♥︎Cod & celeriac brandade

For ➋ 

400 cod fillets without skin or bones, in equal pieces* 

500 g celeriac, peeled, in small pieces (3 x 3 cm) 

6 cloves garlic, peeled 

small bush of fresh thyme 

25 cl fish stock 

olive oil 

Mix the celeriac and garlic in a pan, cover with fish stock. Cover and cook for 15 m. 

Add the cod, and poach for 5 m. 

Scoop the fish, celeriac and garlic out of the stock and mash them in an oven dish. Add a dash of olive oil, pepper and sea salt. 

Place the dish in a preheated oven at 180°C for 5 m. 

If necessary, grill for 1-2 m to brown a bit. 

*Or sea bream. Or  dried stockfish soaked in milk.

Easy pistou

For ➍

80 g pine nuts

40 g basil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10-12.5 cl olive oil

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they are nicely browned. 

Set aside 12 basil leaves. 

Place the rest of the basil leaves, garlic and half the pine nuts in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times. While the machine is running, pour in as much oil as needed for a runny sauce in a trickle. Taste and season the pistou with salt and pepper.

Pistou

For ➍
2 cloves garlic
1 nice handful basil leaves
3 to 4 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper
1-2 tbs grated cheese (f.i. Gruyère)*

Peel the cloves of garlic. Cut them in half, then put them in a mortar. Start pounding.
Add the basil leaves little by little while continuing to pound until you get an ointment.
Add the finely grated cheese*, if you have chosen to use it, while continuing to pound.
Add olive oil always by continuing to pound, you must keep this consistency of ointment, it should not be bathed in oil.
Pistou can be used in the famous soup with pesto, or in sauce in a pasta dish, or as such on grilled toast as an aperitif.
For preservation, you can completely freeze the pesto, the easiest remaining in ice cube trays.The advantage is the ease of dosing without having to thaw everything. Garlic loses some of its strength after thawing however.

*Optional

Fresh tuna & salade niçoise (French Riviera salad)

For ➏
400 g green beans, trimmed
750 g small potatoes
vegetable oil for brushing
20 g drained bottled capers
400 g lettuce (2 heads), leaves separated & large ones torn into pieces
1 bunch cherry tomatoes
100 g small brine-cured black olives
4 hard-boiled large eggs, quartered
3 tbs fresh parsley & basil, finely chopped
750 g (2,5 cm thick) tuna steaks*
ice-bowl with ice-cubes
20-25 cl (or 10 tbs for the salad +10 tbs for (optional) extra) salade niçoise dressing**

Cook beans in boiling salted water 3 to 4 m. Transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Add potatoes to boiling water and simmer 15 to 20 m, then drain. Halve potatoes while still warm (peel if desired) and toss with 2 tbs dressing in a bowl, then cool.
Prepare grill for cooking.
Brush tuna with oil and season with salt and pepper, then grill on lightly oiled rack, uncovered, turning over once, until browned on outside but still pink in centre, 6 to 8 m in total. Let tuna stand for 3 minutes, then break into large pieces. Put tuna on a large platter and drizzle with 2 to 3 tbs dressing and top with capers.< Add potatoes to platter with tuna. Drain beans and pat dry. Toss beans in bowl with 1 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Toss lettuce in bowl with 2 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Toss tomatoes in bowl with 1 tbs dressing and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to platter. Arrange olives and eggs on platter and sprinkle salad with parsley and/or basil. Serve salad with remaining dressing on the side.

*You can do a light salad without the tuna. If you must, you can use canned tuna. If you prefer fully cooked tuna, try the marinating tuna recipe.
**Or try a lemon & mustard vinaigrette.

The salade was named niçoise by tourists, and originally meant a typical salad of the region, consisting mainly of tomatoes and olive oil. It became popular in the 60's, when scarcely clad, tan-hungry tourists from all over Europe were drawn to the French Riviera. The discussion thrives on about the original recipe of la sallada nissarda, mainly omitting green beans and potatoes from the now widely spread recipe.
The city of Nice is only a part of France since 1860. Before the treaty, it went its own way, mostly with Sardinian and Italian allies and influences, tough it was occupied by French (and Spanish) armies before. The Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi, born in Nice, tried to make it a part of Italy.
Picture in salade niçoise dressing shows the fishing nets on the beach of late 19th century Nice.
Read more Provençal recipes: salade niçoise dressing, Provençal garlic sauce, old-fashioned salade niçoise, Saint-Tropez (Provençal) chicken.

