Curious Provence

a Curious Canadian in Provence : photography, art & renovation!

Recipes from Provence as well as other parts of the world. Just because I live in Provence doesn't mean I can't make a mean curry...

Rosemary and Maple Syrup Apéro Nuts

by Leave a Comment


These rosemary and maple syrup apéro nuts are very simple but so delicious. It’s tempting to add paprika etc for more flavour but actually the simplicity of this recipe allows you to really taste the individual nuts. All these measurements are “about” this amount. Go with your gut and add a tiny bit more butter, salt and maple syrup if you’re adding both pecans and walnuts as we did. In my opinion, the pecans are the most delicious! 

Of course, buy unsalted, whole nuts. Expensive- but a (relatively) healthy delicious snack! 

No additives. Just goodness.

This recipe is adapted from cookieandkate’s recipe. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups / 320g whole unsalted almonds
  • 2 cups / 320g pecan or walnut halves
  • 1 ½ cup / 180g green pumpkin seeds 
  • 1 cup / 135g hazelnuts 
  • 4 heaped tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (from 4 large sprigs)
  • 3 tablespoons good quality maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons seasalt
  • 1 ½  teaspoons cayenne pepper (reduce or add more if adventurous)

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (or any other added seasonings). Mix well until all the nuts are coated.
  • Pour the mixture over the nuts on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mixture in a single layer across the pan. 
  • Bake, stirring after the first 10 minutes and then every 5 minutes thereafter, until almost no maple syrup remains on the parchment paper and the nuts are deeply golden, 23 to 26 minutes. Put a timer on- nothing worse than burnt nuts! 
  • Remove the pan from the oven and stir the nuts one more time, spreading them into an even layer across the pan. 
  • Add a final generous pinch of salt 
  • Let the nut mixture cool completely on the pan. They’ll taste more flavoursome when cooled at room temperature. 
rosemary and maple syrup apéro nuts

This recipe makes a large batch. However, they’re so addictive that shouldn’t be a problem. In a sealed container they will stay fresh for 2 weeks.

If you’re a jar-collector like me, I used an old Cassoulet jar here, it’s an easy thoughtful gift.

Vegetarian Restaurants in Provence

by 2 Comments

food photography provence curiousprovence

I am not a vegetarian myself but am often asked where to find veggie-based meals in a country that is still very much in love with meat and potatoes. Here is a list of vegetarian restaurants or restaurants with vegetarian options in Provence focusing on Saint Rémy de Provence and Aix en Provence. There are of course more in Salon de Provence, Marseille etc. Post your favourites in the comments!

Although we have some of the best veggies & fruits I’ve seen anywhere, it can be difficult to find a vegetarian meal here in Provence. We do have more choices than regional cuisines in other parts of France as many of the specialities here are indeed veggie based such as tomato tart, tapenades (of all types- some have anchovies), crème d’artichaut à l’ail, Soupe à la Pistou, Papeton d’Aubergines etc. However, these are the types of dishes that people cook at home, not necessarily those they eat in restaurants.

If you’re pescatarian you’ll have no worries and will be able to try regional specialities such as Pissaladière, Bouillabaisse, local oysters (from Bouzigues) and mussels, Salad Niçoise (Côte d’Azur area), Pan Bagnat etc.

I once worked in a French restaurant where the chef believed that vegetarians need therapy.. Ha! Thankfully, things are beginning to change even here in the countryside where you’ll often find the staples of lamb, pig trotters and bull on the menu.

In this land of excellent cheese you may still be hard pressed to find vegan food in particular. I’ve included a few options here. When making a reservation you can ask if a vegan option is available; the chef will usually accommodate you.

Here is a list (helped by your suggestions via Instagram) of restaurants with vegetarian options in Provence (other than Pizza).

Saint Rémy de Provence

Terre et Blé
Open for breakfast and lunch, this bakery/restaurant focuses on organic vegetarian dishes every day except Friday where you can have a fish option and Wednesday where there’s a meat option.

