeries and Pâtisseries all over France from just after New Year, right through to Easter. But, the most important day is the sixth of January, Epiphany.











The date for the festival was set Pope Julius II (December 5th, 1443 – February 21st, 1513), the one time bishop of Carpentras, a town situated north east of Avignon on the edge of the Rhone Valley, in south-east France.

In England, Epiphany begins the day after Twelfth Night, which traditionally brings the Christmas period to an end. In France however, Christmas officially ends on February the second with yet another celebration, the feast of Candlemas.
Thus the serving of Galettes des Rois is still thought of as a Christmas time celebration, which has been practiced for years.


It is not clear when the Galettes des Rois were first invented, let alone whether that invention was French or not. Certainly eating special cakes in celebration of the Epiphany is not just a French tradition, as the same exists in North America, Spain, Mexico and other European countries.

In France, during the reign of Louis XIV (September 5th, 1638 – September 1st, 1715) the ‘celebration of the festival of the kings’ was banned.
The church believing that the festival had its roots in early paganism and was contrary to biblical teaching, thus the interdict. The Catholic Church also believed that the day of celebration was merely an excuse for overindulgence and unwanted immoral behaviour and was not something good God-fearing people should entertain.
The French people ever inventive at getting round rules and regulations they do not agree with, re-introduced the day as ‘La fête du bon voisinage,’ or ‘good neighbours day’ and presumably the cake was reintroduced at the same time, but with possibly a different name.

Cakes have been used in the celebration of the Epiphany since the Middle Ages and as with other regions of the world the cake in France varies from one region to another.
Of the two versions in existence in France today, the southern Brioche based bun is probably the elder of the two.



The current version of the Galette, which is indistinguishable from Gateaux Pithiviers, in all but name, was probably not in existence before the 17th Century.



Yeast based buns have been used in pagan festivals since the times of the pharaohs and were being baked in ancient Greece as long ago as 1500BC. Bouns or buns were used in pagan worship in celebration of Cecrops the First, the founder of Athens, which was long before the modern version of puff pastry was perfected by Marie Antoine (Antonin) Carême (June 8, 1784–January 12, 1833).



Carême, often called the chef of kings and the king of chefs, perfected modern day puff pastry from which the northern Galettes des Rois and Pithiviers are made. However, Carême did not invent puff pastry. The delicate leaves of this wonderful creation have graced recipes both sweet and savoury since the 18th century, but the original recipe probably a variation of Baklava, was introduced into France during the Islamic occupation of the country in the 8th Century.

Regardless of which recipe was used, all reference to kings, kingdoms and crowns were dropped during the French revolution (1789 - 1799.) when the festival of the kings fell as the executioner’s blade.
The original celebration may have been usurped, but not so the cake. Renamed the ‘Gâteau de l’Êgalité or the equality cake, for obvious reasons, the French drew lots to decide which citizen would present the galettes to the assembled masses and the tradition of dividing and sharing the pastry continued.

The cake, in France has two forms: a pastry and a bun and neither can be called a true cake.
In the north of the country, including Brittany, the Galettes des Rois is more evident. The Galette is based on one of the most famous French Pastries coming from a commune in the Loiret département of France. To all intents and purposes the Galettes de Rois is a Pithiviers made in a slightly different shape. Some recipes however, do call for the addition of cinnamon, cloves or other eastern spices, which make it dissimilar to the traditional pastry, which contain just frangipane or almond paste (not to be confused with marzipan).
The addition of spices reaches back to the nativity and is a reminder of the wise men and their gift of spice and is a strong bond with Epiphany.



In the south, notably in the region of Provence and further west along the Mediterranean coast towards Spain, the preferred recipe uses brioche.
Brioche is a butter enriched yeast dough which for the gateaux is made into a ring and decorated and adorned with candied fruit, glazed with syrup and sometimes flavoured with orange oil. The fruit, brightly coloured, emulate the jewels of a crown and the gateaux is glazed and baked until it glistens, resembling gold.
Neither version can be called a true cake, regardless of where they come from, nor are they the only Kings Cake that exist.



