Day 52 – Massat

This morning the festy shirt came out of summer retirement. It is cold again up here and it has been raining again. In fact the climate here in the mountains is very much similar to the UK. Also last night back in Foix I left the windows of the landrover open overnight and it seems to have made everything damp. I’m surprised as the bottom is always open and the damp air can blow in between the wheels, however this doesn’t make things damp. I’m not sure why. Maybe because the air has nowhere to go it tends not to blow in. With the windows open, a circular path can be set up.

Bumping into the Ghanaian guy this morning (must remember to ask his name) I asked if I could buy 3 bottles of his excellent cider. “A present for my buddys back home” I explained. He sold me 3 for a 10 euros. Bargain!

Me and Christain at the teepee kitchen aread

I spent the morning writing more blog... (I am really enjoying it) before stopping for lunch. Lunch was Cassoulet with more confit of duck.

Confit of duck

Now beans and sausage aside, ‘confit of duck’ is really worth trying for those that haven’t. The French unlike us dull Brits are really adventurous when it comes to food. Ours tends to come in just 4 flavours; beef, chicken, pork and lamb. Why? When there is a whole gastronomic world of adventure out there? The French each a lot of duck (or ‘Canard’). More in fact than chicken. Now duck is a fatty, red meat, a little like lamb. Very tasty. As a kid I was never a fan of fatty meat... it made me cringe! As an adult I realised that the fat is where all the flavour is stored. You don’t have to eat the fat but it releases a lot of flavour during cooking. Some of that flavour is re-absorbed by the meat, and if you’re careful to use the juices, you can use that flavour in the gravy or sauce. Confit of duck has been slow cooked so that the meat is falling away from the bone, but then the whole thing is immersed and preserved in the fat from the cooking process and sealed in a tin so it can be eaten years later with no loss of flavour. It is cheap, tasty and convenient in a way to this day not achieved by any ready meal I ever ate!

Today has been a work day. Updating the blog this morning and software development this afternoon. I feel the blog went well but the afternoon work didn’t go well at all. It’s been too long since I did any development on this project and it took me hours to find my feet again by which time I was mentally exhausted. It doesn’t do to lose momentum. I might have to give the blog a rest again for a few days while I focus on it... Early start tomorrow I think!