Episode 51: Vegetables

Artichokes en Barigoule
Fried Artichokes & Frisee Lettuce Salad w/Lardons & Raspberry Viniagrette
Braised Fennel
Sauteed Fennel w/Blood Oranges & Lime Segments
Winter Mushroom Ragout
Wild Mushrroms & Double Smoked Bacon Tartlette
Celeriac Allumettes
Celeriac Rosti

ARTICHOKES EN BARIGOULE
8 small artichokes
1 large lemon
1 medium carrot, sliced thinly
1 Spanish onion diced
1 sprig of thyme
5 tablespoons of olive oil (75 milliliters)
2 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
½ cup of dry Franz Reh Lark Riesling white wine (125 milliliters)

Preparation time is 40 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Clean the artichokes by removing the leaves and with a knife, clean the steam and the heart. With a melon baler, remove the choke. Rub the artichokes with ½ the lemon so they don’t discolour. As soon as one artichoke is cleaned, put it in acidulated water (water with ½ the lemon juice).

In a non-reactive saucepot, put the olive oil, the carrots and the onions and sauté until they reach a golden colour. Add the artichokes, hearts down, and add the white wine. Top up with water so that the artichokes are almost all submerged. Add the bay leaf, the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes on the stove top. Remove the artichokes carefully and reduce the sauce to the consistency that you desire.

Yield: 4 servings
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FRIED ARTICHOKES & FRISEE LETTUCE SALAD W/ LARDONS & RASPBERRY VINIAGRETTE
4 artichokes
1 lemon
125 grams double-smoked bacon cut in thin strips (4 ounces)
½ teaspoon butter
½ teaspoon grape seed oil
salt and pepper

For the vinaigrette:
¼ cup raspberry vinegar (60 milliliters)
½ cup olive oil (125 milliliters)
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Clean the artichokes by removing the leaves, the chokes and the bottoms of the stems with a sharp knife. Make sure to coat the artichokes with the lemon and put them in acidulated water.

In the meantime, fry the lardons (double-smoked bacon) in ½ teaspoon of butter and grape seed oil until they become crispy. Drain them on a piece of paper towel and reserve for later.

In a saucepot, bring the olive oil to a high temperature and fry the artichokes until golden in colour. Cook for 5 minutes and drain on paper towel until ready to use.

Mix the raspberry vinegar with the olive oil in a small jar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the frisee lettuce with the raspberry vinaigrette, add the warm lardons and the artichokes. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
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BRAISED FENNEL
1 medium size fennel bulb, cleaned and cored out
½ cup of Pelee Island Chardonnay white wine (125 milliliters)
½ a piece of lemongrass, smashed
½ a lime
1 red onion peeled, brunoise cut
½ teaspoon of butter unsalted
1 tablespoon of capers non pareilles
¼ cured lemon cut in brunoise (only the rind)
1 sprig of fennel tops, chopped

Preparation time is 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Slice the fennel finely on the mandolin. Put the white wine, the lemongrass, the salt, pepper and the lime juice in a non-reactive saucepan and braise gently for 3 minutes.

Remove the fennel from the liquid and dice up in brunoise cut. In another saucepan, sauté the red onion in butter and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with a ¼ cup of wine and add the capers and the cured lemon rind. Combine the fennel and the onion mixture and finally add the fennel tops. Season to taste and serve as a garnish for fish.

Yield: 4 servings
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SAUTEED FENNEL WITH BLOOD ORANGES AND LIME SEGMENTS
2 medium sized fennel bulbs
2 medium sized blood oranges, peeled and segments cut out
2 limes peeled and segments cut out
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15 milliliters)
1 tablespoon Mirin (15 milliliters)
½ cup of vegetable stock (125 milliliters)
salt and pepper
¼ cup fennel tops (70 grams)

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Clean the fennel bulbs by cutting them in quarters. Remove most of the centre core but make sure that the fennel leaves stay together. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the fennel until light in colour.

