(Photo LOF - green grapes)
You go for a walk in the countryside (in direction of the sea) and in front of the house in ruins which is still
for sale you’ll see in the magnolia grandiflora, a vine gone crazy.
You ask yourself two questions:
1 - Who planted this scented magnolia here, what future did they dream of ; for them, for the house. All that remains is a lace cuffed glove – from a wedding or a communion lying near the wall. Whos ?
2. Does this vine have grapes? The answer to the second question is easy: Yes, look. Yes, but they’re too green and good for nothing. No, look : Chicken with verjuice is a pretty dish for August – of course you’ll make your own verjuice, by pressing green grapes already rich in juice with a firm hand while evoking a lively song - Dionysus. Useless to imagine a large wine vat and inviting your friends for a stomp. You only need the juice of three large bunches of green grapes for a chicken. You do need to be able to taste it. So which grape? an aromatic grape like for white wine.
Brown the chicken cut in pieces for a good ten minutes, then pour a large glass of verjuice, and a small glass of chicken stock. Add 3 garlic cloves and chopped parsley. Let it cook on a low setting for 20 minutes.
I like it with lots of verjuice so don’t hesitate to add extra. It goes well with boiled potatoes that you can mash into the sauce if no one is looking.
Wine? Vinho verde from the Figueiras cooperative, quite fresh, quite dry, quite green. We finished this meal with a pear from our pear tree which is right in front of the Gertrude Jekyll alley. A pear perfectly ripe. Excellent.
(Photo LOF - Williams Pear)
