Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

In search of new mid-altitude hiking trails in Alpes-Maritimes, we came across an interesting option above the village of Roure.

Although the trail to Mont Autcellier (2204 m) has been described and recommended by some French rando sites, both the trail and the mountain turned out to be less frequented than many other similar itineraries in the region.

One reason might be the access: The narrow and sinuous road which ascends from St-Sauveur sur Tinée (M30 then M130) first passing near the village of Roure then the Roure Arboretum above the village. There is a parking about 700 m from the Arboretum (La Barre; signpost #241 at 1373 m elev.).

Signpost #254 to Mont Autcellier

View down to Tinée Valley

Forêt de la Fracha Roure

Signpost #251 to Mont Autcellier

Mont St-Sauveur

View southeast from Crête de la Clouetta

Crête de la Clouetta higher up

Mercantour peaks seen from Autcellier southern flank

Alpine meadow before Mont Autcellier

Tête de Pommier and Roubion ski runs

Mounier seen from Mont Autcellier summit

Valberg viewed from Mont Autcellier

Southern Tinée Valley seen from Mont Autcellier

Mont Autcellier hike track

The island of Noirmoutier is famous for its new potatoes. They are gathered before their maturity, 90 days after plantation, and are known for their good taste and very fine skin. 

The following carefree recipe is adapted from a news clip on the French morning TV, Télématin. The chef cooked outdoors pollock on a bed of Noirmoutier new potatoes and fennel. Instead of pollock you could use any tasty white fish.

My recipe is for indoors cooking using a heavy Le Creuset pot but if you have an outdoor cooking stove feel free to experiment. It looked fun!

2 servings

About 8 medium size thin skinned new potatoes

½ bulb of fennel

3 tbsp. olive oil

A small bunch of dill

150 ml white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

2 nice pieces of pollock fillet

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy pot. Wash the potatoes, cut them into halves or quarters and add to the pot. Stir now and again for a few minutes. Wash the ½ fennel, cut into sections and add to the pot. Stir again and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the wine, cover, and cook for about 15- 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Add the pollock on top of the potatoes and fennel and grind over some black pepper. Cover and cook for about 8- 10 minutes until the fish is done. Divide on the plates and decorate with chopped dill.

Levens north of Nice is a good starting point for hikes. Even the tourist office has eight suggestions on their web site. We planned to do the loop called Circuit de Péloubié but on the day of our hike there were road works in St Claire south of Levens, just where our hike itinerary would have passed on the way back.

Instead of doing the loop, we decided to start along the first part of the hike from les Grands Prés (soccer and other fields 546 m elev.) next to the M19 road. We walked to signpost #261, forked right and ascended along Chemin de la Madone, then Chemin Pré des Cavaliers, passing some nice properties. We came to signpost #265 where the public road ended. There is a small parking (Les Mulières) which we had used before. In fact, on a hot day, we recommend to drive up there instead of walking along the streets from Levens.

Les Grands Prés Levens

Path after signpost#265 Levens

Mont Arpasse

Heading to Col de Travail Levens

Crossing Péloubié

Mont Chauve and Cima

Colla Bassa

Rose bushes in Levens

Levens to Colla Bassa track

This recipe is a perfect example of combining vegetable and animal protein. It also shows how we should increase colourful vegetables and reduce carbohydrates from pasta, rice or bread in the modern Mediterranean diet that is now scientifically shown to be one of the best options for a healthy diet. 

In France, the scallop season runs from 1 October to 15 May. In summer, mussels could replace the scallops in this recipe.

2 servings

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium sweet potato

A handful or two of baby spinach

About 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp. black olives

About 4 tbsp. hummus

8- 10 scallops

2 tbsp. hazelnut powder

Olive oil

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium- low heat and gently sauté the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes.

Peel and chop the sweet potato. Microwave for about 5- 6 minutes until soft, then add to the skillet.

Preheat the oven to 200° C. 

Oil a smallish ovenproof dish and place the scallops in it. Sprinkle with hazelnut powder and some olive oil. Roast for 4- 5 minutes depending on the size. It is nice to leave them a bit mi- cuit, half- cooked, inside.

When the scallops go into the oven add the spinach, cherry tomatoes, and olives to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium. The spinach takes only a few minutes to be wilted.

Place a heap of hummus in the centre of large plates and surround with the vegetables. Divide the scallops on the vegetables and serve.

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.