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Anak Band
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Transkrip
00:00Bienvenue en France. That's welcome to France to you and me.
00:08I'm travelling throughout this beautiful country to explore the very best in French cuisine.
00:14Bon appétit.
00:15It's a personal journey. It's where I learned to cook.
00:18Magical times. Magical times.
00:22And it was the home and inspiration for one of my biggest food heroes, Keith Floyd.
00:27And what's more, I bought his motor.
00:30This was Keith Floyd's very own car for 16 years.
00:35And it's now mine. Gives me goosebumps.
00:38So join me as I rediscover the food destination that has it all.
00:43This is really, really delicious.
00:57Ah, when the weather's this good here in France, you simply can't beat being out on the water.
01:13Bonjour.
01:15Bon appétit.
01:16Bon appétit.
01:17Bon appétit.
01:18Bon appétit.
01:19Bon appétit.
01:20This beautiful area isn't just home to boats. Underneath its surface contains hidden treasures.
01:30Yes, today on my French adventure, my crew and I will be heading down the glorious Canal du Midi.
01:37An historic waterway and a gateway to some of southern France's tastiest seafood.
01:46Built in the 17th century to improve export routes,
01:50the Canal du Midi carried essential goods like rice, wheat, wine and fish from inland France to the Mediterranean Sea.
02:01It runs an impressive 150 miles from Toulouse to Le Ton de Tau.
02:06And it's midway up in Carcassonne, where we start our journey.
02:11Once a major trading port for the canal, Carcassonne is a city steeped in over 2,000 years of history.
02:29Boasting generous servings of Roman and medieval architecture,
02:35not to mention more than a dash of tourist tat.
02:39It really is a stunning place this.
02:43Now I'm here early because I've been told that it gets really busy with tourists.
02:47In the spirit of this, I'm going to do a little bit of shopping.
02:50Mainly because I want to buy some presents for the crew. You see how nice.
02:56Finish this first.
03:00It gets busy around here pretty quickly.
03:03Thanks to its rich history and proximity to the canal,
03:06Carcassonne has become a favourite for souvenir hungry tourists, like me.
03:11Around 4 million of us tread these streets every year.
03:19And on my souvenir hunt, I managed to find a tasteful garden ornament
03:22that reminds me of my dog Ralph back home.
03:25But I don't think my lot appreciated it.
03:28Oh well, hopefully I can keep them happy with some grub.
03:37And I've found the perfect spot on the banks of the canal to cook a delicious fish feast.
03:42What an amazing location this is. It's beautiful, isn't it?
03:49You've got the canal, opens up into the big part of the river here,
03:53and then further around the corner, if you were to venture further around the corner by boat,
03:56you'd end up with Montpellier and then further around Marseille.
03:59And I thought I'd do a dish celebrating all that's best about the local area.
04:02We've got some beautiful clams, a nice little bit of fish, courgettes, and then olives.
04:08And I thought I'd use some of these to create a fish stew.
04:11So the first thing I'm going to do is take our nice piece of cod.
04:14Now, look at that fella. It's a big chunk of cod.
04:17And what I'm going to do is create something that I haven't done since I was at college, to be honest.
04:21I'm going to just cut this straight through the centre to create a little darn.
04:27That, ladies and gentlemen, is what they call a darn.
04:32It's a piece of fish with a bone right through the middle.
04:35Simple as that.
04:36So I'm just going to chop this into sort of four darns.
04:40Normally this would be done with salmon.
04:42So give it a whack through.
04:47So in the pan, a little drizzle of olive oil.
04:53So just pop the fish straight in.
04:57Wherever possible.
04:59It's a good idea when you've got fish this good.
05:01To keep the bone in.
05:02It keeps the moisture in.
05:04So often as a chef you just fillet this and pan fry it.
05:07But whenever you get fish like this.
05:09And I couldn't resist when I saw it.
05:11To buy a big chunk.
05:13So just flip it over.
05:15That's all I want.
05:16It's just a nice little bit of colour on it first.
05:18I'm not going to cook it all the way through.
05:22I'm going to finish off the cooking in the stew.
05:24So I'll retain all those lovely juices.
05:26This is a great way to eat fish.
05:29Turbo, halibut, any fish like this.
05:31Cod on the bone.
05:32Always cook it on the bone.
05:34So just lift this out.
05:40And get the pan nice and hot again.
05:42Because this is only going to take about five minutes to cook.
05:45Once I make everything else.
05:47Now we start off with this.
05:49Particularly for the sauce.
05:50Just with some aromats.
05:52Some shallots and garlic.
05:54You just chuck it all in.
05:55Stick the lid on it and leave it.
05:57It's perfect.
06:00For cooking on one of these boats.
06:02Maybe a little bit bigger than that one.
06:04And this one.
06:06And that one.
06:08Something slightly bigger.
06:11But still you get the drift.
06:14I like to use a little bit more.
06:17Garlic than usual.
06:19So just a touch.
06:20More.
06:22Start this off.
