Chicken breast and cherry tomatoes

This is a recipe for summer and autumn when local cherry tomatoes and basil are in season. Serve it with black rice to further compliment the colours of different cherry tomatoes.

2 servings

2 organic chicken breasts

About 2 handfuls of organic cherry tomatoes, a mixture of red and yellow

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

150 ml white wine

1/3 cube of chicken stock

About a handful of organic basil leaves

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the chicken breasts for 5 minutes until golden. Turn the chicken breasts and add the shallot and garlic to the pan. Continue sautéing for 5 minutes. 

Wash the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves and let dry on kitchen paper. Add the cherry tomatoes, white wine, and the crumbled stock to the pan. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Chop the basil leaves. Add most of the leaves to the pan, saving some for decoration. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 3- 5 minutes uncovered. Grind over some black pepper and divide on the plates.

Pic de Garuche

Pic de Garuche (1089 m) above St Agnès is one of the many mountains where Maginot Line fortifications were built in the 1930s. Situated southeast of Mont Ours (1236 m), an artillery observation post was erected there. Having hiked to both Mont Ours and nearby Pointe Siricocca (1050 m) before, we had not explored this peak before.

On a clear and crispy winter day, we decided to ascend there from Col de Castillon parking (730m) along the trail which passes near the summit of Mont Ours. Another good option is to start from St Agnès (600 m) or Col des Banquettes (736 m). 

Trail start from Old Castillon

Trail to Col de Ségra

Mercantour peaks

From the parking, we first headed south, then west ascending along the forested north-eastern flank of Mont Ours to Col de Ségra (963 m); signpost #125. At the col, we forked left (southeast) and climbed to signposts #126 and 127, the latter at Baisse de Loup (1171 m) just under the summit of Mont Ours. We continued straight (Col Verroux, Ste Agnès) along a wide apparently ex-military trail.

Mont Razet and Grammondo

Near Baisse du Loup

Col Verroux

Military trail to Pic de Garuche

Menton coastline

Pic de Garuche summit

Roasted sweet potato halves and spicy green lentil sauce

This protein-rich vegetarian dish is made with spices that are typical in different Mediterranean countries.  Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mixture of ground black pepper, ginger, mustard grain, cinnamon, muscat, hot pepper, and sweet bell pepper. Piment d’Espelette is a fairly hot ground chilli pepper from the Espelette village in the Basque Country. Saffron threads came with the Arabs to Spain and are now widely used in the Mediterranean countries. 

This spicy dish makes a perfect heart-healthy lunch.

2 servings

2 medium size sweet potatoes

Olive oil

120 ml green lentils

2 shallots, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp. rase el hanout

0,5-1 tsp. Piment d’Espelette, depending how hot you want it

1 dose saffron threads

2 tbsp. tomato purée

200 ml organic passata, Italian tomato sauce

Fresh mint leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200° C roast.

Peel and halve the sweet potatoes. Brush them with olive oil and roast for 25- 30 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile cook the green lentils in a saucepan for about 30 minutes until soft.

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallot and garlic for 5- 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomato, spices, passata, and tomato purée. Reduce the heat to simmering.

When the lentils are cooked, drain any water remaining in the saucepan and add the lentils in the frying pan. Stir and keep simmering.

When the sweet potato halves are soft, divide them on the plates. Divide the lentil- passata suce on top and decorate with chopped mint.

Tanneron ridge hike

The village of Tanneron (~400 m elev.) has become the unofficial capital of the mimosa. From January to March, the mimosa colours yellow the hill flanks above Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Not part of the original flora, the mimosa tree was originally imported from Australia and thrives in Côte d’Azur.

Several families in Tanneron now cultivate mimosa and export flowers to all France and beyond. Numerous varieties of the mimosa exist which explains the long flowering season.

Lots of visitors come to the small village to admire the yellow flowers in mid-winter, and many wish to take advantage of shorter or longer hiking routes in the surrounding hills.

We made the long (16+ km) but very popular Ridge of Tanneron (Circuit Les Crêtes de Tanneron) loop hike on a pleasant February day.

White fish à la Coral Gables

Some time ago, we had a delightful lunch on the terrace of an Italian restaurant in Merrick Park, Coral Gables. The fish was a prized South Floridian red snapper, lightly flowered and pan-fried. It was served on an olive oil-tomato-caper sauce with potato gratin, Gratin Dauphinois, and green beans. The dish was colourful and traditionally Italian.

My recipe is inspired by this lunch. I use fillets of cod, breaded and oven-roasted. The sauce is traditional French sauce vierge with added capers. For the recipe, you could use any fresh tasty white fish fillets such as cod, monkfish, sea bass and so on.

2 servings

2 pieces of cod fillet, about 120 g each

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

Olive oil

For the sauce vierge:

50 ml tasty organic extra virgin olive oil

Juice of ¼ lemon

A dash of pressed garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ripe medium tomato

2 tsp. small capers

Chopped basil or parsley

Preheat the oven to 200°C, roast.

Chop the tomato into very small pieces and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic, black pepper, and capers and mix. Let the tomato marinate while you prepare the fish. Just before serving, mix with chopped fresh herbs.

Coat an oven-proof dish with olive oil and pace the fish fillets in it. Cover the fillets with breadcrumbs and drizzle over some olive oil. Roast for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

When the fish is done, divide the sauce vierge on the plates and place the fish on top. Serve with potato gratin and microwaved green beans.