WHEN YOU BUY VEGETABLES FRESH and cook them lovingly, you may find yourself more renowned for your remarkable zucchini stuffed with almonds than for your spectacular crêpes Suzette. And why not, when flaming desserts are becoming status symbols and hand-whittled fresh vegetables more and more of a rarity? Recipes for vegetables consume over 100 pages in Volume I, and describe some of the ways to prepare rice and potatoes as well as almost everything to do with artichokes, asparagus, green beans, and spinach, plus how to braise endive, how to turn a mushroom, and where to peel the chestnut. There are gaps, however, and while the present chapter will fill some of them we are more interested in giving you fresh ideas for old favorites than in completing the vegetable roster. Although we have included a number of classics, like pommes Anna, most of the recipes here are new ones that you will not have seen before—the sautéed broccoli, for instance, the unusual purées starting with gratin de potiron d’Arpajon, the spinach with onions. While some dishes are as elaborate as the stuffed artichoke bottoms, others are as fast and simple as the grated zucchini. Seldom-honored notables like rutabagas, chard, and pumpkin receive attention, and stuffed whole cabbage gets a revolutionary, new, and fully illustrated treatment. Here, then, are more recipes for fresh vegetables, beginning with broccoli and ending with a splendid dish of cold artichokes.
BROCCOLI
Although green sprouting broccoli, asparagus broccoli, Italian broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica, or whatever you wish to call just plain green broccoli has been around for centuries, it was not widely known in this country until the early 1920's. It is now so popular that an average of one pound a year is consumed by every man, woman, and child in America; over sixty thousand tons of fresh broccoli are sold in retail markets; and heaven knows how much goes into frozen TV dinners. Despite its renown here it continues to remain almost unknown in France (where it is spelled with only one “c”); that is their loss, because fresh broccoli, properly prepared, is certainly one of our most attractive vegetables, both visually and gastronomically. With its delicate cabbage flavor, it is more tender in taste and texture than cauliflower as well as being far more colorful. It goes beautifully with such subtleties as fish in fine white sauces, chicken breasts, brains, and sweetbreads; in fact, anything that spinach does to dress up a dish, broccoli does equally well, sometimes better. Thus, whether or not it ever becomes a French vegetable, we shall give broccoli the full treatment à la française.
Broccoli is in season all year round; although its low months are July and August, its high season is winter, when we are most in need of fresh green vegetables. California is by far the largest producer, but considerable amounts come from other Western states as well as from New York, New Jersey, and Virginia.
When buying broccoli, choose clean, firm, smooth, fresh-smelling dark green or purplish-green bunches with fresh-looking, closely bunched, all-green bud clusters. Over-mature broccoli will have thick, woody stems that are often hollow; the buds will be partially open, yellowish, and have a rather strong odor. Broccoli is perishable, and will become limp and bruised-looking and develop an unpleasant stale-cabbage smell if not properly handled. In markets it should be kept in humidified refrigerator cases and/or frequently iced. Bring it home from the market as soon as possible, refrigerate in a plastic bag immediately, and plan to cook it within 2 to 3 days.
The usual bunch of broccoli, containing several stalks tied together, weighs between 1½ and 2 pounds and will serve 4 to 6 people.
When we speak of the delights of fresh broccoli properly prepared, we are talking about peeling the stems and stalks before cooking the broccoli. If you have subsisted on unpeeled broccoli, you will find that peeled broccoli is an entirely different vegetable which cooks in 5 to 6 minutes, remains fresh and green, and is tender from stalk to tip. In fact we have the same feeling about unpeeled broccoli that we do about unpeeled asparagus—neither is a gastronomical object.
To prepare broccoli for cooking, you may quarter the whole stalks lengthwise from butt to head, and peel each stem of each piece. We, however, prefer smaller pieces for easier handling and more even cooking. We suggest that you begin by discarding the tough leaves, retaining only such small ones that seem as tender as the buds. Then cut off the top 2½ to 3 inches of each head, usually at the point where the branches separate themselves from the central stalk. Halve or quarter the branches lengthwise, depending on their size, to make them all no more than ½ inch in diameter at the base. Using a small knife and starting at the bottom of each branch, peel off the skin in strips, coming almost up to the flower buds. Cut off and discard the tough half inch at the butt of each central stalk and strip off the skin, cutting deeply enough when necessary to expose the tender whitish flesh. (Slightly off-season broccoli that has fresh, tight bud clusters may have very thick central stalks with hollow cores; quartering lengthwise and deep peeling, however, will make the stalks tender and edible.) Cut stalks lengthwise into pieces ½ inch in diameter, and then into bias (diagonal) pieces about 1½ inches long.