In the Catalan region of Spain, an autonomous region historically associated with France, there are neither the Gateaux des Rois or the Galette des Rois. In Catalonia the Tortell de Reis is King.

The Tortell is a ring or crown shaped enriched sweet bread, similar to the French brioche, which are often stuffed with marzipan and topped with glazed fruit.

The Spanish influence transcends the Atlantic Ocean into Mexico, where the Rosca de Reyes is made to celebrate the magi. This version calls for sweetened bread, decorated with pieces of candied fruit such as orange and lime, which are again representations of the jewels in a crown. The Mexican version is often filled with nuts, dried figs, and cherries, not necessarily an almond paste as in Europe.

In Germany and Switzerland the Dreikönigskuchen or the three kings cake is eaten for breakfast on the day of epiphany and is another derivative of the rich brioche based bun from the south of France.

The Kings Cake, in a similar guise, is also found a few miles north of Mexico, in the southern states of America. Here, vast numbers are eaten, forming a focal point of the celebration of Mardi gras.
In early Catholicism, Epiphany was considered to be the first day of lent and the eating of the Kings cake was also an excuse for using up food not suitable to be consumed during the fasting period: such as almonds, eggs, sugar and butter.
Mardi gras, a French word, literally meaning fat Tuesday, is the same celebration as the British Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, which heralds the opening of the Lenten period.
The word shrove, not common in American English, is the past tense of the old English word to shrive, and describes the period of confession early Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to perform prior to Lent.
It is not clear whether the American version of the cake is an adaptation of the Mexican and Spanish Rosca and Tortel’s or if the gateaux arrived with the Acadian settlers forced to head south through America, into Louisiana, following the Great Expulsion.

The Acadians were French immigrants who originally settled in the northeastern region of North America, until they were forced from their homes, by the British during the great Expulsion of 1755. This expulsion, also known as the Great Upheaval, was the forced removal of the French speaking population of Nova Scotia between 1755-1763.
The migrants moved south and settled in and around Louisiana where they became know as the Cajuns and it was possibly these people who introduced the southern French Kings Cake into the present day United States of America.
The American version of the Kings Cake, which is similar in style to the one eaten in Spain, pre-dates modern day puff pastry. This further suggests that the southern French brioche based recipe is older than the more recognisable puff pastry based Galettes des Rois eaten further north. It is a simple fact that the French had fully established their colonies in America by the time Antonin Carême worked his magic and the lighter version of the cake, so enjoyed in Brittany, did not make its was across the Atlantic to the Americas.

To be continued ©MalcolmHamilton 2007

The morel is an edible cup fungi to the experts and one of the most prized edible wild mushrooms to those of us who cook.

They are rarely available fresh in the shops; they are fragile and do not keep or travel well. The vast majority of fresh morels are picked by amateur mushroom collectors for their own enjoyment and do not make it past the mushroom collectors basket.

Morels grow in either deciduous or coniferous woodlands often hidden beneath the leaf litter, thus making them difficult to find.
There are thoughts that a symbiotic relationship exists between the morel mushroom and the common Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) thus making the fungi prevalent around the base of such trees.

They appear in the late spring and have a cone-shaped cap that is pitted and ridged. They vary in colour and size depending on the species and are particularly partial to woodland hollows or around tree stumps where the soil is kept perpetually moist.

Morels particularly like growing in areas that have been exposed to fire usually three years after the fire has passed. In certain areas of Europe and North America pickers will concentrate on areas previously affected by fire in a hope to obtain these highly prized mushrooms.

The morel is very choosy where it will grow, and the conditions for cultivation are so finely balanced that they prevent the mushroom being farmed commercially.

Morels should never be eaten raw as some people do have an allergic reaction to these mushrooms, which is dispelled by cooking.

For most of us the only experience we will have of this wonderful mushroom is the dried variety. Do not despair, they are wonderful and although not the same as the fresh, they do add a depth of character to almost any dish to which they are added.

There flavour is strong and only a few need to be added to enhance a dish, which is good as they are expensive. They are particularly good when added to stews and casseroles and if so they do not require any pre-soaking.

