Les Petit Farcis is a hearty dish often found on menus in Provence during fall and winter months. Found commonly on menus throughout the region les petits farcis originate from Niçoise cuisine.

This “rose” vegetable tart takes a little bit of time to put together. The mandolin-cut vegetables are arranged in the “rose” pattern. The recipe for easy pie crust is below, you can skip this step and buy prepared ready-to-bake pie dough in the store.

The following recipe for a clafoutis aux courgettes (zucchini casserole),  turns a traditional Provencal dessert into a savoury dish that is suitable for vegetarians. You can experiment with the fillings, depending on what is available, or in Jackie’s case growing in your garden.

This recipe for a baked ratatouille tian combines layers of summer (estival) vegetables in an earthenware dish. You can vary the ingredients depending on what is available. This version of a traditional, Provencal side-dish comes from the kitchen at le Pistou Cookery School in Uzès.

We created this recipe as part of a trio of starters to stimulate your hunger and to pair with a glass (or two) of chilled Mirabeau rosé. With a slight Asian influence, the stir-fried Provençal beef and zucchini (courgette) are served on a bed of little gem lettuce (baby romaine). This light starter works well as an appetizer or a tapas style menu.

My recipe for Tomatoes Provençales is inspired by the typical cuisine, but it is a lighter version with a zucchini-herb stuffing (farce) intended as a pre-dinner bite. The tomatoes filled and baked and then served as an appetizer with cocktails.

This appetizer recipe is from Il Cucchiaio d’Argento. Thin zucchini strips are “stuffed” with easily found ingredients, canned tuna, capers, cheese. The result is pretty and tasty.

This savoury recipe for Saffron Chicken comes from the Mirabeau Wine kitchen in the Var. The chicken is matched with an easy side dish of potato and courgette (zucchini).

This recipe for Zucchini, Basil Velouté is suitable for even the most novice of cooks. As there are only a few ingredients, small, sweet zucchini and fresh basil are key. I like to serve this soup chilled with a dollop of creme fraiche and snipped basil on top.You could add croutons or diced zucchini instead. Not counting calories? Add a cup of half and half to the chilled soup before serving. The bright green color and luscious texture make this a lovely starter for a dinner party or a family meal.

One of the infinite dishes complimented by Herbes de Provence, enhancing the flavour of creamy chèvre all stuffed in to bright pink salmon filets wrapped in zucchini and baked to perfection.