Provence and the recipes it's known for...
Provence is known for its delicious cuisine, which incorporates fresh ingredients such as herbs, vegetables, and seafood. Here are some of the famous foods in Provence that you should try, along with their recipes:
Ratatouille: This hearty vegetable stew is made with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes, cooked together in a pot with olive oil and herbs such as thyme and rosemary. Here's a recipe for classic ratatouille:
Ingredients:
2 eggplants, diced
2 zucchinis, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers and cook until softened.
Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Serve hot as a main dish or side dish.
Bouillabaisse: This classic Provencal fish soup is made with a variety of fish such as rockfish, mussels, and shrimp, cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs in a fish broth. Here's a recipe for bouillabaisse:
Ingredients:
1 lb rockfish fillets, cut into pieces
1 lb mussels, cleaned and debearded
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups fish broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried fennel seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook until softened.
Add the fish broth, thyme, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the rockfish fillets, mussels, and shrimp and simmer until the fish is cooked through and the mussels have opened.
Serve hot with crusty bread and a dollop of rouille (a garlic and saffron mayonnaise).
Tarte Tropézienne: This sweet pastry is a specialty of Saint-Tropez and is made with a brioche base and a creamy filling of whipped cream and custard. Here's a recipe for Tarte Tropézienne:
Ingredients:
For the brioche:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt
For the filling:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup pastry cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
Add the softened butter and eggs and mix until a dough forms.
Gradually add the warm milk, mixing until the dough is smooth