06:24Now into here as well.
06:26I'm going to put this.
06:27This is fennel.
06:28It's fabulous.
06:29Really underused back in the UK.
06:31It's great in salads.
06:33Thinly slice it.
06:34And refresh it in ice cold water.
06:36To make it come alive.
06:38But in a stew like this.
06:39If you cook it for long enough.
06:41It tastes delicious.
06:42So what I'm going to do now is grab some oil.
06:44Because it's kind of like a tomato based sauce really.
06:47For this one.
06:48So we take.
06:49The fennel.
06:51The onions and the garlic first.
06:53And start to sweat these down.
06:56So you get a wonderful aniseed-y sort of flavour from fennel.
07:01Particularly with fish.
07:02It's delicious.
07:03So just sweat that down nicely.
07:05And at the same time.
07:08We'll pop in a few of these.
07:09I couldn't resist these.
07:10These are fab.
07:11It's got between sort of a courgette and a squash I suppose.
07:13When you look at it.
07:14But they're really just a type of courgette.
07:16What I'm going to do is just chop these up.
07:20Into sort of dice.
07:22Now the reason why I'm putting everything in dice.
07:25Is that I want it to cook at the same time.
07:29So.
07:30In we go with the courgettes.
07:33Quick mix round.
07:36And then I can concentrate on these fellas.
07:39I couldn't resist this.
07:40Buying some beautiful tomatoes.
07:42These were for sale by the side of the road.
07:44They're just fabulous.
07:45Just look at the colours.
07:47Beautiful green ones.
07:48Just check that out.
07:49Look.
07:50Look at that.
07:51Just gorgeous colour.
07:53I've got an obsession with tomatoes.
07:55Not in a weird way.
07:56But just.
07:57Just an obsession.
07:58Because it reminds me so much.
08:00Of my grandparents.
08:02They used to have an allotment.
08:03When I used to get dropped off.
08:05To be babysat for.
08:06Used to venture down to the tomatoes.
08:08My grandad used to be so pleased.
08:10And so chuffed.
08:11That his grandson was taking interest in everything that he grew.
08:14The taste.
08:16Of a fresh tomato.
08:17There is nothing else.
08:18Like it.
08:19Full of moisture.
08:20Delicious.
08:21So we take the whole lot.
08:22They're going to go into our pan.
08:23Cook these down.
08:24Just for a couple of minutes.
08:25Just stew that down a little bit.
08:26Now the liquid.
08:27Of this.
08:28We're going to pop in.
08:29Some of this.
08:30This is passata.
08:31It's like sort of a puree of tomatoes.
08:32Not a tomato puree.
08:33Just a puree of tomatoes.
08:34That's going to go in there as well.
08:35A little dash of white wine.
08:36Right.
08:37Just to finish this off.
08:38Give this a quick stir.
08:39Now.
08:40The best advice I can give you is taste this first.
08:41Because at this moment in time.
08:42Before we add the fish and the clams and everything else.
08:44We need to season it.
08:45Because.
08:46What you don't want to be doing.
08:47Is stirring it around.
08:48It's like sort of a puree of tomatoes.
08:49It's like sort of a puree of tomatoes.
08:50Not a tomato puree.
08:51Just a puree of tomatoes.
08:52It's going to go in there as well.
08:53A little dash of white wine.
08:54Right.
08:55Just to finish this off.
08:56Give this a quick stir.
08:57Now.
08:58The best advice I can give you.
08:59Is taste this first.
09:00Because.
09:01At this moment in time.
09:02Before we add the fish and the clams.
09:03And everything else.
09:04We need to season it.
09:05Because.
09:06What you don't want to be doing.
09:07Is stirring it around.
09:08Afterwards.
09:09It's going to break up the fish.
09:10So.
09:11Black pepper.
09:12Now.
09:13A lot of times.
09:14The tomato.
09:15Particularly that passata.
09:16Can be quite.
09:17Bitter.
09:18So you need to add a pinch of sugar.
09:19But just make sure.
09:20It's seasoned properly.
09:21And everything just starts to.
09:23Just break up a little bit.
09:24Not too much.
09:25A little bit more salt.
09:26And.
09:27And.
09:28Now.
09:29Now.
09:30Now.
09:31Now.
09:32Now.
09:33Now.
09:34Now.
09:35Now.
09:36Finally.
09:37We're going to take our fish.
09:38So.
09:39I've got these.
09:40Chunks.
09:41Of cod.
09:42Just pop those in as well.
09:43Like that.
09:44Get all that juice out there as well.
09:45Some black olives.
09:46These are grown all over the place.
09:47Around here.
09:48In front of supermarkets.
09:49On roundabouts.
09:50Everywhere.
09:51We'll grab some basil.
09:52Just a few sprigs of basil.
09:53Just look at that.
09:54Just looks fabulous.
09:55And then.
09:56I couldn't resist.
09:57To get some clams.
09:58And just pop them.
09:59In amongst everything else.
10:00And after about.
10:01Sort of three or four minutes.
10:02These clams will start to open.
10:03And stick the lid on.
10:04Meanwhile.
10:05Rob.
10:06Will take 90 minutes.
10:07All over the place.
10:08All over the place.
10:09Around here.
10:10In front of supermarkets.
10:11On roundabouts.
10:12Everywhere.
10:13We'll grab some basil.
10:14Just a few sprigs of basil.
10:15Just look at that.
10:16It just looks fabulous.
10:17And then.
10:18I couldn't resist.
10:19To get some clams.
10:20And just pop them.
10:21In amongst everything else.
10:22Meanwhile.
10:23Rob.
10:24Will take nice.
10:25Pretty shots.
10:26Of everything around.
10:27I'll see you in a bit.
10:33Bonjour.
10:34See the name of that.
10:36I reckon they got bored.
10:37Le Boat.
10:41Of all the things you can call it.
10:45Now.
10:46To finish this off.
10:47Doesn't require too much.
10:49Just a touch.
10:50Of fresh basil.
10:51Just ripped up.
10:52Over the top.
10:53And because I'm a chef.
10:54We have to do this sort of thing.
10:55A little drizzle.
10:56Of olive oil.
10:57See that.
10:58Lift this out.
10:59How good.
11:00Does this look.
11:01You've got everything.
11:02All in one pan.
11:03Beautiful clams.
11:04Nice tomato sauce.
11:05A few olives.
11:06I'm going to try a bit of this.
11:07Because the fish just starts to fall apart.
11:09Look at that.
11:10I couldn't think of a better dish.
11:11To cook right here.
11:12It's delicious that.
11:13Module.
11:14Module.
11:15Often chefs.
11:16try to be far too complicated.
11:17Often chefs try to be far too complicated.
11:18I'm going to try a bit of this.
11:19I'm going to try a bit of this.
11:20I'm going to try a bit of this.
11:21I'm going to try a bit of this.
11:23Because the fish just starts to fall apart.
11:25Look at that.
11:26I couldn't think of a better dish.
11:37To cook right here.
11:38It's delicious that.
11:39Module.
11:40Often chefs try to be far too complicated.
11:45But food like this is proper food.
11:49Simple food.
11:50Tasty food.
11:51See that's the life I want.
11:54Instead of stood here.
11:56Sweaty like a pig.
11:59But there you go.
12:01My one pot fish stew.
12:02With darns of cod.
12:03Clams.
12:04And a selection of stunning local veg.
12:07Tasty that.
12:09My French culinary adventure.
12:13Has brought me from the chaos of Carcassonne.
12:16To Argde.
12:18And the calm.
12:19Of Le Canal de Medine.
12:22Okay.
12:23Relative calm.
12:25It's like waiting for the 748 to Waterloo.
12:32But to experience some of the stunning seafood this area has to offer.
12:36The crew and I are heading down the canal.
12:38To the coast.
12:39And in this area.
12:40This is the only way to travel.
12:41It's packed in here.
12:42I don't have to cook for this lot do I?
12:55Luckily there's no chance of that.
12:57You see our director informs me that the boat chef.
13:00Has in fact kindly offered.
13:02To cook us up.
13:03A proper local speciality for lunch.
13:06Look at him.
13:07What a trooper.
13:09So until then.
13:10I can sit back and relax.
13:13I've got a job.
13:14Okay.
13:15Well.
13:16That was the plan.
13:17Until the director had an idea.
13:20I'm on duty with the rope.
13:27As the boat go down I let the rope off.
13:32I think that's my cue.
13:47Okay captain.
13:48Right.
13:49Job done.
13:50I hope no one's taking my seat.
13:52And we're off.
14:01This is more like it.
14:04The canal is a masterstroke of French engineering.
14:08By the mid 1800s.
14:10Over a hundred thousand metric tons of goods.
14:13Were being transported down here each year.
14:16Since then.
14:17It's evolved into a wonderful way.
14:20For tourists to while away the day.
14:22En route to the coast.
14:24There's something really special about this.
14:26Really relaxing.
14:28I'm glad I'm not cooking lunch today.
14:30I don't know what it is.
14:32Water.
14:33What it does to people.
14:34It's just brilliant.
14:35This just brings back memories of my childhood.
14:37We didn't actually come on a canal barge.
14:39In France when we came on holiday.
14:41But what we did do.
14:43When we couldn't get to France.
14:44We used to go on holiday.
14:45Down the river Thames.
14:46Hire a boat.
14:47And me and my sister used to have huge arguments.
14:50Must have been about seven, eight years old.
14:52And where to eat.
14:53It was the days of the Bernie Inns.
14:54She always wanted to go there.
14:55With the steak.
14:56The jacket potato.
14:57The wrinkly peas.
14:58I was more interested in the salad bar.
15:00And the fancy mustard.
15:01Don't know what it is.
15:03It's just peaceful.
15:05Ish.
15:06Till he starts talking.
