Castellaras de la Malle hike

The prehistoric ruins of Castellaras de la Malle dating from the iron age are located at about 1200 m elevation about 6 km north of Grasse and 3 km east of Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey as the crow flies.

The site can be reached by a good hiking trail from Col du Pilon (783 m) by the 6085 road. We used the spacious parking 100 m before the col. From the parking, we took a shortcut directly to the trail. It was initially a wide dirt track, then a good albeit rocky path marked with yellow. We first ascended in the woods which protected us from the spring sun. Higher up, there were more open stretches. We reached signpost #57, and passed ruins of an old stone dwelling. The itinerary was well marked.

Departing from Col du Pilon

Towards signpost 57

Above signpost 57

Saint-Cassien Lake seen from trail

Wild orchids near Castellaras

Castellaras southwestern wall ruins

Castellaras de la Malle

Mandelieu coast from la Colle

Pine forest near Castellaras

Castellaras de la Malle hike trail

Tagliatelle with orange and black olives

This simple but tasty pasta recipe is at its best in late winter when the local citrus fruit are in season in Nice. Oranges go very well with black olives, olive oil, and chopped parsley.

2 servings

Organic whole wheat tagliatelle for 2 servings

1 organic orange

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. pitted black olives

2 handfuls of grated parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

A generous amount of chopped organic parsley

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallot and garlic for about 10 minutes until soft.

Cook the tagliatelle according to the advice on the package.

Wash the orange and zest it. Peel the white parts of the range and cut it into small pieces. Set aside.

Wash and chop the parsley. Set aside.

Slice the olives and grate the parmesan.

When the tagliatelle is cooked, drain it and add to the frying pan. Add the zest and pieces of orange, black pepper, sliced olives, and parsley. Mix well.

Divide the pasta on the plates and fold in the parmesan with a fork.

St Barnabé: Village Nègre hike

Village nègre St-Barnabé

Using the parking of St Barnabé (960 m) as a starting point, we made a short loop hike on the north-eastern flank of Puy de Tourrettes. 

We headed southeast along the GR51 as far as to signpost #261. The initial part was almost flat. At #261 we forked right along the yellow marked path (La Caïre, Tourrettes sur Loup etc), and climbed to signpost #177 where we left the marked trail, again forking right. We followed a wide trail, and ascended to about 1050 m elev. not far from the power lines crossing the mountain flank.

GR51 from St-Barnabé

Leaving GR51 at signpost261

Puy de Tourrettes

Puy de Tourrettes northeastern flank

Pasture at 1060m

Small airplane wreck

Entering Village nègre

Eroded limestones Village nègre

Rock formations Village nègre

Village nègre hike track

Roasted chicken thighs with devil's sauce

Devil’s sauce, la sauce à la diable, is a classic sauce in French cuisine. The base is so called Spanish sauce which is usually made of veal fond. The other ingredients are chopped shallots, tomato purée, Harvey’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Cayenne pepper. Harvey’s sauce and Worcestershire sauce are classic British condiments. Devil’s sauce is often served with grilled chicken legs or oxtail.

The following recipe is my twist of the devil’s sauce. I have used more Mediterranean ingredients like dried Provençal herbs, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar glaze, crema con aceto balsamico di Modena. 

2 servings

4 chicken thighs

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried organic parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

For the devil’s sauce:

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

150 ml chicken stock

150 ml white wine

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar glaze

2 tsp. tomato purée

½ tsp. dried organic Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180° C, roast.

Arrange the chicken thighs in an oven-proof dish and coat with the olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes.

Prepare the devil’s sauce. In a saucepan, cook the shallot, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, and Provençal herbs until reduced by about half. Add the balsamic vinegar glaze, tomato purée, and black pepper. Stir until thickened. Cover and set aside.

Serve the chicken thighs over the devil’s sauce and sprinkle with dried parsley and black pepper. Quinoa and broccoli or some other greens would go nicely with the chicken thighs.