Risotto is such an elegant and versatile dish. In the wonderful cookery book, the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins I found a recipe by an Italian chef: Risotto with pumpkins. Pumpkins and butternut squashes are great in autumn and winter, whereas zucchinis, courgettes, are true spring and summer vegetables.
The following recipe is my twist of the original Italian recipe. It goes very well with oven roasted salmon.
2 servings
2 nice pieces of salmon, pref. organic
120 ml risotto rice, carnaroli or arborio (not to be rinsed!)
A glass of white wine
About 600 ml vegetable stock (you may not need to use all of it)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large zucchini, courgette
2 tsp. dried parsley
A good handful of grated parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large heavy casserole warm the olive oil over medium low heat.
Wash the zucchini well under running water with a brush. Chop it, add to the casserole and stir well to coat with olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic, stir and cover the casserole. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times, until the zucchini is very soft. Purée the zucchini and add the dried parsley.
Preheat the oven to 200° C, roast.
Add the rice to the casserole and increase the heat to medium- medium high. Add ½ glass of white wine and stir. Keep stirring and as soon as the wine has evaporated add the rest of the wine. Then start adding the vegetable stock, a ladle or two at a time, stirring constantly. As soon as the rice has absorbed the liquid add more. It is this constant stirring and adding only a small amount of liquid at a time which gives the creaminess to the risotto, without any cream or butter.
The rice is done in about 25 minutes, give or take. It should be al dente, with a bit of bite in it.
When the rice is done, remove the casserole from the heat and stir in the parmesan and black pepper. The risotto should be thick enough to be eaten with a fork.
Meanwhile roast the salmon pieces in 200° C for about 10 minutes, depending the thickness of the slices and how well done you wish your salmon.
Divide the risotto on two plates and spread with a fork. Place the salmon on top of the risotto.
We have previously hiked along the coastal trail from Cap Camarat to l’Escalet and from Plage de Gigaro to Cap Lardier. The trail running along the shores of the southern St-Tropez peninsula is truly wonderful.
On a warm autumn day, we now drove to l’Escalet to explore the trail to Plage de Briande.
Soon after l’Escalet, it was possible to choose a narrower and rockier trail along the cliffs at Point du Canadel. This trail, marked difficile, was nevertheless quite easy to negotiate. We came near a small beach named Plage d’Amour after which we joined the easy upper trail.
We had Cap Taillat in front of us. After a devastating forest fire in 2017, the scenery had changed dramatically compared with our earlier visit. There were black, burned trees along the trail, and Cap Taillat was almost bare. We passed several small beaches, such as Plage de la Douane and Plage Taillat. From the Cap Taillat Isthmus, only a short stroll remained along some cliffs to Plage de Briande.
Plage de Briande is a magnificent sandy beach. We waded in the sea to the other end of the beach for a picnic. This was our turning point, as the trail which continued to Cap Lardier, looked scarred in the burnt landscape. Luckily in some places the nature was already recovering.
On the way back, we took the easy trail all the way back to l’Escalet.
Distance: 6 km
Climb: 110 m
Duration: 2 h 30
Blond lentils, lentilles blondes, can be cooked in about 20 minutes, about the same time as risotto rice. I recently read an article about a French chef who cooked blond lentils in the same way as risotto. So, I thought why not try this. The result was so good that I wish to share this unusual way of cooking healthy blond lentils.
Sometimes one gets tired of plain steamed broccoli florets so a broccoli purée makes a nice change. It is quick to make with a handheld mixer. Make the risotto and broccoli purée while the duck breast is roasted in the oven.
2 servings
1 duck breast
120 ml blond lentils
150 ml white wine
About 600 ml vegetable stock (you may not need all of it)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
A handful of grated parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
½ large or 1 small broccoli head, florets only
Chopped parsley to decorate
Preheat the oven to 200°C, roast.
Criss-cross the fat side of the duck breast with a sharp knife and place the breast fat side up in an ovenproof dish. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the duck breast and continue roasting for 10- 15 minutes. Remove the breast from the oven on a slicing board and cover with aluminium foil to keep it warm.
