A Taste of Nice

                                     One of Nice's most famous dishes is Salade Niçoise 

I am on the French Riviera preparing for two different groups at the estate in which Julia Child wrote her famous two cookbooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   One of the Riviera’s best foodie experiences is in the historic part of Nice.  The cobblestoned streets of the old town are a treasure trove for any food-lover.

I love Nice’s Perouse hotel for many reasons and one of the most compelling is its location on the sea and right next to the city’s magnificent outdoor market.  The largest on the Riviera, the Cours Saleya market is filled with food vendors whose families have owned the same stalls in the market for many generations.   No foodie's trip to Nice would be complete without a visit to this beguiling culinary paradise.

                            This family has owned its stall in the market for 100 years

One of the items you will find at the Cours Saleya market is Socca, a crepe-like snack made from garbanzo beans.  The woman who sells the best version is the one who cooks it in a giant cast-iron skillet over a wooden fire.  It's the perfect gluten-free edible as this high protein street-food contains no wheat flour.   Originally from neighboring Italy (the border is less than 25 miles away), this classical Niçoise dish actually originated in Genoa (where today it is known as farinata).

                                     Chevre comes in every shape, size & flavor

The Cours Saleya is also filled with vendors selling Provence's famous goat cheeses.  You'll find multiple shapes and sizes, and many renditions including goat cheese coated with herbs of Provence, wrapped in chestnut leaves, or even chevre studded with Provence's black truffles. 

There are also countless stalls at the Cours Saleya market offering a cornucopia of olives.  Like goat cheeses, the olives come in multiple reditions from the colossal green picholine to the teeny-tiny Niçoise varietal----these petite brownish-black olives are only grown in this area of France and are prized for their pleasant nutty flavor.

                                                      Alziari is a step back in time

Not far from the Cours Saleya is one of the Riviera’s most famous olive oil makers.  Well known in the US for its attractive up-market packaging, Alziari has been producing "Grand Cru" olive oil in Nice since 1868.  The retail shop, actually it's more a museum than a store, is worth seeing.  Although it is very small, it is chocked full of history.  Up until 15 years ago, olive oil was sold in bulk and shoppers brought in their own containers to be filled from the giant stainless steel vats in the store.  The huge tanks are still in the store located at 14 rue Saint François de Paule.

Nice has its own cuisine.  In addition to Salade Niçoise, here are some of the classical Niçoise dishes that shouldn’t be missed…

                                                           Pissaladiere is a perfect lunch

Pissaladiere:   Think of this snack as Nice's version of pizza.  It is often topped with carmelized onions, fresh anchovies, and Niçoise olives.  

Le Pan Baginat:  This sandwich is a Salade Niçoise on a baguette.  It’s perfect for a picnic at Nice's beach.

                                            Grated Parmesean cheese tops a dollop of pesto

Soupe au Pistou:   Nice was once ruled by nearby Genoa, Italy.  Genoa is the home of pesto, and this soup is France's translation of minestrone with pesto.

Ratatouille:   This flavor-chocked dish is a vegetable stew flavored with the herbs of Provence.

Daube:  A complex-flavored beef stew, this dish is Nice's answer to Beef Bourguignon, only it’s cooked using hearty local red wine.

                                          Stuffed ("farcis") veggies are a must-taste

Les Petits Farcis:  One of my favorites, these delectable stuffed vegetables are rarely seen on modern menus as they are labor intensive.  Often stuffed with veal or beef, they also contain onions, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and herbs of Provence.

Bon appetit!

A Week in Provence with Julia Child

                                                     Julia at her estate in Provence

I have had the great pleasure to meet Julia Child on three occasions.  The first was a cooking class during the 1980’s.  My second rendezvous was at a charity benefit of American Institute of Wine and Food.  The last time I met Julia was her 90^th birthday celebration at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco.  Thus, when I had the opportunity to rent her home in Provence, I jumped on it in a flash!   That opportunity was four years ago when 2017 seemed forever away.  Now, I'm actually here.

We arrived today to begin a special week’s homage to Julia.  There are 10 of us who have come to pay tribute, all serious foodies and Julia groupies.  All women, each carefully chosen for Wine-Knows’ inaugural tribute to Julia.   Each one of us is armed with our favorite Julia recipes to prepare during this seven day feast in honor of Julia.

We have divided ourselves into pairs, five cooking teams of two femmes.   We will visit several different outdoor markets to procure our products.  As Julia wrote her ground-breaking two-volume books, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for the American housewife who shopped in supermarkets, we’ll also visit the area’s largest supermarket to buy our many kilos of butter and liters of cream. 

Some teams picked their Julia recipes over a year in advance.  Julia’s bouillabaisse was one of the first things chosen.  Slow-roasted veal shanks in red wine was also snapped up much in advance.   One team is deciding on the fly (based on weather) between Julia’s cassoulet with duck confit (for colder temperatures), or her classic coq au vin (if the weather is warmer).  Another pair are gourmands but don’t fancy cooking complicated recipes---they have chosen salade Nicoise, a simple but gorgeous salad of grilled ahi tuna, tomatoes, green beans, eggs, olives, and potatoes.  Still another two-some will cook Julia’s thinly-sliced veal cooked in a butter and wine sauce.

                                    Julia’s bouillabaisse with a white wine from Grand Devers

Each couplet is responsible for one dinner, with a backup team assigned to help with prep, serving, and cleanup.  Wines are also part of the pair’s responsibility.  Considering the above foods, plans are underway for some to serve Champagne, while others are eyeing Provence’s Grenache or Syrah.  Still others are looking at wines from Southern France’s most illustrious district, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  There’s word on the street that one of the pairs will be concocting a special Julia cocktail, with ingredients beginning with the letters “J,”  “U,” “L,”  and “I.”  The last ingredient in the drink is “A” for Aperol.

This trip will be repeated twice in 2018, and both weeks have sold out.  Another trip has just been added for June 2019.  Are you a Julia fan?  If so, this is a trip of a lifetime to be able to spend a week on the estate in which she wrote her famous cookbooks.  For more information, check it out:

http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia_child_2_itinerary.htm

Viva Julia!