My husband and I just got back from a dream trip with his family. We were in Gordes, France, which is in the heart of the Provence region in southern France. The purpose of this trip was to spend time with family, and of course, enjoy plenty of good food and wine! We were lucky enough to stay in a private home. We cooked and ate most of our meals at home in a beautiful kitchen fueled by laughter and a lot of wine.
We spent most of our days reading, swimming and walking into Gordes. But, really, the main focus of the day was a morning trip to one of the nearby small towns to get our dinner supplies from the daily market. The daily market rotates between the neighboring towns in the area, and each day, we drove about 20 minutes through the winding roads of Provence on our shopping excursions.
Each town had a different look and feel. At the end of the trip, we had fun comparing the different towns and which ones we liked best.
We were a large group, so we each were assigned a night to cook. And in true Provençal style, we went to the market with a blank slate. No list, recipes, or wants. We all planned to cook what looked fresh and delicious. Most of the same vendors traveled to each town so we started to recognize our favorites.
For our dinner, my husband and I picked up these fresh shrimp. We poached them in a stock I made from the heads of the shrimp, and we served them alongside pan-fried potatoes and roasted zucchini.
We ended each night with something sweet that we picked up from a local bakery. We all knew not to waste our time trying to compete with the delicious patisseries!
It was such a treat to slow down the pace of life for a week. If you are dreaming of a vacation in Provence, I highly recommend renting a house and inviting friends and family. Our favorite memories of the vacation were venturing into the towns for our ingredients and then cooking and sharing the meals in our home away from home!