While the duck is roasting in the oven make the blond lentil risotto and broccoli purée.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium heat and sauté shallot and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and stir until well coated with olive oil. Start adding the wine, then vegetable stock ladle by ladle the same way as cooking the risotto while stirring the lentils regularly. They won’t become as creamy as risotto rice so don’t worry about stirring them all the time as you would with risotto rice.
While the lentil risotto is cooking, microwave the broccoli florets with 1 tbsp; of water for about 4- 6 minutes until soft. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and some vegetable stock and purée with a handheld mixer. Add more vegetable stock, if needed, for a nice consistence. Cover and keep warm.
When the lentils are cooked into a nice consistence, al dente, soft but still offering some resistance just like risotto rice, remove the casserole from heat and stir in the parmesan.
Divide the broccoli purée on the plates and flatten with a spoon. Slice the duck breast and place on top of the broccoli purée. Divide the lentil risotto on the side and decorate with chopped parsley.
In these corona virus times, we are told to be confined in our homes and even simple food shopping has become a major procedure to be postponed as much as possible. From a few simple ingredients it is possible to make a “creamy”, tasty, and healthy pasta dish.
Instead of real cream I used thick French fromage blanc 0% fat and added a generous amount of good local olive oil. If you don’t have fromage blanc in your shop, you could use thick Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche. If it is low-fat or zero fat, simply use more olive oil and it works well in this recipe.
I topped the spaghetti with slices of parma ham, but smoked salmon, defrosted shrimp, or tinned sardines would go just as well. Feel free to experiment!
2 servings
Juice of ½ lemon
100g fromage blanc 0% fat or Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche
2 – 3 tbsp. good olive oil
A handful of grated parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
4-6 slices of parma ham
1 tsp. dried parsley
Spaghetti, pref. organic whole wheat, for 2 servings
Brush the lemon with liquid soap and rinse to remove any possibly lingering corona viruses. Then press ½ lemon into juice.
Bring the pasta cooking water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook as long as indicated on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, pace the fromage blanc / yoghurt in a large bowl. Add the grated parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried parsley, and black pepper. Stir well.
When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and add to the bowl. Toss well, the sauce thickens and coats every spaghetti strand.
Divide the spaghetti into two bowls and top with parma ham.
This loop trail above Vence called Circuit du Malvan represents another great winter walk on Côte d’Azur. The French description can be found on the randoxygène web site.
To reach the trailhead behind Chateau Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs, fork right (when driving from Vence) from the RM2210 road about 3 km west of Vence, just after the roundabout.
Behind the Chateau, signpost #119 showed the start with the text Circuit du Malvan among other locations. We headed north, and ascended passing signposts 118,117 and 116. We soon came to the trail that we had hiked along on several occasions, reaching Chapel St-Raphaël. A bit higher up in the incline, ruins of the Malvans Fortress were visible. We continued straight north, crossed the tiny Malvan Stream, then forked sharply southeast (right) at signpost #114. At signpost #113, we again forked right, now heading towards Vence.
Circuit du Malvan was not anymore written on these signposts, only Vence and the M2 road. But navigation was easy enough. We soon reached residential areas and paved streets, and followed the yellow marks. The trail took some shortcuts between residences as at signpost #111, which took us to Chemin de l’Ormée (signpost #110, a bit hidden) and forked right (west). We walked along it about 900 m before turning left to Chemin des Quatre Vents. We descended rapidly along it to M2210 which we followed till we reached the roundabout. From this point, it was just a short walk and ascent back to our starting point.
The M2210/Route de Grasse running above the main road (M2210A) had light local traffic, and walking along it did not pose any problems.
Distance: 8,2 km
Duration: 2h 30 (walking time)
Elevation gain : 308 m
Map: 3643ET Cannes Grasse Côte d’Azur
There is an old saying in Naples that you shouldn’t serve parmesan with tomato pasta. But they say nothing about burrata, so…
Summertime I am fond of burrata which goes very well with tasty tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil. The following easy pasta recipe makes a colourful summer lunch.
2 servings
About 3 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Provençal herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
200 ml good, preferably organic, tomato sauce
About 8 cherry tomatoes or 2 tomatoes coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. black olives, pitted and sliced
1 burrata
Fresh basil leaves
Spaghetti for 2 servings
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sauté the shallot and garlic about 10 minutes until soft. Add the Provençal herbs, black pepper, tomato sauce, and black olives to the pan and mix.
