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Provence Three weeks in Provence, March 2015

Orange on Market Day

Apr 9, 2015



Tom was going to be on a very short leash today. He still managed to provide misinformation that for the second day in a row set us off on the wrong road at the same roundabout. Despite this, it was a quiet and un-eventful drive across country and up the motorway to Orange.

It was market day and yet we had no difficulty parking on the fringe of the old town centre, just a 500 metre walk into the centre of town where the markets were set up. We had the feeling that while this is a large market, it is more for locals than tourists. Apart from buying a new wallet, we weren't there for the market.

Apart from an urgent need to find a WC, we were also in search of the TIO. Neither was signposted or easy to find. In desperation, we fell back on the usual option of going into a café where I would have a coffee and we could use their toilet. Orange is uniquely Orange. We ordered our drinks and took a table. Then enquired about where their toilet was, only to be told, "we don’t have one". Ches is pretty sure they did, but it was behind a secret door. Gulp down coffee and head on up the street. Find WC but it won’t accept our coins and refuses to open. Mine does after five attempts, Ches’s never does. Back to main street where Pizzaria has one and no problems in letting Ches use it.

All is now right with the world, or will be if we can ever locate the TIO. We do, right beside the main site we have come to see in Orange. The Roman Theatre.

This is one of only three left in the world with its stage wall still in place and it is vast. I wasn’t prepared to make the same mistake as I did yesterday, and accepted that while the stage wall is as it was after 2,000 years, the seating, with the exception of the first few rows has been rebuilt. Having come to see the stage, I suggested that while not on the same scale as the Pont du Gard it is almost as impressive, particularly when you visualise what it would have looked like all faced with decorated and carved marble and statues in all the niches.

We took the audio tour and sat for an hour on the front seats, soaking up the sun and listening to the story of the theatre and Orange (Oh-rahnge). Originally a celtic town, Caesars 2nd legion were rewarded in retirement with land in the area as they had been responsible for subjugating it. Roman soldiers weren’t necessarily “Italian”, however in the case of Caesars legions, they were primarily the unemployed of Rome and probably only 3,500 men. His legions owed their allegiance to him rather than Rome, so I speculated that having murdered him, the senate or whoever, were happy to honour the retirement contract and settle them with land as far away from Rome as possible. A theatre with all day performance on one hundred days of the year was also designed to keep them amused rather than engaged in politics.

Originally tragedies were the main feature, with comedy and improvisation to follow. This allowed them lift their spirits after the gravity of the tragedy. I remember an episode of “Time Team” when they demonstrated the acting of a tragedy. The lines were delivered with extreme “melodramatic” diction. By contrast, the comedies and improvisation was pretty vulgar and eventually evolved into the pornographic and became the most popular. Guy’s in tunics with long swing “*****” .

When Christianity became the state religion around 300 AD, the theatre was closed down and was allowed to deteriorate. From then on, it became a quarry with the stone seating removed to build houses and the marble to decorate the homes of the wealthy. By the time the barbarians from the north (read Germans) sacked the town, people were building houses inside the theatre, using the wall as a wall of their houses, for protection.

By the late 1500’s a soldier from the Netherlands were given the town by Charlemagne and he took on the title of William, Prince of Orange. Spain ruled the Netherlands at this stage and it wasn’t till they won their independence that he could return to the Netherlands and establish the House of Orange.

For those who can stand a little more history, a Dutch lecturer I had years ago (Economic History), explained that in Dutch history, they were taught that the Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet of troops sailing to put down a rebellion in the Netherlands and that Drake took advantage of the fact that the ships were overloaded with troops and represented an easy target.

The Spanish Armada (Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada , literally "Great and Most Fortunate Navy") was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and the Tudor establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would put a stop to English interference in the Spanish Netherlands and to the harm caused to Spanish interests by English and Dutch privateering.

Whatever, the Netherland regained their independence from Spain, the Nassau family became the House of Orange, their George eventually assumed the throne of England and as a Protestant lead the protestants in the Wars of Religion in the south of France, supported the establishment of The Orange Free State in South Africa, the “Orange” Northern Ireland and various protestant “orange” communities in the U.S.

