Lamb chops à la Thierry Marx

Thierry Marx is a Michelin star French chef who also directs cookery schools . He is now flexitarian and focused on the responsibility that catering sector has for the society and environment.

This recipe is loosely based on the interview on the French morning TV 1 Bonjour. In fact they only showed the presentation of the dish in his restaurant kitchen but the message was clear: cook from quality ingredients, cook from scratch and do not waste.

2 servings

4 local lamb chops

4 large slices of a round green courgette

4 thick slices of dark tomatoes

Olive oil

100 ml quick-cooking green lentils

Chopped mint leaves to decorate

For the red wine sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

1 small clove of garlic, minced

150 ml red wine

1 tsp. dried Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. tomato purée

Start by cooking the green lentils according to the advice on the package. When done, cover and set aside until needed.

In a frying pan, warm olive oil over medium heat and fry the courgette slices on both sides until golden brown and soft.

In another frying pan, warm 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat and sauté the tomato slices a few minutes on both sides.

In a small saucepan, sauté the shallot and garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat 5-10 minutes. Add the red wine, herbs, and black pepper. Raise the temperature and cook until reduced by about half. Whisk in the tomato purée, cover and set aside.

Warm a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the lamb chops with some olive oil and fry about 3 minutes on both sides depending on the thickness.

For the presentation: arrange the vegetables in layers in the middle of the plates. Sprinkle the lentils around the vegetables and drizzle with the red wine sauce. Place the lamb chops on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with chopped mint.

Col de Malaure (Queyras)

In the Queyras Regional Park, we have previously explored some trails to mountain passes bordering Italy. From Valpréveyre above Abriés, we had earlier climbed to Col d’Urine.

Using Valpréveyre as a starting point, we now wanted to climb to Col de Malaure (2536 m) north of the abovementioned Col d’Urine and in a different valley.

Leaving Valpréyvere

Following Torrent du Bouchet

Crossing Malaure Torrent

Sheep flock by the trail

Some sources say that Hannibal may have used the Malaure Pass when crossing the Alps. True or tale, the Italian side viewed from the col was very steep and rocky so hard to believe that elephants could negotiate this terrain!

We started from the parking in Valpréveyre, crossed the Bouchet Torrent and then headed east following the torrent in the woods. A bit higher, we crossed a stream again. The incline became steeper, and we came to a crossroads at 2230 m where the left-hand trail went to Col de Bouchet and Col de Valpréveyre. We forked right as planned. After climbing 300 m and 1.1 km including some steep stretches, we reached the narrow col where an Italian signpost with several destinations was erected. A narrow and steep trail descended on the Italian side. The Italian lowlands were not far, and typical fog and clouds (nebbia) were clinging to the relief.

We met nobody on the latter part of the trail. Many walkers preferred to enjoy the sunny and warm weather by the stream. Some went up to the Bouchet Pass with a small refuge on the Italian side.