This Culinary Tour de France would not be complete without a great soup. Trust me, I picked the right recipe…this Zucchini and Curry Soup is really good. By using hot curry powder, you can add an extra “zing” to it. I imagine having some of this soup on hand to help me warm up after a cold bike ride in the winter. It also doesn’t have a lot of added fat making it light yet filling.

Zucchini and Curry Soup
(Potage de Courgettes au Curry)
From: The Paris Cookbook

1 large onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin half-moons
2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder or to taste (I used hot curry powder.)
Fine sea salt to taste
1 quart homemade vegetable stock
4 small zucchini (about 12 ounces total), rinsed and cut into thin rounds

In a stockpot, combine the onions, oil, curry powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Stir to coat the onions.

Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring, until the onions are sft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the stock and zucchini and stir to blend.

Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Process the liquid in a blender, food processor, or with a handheld immersion blender until emulsified into a smooth-textured mixture. (The soup may be prepared ahead of time up to this point. Cool and refrigerate.)

At serving time, reheat the soup, and serve it in warm shallow soup bowls.

Just like the cyclists in the Tour de France, today I’m taking a day of rest. Don’t worry, the Culinary Tour de France will be back shortly!

I’m still moving forward with the sprinters points on this Vegetarian Tour de France. I’m looking for fast and flavorful recipes and these beets fit the bill. As a bonus, they are so brightly colored that they’ll liven up any dull plate. (Rather than a sprinter’s jersey perhaps these should get the most aggressive jersey because of the deep red color?) They do have a strong flavor but they do take some of the “ick” out of the beet aversion some folks may have.

French Baked Beets
From Not Just Recipes.com

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 6 fresh medium beets, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix vinegar, garlic, herbes de Provence and rosemary. Place beets in the mixture and marinate 30 minutes.

Place beets and marinade in a 7×11 glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes, or until beets are tender.

Remove beets, place on a serving dish…

and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Many of the dishes that I’ve done for the Vegetarian Tour de France take a long, long time to cook. It’s time to get some quick dishes into this tour. In other words, it’s time for me to work towards the green jersey and go for some sprints.

These Braised Tomatoes are done in no time flat with very little prep work. If you use fresh, local tomatoes, you’ll be treated to a flavorful side dish that’s very quick and easy to prepare.

Tomates à la Provençale   (Braised Tomatoes)
From Traditional French Food

• 6 large tomatoes, deseeded and halved
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons of oil
• 1 small handful of chopped parsley
• fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
• salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Fry the tomatoes (in the olive oil) on both sides very briefly. Put them on a baking sheet cut side up

Mix the garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, thyme (or basil), salt and pepper together. Put a little of the mixture on each tomato.

Then bake in the oven for 10 minutes (until softened a bit and starting to bubble).

Sprint photo by Mark Blacknell. Used with permission.