15:07This is equivalent to sort of a coach trip.
15:10On water.
15:14But here's something you definitely won't find.
15:16On a coach trip to Whitby.
15:18Ça va Olivier?
15:19Ça va, ça va.
15:20Ça va?
15:21Chef Olivier preparing lunch for no less than 140 people.
15:25In a kitchen so small.
15:27Cameraman Rob has to film it through a window.
15:30Olivier is creating a Vasquez dish.
15:32Basically which we've got.
15:33A light, light Vasquez.
15:35So we've got onions in there.
15:36And mixed peppers.
15:37Red and green.
15:40Sequoia.
15:41Paella.
15:42Paella.
15:43Okay.
15:44He's got some chorizo.
15:47Peppers.
15:48Mainly chicken.
15:50It smells amazing in here.
15:52Paella differs from north to south.
15:55Near the coast you get fish.
15:57Inland you get rabbit and snails and chicken.
16:03Less than 70 miles from the Spanish border.
16:06It's not surprising to find paella on the menu.
16:09In here now he's put in some onions and garlic.
16:12But the dishes cooking us has real local flavour.
16:15Thanks to its star ingredient.
16:20This is the cuttlefish going in there.
16:22Big chunks of cuttlefish.
16:24Yep, that's the one.
16:26Cuttlefish breed in the shallow lagoons you find at the coastal end of the canal.
16:30And Olivier knows just how to get the best out of them.
16:33Now this cuttlefish has been frozen.
16:35It's a good idea with cuttlefish, you can get it fresh, octopus, that kind of stuff, to freeze it.
16:41It tenderises it as well.
16:43The only other time I've ever had cuttlefish before was when I was actually in Cyprus and they hung it on the line, the clothing line, where they put their underpants and socks and stuff like that.
16:56And it was used to dry it out and that would tenderise it as well.
17:00But this is a much better alternative, I think.
17:04Salt and pepper going in.
17:07Dried bay leaves.
17:10And then herb of Provence.
17:12It's thyme, rosemary, that kind of stuff.
17:14A bit of white wine going in there now.
17:20Tomato puree going in now.
17:22A lot of tomato puree.
17:24This is like a passata.
17:28You could probably use chopped tomatoes at home for this.
17:31He's put a bit of white sugar in there now, cast sugar.
17:34It's often when you put tomato puree in anything, it's quite bitter.
17:37So you offset that with some sugar.
17:41A bit of water.
17:45Basically Olivier is going to leave this for about half an hour just to gently simmer away in here.
17:50So show on.
17:52It's hot in here.
17:56Now here's a telling comparison.
17:58Make a mental note of the size of Olivier's kitchen.
18:01That's the kitchen.
18:03That's it.
18:04And compare it to this.
18:06The room he's cooking for complete with all 140 diners.
18:12Including four hungry Englishmen.
18:15This is really good.
18:24Really good.
18:25I was a little bit worried at first when you put all that tomato puree in, but he kind of knows what he's doing.
18:30After about a good 45 minutes, cook it just gently on the stove.
18:36It tenderises that cold fish.
18:41I like this.
18:44Cheers.
18:45Cheers.
18:46Cheers.
18:47Cheers.
18:48Cheers, Rob.
18:49Thanks, Rob.
18:51Cheers, Rob.
18:56Now eat your food.
18:59You just can't help but be inspired.
19:01A delicious serving of cuttlefish stew.
19:04And the peace and tranquility of the Canal de Midi.
19:12I knew it wouldn't last long.
19:15Anyway, tasty stews are the way forward if you want to cook a no-fuss supper.
19:20And here's a great one you can cook, even if your kitchen is the size of Olivier's.
19:26Now this is an amazing dish.
19:27The only sort of link that I can think of, really, is that it's kind of like the French equivalent to buttered chicken from India.
19:35It's a wonderful, wonderful dish.
19:37It contains tomatoes at its base.
19:38Of course we've got chicken.
19:40We've got some vinegar.
19:41Red wine vinegar, that is.
19:43We've got a little bit of garlic.
19:44Some tarragon.
19:45That classic combination with chicken.
19:46Bit of white wine.
19:47A few bits of stock.
19:48And we finish it with cream and mustard at the end.
19:51So it's all about the chicken, first of all.
19:53So we've got a nice chicken here.
19:55We don't waste any of it.
19:56So basically what we do is we cut it for sautés.
19:58That's to remove the joints of meat.
20:00Make it easier to serve and easier to eat.
20:03So the first thing we do is cut the chicken thighs away from the carcass.
20:09Do that same with the other side.
20:11Cut these into two joints.
20:13So you've got your legs and your thighs as well.
20:15With the chicken itself here, what I do is whack it through there like that.
20:21Trim it either side of the breast meat there.
20:26Cut it through.
20:28Chopping it all up like that.
20:30And then same thing with this.
20:31Cut it straight through.
20:34It's just easier to eat.
20:35So the first thing we're going to do, incorporate it all really.
20:41Not waste any of it.
