From St Tropez, with love
It all started when my parents met in St Tropez during the summer holidays when they were young. Since then, my family has come to this beautiful little fishing town every year, and I haven’t spent a single summer away from it.
My new book is my personal food journey round the historic town and surrounding area. In my 1970s Citroën van, our neighbour’s boat and at times on my trusty bicycle, I love to explore Provençal cuisine and create recipes inspired by the locals, places and stories of my summers here. I am passionate about the Riviera style of cooking: strong, fresh flavours and colourful food that is, above all, utterly delicious.
The St Tropez of today retains echoes of its long history and traditions. It’s full of artists, fishermen, vineyards and bric-a-brac markets, as well as amazing restaurants, neighbourhoods and producers creating wonderful food far off the beaten track. I want to show you the classic, often forgotten, side of town – far away from the mega-yachts and spray of champagne… I want you to discover the St Tropez I fall in love with summer after summer.
SOCCA FROM NICE WITH CRUSHED AVOCADO AND ROASTED CARROTS
Serves 3
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Slice the carrots lengthways into thin strips, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a little avocado oil and cinnamon and roast for about 40 mins, until tender and golden.
Meanwhile, mix the chickpea flour, cold water, rosemary, seeds and lemon zest in a bowl and add a few drops of lemon juice. Leave to stand for 15 mins. In the meantime, whisk all the dressing ingredients together, taste to check the seasoning and set aside in the fridge. Halve, peel, stone and lightly mash the avocados in a bowl, leaving some chunks. Season with salt and pepper and add the remaining lemon juice, a splash of avocado oil and the chives.
Start cooking the socca when the carrots are almost ready. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and pour in a little of the batter. After about 1 min the underneath should be golden; flip the pancake over with a spatula. Cook for another minute or so, then remove and repeat with the remaining batter.
Arrange the socca on three plates with a generous spoonful of the crushed avocado and a few cinnamonroasted carrots, then drizzle with the yoghurt dressing. Serve immediately.
PINK CHARD AND VEGETABLE TART
Serves 4
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 25cm tart dish with non-stick baking paper. Place the aubergine slices on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. After 10 mins, pat dry with kitchen paper. Season with pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place on one side of a large baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper and sugar and arrange them cut-side up on the other side of the sheet. Roast for about 20 mins, until tender, turning the aubergine slices halfway through. The tomatoes may take a little longer – you want them to be shrivelled up at the edges.
Meanwhile, slice the chard stalks and roughly chop the radicchio leaves, setting a few whole leaves and sliced stalks aside for garnishing. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chopped leaves and sliced stalks and cook for 7 mins or until wilted by about half. Add the garlic and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, cook for 2 more mins, then remove from the heat.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, fit it in the tart dish and brush it with the beaten yolk. Bake for about 13 mins, until golden and puffed up. Spoon over the chardradicchio mixture, arrange the roasted aubergine and tomatoes on top, tumble over the reserved radicchio leaves and pink chard stalks and scatter over a few basil leaves. Finish with a drizzle of extravirgin olive oil and serve immediately.
PLACE DU SUD WARM GOAT’S CHEESE SALAD
Serves 2
Ingredients
Method
Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and taste to check the seasoning. Heat a saucepan over a high heat, add the hazelnuts and toast until slightly darker in colour, shaking the pan. Tip out and leave to cool. Roughly chop about half the nuts, keeping the rest whole. Wash and dry the lettuce and rocket leaves in a salad spinner and tear them into a mixing bowl. Add the figs and hazelnuts.
Add the olive oil to the same pan over a medium heat. Cut the goat’s cheese into 1cm slices, and when the oil is hot, fry the slices for about 1 min, until golden. Turn over to brown the other side, then remove from the heat and spoon over 1 tablespoon of the honey dressing. Toss the salad in the rest of the dressing. Carefully arrange a few slices of the warm cheese on the serving plates, followed by a mound of leaves on top. Pile over the nuts and figs and finish with the last of the cheese. Serve immediately.
Nina St Tropez: Recipes From The South Of France, by Nina Parker, with food photography by Paul Winch-Furness, is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £20, or eBook, priced £10.99.
My new book is my personal food journey round the historic town and surrounding area. In my 1970s Citroën van, our neighbour’s boat and at times on my trusty bicycle, I love to explore Provençal cuisine and create recipes inspired by the locals, places and stories of my summers here. I am passionate about the Riviera style of cooking: strong, fresh flavours and colourful food that is, above all, utterly delicious.