Place the prepared broccoli in a covered bowl or plastic bag and refrigerate until you are ready to cook it. Wash rapidly under cold, running water just before cooking.
Peeled broccoli cooks so fast, 5 to 6 minutes, that if you are serving it simply, with melted butter or a sauce, you should cook it only just before serving. If this works in with your schedule, it is easily accomplished between courses, otherwise pick one of the alternate methods, where the broccoli is sautéed or finishes in the oven.
CHOUX BROCOLI BLANCHIS[Blanched Broccoli—Plain Boiled Broccoli]
When you have not peeled your broccoli, you must resort to all sorts of subterfuges such as boiling the stalks while steaming the heads, steaming the whole vegetable, or pressure cooking; by the time the stalks are done the heads usually droop, the color has darkened, and the broccoli has lost much of its fresh taste and texture as well as those nutrients considered so important by the very people who feel the peel is the best part. When you have peeled your broccoli, you may use the French method of green-vegetable cookery—blanching. Because peeled broccoli is so tender, we recommend the wire salad basket for plunging it into its boiling bath and snatching it out again.
For 4 to 6 servings
1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) fresh broccoli
A wire salad basket (or a vegetable rack, or a large skimmer)
A kettle containing at least 4 quarts of rapidly boiling water and 2 Tb salt (1½ tsp per quart)
Cut, peel, and wash the broccoli as described in preceding directions, and place in salad basket. Plunge into the rapidly boiling water over highest heat. As soon as water returns to the boil again, boil slowly, uncovered, for 4 to 6 minutes (depending on freshness of broccoli). It is done when a knife pierces the stalks easily. Taste a piece as a test: it should be just tender, with a slight crunch of texture. Remove immediately from the boiling water and serve as directed in one of the following suggestions.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: If by some chance you plan to serve the hot broccoli with a sauce, and cannot do so immediately when it is done, let it cool, spreading out on a tray if necessary so it will cool quickly. Keep the water boiling. Return broccoli to salad basket just before you wish to serve and re-plunge it for a moment in the rapidly boiling water so that it will just heat through.
Serving suggestions for plain boiled broccoli
Brocoli au Citron—Broccoli for Dieters. Broccoli, like asparagus, is great for dieters because it has its own natural flavor, which a little lemon juice will enhance. Arrange the hot broccoli on a hot serving dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and decorate with wedges of lemon.
Brocoli au Beurre Noir—Broccoli with Brown Butter Sauce. Before cooking the broccoli, melt 5 to 6 tablespoons of butter, skim off foam and pour the clear yellow butter off the milky residue and into another saucepan. When broccoli is done, arrange it on a hot serving dish; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and drops of lemon juice. Heat butter until it turns a light, nutty brown and pour it bubbling hot over the broccoli. Serve immediately.
Brocoli à la Polonaise[Broccoli with Sautéed Bread Crumbs and Chopped Egg]
This more elaborate presentation of the brown butter sauce includes bread crumbs and sieved egg. You might serve it as a first course or in place of a salad. It would also go with plain broiled or roast chicken, chops, steak, hamburger, or broiled fish.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) broccoli, serving 4 to 6
¼ lb. (1 stick) butter
A saucepan
An 8-inch frying pan
½ cup (lightly pressed) crumbs from fresh homemade-type white bread
Salt and pepper
1 hard-boiled egg
A sieve set over a bowl
Before cooking the broccoli (Master Recipe) melt the butter in the saucepan, skim off foam, and pour clear butter off milky residue and into frying pan. Stir in the bread crumbs and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring for several minutes until crumbs are lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside. Peel the hard-boiled egg, rub through sieve into bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
When broccoli is done, arrange on a hot serving dish and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Reheat the bread crumbs, mix in the sieved egg, strew over the broccoli, and serve immediately.
Omit the hard-boiled egg in the preceding recipe, and substitute one hot poached egg per person. When broccoli is cooked, arrange on hot serving dish and place hot poached eggs on top. Sprinkle the hot, browned bread crumbs over all and serve immediately.
Beurre au citron—A lemon-butter sauce, Volume I, page 98.
