O Panier Local is an organic local farmer’s co-op here on Orthez, which opened in September 2022. The people who run it describe the store as “Associatif, Non-lucratif, Participatif”, meaning it was conceived and founded by a charitable association, it is non-profit and everyone is encouraged to participate in the life of the store. That …
O Panier Local celebrates its first anniversary Read More »
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The end of September has been unseasonably warm in the southwest of France. What better reason to enjoy an outside table and a glass of rosé ? This particular pour is from AOC Béarn, where the rosé is mostly made from the tannat grape, as are the full bodied reds. Explains the juicy color!
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Petit déjeuner, Basque-style, one recent morning at a table outside the covered market in Biarritz. A good strong noisette (we would call that a macchiatto I think), plus a warm slice of tortilla espagnole, the famous egg and potato frittata that is often served as a pintxo in the Pays Basque.
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Thanks to Doug McDonnal for this great photo of the Pont-Neuf in Toulouse on a very hot August evening. On the quai near the bridge, you can see the Grand Roue (Great Wheel) and the Racines X Guingette, a sort of pop-up summer bar and restaurant where people gather to savor the cool breezes off …
August evening, Toulouse, France Read More »
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About a week ago, we planted one of our vegetable plots (we call them potager 1 and potager 2) with a few veggies that have a short time to harvest, hoping for a mild fall and a last harvest before winter. We planted two kinds of radishes, turnips, scallions and mixed in a few wildflowers …
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Paula Wolfert called this dish “one of the great combinations of Moroccan cookery”, and its hard to argue with her. Its a very satisfying dish indeed, especially when made with the legs of older, free-range farm chickens, full of flavor. And be sure to use lemons you have preserved yourself (see my recipe for preserved …
Chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemon Read More »
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The nice surprise of the summer: our fig tree has produced a lot of lovely, sweet green figs! We have always had a little fig tree, but in the past, it has never yielded much because it was basically buried by bamboo growing into our yard from the neighbors. This spring, I got ambitious and …
Green figs from the garden! Read More »
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The perfect recipe for summer, when tomatoes and sardines are both in season. Note that you can replace the fresh sardines with canned tuna, sardines or mackerel, which makes the prep a lot easier. This recipe can be made ahead to the point of the final bake then held in the fridge and baked just …
Baked tomatoes stuffed with sardines, roasted peppers and capers Read More »
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Somewhere along the GR10 in the central Pyrenees mountains, a Great Pyrenees sheepdog protecting its troop of sheep. Know as a “Patou” in the local dialect, these are guard dogs, not herders. That job falls to another dog, usually a border collie or other herding specialist. Thanks to Doug McDonnal and Lisa St. George (who …
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It’s a cliché, but a perfectly ripe melon and a perfectly dry-aged ham are an incomparable combination. If you really want to gild the lilly, add a chiffonnade of fresh mint and serve with a sweet white wine from Jurançon, a dry sherry or even an off-dry sparkling wine. The season for melons de Lectoure …
Melons de Lectoure Read More »
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