Painting, 'Village Colors' by Barbara Andolsek at http://bandolsek.blogspot.com/
Our beloved friend Wendy turned 80 this month, she is the Queen Mum of our social circle here. Her Parisian daughter was planning a party for her at the château, and she wrote an email (in French) saying the party would be an auberge espagnole.
Most of the anglophones among us were puzzled. An ‘auberge espagnole’, a spanish inn? One guest decided she would wear a flamenco costume; another said she might bring some castanets. A third decided it was a tapas party. Fortunately the mystery was sorted out before it was too late: une auberge espagnole is the French expression for a potluck supper, where everyone brings a dish.
Our châtelaine Nicole knows the origin of this unusual expression first hand. In the 1950’s when she was a child traveling with her family in Spain, they sometimes stopped at small Spanish hotels. Provisions in this post-war period were slim, so you brought with you what you wanted to eat. The expression crossed the border into France and evolved into a potluck. But auberge espagnole has also taken on a figurative meaning: you get out what you put in, you reap what you sow.
Peiodically Nicole has une auberge espagnole at the château and invites all of her French friends from Lyon, where she used to work. Now if you should ever get an invitation to a French potluck, you should cancel whatever plans you have, no matter how important, and get yourself right on over there, if Nicole’s friends are any indication.
This happens in summer, so most folks bring glorious salads. There are chopped salads, seafood salads, salads with grains and beans. Quiches of all sorts are popular choices too, for this non-spanish do. And the desserts–magnifique!
I’m off to an auberge espagnole this week. Inspired by the name and by Nicole’s friends, I decided to make my own version of the traditional spanish salad, ensalada mixta. Make it or tweak it for your lucky summer fête–it’s packed with market veggies and so easy there’s not even a pot to stir.
RECIPE: Market Day Ensalada Mixta
Serves 4
-
Romaine lettuce - 1 small jar roasted red peppers, drained (or roast your own)
- 1 bunch green asparagus, steamed or roasted
- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off
- 4 boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- a handful of good black olives
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- grape tomatoes
- half of a small cucumber, sliced
- 1/4 pound (115 grams) manchego cheese, cut in cubes
- olive oil
- wine vinegar
- a lemon
- a handful of mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, tarragon, cilantro
- (good additions/substitutions: avocados, green beans, white beans, radishes)
Tear romaine leaves and cover a platter with them. Arrange vegetables on top and eggs around the edges. Add cheese. Just before serving, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Toss on the herbs, squeeze lemon juice over all and serve with crusty French bread.
Favorite Reads, etc.: If you like the painting above, you will want to visit Barbara’s site, http://bandolsek.blogspot.com. Her lovely and affordable paintings capture the spirit of the places she’s visited, the things she loves. She did a beautiful painting from a photo on this blog of our village church. Check out the photo on the December 16, 2010 post then look at the painting here, or on on her site.
In the movie department, It so happens that L'Auberge Espagnole is also the name of a French comedy (in English) that I’ve just discovered, about a French exchange student who goes to Barcelona and falls into a melting pot, an apartment of other young Europeans.
As for books, reader Sue Wallace recommends two books, inspired by last week’s rosé recipe: Extremely Pale Rosé and La Vie en Rose: A Very French Adventure Continues
14 thoughts on “Stirring the Pot at a Spanish Inn”
this is my idea of a glorious salad – wish I was there to partake in this celebration of fresh food!
There isn’t anything better on a summers day, in my opinion, than an incredible salad full of flavors galore such as this. Thanks so much Lynn for including my artwork in your very attractive blog.
Oh, my! A French ‘auberge espagnole’…count me in!! My mouth waters just thinking about all of those tasty dishes!
I can’t wait to try the salad recipe…thanks for sharing, Lynn! It looks delicious in the photo! Have a great weekend!
Carol Hjort
Love that salade. It’s like a Nicoise, non-composed.
The salad recipe makes me long for summer (it’s slow in coming here in the Midwest). I can’t wait for the French markets in July and all the healthy eating that they inspire.
However, Lynn, I’m mystified when I go to restaurants. The markets are overflowing in vegetables, but at restaurants the salad and vegetable offerings seem to be an afterthought (haricot verts, anyone?). Why is that?
Your auberge espagnole story started my day with a laugh. I envisioned a Woody Allen-esque scene with flamenco attired anglophones bearing tapas and looking puzzled, while their French friends looked incredulous. Thanks for the “heads up” regarding an interesting French expression that’s new for me.
Many thanks to all my dear readers for the nice comments. Julie, I’ll try to answer your question, and maybe other readers can too. It’s true that meat tends to be the main focus at most French meals. It sometimes happens that the vegetables are a last priority . But that depends on the restaurant, I think. The better the restaurant, the greater the emphasis on vegetables. And the French bistros and brasseries do a great job in general with main dish salads, I think, piled high with veggies (and often with meat too, bien sur). I don’t normally order meat when we eat out, so it can be a bit of a challenge, but I usually manage pretty well these days.
So lovely! I almost licked the screen (a passing editor thought I’d gone strange until I showed her the rest of the post). Thumbs up to L’Auberge Espanole!
post script- I’m familiar with the term from the Audrey Tatou film (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283900/). worth a gander, if you’re keen!
I love learning the background of the expression “auberge espagnole” – wonderful, as is your recipe for this glorious salad. I also love Barbara’s paintings and am so glad to see them shared so far and wide. Thanks for sharing it all Lynn.
I just love the paintings. It inspires me to go home and paint 😉
I just finished reading your article in Furman magazine and I am so enjoying your blog! My husband and I live in Summerville, right above Charleston, and we are both Furman grads, classes of ’76 and ’77. I love to cook and I feel like I have found a new resource in your experiences. I’m looking forward to following your adventures!
So excited to find your blog with the arrival of my Furman Alum magazine!! I have been saying all week, “It’s time to get in touch with my inner-French girl.” You are living my dream! And yes, I wish I had taken my French classes a little more seriously, too. What can I say? I kept inadvertently speaking Franglish (Spanish + French); French was my third language. For now I will settle for a new Amelie-inspired haircut. Looking forward to living vicariously through you!
I’m running behind–these comments won’t refer to this post. I tried the radish-leaf soup this weekend. Interesting, reminded me of turnip greens. I’ve always wondered whether there was something I could be doing with all those radish leaves I throw away this time of the year. Guess I’ll keep wondering, though. This soup won’t be a new favorite at our house. BUT it was fun to try the recipe. Thanks for posting it. Not all new recipes can become favorites, right? And part of the fun of cooking is learning and trying things and knowing something else about food. I’m glad I tried it.
I suppose I should be commenting on the beautiful, healthy salad; alas, the recommendation of the two books on rose wine sent me in a different direction. We’ll be heading to Como, Aix, Nice, and Beaune in a few weeks, and those books looked like they should come long for the trip. This also put an end to the debate on which car to take: the two-seater or the wagon? Although much more fun to drive on the Riviera, you can’t haul much of anything in a Z4, so it looks like the “Wine Wagon” is going to win! These are the priorities we learn with age, right?