RECIPE - sage pesto, with a twist

Classic pesto is made with fresh basil; this is the variety everybody knows and loves, be it from their vacations in Italy or a visit to their favorite Italian restaurant. But how about trying something new? With the abundance of sage plants in our herb garden, grown from seed and growing in massive bushes, I one late spring afternoon decided to try this wonderful herb in a pesto. Et voilà, it not only tastes almost like basil, it tastes even better! And it tastes best when the leaves are young so in late spring, though it is possible to use the leaves all year round but the taste will become stronger and more pungent.

During our yoga & organic vegan cooking retreat last weekend Top Vegan Chef Paul decided to add some green olives and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and my o my, was this pesto a treat!

Sage is a very versatile plant, a quintessential Mediterranean herb used in cooking, as an essential oil, as a decorative plant in the garden with its pretty purple flowers. Salvia officinalis can  be used to make a delicious tea.

on croutons as an appetizer

Pesto is easy to make, considered a "raw food" as none of the ingredients are heated and can go on anything, from pasta bien sûr to sandwiches or tasty little croutons as appetizers with an apéritif or on pizza in place of or with tomato sauce

the ingredients:
* fresh sage leaves
* nutritional yeast
* toasted pine nuts
* depitted fleshy green olives
* freshly squeezed lemon juice
* garlic
* olive oil
* freshly ground sea salt
* freshly ground black pepper

All ingredients are approximate as this is really to everyone's personal taste. If you can get a hold of this season's fresh garlic use it sparingly and allow the fresh taste of sage to be the most prominent. Make a paste in your kitchen machine and season to taste. The great thing about pesto is that its all about personal preference.

on pizza as a base

Try something new today and remember to enjoy not only the result but also the process! Preparing food from scratch is a fantastic way to spend time, observing the making of something delicious, with one's own creativity, passion and hands!

bon appétit! 

EXTRA - yoga retreats May, June & July with organic vegan cooking

Inspired by the success in running our yoga retreats for several years now and on the positive comments we received from our guests dining with us at our table d'hôtes we decided to combine our two passions, yoga & cooking. We offer 3 dates for yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends with Claudia as the chef and Jim as the wine sommelier:

* 20. - 22. May (2 spaces left)
* 14. - 16. June
* 1. - 3. July (4 spaces left)

Cooking with Devotion: Good food requires more than top-notch ingredients and creative recipes - it's the compassion, intention, and energy of those in the kitchen that make a meal fulfilling. Cultivating a selfless intention, committing to recognizing the Divine in those you're feeding, and cooking joyfully without expectation of recognition will improve your awareness as well as your food. For the yogic cook, integrating mindfulness and love only deepens a cooking experience and, according to some, enhances the quality and flavor of the food itself.

Fridayarrival after 15h and installation in your rooms
16h workshop on healthy, clean, organic vegan cooking and introduction of the weekend's menu and activities plus the La Vudèle goodie bag
19h classic Provencal apéritif dinatoire: a relaxed sit-down dinner with several different dishes prepared by your hosts, to explore the flavors and aromas of Provence

Saturday
7.30 energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature, to get Prana flowing and stimulate digestion
9h our copious organic vegan breakfast with sourdough bread
10h visit of the local farmers' market in Riez with guide to our organic producers. We will purchase the ingredients for the delicious meal for dinner
afterwards free time to explore the area, the lavender fields, the gorge du Verdon and its lakes, etc
16h cooking course and preparation of our dinner:
Cooking with the fresh ingredients from our own vegetable garden and purchased at the market in the morning.
Practice of mindfulness, kindness & ahimsa, nonviolence, one of the yamas of yoga.
Awareness meditation: the love we place into the preparation is the love which nourishes us
19h gala dinner presenting the bounty of our cooking experience accompanied by wine tasting of local organic wines from Quinson, some cultivated right behind La Vudèle

Sunday
7.30 energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature
9h our copious organic vegan breakfast|
followed by a workshop on ideas for a healthy vegan breakfast and a certificate of your participation of this workshop
afterwards departure or possibility to extend your stay in our B&B

2 nights accommodation in our organic B&B or guest house including our copious organic vegan breakfast and 2 dinners € 580 for two

Bienvenue à La Vudèle & bon appétit!

