Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

Limone ski resort on Valentines Day 2014

Studying the ski map of Limone Piemonte (1010 m), one might first get the impression of a pretty small winter resort just 44 km from the Mediterranean. In addition, the highest lift reaches “only” 2085 m…how long is their season?

Having visited Limone several times before, we knew the reality is very different. Limone is one of the oldest winter sports resorts in Italy. They have a history of over 100 years. The runs are long and usually well maintained. The biggest continuous vertical descent is 1000 m, actually more than Auron and Isola 2000 nearby in France can offer. Maybe it’s the geography combined with meteorological facts that result in more snowfall. The cold northerly winds blowing over the Italian plain nearby meet the warmer and the more humid Mediterranean air here. The latest snow depth on their web site reported 350 cm on the top, 250 cm in the valley, avalanche risk 3/5.

Stormy wind at altitude. All lifts closed

Recent recurrent traffic problems in the Tinée valley have certainly turned the eyes to Limone. The Roya valley is by no means immune to traffic problems either. But from Limone you have at least the long “escape” route back to the coast via Italy. The driving time from Nice is about two hours. The recommended route from Nice is to take the A8 to Ventimiglia, then north along S20 and further along D6204 to the tunnel at Col de Tende. Check the inforoutes06 web site the morning you leave!
You don’t have to drive all the way down to the town of Limone if you’re on a day trip. Immediately after the tunnel on the Italian side, you can take
the small road left to reach Limone 1400.
Its lift system is connected with the rest of the resort.

Alpetta chair lift upper station. Mont Viso visible in distance

The only way to reach the skiing area from the town is to use the gondola called Severino Bottero. It’s newish and fast but queues tend to build up here, especially in front the ticket booths. On the day of our visit, we had just managed to buy our ski passes when the gondola stopped. There were a lot people waiting and waiting. No information was given. Eventually we came back one hour later. It turned out that the wind speed had increased to a level that they had to close all lifts for the rest of the day. No cash refund was offered. They gave receipts that could be used for ski passes the next day or later this season.

Start of the Pian del Leone run at 2085 m

Valentine’s Day started with clear skies and light winds. After some queuing again, yesterday’s purchases were refunded and up we went! No queues whatsoever here. The only limit was your performance. There are several great red runs, all well groomed so watch your speed! The black run number 16 called Olimpico Giacomo Marro back to the gondola station is very good as well, might be classified red somewhere else.

Sanglier with polenta. Salad with parmesan and artichoke

When in Italy, you ski and eat with style. We went to our favorite high altitude restaurant. We opted for salad with parmesan and artichokes followed by wild boar in red wine sauce with polenta. Gustoso! Not bad at 1800 m. Furthermore, we stayed overnight at Grand Hotel Principe next to the gondola station. They too serve traditional Italian cuisine, as it used to be in the old days. Fresh ingredients, no nonsense, not Michelin but tasty! Not easy to find in Florence or Rome these days unless you know where to go.

This is a warming simple dessert for those miserable rainy winter evenings in Nice when I start dreaming about sunny spring days and colourful fresh apricots and peaches. Luckily in winter there seems to be really good imported pineapples in our supermarket.

The warming effect comes from a mixture of spices. Quatre épices is a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg. It is easy to find in Nice supermarkets, and it is also easy to make your own mixture. The ground spices lose soon their taste and have to be replaced regularly. Some freshly ground black pepper and cumin add to the warming effect of spices.

I like to serve the roasted pineapple with some fresh French cheese, fromage blanc 0 % fat. In spite of being practically fat-free it has a good round taste and compliments well the spicy pineapple. Fromage blanc is a good source of protein and calcium; some are even supplemented with vitamin D, all important nutrients for bone health. You could serve your pineapple with classic mascarpone or vanilla ice cream for a special treat. Even some world famous French chefs nowadays choose healthy ingredients in their Michelin restaurants and consult nutritionists and dietitians.

4 servings

1 pineapple
6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
2 tsp quatre épices
Freshly ground black pepper

Peel the pineapple and remove the tough inner section. Cut into fairly large cubes.

Preheat the oven to 200⁰ C, roast.

Mix the sugar and spices. Roll the pineapple cubes in the mixture and place on an ovenproof dish on single layer. Roast for 20 minutes.

Divide the pineapple cubes on the plates and spoon over any juice from the bottom of the roasting dish. Serve with fromage blanc, mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.

