I thought it might be fun (!) for us to identify our top 3, most common (normally seen on average local menus) departmental (not regional - they are just far too big!) dishes.
So here we go for the Ariège 09 in Occitanie (Pyrénées-Méditerrané):
Confit / Manchons / Gésiers / Magret de Canard etc + frites (anything duck with chips)
Pièce de Boucher + frites (unspecified lump of meat with chips)
Poulet Fermier + frites (emaciated chicken with chips)
My 3 dishes.
Always found in and around maubouguet
Garbure ( round here it is basic cabbage soup but does vary regionally
Confit Chicken et frits chicken leg cooked in duck fat with chips
Foie de veau calves liver usually with mashed potatoes and onion gravy
Well there’s always one I thought so, but aligot saussice just doesn’t do it for me and I think everyone across the SW is going to go on about canard in all its forms so I’ll leave that for them. I could add échaudés, other half and kids would add gâteau à la broche, pascadous and others, yes I’m in the Tarn now but their racines aveyronnaises are strong and we’re only just across the border!
bon appétit
Charolais steak frites
Boeuf bourginon
Anything else with beef
We also have a modern twist on fish and chips thanks to a new local restaurant , the Auberge de Donzy run by Brits.
None of which will I eat. At lunch with a friend he once told me happily, as he tucked into his tête de veau: “look I got the nose”. They even served me riz d’agneau in hospital. Thankfully there’s always saucisse-aligot, steack-frites to fall back on. And a lot of really good restaurants nearby with wonderfully adventurous menus.
Local variety, sold by our Baker: Deep, square, flaky-pastry pie containing; sliced potatoes, sausagemeat with garlic & herbs, seasonings…
I pour a little white wine through a hole in the top/middle… let it soak in for about 15 mins… then reheat the “pie” on a tray in a really hot oven for about 15/20 mins. Served with “haricot plat” and a little home-made gravy… important: glass of red wine… heavenly…
I was correcting Simon’s spelling and I see he has put it right. Cornwall might be famous for pixies and pasties but their singular forms are pixie and pasty. I like the sound of your local version.
It really is delicious… but tonight I needed a second glass of wine, as I had to toll the bell for tomorrow’s funeral…of a dear friend and neighbour… the whole commune is in mourning