Everything is leisurely in Provence. Particularly the lunch hour, or hours I should say. Shops, markets and often museums close about 12:30 or 1pm and don’t reopen until 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. So the best thing to do as the southern French do and find a good spot to enjoy the mid-day meal until everything gets going again.
A few days ago, I went to our nearby village of Maussane-les-Alpilles for a good, long lunch. I was in the mood for a real Provençal repast made up of regional specialties – none of the mod French ‘nouvelle cuisine’ for me on this day. I decided to try a classic restaurant named ‘La Pitchoune’ (expression meaning “the little one”)* there on the town square just across from the village church.
It was a beautiful day and wonderfully cool in the shade of the large platane tree (sycamore) on the terrace. I approached the owner, put forth the required ‘Bonjour, Monsieur’ and asked for a table for two. Only Monsieur did not hear my initial greeting. So je me suis fait gronder – I got myself a good scolding for not being polite. Like any self-respecting French person, I protested – standing up for oneself is a way of life in France – and let him know that I did in fact greet him properly. Immediately, he excused himself saying that he had not heard me. And that he was so used to les étrangers (foreigners) who neglected good manners. I sympathized. With that, all was forgiven and we sat down to a lovely lunch.
To start, I chose the fleurs de courgette farcies (stuffed zucchini flowers). This very seasonal delicacy features the brilliant yellow-orange blooms of the zucchini plant before they turn into the squash itself. La Pitchoune’s version included the flowers with tiny starts of zucchini squash. The blooms had been stuffed with a light ricotta-type cheese and spices and were served on a tomato coulis. It was a Provence garden on a plate.
Délicieux (delicious), particularly with a local rosé wine from le Mas de Gourgonnier.
After this nice entrée (‘starter’ in French), I went on to the main dish of daube à la provençale. Daube is beef bourguignon southern-France style – a rustic and earthy dish of beef cooked long and slow in red wine. It hearkens back to the days when Provence farming families would leave a daubière earthenware pot of inexpensive beef with red wine to cook for hours on the hearth while they worked outdoors. Like beef bourguignon, daube is typically served with tagliatelle pasta. La Pitchoune’s version was wonderful and full of flavor – and the local red wine also from the Mas de Gourgonnier was a great match.
To wrap up the lunch en plein air (outdoors), I chose the plateau de fromages which was heavy on local chèvre, or goat cheeses. How does the cheese tray work? When it is brought to your table, you serve yourself by cutting a bit from several varieties. On this day, I chose only goat cheeses which were served along with local olive oil from the Moulin du Mas des Barres – one of my favorites.
It was 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon by the time we finished our Provence lunch. The meal was just what I wanted – real traditional French food with a southern French flair. And enjoyed with no rush at all. Provence pleasure at its finest.
* La Pitchoune is located at 21, place de l’église (place Laugier de Monblan) in the village of Maussane-les-Alpilles, just a few minutes from Les Baux-de-Provence.