TERROIRS DE PROVENCE

Ingrédients for 6 people :

6 fennel heads,

2 onions,

thyme, bay,

1 carrot 2 cloves garlic,

25 cl white wine,

1 g saffron,

salt, pepper,

Olive Oil

Receipt :

Cut heads in half. Remove hard leaves (they can be used to make a cream or a soup). Blanch well in salted water and leave to cool. Meanwhile, finely dice onions and carrot (3 mn pieces).

Crush garlic and sauté with onions and carrot in a small quantity of olive oil. The sauté pan should be large enough to take all the ingredients. When onions and carrots have sweated well, lay fennel on top. Ensue that none of the pieces touches another one. Add thyme and bay.

Mix saffron into white wine and pour into sauté pan. Add water to cover vegetables. Bring to boil, season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently in the oven (180° C) for 2 hours. When cooked, remove fennel.

Reduce sauce then strain through a Chinese sieve and add some olive oil to emulsify. This is wonderful with grilled fish or white meats.

Ingrédients for 6 people :

6 filets of scorpion fish (100 to 120 g each),

6 large, firm potatoes (120 to 150 g per person),

100 g black olives (stoned),

200 g diced raw tomato,

1 onion (finely chopped),

5 cloves garlic,

salt, pepper, olive oil ..

Receipt :

Sweat onion in large gratin dish or baking tray until transparent. Meanwhile, finely slice potatoes (slightly thicker than crisps) and dust filets of scorpion fish with flour. Fly rapidly until lightly golden over a very high heat, taking care not to cook through. Lay out on the gratin dish.

In a bowl, mix tomato, potatoes, thyme, bay and crushed cloves garlic. Cover scorpion fish with mixture. Arrange potatoes neatly on top then pour on sufficient fish stock to cover.

Bake in a hot oven (180° C) for 30 to 40 minutes. To check whether everything is cooked, press on a potato.

Serve piping hot with a dry white wine.

Ingrédients for 6 people :

1 half-salted shoulder of pork,

500 g green lentils,

1 carrot,

1 onion stuck with 3 cloves,

30 cloves garlic,

1 bouquet garn (thyme, bay, stick of celery),

olive oil and a few drops vinegar,

Receipt:

Remove some of the salt from shoulder of pork by soaking in cold water for 2 or 3 hours. Place in large saucepan with garlic, carrots, bouquet garn and onion. Pour in enough cold water to cover and simmer for 2 hours over a low heat.

Place lentils in another saucepan and cook in cooking liquor from pork. Do not overcook 15 to 20 minutes are sufficient; the lentils should remain slightly crisp. Once cooked, drain. The cooking liquor can be served as a lentil consommé, a very tasty soup.

Add a few drops vinegar and good quantity of olive oil. Bone shoulder of pork (this should be easy to do) and serve piping hot whit mustard.

Ingrédients for 10 people :

12 purple artichokes,

2 carrots,

2 onions,

1 whole garlic,

1 stick celery,

1 bunch basil,

olive oil,

thyme, bay and leaf,stock

Receipt :

Shape artichokes and retain white leaves. Dice carrots, onions and celery.

Finely chop white artichoke leaves and stew gently with remainder of the vegetables. Fill artichoke hearts. Braise in stock with roughly chopped garlic, thyme and bay leaf.

Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes depending on size. Remove hearts from pan and reduce stock.

Add chopped basil and check seasoning.

Ingrédients for 6 people :

12 small white turnips,

25 cl balsamic vinegar,

Salt, pepper,

2 spoons olive oil,

Receipt :

Peel turnips. N. B. In winter they have two skins, so peel thickly. Cut into rounds and blanch well in lightly salted water.

In a large pan, reduce the vinegar by half. Add turnips and cook until vinegar has fully evaporated. The turnips will turn black.

Add some pepper and olive oil. This is an unusual but mouth-watering vegetable dish.

Ingrédients for 10 people :

2 kg tomatoes,

600 g aubergines,

100 g courgettes,

4 large onions,

4 green peppers,

6 cloves garlic,

Thyme, bay, olive oil , salt, pepper.

Receipt :

Finely dice all vegetables, beginning with peppers. Blanch for a few minutes in a good quantity of water (this makes them more digestible).

Chop aubergines and courgettes, making sure that pieces are the same size then sauté in a hot pan with olive oil. they should be allowed to colour slightly.Drain in a colander because the vegetables absorb a lot oil (especially the aubergines). Keep oil to make vinaigrettes with. They will be full of flavour and aroma.

Meanwhile, skin tomatoes, remove pips, then chop roughly with a large knife.

Chop onions and sweat in a large pan until almost transparent. Add tomatoes and cook until liquor has almost reduced away. Add garlic, thyme, bay salt and pepper.

Mix in all the vegetables: courgettes, aubergines,tomatoes and pepers. Boil for few minutes.

The ratatouille should retain a good colour and have a wonderful aroma. The vegetables should remain crisp. Ratatouille can be served with grilled fish and cold roast meats. It can also be eaten as a starter with a few slices of toast or with eggs.