Happy New Year

Week one, cold, grey - not a day that inspires a leisurely walk around the market.

And it's France; New Year's Eve is bigger than Christmas and many people are still on holiday and though my shelves are bare and i need to stock up half the usual stall holders are conspicuous in their absence.

The town is built like a Bastide and the main street runs inside the what feels like defensive walls but are in fact houses. It's cobbled and runs into the central square s dominated by a market Halle. However, it is the street, not the Halle, that is the focus of the market.

Pierre and Marie have their vegetable stall on the corner where the street swings up toward the Halle, a corner that only gets the sun in mid summer and so today they both look very cold. Some of what they sell was gathered this morning from the small market farm they own several miles to the west and an icicle hangs from Pierre's monumental nose.

The vegetables may or may not be organic, Pierre seems unclear on the subject, but their quality is legendary. Even deep in winter there is always colour here. Today i buy spinach and jerusalem artichokes, green leaf and russet root, both have been freshly pulled from the soil.

And since the temperatures are near zero, soup is on the menu.

Jerusalem Spinach Soup.

550 grams washed and roughly drained spinach.
A knob of butter
1 medium onion
6 good sized Jerusalem Artichokes, scrubbed clean but not peeled.
1 vegetable stock cube
2 thumbs of stick cinnamon
Salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the spinach, cinnamon sticks roughly crushed, salt and pepper.
Cover and reduce the spinach over a low flame.
Slice the onion into four.
Add the onion and the crumbled stock cube.
Add the artichokes roughly chopped or broken.
Add water to cover and half the amount again.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the Jerusalem Artichokes are soft and their aroma fills the kitchen. (about 30m mins).
Allow to cool.
Blend everything in a mixer.
Slowly reheat and serve, adding seasoning to taste.