Meanwhile cook the spaghetti, drain and add to the pan. Mix with the tomato sauce until the pasta is evenly coated.
Divide the tomato spaghetti into the bowls, and top the pasta with ½ burrata. Place some cherry tomatoes or chopped tomato on the side, drizzle over a little olive oil and decorate with fresh basil leaves.
Le Thoronet Cistercian Monastery was built between 1160 and 1230 deep in the forest, about 10 km southwest of Lorgues. Its pure lines and simple shapes have inspired contemporary architects such as Le Corbusier.
In the Monastery’s heyday, around twenty monks and twenty lay brothers lived here. The Monastery eventually declined, and was abandoned in 1791. Restoration work began in 1841 and continues today. It is one of the national monuments of France.
We visited the Monastery on a clear November day. The tour of the Abbey takes about an hour. It is a rather compact entity. We combined the visit with a lunch in Le Thoronet Village nearby. We had a seasonal dish, aïoli. The area around Lorgues is wine-growing land, Côtes de Provence AOP. We took the opportunity to visit La Maison des Vins near Les Arcs on the way home. They have an excellent selection (about 800) of mainly local wines.
This topping from olive oil, Dijon mustard, soya sauce, black pepper, and fresh ginger will jazz up humble pork chops. In the photo, the chops are served with sweet potato purée and fried mushrooms which go very well with pork.
2 servings
2 nice pork chops
2 tbsp. olive oil
Chopped parsley to decorate
For the topping:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. soya sauce, pref. salt-reduced
A piece of fresh ginger, about 2 x 1 cm
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180° C.
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the pork chops until nicely browned on both sides. Place the chops in an oven-proof dish.
Peel the ginger, mince it and place in a small bowl. Mix with olive oil, mustard, soya sauce, and black pepper. Divide this topping on the pork chops and bake the chops in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve the chops with sweet potato purée and fried mushrooms or rice and some other autumn / winter vegetables such as broccoli or green beans. Decorate with chopped parsley or chives.
There is a good path from Plan des Noves parking (780 m) just before Col de Vence (963 m) to Baou des Blancs (673 m). The trail is marked with red and white GR signs to the first crossroads, then with yellow signs.
The mountains immediately above Vence have good hiking trails for all year-round use. From many spots you have spectacular views down to the coast as well as to the Mercantour summits. On short December days, you appreciate short travel times, i.e. the proximity of the coast.
On this hike, we used trails that actually were familiar from our previous walks (Plan des Noves Hike; There are 2 more Baous on the French Riviera).
From the parking, we first took the GR trail descending a bit, then followed a piste to Mangia Pan.
We continued heading south, and ascended to Cime des Blaquières (809 m), the highest point on this hike. The big oak on the summit can be seen from the coast. From here, we continued towards Baou des Blancs, passing les Blaquières (basically the southern flank of Cime des B.). All signposts by the trail were rather new. To reach Baou des Blancs, our turning point, a short ascent was needed to the viewing point from where Vence was seen right below us.
We took the same trail back. This trail variant had several ascents and descents both ways. Hence, in spite of modest elevation differences, we logged over 400 m vertical climb.
Climb: 448 m
Distance: 11,8 km
Duration: 4 h
Map: Cannes Grasse Côte d’Azur 3643 ET
The following recipe is a carefree way to cook small red mullet fillets. This tasty and very healthy recipe works with any firm small fish fillets. The sauce is first cooked in a heavy casserole, such as Le Creuset, the fish is added and the dish is then baked in the oven.
This method of cooking fish is quite common in the Mediterranean countries. I once had a super monk fish tail in Spain which was cooked this way according to the waiter. The bigger fish pieces just need more time in the oven.
2 servings
250- 300 g small red mullet fillets
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
50 ml white wine
50 ml good tomato sauce
3 tsp. capers
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 200° C.
Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium heat and sauté the shallot and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and white wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomato sauce, capers, and black pepper and let simmer for a few minutes.
Roll the small fish fillets and place in the casserole so that they are nicely surrounded by the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.
Decorate with chopped basil and serve with some vegetables and new potatoes or rice.
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