We remember learning at school that Mediterranean winters typically are mild and rainy. This winter certainly fits the description, at least as far as the rainy part goes. You have to grab every opportunity even for short hikes and walks!

At 222 m, Mont Alban situated between Villefranche-sur-Mer and Nice is not really a mountain. The visitor is nevertheless awarded by great views as the video clip shows. The walk presented here is also called Circuit du Mont Alban. It is well described (in French) and recommended in the randoxygène guidebook.

This is a walk that combines culture, history and nature. You can even explore the outdoor market in Villefranche. The walk starts with a long ascent along stairs (l’escalier Campo Quadro) gradually reaching the middle Corniche. From this point, it is about 500 m to col de Villefranche. The trail (marked with yellow) then continues to Mont Alban and the fortress. Built in the mid 16th century by the Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert, the fort is today normally closed. Guided tours have been arranged during the summer. From here, the trail continues south about 500 m, then turns left and descends trough a wood back to the basse Corniche and finally down to the port of Villefranche.

Cooking à la chasseur, hunter-style, is a style of cooking in which meat is cooked with a sauce containing white wine, shallots and mushrooms. It may also contain tomatoes, garlic and herbs, but mushrooms are essential. It was thought that hunters would pick mushrooms while returning from the hunt.

Cooking sirloin steak à la chasseur results in very tender and tasty meat. This is a quick recipe if you choose a ready-made whole grain side dish, such as Bjorg Quinoa Pois chiches, cooked quinoa with chickpeas. It needs only 1 ½ minutes reheating in microwave. I like to decorate it with marinated cherry tomatoes.

2 servings

For the steaks:
2 nice sirloin steaks, faux-filets
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
About 8 mushrooms,
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
150 ml white wine
1 tbsp tomato pure
1 tsp Provencal herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp of chicken stock cube
Parsley

For the marinated cherry tomatoes:
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
Parsley

Side dish:
1 packet Bjorg Quinoa Pois Chiches, from the health food section

Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Place them in a bowl with olive oil and chopped parsley and let marinate while you cook the steaks and mushrooms.

Warm 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan. Clean and slice the mushrooms and cook in the pan, stirring occasionally.
In a heavy pan, heat 2 tbsp rapeseed oil over high heat and quickly fry the steaks on both sides until nicely coloured. Reduce the heat, and add the chopped shallot and garlic in the pan. Add the white wine, tomato pure, provencal herbs, black pepper and a small amount of chicken stock in the pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Then let simmer for about 10 minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them on top of the steaks. Cover and let simmer while you microwave the quinoa chickpeas.

Divide the steaks and quinoa chickpeas on the plates. Decorate with the marinated cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley.

Plump, short-grain Italian risotto rice is the only rice to use for risotto. Arborio is quite widely available, but experts say that carnaroli is the best risotto rice. In our supermarket in Nice I recently found carnaroli, so of course I had to try it.
Risotto rice has a soft, starchy exterior which absorbs cooking liquid a little at a time and gradually swells to the desired thick and creamy consistency. For this reason risotto rice must never be soaked or rinsed before cooking, these procedures only remove the starchy exterior. Cooking risotto needs attention, but is a relaxing experience.
Risotto is usually made with lots of butter, but a good olive oil works just as well- and it is heart healthy!

Picture 1. Ingredients for 2 servings of risotto with shrimps

2 servings

400 ml fish stock (made of 400 ml water and 3 heaped tsp Ducros fumet de poisson)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
120 ml arborio or carnaroli risotto rice
150 ml white wine
Black pepper
Lots of chopped parsley (NB! You might try dill for a change)
200 g cooked and peeled shrimp or gambas, cut into smaller pieces

Cut the cooked shrimps or gambas into smaller pieces. Set aside.

Start with making the fish stock. Ducros fumet de poisson is a dehydrated fish stock in powder form, and is easy to use for making tasty stock. In a saucepan, heat 400 ml water to almost boiling. Add 3 heaped tsp Ducros fumet de poisson and whisk well. Set aside, but keep warm, barely simmering. NB! Ducros recommends using 1 heaped tsp fumet pr. 100 ml water. Because both fumet and shrimps are quite salty, I have used a bit less. You probably don’t need to use all the fish stock when cooking the risotto.

Picture 2. Making the fish stock from fumet de poisson

In a heavy large casserole, warm the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic, shallot and tomatoes. Cook the vegetables, stirring, until they are soft but not brown for about 10- 15 minutes. You may need to lower the heat somewhat. Stir in the rice and mix until the rice is thoroughly coated with the oil.

