Further to my previous post, the Garonne burst it’s banks and Bossòst is flooded. Incredible photos and images on the news, 400 people or more evacuated and some dead. If we had gone through there one day later, we would have been underwater.

The “merlan” is a long piece of tender beef from the top of the rump. It is called “merlan” because it looks like the fish of the same name (in French).

First the vegetables:
– grill thin slices of potato on the griddle, spray with a little oil
– grill thin slices of aubergine and courgette on the griddle, spray with a little oil
– make layers of cooked aubergine, potato, courgette and sliced tomato in an oven proof dish
– add plenty of parsley, garlic and salt at each layer
– cover with a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese
– cook in a hot (210°) oven for 40 minutes.

Now the beef:
– Coat beef “merlan” in freshly ground pepper (lots)
– Place on a very hot griddle, keep turning until cooked.
– Slice thinly and place on dish.
– Serve with vegetable gratin.

At last a photo of the best restaurant in the world, le Portalet in Bossòst, Catalunya.

Sadly the restaurant was closed for a short but well deserved break before the summer rush.
The weather has been fantastic and it has been so hot that the mountain glaciers are melting quickly and the rivers are almost flooding.
More torrential rain is coming, so the situation will surely worsen later this week.
The photo is a Catalan meatball with asparagus tempura. Mixed meat meatballs are a Catalan speciality – (see here).

This is a variation on my mother’s crispy pork chops recipe.
I’ve actually tried this with both pork and lamb chops. Enjoy!

– Heat some duck fat in an oven proof tray. When sizzling put in some potatoes cut into chip size pieces
– Brush the chops with plenty of mild mustard
– Grind a mixture of walnuts and a little breadcrumbs, add a little salt
– Coat the mustardy chops with the nut mixture
– When the oven chips are just starting to become golden you may need to turn them over from time to time), place the chops next to them in the oven tray or separately in a lightly greased oven proof dish
– Cook in a hot oven until the chops become a nice golden color and the chips and nicely brown.

I suppose you could call this recipe chips and chops!