The tomato rules in the south of France. During the summer, they’re paired with cheese, olives, capers and fresh herbs…in salads, cold soups and even desserts. I shot these beauties at the bustling outdoor market at Vaison-la-Romaine, a 2000-year-old town in the Vaucluse area of Provence.)
At Le Moutardier du Pape (the Pope's mustard jar) in Avignon, on the evening before our bike trip started, I found a terrific creation called “Tartar de Tomate.” I expected paper-thin slices of tomato, but was pleasantly surprised by tiny cubes jazzed up with chives, capers and, maybe, a splash of vinegar. The very essence of summer, it was topped with a plop of what looked like whipped cream but tasted like a cloud of crème fraiche or sour cream. During winter months, Roma tomatoes make an appearance in tarts, tians (a shallow gratin with crackly pastry crust), hot soups, and stews.
But it’s in ratatouille that the tomato of southern France makes its most impressive performance.
During the week, our Backroads biking group was treated to this quintessential Provencal dish every day, sometimes twice a day. It was the hit of two lavish picnics that our leaders, Bronwyn and Alex, staged for us in Venasque and in Menerbes (at the fascinating “Corkscrew Museum"..more about that later.)
Classic ratatouille, which I learned to cook several decades ago from Julia Child’s "Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” consists of eggplant, zucchini, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. The veggies are cooked, slowly and separately, in LOT of olive oil in a Le Creuset-like pot, then folded together and baked until the flavors meld. But, according to chef Laurent Wellecam of Hotel Crillon-Le-Brave, pictured below, (where our group spent a night), there are “a hundred different types of ratatouille.” Purists (and Julia) would no doubt argue with that, but Wellecam made a good case for tossing other ingredients into the pot to suit the season.
Pumpkin and butternut squash, baby artichokes and mushrooms….these suggestions all make perfect sense to me. But it was his talk of fresh peaches, figs and nuts that really intrigued me. I can’t wait to get home and cook up a ratatouille of butternut and sweet onion, with a few slivers of sauteed pears and toasted walnuts.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot the “forgotten vegetables.” Wellecam’s a proponent of the trend to re-discover the glories of “les legumes oublies,” those fruits and veggies our grandparents used to cook…things like wild nettle, sorrel, potimarron squash, multi-colored baby radishes, salsify and romanesco cauliflower. (I even found a “legumes oublies” Web site based in Bordeaux, France.)
Hmmm. I think my second experiment will be ratatouille with baby green romanesco cauliflower and…..
By the way, San Diegans who get the same urge can check out Specialty Produce, the wholesale produce operation that’s one of the city’s greatest treasures.