Friday Dinner and more of Normandy

After breakfast we left for the coast of Normandy and our next destination city of Caen. I read in a Patricia Wells book that the coast between Horfleur and Trouville-sur-mer was beautiful. Horfleur was a zoo. People and cars everywhere and immense traffic jams. There was a 16th century wooden church I wanted to see. I got to look fast as Jim wanted out of there. We found our way to the D513 thanks to Garmin and were on our way. The coast line was probably better in former years without the new high walled McMansions along the sea wall. Trouville-sur mer was a little less crowded and we found a place to park in the Casino parking lot. We chose an outdoor café with a view of the sea and the Casino and had pizza. A little known fact is that the French make the best pizza in the world. This did not disappoint. We chose a carafe of Rose knowing that the French are leading the fight to have only true Rose allowed to be labeled as such. Here a mixture of red and white wine can be labeled Rose. We tried to get inside the Casino to look at the building but you had to be French or part of the European Union to get in. Apparently they are more interested in gamblers than tose wanting to see the architecture. It looked like it could have been an old palace,
We then headed to Beuvran en Auge. It was supposed to be a charming town. It looked like a Disney town. We had driven through more charm than displayed here. (I have subsequently thrown Patricia Wells travel books away.) We drove on to Caen and checked into our hotel and took a nap. It was Sunday night and many places were closed. Jim chose a place called The Tavern. We started with Escargot. It was good. I wasn’t very hungry and decided on French onion soup. Jim had chicken and fries. We both agreed this food was almost on par with that served by United Airlines. I could not even eat the soup. We then went to the Coca Cola Café by the hotel and I had an Americano and Jim had a beer. An Americano is what we call Campari and Soda with a slice of orange and lemon peel. That and a green drink which is just crème de Mint and Perrier are seen everywhere.
For today’s photo I have chosen the Normany Cow. These cows were everywhere and have such a grumpy stare they are funny.
This will be posted on Sunday but was actually Friday dinner. We had grilled chicken that I marinated in Wegmans’ Brown Sugar BBQ sauce. It was delicious. I stir-fried a package of green and wax beans with carrots. I served the following recipe from the Washington Post with it.
Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas and Lemon serves 6-8. (I cut it in half)
Ingredients
2 t EVOO
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Maui, cut into 1/4 “ dice, (1C)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 C raw basmati rice
1 ¾ C cooked chickpeas
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
Finely grated zest and jucie from 1 lemon (it zest and 2 T of juice)
Leaves from ¼ bunch parsley finely chopped (1/4C)
Steps
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Heat the oil in a 3 QT. oven proof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and pepper to taste; cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring until the onion is softened but not browned. Add the rice, chickpeas and broth. Do not drain the chickpeas if using canned. Stir to incorporate. Bring the liquid to a boil , then cover and transfer to the oven.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Let it sit, covered, for 10 min.
• Transfer the rice to a large bowl; mix in the lemon zest and juice and the parsley, Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
This rice was very good. I think it is the best I have ever made and went really well with the chicken. On Saturday I took a course at the Smithsonian called, An Introduction to Food Writing. In the afternoon there was a panel and on it was the Editor of the Food Section of the Post. She said that every recipe is tested by 7 testers before it is printed, no matter who submits the recipe. It must be while they always work.