Sauce hollandaise, its variations with cream—sauce mousseline, or the orange-flavored variation—sauce maltaise, all of which are in Volume I, pages 79–83.
Broccoli, peeled and blanched in the French manner, is delicious in cold vegetable combinations, accompanied by a vinaigrette or mayonnaise. So that it will retain all its fresh color and texture after cooking, spread it out on a clean towel as soon as you have removed it from the boiling water. When cold, refrigerate in a covered bowl.
[Broccoli Sautéed with Onions, Bacon, and Bread Crumbs]
Like the brocoli à la polonaise, this could well be a first course or served in place of the salad, or it could accompany poached or scrambled eggs, plain broiled chicken or fish, or pork or veal chops. In this recipe you may blanch the broccoli in advance, and sauté it just before serving.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) broccoli
3 strips bacon
An 8-inch frying pan, no-stick recommended
⅓ cup (lightly pressed) crumbs from fresh homemade-type white bread
½ cup finely minced onions
3 Tb olive oil
1 large clove mashed garlic
The blanched broccoli
Salt and pepper
Before blanching the broccoli (Master Recipe) prepare the following garniture. Cook the bacon until lightly browned, and drain on paper towels; crumble when crisped and cool. Sauté the bread crumbs in the bacon fat, stirring, and when light brown scrape into a side dish. In the same pan, cook the onions in the olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes or more, until tender and translucent; stir in the garlic, and set pan aside.
Just before serving, reheat onions, add the cooked broccoli pieces, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss and turn gently over moderately high heat, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle. When heated through, add browned crumbs and crumbled bacon, swirling and tossing for a moment more. Turn out onto a hot dish and serve immediately.
Brocoli Étuvés au Beurre[Broccoli Braised in Butter]
When you cannot give broccoli last-minute attention you may blanch it until al dente, meaning not quite completely cooked, pack it into a casserole, and bake it with butter. It finishes cooking while you are having the first course, but do not leave it in the oven too long or it will lose its lovely fresh quality.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) broccoli, serving 4 to 6
1 Tb soft butter
A 6-cup flameproof casserole or baking dish
The broccoli, blanched for 4 minutes only
Salt and pepper
4 to 5 Tb melted butter
A round of waxed paper
A cover for the casserole
Smear inside of dish with butter. Arrange cooked broccoli stalks in bottom of dish, season lightly and dribble on ⅓ of the butter. Arrange broccoli heads attractively on top, season, and dribble on the rest of the butter. Lay waxed paper on top and set aside until about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve. Preheat oven to 350 degrees in plenty of time. If casserole is heavy, heat on top of the stove. Cover, and set in middle level of oven until broccoli is bubbling hot. Serve as soon as possible, to preserve fresh taste and green color.
VARIATION
[Buttered Broccoli Gratinéed with Cheese]
Follow the preceding recipe but add ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese to the ingredients. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese inside the buttered dish before arranging the broccoli on it, and sprinkle cheese over each layer of broccoli along with the butter. Cover and heat until bubbling in the oven, then set under a low broiler for a moment or two to brown cheese lightly.
Chopped Broccoli
Another solution for the chef-host-butler is to blanch the broccoli, cool it quickly, then chop it and reheat at leisure in one of the following ways.
SAUTÉ DE BROCOLI[Chopped Broccoli Sautéed in Butter]
This very simple way with broccoli is also one of the most delicious, because the hot butter penetrates every surface. As well as being an almost all-purpose vegetable accompaniment, chopped sautéed broccoli may serve as a bed for poached fish fillets, poached eggs, chicken breasts, veal scallops, brains, or sweetbreads; these may then be sauced and, if called for, browned under the broiler.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) fresh broccoli, serving 4 to 6
The broccoli, peeled, washed, and blanched as directed in the Master Recipe, but for 4 minutes only
Spread the blanched broccoli on a towel to cool. Then chop on a board with a big knife to make pieces between ⅛ and ¼ inch in size. If not to be cooked immediately, refrigerate in a covered bowl. (Makes about 2½ cups.)
3 to 4 Tb butter (2 to 3 Tb more if you wish)
A 10- to 12-inch frying pan, no-stick recommended
Salt and pepper to taste
Several minutes before serving, melt the butter in the frying pan over moderately high heat. When bubbling hot, pour in the chopped broccoli and immediately begin shaking and swirling the pan by the handle to toss the broccoli pieces in the butter until well heated through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss a moment more, and turn into a hot dish. Serve immediately.
