Strange and beautiful veggies

Photo courtesy of Steve Miller*

Curiosity may well have killed the cat but it certainly enriched our meals and scientific knowledge. Without adventurous bodies to explore far away continents and bring back strange fruit and plants to acclimate to our latitudes, our plates would be so much duller. Some countries would have an identity crisis: imagine Italy without the tomato or France without potato, both imported from America. All the adventurers who first tasted an unknown vegetable or fruit and then brought it to botanical gardens deserve all our gratitude. Thanks to them Europeans eat Arabic artichokes (Cynara cardunculus) and Canadian sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberus) and Americans and Chinese consume French crosnes (Stachys affinis). Although these plants belong to widely different genii, their edible parts, the flower in the case of the artichoke, the roots for the crosne and the sunchoke, share a somewhat similar flavor. The latter two look like homunculus and may intimidate the novice cook at first. Their delicate nutty taste and the variety of their textures -from very crunchy for the crosne to tender for the sunchoke- should recommend them. They are very easy to prepare: the crosnes need only be sprinkled with coarse salt and rubbed in a paper towel before a quick rinse in cold water. The sunchokes are to be boiled until tender before their skin can easily be removed. Until I became familiar with the Rialto market in Venice, I either ate artichokes raw when they were small, or at room temperature after they had been boiled for twenty minutes. The sight of merchants peeling away their petals and uncovering their heart taught me what the small flying saucers reposing in water basins between the radicchio and the bunches of aragula were. One subsequent favorite dish was open lasagna garnished with thin slices of sautéed artichokes, Parmesan and olive oil. Because the lasagna for sale at the supermarket is too thick and that making it from scratch is time consuming I substitute crêpe. All recipes serve 4.

Sunchoke purée and sautéed scallops (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Reasonable)

Ingredients:
1 lbs (500 g) sunchokes
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
¼ cup (60 ml) crème fraîche or heavy cream
½ lbs (250 g) scallops
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
1 saucepan
Calendar
Food processor
1 frying pan

Set a pot of water on the high range of the gas. When the water is boiling add the sunchokes. After 20 minutes, or when a knife pierce easily the soften sunchoke, drain the water. Peel the sunchokes. Set them back in the pot and add the cream. When it boils again, put everything in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the sharp blade and pulse until thoroughly blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Set the frying pan on the medium range of the gas. Add the butter, and, when it is melted stir-fry the scallops for two minutes on each side. The scallops should be golden on the outside.
Serve the scallops on top of the purée as an appetizer.

Sautéed Crosnes with aragula and cremini mushrooms (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
½ lbs (250 g) crosnes
½ lbs (250 g) cremini mushrooms
1 bunch aragula
¼ cup (60 ml) goose or duck fat
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
Paper towel
1teaspoon coarse salt
1 colander
1 wok or frying pan

Sprinkle the salt on top of the paper towel. Place the crosnes inside and rub gently through the towel. Place the crosnes in the colander and discard the towel. Rinse the crosne in cold water. Cut off the tiny roots. Clean the mushroom in cold water. Slice off the bottom and cut in small pieces
Place the fat in the wok on top of the medium range of the gas stove. When the fat is melted and start smoking add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Add the crosnes and cook for another five minutes. Add the aragula for another two minutes. Correct the seasoning and serve as a side dish to the crêpes.

Artichokes Crêpe (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
4 artichoke hearts
1cup (250ml) béchamel (recipe follows)
¼ cup (60 g) Parmesan cheese sliced or grated
1cup savory crêpe (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

Material:
1 saucepan
1 non-stick pan
1 spatula

Set a large saucepan of water on the high range of the gas. When the water boils, add the artichokes and cook for twenty minutes, or until the leaves can easily be detached. Refresh the artichokes in cold water until they can easily be handled. Peel all the petals and nibble on them if you so desire. Remove the straw from the heart with a spoon.
Warm up the béchamel and add the cheese.
Set the non-stick pan on the high range of the gas. Melt a small piece of the butter and pour enough of the batter to cover the pan. Detach the side of the crêpe and, using the spatula turn it over after two minutes. Place the artichoke heart in the middle of the crêpe, pour ¼ of the béchamel on top. Fold the crêpe side to obtain an envelope. Repeat four times.

Béchamel for 1 cup (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup (80 g) flour
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
1cup (250 ml) milk
Nutmeg freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Material:
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Strainer
Blender
Rubber spoon

Put the butter to melt in the saucepan on the low settings of the gas. Strain the flour over the saucepan, stirring butter and flour together. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Do not worry about the lumps. Pour the lumpy mixture in the blender and run progressively to high. You will obtain a smooth béchamel in minutes. Remove from the blender with the rubber spoon.

Sweet and savory crêpe batter (Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

Savory for 1 cup:
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter

Sweet for 1 cup:
½ cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Material:
Blender or Food processor.

Place all ingredients for each type of batter into the blender and mix until perfectly homogeneous.
Each recipe will serve 4.

Orange sugar crêpe (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 5 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 cup (250 ml) batter
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
2 tablespoons (28 g) of sugar
2 juicy oranges

Material:
1 non-stick frying pan
1 juicer

Juice the oranges. You should get 1 cup juice.
Set the non-stick pan on the high range of the gas. Melt a small piece of the butter and pour enough of the batter to cover the pan. Detach the side of the crêpe and, using the spatula turn it over after two minutes. Place on a plate. Sprinkle with sugar. Wet the sugar with just enough orange juice and form a roll with the crêpe. Repeat three more times

*http://www.healthoftheplanet.com
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