Turkey, Barley, Zucchini and Mushroom Salad; Bastille Day Past

Remembering my first Bastille Day in France: 2004.

Ten days after the Americans wave the Red, White and Blue to

celebrate the 4th of July the French wave the Red, White and Blue to

celebrate the 14th....14 juillet as it's known in France, Bastille Day to

the Brit's and Americans.

The two holidays celebrate the same ideal in

much the same way: Parades by the government, picnics by the people.

Even our little hamlet got into

the act, although, it's more of a 2-family celebration with

a few guests.

There were 2 older couples (80's, 90's), and their children who all come back for the fetes.

It was an all day affair: the main feast at around 2:00, followed by

clean-up for the women and boules for the men. (Things are still

very traditional here in rural France.)

Then the ladies go for a walk

and the men go to the cave for some wine tasting - not to imply

that the wine hasn't been flowing freely all day...

Throughout the day

various teenagers and young, single, 20-something's stop by, in between

their own parties, to have a bite and say hello. In the U.S. one walks

into a large gathering, shouts a general 'Hey!' and gives specific, but

still brief, greetings to close friends or family.

Here in France, the new arrival

greets each and every person, known or not, with the obligatory Vendeen

4 kisses - two on each cheek, alternating.

The same when they leave.

It was fascinating to watch. The kids come in, greet everyone, chat for

5 minutes, say goodbye, and the whole process takes 30 - 40 minutes!

As

the sun gets a bit lower in the sky and it starts to cool down,

the stronger stuff comes out to be sampled: a particular liqueur picked

up on a trip to Syria, some Eau de Vie the farmer made last

year, an herbal digestif made by Maman, Papa's

best wine.

Just before sunset (and the fireworks), around 10:00, a

light supper was served with the leftovers from lunch and a few treats

saved especially for the late-evening snack.

When the food duties were

assigned I tried to talk the ladies into letting me do something

traditional for me but new for them - like American Potato Salad.

They

didn't buy my persuasions. They would make their own traditional foods,

thank you very much, but (apparently) they thought they could trust me

with a tart...so I could bring a cherry tart.

I've never made a tart of

any kind (or a pie without a frozen pie crust to get me started) and I

wasn't about to have my first attempt critiqued by the entire village.

We compromised on a fruit salad. They then dropped off a bag of apples,

bananas, and oranges.

"Oh ye of little faith" I thought, you are about

to be pleasantly surprised by the American who can't bake:

Summer Fruit Salad for a picnic

5

Cook barley in chicken broth until tender.

Cut turkey into strips. Cut red onion into thick slices. Trim and slice mushrooms. Mince garlic. Cut zucchini into quarters the long way, then slice.

Heat 3 tsp oil in a large skillet. Add onion and mushroom and stir-fry until onion is just tender. Add garlic and zucchini and stir-fry until zucchini just starts to soften. Add 1 tbs teriyaki sauce and stir well to combine. Remove to a plate.

Add remaining 1 tsp oil and turkey to skillet. Stir-fry until turkey is cooked through, 4 - 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tbs teriyaki sauce, stir to combine and remove from heat.

Prepare lettuce and put into large salad bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss well to combine. Add barley, vegetables and turkey, toss gently and serve.

Peanut Vinaigrette

2 tbs peanut butter

2 tbs sherry vinegar

2 tbs olive oilWhisk all ingredients well.

1/2 cup barley in stock, lettuce, savory, chives, thyme

Notice how I snuck the zucchini into the salad?

Happy Quatorze Juillet, tout le monde!