A Day in Provence
Provence is one of my favorite places in France, if not on earth. It is undoubtedly the perfect combination of sea and mountain, the rustic and the sophisticated, old and new. I was recently in Provence for just a few days. The food, as always, was as much a part of my sensory experience as the soothing sensation of the Mistral blowing across the hills from the Mediterranean.
The Provencal diet is typical of all the Mediterranean cultures. The rules are simple, but the effects are profound. One must eat seasonally and locally, making good use of the indigenous olive tree. Olives, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, and onions are just a few of the fresh staple ingredients in any Provencal kitchen. Rouget, whitebait, sardines and anchovies from the sea grace almost any menu, casual or upscale, in this special corner of France. Salt from the Camargue brings forward the purest flavor of any such ingredient.
“Les Alpes Maritimes,” as this coastal mountain range is known, is home to some of the country’s best lamb and beef. Fields of lavender allow the southern French bee to flavor the most exquisite local honey, the quintessential accompaniment to any of the dozens of fresh artisanal goat cheeses from the region. Provence is indeed a celebration of taste, quality, freshness and color.
The Classic Repertoire
There are several dishes that are widely considered to be classically Provencal. The most popular is probably bouillabaisse, a fish stew made with local catch of the day, such as rouget (a small, local red snapper), monkfish, langoustine and mussels. As stunning as these ocean ingredients are, the even more delectable element of this soup is saffron. Not only is the flavor so satisfying, but the color itself – a soft golden orange hue – brings the Provencal sun right to the plate. Served with rouille, a saffron-garlic-olive oil emulsion, on baguette crisps, bouillabaisse is a superb one-dish summer meal.
Salade Nicoise is perhaps a close second in popularity to bouillabaisse. This composed salad from the port city of Nice that bears its name is also a meal in itself. It is traditionally made of lettuces, tuna, tomatoes, haricots verts (French green beans), boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs, black olives and anchovies. The vinaigrette for the salad is always made with olive oil, of course. Each item in the salad is tossed in the vinaigrette separately and then the salad is put together. It is one of my favorite summer dishes. It really is a one-dish meal for lunch or dinner, offering the diner all the colors of the rainbow on one plate. Filling yet light, salade Nicoise is ideal for entertaining.
Since salade Nicoise is so darn good, the French crafted a sandwich in its honor: pan bagnat. Simple and unadulterated, this sandwich is made of only some of the key ingredients in salade Nicoise. A sliced baguette is layered with lettuce, tomatoes, canned tuna, hard boiled eggs and sliced black olives. Then the vinaigrette is poured over these layers before the top slice of baguette completes this Provencal street food. It is served placed in a bag. The best bites are always at the bottom, moistened by the slowly dripping vinaigrette as the sandwich is devoured from the top. If only our local fast food were this fresh and healthful!
My favorite snack food in France is pissaladiere, a Provencal onion pizza. I am a glutton for anything and everything that contains soft, darkened, caramelized sweet onions. A pizza made with only that, plus a black olive and maybe some anchovies for garnish, is my idea of a thin slice of heaven…literally. Every bakery in Provence makes its own version of this southern French delicacy, always cut into squares. Some spread a thin film of tomato paste on the dough, while others add a mild touch of chopped anchovies to the sautéed onions. Either way, pissaladiere is as easy a dish to take pleasure in as it is to make.
For the fastest and cheapest ticket to the Cote d’Azur, make my pissaladiere as a first course or hors d’oeuvre to a meal of salade Nicoise. You will enjoy a most delicious day in Provence.
Made with olive oil, sweet onions, garlic, salt, bay leaf, fresh thyme, anchovies, black pepper, black olives
Serves/Makes: 6
***Pastry Dough***
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 large pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
***Onion Filling***
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds sweet onions, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (more if desired)
- salt, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 8 salt anchovies, rinsed, filleted, and cut into strips
- 3/4 cup pitted black olives
- fresh ground black pepper
Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and mix with a fork. Add the egg, oil, and water to the bowl and mix with the fork until just combined. Knead the mixture until a soft dough forms.
Form the dough into a ball and lightly cover the bowl. Let stand for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling by heating 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt (to taste), bay leaf, and thyme sprig. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until the onions are very soft. Do not let the onions brown, keep the heat at the lowest setting. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle (to fit the baking sheet). Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Press the dough lightly and prick the top of it lightly with a fork.
Spread the onion mixture evenly over the dough. Top with the anchovies and olives, pressing the olives into the onion mixture.
Brush the edges of the dough with the remaining olive oil and drizzle a little over the top of the onions.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the pissaladiere from the oven and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve hot.
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