Picture 3. Stirring the risotto rice in the casserole and mixing with the oil and vegetables

Now add a little of the wine in the casserole and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed most of the wine. Then add the rest, little at a time, and again keep stirring until most of it is absorbed before adding more. This takes about 10 minutes.

Picture 4. Adding the wine and the fish stock, little at a time

Start adding the warm fish stock, a little at a time and stirring all the time. Do not add more stock until the previous addition has been mostly absorbed. There should always be a little liquid in the casserole, though. It is this procedure of slowly adding the liquid and stirring all the time that creates the creaminess of risotto. Total cooking time should be about 25- 30 minutes, and risotto should be thick enough to eat with a fork. You may not need to use
all the fish stock.

When about 5 minutes of cooking time remains add the shrimps to the casserole to be warmed, stir.

Picture 5. Adding the shrimp to the creamy risotto

When the risotto is cooked, remove from heat, and stir in the parsley and black pepper. Serve at once.

Village of Utelle with the Mercantour peaks in the background

Driving up the Vésubie river valley, the change in landscape is abrupt. Immediately after the intersection at Plan du Var, in Gorges de la Vésubie the mountains rise several hundred meters straight up on both sides above the narrow valley .

On a plateau at about 1180 m north of the valley lies the Sanctuary called La Madone d’Utelle. The sanctuary was constructed in 1806 at the location where an oratory was first built in 850 by Spanish sailors to thank La Madone for saving them from a shipwreck.

Walking along GR5 from Utelle and leaving GR5 at signpost 6

Nowadays Madone d’Utelle is an important pilgrimage site. There is also a small hostel and restaurant which serves plat du jour, the dish of the day, when they are open. Their gift shop even sells Pastis made by the Father. Their web site in French has more information.

For hikers, several interesting possibilities exist. Below the Sanctuary, the GR 5 trail goes through the village of Utelle (about 800 m). The paved road up to Utelle starts from the village of St-Jean-La-Rivière. From Utelle, the road continues further up to the sanctuary. We have previously hiked to the Sanctuary from a hamlet called la Villette. A more interesting variant might be the one described here: Starting from Utelle along GR 5 southwest. The trail is excellent.

At signpost 6 you leave GR 5, ascend along a narrower and steeper path first to Col d’Ambellarte (967 m) then follow yellow marks to Crête de la Madone.

Sanctuary of Madone d'Utelle and the view when descending back to Utelle

The trail back to Utelle is well marked and kept as well. The whole circuit is about 8 km and the total vertical ascent very reasonable at 500 m.

We did this hike one Monday in early January so not surprisingly the restaurant was closed. A packet of nuts and dried fruit and some sports bars was a sufficient lunch which we enjoyed sitting outside in warm sunshine. We certainly recommend this tour that offers great views all the way.

Pork chops with red cabbage and potatoes

This is a true winter recipe for those cold, rainy and dark evenings that do occur also on the French Riviera.

Red cabbage is a member of a family which botanists call the brassicas or the cruciferous vegetables. They are nutritional power houses, full of vitamins C, K and folate, minerals and antioxidants.

In this recipe, the red cabbage is slowly braised in a small quantity of oil in a heavy casserole. This method will enhance the true taste of red cabbage and make the cabbage soft and sweet.

2 servings
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 pork chops
2 medium potatoes cut into chunks or 5 small new potatoes
About 200 g red cabbage cut into strips
2 shallots cut into strips
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp water
100 ml chicken stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp low-fat crème fraîche (15 % fat)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
Fresh thyme to garnish (NB! Leaves only)

Start braising the red cabbage. In a heavy casserole warm 1 tbsp rapeseed oil over low- medium heat. Add the red cabbage, shallots, turmeric and water and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes without covering stirring now and again. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the casserole and let simmer for 45 minutes. Stir now and again, and check if you need to add 1 tbsp more water.

Meanwhile cook the pork chops and potatoes. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil over medium heat and brown the chops on both sides until nicely coloured. Mix the mustard in chicken stock and pour into the pan. Reduce the heat a little until the source is nicely simmering. Cover and continue simmering for 20 minutes. The pork needs to be well-cooked, and this will take about 30 minutes in all. Towards the end of the cooking add the crème fraîche in the pan and mix; this will make a nice sauce. Grind over black pepper.

Microwave the potatoes. I now think that this is the easiest way to cook potatoes, or do you still cook them in water in the traditional way?

