Vanessa Zhâ & Olivier Poels 7:15 a.m., March 16, 2024

Gastronomy, leisure... Every weekend at 6:50 a.m., Olivier Poels and Vanessa Zha present a product, a producer and all the good tips for re(discovering) a region.

Weekend in Martel

Vanessa, this morning heading to Martel 

One of the latest “Most Beautiful Villages in France”….

the Village with 7 towers… A little gem of medieval architecture.

If I wanted to take you to this corner of the Dordogne it's because I particularly like it at this time when nature wakes up...the landscapes contrast, it's a feast for the eyes, a feast for the taste buds too, it smells good terroir, and terroir products, So precisely.

Why Martel?

Unlike the other villages, it was not built around a castle or a church.

But around a market!

It is a village of traders.

Why a market there specifically?  

Because in the Middle Ages, we were at the crossroads of two roads Paris/Toulouse and Bordeaux/Lyon.

The barges went down the Dordogne loaded with wood, and came back loaded with salt.

At one point things got stuck, we had to unload and sell.

This is how, thanks to traders, Martel was born in the 11th.

Martel has nothing to do with Charles Martel, as many think;

it comes from his hammer blow Hammerus, Hammers! 

And so what could we find on this market?  

Truffles… it was the capital of truffles in Quercy In 1904: 20 tonnes were exchanged there per year!

And to transport them we swapped the barges for the train: the truffadou.

This train is still active, but without truffles.

The locomotive has been restored.

And the trip is extraordinary: this view of the Valley and the Dordogne!

You absolutely have to experience it.

it works precisely on sunny days. 

And where do we sleep? 

In an unusual accommodation surrounded by nature 6 km from Martel.

180 degree view of the truffle oak valley.

We have a bit of the impression of being in Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit.

But there in a designer Bioclimatic arch with a green roof!!!

ultra bright, maximum thermal insulation, low energy consumption, and small lagoon type swimming pool… 

Information on Martel and the “truffadou” train: vallee-dordogne.com/ 

 Accommodation: www.

viprefuge.com/ 

Cooking bluefin tuna

A few years ago, bluefin tuna was listed as an endangered fish.

Thanks to good fishing management, it has no longer been threatened since 2021.

When the waters warm up, it approaches our shores, fishing takes place from spring to fall.

You can find different species of tuna: white (which generally ends up canned), red (very popular for sushi and sashimi), yellowfin.

You must buy it as fresh as possible, it must be shiny, deep red, without brownish traces (be careful if you buy it vacuum packed in supermarkets, water and juice are sometimes added to it). beet). 

It is quite expensive, about the price of beef tenderloin 

Red tuna with pepper 

Thanks to David Le Quelle who prepares this recipe 

  • 1 large piece of bluefin tuna 

  • Pepper Mignonette (mixture of white and black) 

  • Olive oil 

  • 1 dash of cognac  

  • 10 cl of liquid cream 

- Dry roast the mignonette for 2 minutes in a pan

- soak both sides of the tuna with pepper

- heat a pan with olive oil and sear the tuna for 1 minute on each side

- deglaze with the cognac then add the cream