The French are going off winter veg

Laverbread, and yes it is actual seaweed, while the Chinese version just looks like seaweed.

Not in France?

I’d argue the reverse and that local markets are thriving, certainly around me (Aveyron, Lot Valley). Certainly I’ll buy veg from Spain too, but OTOH it’s closer than northern France.

I would agree but disagree. France has a particularly high allegiance to buying locally, but it is dwindling against the challenge of the ubiquitous supermarkets.
I have lived in a number of other countries where buying locally is not so prevalent

Given the rising cost of living inevitably price becomes more important and not to support of local suppliers. There is also “if I can buy mange touts in winter, why should I not buy them?”. They are scoured from Kenya.

I recognise that syndrome, but I think it’s primarily a metropolitan thing, as many French people are not only comparatively gastronomically conservative, but also prefer to eat seasonally.

When I lived in South Africa, everything I ate or drank, apart from coffee, came from within the country. Today almost everything I eat or drink comes from neighbouring countries in southern Europe - apart from coffee…

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As I do it differently each time, this is a bit vague @Mik_Bennett would be horrified. :slight_smile:

I use a very large saucepan, melted butter in the bottom, chop up a medium/large butternut squash into small chunks (remove skin), drop them into the melted sizzling butter and keep turning them until they have slightly browned edges. At the same time in a frying pan, more butter, chopped onion (I like red onion) sweated down, add a crushed garlic clove right at the end (don’t let the garlic burn, it goes bitter).

Push the squash to one side and in the bottom of the pan dry heat for about 10 seconds freshly grated ginger root, some chilli flakes (nb for a French audience be sparing) black pepper, medium curry powder. Then stir into the browned squash chunks so that the spices are well mixed in. Add the softened onion and garlic.

We like our ginger so I grate about a couple of inches of peeled ginger root - you might want to do less if your audience is French.

Add 2 litres of chicken or veg stock to the saucepan. Bring to the boil and then simmer the butternut in the stock until the flesh is very soft. I usually do about 30 mins, but timing’s not critical.

Whisk the butternut and stock until creamy smooth - I use a stick whisk in the saucepan.

I used to add crème fraîche at the end, which adds a nice bite. These days I tend to add coconut cream - you could add both. Stir and bring back to boil. Serve, with sourdough bread.

You could brown the butternut in the oven but I rarely use our oven these days. If you do, I wouldn’t bother to skin the squash - let the skin go crispy, but it does mean you have to whisk very thoroughly at the end not to have skin bits.

Another variant is to add orange juice with the stock, but I find the orange juice flavour dominates too much, I’d rather have the butternut taste which, to my mind, is the best of all the squashes.

Also, you could have carrot with your squash as an alternative.

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Yes, it is a predominately a metropolitan issue, however I am very rural and I can see the problem growing. The local supermarket has become a superpoo, sorry Super U and I noticed the decline in local products. For me it has had a very positive influence, I am by and large buying more locally, but I can afford to pay, others can’t.

I shopped on our most large local market this morning and most shoppers were retired, or not employed, and most étals were very local producteurs of facteur. Tomorrow (because I need make my monthly purchase of Ethiopian coffee beans) we’ll visit Rodez, our départmental capital which has a big Saturday market, that’s more expensive, but because it’s Saturday morning , it will be crowded with people of all ages.

Certainly many people choose to buy food in supermarkets, but I’d argue that our local markets continue to thrive.

I recognise your recipe, but wonder if it would be easier, to roast the diced squash in the oven, and then make it into soup?

This is what I do, but the roasted squash/pumpkin will be left over from the previous evening’s dinner, rather being specifically soup orientated.

The national decline in the consumption of fruit and veg but the continued use of weekly markets are separate things. Inflationary increases has meant people are turning to canned and frozen veg as cheaper alternatives and the under 50’s are shunning fresh produce in favour of convenience food and takeaways. Markets tend to attract an older demographic and remain popular but the actual volume of fruit and veg sold is very small compared to supermarkets.

More worrying for France is the rapid decline in the agricultural export surplus which is why farmers have been protesting for the last year or so, competition from other European countries and the impending EU trade agreement with several South American countries is going to make it even harder for farmers to compete and remain profitable.

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Our recope is pretty much the same as @SuePJ says, but as @DrMarkH suggests, our butternut is roasted in the oven. We cut it into quarters, drizzle with a little oil and put it in the oven when we’re cooking something else. The soup then gets made the next day.

A friend of ours finds raw butternut squash hard to peel and to get the seeds out, so she cooks it first, scoops out the seeds and scrapes off the flesh. It is much easier.

You can also make a snack with the seeds by roasting them and they’re tasty. Cleaning off the flesh is a bit of a pain but it’s worth it.

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These days just don’t use oven, which is a large one and takes too long to heat up. For me, one large saucepan directly on stove top is much easier (and cheaper) and less washing up, but each to their own.

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Splosh! Potato, carrot, and swede (or golden navet or celeriac) mashed together with plenty of butter. Top with cheese and grill if you’re feeling hungry.

Cauliflower steaks - top with harissa, then goats cheese, then breadcrumbs and pine nuts and roast in the oven with the outer leaves and a quartered red onion for about 30 minutes.

Use the rest of the cauli for cauiliflower and pea frittata. :face_savoring_food:

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That sounds really good, keep meaning to try cauliflower done in the oven ( and keep forgetting :rofl:).

I’ll try this one tonight (I have the Prince de Bretagne in my fridge) – thanks.

(I did wonder if the recipe was going to end "Throw away the cauliflower and serve the tasty bits.)

Well, I made it and it was delicious.

Next time, I’ll mix the harissa with olive oil and dilute it - Madame’s first bite was a bit spicy - and I fried the onion first and spread it over the cauliflower (and didn’t bother with chapelure).

A lot nicer than the cat’s first lizard (that I know of), a sentiment he’d agree with, judging by the way he brought it in and left it for me to rescue.