On occasion the larger morels do contain a small amount of grit, which can be removed by soaking the morels in a small bowl just covered with boiling water and left for one hour. Once soft, cut the morels in half and rinse in the same bowl. Then pass the brown mushroom liquid through a coffee filter paper to remove the grit, but be sure to retain the liquid.

The dried morel has a rich woody flavour and a pleasant smoked earth flavour, which is ideal when added to a mushroom sauce to be served with pasta.



















Acknowledgemets and references.

http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/docs/crops/northern_agriculture/HarvestWMrms.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morel
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/default~gid~~page~2~startPage~1~chr~m.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscoda
http://thegreatmorel.com/index.shtml
http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/docs/crops/northern_agriculture/HarvestWMrms.asp
Kuo, M. (2002, December). Types of (true) morels. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/morels/true.html

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage,
And thus I'll make my pilgrimage.
The Passionate Man's Pilgrimage
By Sir Walter Raleigh

With that poem we begin one of the most important seasons of the year, not climatic but gastronomic, the Coquilles St Jacques!

It is not unusual for their arrival to attract banner like announcements in the papers, “They have arrived!”
People stop in the street and discuss what the coming season is going to be like, will there be enough, are they going to be more expensive than last year bust most of all when will they arrive.
In this region of Brittany nothing is anticipated quite like the first Coquilles St Jacques of the season and fetes are organised just to celebrate this wonderful harvest from the sea. Watch the Film

The name is so recognisable that it transcends normal language barriers being known as Coquille St Jacque in other tongues apart from French.
Even in Britain the name Coquille St Jacque is more recognisable to most than that of the mundane scallop.
The shell is the archetypal shape for a seashell, and the one most easily recognisable by adults and children alike.

Coquille St Jacque as with other shellfish are not generally popular in Britain, we seem to find mussels, oysters and other shellfish somewhat daunting and yet they are what the British want to eat when they come to Brittany.
It is a sad fact that very few children in Britain will taste the wonderful sweet flavour of fresh Coquilles St Jacques and although the sale of frozen scallops has increased two fold in the past ten years, the availability of good fresh scallops, away from the coasts is still abysmal for a country surrounded by water. As a nation, unlike the French, we have not grown up with shellfish as part of our diet.


Why coquilles St Jacques?


The scallop shell is the traditional emblem of Saint James the Great St Jacques being the French for St James.
It is worn by pilgrims following the pilgrimage to the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.

Santiago, which is Spanish for St James, is named after the disciple who went to Galicia to spread Christianity to the people of that region. His connection to scallop shells comes from myth and legend and is derived from two similar stories.

One tells of St James wading out into the sea and rescuing a fallen knight who had become unseated from his horse. When the knight emerged from the water he was covered in scallop shells.
The other story, along similar lines, attests that whilst St. James's remains were being transported to Spain for burial, the horse of a knight fell into the water, and emerged covered scallop shells.

In the year 40 James returned to Judea to continue his ministry, which was not long lived. St James was put to death by King Herod Agrippa in the year 44.
Following his execution the king refused permission for the body to be buried and during the night his friends stole the body and left Judea with it, by boat. They eventually arrived of the Spanish coast and St James was laid to rest in a secret place in a wood.
Centuries later a hermit was sitting in the wood when he saw a strange light shining over the place where James was laid to rest. The hermit named the place, "Campus Stellae", or ‘the field of the star.’ That name later evolved into Compostela and hence to Santiago de Compostella or "St. James in the Field of the Star".
Incidentally the Swedish name for a scallop translates as The Pilgrim Mussel and in Dutch Jakobsschelp, which means ‘James shell.’ The French means Shell of St James.

What are Scallops?


They are bi-valve molluscs, related to the oyster, although scallops have a larger adductor muscle, which is the edible part of the shellfish.
They have the distinction in being the only bi-valve molluscs, which are capable of self-propelled independent movement; which they achieve by rapidly opening and closing their shell thus expelling water at force, and enabling the scallop to move; a natural form of jet propulsion. Scallops use this method to migrate around the seabed their position depending on the season, the tides and the climatic conditions.

