Dreamy Dining Room

My husband and I rented a beautiful two bedroom apartment in the historic center of Uzès, South France. This apartment is within walking distance of everything, so convenient, so relaxing, and so inviting. If you ever get a chance to visit this charming town, plan on staying a few days.

We found this stunning apartment on AirBnB, called C’est la Vie, managed by Dominique and Christophe Cachat. She is American, and he is French. Dominique loves remodel, decorating projects, brocante finds, and it shows. They offer a number of properties to rent in the area which can accommodate a number of guests. Their website is www.uzesvacationrentals.com

Dreamy Kitchen

The kitchen all on one side, and all in white, has everything, even a dishwasher. I must admit we ate out most evenings, at wonderful tiny restaurants, some which were recommended, and some we stumbled across.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in Uzès. We went to the Wednesday morning market which is bustling, located in the town center under beautiful canopy trees called Place aux Herbs. We had fun browsing, and bought some beautiful vibrant red-ribbed tomatoes, olive oil, black olives, Camargue (the wild marshland natural region south of Arles) honey, and more. From the cheesemongers we bought fresh goat cheese medallions and aged Tomme sheep cheese.

Rainbow Swiss Chard at Uzès Wednesday Market

Engaging in conversation with the chatty sheep cheesemonger, Monsieur Cheesemonger gave us this tub of his whipped sheep ricotta cheese as a gift. He wanted us to try it. He suggested it could go with sweet or savory. He said, “Have it for breakfast with fruit and honey, or in the evening with olive oil and herbs on a baguette.” Wow!

A Gift of Whipped Sheep Ricotta Cheese

I thought for a while, what could I make with this whipped sheep ricotta as a dinner. What came to me was a pasta dish inspired by Half Baked Harvest One Pot Recipes, a sort of loose combination of these two recipes,

One Pot Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta and One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta. I had mades these recipes before, and was inspired to do something similar with the ingredients I had. I didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes, but I had wonderful fresh market tomatoes.

Fresh Spinach Washed, Dried and Cut Up

I prepared the lovely fresh spinach, rinsing, drying, and cutting it up. I added a little Basil Olive Oil to a large pot, and began warming it.

Finely chopped a shallot and sauteed it in the pan. I then added my beautiful market tomatoes ( I wished I had bought more), a couple of tablespoons of rich tomato paste, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, chopped black olives, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. The tomatoes began to break down, and a nice sauce started.

Making Tomato Sauce with Black Olives

When I felt the tomato sauce was ready for the last ingredients, I added 8 ounces of shelled dry pasta, all of the spinach, and about 4 cups of water to the same pot, gently stirring on a medium low heat.

Adding Pasta, Water, and Spinach to the Sauce

Ten minutes or so later, the pasta had absorbed all of the water, and also the beautiful tomato sauce. It was a nice, creamy texture. Since I thought this sheep ricotta cheese was so fresh, and so special, I used it as a topping on the pasta, being very generous with a big dollop, rather than mixing it in with the tomato pasta. I think that was a good idea, because I didn’t want to take away the fresh flavors of the sauce.

One Pot Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Whipped Sheep Ricotta

We had a baguette to serve with our pasta dish, so one could also put the whipped ricotta on the baguette too. My one pot pasta dish turned out beautifully. It was a wonderful relaxing evening in with a delicious dinner and a nice bottle of wine.

I didn’t even mention the wine. Since we are winemakers, we always like to explore the wines of the area when we travel. The wine in this area is very, very good, and quite reasonable. Many of these wines are made with the Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre grape varietals. We befriended the local savvy wine merchant, who suggested a few local bottles for us to try. Chin! Chin!

à Table, Chin Chin, et Bon Appétit!

Not to forget dessert. The French really have some amazing desserts and pastries to tempt you. Earlier in the day, we stopped at our favorite boulangeries/pâtisserie and picked up a Lemon Meringue Tart for dessert. Heaven. I hope you enjoyed, Dreamy Dinner Chez Nous!

Splitting a Lemon Meringue Tart for Dessert

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie