It’s Languedoc-Roussillon or bust! That’s right folks pack up your old Peugeot 403, the DS or if you like living on the edge your Deux Chevaux (aka motorized baby carriage). Cram everything in there, the kids included and the dog ’cause we are heading south to an area of France that easily conjures up warm sun, little picturesque villages, and beaches. The Languedoc has some well recognized cities such as Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan, Carcassonne, Sète or Béziers. If you are lucky enough to be hanging out there for a week or perhaps a month, if you are an Aoutien, then you can bone up on some of the local sports, catch a festival or two, see a bull and even hear some too. On the slightly ever more important topic of food, some local specialities not to be missed include a feuilleté aux anchois (anchovies), tielles sétoises, boles de Picolat, a gardiane (one of my favorites) or a rousole. Can’t forget deserts so save enough room for a crème catalane (OMG), an amélou de Florac, a rousquille or a croustade languedocienne. After a month of savoring all the regional delicacies you can enjoy shopping for new clothes. It’s worth every fork full believe you moi!
The wines of the Languedoc are important to the region and symbolize so much of what this part of France has to offer. To get you situated, the Coteaux du Languedoc is a very large and varied appellation of the Languedoc region in southern France. As with other generic regional appellations (e.g. Cotes du Rhone, Cotes du Roussillon) Coteaux du Languedoc serves as a starting point from which smaller areas within it may break off into independent appellations when recognized for a particular wine style of quality. The appellation covers most of the Languedoc region, and is home to nearly a third of all the wine-bearing vines in France. The Coteaux du Languedoc appellation was replaced by the appellation Languedoc AOC in 2007 and will formally take effect in 2012. More about great wines later on.
Poulet à l’ail – Chicken with lots of garlic
This is a slightly altered version of the infamous chicken and the forty cloves (now playing at a theater near you)
Ingredients
1 chicken cut in 6 pieces
3 heads of garlic (not cloves)
1 lemon
1/2 bouquet of parsley
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Salt and pepper the chicken (you may find it just as suitable to make this dish in a dutch oven – if fact, I may do just that and throw conventional wisdom to the wind.)
In a well oiled baking dish arrange the little dears and add a touch more of olive oil then add the cloves of garlic cut lengthwise.
Bake for 1 hour (that would mean the chicken otherwise I would had said stew)
While your chicken is cooking, zest your lemon; then cut your lemon in narrow sections and mix with the parsley then,
Throughout the cooking regularly baste the chicken with the juice of the whole lemon, the zest mix and make sure you save some for the final presentation
Serve nice and hot (the dish) adding the remaining lemon zest and parsley for that special touch!
A pause for un petit coup de quelque choses
Aubergines à la nîmoise – Eggplant Nime-style
Ingredients
3 nice long eggplants – the kind you would find at any outdoor market
2 heads of garlic (yes two heads are better than one)
1 shallot
3 anchovies
4 teaspoons of goose fat (assuming you just don’t have that, use butter just don’t tell me)
4 tablespoons of bread crumbs
3 tablespoons of oil oil
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Directions
Peel the eggplants and slice lengthwise
Make slicing marks on the cut side and rub in the salt so that it penetrates and set aside
Finely dice the anchovies, parsley, shallots and the garlic then add the olive oil and add pepper liberally.
Heat the butter in pan and place the eggplant turning 7 minutes to a side started with the open side.
Set aside in a gratin-type pan then add the mixture. Cover with the breadcrumbs and gratiner your dish for approximately 15 minutes.
Now about those wines….
I had the good fortune of sampling some outstanding wines from Domaine Paul Mas – they were all spectacular maybe that’s a better word for it. It was a tasting that drew me back repeatedly strictly to ascertain the Domaine’s quality control, one glass at a time. These things are never easy. I chose the Picpoul to pair with this dish because its a great, affordable wine of the region. Go global-drink local….remember? The other reds are superb and no reason why either one would not pair well with these robustly flavored dishes.
2010 Paul Mas Picpoul de Pinet is a must have. I’ve always been a fan of Picpoul and Monsieur Paul did a fine job in this instance. Picpoul de Pinet is a sub-appellation of the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation in southern France, producing full-bodied, citrus-scented white wines exclusively from the Picpoul grape variety. Picpoul happens to be an ancient Languedoc grape variety. I would pair the chicken and eggplant with this wine quite easily and stop right there. My humble advice? Go ask Mommy if you can buy a case, hurry!
2009 Château Paul Mas “Clos des Mûres“- Château Paul Mas is part of the Domaines Paul Mas estates and now covers a surface of 18 hectares located on the hills between the Hérault valley and the Mediterranean coast, near the villages of Montagnac and Sète. I found this a wonderful blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. This signature series of the winery is produced using the best Crus from the Coteaux de Languedoc AOP. In other words this is not your two buck chuck wine found around these parts.
2009 Château Paul Mas “Clos de Savignac” – This was a beautiful wine with admirable qualities rich and full bodied with some incredible aromas of berries, vanilla and spice and a finish that just seems to never end. I need a case right away!!!
All in all it was a superb selection of wines and I would have expected nothing less from Paul Mas – clearly a mark of excellence well beyond the Languedoc, France and the continent. Merci!