Meals n´Wheels

8 May 2013

Tour Auto 2013, or "Musical chairs".

You don't know what "Musical chairs" is? Its a game, played at birthday parties: 10 people: 9 chairs, and when the music stops everyone has to sit down. The person who has not found a chair is out. Next round: 9 people, 8 chairs, music stops one out and so on and so forth.
I hated it as a child.
But's that's how we ended up 7th Overall
Almost entirely due to a MAJOR Shootout of the first 30 cars or so.
With an amazing field of 3 Ford GT 40ies, 9 Cobras, 9 E-types, Mustangs, Aston Martins and Mustangs we calculated our chances of coming within the first ten at nill.
But I am not so sure wether I like it. I don't like shootout when it comes to cars.

Grrrr and I especially don't like it when it comes to Porsche racing prototypes, any kind, any number!

But let me start at the beginning:

Highway from hell. Green hell. To Paris.

Driving the 911 via 5 laps on Nordschleife on the road to Paris was actually a pretty stupid idea. Exhausting. 800 km in a race car from 1965 when you have 2000 km ahead of you the next five days is overdoing it. Please, remind me next year!
Yet arriving in Paris for the Tour Auto Sunday evening is just magical!

Don't you think?

And so is the waiting in line, to turn around the corner for entry to the Grand Palais, where everyone gathers.

Our turn to feel grand, facing des Invalides.


Inside the Grand Palais.

Passing one of my favourite cars ever, a Porsche 906.


Kobolds`s parked. We have Diner! (Have I metioned how much I like Paris?)


The back of the Grand Palais on Monday morning.

And the majestic front.

I'm always overwhelmed the Grandezza and elegance of the setting! Monday is the day of scrutineering, and basically the only day when you can see and say hello to everybody.


Still early in the day, when the public has not yet arrived...

And we can still take Pictures of our favourite cars without tons of people who later get in the photos...

The next morning our group, the competition section, has to rise very very early! It's still dark outside.

Posing it front of....okokokokokoko. I´ll stop posting 906´s. now.

But:

I'm starting to think they have as many Chateaus in France as we in Germany have Gardening gnomes.

An hour later we arrive at the point of the official start of the Tour, as always in incredible scenery. And here we have breakfast as well. Phew. Than we move on to Le Mans

Haha, I posted this on facebook and everybody thought this was our position for the first race at the Bugatti Circuit. Bt it is simply the order at which we arrived in the waiting spot for Qualifying.

Every evening, after having covered more or less the same distance as us, the mechanics still have to work on the cars.


Line up before a special stage. Where we put on our helmets and gloves.

Mr Steel in his GT 40, waiting too, reading the results of the stage before.

Mr. France.

And then we drive to the actual start of the stage and wait again, in our helmets. In the competition section the specials are races on closed roads. We drive against the clock. In the regularity I've never understood what they do. They calculate and than drive according to their calculation. If I was ever forced to do that I would fail bitterly. Within minutes.

Parc Fermé in Orleans. After13 hours in the car. and no lunch...

Parc Fermé the 2nd day in Vichy. (After only 12 hours in the car, but this time lunch...)


Kobold´s ignition failed..

It is a wonderful way to see France.


Following a Daytona Coupe on a normal road feels incredible!

Ligier, a roadcar? I didn't know..

No. I am NOT posting what YOU think I am posting.It´s my 911 I am posting. Admittedly in good company..


The roadbook . Big and fat. And don't loose it!

Ferrari 250 swb lightweight. Anyone not knowing what to give me for my birrrrrthday?

We make the finish at La Rochelle! After five strenous day, racing, roadracing, 13, 12, 11 hours a day!I am so tired but the car feels as fresh as on the first day! What a great car!


Thousands of people come to see the finish.

Thank you Kobold, Marc, Patrick Peter Organisation and all you French Friends who make the effort to either tolerate my catastrophic french or make the effort and talk to me in english. Every year there's more of them and I feel truly priviledged!

15 April 2013

Spring! onion, wild garlic and turkey burger. Or how to cheat...

your men into eating vegetables...

Do you miss winter?
The black cold whole?
Spring is here. I don´t know about you, but in a way I am so angry about the long winter that I´m inclined to ignore spring. I am now used to and feel comfortable with hibernating. With sulking, being grumpy. I want to wear shapeless clothes. Let myself go. Not paint my toenails, or work on a bikini figure. Fight cellulite. Shave my legs. Or any of those tedious things which annoying summer brings.
But apparently winter's to return. In two days.
Thank god I didn't work myself up with hoping summer would come. No expectations ruined.
Hurray.

Just in case you're a more disciplined person than me and you still have faith in the seasons:
Be prepared. Be prepared for shockingly fresh local herbs appearing in the markets, for something bright and blinding appearing on the sky (it's called sun, by the way), for having to take your thick coats and jumpers off, for having to show that you`re not a turtle with short legs and no neck, but that you have human shape after all. Sounds threatening?
Yes. I know it's awful, but it might actually happenen and before we all let fear rule our lifes we need to shield ourselves against light and warmth, this awful thing called summer...

Fresh Mint? Terrible...

Wild Garlic? Threatening!

Grated Courgette? I am overdoing it? You think?

SPRING onions? Terrible word.

It´s getting worse with each picture. You must stop here! Before I can write things like"creme fraiche".

That's better... That's what we're used to...


That´s better too. Not too many dodgy Vitamins showing.

Turkey burgers with a lot of threatening erbs.

& Creme Fraiche sauce.

(It is called "fresh"! don´t make me feel like that!)

150 g greek yoghurt

100 g creme FRAICHE

1tsp grated lemon zest

juice of half a lemon

a handful of wild garlic (also called bear leek..) chopped

2 tbsp olive oil (which I forgot)

1 tbsp sumac

salt

freshly crushed black pepper

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

500 g minced turkey

1 large courgette, grated (use Parmesan grater)

40g Spring onions

1 egg

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp coriander, chopped

5 tbsp wild garlic, chopped

1 tbsp ground cumin

Salt

pepper

1/2 tbsp cayenne

sunflower oil for searing

Mix all ingredients (but the oil!) a a large bowl than shape into NICE (I so hate the word, goes nicely with "summer"!) burgers. Fry burgers over medium heat till golden brown.

Serve at room temperature with sauce spooned over.

This recipe is is adopted from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem". The best cook book I have ever encountered. It even beats all his previous ones, which also were the best cookbooks I had ever encountered.

This is even better.

Thank you Mr. Ottolenghi!