Divide the chops, cabbage and potatoes on the plates. Sprinkle with the sauce and decorate with thyme.

If a competition of the most beautiful coastal walks on the French Riviera would be arranged, the one starting from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and going around the smaller eastern peninsula and pointe Saint Hospice should certainly be shortlisted.

Not exactly a hidden gem, this trail nevertheless is missed by many visitors to the Riviera. This is a leisurely walk for everybody. The path is quite narrow after La Paloma beach, widening soon. The Guide Randoxygène has included the walk in their selection of coastal trails. The guidebook's duration of two hours seems to include the stops as the walking time is much less.

The legend tells that in the Middle Ages a hermit called Hospice stayed his whole life praying in a tower on the highest point of this peninsula. On this point, a chapel was later constructed.

There is also a reminder of the madness of war. 90 Belgian soldiers who were badly poisoned by mustard gas in WW I were later treated on the French Riviera and eventually buried in the cemetery of the chapel.

On a lighter note, in good weather the trail seems to be popular among locals all year round. Needless to say, the three small beaches (La Paloma, Les Fossettes and Les Fosses) on both sides of the peninsula attract sun seekers in summer.

my best endive recipe (with duck breast)

Endive is a true winter vegetable. It has been available in Nice supermarkets for some time already. Endive is a cousin of chicory, and it can be a bit bitter. So, how to prepare the poor, pale endive which has many nutritional virtues?

I used to think that the traditional Belgian recipe by covering the sautéed endives with ham and cheese sauce and then browning in hot oven was the only way to prepare them, until I started braising them. Most braising recipes use butter for braising, but I have replaced it with heart healthy rapeseed oil.
I have also used other more Mediterranean ingredients such as lavender honey and freshly pressed orange juice in this recipe. Braised endives are great with pork chops, grilled salmon or magret de canard, duck breast (as shown in the picture). And they even look nice when caramelized properly.

2 servings
2 endives
Juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp lavender honey (or other runny honey)

Choose crisp and pale endives that are not brownish in the stems. Slice off about 1 cm from the stem end, because this part is often quite bitter.
Simmer the whole endives for about 15 minutes in orange juice in a heavy casserole under lock. Turn once halfway. Dry them with kitchen papers.
Heat the rapeseed oil on a medium- high heat in a heavy pan. Add the honey in the pan. Halve the endives lengthwise and add them the flat side down in the pan. Fry them until they have a nice caramel colour. This will take about 10 minutes.

Nice-Matin recently reported of crowds never seen before in Mercantour ski resorts during the weekend after Christmas. To make things worse, Téléphérique Las Donnas in Auron was out of order one afternoon. Traffic and parking was chaotic as many had driven up there without snow chains or winter tyres. As we all remember, the storm called Dirk recently brought a lot of rain to the Riviera and snow to the mountains. The landslide on the main road just north of St Sauveur sur Tinée did not make things easier.

Avalanche risk still 3/5

After the holiday season, January is usually a low season in French ski resorts. Even attractive package deals are offered. Lured by a favourable weather forecast, we booked a night in Auron for the 9th of January. Traffic was light. The landslide near St Sauveur sur Tinée had been dealt with; one line was open for traffic –no delays!

According to the Auron web site, the snow depth at high altitude was 120 cm with 41 open ski runs. The figures do not tell the whole truth. Having previously skied in Auron several times, the conditions this time were one of the best we have ever seen. The weather was exceptionally mild, it was almost like spring skiing in January, but with proper snow! The runs were well prepared. Even Riounet, the long descent marked as red from Cîme de Chavalet (2453 m) down to the Butières chair lift, was in an excellent condition. This sector has not any snow making facilities and has even been closed during bad winters some years ago.

Cîme de Chavalet (2453 m), the starting point for several long runs

The resort preparing for the day. The Teleriou cable car station is visible in the lower right corner. It's just the transport between the village and the Las Donnas cable car station and the lower lifts

Las Donnas (1640-2256 m) cable car upper station.

So if you are considering skiing in Alpes Maritimes, this year seems to be really good so far. We will certainly go back.

Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

Valentine's Day in Limone

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Roasted pineapple recipe

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From Villefranche Market to Mont Alban

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Sirloin steak recipe hunter-style

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Risotto with shrimp

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Winter hike to Madone d'Utelle

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Pork chops with red cabbage and potatoes

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Exploring the Eastern peninsula of Cap-Ferrat

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My Best Endive Recipe

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Auron - Aprés les Fêtes

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