French Provincial Cooking - Elizabeth David [138]
There was a time, after all, when there were no potatoes in England, when the tomato was new to Italy, when petits pois were first brought to France (and caused a furore at the Court of Louis XIV), when bananas, grape fruit, and the cultivated mushrooms we now take for granted were exciting novelties. Before the war you had to go to Soho to buy a piece of garlic, whereas now it is to be found at every greengrocer’s shop. Not so long ago French beans meant only coarse scarlet runners, but now we can buy several varieties of string beans and dwarf beans. Exotic vegetables and fruit, such as aubergines, sweet peppers and avocado pears have become commonplace in our shops. Enterprising English growers are supplying us with little courgettes as an alternative to gigantic vegetable marrows.
So, I wonder if, eventually, we shall not come round to the habit, taken for granted in French cookery, of regarding vegetable dishes as an important part of the meal rather than simply as an adjunct to the roast. If we do, we shall surely find that we enjoy the meat course more as well as the vegetables, for both must, when required to stand on their own, be more carefully bought and more meticulously cooked.
As for the deep freeze, I have no doubt that we shall come to treat its benefits with a sense of proportion. We shall make use of it when it is expedient to do so, but I fancy that the very rapidity of its development, particularly in regard to the conservation of vegetables, is at the same time creating a demand for food which is genuinely fresh in the old sense of the word.
LES ARTICHAUTS
LEAF ARTICHOKES
Globe or leaf artichokes are a kind of thistle. There are a great many varieties; the enormous round ones which look like water lilies when they are cooked and opened out a little are called Camus de Bretagne, and are grown mostly in northern France; these are the kind most suitable for serving plain boiled, to be eaten leaf by leaf, with melted butter, sauce hollandaise or vinaigrette. They take about 25 to 40 minutes’ cooking, in plenty of salted, acidulated water.
Artichoke hearts, or fonds, are used a good deal in French cookery as a garnish for rather ceremonial meat dishes, and are also served as a separate dish, usually with some rather rich stuffing or creamy sauce. In a country where artichokes are plentiful and cheap, it is natural that a large variety of such dishes should have been created but, truth to tell, I think that elaborate or luxurious concoctions, rich creamy sauces and foie gras stuffings cannot but detract from the delicate and unique flavour of the artichoke. One of the most delicious ways of serving them is in the salad given on page 151, and the method of preparing the hearts for cooking is described on page 139. Those who grow their own artichokes may find the following recipe useful.
ARTICHAUTS À LA BARIGOULE
LEAF ARTICHOKES STEWED IN OIL
This method of cooking artichokes seems to be one of the oldest of Provençal dishes. There are many versions, and in the course of time it has been elaborated to include all sorts of extra ingredients, but Provençal cooks mostly agree that it is best in its primitive form. The result is not unlike the famous carciofi alla giudia of Roman taverns, although the method is different.
Rather small young artichokes (the long violet-leaved variety are the most common in Provence) in which the choke has not yet formed should be used. Rub the artichokes all over with lemon; cut off the stalks, leaving about inch. Then cut off about inch from the top end of the artichokes, and remove about two layers of the outer leaves. Put them in a saucepan or sauté pan or deep