Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

This is a rich vegetable side best served with a simple piece of grilled lamb or roasted chicken. In summer, you can make it with fresh tomatoes which in winter can be substituted with good Italian tomato sauce. Freshly grated parmesan cheese is a must for this gratin.

Aubergine is known for its capacity to soak up oil or butter if you fry the slices. I have started to roast the slices in the oven and this helps to control the amount of olive oil needed. Slice the aubergine rather thickly, brush the slices on both sides with a little olive oil and roast until soft. This takes about 20 minutes in 200° C. Then use the roasted slices for the gratin.

2 servings

1 medium aubergine, rather thickly sliced 

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried Provençal herbs

200 ml Italian tomato sauce or 3- 4 fresh tomatoes plus a little tomato paste

Freshly ground black pepper

A handful of grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200° C, roast.

Place the aubergine slices in one layer on an oven- tray lined with baking paper. Lightly brush with olive oil and roast for about 20 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile warm 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the tomato sauce or the fresh chopped tomatoes and some tomato paste. Add the herbs and black pepper, stir and continue cooking until the sauce is nice and thick, about 5 minutes if using tomato sauce and about 10- 15 minutes if using fresh tomatoes. 

Lightly oil a gratin dish with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom and place the aubergine slices on the sauce. Top with the rest of the tomato sauce and divide the parmesan over the sauce. Sprinkle with a little olive oil. Roast for about 20 minutes until the cheese is nicely browned.

This tasty pork tenderloin, filet mignon de porc, recipe comes from the Basque country. I have somewhat modified the original recipe but I always use Piment d’Espelette, the local mild pepper, for more authenticity. Serve this hearty country dish with blond lentils.

2 servings

1 pork tenderloin, about 400- 500 g, cut into thick slices
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
150 ml red wine
100 ml tomato sauce
1 tsp. Piment d’ Espelette or other mild pepper
1 tsp. Provençal herbs
2 tbsp. black olives

Preheat the oven to 200°C, roast.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy casserole, such as Le Creuset, and fry the pork slices for a few minutes until golden brown. Turn the slices and add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Continue frying stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.

Add the wine, tomato sauce, Piment d’Espelette, and olives. Stir and bring to the boil. Then transfer the casserole into the oven for 30 minutes. NB! Do not cover, roasting will give the meat and vegetables a nice colour.

Meanwhile cook the blond lentils which take about 25 minutes.

Divide on the plates. Voilà!

Cime de Rocaillon (1444 m) is a less visited mountain top in Nice hinterland, moyen pays, about 24 km from Nice seafront as the crow flies.

The views south and southeast do not disappoint. The medieval village of Lucéram (650 m) is clearly visible deep down in the Paillon River Valley.

From Nice, we drove to Luceram along D2566, and further to Col St-Roch where we took the D73. We parked at Col de la Porte (1057 m) which was the highest point of the road; 35 km from downtown Nice. From Col de la Porte, the summit can be reached with a very moderate effort. Starting from Lucéram is a good option if you wish to do a longer hike but that requires more than twice as much climbing.

From Col de la Porte, we started from signpost #189, and ascended gradually along a nice and soft forest trail. The direction of the trail soon turned to south-southeast. We ascended more steeply, reaching the D2566 road and signpost #193. We crossed the road and found our trail that now became narrower, running in an easterly direction along a grassy ridge to Cime de Rocaillon. At some points the trail was almost ingrown but don’t worry, you won’t get lost if you just stay on the ridge.

On this super spring day, we had the summit and the great forest trail all for ourselves! We can definitely call it an off the beaten track. In short, it was a great half-day itinerary with super views, a pleasant forest trail with a moderate ascent!



Distance: 5.9 km

Climb: 390 m

Duration: 2h 30 active

Map: Vallées de la Bévéra et des Paillons TOP 25 N°o 3741 ET

Why Florence? Because one of the main ingredients in this care-free one-pot dish is white beans and people in Florence and Tuscany have been famous bean eaters. Beans are heart-healthy carbohydrates which also contain vegetable protein, help to keep an even blood sugar and are basic ingredients in the Mediterranean Diet.

Dried white beans need to be soaked overnight in a generous amount of water. Next morning, drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Cook them in fresh water without salt for about 1 hour, maybe even longer, adding more water if needed. Cooking time depends on the size and age of the beans so after 45 minutes start testing the beans. They need to be very tender but not falling apart. When the beans are done, drain them and discard the cooking water.

This is a time-consuming process but cooked beans can be frozen in batches. Of course, you can use tinned high-quality cooked beans. Just rinse them under running water before using.

2 servings

4 organic chicken thighs with skin

Olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. from a chicken stock cube

150 ml white wine

2 tbsp. concentrated Italian tomato paste

2 tbsp. black olives, pitted and halved

2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms

About 250 ml cooked white beans

Chopped parsley or rocket to decorate

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a heavy casserole, such as Le Creuset, and sauté the chicken thighs on both sides until golden brown. Add the onion and garlic and continue sautéing for a few minutes. 