20:43A little bit of oil and some salt and pepper.
20:48So get the pan on nice and hot.
20:51And just brown these.
20:53You're not creating like a rich dark sauce.
20:55So you don't have to brown the meat too much.
20:58So once you get a nice colour to it like that.
21:00We can take our chicken.
21:02Throw it in the oven.
21:04And we're going to create our sauce.
21:05And our sauce is really simple.
21:08Down here it contains, look.
21:10A little bit of tomato pulp.
21:11This is the inside of the tomatoes.
21:12You can use tinned tomatoes for this if you wanted.
21:15We've got the outside which I'm going to dice up and put in the sauce later.
21:18Tomato puree.
21:20A little bit of red wine vinegar.
21:21Tarragon and garlic.
21:22A little bit of stock as well.
21:23I'm going to finish that off with a couple of ingredients later.
21:26But it's all about the garlic to start off with.
21:29So chop it up.
21:31About two cloves of garlic will be enough for this.
21:33Now if you want it nice and fine, which you do for this sauce.
21:36It's the best advice really is to take a touch of salt.
21:40And just using the knife, you press it.
21:45Like that.
21:46And this creates a nice paste.
21:48Now there's no onions in this.
21:49This is just a simple sauce.
21:50Predominantly using tomatoes.
21:52So what I'm going to use is use the tomato pulp.
21:55That goes into a pan.
21:57Then we go with the garlic.
21:59Then add the tomato puree.
22:01It's quite a bit of tomato puree in here.
22:03And we deglaze this with the red wine vinegar.
22:08Then we can add some chicken stock.
22:09Just add a touch of white wine.
22:10And then a few sprigs of fresh tarragon.
22:11Just bring it to the boil.
22:12It's going to take a couple of minutes.
22:13Meanwhile, grab our chicken.
22:14This is basically just to speed up the process of cooking really.
22:18And then grab your sauce and pour the entire lot over the top.
22:19And then all we do is return it back to the oven.
22:24And we want to cook this.
22:25Just gently for about 20 minutes.
22:26So after about 20 minutes.
22:27So after about 20 minutes.
22:28Your chicken looks like that.
22:29Delicious.
22:31And then grab your sauce and pour the entire lot over the top.
22:38And then all we do is return it back to the oven.
22:43And we want to cook this.
22:46Just gently for about 20 minutes.
22:49So after about 20 minutes.
22:52Your chicken looks like that.
22:55Delicious.
22:56And then grab a pot to serve it in.
23:01I love these sort of copper dishes.
23:03And all we do is we just lift out the chicken.
23:06The great thing about this dish is you don't waste any of it.
23:09It's kind of one of those dishes that you find in French cafes really.
23:13And people think, well, vinegar?
23:15Chicken?
23:16Really?
23:17You don't really go for it.
23:18But it's just delicious.
23:19Now it's all about the sauce for this bit.
23:21So what we can do is just pass this through a sieve.
23:24Just to get rid of the pulp part of it.
23:31And then bring this to the boil.
23:34And it's nearly finished.
23:36But what we do is we put the addition of just a few ingredients in here.
23:39One of which is some good old French Dijon mustard.
23:44The other one is some cream.
23:45So just grab your Dijon mustard.
23:46A good dollop of Dijon in there.
23:47And then a bit of double cream.
23:48Grab a whisk.
23:49Just whisk this in.
23:50This is what the French call to monte au beurre.
23:51It's to finish off a sauce in butter.
23:52And it's really crucial.
23:53You use quite a bit of butter.
23:54That's just the start.
23:55A bit more.
23:56You see if you're watching this and you're sat at the gym.
23:57Or you wouldn't be sat at the gym.
23:58Or you wouldn't be sat at the gym.
23:59You'd be running on what they call a treadmill apparently.
24:01It's great!
24:02So let's mix this.
24:03And then you put it in.
24:04And you can put it in.
24:05This is what the French call to monte au beurre.
24:07It's to finish off a sauce in butter.
24:08And it's really crucial.
24:09You use quite a bit of butter.
24:14That's just the start.
24:17A bit more.
24:19You see if you're watching this.
24:20And you sat at the gym.
24:21Well you wouldn't be sat in the gym.
24:23You'd be running.
24:25On what they call a treadmill apparently.
