Provençal Cooking Without Vegetable Oil

Ingredients

• 3 lb beef chuck, cut in large cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 5 oz lardons or diced bacon
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 carrots, in thick rounds
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 1 strip dried orange peel
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, rosemary)
• 1 cup black Niçoise olives
• Salt and cracked pepper

Instructions

1. Marinate the beef overnight in the red wine with garlic, orange peel, and the bouquet garni.
2. Drain the beef and reserve the wine. Pat dry, then brown in batches in olive oil. Set aside.
3. Render the lardons, then soften the onions and carrots in the same pot.
4. Return the beef, pour in the reserved wine, and add the orange peel and bouquet garni. Season lightly.
5. Cover and braise gently at 300°F (150°C) for about 3 hours, until very tender.
6. Stir in the olives for the last 20 minutes. Skim any fat and adjust the seasoning.
7. Rest 15 minutes and serve with buttered noodles or boiled potatoes.

Ingredients

• 3 lb mixed firm white fish, in chunks
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 leek and 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• Generous pinch of saffron
• 1 strip orange peel, 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups fish stock
• Rouille and toasted baguette to serve

Instructions

1. Soften the fennel, leek, and onion in olive oil until fragrant but not colored.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, saffron, orange peel, and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the fish stock and simmer the broth for 25 minutes, then season well.
4. Add the firmest fish first and cook 5 minutes, then the delicate fish and mussels.
5. Simmer gently until the fish is just cooked and the mussels open.
6. Lift the fish into warm bowls, ladle over the broth, and serve with rouille on toast.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 2 zucchini, in half moons
• 2 bell peppers, in strips
• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sprig thyme and 1 bay leaf
• Small handful fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Brown the eggplant in olive oil until soft, then set aside. Repeat with the zucchini.
2. Cook the peppers and onion in the same pan until they begin to soften.
3. Add the garlic, then the tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer until saucy.
4. Fold the eggplant and zucchini back in and season generously.
5. Simmer gently for 20 minutes so the flavors marry but the vegetables hold shape.
6. Tear in the basil off the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion and 2 leeks, chopped
• 2 carrots and 2 potatoes, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup green beans, in pieces
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• Pistou: 1 large bunch basil
• 3 garlic cloves and 4 tbsp olive oil
• Grated hard cheese, to serve

Instructions

1. Soften the onion and leeks in olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and stock, then simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini, green beans, and white beans and cook 12 minutes more.
4. For the pistou, crush the basil and garlic, then work in the olive oil to a paste.
5. Season the soup well and ladle into bowls.
6. Stir a spoon of pistou into each bowl and pass grated cheese at the table.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus more to brush
• 2/3 cup pitted olives, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• Flaky salt to finish

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt, then add the water and olive oil to form a soft dough.
2. Knead 8 minutes until smooth, fold in the olives and rosemary, then rise 1 hour.
3. Divide in two and flatten each into a leaf shape on lined trays.
4. Cut several diagonal slashes and stretch them open so the holes stay distinct.
5. Brush with olive oil, scatter flaky salt, and rest 25 minutes.
6. Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 18 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool on a rack.

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh cherries, stemmed
• 2 tbsp butter, for the dish
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra to finish
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar to serve

Instructions

1. Butter a baking dish generously and scatter the cherries over the base.
2. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale, then whisk in the flour and salt.
3. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk to a smooth, thin batter.
4. Pour the batter gently over the cherries.
5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 40 minutes until set and golden at the edges.
6. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.