Healthy French Fries

Healthy french fries with a sirloin steak and broccoli

In the 1950s, the Frenchman’s dream was “bifteck, rouge et voiture”, literally meaning steak, red wine and a car.

Nowadays the health authorities are advising us to eat less red meat. But there is nothing wrong enjoying a nice lean steak now and then. In fact, it is a sign of eating a varied diet which is so important for ensuring that we get all the micronutrients and antioxidants.

You can make healthy fries from sweet potatoes and rapeseed oil.  Sweet potatoes contain more antioxidants than ordinary potatoes, and rapeseed oil is a heart healthy oil with very little saturated fatty acids.

The red wine sauce in this recipe is inspired by the traditional French recipe “bifteck marchand de vin”, the wine shopkeeper’s steak. It is the easiest way to make red wine sauce to accompany your steak.

4 servings

  • 4 nice lean steaks, either sirloin steaks or filet mignon
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 4 tbsp  rapeseed oil
  • 300 ml red wine
  • 3 big sweet potatoes
  • 1 tsp Piment d’Espelette or similar mild red pepper powder
  • A pinch of salt (optional)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • About 350 -400 g broccoli florets

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into even about 1 cm x 1 cm strips. Pour 2 tbsp rapeseed oil into a large plastic bag. Add the sweet potato strips and shake vigorously so that the strips are coated with a small amount of rapeseed oil. Arrange the strips into one layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 30 minutes until slightly crisp. Sprinkle with 1 tsp Piment d’Espelette, and a pinch of salt if you wish.

Pour 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a small frying pan and heat over medium heat. Gently fry the shallots for about 5 – 10 minutes until soft. Set aside.

Microwave the broccoli florets for 3 – 4 minutes until tender.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large heavy frying pan over high heat. Fry the steaks about 2- 3 minutes on both sides for medium rare, depending on thickness. After you have turned the steaks add 300 ml red wine and the shallots. Continue keeping the heat high so that after about 3 minutes the wine is reduced to almost half. Arrange the steaks, broccoli and sweet potato strips on the plates. Pour the red wine sauce over the steaks and grind black pepper over them.

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Cod fillet with sauce vierge and cherry tomatoes

























Cod is a tasty white fish and contains very little fat. Although it is not a good source for heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids it is good for your heart, probably because of all the minerals in seafood, or maybe fish protein is more favourable for your heart than protein in beef.

Sauce vierge means literally virgin sauce. In France, it is made of olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil. In the Mediterranean variation more or less crushed garlic is added. I don’t like too much raw garlic in this sauce, and it is important that the tomatoes are tasty and in season. In winter, the cherry tomatoes are a better option. The ingredients are combined and allowed to infuse in the olive oil to create the sauce.

If the ingredients are tasty, I don’t add any salt. You can add a pinch of salt at the table if you need to.

2 servings

2 portions of cod fillet, about 150- 180 g each
1 nice tomato, finely chopped
About 6 basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
½ clove garlic, minced
A few drops of lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
10 cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 180 ⁰ C.

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for sauce vierge: 1 tomato finely chopped, ½ garlic clove minced, a few drops of lemon juice, chopped basil, black pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil. Set aside to infuse.

Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper and place the cod fillets in it. Drizzle the cod with 1 tbsp olive oil and grind a few rounds black pepper over the fish.

Pour 1 tbsp olive oil in a small ovenproof dish, place the cherry tomatoes in it and give it a swirl so that the cherry tomatoes are covered with oil.

Place the cod and cherry tomatoes in the oven for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Divide the cod fillets and cherry tomatoes on the plates, and decorate with sauce vierge. Serve with steamed potatoes and lemon wedges.

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Daube Provencale, traditional beef stew























Daube Provençale, beef stew, is a traditional dish in the Provence inland, and it exists in many slightly different versions.

It is a brilliant example of slow food. In the old times, the dish was slowly cooked in a large heavy casserole in oven or on stove for hours; 5 – 7 hours were usual cooking times. The French have a nice word for this slow-cooking, mijoter, which means that the dish is so gently simmered that the surface only slowly moves but does not bubble.

The following recipe is inspired by a recent trip to Camargue. There the dish was made with local organic red wine, black olives, mushrooms, and tasty tomatoes, and served with red Camargue rice.

For modern times, I have reduced the cooking time for about two hours in oven. I have also omitted the traditional browning of the meat thanks to a great tip for stews from Jamie Oliver.

4 servings

About 1 kg stewing beef (a package for Bœuf Bourgignon is perfect)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions cut into large chunks
3- 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
4 tasty tomatoes cut into large chunks (or a 400 g tin of Italian plum tomatoes)
2 tbsp tomato pure
8 large mushrooms cut into large chunks
About 20 black olives
1 tbsp flour
3 cloves
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 strip orange peel
200 ml beef stock
400 ml Camargue or other South of France organic red wine
Fresh thyme

Trim the beef from extra fat and, if needed, cut into smaller chunks.