Louis X1V, the “Sun King” captured Orange in 1672 and declared the Theatre wall as the greatest wall in his kingdom.

Ironically, Orange attracted international attention in the 1990s, when it elected a member of Front National as its mayor. It is now run by Jacques Bompard, a member of the conservative Movement for France which he joined after having resigned from the Front National. Ironic, because we haven’t been in a town and seen as many Hijab wearing women as we did in Orange.

We visited the museum opposite the theatre. I’s a fantastic compact museum that rather than have extensive impersonal exhibits, has themes in each room, largely around families and several local artists. One room is just a furnished living room with all the furniture from one of the ruling families, another is full of murals depicting the introduction of fabric printing.

No more than 300 metres from the Roman Theatre is the late 1800’s theatre. Kind of a contrast. Massive 6,000 seater for everyone and probably a 400 seater for the glitterati in the 2nd half of the 1800's. Didn't time change. And now its the 6,00 seater that's in use again with regular concerts and operas.

By 1.30 we were ready for lunch so we took up a bench seat in the park with all the locals and enjoyed the sun while eating filled baguettes we had brought from home. We followed this up with a long walk through town to see the Triumphal Arch. This one is a ripper. A large central arch with smaller arch on each side. Some interesting panels have survived. Several depict shields scattered on the ground with the odd sword and scavenging dogs. Here Ches and I had a different take on them. She thought several looked like pigs. I suggested that when they looked at the finished product, the designer said, "why are there pigs?" and the stonemason said," I just carved what you had drawn. It's not my fault if you draw dogs that look like pigs."

Another depicts the wreckage of a ship with broken mast, rope and block and tackle and a trident the most visible.

We were both about worn out and dying of thirst. All the way back we passed closed shops. Eventually, close to the carpark, we decided to try the drive through fast food place. We had no idea what it was. Twas McDonalds. We had observed that signs on roads are only around a half metre square and are green arches. This place had no signage other than the green arch sign at the driveway. Beggars cant be choosers and we were thirsty. We had mango frappe (basically a small mango thick shake) and it came with the universal "brain freeze"

A number of the older residents seem to use it as a meeting place to pass the time. Airconditioned and clean.

Tom gave us an uneventful trip back to Bonnieux.



History Roman Orange was founded in 35 BC by veterans of the Second legion as Arausio (after the local Celtic water god), or Colonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio in full, "the Julian colony of Arausio established by the soldiers of the second legion." The name was originally unrelated to that of the orange fruit, but was later conflated with it.

A previous Celtic settlement with that name existed in the same place and a major battle, which is generally known as the Battle of Arausio, had been fought in 105 BC between two Roman armies and the Cimbri and Teutones tribes.

Arausio covered an area of some 170 acres (69 ha) and was well endowed with civic monuments – as well as the theatre and arch, it had a monumental temple complex and a forum.

It was the capital of a wide area of northern Provence, which was parcelled up into lots for the Roman colonists. "Orange of two thousand years ago was a miniature Rome, complete with many of the public buildings that would have been familiar to a citizen of the Roman Empire, except that the scale of the buildings had been reduced – a smaller theater to accommodate a smaller population, for example."

The town prospered, but was sacked by the Visigoths in 412. It had by then become largely Christianized, and from the end of the 3rd century constituted the Ancient Diocese of Orange. No longer a residential bishopric, Arausio, as it is called in Latin, is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. It hosted two important synods, in 441 and 529. The Second Council of Orange was of importance in condemning what later came to be called Semipelagianism.

The sovereign Carolingian counts of Orange had their origin in the eighth century, and passed into the family of the lords of Baux. The Baux counts of Orange became fully independent with the breakup of the Kingdom of Arles after 1033. From the twelfth century, Orange was raised to a minor principality, the Principality of Orange, as a fief of the Holy Roman Empire. During this period the town and the principality of Orange belonged to the administration and province of Dauphiné.

