Stew You, Provence

The second Bank Holiday Sunday had rolled around quickly. I woke that morning by sitting bolt upright in my bed with a feeling that I'd just been teleport-ed there directly from the bar we'd ended up in the night before, but without the benefit of the eight hours' sleep i'd clearly had in the interim.

That evening my parents were to attend my rural and urban chateau for tea. In the summer of 1993 we ventured to Provence in Southern France. While there we stayed in a gite not for from Pablo Picasso's last house deep in the countryside. I didn't appreciate what a great part of the world it was at the time. Maybe I'll go back someday.

The extreme heat and the fact my parents were coming round had jogged my memory back to that holiday and I decided to use the memories as inspiration to make a Provencial Stew for our main meal that evening.

On the player was Suede's 1994 masterwork "Dog Man Star". It proved to be a watershed for the group; as it was the last with founder guitarist Bernard Butler. At the time the album was made he and lead singer Brett Anderson were at loggerheads and taking lots of drugs. Therefore the quality of record proves the old adage that great art rarely springs from contentment.

The album opens with the rousing "Introducing the Band" with Anderson's best 'David Bowie in a bad mood' voice in full cry. Other top tracks on this largely flawless album include the anti-anthem "We are the Pigs" and the nine minute "Asphalt World" where Butler's guitar work invokes the spirit of Jimmy Page on the peerless Led Zeppelin track "No Quarter".

The ingredients of this stew were as follows:

2 Fennel Bulbs, topped, tailed and peeled then sliced thinly.
1 Red Pepper, de-cored, de-seeded and sliced into small squares.
1 Red Onion, topped, tailed, peeled and then diced.
4 Cloves of Garlic,topped, tailed, peeled and then sliced thinly.
20 Vine Tomatoes cut in half.
15 Fresh Broadbeans.
1 Teaspoon of Dried Coriander.
2 Teaspoons of Dried Parsley.
10 ounces of Black and Green Olives.
A quarter of a pint of Bordeaux White Wine.
A bunch of Fresh Basil Leaves.
A quarter of a pint of Vegetable Stock.

The method was as follows:

1. I shallow-fried the vegetables, save the Olives, herbs and half the Basil in my Le Cresceut in Olive Oil on a medium heat for around thirty minutes. I stirred the ingredients regularly to stop them sticking to the pan and when I wasn't stirring them I put the lid on the Le Cresceut to keep the heat in.

2. After thirty minutes were up I added the rest of the Basil, the Olives and the Tomatoes. I continued  to stir the ingredients and found the tomatoes released lots of juice that helped the dish stew with added flavour without going dry. I carried on this process for fifteen minutes.

3. I then added the Vegetable Stock and simmered everything for a further fifteen minutes prior to serving it.

I served the stew with a side of white wine bread, which you will see on the blog soon. The dish proved to be a light yet filling one that on a hot night was just what was needed. If we had all closed our eyes we could probably have imagined ourselves being back in Provence nearly twenty-five years ago.

Bubbling in the pot and ready to serve

Out and about with plenty of Fennel, Fresh Basil and Olives