24:26turn it up higher because there's more going in now don't go and ruin this at
24:35home it cannot work without proper butter but really with this you get a
24:41wonderful rich shine to the sauce just look at that and then finally we can add
24:46the chopped bits of tomato they can go in and then fresh tarragon right at the
24:52end
25:05do you know what I've said it all along the several dishes that make my leg shake and
25:12this is one of them but I'll pour that over the top and there you have it
25:18poulé saute with red wine vinegar I think your leg will shake
25:31my journey down the famous canal de midi in the southwest of France has brought me to
25:37La Tongue de Tau a saltwater lagoon on the Mediterranean coast
25:47what's amazing actually as you come along the river it opens out into this area
25:52here this is famous for the oyster beds and then around the corner you've got
25:57Marseille and everywhere else but it's a stunning part of the world time to get off
26:13but just as gorgeous as the scenery is of course the seafood particularly those oysters in fact around
26:2210% of France's oysters come from this very place fed by the mild waters of the
26:28Mediterranean Sea this lagoon is absolutely perfect for growing oysters
26:33there's no tide so the oysters are submerged all day every day and very
26:40little current means they don't get bashed about those ideal conditions help the
26:47oysters to grow around twice as fast as their atlantic grown cousins and it
26:54means La Tongue de Tau's oyster farmers like these guys can produce up to 8,000
26:59tons of oysters on a good year
27:04you know what I actually feel sorry for the humble oyster because it's had a bit of a
27:09bad press because people either love it or hate it now if you've never tried
27:13oysters before you don't have to try them raw try them cooked first of all you
27:17can use a recipe from America New Orleans Rockefeller that classic recipe
27:21combination of herbs and breadcrumbs topped over an open oyster and then put
27:25under the grill you can deep fry them in a little batter they taste wonderful with a
27:29little chili dipping sauce but the purists will tell you you have to have an
27:33oyster fresh and this to be honest is one of the best places for them
27:41and it's just as well because the locals love them especially raw with a squeeze
27:49of lemon perhaps maybe alongside some prawns or of course with a dollop of tartar
27:57sauce shellfish is a treat however it's served and if you can't get your hands on
28:04any oysters try this seafood sharer
28:11now I love oysters but they're quite difficult to get hold of in the UK so
28:15I'm going to create a dish using razor clams and these little fellas are
28:18amazing now to catch these is actually quite cool because when you walk along the
28:22beach you'll see little holes in the sand so you fill the hole with seawater and
28:28what happens is this little fella thinks that the tides come in so it comes out and
28:33then you grab it and you've got razor clams they're fantastic things these
28:36delicious so the first thing we need to do is prepare our clams and for that we
28:41need to cook our razor clams first because they take slightly longer to cook
28:46than the other ones we have to prepare them it's actually quite simple to prepare
28:50once they're cooked I'm going to take a little bit of chopped shallot first of
28:54all the reason why I'm using shallot is milder cooks quicker much more sweeter in
28:58flavor so just grab a little bit of butter with our shallot this is basically
29:02just to get the liquid from the clams out but also the meat unlike the smaller
29:08clams which I'm going to serve whole these you have to remove the meat from the
29:12inside there's a little bit of preparation to begin with all we do once
29:16you've got the shots nicely softened this we throw our clams in a bit of white
29:23wine shut the lid and these are going to cook for a couple of minutes meanwhile we
29:30can prepare the rest of our ingredients now unlike the shallot that's in here
29:35which I'm going to drain off the rest of it I'm going to serve with it now I'm
29:39going to use some fennel which has got a wonderful flavor these are a lot of fennel
29:43in soups and stews over in France as well as using this for salads but braising
29:47it is also fantastic a little bit of shot again chop this nice and small now
29:55the key to cooking these clams is don't overcook them it's like most shellfish if
30:00you overcook it it goes tough so literally the time is on a couple of
30:04minutes that's all it needs and the shells will open up a bit of garlic and then
30:12my clams should be ready which they are so I just lift them out now it's a good
30:20idea to keep this juice because this is delicious so I'm basically just going to
30:25pass this through a sieve this is like homemade stock really fish stock I'm
30:31going to utilize that to cook everything in because then we can turn our
30:34attention to the clams themselves now these are quite straightforward to prepare
30:39all you do is just grab one end whole lot just come straight out now I'm going to
30:43utilize the shells to serve this in as well and then it's a matter of basically
30:48just dissecting it there's two parts to this clam the meaty bit which is that bit
30:52and then the bit you don't want which is this brown bit remove it like that it's
30:57not poisonous or anything but it's just not very pleasant to eat so you're taking all
31:02the white parts but not this bit here which is its mouth lose that out of the
31:05way and we chop up all the white bits and these are often referred to as a
31:11poor man's oyster if you want to go out fishing for them it's kind of like free
31:15food in it really so you've got the nice razor clam meat all there once you get
31:22everything prepared like this it's quite easy now all we do is you grab our butter
31:25and we're going to sweat down our shallots garlic and fennel now because this
31:30is quite quick to cook what we have to do is make sure that the shallots the
31:34fennel and the garlic is cooked because the minute I had the clams the clocks
31:39ticking takes about sort of three or four minutes to cook them just a little bit