VARIATION
[Chopped Broccoli, Simmered in Cream]
Serve this tender, creamy broccoli dish with broiled or roast chicken, sautéed chicken breasts, veal scallops, brains or sweetbreads, or broiled or sautéed fish.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) fresh broccoli, serving 4 to 6
The preceding recipe for blanched chopped broccoli sautéed in 3 Tb butter
1 cup heavy cream (a bit more if you wish)
2 tsp cornstarch in a 1 quart bowl
A wire whip
A rubber spatula
After the broccoli has been warmed in butter and seasoned, blend 2 tablespoons cream into the cornstarch. When smooth, blend in the rest and fold into the broccoli. Simmer, folding gently for 2 to 3 minutes, to cook starch and thicken cream. Taste for seasoning. Turn into a hot vegetable dish and serve immediately.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be set aside and just heated through before serving.
[Chopped Broccoli Gratinéed with Cheese Sauce]
This is an especially good recipe to accompany roast turkey or chicken, and a boon for Thanksgiving because you may assemble the whole dish the day before and set it in the oven half an hour before serving. It also goes well with roast red meats, steaks, chops, and broiled fish or could be the hot entree at an informal luncheon where you were serving cold ham or poultry, or poached or shirred eggs.
For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) fresh broccoli, serving 4 to 6
1) The broccoli and the cheese sauce
The peeled, blanched, and chopped broccoli sautéed in butter
4 Tb butter
3 Tb flour
1½ cups hot milk in a small saucepan (more if needed)
½ cup grated cheese, Parmesan and Swiss mixed (save 3 Tb for later)
A heavy-bottomed 2½-quart saucepan
A wooden spoon, wire whip, and rubber spatula
½ tsp salt or to taste
Big pinch white pepper
Prepare the broccoli and set aside. Make a white sauce as follows, starting with a butter and flour roux: Melt the butter in the saucepan, blend in the flour, and stir over moderate heat until flour and butter foam together for 2 minutes without browning at all. Remove from heat, and when roux stops foaming, vigorously blend in all of the hot milk at once with wire whip, beating until mixture is perfectly smooth. Return over moderately high heat, stirring with whip as sauce thickens and comes to the boil. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Let cool for a moment. Fold in all but 3 tablespoons of the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
2) Assembling the dish
A 6-cup baking dish about 2 inches deep
1½ Tb soft butter
Smear ½ tablespoon of butter inside the baking dish and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of sauce in the bottom. Spread half the broccoli in the dish, and cover with half the sauce. (If sauce seems too thick for spreading, beat in a little more milk by spoonfuls.) Cover with the remaining broccoli and sauce; sprinkle the 3 tablespoons reserved cheese over the sauce. Dot with remaining butter.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Recipe may be completed to this point a day in advance. When cool, cover and refrigerate.
3) Baking—about 30 minutes at 375 degrees
About 30 minutes before serving, place broccoli in upper-third level of preheated oven and bake until bubbling hot and cheese has browned nicely on top. Do not overcook, or broccoli will lose its attractive flavor and texture. You may keep the dish warm for 15 minutes or so in turned-off oven or warming oven, but the sooner you serve it the better the flavor.
[Broccoli Molds]
These are deep-dish custards that are unmolded for serving as first-course or luncheon dishes, or as an accompaniment to roast chicken or veal, broiled chicken, veal chops, or broiled fish. Use about 2½ cups peeled, blanched, and chopped broccoli in place of the zucchini (timbale de courgettes), or in place of the asparagus in Volume I, page 440.
Aubergines
Eggplant, like broccoli, is in season all year round, and is a marvelously versatile vegetable. National indifference to the eggplant, however, is so vast that our average per capita consumption amounts to only one modest serving once a year. Yet the eggplant has enormous potentialities besides French-frying, certainly the least interesting way of cooking this handsome vegetable. You may bake, broil, boil, sauté, stuff, soufflé, and gratiné eggplant, as well as serve it hot, cold, alone, or together with meat, fish, fowl, or other vegetables. Volume I contains a splendid eggplant stuffed with mushrooms, and moussaka and ratatouille, the first a marvelous mold of eggplant and lamb, and the second a Provençal casserole of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. Here you will find it broiled, cold à la grecque with tomatoes and herbs, sautéed in various unusual forms, baked with meat, with cheese, and souffléed. Eggplant will also turn up in other parts of this book, as a filling, stuffing, or accompaniment to many a main dish.