Chapeau de Paille
In the summer they have a Soupe au Pistou (beans, courgettes, provençal pesto) option. Otherwise, ask for vegetarian options. All organic.

Edu
This restaurant specialises in small plates. You can find something for everyone here.

Le Roma
Fresh pasta and ice cream

Bistrot Steak House
Yes crazy but a few people have told me that their vegan burger is delicious!

Bienbon Café
Excellent coffee, very fresh ingredients from local producers
(usually have vegetarian options but best to ask in advance)

Aix en Provence

MANA
Many vegetarian and vegan options here! Popular for brunch.

La Cabane en Ville
Vegan

Café du Temps
Vegetarian food with outside terrace

Chez Ama
Ethiopian Cuisine
(I have not tried this one myself but hear good things)

La Plume Vegetale
Popular Vegan restaurant

Tita
Falafel in Aix !

Hotel Gallifet
Fresh local ingredients on the terrace and a new pop-up chef every year (open during the summer)

food photography provence curiousprovence
Roasted figs at Hotel Gallifet

Other Places in Provence

La Terasse (Goult)
Bistro with a terrace, menu changes often

Le Saint Hubert (Saint Saturnin les Apt)
Vegetarian friendly with a beautiful view!

Tulipe (Avignon)
Excellent coffee and vegetarian meals

L’Epicerie (Beaucaire)
Simple menu, family-owned, vegetarian friendly (though sometimes the special of the day isn’t vegetarian- can call in advance)

BEAM ! (Toulon)
Fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation.

Le Jardin Secret (Cotignac)
Vegan friendly (just ask!)

L’Émulsion (Villeneuve-les-Avignon)
Healthy, refined cuisine (with vegetarian options)

Easy Tomato Tart Recipe

by 3 Comments

Tarte Provençal à la Tomate

tomato harvest
Just one day’s tomato harvest from our garden.

With eleven tomato plants this year (onze pieds de tomates!), we had to find new ways to eat our prolific tomatoes. Panzanella, Pappa al Pomodoro, tomato sauce, homemade ketchup, Caprese salad, Ratatouille and of course, Tarte à la Tomate. This is my easy tomato tart recipe inspired by the simple tarts you can buy in the bakeries here in France. I was always a little anxious about making a tomato tart, fearing it would end in a soggy mess. Turns out, not the case!

…

Read More »

Easy Ham and Olive Cake Recipe

by 2 Comments

Ham and olive cake recipe
Once you cut into this loaf you can’t stop…

This easy French Ham and Olive Cake is a perfect snack. It’s often enjoyed by kids here in France when they get home from school fir their “goûter.” You’ll find many examples of different recipes on Marmiton, a French recipe website. I recently posted pictures on the CuriousProvence Instagram and was asked numerous times to post the recipe- so voilà ! In French, this is called Cake aux Olives et Jambon- yes they use the English word “cake.”

This recipe is simple and very forgiving. For example, you can add a little less flour and another egg instead, or add a little more cheese. Once you have the base you can make a vegetarian version with fresh goat cheese, semi-dried tomatoes and lots of thyme. Play with it to make it yours! 

As always, the quality of ingredients makes a difference to the end product of any recipe. However, this is a satisfying cheap eats and is often made here in France with jarred olives and pre-grated cheese. (Crazy I know!) If you use good-quality olive oil and ham though, you’ll taste the difference. Enjoy! 

…

Read More »

Provencal Fish Soup Recipe

by 7 Comments

Provencal Fish Soup Recipe by Curious

provencal fish soup recipe curious provence

My Provencal Fish Soup.

A Dabble in Catering

Last summer I offered to cook a Provencal fish soup for a friend and their 12 friends…I like to make my life difficult…

Bouillabaisse

Fish soup is taken seriously here in Provence. Bouillabaisse is the king of the various types of fish soups. This often takes 2 days to make, is very expensive, and would require filleting various types of different fish at the table. Not something I would be good at!