Brandade (Provençal cod puree)

For ➏
750 g dried salted cod*
2 dl cream
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 dl olive oil
salt & pepper
lemon juice
ciabatta or baguette for crostini
olive oil
fennel, orange & red onion for salad

Soak the salted fish at least 24 h in water that is changed 3 times or more. Put the fish in a saucepan with fresh cold water, bring to a boil, temper heat & poach for 12 m. Drain fish and remove skin and bones (about 500 g cod should remain). Bring garlic, olive oil and cream in a saucepan to the boil. Puree this mixture with the fish in a food processor until smooth. Season with lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Test whether any salt is needed. Have some bread ready, lightly rubbed with olive oil, lightly browned under the grill for roasting.
Serve lukewarm or cold brandade with some black olives and parsley. Serve with a salad of orange wheels, red onion rings, finely sliced fennel with a dash of olive oil, and maybe a few slices of garlic toast.

*Or use fresh cod filet. Put it in salt overnight. In the morning, rinse the salt away, and soak the cod in cold water for 1h.
*Or make it with milk and some anchovies as in the Venetian bacalla mantecato.

The traditional brandade de morue originated in the town of Nîmes, a popular destination in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. The refined Nîmes version of the salt cod, or baccalao, brandade is made with aioli sauce and usually complemented with a leafy salad and garlic toasts, to fully enjoy the typical aromas of the Southern France food and gastronomy.
This typical fish dish from Languedoc Roussillon, made of a refined salt cod puree, is also known as 'cod brandade'. This Southern French speciality received its name from the Provençal word 'brandado', meaning 'things stirred'. Indeed, the Brandade's success is mainly based on a very prolonged stirring of the ingredients.
The original brandade cooking was first introduced into the Southern France gastronomy in 1786, when a fish lover from Nîmes decided to mash salt cod's flesh with garlic, olive oil and a touch of milk or cream. This refined recipe of brandade de morue only became a great success in 1830 thanks to the renowned French cook Durand.
Modern recipes of the cod brandade include a fine potato puree that tops a layer of mashed salt cod. Cooks in the South of France ususally serve this delightful rich dish on its own, with a simple green salad and toasts, crackers or, for a really authentic meal, croutons fried in olive oil.
Nevertheless, cooking the salt cod in a puff pastry or to accompany the brandade with truffles (especially in Nîmes) or lemon juice (in Provence) is now a must in the French gastronomy. The French brandade preparation can also make a fine and tasty ravioli stuffing.

Flourless chocolate & almonds cake

For ➏-➑
115 g bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
6 tbs (85 g) butter
85 g sugar
85 g powdered almond, (ground almonds or almond meal)
1 tbs brewed espresso
1 tbs rum
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 145°C. Line the bottom of a spring form cake pan or a tart pan with a removable base, with parchment paper and butter the sides.
Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and melt over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, almond powder, rum and coffee until smooth. When the mixture has cooled, mix in the egg yolks, one by one.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks then fold them into the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared mold and place in the oven for 45 m.
Allow to cool in the cake pan before unmolding. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Bouillabaisse de poulet aux légumes (Provençal chicken stew)

For ➍
4 chicken breasts
1 carrot, chopped
1 fennel, chopped
1 leek (white), sliced
4 tomatoes
1 jet of pastis
1 capsule of saffron threads
½ chicken stock cube
2 potatoes with firm flesh
5 cl olive oil
pepper & salt
1 baguette
chopped chives
fresh rouille