Although you will occasionally see locally grown baby eggplant and small sizes, either round or egg-shaped, almost the entire large-scale commercially raised crop in this country consists of the big, dark-purple varieties weighing 1 to 2 pounds but going up even to 5 pounds. They are roundish, egg-shaped or bell-shaped, and half of all the harvest comes from Florida, whose climate and long growing season are ideal for eggplant.
Size is no signal of quality, because all eggplants are harvested when the fruit is still immature—the seeds sparse and soft, the flesh firm. When eggplants mature, the flesh softens, the seeds grow larger and tougher, and both seeds and flesh turn bitter.
When you are buying eggplants, therefore, look at each one carefully all over, which means that if they are packed in a plastic-covered carton you must open it up. Make sure that the skin is sleek and shiny, that it is taut over the flesh, that there are no pockmarks, brown spots, or wrinkles anywhere. Press each fruit gently all over to be sure the flesh is firm and resistant. Avoid any eggplant that is dull, wrinkled, blemished, or even slightly soft, because the flesh will have an off-flavor you can do nothing to correct.
Unlike most other vegetables, eggplants store best at 45 to 50 degrees but even under these conditions the storage limit is only about 10 days. Unless you have a cold-room, therefore, buy eggplants only a day or two before you plan to cook them. In a cool kitchen, keep them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for humidity; in summer, you will have to refrigerate them. Under refrigeration, however, they will develop surface pitting and brown spots within 4 to 5 days, and begin to soften.
You may have wondered why a particular eggplant recipe sometimes comes off perfectly and at other times does not have the tender, delicious quality you remembered before. The answer is probably either that the eggplant was not really firm, fresh, and immature when you bought it, or that it had been kept too long under refrigerated storage.
Eggplant skin is edible when cooked long enough, as in a moussaka, gratinéed dish, or other recipe involving an hour in the oven. For the rapidly done sautés and for eggplant simmered à la grecque, cooking is so short that the skin remains rather tough and stringy.
Most recipes for eggplant direct that it be either macerated in salt or blanched in boiling salted water before the main cooking begins. There are three reasons for this. The first is to eliminate the slight bitterness usually present in even the youngest and freshest specimens, the second is to remove excess vegetable water that otherwise exudes during cooking, and the final one is to prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil or fat. You will find, in a comparison of sautés, that plain cubed eggplant will blot up 3 times more sautéing oil than blanched eggplant, that salted eggplant will use half as much as plain eggplant, and that blanched eggplant, which requires the least oil, will be the most tender of the three but have slightly less flavor. We therefore recommend salting in most recipes, and blanching only when we have found it is the best solution.
Salting, however, requires a wait of 30 minutes while the excess vegetable water slowly works its way out of the flesh, and if you are in a tearing hurry do not hesitate to blanch. To do so, drop the eggplant into salted boiling water after you have peeled and cubed or sliced it; boil slowly, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is almost tender but still holds its shape, then proceed with the recipe.
[Broiled Eggplant Slices]
Broiling and sautéing are by far the easiest ways of cooking eggplant, and thick slices of broiled eggplant are attractive to serve. Actually, the following recipe is a combination of baking, to soften the eggplant, then broiling, with a topping of tomatoes and bread crumbs. Serve with steaks, chops, roast lamb, broiled fish or chicken, or as a garnish with poached, scrambled, or fried eggs.
For 4 people
1) Salting the eggplant
2 to 2½ lbs. fresh, shiny, firm, unblemished eggplant
A large tray
1½ tsp salt
Paper towels
Cut off cap, shave nubbin off bottom, and wash the eggplant (or eggplants), but do not peel. You are now to cut the eggplant into slices all somewhat the same dimension, 3 to 4 inches long, 2 inches wide, and ½ to ¾ inch thick. If you have large ones, for instance, cut the center slices into 4, other sizes into 3 or 2. Arrange on tray. Sprinkle salt on both sides and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and press dry with paper towels.
2) Preliminary baking of the eggplant—oven preheated to 400 degrees
½ to ⅔ cup olive oil
Either 1 or 2 cloves mashed garlic;
Or 3 Tb minced shallots or scallions
¼ to ½ tsp mixed herbs (herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, or thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
Big pinch pepper
A 4-inch bowl
A 14-inch pizza tray or jelly-roll pan
A cover, or aluminum foil
Blend the oil, the garlic or shallots or scallions, and the herbs and pepper in the bowl, dip each slice into the mixture, drain, and arrange slices slightly overlapping on pizza tray or pan. Reserve remaining oil mixture for later. Cover eggplant and bake in middle level of preheated 400-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until eggplant is almost but not quite tender; do not let it overcook and turn limp, but it must cook long enough to soften.