The St Tropez of today retains echoes of its long history and traditions. It’s full of artists, fishermen, vineyards and bric-a-brac markets, as well as amazing restaurants, neighbourhoods and producers creating wonderful food far off the beaten track. I want to show you the classic, often forgotten, side of town – far away from the mega-yachts and spray of champagne… I want you to discover the St Tropez I fall in love with summer after summer.
SOCCA FROM NICE WITH CRUSHED AVOCADO AND ROASTED CARROTS
Serves 3 Ingredients
- 3 large carrots
- 4 tsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 90g chickpea flour (also known as gram flour)
- 140ml cold water
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp sunflower seeds
- finely grated zest of half an unwaxed lemon, plus 1 tbsp juice
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- sea salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp goat’s milk or Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- finely grated zest and juice of half an unwaxed lemon
- sea salt and black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Slice the carrots lengthways into thin strips, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a little avocado oil and cinnamon and roast for about 40 mins, until tender and golden.
Meanwhile, mix the chickpea flour, cold water, rosemary, seeds and lemon zest in a bowl and add a few drops of lemon juice. Leave to stand for 15 mins. In the meantime, whisk all the dressing ingredients together, taste to check the seasoning and set aside in the fridge. Halve, peel, stone and lightly mash the avocados in a bowl, leaving some chunks. Season with salt and pepper and add the remaining lemon juice, a splash of avocado oil and the chives.
Start cooking the socca when the carrots are almost ready. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and pour in a little of the batter. After about 1 min the underneath should be golden; flip the pancake over with a spatula. Cook for another minute or so, then remove and repeat with the remaining batter.
Arrange the socca on three plates with a generous spoonful of the crushed avocado and a few cinnamonroasted carrots, then drizzle with the yoghurt dressing. Serve immediately.
PINK CHARD AND VEGETABLE TART
Serves 4 Ingredients
- 1 aubergine, sliced into 1cm discs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
- pinch sugar
- 5-6 leaves pink chard (or use ordinary chard)
- 1 small radicchio rosso (or use red endive or chicory), leaves separated
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 250g fresh or frozen puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
- flour, for dusting
- 1 free-range medium egg yolk, lightly beaten
- fresh basil leaves, to serve
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 25cm tart dish with non-stick baking paper. Place the aubergine slices on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. After 10 mins, pat dry with kitchen paper. Season with pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place on one side of a large baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper and sugar and arrange them cut-side up on the other side of the sheet. Roast for about 20 mins, until tender, turning the aubergine slices halfway through. The tomatoes may take a little longer – you want them to be shrivelled up at the edges.
Meanwhile, slice the chard stalks and roughly chop the radicchio leaves, setting a few whole leaves and sliced stalks aside for garnishing. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chopped leaves and sliced stalks and cook for 7 mins or until wilted by about half. Add the garlic and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, cook for 2 more mins, then remove from the heat.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, fit it in the tart dish and brush it with the beaten yolk. Bake for about 13 mins, until golden and puffed up. Spoon over the chardradicchio mixture, arrange the roasted aubergine and tomatoes on top, tumble over the reserved radicchio leaves and pink chard stalks and scatter over a few basil leaves. Finish with a drizzle of extravirgin olive oil and serve immediately.
PLACE DU SUD WARM GOAT’S CHEESE SALAD
Serves 2 Ingredients
- 100g hazelnuts
- 1 round lettuce
- 50g rocket leaves
- 4 black figs, quartered
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150g goat’s cheese
- For the dressing:
- 2 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
- sea salt and black pepper
Method
Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and taste to check the seasoning. Heat a saucepan over a high heat, add the hazelnuts and toast until slightly darker in colour, shaking the pan. Tip out and leave to cool. Roughly chop about half the nuts, keeping the rest whole. Wash and dry the lettuce and rocket leaves in a salad spinner and tear them into a mixing bowl. Add the figs and hazelnuts.
Add the olive oil to the same pan over a medium heat. Cut the goat’s cheese into 1cm slices, and when the oil is hot, fry the slices for about 1 min, until golden. Turn over to brown the other side, then remove from the heat and spoon over 1 tablespoon of the honey dressing. Toss the salad in the rest of the dressing. Carefully arrange a few slices of the warm cheese on the serving plates, followed by a mound of leaves on top. Pile over the nuts and figs and finish with the last of the cheese. Serve immediately.
Nina St Tropez: Recipes From The South Of France, by Nina Parker, with food photography by Paul Winch-Furness, is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £20, or eBook, priced £10.99.