Summer Soup Gazpacho with Goat Cheese Recipe from Moulin Castelas

If you’d like to taste some of the best olive oil in Provence, look no further than the Moulin Castelas, situated just below the famous fortress of Les Baux-de-Provence. The olive mill and adjacent property are in the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) Vallée des Baux de Provence in the Alpilles. This recipe for a perfect summer soup – gazpacho with goat cheese- is published below with permission from Domaine Castelas.

About Moulin CastelaS

Owners Catherine and Jean-Benoît Hugues are a French couple who lived in Arizona before returning to their native country when they “fell in love with some old olive trees.” They bought the estate in 1997 and constructed a new olive mill in 2002 to make the best olive oil possible. Domaine Castelas includes two parcels of land, 110 acres in the Vallée des Baux and another 160 acres close by on the Plaine de Crau. Visit Moulin Castelas, which offers tours of its facility, and the on-site boutique offers tempting products. They have a selection of olive oils with blends of olive varieties, including those typical of the appellation Salonenque, Aglandau, Grossane and Verdale.

Olives of Provence

If you like olives, wine, and beautiful vistas, a driving or cycling tour around the Alpilles villages is a “must-do” while in Provence. Olives grow throughout the Mediterranean basin, where the climate is suitable. The olive tree is fairly drought-resistant; many live for centuries, but productivity diminishes. It’s unclear whether the Phoenicians or the Romans introduced olive trees and the olive oil trade in the region known as Provence today. Either way, the olive tree has been a part of the landscape in the South of France for at least two millennia.

Guide to the Villages of the Alpilles

Today, olive plantations exist throughout the South of France. In the Alpilles the olive production in the Vallée des Baux is governed by an Appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1997. The AOP covers all the villages in the Alpilles and the olive oil production from an estimated 580,000 trees. So, if you see an AOP label on a bottle, you know that the oil contains only olives from the region. There are ten (10) olive mills in the Alpilles, with a total production representing 15% of the national total.

Gazpacho and Mustard-flavoured Brousse

Moulin Castelas

This refreshing gazpacho with savoury tomatoes and tangy mustard browse is an elegant, easy-to-prepare starter or meal for a hot summer day.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Soup, Starter Course

Cuisine French, Provencal

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• paring knife
• chef's knife (8-inch)
• cutting board set, bamboo
• blender or immersion blender
• mixing bowls, glass

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 10 Roma tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 250 g brousse See notes. Fresh goat cheese or ricotta are good substitutes
• 30 g whole grain mustard
• olive oil CastelineS Classic

Instructions

 

• Peel the tomatoes.
• Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.
• Using a blender, combine the tomatoes with the shallot and garlic, adding a drizzle of olive oil while blending.
• Add salt to taste and chill.
• Mix the brousse with the mustard.
• Just before serving, pour the gazpacho into bowls.

Notes

Brousse is a traditional whey cheese from Provence. It is a soft, moist cheese without a rind. The whey (typically ewe, but can also be goat or cow) is heated to more than 176°F for pasteurization. The French word brousse means to mix or beat. Often, brousse is sold in small plastic baskets, which allows the excess liquid to drain.

Keyword Appetizer, Mustard, Soup, Starter, Tomatoes

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Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).