Thines
With the heat still pushing over 30 degrees most days, we felt really lucky to be able to enjoy some great hiking and drives in beautiful sunny weather. One wonderful drive, down a very twisty, mostly one lane road, took us to the ancient and tiny (microscopic) village of Thines. The road takes you deep into the country following a small river that meanders along the valley floor.
Chestnut and olive trees
Chestnut and olive trees are planted on the terraced mountainside and stone homesteads are hidden along the route blending in with their surroundings. After half an hour of blind corners and head-turning views Thines appeared seemingly carved from the top of a mountain that stood at the end of the valley.
Mule trail
We parked the car at a designated parking lot about a kilometer from the town, since cars are prohibited in Thines, and followed the ancient mule trail that winds its way through the woods to the village. Arriving at the entrance to the town you look up a steep flight of stairs that lead to the church.
Romanesque style
The church was built during the last quarter of the twelfth century in the Romanesque style and is quite simple except for the exterior carvings over the door. The frieze over the entrance depicts Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the last supper and, Jesus’ arrest. St. James, St. Peter and St. John are also depicted. Unfortunately, the carvings were vandalized and disfigured by the Huguenots during the wars of religion and remain that way to this day.
Never recovered
Amazingly, even as early as 1979 the ancient statue of Mary and the baby Jesus was stolen from the altar and never recovered. The church has been working towards its restoration but with less than ten parishioners it will be a slow and long process. In fact, we were told that there are now only 8 full-time residents in Thines.
WWII
The village is not so much built on the mountain but into it because it uses the rock outcropping as paths and for the foundation of most of the homes. It’s as though the houses grow out of the rock seamlessly with the landscape. At the top of the village sits a large carved monument dedicated to members of the resistance during WWII who were hunted and killed by the nazis.
The only restaurant
As we walked throughout the silent pathways a stiff mountain breeze blew up the valley and carried the smell of something delicious cooking at the only restaurant in the village.
Ardèchois products
Lunchtime was upon us so we sat down at one of the small tables lining the pathway and ordered up a charcuterie plate for two of all local Ardèchois products including caillette, pâté de campagne, three different sausages, smoked ham, picodon de chèvre and a salad picked from a garden 50 yards away.
Mountain air
It was a perfect and fitting lunch accompanied by some great music filtering down from the owner’s apartment above the café. The mountain air and silent zen of Thines were incredibly relaxing and sent us back to our home base content and mellow.
Bouquet garni
The next day we headed into town for some fresh bread and supplies because although the days were hot, the nights got cool and it had us craving some French comfort food, Beef Bordeaux (a play on boeuf bourguignon).
Returning to the farmhouse with all the ingredients, I prepared the dish and slid it into the oven to cook low and slow while Nat and I tied up some bouquet garni
Simmering stew
The cool air from the mountains soon came with the setting sun and the smell of the simmering stew was almost as good as its consumption.
A nearby plateau
The next day we set out on what would become a hike of about 20 plus kilometres through the rugged and rocky trails of a nearby plateau.
Seven km hike
It was supposed to be a seven km hike but because of a missed turn we ended up very far away from the car and had to double back, oy! Thankfully again it was a beautiful day and we had a chance to work off some of the previous night’s stew.
Chassezac River Valley
The following day we headed out into the country again to see if we could find some mushrooms. We were told that it was still too early but we did manage to find a handful of “faux royal” bolete, unfortunately for us, the Cepes that dominate the area were not up yet. Mushroom hunting is like fishing, sometimes you get some, sometimes you don’t. Instead, we headed to the Chassezac river valley to hike a loop along the cliffs and river. It was an amazing trail that wound down through huge boulders, under soaring overhangs and, up steep rocky crevasses.
Incredible views
Our reward was more incredible views of the interesting and sometimes bizarre landscape.
Cassoulet
For our final dinner in Ardèche, I wanted to cook my favourite French comfort food, cassoulet. I have cooked this dish many times before but there is something about cooking a dish with the local ingredients it was originally made with that makes it even more special (the French country setting helps too). For those who have never had the pleasure of eating cassoulet, it is a slow baked bean dish (lingot beans) with duck confit, stewed lamb, garlic sausage and bacon all simmered in veal stock and tomatoes with herbs.
Slow food
The ingredients can vary but this is my version. An original “slow food”, the cassoulet is cooked at a low temperature, slowly, in the oven until the ingredients almost meld together into one unique flavour. The proper construction of a cassoulet in France is widely contested but my favourite rule of preparation is the so-called secret of the seven skins: a film develops over the cassoulet while it cooks. This skin or film must be broken seven times to make a perfect cassoulet, culinary folklore instructs. Using the back of a spoon you push the dark skin down into the cassoulet dissolving it into the sauce and enriching its flavour, mmm cassoulet skin! Our cassoulet turned out perfect and we gobbled it up with a nice bottle of Côte du Rhone.
Traditional recipe
Here is my version of this traditional recipe. It’s satisfying to make, satisfying to eat and it is the ultimate comfort food.
- 2 cups dried lingot beans (great northern or cannellini beans will work too)
- 2 legs duck confit with fat
- 250 g lamb shoulder (stewing meat)
- 3 strips bacon, cut 3/8" thick and then into bricks
- 2 Toulouse sausages (or equivalent)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 to 4 cups veal or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup tomato purée
- 1 bouquet garni of bay leaf, thyme and rosemary
- Soak the beans overnight in water.
- In plenty of water, cook the beans (with a couple of bay leaves) for about 45 minutes or until just tender, drain and reserve.
- In a heavy frying pan over medium high heat, brown the lamb on all sides in a little of the duck fat from the duck confit.
- Remove the lamb to a large heavy casserole.
- In the same frying pan, brown the sausages until just cooked through.
- Cut them into 1 inch pieces and add to the lamb meat.
- Lightly brown the bacon and then the onion in the bacon fat, add the garlic and remove to the casserole.
- Pull the meat from the duck legs and add to mixture with the tomato puree.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix in enough beans to fill the casserole 1/2 an inch from the top.
- Ladle in enough warm stock to cover the beans and push the bouquet garni down into the middle.
- Place the casserole on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 325F for 3 1/2 hours.
- Moisten with stock as necessary and season to taste (the duck, bacon and sausage will be salty so be careful). Don't forget the secret of the seven skins!
- Optional: in the last half hour or so of cooking some cooks will add bread crumbs mixed with a little duck fat to the top of the cassoulet and bake until golden.
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