Heat 5 cl of olive oil in a casserole. Add the chopped and sliced ​​vegetables; sauté for 10 m over moderate heat (vegetables should be transparent without losing their colour).
Wash and chop the tomatoes. Sift tomato juice over vegetables, squeeze the pulp to extract the most juice.
Season with salt and pepper. Add pastis and saffron. Add 0.5 l of water. Melt the stock tablet; bring to a boil, cover and cook at a rolling boil for 5 m.
Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes 0.5 cm. Add the potatoes to the other vegetables and cook 10 m, uncovered.
Poach the chicken breasts in the sauce for 20 m. Do not boil but maintain just below boiling point.
Meanwhile, prepare the rouille.
Cut the baguette into slices and brown under the grill.
Divide the chicken breasts on plates. Surround with the vegetables and the sauce. Smear the rouille on the rust baguette pieces and arrange them around the chicken pieces. Garnish with chopped chives.

Rouille

For ➍
for the rouille:
1 egg yolk
1 tbs harissa*
2 cloves garlic
10 cl olive oil

Beat the egg yolk and harissa.
Add olive oil in small nets until a good consistency of mayonnaise is reached. Mix in the finely minced garlic and continue beating until you get a smooth, thick rouille.
Serve with bouillabaisse.

*Replace harissa by fresh peppers, chopped.

Provençal redfish stew @ microwave

For ➍
4 200 g redfish fillets
4 tomatoes
4 shallots
250 g mushrooms
2 zucchini
1 red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
10 cl olive oil
roux (optional)
1 ts herbes de Provence
2 tbs chopped parsley
salt & pepper

Drop the tomatoes in boiling water, cool immediately in cold water. Peel and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into strips. Chop the shallots finely. Crush the garlic. Cut the mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper into cubes .
Coat a microwave bowl with olive oil. Cover the bottom with the shallots, garlic and mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper, cover and heat 4 m at 750 W.
Add the sliced ​​tomatoes, diced mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3 m at 850 W. Coat another microwave bowl with olive oil. Spread the fillets evenly and cover with the vegetables. Cover and heat 6 m at 850 W. Let stand for 2 m. Bind with a light roux.*
Serve on warm plates. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pasta or fried rice.

*Discard the roux to get a more ratatouille side-dish.

Tian de courgettes

For ➍-➏
250 g potatoes boiled in their skins
4 tbs of olive oil
small clove of garlic
salt, nutmeg & freshly-milled black pepper
250 g zucchini
5 eggs
2 heaped tbs parsley
2 heaped tbs grated cheese
(a few spinach or sorrel leaves if you happen to have them)

For these quantities you need a (earthenware) dish of 20cm diameter and 5cm deep.
Peel the cooked potatoes. Cut them into cubes, put them into the earthenware dish with 2 tbs of olive oil, the chopped garlic and seasoning of salt and pepper. Let them warm in the uncovered dish in a low oven, 150°C, while you prepare and cook the zucchini.
The best way to do this is simply to wash them, trim off the ends, and leave them unpeeled except for any blemished parts. Instead of slicing them, grate them coarsely on a stainless-steel grater.
Put them straight into a sauté pan or wide frying pan with a couple of tbs of olive oil (or butter if you prefer), sprinkle them with salt and cook them gently for 5 m, with a cover on the pan.
Break the eggs into a large bowl. Beat them until frothy. Add the chopped parsleyand any other fresh greenery you may have (this could include watercress and lettuce as well as spinach or sorrel, uncooked, and simply cut up with scissors), the cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, then the warm zucchini.
Last of all, but gently to avoid breaking them, stir in the potatoes. Tip the whole mixture into the dish, sprinkle the top with a little oil and return it, uncovered, to the oven, now heated to 190°C.
Leave the tian to bake for 25-30 m until it is well and evenly risen. The top should be a fine and appetising golden-brown.
For serving hot, leave it in the dish, and simply cut it into wedges, like a cake.
If you intend to serve it cold, leave it to cool before turning it out on to a serving plate. If it is for a picnic leave it in the cooking dish, put a plate on top and envelop it in a cloth knotted at the top.
You could serve it as a side dish with fish or lamb.