Scallops are hermaphroditic, which means they can change sex and it is their sex, which determines if the shell will contain the additional delicacy of the roe or not. A red roe indicates a female scallop; white for male, and it is usually only the bright red or orange roe of the female scallop, which is eaten.
The flesh of a scallop is firm with a delicate sweet flavour. The row has a much softer texture and is less popular owing to its softness.


Fishing for Scallops







Scallops are traditionally caught by dragging the seabed with a specially designed metal drag net, or dredger. There is however, a market for dived scallops, which are hand selected and usually larger than the fished varieties.
There are two main areas of scallop fishing in Northern France, The bay of the Seine, in Normandy, and the Bay of St-Brieuc in Brittany.
The rights to the fishing grounds are fiercely protected and fishing for scallops is restricted by a great many statutes.

The size and number of dredgers permitted per boat is also controlled. They must not be wider than two metres and have a metal net of interlocking rings fitted whose diameter must be greater than ten centimetres, thus allowing smaller specimens to fall through the net and be returned to the sea bed unharmed.
Large boats can drag up to thirty dredgers at a time, but in the Bay of St Brieuc the maximum number permitted is two per boat.

The time permitted for fishing is also strictly controlled and any breach of the regulations results in the fisherman’s licence being revoked and hence his livelihood.
The boats are limited to no more than 13m in length with engines no bigger than 250 hp. They are only allowed to fish twice a week and for no more than 45 minutes at each session. They are only allowed to catch 250 Kg of scallops per fisherman on board regardless of how long it takes to catch them.
The opening of scallops on board is forbidden as is the taking of undersized specimens and the scallops must be no smaller than 102mm in diameter.
The open season for scallops is between October and May; the exact date varies from year to year. Diving for scallops is permitted all year round in the waters surrounding Jersey.

How to open and clean a scallop

1. To open a scallop, Hold the curved side up and hinge away from you

2. Insert an oyster knife between the two shells and rock the knife from sided to side to break the muscle that form the hinge. You can tell the scallop is alive for as you cut the hinge the two half’s of the shell try to close and this is an indication of freshness. Scallops should always be bought live.

3. Insert the knife or a spoon between the top and bottom shells from the right side, just in front of the hinge, and cut the muscle away from the inside of the top shell (the curved one) this release the top shell.
4. Open the scallop and discard the top shell.
5. Then scrape off and discard all of the innards except the sweet, white muscle.
6. Do this by gently scraping off the dark innards, starting from the hinge side of the muscle and scraping over the muscle towards the front. You can always pull any bits free with your fingers

7. Properly done, this will peel the innards from the muscle, leaving it attached to the bottom shell.

Cooking

Scallops have a delicate sweet flavour which can easily be overpowered by strong spices and seasoning.
As with much seafood the simplest methods of cooking are often the best and scallops are no exception.
My favourite method of cooking and one, which only takes a few minutes, is to heat a pan, preferably non-stick with a tablespoon of oil until hot, but not smoking. This will take few minutes but is very important when cooking scallops.




· Open the scallops as above, discard the waste and remove the white scallop meat. Carefully dry the cleaned scallops with a cloth, as any additional liquid will cool the pan the scallops will not seal but boil in their own juice.
· Add the scallops and cook for about a minute on each side. Very large scallops can be cut in half.
· When cooked place the scallops on a warmed serving plate.
· Add a good sized lump of butter to the pan and when it has melted and begun to foam and a thimble full of Noilly Prat, give the pan a quick shake and pour the butter over the scallops.
· Grind on some black pepper and a sprinkle of fine Guérande sea salt.
· Serve with a green salad, and fresh bread.
· Sublime with a fruity Muscadet, but not one that is too dry.