31:43longer than mussels but you don't want cooked fish and then raw veg to eat with
31:47it now I know I'll get a lot of letters and complaints about me using too much
31:51butter but you know I'm not cooking for those people I'm cooking for me
31:55this just happens to be with a film crew watching but this is the kind of
31:59stuff that I like to eat right very nice and soft they can crank up the heat of
32:04it and then I'm going to throw in the clams a little bit of white wine just a
32:12touch and then we've got this fantastic almost ready-made stock throw that in
32:19I'm just gonna put the lid on this and we're gonna boil these for about two or
32:23three minutes but in the meantime we can prepare our tomatoes now you could use
32:28tomato concast for this which is de-seeded and de-skinned but I'm just
32:31gonna grab my tomatoes while they're cooking it basically just means you get
32:34the flavor of the tomatoes without it altering the sauce otherwise if you add
32:39the tomato pulp the inside of the tomatoes to it it's going to turn the
32:42whole lot pink and taste the tomatoes you want it to taste of the clams and you
32:46want it taste of cream okay things are nearly happening now clams are just
32:51starting to open up so we can grab our samphire samphire is a fantastic
32:55ingredient it's often called sea asparagus but it's actually not grown in the sea
32:59like seaweed but it uses the spray from the ocean to grow and it can be often
33:03found in clumps all around the UK turn the heat down a little bit pop the lid on
33:09another minute meanwhile we'll prep our tomatoes quite a simple dish this but the
33:15great thing about seafood that it should be nice and simple it should taste of the
33:19food you know you're not trying to cover anything up you're just trying to
33:22complement everything samphire looks good so now we can throw in our razor clam
33:29meat start to stir everything through crank up you can see the clam starting to
33:34open up now it's a little bit of double cream in there now we can throw in the
33:39tomatoes and then finally a selection of herbs I've got some cherville and some
33:44chives which we can roughly chop not too much we don't want to overpower the
33:49flavor of the seafood you just throw them in salt and pepper just look at that
33:58that's kind of it it's good enough to serve in a pot really but since we've got
34:03shells I basically like to serve it like this
34:08like that please with that
34:21my French adventure has brought me to the canal de midi a genuine marvel of 17th
34:27century engineering it's also given me a chance to sample some delicious local
34:33cuisine and this crew are always hungry so it's time to whip up some dinner there
34:39is however a problem we seem to have got off the boat on the wrong side of the
34:43water and that guy over there is our assistant producer waving from the correct
34:49side was it you who organized this you see on his CV he said that he spoke fluent
34:54French I reckon it was Greek oh well it looks like guys powers of persuasion have
35:03actually paid off guy will work again guy I'll get pound letters
35:17I'll get you up this is going to be like the isle of wight ferry in it hundred euros for this trip
35:27I'll get you up next to teachers
35:29new long three mile walk i'm only kidding it's about two miles right whilst we find a spot to cook our final dish
35:41You lot, three-mile walk.
35:49I'm only kidding. It's about two miles.
35:52Right, whilst we find a spot to cook our final dish,
35:56here's a little introduction to its star ingredient.
36:04As well as oysters, la tongue de taille is famous for its muscles.
36:08Around 3,000 tonnes of these little fellas are farmed here every year.
36:16And I just can't resist using them to cook up a quintessentially French dish.
36:22How beautiful does that look out there?
36:24You've got the oyster beds and the mussel beds floating around.
36:28And I finally made it across the river to this amazing location.
36:32I love it here.
36:33And I thought I'd create a real classic French dish, moule mariniere.
36:36Now, I was thinking to do something slightly differently,
36:39but I spotted these amazing mussels out there, and I've got to use them.
36:43So these are just beautiful.
36:45And I think a lot of people in the UK are put off by these
36:48because they don't know how to prepare them.
36:50It's really simple.
36:51With the mussels, they're produced on ropes, really.
36:53They're grown on ropes.
36:54Out there, in the distance, they're produced all over the UK, really.
36:57Mainly in river streams.
36:59So the water's moving, and that's what they feed on.
37:01They feed on all the rubbish in the water.
37:03But the mussels themselves are produced on ropes.
37:06And what they do is impregnate the ropes with a little spore, the mussel spore, and it grows.
37:11And if you want bigger mussels, what they do is lift off the rope, lift it out of the water.
37:14And sometimes it can weigh two, three tonne of mussels,
37:17kick off the mussels, and the ones underneath grow bigger.
37:20And what we have in here are the mussels themselves.
37:22Now, this is how to prepare them.
37:24Really simple.
37:25Remove the beard, first of all.
37:27This is its beard, which attaches itself to the rope.
37:30So you just basically pull that out.
37:33Get rid of that.
37:34And the easiest way to do this is to pull it towards the base of the mussel.
37:39That way it basically just cuts it off.
37:41I like to do this in some water, really, so you can make sure these are all closed.
37:47Because what you need to do is make sure they're still alive, nice and fresh.
37:52You don't want any dead ones.
37:53If there's any that stay open, get rid of them at this point.
37:58Likewise, when they're cooked, if there's any that are still closed, get rid of those as well.
38:04But you do need quite a few of them.
38:06There's about one and a half, only two kilos in here.
38:10It does take a little while to prepare these, but it's worth it in the end.
38:15I think you remember the first time you've tried mussels, like the first time you try an oyster.
38:20It's that venture into the unknown, isn't it, really?