A classic Provençal dish from Elisabeth David, named after the tian, an earthenware vessel used both for cooking and serving. The classic vessel is a truncated cone, flattened at the base and flaring outward to a wide rim. It is traditionally glazed on the inside, and unglazed on the outside.
Modern tian is described as having no added liquid, the layered ingredients being cooked until their naturally inherent liquid or moisture has evaporated. In Provence, the dish may be made with vegetables alone, but also with lamb, fish, or egg added to vegetables. Goat cheese is a common ingredient. Tian can be described as a gratin in the provençal style. Typical ingredients in tian are more associated with Provence than with other regions of France.
Read more Elizabeth David recipes: roasted peppers, lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, fish parcel, poaching an egg.

Artichauts à la barigoule (Provençal braised artichokes)

For ➍
4 medium artichokes (or 8-12 small purple artichokes)
2 lemons, quartered
120 g smoked bacon
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
20 cl dry white wine
50 g butter
salt & pepper
savory, coriander, rosemary, thyme, oregano & sage

Drop lemons in a pot of fresh water.
Pull the stems of the artichokes and wash.Cut the leaves halfway up and cut them in half lengthwise and remove the hay with a small sharp knife. Put them in lemon water.
Melt half the butter in a pan and stir-fry the artichokes quickly over high heat. Add salt and pepper and set aside.
Dip the tomatoes for a few s in a pot of boiling water, then peel them, remove the seeds and cut them into large cubes.
Peel the onion and garlic, slice them.
Fry the bacon, onion and garlic in the remaining butter, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for 3-4 m.
Top each artichoke half of this farce, put them in a casserole dish, pour over the white wine and simmer 1 hour.
Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish with fish or lamb.

'Barigoule' is a way of making a farce for artichokes. Instead of tomatoes,you could use carrots or/and mushrooms.

Roasted ratatouille

For ➍
420 g canned chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ ts salt
¾ ts freshly ground black pepper
½ ts sugar
1 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
½ ts  dried thyme
6 tbs  extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 red peppers, cut into strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
2 zucchini, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
1 eggplant, cut into 2.5 cm cubes

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Mix together the canned tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, parsley and thyme until combined.
Oil a baking dish with 2 tbs of the olive oil. Start by layering a quarter of the sliced onion in the bottom of the baking dish then top with a quarter each of red and green peppers, zucchini and eggplant. Spoon a quarter of the tomato mixture and 1 tbs of olive oil over each layer. Repeat the process to make 4 layers.
Cover and bake for 45 ms, then uncover and bake for a further 30 m.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 ms, then stir the roasted vegetables together before serving.

*Serve tossed with pasta and white beans, nestled in a baguette with brie, served on the side of grilled tuna, mixed with couscous and chickpeas; used as a pizza topping with anchovies and olives; and stirred through a shrimp risotto.

Daube provençale (French beef stew)

For ➍
1.5 kg beef shank, with or without bones, cut in large chunks
1½ large red onions, sliced
3-4 tbs olive oil
10 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded & diced, or 2 cans of diced tomatoes
6-7 carrots, peeled and sliced
15 cl red wine
1 tbs herbes de Provence, or mix of dried thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, basil,
1 tbs whole anise seeds
salt & pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the meat chunks and brown them on each side.
Remove the meat from the pan. Set aside for later.
Add the onions slices to the pan. Cook until caramelized.
Add the browned meat chunks back to the pan with the onions
Add the tomatoes, carrots, wine, herbs, anise seeds, salt and pepper.
Simmer for 2 to 3 h or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened.
Serve with warm pasta. Or rice.

Try a slow-cooking, marinated version.

Moules provençales (mussels with tomatoes, basil & garlic)

For ➍
2 kg fresh mussels*
2 tbs French olive oil
10 cherry tomatoes
4 sliced shallots
4 sliced spring onions
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
3 cloves crushed garlic
3 tbs chili sauce
salt & freshly ground pepper
4 tbs tomato sauce**
1 tbs chopped fresh celery

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan.

Fry the shallots and garlic (cover the pan).

Add the washed and drained mussels and close the pot with a lid. Shake the mussels and cook for 5 m or until all shells are open*. Season the mussels to taste with salt, pepper and fresh basil.