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy casserole over medium heat. Soften the carrots, onions and garlic for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 180 ⁰ C. Add the meat and flour into the casserole, stir.
Add the beef stock, wine, tomato pure, orange strip, cloves, bay leaves, black pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme (leave some for the decoration) into the casserole and stir. All the ingredients need to be just covered with liquid, if not add a little water. Bring to the boil, stirring now and again.

Transfer the casserole into oven for 2 hours. Check occasionally so that there is enough liquid. You want the liquid slightly reduced and the stew surface getting a nice colour, but you don’t want your stew getting dry. You may need to cover the casserole towards the end of the cooking time. Add the fresh tomato chunks when about ½ hour of the cooking time remains, you want them just cooked, al dente. If you are using tinned tomatoes, you can add them earlier.

Meanwhile, cut the mushrooms into large chunks and fry in a large frying pan in a little olive oil. Cook the Camargue rice. Remove the stones from the olives. Remove a little thyme leaves from the sprigs for decoration.

When the stew is cooked, add the mushrooms and olives. Serve with Camargue rice and decorate with thyme leaves.

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Lentils with vegetables and chevre




It has been shown in a small scientific study that within two weeks, eating a vegetarian diet rich in fiber and vegetable proteins lowered 13 individual’s harmful LDL cholesterol levels by 30 % - almost as great a reduction as achieved with drugs.

Lentils are a good source of vegetable protein, about 25 % in dry lentils.

Green or brown lentils, chick-peas and fava beans are “European beans”, with a history that goes back almost to the very beginning of Mediterranean agriculture.

Dried beans must be soaked overnight before they are cooked – lentils are an exception.

2 servings
150 ml green or brown lentils
750 ml water
½ cube vegetable stock
250 g Brussels sprouts
250 g cherry tomatoes
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
8 slices low-fat chevre, goat cheese (12,5 % fat)
Fresh thyme, sprigs and leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Wash the lentils. Cook them for 30 minutes in light vegetable stock, use only half the amount of recommended vegetable stock cube. Add a few sprigs of thyme in the casserole. As a rule of thumb, about 5 times water is needed for the volume of lentils.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan, fry the shallots and garlic in 1 tbsp rapeseed oil over low- medium heat for about 10 minutes.

If you are using fresh Brussels sprouts, cut the stem of the sprouts and remove the outer leaves. Cook the Brussels sprouts in microwave. This takes only a few minutes and about 1 tbsp water. If needed, you can use frozen Brussels sprouts.

Warm the oven to 200⁰ C. Wash the cherry tomatoes. Roast them for about 10 minutes with 1 tbsp olive oil in a small oven-proof dish.
Remove the leaves from the rest of thyme sprigs.
When the lentils are cooked, add them into the frying pan. Add also the Brussels sprouts and cherry tomatoes into the pan. Grind a few rounds of black pepper and mix.
Divide the lentil- vegetable mixture on the plates. Place the goat cheese slices on top and decorate with thyme leaves. Serve with a good whole wheat bread.

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Hiking in Nice Hinterland







There are magnificent forests, great views, and a ruined, maybe haunted, hamlet  along the route of the hike.

This is the real Riviera back country, arrière- pays. 40% of Alpes Maritimes is forest. Remember that the village of Peira Cava is just 25 km from Nice as a crow flies. At 1423m, the village was the first winter sport resort in the department. Remnants of some ski lifts can still be seen. It also became a hideaway for celebrities. Even Marc Chagall spent some time there. Nowadays the village is very quiet, but has quite a few secondary residences.

Many hiking trails go through the village. The tour presented here is a shortened version of the hike shown on the map; we started from Peira Cava (signpost 37), not La Gabella.

The ruined hamlet of Béasse was destroyed by a fire in 1985. In spite of its isolated location, the hamlet had been inhabited for over 200 years. In the late 18th century, dissidents from Nice called Les Barbets were allegedly hiding there, perhaps to avoid the guillotine.


Music: Actual title: "Local Forecast - Slower" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Map courtesy of Conseil Général Alpes Maritimes

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My Best Plum Recipe




Autumn has brought a distinct change in the selection of fruits in our supermarket. Apples, pears and plums have replaced the strawberries, cherries, apricots, peaches and melons that we enjoyed in spring and summer.

The following spicy plum dessert perfectly complements autumnal dinners.

2 servings
4 large red plums
1 orange
10 dark raisins
50 ml red wine
2 cloves
2 star anises
1 vanilla pod (Fresh and moist!)

Wash the plums, cut into quarters and remove the stones.

Wash thoroughly the orange. With a zester, remove some of the zest. Then juice the orange. Pour the juice into a small casserole. Add the zest.

Split the vanilla pod lengthwise with a small sharp knife. Scrape with the knife some seeds into the casserole; add the whole pod as well. Add the red wine, raisins, cloves, star anises and plums into the casserole. Bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes until the plums are soft.

Serve at room temperature. Don’t remove the spices, leave them as a decoration.

I don’t need to use any extra sweetener in this recipe because the natural sweetness of the fruits combined with spices and wine makes it wonderfully tasty. If you prefer sweeter desserts, you can add a little sugar or honey.

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Quails in Casserole, en cocotte




Quails are mid-sized birds which are much appreciated for their taste. Not all quails in Nice supermarkets are game, they are also farm-raised.  In any case, autumn seems like an appropriate season to cook quails in casserole.