Add the blood orange , lime segments and the Mirin and sauté for another 30 seconds. Cover with the vegetable stock and cook until the fennel is tender, about 12 minutes. Season to taste and add the fennel tops.

Serve these fennel bulbs as an accompaniment to a white fish or with a warm salad with fresh watercress.

Yield: 4 servings
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WINTER MUSHROOM RAGOUT
1½ cups of dried wild mushrooms (60 grams)
¼ cup of fresh shiitake mushrooms (60 grams)
¼ cup of fresh oyster mushrooms (60 grams)
2 tablespoons butter (30 milliliters)
¼ cup of Pelee Island Gewürztraminer wine (60 milliliters)
1 cup of demi glaze (250 milliliters)
2 sprigs of sage, chiffonade
¼ cup of oven dried tomatoes (2 tomatoes)
½ butternut squash cut in macedoine
1 leek cut in half, length wise

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak and re-hydrate for 20 minutes. Drain the liquid through a fine sieve and make sure to keep the liquid as you will need it for later usage.

In a sauté pan, melt the butter and sauté the fresh mushrooms until nice and brown. Add the butternut squash and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the leeks and the re-hydrated mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the oven-dried tomatoes, the sage and deglaze with the wine. Reduce to dry. Add the demi glaze and reduce to desired consistency. Season to taste.

Yield: 4 servings
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WILD MUSHROOMS AND DOUBLE SMOKED BACON TARTLETTE
1 cup of fresh shiitake mushrooms, julienned (150 grams)
1 cup of fresh oyster mushrooms , julienned (150 grams)
1 cup of fresh chanterelles, minced (150 grams)
1 cup of bluefoot mushrooms, minced (150 grams)
1 medium size shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 milliliters)
150 grams of double smoked bacon cut in brunoise
1 sprig of thyme
2 fluid ounces of brandy (60 milliliters)
5 eggs
1 ½ cups of 35% cream 9375 milliliters)
4 3-inch tartelette shells (made out of puff pastry dough)

Preparation time is 40 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a sauté pan, melt the butter and sauté the shallot and the bacon for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms in 3 batches, making sure that they don’t boil. Cook until golden in colour. Deglaze with the brandy and flambé to evaporate the alcohol. Add the thyme and season to taste.

In the meantime, in a stainless steel bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream and season with salt and pepper. Add the mushroom filling to the cream mixture and mix well. Put the tartelette shells on a baking sheet and put a weight on parchment paper in every shell so that the dough doesn’t puff up ( you can use rice or beans). Par-bake the tart shell for 4 minutes in the oven. Remove the weights, add the filling and cook in the oven for another 12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve warm with a salad of mixed hydroponic lettuces and an aged balsamic vinegar.

Yield: 4 servings
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CELERIAC ALLUMETTES
1 medium size celery root, peeled and julienned on the mandolin
2 ½ cups of vegetable oil (625 milliliters)
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 10 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

In a saucepot, bring the vegetable oil to 330 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the julienned celery root in the oil in small batches. Make sure to turn them around so they can fry evenly.

Remove from the oil when they have turned a golden colour and season with salt. Allow to drain on a piece of kitchen paper.

Serve as a garnish for fish, mushroom tartelette or as part of a salad.

Yield: 4 servings
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CELERIAC ROSTI
1 big celery root, peeled and julienned
3 white potatoes, peeled and julienned
8 tablespoons of duck fat (120 milliliters)
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 15 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a bowl, mix the celery root and the potatoes together. Season with the salt. In a heavy cast iron pan, melt the duck fat. When hot, add a quarter of the celery root mixture and spread with your spatula so that the celery root and potatoes cover the pan. Cook on the stovetop until the bottom becomes a light brown colour. Flip over and finish cooking in the oven. Flip the rosti occasionally.

Take the rosti out of the oven and drain on a piece of paper towel to remove the excess fat. Serve with crème fraiche and white wine marinated onions.

Yield: 4 servings
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Recipe courtesy of Chef Caroline McCann-Bizjak