References and Acknowledgements.
http://www.sud-goelo.info/
http://www.ouest-france.fr/dossiershtm/coquille/30.htm
http://www.ifremer.fr/envlit/pdf/actualitespdf/20041207Coquille_Saint_Jacques_Bretagne.pdf
http://www.eurofish.dk/indexSub.php?id=3255
http://www.red2000.com/spain/santiago/
An Illustrated Guide to Cleaning A Scallop
by Charlie Courtney

The Coco de Paimpol is a semi-dry white bean grown in the Tregor-Goëlo area of the Cotes d’Armor region of Brittany in North West France.
The name Paimpol comes from the port of the same name where it is believed the beans were first imported from South America in the 1920’s. (3° 02' 43" W 48° 46' 43" N)
The beans are now a staple of the Breton diet and their harvest between July and October is eagerly awaited. The Coco is a fragile crop, which has to be harvested by hand and cannot be undertaken when it is raining as the excess water causes the pods to rot.
The Coco Pluckers, as they are called, descend on this region for the harvest and can be seen ‘plucking’ the crop, seated, in small groups, very often under the shade of a parasol. The same families return year after year to bring in the harvest, selecting the best pods and renew acquaintances with old friends. A good plucker can pick anything up to 150Kg of beans a day. To celebrate the new harvest a large fete is organised in August every year with competitions to find the best plucker of the year.
The mature Coco bean is often overlooked by the British visitor as the pod has an unappetising dried up appearance and the yellow skin marbled with red and violet can give the impression that the bean is rotten. In fact in any lot of Coco-beans one will always find slightly better looking pale green examples, which are in fact under ripe and will not have the wonderful chestnut flavour that develops in mature examples.
They are easy to cook, once de-shelled; requiring much less time than other dried varieties of bean and require no pre-soaking. About 35 minutes in boiling salted water is usually enough, any longer and the beans begin to lose their form and become ‘mushy’. They are great in soups and casseroles where they keep their form over prolonged cooking periods
The beans are rich in fibre and Vitamins B5 and B1. They are a good source of Iron and essential oils.

The Coco de Paimpol was the first vegetable in France to receive the much acclaimed
Appellations d'origine contrôlée. The origins of AOC date back to the 15th century but the Law for the Protection of the Place of Origin the first modern law was passed in 1919.This law was to specify the region and commune that any given product must be manufactured in. Its remit was later broadened to also including setting down how certain products could be produced. In 1935, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), a branch of the French Ministry of Agriculture, was created to manage the administration of the process for wines.
In 1990, the scope of work of the INAO was extended beyond wines to cover other agricultural products, including the famous Coco de Paimpol.

References and acknowledgemets.
Institut National des Appellations d'Origine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appellation_d%27Origine_Contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e


The Coco de Paimpol
http://www.prince-de-bretagne.com/presse/dossiers-presse/pdf/dossier-presse-coco-paimpol-07-2005.pdf

More information (French)
http://carnetsdebord.over-blog.net/article-3467148.html

A new film show
(takes about 30 seconds to load, if not then click the start button again and the slides will play)

My favourite restaurant but by no means the most expensive.
Le Gouermel is a small beachfront Crêperie in the Anse de Gouermel found between Plougrescant and Bugéles in the Cote d’Armor. It provides nearly everything eating out in Brittany has to offer. Wonderful scenery, the pleasure of eating outdoors under a large umbrella- or not as weather permits. Local food, cold wine beer or cider, gracious and inviting hosts and the completely relaxed and unhurried attitude the French have towards eating and entertaining.
This restaurant does not offer expensive faddy food, but provides inexpensive, well-cooked simple food to be enjoyed at leisure and in company.
The restaurant resembles a beach hut, the inside décor is bleached wood, wooden tables, the walls being used to display paintings by local artists as well as one or two other works of art.
The view at high or low tide is spectacular and adds to the atmosphere of the place, but is best enjoyed at high tide in the early summer, before it gets too hot and the summer crowds.
A perfect place for a spot of lunch after a walk along the beach.
The restaurant is open six days a week from midday but is closed Sunday evening and Mondays. From September onwards opening is usually just on Friday Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. The restaurant is closed from Christmas to Easter approximately.




Reservations tel 0296 92-55-26

Autumn is a strange season, hovering between the memory of summer and the onslaught of the coming winter; its passing is made easier by the appearance of the jewels of the forest… wild mushrooms.

These are not the white cap commercial varieties grown in the dark in sterile conditions, these are the real deal, mushrooms which deserve names such as Morilles, Pied de Mouton, Trompette de mort and of course the Girolles.

