As I was telling you a couple of days ago, we combine eating out with cooking our own food, even on holidays. I’ve always preferred renting a place that at least allows me to make my own coffee and putting together a couple of easy dishes for lunch, every now and then and Montpellier was no exception.

Both I and F grew up going “to the seaside” every year and staying with friends (for my part) and relatives (for his), so cooking was a natural part of the holiday. Besides, I like to combine eating out with eating in at home, because cooking everyday kills my buzz and eating out everyday kills my appetite. And with such an abundance of fresh produce like in France, it’d be a shame not to make the best of it.

So we went to LES HALLES (a marked place where you find everything from cheese, veggies, meat, fish, wine and pastry), bought some fresh squids – they rinse it for you-  and some veggies- onion, garlic, parsley, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, olives, capers and lemon, then came home and started on a ratatouille.

Chop the veggies in cubes and begin by browning the onion and garlic in a rich olive oil, then add everything and let it simmer for a while. It all takes around 20-30 minutes. Add the olives and capers towards the end.

The squids we grilled in a grill pan, adding a bit of olive oil to prevent them from burning, in case the pan wasn’t all that “grill” after all. They only need a couple of minutes on each side, you’ll know it’s done when it starts curling up and the flesh turns white instead of translucent.

Serve with capers, parsley and a dash of lemon juice.

Voilà! Bon appetit!

xxx, Alina