Thursday, June 1 – Canal du Midi: Castelnaudary to Bram
Castelnaudary is the capital of the territory of Lauragais and is the main port on the Canal du Midi. A market town, it has all the services one would want on a walking trip along the canal. It was also another center of the Catholic Cathar insurgency and as such suffered sieges and other punishments.
Castelnaudary’s other claim to fame is as the home of Cassoulet, the iconic dish of white beans, pork, sausage, and duck confit. Its name comes from the word “cassole”, the traditional clay pot in which it was cooked. Like many regional dishes, the specific ingredients depend on availability so mutton or goose meat may serve in place of another meat, and breadcrumbs may or may not be used to make a crispy crust. Even the type of bean is debatable, with Coco or Tarbais white beans, flageolet beans, and spring fava beans as options. In the words of chef André Daguin, “Cassoulet is not really a recipe, it’s a way to argue among neighboring villages.” I used to love cassoulet – it is perhaps the one meat dish I truly miss.
Breakfast was ho-hum today, the most notable thing being our dining room visitor:
Leaving early once again, we had a nice long walk, mostly sunny, quite windy. Dirt paths were soggy after yesterday evening’s downpours. The highlight, by far, was the lovely lunch that we had at L’île aux Oiseaux on the canal at Bram.
Having tired of the poor vegetarian offerings at several French restaurants, before even sitting, I asked what the chef could do for vegetarians. The options sounded intriguing so down we sat.
Ambience and wine – a seductive combination!
The salad: simple greens with shallot marmalade, garlicky croutons, cherry tomatoes, scallions, blanched radishes, toast, and a parmesan twist. Light shallot dressing. Mmmm.
Risotto with oyster mushrooms, baby cilantro, and parmesan. OMG!
Legumes aux provençal with lemon and basil. Delish.
As we were leaving, the owner lamented the lack of good vegetarian food in France. Fortunately, he finds this ridiculous and has taken it on as a mission, hence his fabulous vegetarian offerings.
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