Traditionally autumn is the time when the French disappear into the woods with furtive backward glances, ensuring that their secret mushroom haunt remains just that; theirs and secret. You can always try asking a Frenchman where the mushrooms grow… but he will probably just shrug his shoulders, walk away shaking his head - laughing to himself.
These secret places, ‘les bons endroits,’ passed from father to son are not given up lightly. A full moon, after the softest of rains is the best time to go, baskets battered and worn carried as a badge of honour portraying an individual’s mushroom gathering credentials.

But, it can be a risky business, not all mushrooms are edible and every year people die in France from having eaten poisonous examples notwithstanding that all pharmacies are able to give advice on mushroom types and at this time of the year mushroom fairs are arranged so one can learn from the experts.

Now a few varieties are available fresh in the supermarkets vegetable sections or dried hidden away on some high long forgotten shelf, they are expensive.
The Girolle is a mushroom not to be missed. Many are collected wild but they are now cultivated in Rumania and the United States and are not confused with any inedible varieties.



The Girolle is one of the world's best-known wild mushrooms growing in woodlands under Oaks and Conifers, sometimes in perfusion. Its official title Cantharellus cibarius does this golden prize no favours at all but this pleasantly aromatic fleshy wild mushroom shining like an exotic golden flower, when seen from a distance, against the drab brown of the autumnal forest floor.

The French know them as Girolles, so do the Italians. The Germans know them as Pfifferling and in general we the British…know them not.
Mushroom gathering was a common past time between the wars, but the experience needed when gathering wild mushrooms seems to have been lost, as have many of the wild varieties which used to grow in the UK.

If you get the chance to taste some before the season ends then you will be fortunate indeed but like any fresh food a little knowledge will help with that enjoyment.


Girolles when bought should look appealing. They should look and feel firm to the touch and certainly not slimy or have any dark decaying parts. It is better to hand pick each Girolle with care making sure you get the very best. Avoid scooping a bagful, as they are expensive, €19-25 a kilo, and buying slimy examples is just a waste of money.

The Girolle is distinctive in both flavour and texture. Spicy, peppery although some mention an Apricot undertone, which seems to escape me. They should be firm, almost crisp and should look appealing.
Girolles are delicate and like all mushrooms do not like being submerged in water during cleaning, it destroys the flavour. If they have to be washed then this should be done just prior to cooking and is better done under a running tap, wet mushrooms will not keep. Fresh mushrooms keep best in brown paper bags as opposed to plastic, which causes them to sweat and rot prematurely.




Acknowledgements
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanterelle

April’s showers have abated and the Ides of March are long since past, but the end of spring often arrives as a damp squib.
May, a month unable to decide if it belongs to spring or summer, varies from day to day. Driving rain, chill winds and yet on occasions such wonderfully clear blue skies that leave the sweltering days of full summer to shame.
Food is as problematic as the climate at this time of the year, and as one seasonal fare comes to an end so another falteringly begins.

The mainstays of winter fruit, apples and pears have had their day, stored since last autumn when they were plucked from orchards all over France. Their end is nie; even having been stored in a protective suffocating atmosphere cannot prevent their slow inevitable demise.


Oranges seem to have shrunk from within and the bittersweet juice of last summer is but a memory.
Strawberries arrive early in the month, far too early; and without enough sun are bland and tasteless as the monstrous greenhouses in which they are forced.
The first cherries appear in the second week of May, expensive 11€ a kilo ($3.80 - Lb, £3.40 - Lb), apparently cheaper than last year but in another two weeks the heat of flaming June will make them worth buying and the price will have fallen to something we can all afford.
Too early for peaches, nectarines and plums and the first melons come from Morocco.
We are graced with new potatoes with their thin skins and pale waxy flesh but broccoli and cauliflowers are coming to an end, and the ever-elusive asparagus never quite seems to appear.






A few stems of tasteless deathly white grass are on offer at the moment but the slender green variety which used to be grown all over France, including Brittany, are but dew on a summer morning, here one minute gone the next.

Rhubarb, a vegetable which the French are not really convinced about, can be found in a few markets and supermarkets but not the fine champagne variety so sought after by chefs all over the world.



