Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

The Saint-Cassien Lake (147 m elev.) is an artificial water reservoir in the southeastern Var Department, inaugurated in 1966. The terrain west of the lake has a network of trails, offering several hiking itineraries, many of them not officially marked as hiking routes.

The GR 49 long distance trail runs along the forested western shore of the lake. Several tracks and trails connect the GR trail with the yellow marked PR trail which runs on the adjacent hills. We wanted to explore the area and tailor-make a nice loop.

We drove to the parking at the Fondurane Biologic Reserve. It took us less than an hour from Nice. 

GR49 bridge over River Biançon

GR49 from Fondurane

GR49 near Gayet

Glimpse of St-Cassien Lake from GR49

Pré Claou Bridge over St-Cassien Lake

Track leaving GR49 above St-Cassien Lake

Same track higher up

Esterel and the Med seen from trail

St-Cassien loop hike track

Kiwifruit is particularly rich in vitamin C and vitamin K and contains moderate amounts of vitamin E and carotenoids. French kiwifruits are in season from November to May. France is now the third European producer after Italy and Greece. Nowadays we can also choose organic kiwifruits.

Chimichurri is a green sauce of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar. No Argentinian could think of eating steak without chimichurri!

I have seen some kiwifruit chimichurri recipes to go with meat, but I think that this sauce goes really well with roasted salmon or trout. I have changed the parsley and oregano with dill and basil which seem to better compliment fish. 

2 servings

For the kiwifruit chimichurri:

2 kiwifruits, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

½ clove garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

A generous amount of finely chopped dill and basil

For the rest:

2 trout fillets, about 200 g each, with skin

About 10- 12 cherry tomatoes

Olive oil 

About 100ml green lentils 

Make the kiwifruit chimichurri by mixing all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cook the lentils for about 20- 25 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. When they are soft, cover and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 200°C roast.

Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes. Place them in an oven- proof dish with a splash of olive oil and roast for about 15 minutes.

Oil an oven- tray with olive oil and place the trout fillets in it. Roast for 8- 10 minutes depending on the thickness.

Divide the trout on the plates and top with kiwifruit chimichurri. Place the lentils and cherry tomatoes on the side.

The following short hike above La Turbie along the GR51/51B trail offers good views from several points down to Monaco, Cap Martin and La Turbie itself. In some guides, it is rightly called les Balcons de la Turbie. A part of the trail runs inside the nature protection area called Natura 2000 (A network of protection areas of the EU).

In La Turbie, we crossed the main D2564 road to signpost #620, passed an old washing place and the Gendarmerie.  We climbed along the GR51B first heading northwest then northeast and reached Mont de la Bataille (620m). The view down to the coast was great. There was nothing visible left of any bunkers etc reminding of any military history.

From a tin of chick peas and some cooked shrimp plus a few other basic cooking ingredients, it is possible to make a quick and tasty lunch or supper. Serve this dish with fresh herbs and a green side salad for a balanced meal.

2 servings

A tin of chick peas

About 200 g peeled and cooked shrimp

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

100 ml tomato sauce

100 ml white wine

1 tsp. dried Provençal herbs

1 tsp. Piment d’Espelette or other mild chilli powder

A few fresh stems of basil

Rinse the basil under running water and let dry on kitchen paper.

Warm the olive oil over medium- low heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Raise the heat to medium and add the white wine, tomato sauce, Provençal herbs, and Piment d’ Espelette. 

Rinse the chick peas under running water, add to the skillet and stir. Let cook for about 5 minutes until the chick peas are thoroughly reheated and the sauce has somewhat reduced. Add the shrimp to the skillet and reheat for about 2 minutes.

Divide the stew into bowls and decorate with chopped basil leaves.

The mountain resort of La Colmiane (1500 m) was largely spared from the devastation caused by the storm Alex on 3 October 2020. Incidentally, we climbed to Caïre Gros from Colmiane just a few days before the storm hit the area.

Now, almost 9 months later, we went for a hike from Colmiane, our first visit to the upper valleys after the storm.

The weather forecast showed a high probability of afternoon thunderstorms. We therefore opted for a shorter hike above the resort.

We started along the same dirt track which we used last year as far as to signpost #94, where we forked left and continued along a forest path which eventually merged with the GR5 trail at signpost #98. We continued to Col du Varaire (1710 m; signpost #310) where we forked sharply left and continued northeast towards Pic de la Colmiane (1790 m).  The early summer greenery and flora was just fantastic! At the summit, we passed the ski lift upper station and the restaurant and descended to Col de Colmiane (1641 m) along a wide track/ski run.

