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By Root 2322 0

who grow their own (there have been increasing numbers of English artichokes on the market in recent years) these are a very expensive vegetable, but treated à /a grecque as an hors-d’œuvre they are comparatively economical. To prepare them for cooking in this way, and for all recipes in which the hearts only are used, proceed as follows: Have ready a bowl of water acidulated with lemon juice. Draw your sharpest knife through a lemon, and rub the artichoke also with lemon. Cut off the stalk and the hard leaves on the underside, then slice through the leaf part right down to the tip of the last but one row of leaves nearest the stalk. Holding the artichoke in your left hand rotate it while with the knife held slanting towards you in your right hand you slice off the hard outer leaves until only the little tender pale green ones remain. Scoop out the choke (le foin, the hay) with a little silver spoon. As each artichoke is ready throw it into the prepared bowl of water. Although it takes so long to describe, it is only really a matter of a minute, especially after a little practice.

The fonds or hearts are now ready to be boiled, stewed, sauté in butter, stuffed, etc. To cook them à la grecque, first prepare a mixture of pint of water, a small coffee-cup of olive oil, a sprig of thyme and a bayleaf, about 10 coriander seeds, a little salt and pepper, and the juice of half a small lemon. Bring this to the boil in a small saucepan, tall rather than wide. Put in the prepared artichoke hearts (4 for this quantity of liquid), and let them simmer steadily for 15 minutes. Leave them to cool in the liquid. Cut them in quarters when cold and serve them in a shallow hors-d’œuvre dish with some of their liquid.

As part of quite a small mixed hors-d’œuvre this is enough for six people, and is really quite as good as the miniature whole artichokes in oil which one gets in France and Italy. I don’t recommend tinned or bottled artichokes; they are flabby, and through overcooking have lost their curious and refreshing delicacy of flavour.

CHAMPIGNONS À LA GRECQUE

MUSHROOMS STEWED IN OIL

The addition of a little tomato to the usual à /a grecque manner of preparing mushrooms makes the dish more interesting. Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 of water, 2 skinned and chopped tomatoes, 3 or 4 crushed peppercorns, half a dozen coriander seeds, a bayleaf, a sprig of thyme and a little salt into a small saucepan. Bring this to the boil, let it simmer 2 or 3 minutes, then add lb. of very small button mushrooms washed, drained and rubbed with lemon juice. Cook gently about 5 minutes. Take out the mushrooms, put them in a small shallow oval serving dish; continue cooking the sauce a few more minutes until it is thick and somewhat reduced. Pour over the mushrooms. Serve cold. If very small button mushrooms are unobtainable, larger ones cut into quarters, stalks included, can be used, but they must be of the closed-up variety. This quantity will be enough for four if it is part of a mixed hors-d’œuvre.

FILETS DE MAQUEREAUX AU VIN BLANC

MACKEREL FILLETS IN WHITE WINE

One of the standard hors-d’œuvre in the north of France, these mackerel fillets can be bought there in tins as commonly as sardines; perhaps one of these days our own fish-canning industry will get around to the idea; how much better, for example, would be our Cornish pilchards prepared in a similar way rather than in a slushy tomato sauce.

For part of an hors-d’œuvre for four, 1 large mackerel or 2 little ones will be enough. Prepare a very aromatic court-bouillon by cooking together a large glass each of dry white wine (dry cider also serves the purpose admirably) and water, with a sliced onion, a branch of fennel, a little strip of lemon peel, 4 or 5 whole peppercorns, a bayleaf, a little salt. Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Leave to cool. Strain. Poach the mackerel, which for convenience’ sake can have been boned by the fishmonger, in this liquid. They must cook very gently indeed, the liquid not even simmering but merely shuddering. They will take 10 to