My mother always said my ratatouille wasn't as good as hers. She insisted that a proper ratatouille was made by slowly cooking the vegetables together. I always disagreed until one day she made me her ratatouille the way she had learned it at home. One bite, and I knew she was right. Her version was ambrosial and embodied the rich flavors of Provence.

We met Johann Pepin at 'Les Pastras', his sprawling organic farm located on a desolate mountain top near the Provencal village of Cadenet under the cloak of secrecy. He cautioned us that "thieves were everywhere", before instructing us to lock our car doors and gather down below. I must admit I felt a bit uneasy as he slipped a black hood loosely over my head, gently guiding me into the back of an unmarked black van. Moments later we arrived at the edge of an unnamed field in an unnamed town in an unnamed country for what was surely going to be an epic truffle hunt. Such is the way with truffle hunters where secrecy is everything.

Chickpea Fries, also known as panisses, are a staple food from the south of France and parts of Italy. Panisses are made by slowly cooking chickpea flour and water into a thick porridge, pouring it onto an oiled pan, and cooling overnight, then cut into finger-sized shapes and deep-frying.