Le Puy-en-Velay

In the 80's, I spent a week in the Auvergne, a region visited infrequently by Americans.  I was there with  Bob Noah who had arranged for a group of us to have private classes at the French National School of Pastry (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie) in Yssingeaux.  That's a whole other blog. The region intrigued me and I had always wanted to go back. I got my chance this past Fall.


                                Xavier and I stopped in Yssingeaux briefly...had to see it again

then on to
 Le Puy-en-Velay
Not only is Le Puy known for being a stopover on the The Way of Saint James to Compostele (Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle), it is also well known for handmade lace and lentils.  

 

These volcanic peaks seem to just shoot out of the landscape....

We parked our car and began the walk up to Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation, a stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.  It was a climb and steeper than it looks!

Just when you think you are at the top, you enter the church and there are more steps.

I thought I was there.....

View from the top

    

Altar  

                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                          Sacristy                                      

Read here about John Adams journey in 1779, 10 years before he was 2nd President of the USA.  

(For this story, scroll down this link to 'history' )

and then think 1779!!

Local granite dominates the architecture....

The lace making fascinated me....

How does one keep track of all these pins and bobbins?

And finally, something we all know about...the green Le Puy Lentils.  Les Auvergnats call them 'le caviar végétal'.

Le Puy Lentils

2 CUPS Le Puy LENTILS

DUCK FAT  or OLIVE OIL

1 CUP CHOPPED PURPLE ONION

1/2 CUP CHOPPED CELERY

1 CUP FINELY DICED CARROTS

DUCK, CHICKEN, OR VEGETABLE STOCK

Wash lentils in several changes of water.  In a large saucepan, heat chosen fat and sauté onions, celery and carrots until tender.  Add lentils, and then stock to cover by 1-2 inches.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 - 30 minutes or tender.  Drain if necessary. 

Serve with sausages...How about a Toulouse sausage?

NOTE:  No need to soak lentils, a good rinsing is all that is necessary.  Be careful not to overcook.  Too many people put these into the dried ean category and think they need to be cooked for hours.  Lentils should be tender with a slight bite and you should be able to separate them with a fork....no mush!

French Villages: TOURNUS

From time to time, I want to feature some of my favorite villages of France.  First up is TOURNUS, a village in Southern Burgundy just north of Lyon not far from Macon.  Why this one, you say?  Well, on our treks north to Lorraine and on to Belgium, this is always our first stop.  It is one of the few locations off the auto route where there are gas stations at the exit. Plus fuel is 10-11 centimes cheaper per liter than at the auto route service areas.  And as you will see, it is a beautiful place to take a break.  Let's go.

Street into the village  leads to the 11th century church  

St. Philibert.

Crypt (upper left) is one of the most beautiful I have seen.

Below:  the cloister

Our jaunt through the village always takes us past beautifully restored places....

..... and finally to a stop at the artisanal boucherie where we can purchase a hard to find Saucisse de Morteau, a smoked sausage not from this area but from the Franche-Comté region...

Great saucisses et saucissons but look at the nice Bresse chicken in the upper right photo (first one on the left)....

In the end, we find ourselves on the Saone River....time for lunch...

I know, I know....lunch looks kinda meager, but we still have a long drive ahead of us......However, we have usually made a stop at the patisserie during our walk .. no yummy desserts this day....it was exceptionally closed ....c'est dommage!