Today, we're offering a day of recipes inspired by local valley produce. We've chosen healthy, vegetarian recipes to appeal to a wide range of people. That said, these recipes are meant to be adapted to suit individual tastes and preferences, so feel free to add your own chef's touch.
At breakfast...
To start the day off right, nothing beats a recipe that's both vitamin-rich and delicious. Here's the recipe for red berry and oat crumble.
Ingredients:
- 750g of frozen red berries
- 150g of oat flakes (which can be found at "Val de nature" in Villé)
- 75g of soft butter
- 75g of almond puree (to be replaced by 75g of butter if you do not have almond puree)
- 60g sugar
- 1 tbsp of cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
The recipe is very simple; just put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, except for the cornstarch, and mix them together. Then, incorporate the almond puree and softened butter to form small pieces of dough.
For the fruit, arrange it in a dish and sprinkle it with a spoonful of cornflour and a spoonful of sugar, then mix.
Next, arrange the dough in small pieces over the fruit and bake.
The extra touch for food lovers: enjoy your crumble with a little skyr from the Humbert d'Urbeis farm…
At lunch...
For lunch today, we suggest a dish full of vegetables but comforting and full of flavor: pasta with zucchini, peas and fresh goat cheese.
Ingredients:
- 150g of wholemeal pasta
- 80g of peas
- 1 courgette (approximately 300g)
- 60g of fresh goat cheese (which can be found in the various goat farms in the valley)
- ½ onion
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
Start by cooking the pasta according to the package directions and add half the peas when there are only about ten minutes of cooking time left. Separately, sauté the washed and chopped zucchini, the remaining peas, and the sliced onion in a pan with a little olive oil. This step allows the zucchini to release its juices. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
Next, blend these cooked vegetables with the fresh goat cheese to obtain a sauce to coat your pasta.
Drain the pasta and add the sauce, adjusting the seasonings if necessary.
Serve in two bowls and sprinkle with a little parmesan or the remaining fresh goat cheese.
The extra gourmet touch: you can fry some sun-dried tomatoes to add to your pasta, this will add a little salty and tasty touch that will be appreciated by everyone.
At dinner...
A lighter dish is often appreciated for dinner, which is why the recipe for summer vegetable tart and Bargkass with its homemade pickle salad is particularly appropriate!
To start: pickled red onions
Ingredients:
- 2 Red Onions
- 20cl of cider vinegar (which can be found at the "La Houssirelle" farm in Urbeis)
- 20cl of water
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons of dill (optional)
- 2 star anise (optional)
- 120g sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp Espelette pepper (optional)
For the first step, slice your onions thinly and set them aside. In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and seasonings.
Meanwhile, put the chopped onions in an airtight, heat-resistant glass jar.
When the mixture in the saucepan comes to a boil, pour it over the onions and seal the jar. Wait a few hours for the mixture to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the jar.
A few hours later you can enjoy your delicious pickles, to add everywhere! (in a salad, a sandwich, as an appetizer…).
A little extra tip: The quantities indicated here are calculated for a medium-sized glass jar. You can adjust the amounts of water, vinegar, sugar, onions, and seasonings according to your container. We've included a non-exhaustive list of seasonings to add to your pickles, but they can also contain other spices (curry, mustard seeds, pink peppercorns, etc.).
Next up: mustard, vegetable and bargkass tart
Pour la pâte:
- 210g of type 80 wholemeal flour (semi-wholemeal flour) (which can also be found at "Val de nature" in Villé)
- Water
- 30ml olive oil
- A pinch of salt
Start by putting the flour, salt and olive oil in a bowl and mix. Add water little by little, until a smooth dough forms.
You can then set the dough aside.
Toppings:
- 600g of chopped tomatoes with the pulp removed (preferably a variety that is not too juicy)
- 420g of eggplant
- 130g thinly sliced onions
- 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of mustard
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Ail
To begin the filling, place a minced garlic clove and the onions in a saucepan with olive oil. Wait a few minutes until the onions become translucent. Then, add the chopped tomatoes and simmer gently for a few moments. This step is to evaporate the water from the tomatoes, so the pastry doesn't become soggy during baking. Finally, add the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
In a pie dish, spread out your pastry and prick it with a fork. You can then add mustard to the bottom, followed by your tomato stew.
Slice the eggplants into thin strips (about 5mm) and arrange them on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle the tart with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can then add slices of Bargkas cheese, if you like.
Bake at 180° for 45 minutes (check the cooking time from time to time, as it depends on your oven).
Serve the tart with a handful of green salad and your pickled red onions.
The extra touch for gourmets: don't hesitate to add a drizzle of honey from the valley's beekeepers to the tart as soon as it comes out of the oven… it will only be better!