My Le Creuset cocotte, casserole is again super for making this dish.

2 servings:

2 quails (cailles)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp tapenade
2 oranges
About 16 small black olives
100 ml white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Parsley

Grind a little black pepper and stuff a few sprigs of parsley and 1 tsp tapenade inside each quail.

Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a heavy casserole and brown the quails on both sides until golden brown. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic in the casserole and continue cooking. Add a few grindings black pepper, more parsley sprigs and white wine in the casserole. Reduce the heat, cover the casserole and simmer for 30 minutes, turning the quails once.

Peel the oranges, divide into sections and discard all the white parts and tough membranes. Warm 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a small saucepan and heat gently the orange sections.

Add the olives in the quail casserole and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

Serve the quails with orange sections and new potatoes and decorate with chopped parsley.

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Filets de Sebaste, Redfish, sauce Livornese



This dish was inspired by a plat du jour in Cours Saleya in Nice. Plat du jour is the dish of the day on a restaurant`s menu, usually lunch, and it is always good value for money. It was a gorgeous vegetable, fruit and flower market day in Cours Saleya, and at lunch time we sat outside on the terrace shaded from the September sunshine. Plat du jour was filet de saint-pierre, John Dory fish, sauce Livornese. It was so delicious that I decided to try and emulate it at home.
That day I couldn`t find saint-pierre in our local supermarket, so I replaced it with sebaste, redfish. Sauce Livornese is said to go well with any firm-fleshed white fish. There is no need to add any salt in the sauce because there is already a fair amount of salt in capers and olives. Sauce Livornese compliments cooked potatoes and steamed small courgettes, squash in slices.

2 servings

For the sauce Livornese:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers
About 10 black olives, pitted
100 ml white wine
Juice of ½ a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley

For the fish:
2 filets of sebaste, redfish (NB! I prefer filets of saint-pierre, John Dory fish)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, sliced

Pour 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a small bowl, add the garlic slices and set aside to infuse.
Start preparing the sauce Livornese. Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a saucepan on a medium heat and gently fry the shallot and garlic. Add the tomato and continue cooking for a few minutes. Add some chopped parsley, save a little for decoration. Grind a few rounds of black pepper in the saucepan, then add the white wine and lemon juice and let reduce a little. Add the capers and olives, and let simmer.
Cook or microwave the potatoes and courgette slices. Keep warm.
Heat the garlic-infused rapeseed oil in a large frying pan on a high heat. Fry the fish filets, about 1 ½ minutes on both sides, depending on thickness. Set the pan aside, covered.
Divide the potatoes, courgette slices and sauce Livornese on the plates. Place the fish filets on top of the sauce, and decorate with chopped parsley.

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The second favourite dish of the French

Moules frites - The second favourite dish of the French

Moules frites, mussels and fries, was voted the second favorite dish in France a couple of years ago. It lost narrowly to duck breast. Actually, moules frites is thought to originate from Belgium. About one litre mussels is fine per serving. I prefer the small tasty French mussels. An 1,4 kg package of moules de bouchot du Mont Saint Michel AOP is enough for us two, although it is a bit less than 2 litres. The quality is superior.

Instead of frites, I prefer to serve my moules with good whole wheat bread to mop up the good sauce.

2 servings

  • About 2 l mussels, moules de bouchot
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bouquet garni (a bundle of dried herbs tied together with string)
  • 100 ml white wine
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Chopped parsley

Warm the oil in a large heavy casserole and soften the shallot and garlic.
Wash the mussels and discard any that are damaged or do not close if you knock them.
Add bouquet garni, black pepper and the white wine in the casserole and bring to the boil. Add the mussels and cover the casserole. The small Brittany mussels need about 4 minutes cooking time after the wine has started boiling again. Give the casserole a shake now and again and check that the mussels are well open. You should discard any that have not opened.

Divide the mussels in deep bowls and decorate with parsley.

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Crête de la Blanche loop



The highest mountain pass la Bonette was opened for public traffic in 1961. The paved road makes a loop around the mountain and climbs to 2802m. There are several mountain roads in Europe higher than this but none of them connects a town or a region. Even so, this road is open for traffic only during the snowless period. Further down the road D64 is the hamlet of Bousiéyas, the highest village in Alpes Maritimes. The last allegedly permanent inhabitant, Madame Delmas, passed away alone there during one harsh winter in the 1960s. Today, there is a gîte during the summer season. The tour presented here is a classic hike ascending to the mountain crest of la Blanche south of Bousiéyas. After the initial ascent to the long crest, the scenery is extraordinary even for a seasoned hiker. You are in the middle of high terrain with an unobstructed view of major peaks in all directions.

 Details are described in French in the guidebook Rando Haut Pays/Crête de la Blanche.

 Duration: 5 h 30 min walking time. Vertical ascent: 760m.
 Map: Haute Tinée 1, TOP No 3639 OT

 Music courtesy of Far Out Recordings; Track Magnetic Feel (Roc  Hunter) from the Album “Far Out Jazz  Funk”.

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