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a large frying an and cook the mushrooms until nicely coloured.

Preheat the oven to 200° C roast.

Pour the white wine in Le Creuset. Add the piece of chicken stock cube, tomato paste, herbs, and black pepper and stir into a sauce.  Bring to a boil.

Add the beans and mushrooms to Le Creuset. Then transfer the casserole to the oven and roast for 30- 45 minutes checking occasionally that there is enough liquid. Add a little water if needed.

Add the olives to Le Creuset after removing from the oven. Divide on the plates and decorate with fresh herbs.

Many years ago, they still often served vegetable gratins in small individual dishes in beach restaurants on the French Riviera. Nowadays you are more likely to find hamburgers on the menus.

These traditional Provençal vegetable gratins are easy to make, look beautiful in see-through Pyrex dishes and go very well with simple chicken, meat or fish dishes. In the image, they are served with sautéed chicken cuts and potatoes. Simple summer cooking!

2 servings

1 small courgette
Olive oil
1 medium firm tomato
2 eggs
1 tbsp. crème fraîche, 15% fat
1 tsp. organic tomato sauce
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180° C, convection mode.

Wash a few basil leaves under running water and let dry on kitchen paper before chopping.

Warm a little olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Wash and thinly slice the courgette. Sauté the slices for 5- 10 minutes.

Wash and slice the tomato. Place the slices in a colander to remove the extra liquid.

In a bowl, whip together the eggs, tomato sauce, crème fraîche, black pepper, chopped basil, and a pinch of salt.

Oil 2 small see-through Pyrex gratin dishes and pace the courgette and tomato slices in layers. Pour over the egg mixture and bake for about 25 minutes until the eggs are set. Serve in their individual dishes.

This simple sauté makes a nice warm lunch during colder days when we are still dreaming about summer. Serve with some good whole wheat or rye bread and a green side salad for a balanced meal.

2 servings

2 leeks

2 handfuls of frozen green beans

1 bouquet garni or a sprig of thyme

2 tbsp. olive oil

100 ml vegetable stock

1 tbsp. grainy mustard, moutarde à l’ancienne

Freshly ground black pepper

120 g smoked Alaska salmon

Wash the leeks and discard the tough upper parts. Cut them into about 15 cm long parts, then halve lengthwise.

Warm olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Sauté the leeks for about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and bouquet garni. Stir the mustard in the vegetable stock and add to the pan. Continue cooking for about 8 minutes until the stock has almost evaporated.

Cut the salmon into pieces and divide on top. Grind over some black pepper and serve warm.

This is a festive pepper steak recipe for special occasions inspired by a newsclip on the French morning TV Télématin. They showed how the famous Tour Eiffel pepper steaks were prepared by their restaurant chef. He gently cooked the fillet steaks on one side only in a heavy casserole, then made the sauce from stock and cream in the same casserole while the steaks were kept warm on a plate. The steaks were reheated in the sauce. There was no pepper in the sauce but the upper side of the steaks was generously peppered.

The following pepper steak recipe is my twist. As we are used to cook the steaks on both sides, we did so but gently over medium heat. I added a little Italian truffle flavoured balsamic glaze in the sauce to intensify the mushroom flavour as I served the steaks with fried mushrooms and roasted tomato halves.

2 servings

2 fillet steaks, about 3 cm thick

Olive oil

150 ml chicken stock

120 ml full- fat cream, 30% fat

2 tsp. Italian truffle flavoured balsamic glaze

Freshly ground black pepper

About 2 handfuls sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tomato, halved

2 tsp. breadcrumbs

Chopped parsley or rocket to decorate

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the mushrooms with garlic until nicely coloured. Then turn the heat to very low to keep warm.

Cook the chicken stock in a small sauce pan until reduced by about half. Keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 200°C roast. Spread 1 tsp. breadcrumbs over each tomato half and sprinkle some olive oil over them. Roast in the oven for about 15- 20 minutes until nicely coloured.

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a heavy steel frying pan and cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Pour the reduced stock in the pan, followed by the cream. Let the cream reduce a little, then stir in the balsamic glaze.

Divide the tomatoes, mushrooms, and the sauce on the plates. Place the steaks on top of the sauce and grind over a generous amount of black pepper. Decorate the vegetables with chopped herbs and voilà!

This simple but tasty pasta dish is perfect when you want the dinner quickly on the table.

2 servings

1-2 zucchinis
About 200 g cooked shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. capers
Olive oil
50 ml white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. dried parsley
A handful of grated parmesan
Spaghetti for 2 servings

Wash and thinly slice the zucchini. Cut the slices in half.

In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, and dried parsley and toss well. Add the white wine and black pepper, cover and reduce the heat to simmering. Stir now and hen. The zucchini is cooked in 10 minutes. Then add the shrimp and capers for a minute or two to be reheated.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain the pasta, add to the sauté pan and stir.

Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the parmesan.