I made another summer pudding and had quite a few strawberries left over. I was wondering what to do with them when I remembered Jackie’s trick of macerating them in balsamic vinegar. I hulled and halved them, dribbled balsamic vinegar over the exposed halves, then sprinkled can sugar over them and put them in the fridge. Ever hour or so I gave them a stir to expose more of their surfaces to the liquid. After a few hours they were delicious, and I served them with unsweetened yoghurt.
The main variation was that there were no chips. I fried the gammon slices in butter and oil after thawing them out (following a previous meal). I fried an egg in the same pan, spooning hot fat over the top so that just the top of the yoke had a thin cloudy layer. And instead of chips I steamed some chopped fresh cabbage for 3-4 minutes to leave it still firm, and quickly stirred in a small knob of butter (a little goes a long way). The gammon was tasty, the cabbage sweet, and the egg nicely done and with the yolk still runny. I twirled black pepper on it before eating.
Back in the UK, and feeling the huge temperature gradient after the warmth of the Mediterranean, I opted for fairly simple fare after the huge quantities served in Nice. I ate smoked salmon with lemon juice and black pepper, alongside scrambled egg on wholemeal toast. The egg was made fluffier by the ‘Gordon Ramsay minute’ of ‘rest’ during cooking. I added salt substitute, black pepper and marmite, and ate a fruit compote afterwards.
Where there used to be the Bay restaurant at the foot of Place Massena, where the tramway turns toward the Old Town, is now Attimi. This is an Italian restaurant which features pasta, pizza, plus other traditional Italian dishes. I chose the parmigiano, whose name ought to mean “from Parma,” but it is in fact a Neapolitan dish. It came on a base of pizza-type pastry squares, with tomato, mozzarella, aubergine and parmesan, all gorgeously intermingled. It was a brilliant dish, largely because of the zing the tangy tomato and parmesan gave it.
It left me thoroughly satisfied, but my dining companion was up for dessert, so I drank coffee and watched enthralled as the strawberry tiramisu came in a lidded jar, with whipped cream resting on the open lid. It was declared to be “first class.”
Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes you can. I ordered a starter portion of petit fritto misto at l’Oustaou on Nice’s Boulevard Gambetta, expecting a small portion of deep-fried mixed seafood. I sometimes find that a starter portion is enough for lunch, especially on a hot day. What came was a gigantic portion of whitebait, with no other fish or seafood, just a small supporting salad. I didn’t like the lack of variety, in that there was not much to change tastes between, I didn’t even manage half the whitebait, though I ate enough to fill me up, and the glass of Provence rose helped wash it down.
Two of us decided to go for some typical Italian Nice cuisine, so settled on Al Barattolo on the Rue Massena in the pedestrian district. I ordered La Reine pizza, which I saw come out of the brick, wood-fired oven they have at the side of the dining area. The pastry was thin and crisp, and the toppings included tomato, mozzarella, parmesan, olives, ham, onion and mushroom, and maybe more. I ate two-thirds of it, which for me is pretty good going.
Over in Villefranche for lunch, I was tempted to eat lunch alongside the harbour, as I often do. A walk through the tiny Old Town, however, had brought me to the Café Jardin, a “restaurant, pizzeria and bar-a-vins.” On the specials board I saw espadon, or swordfish, which I like a lot, so I retuned there at lunchtime. Asked how I wanted it cooked, I replied “à point,” and was rewarded by quite a large swordfish steak cooked on the rare side of medium rare. It was superb, and came on a bed of green beans, courgettes and carrots. I drank my usual Provence rose with it.
A typical breakfast in Nice involves the morning’s fresh baked croissants and baguettes. There is ham, and sometimes smoked salmon. Three or four cheeses feature, usually including Comte and brebis. Four or five types of honey are involved, with at least one crystalline mountain honey. The jams and marmalades are of peach, blueberries and strawberries, with either butter or sunflower spread. Finally there is cold apple compote or yoghurt, often cherry flavoured. I drink black tea alongside.
Two of us ate at Le Quai, one of the restaurants on Cours Saleya, and an early favourite. We dined out of doors in the central area used for market stalls before noon, and for restaurant tables thereafter. I began with the assorted fruits, ordering the starter portion. It was gigantic, and would have made a whole meal in itself. It included two types of melon, two types of grapes, several pears and strawberries, and a block of excellent goat’s cheese.
The main course was an anti-climax after that. I’d ordered the Nicois farcis, or stuffed vegetables in the Nice style. Again, the quantity was too great, especially after the main course. There was aubergine, tomato, courgettes, all stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and vegetables with herb flavourings. They sat on a bed of green and ed pesto. It was delicious, but I suppose I ate about half of each course.
I flew to Nice over lunchtime, and missed out on a meal. Feeling slightly hungry in the afternoon, I stopped at one of the pavement cafes that offered sandwiches. They turned out to be wraps with a very Levantine flavour. I ordered a kofte sandwich, which came as a wrapped roll of soft tortilla, rather like a gyro. Inside were two long koftes of minced and herby lamb, with yogurt and assorted chopped, cooked vegetables. It was very filling and pretty tasty with it. Great value.