Bouillabaisse was originally a fish stew made by Marseillaise fishermen using the small, and wide variety of rockfish that were too small to sell. It’s this wide variety of fish that gives the soup its flavour. I watched some fishermen making the traditional version of Bouillabaisse at the market and I couldn’t believe all the different types of fish being thrown into the pot!

These fish were simmered for some time most likely in a well-used pot on the beach or boat. Everyone seems to have their own opinion to which fish should be in a Bouillabaisse but the absolute musts, according to my local fishmonger and Online Fishmonger, are the Rascasse and St Pierre. Otherwise, there can be crab, turbot, monkfish, mullet, conger, hake, shellfish etc. You’ll even see Bouillabaisse royal or sexy Bouillabaisse? with lobster.

Despite its humble origins, Bouillabaisse will always be unique due to the addition of saffron and Mediterranean spices as well as the way in which it is served.

…

Read More »

How to Brine your own Olives, Alpilles Style

by 4 Comments

The Olive Culture of Les Alpilles

olive oil curiousprovence

One of the ladies on our street gave Robin this as a gift when he came to the rescue and changed her gas bottle. She even put the olive branch on. It was so delicious I could have drunk the stuff, I practically did…

I was in the village café yesterday and felt an intense pang of admiration and jealousy all at once. An elder gentleman came up to the person sitting next to me and presented him with a large bottle of viscous, deeply green liquid and said “happy new year!” (in French of course). It was the unlabelled newly pressed olive oil from his family’s olive trees. How wonderful. I couldn’t think of a better seasonal gift.

olives st Remy market curious provence

The Capital of French Olive Oil

Here, in Les Baux de Provence, we claim that we’re the olive capital of France, along with neighbouring Mouriès of course. There is a small, healthy rivalry between us. We’re almost to the point of cheering when we see large trucks full of olives heading to our respective village mills at this time of the year.

That said, we have a rather lot of olives. And oh my, we do love them. You’ll rarely be given a glass of wine at someone’s house or a restaurant without the accompanying olives. Here in Les Alpilles region, we brine the green, young olives in a very simple brine with wild fennel. These olives, normally made with the Picholine variety, have a strong, fresh artichoke taste. Nothing like store bought, often chemically-treated olives.

…

Read More »

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Recipe

by 5 Comments

foodie soup on wooden spoon

Jerusalem artichokes have become one of my winter veggies that greatly add to my seasonal eating. In Canada, the Jerusalem artichokes that I used to buy were a beige colour. In Provence, I’ve often seen them as a beautiful magenta colour.

The French and Jerusalem Artichokes (Topinambour)

Topinambour was one of the few vegetables, if not one of the only ones, available during WWII in France. The misery associated with this time in history in a starving Europe gave Jerusalem artichokes a bad reputation. Their ability to get the digestive system working, and their consequential association with flatulence, didn’t really help either. The older generation that can still remember the war years often refuse to eat them. However, as all veggies almost forgotten, they’re experiencing a little renaissance.

It is time for the Jerusalem artichoke to rise again! For only the good reasons. This vegetable is unique in flavour. It adds welcome variety to the root veggies of winter. Also, when paired with potatoes, it doesn’t affect the digestive system with the same vigour.

I swear, they’re delicious.

…

Read More »

French Clafoutis Recipe

by 4 Comments

cherry clafoutis

When we first moved to France, the property we lived on had a large, abandoned cherry orchard. Consequentially, we researched all the best French cherry recipes. Everyone kept telling us about cherry clafoutis!

Clafoutis, most often made with cherries, is one of the classic French grandma desserts. People are most likely to feel nostalgic about clafoutis. It was often eaten as an afternoon snack when kids got home from school.

It’s cheap and incredibly simple to make.

Personally, I like it for breakfast at either room temperature or just out of the fridge. As all French desserts, there is very little sugar and all the better for it.

Clafoutis is almost bordering on the healthy…

This dish is one of those rare dishes that don’t improve with more luxurious ingredients such as cream, chocolate or a fresh vanilla pod. The joy of clafoutis is the squidgy lovely texture.

…

Read More »

Facebook
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Instagram