Sublime

“This is special to our region,” he said. “We call it aligot.” I should warn you about aligot. It is wonderfully tasty, with a creamy texture and an impressive substance to it, almost as dense as toffee. It slips down so easily that it seems a crime not to have a second helping. Only sometime later are you aware of the unmistakable sensation that s

In short, pesto is a question of balance and taste. It’s like tomato sauce for southern Italians: everyone has his or her own recipe; there are hundreds of them, and it’s all a question of balancing the ingredients to taste. For 4 people: 4 large bunches of basil

GABLE’S SAFE-HOUSE CARBONARA Sauté lardons of guanciale until chewy-crisp. Whisk egg yolks and grated pecorino Romano together to form a hard ball. Cook the pasta one minute less than al dente, then use pasta water to whisk egg-and-cheese ball until creamy. Toss cooked pasta with guanciale-and-egg mixture and serve immediately.

Last, play with foodpairing.be, which is based on the Volatile Compounds in Food (VCF) database. The objective is to start thinking about how to mix and match foods based on similar characteristics. Don’t have saffron? On

Ciak, high-energy and tightly packed, is a local institution with reliably good food and higher prices. It’s known for its huge, sizzling terra-cotta

Load up on veggies and properly raised sources of protein. Eat to your heart’s content! And don’t forget to use extra-virgin olive oil liberally as a sauce (you can use a full tablespoon or two per person). Here are a few great dinner examples:

One can say the same about more modest restaurants with lesser-known chefs. Some of them can be found in the back streets of provincial towns, like l’Isle Sonnante in Avignon: small, charming, and delicious.