VanGogh painted no more than 5 miles from this road.  The
quintessential Provencal road, covered with the plane trees giving shade to a hot day.  We had just docked in
Marseilles, that gritty and chic town where bouillabaise reigns supreme.  Tasty pastries, soaps colored with
the pallette of hues that make this area so attractive.  It's not just the scenery, straight of the walls of Metropolitan
Museum of Arts' Impressionistic wing.  It is the sea and mountains which bring strong mistral winds and hot
scirocco heat to the stuccoed and stoned villages perched on craggy cliffs or circling a salty bay.  The Medi-
terranean is alive and well in this Southern section of France.  One of my favorite places on earth. Just that
road pictured above was all I needed to see to satisfy my craving egged on when I'm reading a Patricia Wells
or Paula Wolfert cookbook.  But, we were on our way from Marseilles,via Aix-en-Provence, to St.Remy deProvence.
    If you can spot the tower in the center, you will see
the Church of Notre Dames de la Garde who overlooks and protects the harbor of Marseilles.  We wound our way out
of the ship terminal and picked up our rental minivan.  Then our day in Provence began.  Not far out of the city the
urban sprawl gives way to the Provencal landscape captured by many an artist.  After seeing quite a few towns
we made our way to St.Remy de Provence, a town where you can still feel the laid back feel of the region.  Not too
many attractions in the city center to turn it into a tourist circus, and there was a decent place to eat full of local
color and characters, Brasserie du Commerce on the Place de la Republique in the town center.


      The day was hot and the mineral water with lime and lots of ice was just the refreshment I was craving.  After
a walk around the Place we sat down to a leisurely afternoon meal while a group of men played cards inside
the Brasserie.  The dessert case was particularly alluring, soccer trophies lining the walls, this was a real
neighborhood joint, bistro, whatever.  Now it was time for ordering.  My youngest daughter made the mistake
of ordering Le Burger avec fromage...a grey, lifeless mound of muscle with a cold piece of gruyere.  What a
waste of the poor steer, and of that quickly hardening piece of cheese.  We ordered a salad, le specialite' de
maison, and I ordered the Poulet Basquaise.  Ok, Basque cooking comes from an altogether different region of
this country and Spain, but we were in Provence.  Tomato and Peppers are at their best this time of the year
so I had to try it.  First the salade....
  The house salad was a melange( I will
try to get as many French words in this post just so you think I am truly authentique) of carrots, picholines, the Provencal
tiny brined black olive, radishes, tomatoes, red cabbage, mixed lettuces.  A crouton topped with a warmed knob of
Chevre' (Je suis Francais), a locally made goat cheese sprinkled with Herbes de Provence.  The vinaigrette was a
simple on made with Dijon Mustard, good Cider Vinegar, Provencal Olive Oil, salt and pepper...It REEKED of its
location...good crisp farm salad ingredients topped with more local ingredients...with a dressing that brought all those
garden flavors to the forefront.  This alone is a meal.  Ok, not a meal for me, I need a little more...So, Poulet Basquaise.

  This dish of peppers, onions,
tomatoes, lemon, thyme and chicken thighs and drumsticks was awesome...the linguine was fine, but could have
used some chopped parsley..it had the look of a bad cafeteria plate...but was dressed with a fruity olive oil and that
made up for the commercial looking pasta.  Here is my rendition of Poulet Basquaise. 
4 drumsticks
4 chicken thighs...marinate them in 3 tbs. olive oil, 1/2 glass of white wine, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme, salt, pepper and
a clove of garlic.  Let this sit in the refrigerator for 6 hours.  Remove and pat dry.  Heat a heavy skillet with 2 tbs. of
Olive oil.  Season the chicken with lots of salt and pepper and brown the chicken, drumsticks first, then the thighs for
10 minutes on each side on medium heat.  Remove them to an ovenproof platter, cover and keep in a warm oven.
Slice 2 large green peppers and one red pepper.  Saute in the oil for 8 minutes, then add one sliced onion, saute for
an additional 8 minutes,  add 1/3 cup chopped ham.season with salt and pepper, add the marinade and bring to a boil. Then add 1/2 cup
Imported San Marzanos Blend well, bring back to a boil and add the chicken.  Reduce heat and let this simmer for
1/2 hour.  Serve with an oiled pasta.  Simple flavors....
 

I wonder if these villagers of St-Remy are still playing cards, or if, while I had a good
piece of Poulet Basquaise between my jaws, knew I saw his hand?
C'est la vie.....

 the streets of St-Remy-de-Provence