38:22But once you taste them, you realise what all the fuss is about.
38:28They taste so much of the sea.
38:30And they've got to be fresh like these.
38:33I remember cooking this for the very first time in France.
38:36And the recipe doesn't change.
38:38You can change the herbs, bits and pieces.
38:40But it's such a simple dish, a simple, pure dish.
38:45That's why it will always stand the test of time.
38:48You've almost got two dishes.
38:49You've got the mussels themselves.
38:51And then you've got this amazing liquor underneath.
38:54Nice, of course, with a bowl of chips.
38:56But I'm going to do mine with a bit of French bread.
39:00So I'll lose that out of the way.
39:02And now for our dish itself.
39:05So a little bit of onion.
39:06Now the secret is, with a good moule mariniere, this is how I was taught, actually in Paris
39:14of all places, by a chef, is to make sure the onions are finely diced.
39:20Because, he said, you don't cook it for so long.
39:23So you want all the flavour of the onion to come out first of all.
39:26So make sure you cook them quite small.
39:29The garlic is really important with this.
39:32So we want a few cloves of garlic.
39:35For this amount of mussels, probably three.
39:42Now, likewise with the garlic, you need to make sure this is quite small as well.
39:47So the best way to do that is chop it first of all.
39:54Nice and fine.
39:55And then take some salt.
39:58Just a little bit of salt over the top.
40:01And then using your knife, just press it.
40:04So you're almost creating crushed garlic.
40:09So you get it nicely crushed.
40:11Now you've almost got everything ready now.
40:13Because this is quite quick to cook.
40:16Now this is why I love France.
40:17This, and a few other things as well.
40:19But, one kilo pack of butter.
40:21We have to cook this in butter.
40:26So we want a little wedge.
40:30Just a little wedge.
40:32Like that.
40:35Of butter.
40:35And get this in the pan.
40:41Now at the same time, in with the garlic.
40:45In with the onion.
40:47Quickly mix this around.
40:49We don't want to colour this.
40:50So at this moment in time, we can put our aromats.
40:55Some bay leaf.
40:57A little bit of fresh thyme.
40:59That will cut some of this.
41:00And then deglaze this with some white wine.
41:12Touch of white wine.
41:14And then cream.
41:17Now at home, you're best off using double cream for this.
41:20Not single.
41:21Because it can split.
41:22I'm doing it this way.
41:27Because this is the way that I was taught.
41:29Is to cook.
41:31This for a couple of minutes.
41:32Before we add our mussels.
41:33It just gets the flavour out of all the bay leaf.
41:36And the thyme.
41:39So just bring that to the boil.
41:40And just let that gently simmer for a couple of minutes.
41:44On all my trips around France.
41:46I've been secretly looking for a little holiday hideaway.
41:49To be honest with you.
41:50And I think I've found it right here.
41:53It's got everything that I need really.
41:54You've got the mussel beds.
41:56The oyster beds.
41:57The beautiful view.
41:58Over there you've got the houses which are worth millions of pounds.
42:01However.
42:02Right here.
42:03This is it.
42:05I've found the place.
42:07This is it.
42:08And it's empty.
42:10I reckon I could put an offer in for this.
42:13Look at that for a view.
42:16You get a free boat as well.
42:17Now this has been cooking for a couple of minutes.
42:24Different finger before you all start phoning up complaining.
42:28Black pepper.
42:32A nice pinch of salt.
42:33And then it's just a matter of throwing in the mussels.
42:43Give them a quick mix.
42:49Now once you put the lid on, cook this for about four to five minutes until the mussels open.
42:53And then, whilst they're cooking, plenty of parsley.
43:01Chop this up.
43:05Finally, all you've got to do really is serve it with a big pile of crusty French bread.
43:09Throw in some parsley.
43:21Plenty of chopped parsley.
43:24Give it a stir.
43:27When we've got mussels this fresh, from right behind me, I think this is probably the perfect dish.
43:35My moule marinier, with onion, garlic, herbs, crusty French bread, and of course,
43:44Le Tongue de Tau's magnificent mussels.
43:46Bon appétit.
43:47And that brings my time on the canal to an end.
43:54What an amazing place this is.
43:56I've travelled along a remarkable piece of French history.
44:01There's something so relaxing about this.
44:05Being cooked a delicious local delicacy in a kitchen so tiny, you could barely swing a prawn in it.
44:11That's the kitchen.
44:12That's it.
44:13And I've taken inspiration from this beautiful and bountiful coast.
44:17And served up a seafood treat.
44:21I'm off to see if there's any of those mussels left.
44:23And knowing this crew, I very much doubt it.
44:26You have a ticket, I very much doubt it.
44:28That's it.
44:30That's it.
44:33You have a ticket, astonisle from here, we'll get a lunch call at home at home.
44:35Do you have plenty yet?
44:35Do you have plenty of food at home?
44:37Do you have plenty of food?
44:40Do you have plenty of food at home at our department?
44:49Do you have plenty of food at home?