When William the Silent, count of Nassau, with estates in the Netherlands, inherited the title Prince of Orange in 1544, the Principality was incorporated into the holdings of what became the House of Orange-Nassau. This pitched it into the Protestantside in the Wars of Religion, during which the town was badly damaged. In 1568 the Eighty Years' War began with William as stadtholder leading the bid for independence from Spain. William the Silent was assassinated in Delft in 1584. It was his son,Maurice of Nassau (Prince of Orange after his elder brother died in 1618), with the help of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who solidified the independence of the Dutch republic. The United Provinces survived to become the Netherlands, which is still ruled by the House of Orange-Nassau. William, Prince of Orange, ruled England as William III of England. Orange gave its name to other Dutch-influenced parts of the world, such as the Oranges (West Orange, South Orange, East Orange, Orange) in New Jersey, USA, and the Orange Free State in South Africa.

The city remained part of scattered Nassau holdings until it was captured by the forces of Louis XIV in 1672 during the Franco-Dutch War, again captured in August 1682 and was finally ceded to France in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht that ended the wars of Louis XIV. Following the French Revolution of 1789, Orange was absorbed into the French département of Drôme, then Bouches-du-Rhône, then finally Vaucluse. However, the title remained with the Dutch Princes of Orange.

Orange attracted international attention in the 1990s, when it elected a member of Front National as its mayor. It is now run by Jacques Bompard, a member of the conservativeMovement for France which he joined after having resigned from the Front National.

Orange was also home to the French Foreign Legion's armored 1er REC or First Foreign Cavalry Regiment. The 1er REC officially moved to Carpiagne on July 10th 2014.

Main sights[edit] The town is renowned for its Roman architecture and its Roman theatre, the Théâtre antique d'Orange, is described as the most impressive still existing in Europe. The fine Triumphal Arch of Orange is often said to date from the time of Augustus or Tiberius, but is probably much later, perhaps Severan.[3] The arch, theatre and surroundings were listed in 1981 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The Musée (Museum) displays the biggest (7.56 x 5.90 m) cadastral Roman maps ever recovered, etched on marble. They cover the area between Orange, Nîmes and Montélimar

The Théâtre antique d'Orange ("Ancient Theatre of Orange") is an ancient Roman theatre, in Orange, southern France, built early in the 1st century AD. It is owned by the municipality of Orange and is the home of the summer opera festival, the Chorégies d'Orange.
It is one of the best preserved of all the Roman theatres in the Roman colony of Arausio (or, more specifically, Colonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio:
"the Julian colony of Arausio established by the soldiers of the second
legion") which was founded in 40 BC. Playing a major role in the life
of the citizens, who spent a large part of their free time there, the
theatre was seen by the Roman authorities not only as a means of
spreading Roman culture to the colonies, but also as a way of
distracting them from all political activities.
Mime, pantomime, poetry readings and the "attelana" (a kind of farce rather like the commedia dell'arte)
was the dominant form of entertainment, much of which lasted all day.
For the common people, who were fond of spectacular effects, magnificent
stage sets became very important, as was the use of stage machinery.
The entertainment offered was open to all and free of charge.
As the Western Roman Empire declined during the 4th century, by which time Christianity
had become the official religion, the theatre was closed by official
edict in AD 391 since the Church opposed what it regarded as uncivilized
spectacles. After that, the theatre was abandoned completely. It was
sacked and pillaged by the "barbarians" and was used as a defensive post in the Middle Ages. During the 16th-century religious wars, it became a refuge for the townspeople.
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Roussillon

Apr 10, 2015


Well, it had to happen sooner or later and better for being later. After Easter, the tourist buses have finally appeared. All the back country roads aren't a deterrent and even in little Roussillon that we have tried to visit on two previous occasions had one at 10.30 am.

But that's still not what I'm talking about. We have also noticed an increase in rental cars, so the self drive tourists like us are also increasing in numbers and the mix of overly cautious (no such thing) and the downright intimidating drivers isn't a good thing. It's hard to tell if its only the locals who believe that the center of the road is theirs and everyone else can make do with the miniscule verge.

Finally I get to what I'm talking about. As we were driving back from Roussillon, an oncoming car maintained his line in the middle of the road. I headed for the edge of the road and we passed with an almighty "bang". For the first time in three weeks, I was driving with my window down. Thankfully my wing mirror was simply thrown closed and the mirror just popped out still attached to its electricals. I stopped, refitted the mirror, continued to swear, and drove off. Ches said she could see the driver of the other car out of his car and walking back down the road. I didn't bother to stop again. He caused the "prang" he can deal with it.

After such an idyllic couple of hours walking around the track past the ocher hills of Roussillon, it made me anxious when passing every other car on the way home. We therefore decided to abandon a drive down the infamous Lourmarin road to see the Roman sunburst bridge. We have passed it twelve times in the last fortnight and this time we were going to photograph it. I'll pinch someone else's photo.

We spent the afternoon packing for an early start tomorrow morning. We plan on being fully packed by 6.00 pm so that we can go out for dinner tonight.
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Recipes Gathered Along the Way
Bonnieux, France

Apr 10, 2015


  1. Fricassee Of chicken & figs with camargue red rice pilaf

    Camargue red rice pilaf
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 red onion, finely chopped
    2 sticks celery, finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic, chopped
    1 cup Camargue red rice (available from good supermarkets)
    1 teaspoon salt
    1@3/4 cups chicken stock or water
    70g slivered almonds, toasted
    1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped

    In a medium saucepan heat the oil and gently sauté the onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Add the salt, chicken stock or water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes then turn off the heat and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Toss the almonds and parsley through just before serving.

    Fricassee of chicken & figs
    2 tablespoons flour
    1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces, rinsed and dried
    1/2 cup white wine
    1 cup chicken stock
    200g dried figs, halved

    Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper together then coat the chicken pieces with the mixture.

    Heat the oil in a casserole and brown the chicken pieces until golden. Add the wine and chicken stock, bring to the boil, add the figs, then gently simmer covered for 30 minutes. Serve in wide bowls with some of the sauce and the pilaf alongside.

    Camargue Red Rice Salad with Feta Cheese

    This is a lovely salad for outdoor eating on a warm, sunny summer's day. Serves 4 This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book One and Delia's Vegetarian Collection

    Ingredients 10 fl oz (275 ml) Camargue red rice 7 oz (200 g) Feta cheese 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 2 oz (50 g) fresh rocket leaves, finely shredded 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped, including the green ends salt and freshly milled black pepper For the dressing: 1 small clove garlic, crushed 1 level teaspoon grain mustard 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly milled black pepper Equipment You will also need a 10 inch (25.5 cm) frying pan with a lid. Method First put the rice in the frying pan with a level teaspoon of salt, then pour in 1 pint (570 ml) boiling water, bring it back up to simmering point, then put a lid on and let it cook very gently for 40 minutes. After that, don't remove the lid, just turn the heat off and leave it for another 15 minutes to finish off. Meanwhile, make the dressing by crushing the garlic and half a level teaspoon of salt in a pestle and mortar, then, when it becomes a purée, add the mustard and work that in, followed by the vinegar and some freshly milled black pepper. Now add the oil and, using a small whisk, whisk everything thoroughly to combine it. Then transfer the warm rice to a serving dish, pour the dressing over and mix thoroughly. Taste to check the seasoning and leave aside until cold. Then add the shallots, the rocket and the spring onions. Finally, just before serving, crumble the Feta cheese all over.