Pré-salé lamb, fed exclusively on the salt marshes around Mont St Michel in Normandy is a meat not to be forgotten. The pastures covered by the sea twice a day leave a residue of salt in the grass on which the lambs feed. However, it is reluctant to make an appearance in Brittany and only a few butchers stock this wonderful product.



The Scallop season is over and the water is too cold for mussels worth eating.







The finest Breton Artichokes are still two or three weeks away from being available, leeks are turning woody, garlic is drying out and the onions seem to be sprouting into life forgetting they are on a market trolley and not in the soil.

One could be led to believe that May was a depressing time for the avid gastronome or gourmand…not so. This lack of availability is merely but a pause, a break in the natural cycle of the world, a lull between seasons. This respite has been lost in the UK and USA, with twenty-four hour a day three hundred and sixty five days a year commercialism, consumerism and the feeding of mammon.
Strawberries at Christmas, peaches in January and asparagus all year round, in fact every day of the year every single fruit and vegetable known to man can be bought in nearly all supermarkets throughout these two lands. No wonder people moan and complain that the fruit is not the same as the fruit of their youth; the fruit of their youth did not cross the globe, under ripe, overpriced and unready for anything apart from the bin. But these same people still buy food out of season, still complain and still finance the trade in tasteless food.
I would rather put up with the vagaries of May if it meant that I could taste those first strawberries, bite into the very first green asparagus stems or feast myself on a pot of plump fresh mussels when they are ready to be eaten.
May gives the body a little time to rest, a time to dwell on the wonderful fruits, vegetables and other foods from both the sea and the land, which will all be available in their time and season.
May gives us time to prepare, to dust of the cookery books and be ready for the onslaught of colours and taste, which will soon assail our senses
May is such a great month.
©Copywrite Malcolm Hamilton 2007©

(Je suis désole pour le mauvais français, mais moi je crois que ce sujet est très important pour la France surtout les Bretons avec leur industrie agricole).

La semaine dernière une question a été demandée dans Le Télégramme dans leur section 'La question du net’ ou le sondage d'Internet. La question à propos de l'opinion publique sur les achats français.

Plus que 50% des gens a déclaré qu'ils ont pensé que c'était important a acheté français, que 48% a trouvé que ce n’étaient pas important. Un petit pourcentage ne pourrait pas décider. (j’ai oublié les chiffres exacts)

J'ai trouvé ce résultat une inquiétude- pour deux raisons en principe.
D’abord il dit que les Français deviennent apathiques à propos de leur identité gastronomique. Et deuxièmement, ils n'ont pas une compréhension du sens des phrases ‘les achats étrangers.’
L'idée que les Français n'achetant pas les produits français est presque absurdes.
Presque toutes les produits stockés sur les rayonnes du supermarché sont français, ou ils ont une d'origine française.
Les Français ne doivent pas considérer où vient leur nourriture parce-que presque tous les produits dans les magasins, viennent de la France.
Les supermarchés maintenant, ont une petite exposition des nourritures étrangères, principalement de Chine ou Inde, mais ils forment un très petit pourcentage d'exposition et probablement est ne stocké pas pour les Français mais les étrangers qui habitent en France.

Presque toutes les fruits, légumes et les poissons viennent de la France. Le fromage et l’ensemble vaste de Charcuterie et articles dans l’épicerie fine sont de la France aussi. Une grande partie des plus beaux vins du monde, maintenant vient d'Australie, Californie, et Chili, comme le monde entier savent, pourtant le vin qui en trouve dans les supermarchés français peut-être une douzaine exemples des vins étrangers, le reste sont français.
Visiter un marché local alors ont va trouver le mêmes chose, presque 100% des produits offert à vendre sera français.
I l y a une petite proportion d'articles importés, souvent ils viennent de l'Union européenne- souvent fabrique avec les ingrédients français.

Pour les Français qui suggérer qu'ils ne considèrent pas achetant activement les produits français quand ils font les courses, c’est moins une décision consciente et peut être plus parce qu’il n'y ayant aucune alternative… pour la France peut être pas une mauvaise situation.
Si ceci ne pas vraie et les Français malheureusement sont devenus apathiques concernent où vient leur nourriture; alors ils ont commencé laisser tomber leur identité régionale et leur identité culturelle qui dans les années passées a été de la force de la France.

