A STAGE*, A DISH: SISTERON LAMB DAUBE

 Nice-Sisteron, 08/31/2020


Third stage today, Nice-Sisteron, leaving the "County of Nice", part of the Savoyard State or, as its name didn't tell it, a former dependance of Italy till 1860, or rather of what will become later on Italy, to enter the "County of Provence", part of the Kingdom of France since the 15th century... As if the Tour was back home. Just kidding. Of course, Nice is a totally French city, but it is interesting to remember that countries have not always been what they currently are...
Sisteron is a city located in the very North of Provence, which is known for its lamb, l'agneau de Sisteron. One of Provence's specialties is the Daube Provençale, i.e. a meat stew similar to Boeuf Bourguignon (culinarily speaking, Boeuf Bourguigon is in fact a daube), involving either beef, bull (the Camargue's bull daube named gardianne), wild boar, mutton... And very logically, the Sisteron's daube is made with lamb. The meat is normally marinated and cooked in red wine, but the lamb daube from Sisteron and Avignon is cooked in white wine, here an excellent Southern Côte du Rhône blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Picpoul, which paired very well with the traditional orange flavors (juice, rind) of the Provençale daube.
I added a little twist: since the stage started from Nice, and that the daube niçoise incorporate mushrooms, I incorporated baby chanterelles to this daube. On top of those, I served it with panisse, another Provence's specialty that could be described as a polenta made with chickpea flour and pan-fried in olive oil.
Delicious!
During the Tour de France, combining two of my passions, biking and cooking, I will try to present (almost) every day a recipe from the route followed by the peloton.

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