Meanwhile it's cold outside and darker without all the holiday lights so let's bring some warmth to the table with roots and fruits we can find fresh at this time of year. If you care about climate change and the environment, you shouldn't be eating summer veggies like tomatoes and corn that are being trucked in from megafarms destroying Central America. There's plenty to eat on the homefront: potatoes, carrots, celeriac, rutabaga, radishes, lettuces, collard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits and all kinds of apples and pears. Now is their time!
And the traditional cold country way of enjoying them is in a hot bubbling gratin straight from the oven. So here are a few: think of them as oldfashioned one sheet or one pot meals.
Gratin Savoyard
serves 4
1 lg garlic clove, peeled and smashed
4 lg baking (usually russet) potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 med onions, sliced in thin rings
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
lots of freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 2 c baked smoked ham, diced
2 c whole milk or light cream
3 tbsp all purpose unbleached flour
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
4 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (this is traditional, for a stronger taste use cheddar)
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley or dill
Preheat oven to 350º.
Heat the milk in a small pot on the stove but do not boil or scald it.
In a small skillet or frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and continue whisking to avoid lumps. You are making a "roue." Lower heat to simmer and whisk in the hot milk in a slow but steady stream. This should produce the white sauce. Remove from heat, season with salt and nutmeg.
Lightly butter a 9" baking dish and rub the smashed garlic all over it.
Put a layer of potato slices on the bottom, covering as much as possible without overlapping the potatoes. Lay a layer of onion on top and sprinkle with a layer of ham. Repeat these three layers again until all ingredients are used. Pour the white sauce over the layers and shake the pan lightly to distribute evenly. Season with freshly ground pepper and paprika. Sprinkle the cheese evenly across the top. Bake at 350º 50-60 minutes until it is bubbly and potatoes are soft.
Cool 5 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh herb and a colorful winter salad. (See earlier posts)
Gratin of Potatoes and Celeriac
A French variation on a French theme. And an unusual version because it has the Italian touch of garlic, basil and tomatoes.
serves 8
4 russet baking potatoes (1 1/2 lbs)
1 med/lg celeriac knob (3/4 lb)
Salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 ripe tomatoes (1 lb) skinned and cut into bite sized cubes (can use boxed)
fresh ground black pepper to your taste
6 basil leaves or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
3/4 c heavy cream
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 lb Gruyere cheese, grated
Scrub and rinse the potatoes. Put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook 15 minutes just to slightly soften the potatoes. Drain. When cool, peel and cut them into 1/2" thick rounds.
Peel the celeriac knob and cut it into 1/4" round slices. Put these in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Drain but reserve 1/2 c of the cooking liquid.
Preheat oven to 375º. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over med heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, black pepper and basil. Cook, stirring, one minutes. Whisk in the cream, the reserved cooking liquid, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 2 minutes.
Butter a med/lg baking dish (an oval one makes a pretty presentation). Arrange the potatoes on the bottom in one layer. Sprinkle half the grated cheese over them. Layer the celeriac slices on top. Pour the tomato mixture over everything. Top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake on the bottom oven rack for 40 minutes until the gratin is bubbling and browned.
Rutabaga Gratin
This is a toast to Alpine cooks for their love of cheese and
milk, and for their ability to create simple, heartwarming dishes in snowy
mountains.
Serves 6-8
1 tbsp olive oil (you can use
butter if you prefer)
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and
minced
2 c heavy cream (you can
substitute one cup of evaporated milk for one cup of cream but the final dish
will be soupy)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black
pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 star anise, crushed (if you
don’t have star anise, substitute ½ tsp dried tarragon or 1/8 tsp ground
cloves)
1 ¼ lb baking potatoes,
peeled and sliced into thin disks
1 large rutabaga (1lb),
peeled and sliced into thin disks
1 large leek, sliced into
thin disks and washed
½ lb. Gruyere cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 375º and get out a baking pan approximately 11” x 7”.
Heat the olive oil in a small
sauté pan. Add garlic and onion and
sauté over medium heat about 3 min, until the onion starts to
soften. Remove from heat and add the
salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the
cream.
Spread the leeks evenly
around the bottom of the baking dish. Don’t worry if there are gaps, just be
sure they are uniform. Cover the leeks
with a layer of potatoes (half the potatoes). Sprinkle the rosemary over the
potatoes, then sprinkle ½ cup of cheese. Add a layer of rutabaga,
using half of what you have. Sprinkle the crushed star anise around this layer
and then ½ cup cheese too. Repeat a layer of potatoes and cheese, then a layer
of rutabaga.
Pour the creamy onion mixture
over everything as evenly as you can and bake for 30 minutes in convection or
35 minutes in a regular oven. Sprinkle
the remaining cheese over the top and continue to bake another 12-15 minutes,
or until the rutabaga is tender and the cream seems to be solid. (It won’t be
if you used evaporated milk.)
Remove from the oven and cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
You can sparingly add freshly chopped flat leaf parsley for color if you
wish.
And for those of you not comforted by potatoes, here's something lighter
Linguini with Chickpeas and Chard
This is a healthy, filling, colorful dish that used to poor man's food. It's also, without the feta on top, vegan. You can use spaghetti or any pasta.
serves 4-6
2 1/2 c cooked chickpeas, (canned drained and rinsed does fine)
3/4 lb red or sweet onions, thinly sliced in disks
3 tbsp good quality olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 lemon, grated for zest
2 lemons, juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb chard, trimmed, washed and chopped (You can use kale or spinach)
1/2 c fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 lb linguini, spaghetti or bucatini
1 c feta cheese, crumbled
In a large heavy gauge pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions over med heat until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, lemon zest and chickpeas. Season with freshly ground black pepper and cook over low heat 5 min. Add the chopped chard and simmer 10 min until it's tender. Add the juice of 1 lemon, dill and salt to your taste. Taste and add the other lemon juice if needed. Remove from heat.
Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot. Drain and transfer it to a large serving bow. Toss in the chickpeas and chard, season with freshly ground black pepper and top with the crumbled feta.
No comments:
Post a Comment