EXTRA - cat sanctuary Cinque Terre

Whilst walking a section of the world famous foot path of the Cinque Terre in Italy this past September - on the stretch between picturesque village of Vernazza and the beach resort of Monterosso al Mare - we came across a cat sanctuary in the middle of a forest! 
We were exploring this area known for its perched villages which are connected by a foot path high above the sea, with splendid views onto the Mediterranean and the entire coast line. "Cinque Terre"or Five Lands are 5 ancient fishing villages which have turned into a very popular and very frequently photographed tourist destination all year round. Supposedly it is accessible to anyone and any ability but we found some parts to be rather "sportif" and slightly demanding, especially for the ladies in flip-flops and heels and even more people in sandals...

So we were walking along this path when, on the ascent from Vernazza, we discovered this picnic area with a fence in front, with kibble and soft food and some notes to the passer-bys so as to not feed the cats too much as volunteers descend two times per day to take care of this feline population.

 

the "guardian cat"?

friendly reminders for passerbyes who want to help

No need to feel sorry for these fluffies as they are living in the good life! Although quite shy they don't seem to mind people passing as that usually means attention and food...

a snooze in the morning sun

complete with a perched cat house

There was also a small money box where we deposited some coins, to help pay for the food and upkeep. 

So if you happen to be walking between Vernazza and Monterosso maybe you can spare a few coins to keep these cats happy and fed.

 To Good Karma!

RECIPES - socca de Nice

socca street vendor on the Promenade

This recipe has been in my "stack of recipes to share" for a while, and now is the ideal time for it! 
A typical dish from Nice, this big ancient city on the Cote d'Azur, the city where everyone around here always sighs and says ".. but Nice is such a big city". And yes, it is. But it has lots of charme and still lots of tradition one of which is the preparation of a socca, or farinata as it is called in nearby Italy.

Eaten straight off the pan it is simply and truly a delight! And if you ever wondered what to make with chickpea flour here is your answer!

Traditionally baked in a brick-clay oven fired with oak wood it tastes almost as good as the real thing in Nice when baked in a regular oven at home. If you happen to own a cast-iron skillet the result will be phenomenal but a regular pizza tin or anything like that will also do.
 

traditional baking in a wood-fired oven

delicious socca out of the oven at home

     

And it's so easy to make! Simply make a batter like for pancakes or crepes, pour that into the dish or pan, place it in the oven for a few minutes, et voilà la socca!

1 cup chickpea flour
2-3 cups of lukewarm water
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 teapspoon freshly ground black pepper
4-6 tablespoons olive oil, preferably from handpicked olives or a local producer of trust

Preheat the oven to 200`C on the top-grill setting. Once hot place the oiled pan in the oven until the oil starts to smoke. Renmove the hot pan (careful not to burn your hands!) and pour the batter into it. Place it back in the oven for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven (very hot!), divide into slices and eat right away!

And if you feel like dressing it up be creative! I love fried onions and dried crushed rosemary from our garden or anything else that comes my way. Or simply with some extra freshly ground sea salt - delicious!

Bon appétit!

* * * Jim's meat-free birthday 2009 * * *

The weather was perfect on this Saturday afternoon in the middle of March!

Friends from Aix-en-Provence and around the Var came to celebrate Jim's birthday on this beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon. Various nationalities were present (Dutch, German, French, English, Scottish), enjoying the delicious vegetarian dishes. Amongst the guests were 9 children who happily played in the garden and were kept content with home-popped popcorn.

The dishes we made were (recipes below):
- spinach-artichoke dip
- Moussaka (potato and feta cheese gratin)
- carrot & date bread
- Hungarian mushroom soup
- banana nut bread

links to recipes we used for this meal
Spinach artichoke dip
Banana nut bread
potato feta cheese gratin
couscous salad
Hungarian mushroom soup

Sunny greetings from the Provence,

Claudia & Jim

meat-free day March 14th 2009

Official opening of the outdoor season

Saturday, March 14, 2009
83670 Entrecasteaux (Var)

@ Jim's place

It's the time of year again: we are gearing up for the outdoor season in the Provence! To celebrate in style we are arranging a party for everyone who wants to join us. It is also Jim's birthday on the 13th, the day before, so he will be wearing his party hat. Come and bring your friends, we will be there all afternoon!

As it is also meat-free day (Journee Sans Viande) we will have lots of delicious meals and snack, all accompanied by the local rosé, le cave de L'Amiral. And if you would like to contribute to the cause feel free to drop a contribution into 'the hat'; we will forward it to the meat-free organization.

Sunny greetings from the Provence,

Claudia & Jim