Les plaisirs du marché en plein air

I had another very Parisian experience today: I walked through my first marché en plein air (open-air market).  There are 20 arrondissements (districts) in Paris, and from what I understand, each district has at least one open-air market.  These markets are held usually once or twice a week, and you can find almost anything at them, depending on their size.  Apparently, the 6th arrondissement has three such markets, so I decided to check one out today on my way home from class.  I grew as giddy as a kid in a candy shop when I saw piles upon piles in rows upon rows of the freshest fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and meat.  My eyes raced over succulent cherry tomatoes, fire-engine red peppers and the largest cucumbers I have ever seen.  My nose tried to sort out all of the smells bombarding it; there were countless, pungent cheeses in this corner, smelly (albeit delicious-looking) fish in that one.  After walking up and down the aisles, I settled on the vendor who seemed friendliest and had the most reasonable prices and delicious looking produce.  I bought kilo upon kilo of vegetables to stock up for the week, and I can tell he and I are going to be the best of friends by the end of these next five months.  I found this picture of the market on Google; my apologies for not having taken my own picture; I didn’t have my camera on me today, but next time I go, I will certainly take a few and post them!

I also had my second class today, which was a French language class.  I was placed in level 3, which means I have a medium-strong grasp of the language (although at this point I am confident that I most definitely fall in the medium, rather than strong range…).  My professor is an kind, middle-aged man who is  unfortunately a major proponent of oral presentations.  We have to do two of them, ten minutes each, and the two I signed up for happened to be this month on the 16th and 23rd.  I’m not really sure what the topics are at this point, although based on the titles, one will be about how the telling of history changes it and the other will be about ‘Grand Paris’ and city life.  I’m sure I’ll be writing (aka complaining) about them as they draw nearer.

I made another Italian dinner this evening, and it was delicious (if I do say so myself…and I do)!  I have been craving sausage for the past few days, so I finally went out and bought some at Monoprix.  Here’s the recipe I used, because I KNOW you’re just dying for some sausage.

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 2 C uncooked, whole-wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 links hot sausage, cut into ½ inch thick slices
• 1 red pepper, cut into ½ inch thick squares
• 1 small onion, diced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce (best with basil, garlic, and oregano)
• ½ t black pepper
• Pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt for flavor.  Drain pasta, set aside.
2. While pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Add sausage, cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring often.  Add bell pepper and onions, and cook 3 minutes or until hot, stirring often.  Add tomatoes, sauce and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Place pasta in a large bowl.  Add sausage mixture and toss.  Top with cheese, if desired.  Serves 4.

As you can see, I served it with a glass of red wine that I purchased today.  I think I’m well on my way to becoming a sommelier…