France est une nation avec une identité culturelle et régionale très forte.
Il y a beaucoup de français qui premièrement référera à quelle région de la France ils viennent, avant leur pays, et cela renforce leurs identités culturelles, régional et social.
La France est un pays de régions gastronomique. Chacune sont indépendants des autres et pourtant combiner pour former ce grand pays qu'étrangers savent comme la France. La fierté que les Français ont pour leurs régions est connectée avec la fierté ils ont avec leur cuisine et la gastronomie et sont fondations de leur fierté nationale.

La France est la destination plus populaire des touristes dans tout le monde.
Par-dessus 75,000,000 visites chaque année, et les numéros augmentent.
Ce n’est pas que les paysages, l'histoire ou le temps ce apportent les visiteurs a cette partie de l’Ouest, mais c’est les gens, leur gastronomie et les régions distinct.
La plupart des nourritures mémorable en France sont les plats régionaux la cuisine de terroir et les produits régionaux, fait dans la même façon que ils ont été faits pour centaines si non-milliers d'années.
La majorité des nourritures célèbres de pays ont été accordés-le ‘Appellation' Origine Contrôlée,’ comme une façon de protéger leur héritage culinaire. Le AOC était premier utilisé dans le 15th Siècle a protégé les producteurs de Roquefort, un fromage qui vient de sud-ouest de la France et puisque alors a été accordé protéger la qualité et le régionalisme des produits français.
Ceci produits important régional ont une responsabilité très important dans le caractère social du pays et lie les gens à la terre indivisible.
Les gens savent où vient leur nourriture, et ils sont fiers d'où il est produit. Les français savent où la meilleure foi gras vient. Ils savent quand la saison d’asperge commence et quand la saison des coquilles Saint-Jacques arrive. La fierté les Français ont avec leurs produits locaux, régional et national est un lien très forte le même social et culturel.

Si les Français pensent que les achats français ne sont pas important alors ils coupent cette affiliation entre les gens et la terre et ils seront plus pauvres socialement, et pauvre économiquement.
Si les Français commence achat d'ailleurs, pourtant pour les raisons d'apathie, coût ou convenance alors les fermiers français et l’industrie agricole découvrirent plus dur concourir.
Agriculture deviendra plus et plus centralisé les différences merveilleuses régionales du pays serrent perdu. Les fermes échoueront et avec eux ira l'emploi rural. Les gens éloigneront du paysage à la recherche du travail, comme a commencé à arriver déjà.
Les écoles de village fermeront et avec leur fermeture vont les jeunes du village. Après les écoles les magasines du village et toutes ceux qui restent c’est un village occupé mais inanimé avec pas de lieu avec ses racines ou son héritage

Une partie de ceci a déjà commencé avec l’importation a des bons prix de l’Est, et seulement deviendra pire si ou quand Turquie joint le EU avec son vaste économie agricole et climat Méditerranéen.

Vous pouvez penser que je suis une pessimiste, mais je viens d'un pays où ceci est déjà arrivé, la Grande-Bretagne.
Là-bas il n'y a pas n'importe quel lieus entre les gens et la terre dans cette Grand Ile, les derniers ont été coupés après la Deuxième Guerre Mondial.
Là-bas i l y a aucun sens d'attachement ou un sens de fierté pour les produits Britanniques, il y a les quantités vastes de nourriture qui sont importé, et les Britanniques ne soigne pas où vient leur nourriture ils veulent que les prix soient toujours en bas.

Il n'y a pas de nourriture régionale dans la Grande Bretagne, en dehors de quelques exemples maintenus pour le commerce touristique, les Britanniques sont devenus une nation de gens obsédés avec toutes les produits un-britanniques et tout la nourriture du monde autrement. Ils ont perdu la fierté dans leur nourriture perdue leur fierté dans les Britanniques et ils ont perdu la fierté dans leur nation.

Ce serait un jour très triste si la France suives le même sentier que la Grande-Bretagne et pour ses gens a ne soigné pas où vient leur nourriture.