July 17, 2010
Stage 13 Rodez to Revel
The day before the last big test of the Tour de France, the Pyrenees and it starts in Rodez, in the Aveyron department. Which is one of the most beautiful areas in France; the long roads are lined with trees in a long uniform line that leave for some lovely images. And you can’t miss the fields and fields of sunflowers on the side of the road reaching their sunny faces to the riders as they pass by.
The city of Rodez dates back to the 5th century when it became a stronghold of the Rutene tribe but the ancient ruins that have been discovered here dates the area to even long before that. But it may be the lovely lady Notre Dame de Rodez that stands so proudly over the town that is the most recognizable of the city. The church dates back to the Bishop St Dalmas around 515 but there is nothing remaining from that period today. Rebuilt again around the beginning of the 11th century but collapsed in 1276. In 1277 Bishop Raymond Calmont Olt laid the cornerstone of the cathedral and would take 250 years to complete. Finished in 1531 with the addition of the two towers on either side of the entrance and topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary and four angels. Inside the Cathedral the 17th century organ by Antoine Vernholes built in oak and standing 63 feet high.
The town of Lautrec is 108 kilometers into the stage today and if the name sounds a little familiar to you art loving fans then it should. It is the small medieval village that was the aristocratic seat of the family of the painter Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, or Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as he was better known. A descendant of the Counts of Lautrec and the nearby Counts of Toulouse and Viscounts of Montfa. Henri was born in the nearby town of Albi in 1864 to his parents the Comte and Comtesse who were actually first cousins, it is believed that his health problems was due to that fact. When Henri was 13 & 14 he fractured both his thigh bones at different times, they did not heal correctly and physicians were concerned. Believing that he could have osteoporosis or rickets his legs stopped growing and as an adult would never is more than 5 feet tall. As a child he moved to Paris with his mother and started painting and drawing and as an adult with the limitations that we on him with his disease he would continue to paint. He found his way to the Montmatre area of Paris and the Moulin Rouge and used the ladies as the subject of his painting. He would go on to create an advertisement for the risky establishment at the time and it would later become one of the first mass printed posters and some of the most iconic of Paris. Like many artists he would be fully appreciated for his work until long after his death.
The department of the Haute-Garonne is in the region known as the Midi-Pyrenees. The Haute-Garonne stretches all the way down to the edge of Spain and through part of the Pyrenees. Marked at the top of the department by the River Garonne, where it gets its name and the main city is Toulouse. The mountains of the Pyrenees give the department four ski areas and some of the highest peaks of the range. The Tour sees the department again in a few days as well. The area is most known for its Toulouse sausage, a must have for any authentic cassoulet, we will get to that tomorrow.
The finishing town of Revel dates back to 1342 when King Philip VI of Valois first built a fortress there. Designed with strait streets that encompass the center square of the town that is most unusual in France. The center square is covered by a large roof that dates to the 14th century. Built on wooden pillars and topped with a bell tower added in 1889.
Pierre-Paul Riquet, the builder of the Canal du Midi once had his office in Revel and today a museum dedicated to him and the history of the Canal can be found here. The Canal was constructed in 1667 and completed by 1681 to create a passageway to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean without having to go around Spain. Stretching 150 miles from Sete on the Mediterranean to Toulouse and passes through 91 locks. In 1979, my grandparents traveled down the Canal du Midi and my grandmother still tells me how beautiful it was and how lovely all the people were. I have many pictures of their wonderful trip and time they spent floating along the Canal.
Revel was a part of the former province known as Rouergue that also incorporated Vabres. The Rouergue had a Daube they made in the area during the holidays that was all their own. Most French beef recipes will not have garlic in the list of ingredients but this one does and is fantastic!
Le Coufidou ou La Daube Aveyronnaise
1 ½ pounds chuck steak cut into large pieces
6 ounces pork salt belly, or bacon
2 tablespoons beef fat (or butter)
1 large onion chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato sauce or 1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ¼ cups red wine
Salt, pepper and Bouquet garni
Cut the meat into large chunks, and dice pork.
Heat beef fat or butter in a large casserole and brown the beef on all sides, remove and add pork, onion and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add flour and tomatoes sauce/paste mixing them in. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil, continuing to stir. Add seasoning and lower heat, return beef and add Bouquet garni. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover and place in a 375 degree preheat oven. Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours until beef is very tender. Serve with herb roasted potatoes
Bon Appétit!
