Les Poissonchats

I made salicorne spaghetti with garden tomatoes and shrimps the other day, oh so delicious! And probably ever so incredibly healthy, I’ve written up the recipe for you further down.

Autumn has definitely arrived out here, and strong winds and rain are sweeping over the land. It still is very green though and only in the soft and golden morning light I realise the colours are slowly turning. We have a lot to do to prepare for winter and today there’s another cartload of firewood coming in for me to stack up in neat rows so we’re kept warm over the winter. Also I’m canning the last of the tomatoes and making another batch of boozed blackberry jam. Temperatures are relatively mild and with the downpour I’m hoping for field champignons popping up soon in the meadows over the river, they’re just simply the best. It’s a lot to do but then, yes, it’s a quiet pace and at a steady rhythm so the work never feels overwhelming or suffocating.

On another piece of news, I have given an interview at the Swiss Women Network, and I’m so happy to be supported by such inspiring women as Petra Rohner, the founder of the initiative and Barbara Shoukier, my editor. The interview is in german but it should be possible to run it through google translate to get it into your own language. Read the full interview here.

What you’ll need

• 2-3 fresh big shrimps, cooked
• A handful of fresh glasswort (salicorne) per person
• 2-3 tomatoes, will serve 3-4 persons
• A small shallot
• A bit of very nice olive oil
• One large bay leaf
• Sea salt and black ground pepper
• 2-3 slices of lemon

How to cook it

Chop the shallot and glaze at low temperature in a wide pan for 5 minutes, the shallots should get translucent but not browned. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes and add with the bay leaf to the shallots, cook for 15 minutes at low temperature and put the shrimps on top to warm for another five minutes. Season with pepper.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil, take off the heat and add the glasswort. Remove the shrimps from the tomato sauce and keep them warm. Blanch the glasswort for no more than two minutes, drain and add to the tomato sauce, possibly you won’t have to add any sea salt as glasswort can, depending on exposure and situation of where it’s harvested, taste very salty. Mix and arrange on nice plates, add the shrimps on top. Sprinkle a hint of lemon over the plate and serve.

How to eat it

Probably with a glass of that last bottle of rosé of the season. Côtes de Provence or de Rhône, yet Tavel would do to perfection. Fresh salted butter and crispy baguette. Enjoy!