The vegetables are gorgeous, their colors bright and true.
Quartered or halved or left intact, gently cooked in olive oil and an aromatic court bouillon, then cooled and served lacquered with the broth, they arrive, captured in their very essence.
These are “vegetables a la Grecque,” an ancient appellation for a simple French technique.
In France, mushrooms or artichokes a la Grecque are served as a first course or as part of an hors d’oeuvres varies, the French version of an antipasto platter.
“Whenever you see ‘a la Grecque’ on a menu, you can be sure that whatever is being served is pickled,” writes chef Daniel Boulud in “Cafe Boulud Cookbook.”
“It’s a real classic in France,” chef Alain Giraud said. “But I call it farmers market vegetable salad, because most people don’t know what vegetables a la Grecque is.”
Many sources attribute the name to a French fondness for naming recipes after countries.
According to Boulud, vegetables a la Grecque are first slow-cooked in olive oil, then poached in a combination of herbs, wine, vinegar or lemon juice, and coriander seeds, the key aromatic note to the dish. The acid from the vinegar or lemon juice acts as the pickling or preserving agent.
After cooking, the vegetables are chilled, then served with the same liquid as a sauce.
The dish is ideal for tender, young vegetables, not only artichokes and mushrooms, but also carrots, fennel, cauliflower and pearl onions or even celeriac, bell peppers or fresh lima or fava beans. Just be sure to pick vegetables that can hold up during the cooking process. Root vegetables work particularly well; leafy greens do not.
A simple and light method is to drop the uncooked vegetables directly into a court bouillon seasoned with the olive oil.
A classic court bouillon is a mixture of water; wine, vinegar or lemon juice, or a combination of all three; peppercorns and salt; and aromatics and herbs, usually onion, garlic, shallots, celery and a bouquet garnishment of thyme, bay leaf and parsley.
To the basic bouillon, add a generous amount of coriander seed and olive oil. Many cooks wait to add salt until after the vegetables have cooked.
Bring the bouillon to a simmer, then drop in the vegetables. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are just tender; they should still have some garden crunch to them.
While the vegetables cool, reduce the broth until it’s almost a syrup. Return the vegetables to the reduced broth, season with a little salt or pepper and chill for a few hours or even a few days. That’s it.
Mushrooms a la Grecque
1/2pound small white button mushrooms
1/2pound small cremini mushrooms
1/4cup dry white wine
1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2tablespoons olive oil
1teaspoon coriander seeds
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8slices country white bread, for grilling
2teaspoons finely chopped parsley
Slice off and discard the mushroom stems. Rinse and drain the mushrooms. If the mushroom caps are larger than 3/4 inch in diameter, cut them in half vertically. Put the mushrooms, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander seeds and 1/4 cup water in a 31/2- or 4-quart pot. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, gently shaking the pan a few times during the first few minutes of cooking. Simmer gently, covered, for 12 minutes to cook through.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the pot and put them into a bowl to cool. Return the mushroom liquid to a good simmer, adding any remaining liquid that the resting mushrooms have released. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, then remove from the heat.
Pour the reduced liquid over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. The recipe can be made ahead to this point and the mushrooms refrigerated for one to two days.
Heat a grill over medium heat. Grill both sides of the bread until lightly browned. Divide the mushrooms with the juices among four small bowls. Sprinkle each with fresh parsley and serve with the bread.
Makes four servings. Each serving: 230 calories; 7 grams protein; 30 grams carbs; 3 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams cholesterol; 346 mg sodium.
Adapted from “Vegetables” by James Peterson
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