Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Bordeaux-Style Lamprey
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In LaBouffe, I always return to recipes that stand on their own without trying to do too much. What draws me is accuracy rather than appearance, and Bordeaux-style lamprey, as I see it from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, says exactly that. There is a kind of terroir-driven sincerity in this dish that I love: red wine, simple vegetables, slow simmering, and a depth of flavour that does not pretend. I immediately associate it with Gironde, the Garonne, and that South-Western cuisine that knows how to take its time and bring out the richness in modest things. When I am looking for a recipe that suits my rhythm as an educator, my days full of voices, presence and listening, I gladly choose a preparation like this one, because it requires attention but no staging. I begin by marinating the lamprey, cut into pieces, in a good red Bordeaux wine with sliced onions, carrots, shallots, garlic and a bouquet garni. I like to let this base rest for a long time, sometimes overnight, because the flavour already takes shape in the waiting. The next day, I brown some diced pork belly in a little fat or oil, then add the vegetables from the marinade. I lightly dust them with flour, pour in the marinating wine, add the lamprey, season with salt and pepper, and let it cook gently, without rushing the sauce. In the Bordeaux tradition, I finish by thickening the sauce with the lamprey’s blood, creating the dark, deep velvety texture that gives the dish all its character. I serve it with steamed potatoes or a good, comforting country loaf, because I seek the same thing on the plate as I do in my conversations: something genuine, nourishing and precise. This Nouvelle-Aquitaine recipe appeals to me not because it is showy, but because it finds its balance between the strength of the wine, the sweetness of the vegetables and the personality of the fish. It is exactly the kind of cooking I enjoy writing about in LaBouffe: cooking that is lived-in, rooted, and attentive to what it makes us feel as much as to what it feeds us.
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Where: Nouvelle-Aquitaine