BASTILLE DAY

July 14, and I'm thinking I'd like to make ratatouille and probably could (early eggplant and tomatoes are in, zucchini and bell peppers, plus the necessary herbs have been in), but I know if I wait a couple of weeks, the key vegetables will be so much better and therefore so will my ratatouille.

So, what then, should I do to toast Bastille Day? My 8-year-old sous chef says her favorite dish is something we concocted together a while back, duck confit ragout. (We start with a mirepoix - tiny-dice of carrots, onions, celery, herbs, slow-cooked in olive oil - then add a little chopped tomato and a lot of orange, in the form of zest, juice and sections from the fruit, some chicken broth and, finally, shreds of duck confit from hunky legs and more herbs. Cook till it all melds, then serve over noodles.) But though our duck confit ragout certainly would taste fine, I'd rather do something summery in tribute to the French holiday.

"Poulet verte"? That's "green chicken," a beloved dish in Southwestern France that uses herbs to their max. A salad of mussels with lots of greens and a smack of curry? Yes, that, too, is French, and popular in the Charente region. Barbecued spareribs, marinated in herbs, including thyme, mint, rosemary, sage and fennel, and cooked over a charcoal grill? Big, big, big in the Languedoc.

I'll keep thinking. French food, after all, is so much more than the cliches attributed to it. As we expand our culinary scope around the globe, there are good reasons - many, many delicious reasons, in fact - to explore ever deeper in that country where food always has reigned supreme.

cheers,
Andy
7.14.07