Add the tomato sauce, chili sauce, scallions and cherry tomatoes and heat them.

Divide the mixture between deep, preheated plates. Sprinkle with chopped celery leaves.

Serve with a warm baguette.

*Use 400 g pre-cooked mussels instead.
**Ready made or home made Provençal or home made Italian sauce. Or use concentrated tomatoes or tomato coulis.

Try more Provençal recipes: original tuna salad, fresh tuna & salade niçoise, salade niçoise dressing, Provençal garlic sauce, Saint-Tropez chicken, garlic sauce, Provençal tomato sauce, or the similar mussels with pastis recipe.

Sauce tomate provençale (Provençal tomato sauce)

For ➎
500 g tomato purée/coulis*
50 g butter**
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 small carrot***
20 cl cream****
1 chicken stock cube
thyme or herbes de Provence
salt & pepper

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry the onion gently in butter without browning.After 10 m, add the tomato coulis, cube, carrot**, minced garlic, salt, pepper and herbs. Mix and simmer for 20 m. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and mix. Allow to simmer 10 m.

*Tomato coulis is made by skinning the tomatoes, and discarding all seeds.
**Replace with 2 tbs of olive oil.
***Optional. Slice the carrot.
****Optonal. Replace with 10 cl white wine.

Saint-Tropez chicken (poulet provençal)

For ➏
10 chicken pieces 

juice of 1 lemon
4 tbs olive oil
4 tbs honey
12.5 cl rosé wine*
2 garlic cloves, bruised
1 tbs mixed (Provençal) herbs with lavender

Put the jointed chicken into a large freezer bag. Mix the lemon juice, oil, honey and wine. Stir to dissolve the honey. Pour the mixture into the bag, chuck in the garlic and herbs, seal and refrigerate overnight.

Heat the oven to 170°C. Place the chicken, skin-side up, into a roasting tin with its marinade. Cover with foil.

Cook for 2 h.

Remove the foil and turn up the heat to 200°C.

Cook for another 15 to 25 m or until the skin of the chicken is bronzed. (Be careful, the honey can burn.)

Place the chicken on a warmed plate and pour or spoon off any excess fat from the juices.

Put the tin on the hob, add 12,5 cl of water. Deglaze the pan juices to make a glossy, golden gravy.

Serve with a potato gratin.

*Use a dry, spicy rosé, like Côtes de Provence.

This chicken dish was not created in the French Riviera resort Saint-Tropez, but called after it by Nigella Lawson for its golden skin. The recipe closely resembles other chicken recipes of the nearby Provence, where white wine would be used, herbes provençales and maybe a tomato or 2. The cooking method remains the same.
A quicker version for 2 can be made with 2 chicken pieces, and half of the other ingredients. Adjust cooking time by ⅓..
Picture shows the Château de la Coulerette rosé wine label.
Read chicken tip.
Read more Provençal recipes: fresh tuna & salade niçoise , salade niçoise dressing, Provençal garlic sauce, old-fashioned salade niçoise.

Quick aïoli (Provençal garlic sauce)

For ➍
1 large egg*
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ts Dijon mustard
25 cl extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 ts freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Combine the egg, garlic, and mustard in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream.
Add the lemon juice and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve aïoli on sandwiches or as the base for salad dressings. Stir in minced fresh herbs and use as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables or fried calamari.

*Discard the egg-white to get a less fluid sauce.

This is closer to a mayonnaise than the classic aïoli, made in a mortar, without any egg but the egg will get the emulsion easier (as will the mustard). Keeps for 2 days tightly sealed in the refrigerator.
Though claimed by the French as Provençal, the same mixture appears in Spanish Catalonia and Italy. Read the related Italian oil & garlic sauce recipe.
Aïoli refers also to a complete dish, composed of a mixture of cooked vegetables (carrots, potatoes, green beans, artichokes), hard-boiled eggs (and poached cod). The aïoli is served separately.
Try a Catalan version.
Read more Provençal recipes: fresh tuna & salade niçoise , salade niçoise dressing, old-fashioned salade niçoise, tartine niçoise, Saint-Tropez (Provençal) chicken.