This quick and colourful recipe makes a tasty and healthy dinner. The ingredients are easy to find year-round.

2 servings

2 organic skinless chicken breasts

2 carrots, sliced

A handful of very small new potatoes or a few larger ones sliced

Olive oil

1 bouquet garni (a bunch of dried thyme and bay leaf)

Black pepper

8 pitted black olives, sliced

1 organic orange, zest and juice

250 ml chicken stock

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Fresh herbs to decorate

In a heavy casserole such as Le Creuset warm 1 tbsp. olive oil over low heat and sauté the bouquet garni for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile microwave the sliced carrots and potatoes until soft. Add to the casserole and continue sautéing until light golden. Add the olives, cover and keep warm.

Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and sauté the chicken breasts for 10 minutes. Turn and sauté the other side for about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest and let reduce for about 10 minutes turning the breasts occasionally.

At the same time reduce the chicken stock and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan by 2/3; Then pour in the frying pan over the chicken.

Divide the breasts and vegetables on the plates and pour the orange sauce over the chicken. Decorate with chopped fresh herbs.

For someone who enjoys hikes along soft alpine meadows along easy trails with super views, we can certainly recommend the following itinerary above Roubion, between the Tinée and Cians Valleys.

The mountains south of Col de la Couillole (1678 m) are round, reminding us of fells in northern Scandinavia. Many of them have ski lifts serving the small ski resort in Roubion. There are marked hiking trails, tracks used by mountain bikers in summer as well as tracks in the terrain which are not shown on maps at all. This makes walking very easy as you can tailor-make your itinerary.

Inspired by last year’s hike around Pin Pourri (1826 m) from Beuil, we now wanted to explore the trail to Tête du Pommier (1913 m).

Mont Mounier

Towards Pin Pourri

East of Pin Pourri

Cime de Tournerie

Lauvet d'Ilonse

Trail south of Cime de Tournerie

Heading to signpost 62a

Cowslips near Tête de Pommier

We wanted to use the trails which were a bit higher, and first headed south towards Pin Pourri. We passed its summit, then descended to signpost #65 at Les Compés, and continued to signpost #66 at Terme Ribi. From here, we circled along the western flank of Cime de Tournerie. The itinerary followed a dirt track partly converted to a ski run, still wet after last night’s rain. We followed an unkept path parallel to it, then joined a good trail to signpost #62a where we forked right (southwest) to signpost #62 which was on the grassy north western slope of Tête de Pommier. We climbed directly to the flat summit.

Signpost#62 under Tête de Pommier summit

At Tête de Pommier

Beuil viewed from Tête de Pommier

Pin Pourri vast summit

Tête de Pommier hike track

The French morning TV, Télématin, recently showed a nice clip from the fish market in Saint-Jean-de-Luz where a local chef cooked tuna with tataki sauce.

The tuna fishing season in the Bay of Biscay is from June to October. The fishing is sustainable respecting the quotas and every caught tuna is numbered. They seemed to weigh 30 kg in the market of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

The chef cooked the tuna filet mi-cuit gently over medium heat on all sides and leaving it raw inside. The tuna was then sliced, placed on top of sautéed green vegetables and drizzled with tataki sauce.

The simplest tataki sauce is lemon juice, soy sauce, grated garlic, sesame oil, and minced green onion whisked together. For more Mediterranean flavours, I replaced sesame oil with olive oil. Tataki sauce goes also well with salmon. Soy sauce is salty so if you want to reduce some salt in tataki sauce you could choose salt-reduced soy sauce.

2 servings tataki sauce

1 tbsp. chopped green onion

A dash of finely minced garlic

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

Whisk together all the ingredients until the sauce emulsifies and thickens. Keep refrigerated until needed.

Make a green vegetable sauté by cooking over medium heat in 1- 2 tbsp. of olive oil different greens in season such as green asparagus, courgette, green peas, spinach, and some shallot and garlic. Keep warm, covered while you cook the tuna steaks.

Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan and gently cook the tuna steaks leaving them pink, almost rare inside. The cooking time varies according to the thickness of the steaks, about 2- 3 minutes on both sides. 

Divide the vegetables and tuna on the plates and drizzle the tataki sauce over the fish.