“Soupe au pistou”, one of summer’s finest Provence dishes.2018/7/26

 

Typically added to a vegetable-rich soup, pistou has had a long history. The Roman poet Virgil described a sauce made by crushing herbs in a mortar with garlic, salt and olive oil. Over time, the sauce morphed into the heady Genovese pesto, which then morphed into pistou in Provence.

 

         

 

 

Making pistou starts with adding tomatoes and olive oil to basil, garlic and salt, then crushing the mixture in a mortar with a pestle until it’s smooth. (In the Provençal dialect, pistou means “pounded.”) The pistou is then stirred into the soup, amplifying the flavors of both.

In Provence different versions of the soup are often discussed. Traditionally, it includes a homemade broth, fresh white beans, green beans, potatoes and macaroni. Cooks in Provence often vary the pasta too (some use vermicelli). Robert Lalleman, the chef at the esteemed Auberge de Noves in Avignon, enriches his recipe by sautéing pasta in butter before mixing it into the soup.

What follows is a classic recipe for the sauce:

Ingredients:

Stock:
-1 to 1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 medium onion, thickly sliced
-1 celery stalk, chopped
-1 head fennel, chopped
-1 carrot, chopped
-2 plum tomatoes, quartered
-4 cloves garlic, crushed
-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
-3 sprigs fresh thyme
-1 bay leaf

Soup:
-1 to 1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 cup diced onion
-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
-1/2 cup diced carrot
-1 cup diced celery
-1/2 cup chopped parsley
-1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
-1 to 1/2cups drained and chopped canned plum tomatoes
-2 cans (15 ounces each) white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
-6 tsp prepared pesto or extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

-Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then trim and slice the leek. Chop the potatoes, carrots, celery and courgettes, then pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves.

-Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and leek for 5 minutes.

-Add the other chopped ingredients, the bay, green beans and chopped tomatoes. Drain and add the beans. Cover with water, season and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

-Add the pasta and simmer until cooked, adding water if the soup is too thick.

-For the pistou sauce, peel and add the garlic to a pestle and mortar, pick in the basil leaves and add some sea salt. Pound until puréed, then finely grate in the Parmesan and muddle in the extra virgin olive oil to make a paste.

-Serve the soup with a dollop of pistou.

Pairing:

The lively pink grapefruit and red fruit notes of a Côtes de Provençe rosé will enhance the freshness and light flavors of this beloved traditional dish. Perfect pairing with Château Vannières Côtes de Provence rosé!

link to the aVin amazon page: goo.gl/43kD8W

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C’est les vacances!2018/7/19

 

Where to go and what to do if you are heading to Provence this summer.

Today’s destination: the city of Arles and its photography festival!

 

                

 

Arles is one of the most culturally active city in the south of France. Many cultural festivals and events proceed there each year for the greatest satisfaction of thousands of art and traditions lovers.

 

 

 

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Today’s wine: Les Hauts Lieux Châteauneuf du Pape 2012, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne.2018/7/9

AOP Châteauneuf du Pape

 

 

Direct link to aVin amazon page:
goo.gl/sdz4M4

With only 6,000 bottles produced, the Les Hauts Lieux is a rare and fantastic wine treasure. Jean-Paul Daumen, the winemaker, selects grapes from the highest terraces in the vineyard Cabrieres, and uses no sulfur during the winemaking process, only adding a small amount immediately prior to bottling. Fermented in cement tanks and aged in large oak casks, this wine is meant to showcase place and region before stylistic winemaking choices.

Grapes varieties: 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, 5% Counoise

Soil: higher slopes facing North, made of a mix from Miocene, Helvetian and Villafranchienne. Influence of clay soils. Covered with pebbles from Villafranchienne terrace.

 

 

Average age of the vines: 70 years

Yield: 20hl/ha

Farming methods: certified organic, and biodynamic agriculture, vines are co-planted. Treated with copper and so2, organic herbal teas.

Vinification: harvested entirely by hands. First sorting at the vineyard, second sorting at the cellar right after arrival.
Natural years only, no SO2 added, fermentation for 20 days. Light extraction to respect the grapes.

Elevage: 1 year in oak barrels and 6 months in bottles.

Bottling: no fining, no filtering, 2mg of so2 added
Total so2: 40mg/l

Serving temperature: 16-18 degrees
Decant for 2 hours prior to drinking

Time to drink: from now now through 2030

Tasting notes:
Dense, luscious, and brooding, this wine has aromas of rich berry compote, candied rose petal, and fruit liqueur. On the palate, anise and black tea notes are accompanied by a graphite spine and boysenberry pie flavors, with a full bodied and voluptuous mouthfeel and a long, mineral finish.

To enjoy with: Rich gamebirds like pheasant, guineafowl, or pigeon accompanied by caramelized roast carrots, potatoes, and beets are delightful when eaten next to a rich, full-bodied Chateauneuf Du Pape such as this.

 

 

Parker comments and points: 93：More firm and backwards, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Hauts Lieux is a longer-term prospect. Big minerality, dark fruits, iron, steel and licorice all emerge from the glass. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, edgy and concentrated, with building tannin. Give this beauty 4-5 years in the cellar and enjoy through 2032. It should be one of the longest lived efforts in the vintage. Jean-Paul Daumen continues to fashion some of the top wines of the vintage, in just about every vintage. We started the tasting with his 2013s and these have to be considered successes in the vintage. Finishing up harvest on October 17th, the wines have classic Vieille Julienne characters, as well as good concentration and ripe tannic structure. I think they’ll be some of the longest-lived wines in the vintage. Looking at the 2012s, these are stunning wines that show the more structured, age-worthy side to the vintage. While I normally prefer the Hauts Lieux, the 2012 les Trois Sources has more flesh and texture at this point. Either way, both are superb and warrant a place in your cellar. In addition, his Daumen label continues to offer serious bang for the buck.

 

 

http://avin.jp/wineries/julienne

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Today’s wine: Les 3 Sources Châteauneuf du Pape 2014, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne.2018/7/5

AOP Châteauneuf du Pape

 

 

Direct link to aVin amazon page:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/…/B07CGJ7BM4ref=cm_sw_r_li_awdo_c_…

 

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Next wine tasting!2018/6/14

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