    CAMARGUE RED RICE, CHICKEN, AND CHORIZO "PAELLA" § 250g Camargue red rice

    § 750ml water

    § 1 chicken stock cube, or 1 tbsp powder or concentrate

    § 1 tbsp vegetable oil

    § 4 chicken thighs

    § 2 red peppers, halved, de-seeded, sliced 1&1/2cm

    § 2 medium onions, peeled, sliced 1&1/2cm

    § 4 garlic cloves, peeled

    § 100g chorizo (sliced 1cm thick)

    § 4 tbsp sliced flat leaf parsley

    § Salt and paprika
    • Add the water and chicken stock to a medium sized saucepan. Bring to the boil and add the rice, then bring back to the boil and cover. Simmer rapidly for 25 minutes or until you are ready to add the chicken. The rice's total cooking time will be about 40 minutes.
    • Put a large plate and a bowl for draining fat into next to your cooker. Get a medium sized (24cm) sauté or frying pan, place on a medium heat and add the vegetable oil.
    • Next, season the chicken thighs with salt and 1/4 tsp paprika per thigh then fry the thighs over a medium to high heat for 6-8 minutes skin side down until they are golden.
    • Put the thighs onto the plate next to your cooker and drain half the fat into the boil.
    • Add the peppers, onion and garlic to the pan. Put the chicken legs on top and sweat for 12 minutes over a medium heat.
    • Add the rice and its cooking liquor to the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika and the chorizo. Cover the pan but leave the lid slightly ajar.
    • Simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is just cooked through.
    • Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and paprika. Sprinkle the parsley over the top. Serve from the pan.
    Pork and Apricot Ragout

    2 tablespoons olive oil
    2 ounces pancetta or bacon diced*
    2 pounds lean pork, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
    1 medium onion, minced
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 cups dry white wine*
    2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
    2 tablespoons slivered fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled
    Salt and pepper to taste
    2/3 cup pitted and halved green olives*
    1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots

    Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large stew pot. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spatula and set aside to drain on paper towels. Add the pork to the fat remaining in the pot and sear until browned on all sides, 5-7 minutes. remove from the pot and set aside temporarily.
    Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the white wine, and then stir in the tomato paste to blend well. Season with the sage, salt and pepper. Add the seared pork and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours.
    Add the olives and apricots to the ragout, cover again, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle the ragout with the reserved pancetta. Serve hot.

    Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Honey - 11/2 pounds brussels sprouts, halved, stems and ragged outer leaves removed*

    · 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    · 3/4 teaspoon salt

    · 100 gm lardons (smoked Pancetta)

    · 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    · 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    · 1 teaspoon honey

    Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

    2. In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts with Pancedtta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the brussels sprouts to frypan, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.

    3. Place brussels sprouts back in bowl. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve.

    4. *If you have some brussels sprouts that are very large, cut them into quarters. They should all be cut about the same size to ensure even cooking.




    Ile Flottante
    12 servings

    2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
    1 cup water, divided
    1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
    1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) sliced almonds
    8 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
    1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
    Creme Anglaise, recipe follows
    Creme Anglaise:
    4 extra-large egg yolks
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon cornstarch
    1 3/4 cups scalded milk
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    1 1/2 teaspoons Cognac
    Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean, optional
    Directions

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    For the caramel, heat 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat until the syrup turns a warm caramel color. Don't stir, just swirl it in the pan. Off the heat, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla; be careful, the syrup will bubble violently. Stir and cook over high heat until the caramel reaches 230 degrees F (thread stage) on a candy thermometer. Set aside.

    For the praline, combine the almonds with 1/4 cup of the caramel and spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature and then break up in pieces.

    Lower the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

    For the meringues, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Turn the mixer on high speed and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With dessert spoons place 12 mounds of meringue on the parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

    For serving, pour creme anglaise on the bottom of individual plates. Place a meringue on top of each serving, drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with praline, and serve.

    To make a day or two ahead, leave the caramel and praline at room temperature and refrigerate the creme anglaise. Bake the meringues before guests arrive and assemble the desserts just before serving.

    Creme Anglaise:
    Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

    With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don't cook it above 180 degrees F or the eggs will scramble!

    Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, Cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using, and chill.

    Yield: 2 cups

    Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina- garten/ile-flottante-recipe.print.html? oc=linkback
 

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