I don't want to really be turning this into a travel blog (maybe that'll be next years project) but I couldn't write this post without saying anything about our recent trip to the Loire Valley. Despite the rustic, laid back (not to mention foodie-friendly) surroundings it was a surprisingly active holiday as I successfully persuaded Lolz to explore the area on bike, canoe and foot. There was certainly no calorie deficit however - the excellent breakfast provided by our B&B set the tone for the day. This would be followed by lots of bread and cheese, and the occasional crepe, galette or ice cream and a two or three course meal in the evening. That's not to mention the wine - local producers seem desperate to get you in their doors and are only too happy to let you quaff away at all their different varieties to help you choose what to buy.
As is traditional with British Channel-hoppers, we ended our holiday with a trip to Carrefour supermarket where we stocked up on beer (we'd already bought a healthy stash of wine from one of the Loire based cooperatives), cheese, French biscuits and, err, tomatoes. The variety on offer was mindblowing. I bought as much as I could reasonably hope to use before they go off, and resolved to cook as many multi-coloured tomato based 15 minute meals as I could.
I started off with this Nicoise salad. I visited the local fishmonger for the tuna who hooked me up with two huge steaks. Being a salad there's nothing terribly difficult in putting the dish together but I felt a little off my game today - probably something to do with the fact it's been over two weeks since I last got my Jamie on. It felt like there was a lot of chopping, and lots of separate components which needed preparing on their own.
I do love a good Nicoise however and to be honest, as long as I cooked the tuna ok, I was confident this would turn out to be good. And I wasn't disappointed. The basilly sauce/marinade/dressing was excellent - fresh and aromatic and brilliantly multifunctional.
Lolz gave the dish 9/10. Difficulty rating 5/10.
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