3) Tomato and bread-crumb topping
5 to 6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (2 cups pulp)
⅛ tsp salt
Big pinch pepper
½ cup dry crumbs from nonsweetened, homemade-type white bread
More oil if needed
When you have prepared the tomatoes, toss gently in a bowl with salt and pepper; drain in a few minutes and spread over the eggplant slices. Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs and drizzle on oil.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Recipe may be prepared an hour in advance to this point. Cover loosely and set aside.
4) Broiling and serving
A hot serving platter, or the meat platter
A flexible-blade spatula
About 5 minutes before serving, set eggplant 4 to 5 inches under a moderately hot broiler and let brown slowly to finish cooking. Arrange on platter, again overlapping slices slightly in an attractive design. Serve as soon as possible because eggplant will soften if kept warm.
Sprinkle eggplant with a mixture of bread crumbs, cheese, and parsley, and finish with drops of oil, or mask the slices with the thick cheese sauce described for Broccoli Mornay, and top with a sprinkling of cheese and melted butter. In either case, reheat and brown under a moderate broiler as described in the preceding step.
AUBERGINES EN PERSILLADE, SAUTÉES[Sautéed Eggplant Garnished with Garlic, Bread Crumbs, and Herbs]
Sautéed eggplant is easier to serve than the preceding broiled eggplant, and certainly easier to finish off at the last moment. It also lends itself to several variations, as you will see. Serve sautéed eggplant with steaks, chops, roast lamb, broiled fish, or broiled chicken. Whole, small baked tomatoes are probably the most attractive additional accompaniment.
For 4 to 6 people
1) Preparing the eggplant
2 lbs. shiny, firm, unblemished eggplant
A 3-quart mixing bowl
1½ tsp salt
A colander
Paper towels
Peel the eggplant. Cut into lengthwise slices ¾ inch thick, cut slices into ¾-inch strips, and the strips into ¾-inch cubes. (You will have around 8 cups.) Toss in the bowl with the salt and let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Just before sautéing, drain in colander and pat dry in paper towels.
2) Sautéing the eggplant
Olive oil or cooking oil
A 12-inch frying pan, preferably no-stick (or an 8-inch pan for sautéing in 2 batches)
The colander set over the drained mixing bowl
Pour a ⅛-inch layer of oil into the pan and heat until very hot but not smoking. Add enough eggplant to make 1 layer. Toss and turn the eggplant frequently, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle; sauté for 5 to 8 minutes until eggplant is tender and very lightly browned. (Eggplant burns easily, and you must keep your eye on it. If it has browned but is not tender, lower heat and cover the pan for 2 to 3 minutes until it is tender.) Drain in colander and return any accumulated oil from bowl to frying pan. Continue with the rest of the eggplant if you are sautéing in several batches.
3) The persillade
The oil
⅓ cup coarse, dry crumbs from nonsweetened, homemade-type white bread
2 Tb minced shallots or scallions
1 to 2 large cloves of garlic, mashed or finely minced
3 Tb fresh chopped parsley
Optional other herbs, such as thyme, basil, or oregano
A hot serving dish
Add more oil to pan to make about 2 tablespoons. Heat to very hot, add the bread crumbs, and toss for a minute or two to brown lightly. Then add the shallots or scallions and garlic, and toss a moment more.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
Just before serving, reheat pan with bread-crumb mixture, add eggplant, and toss over moderately high heat until eggplant is sizzling. Toss with parsley and optional herbs, turn into hot dish, and serve immediately.
VARIATIONS
[Eggplant Baked with Parsley, Garlic, and Béchamel]
Sautéed eggplant tossed with garlic and parsley then folded into a béchamel sauce and browned in the oven makes a fine accompaniment to steaks, chops, hamburgers, broiled chicken, or fish.
Ingredients for 2 lbs. eggplant in the preceding Master Recipe, Steps 1, 2, and 3
Peel, cube, salt, and drain the eggplant; then sauté in oil until lightly browned. Reserve the bread crumbs, tossing the eggplant with only the shallots or scallions, garlic, and herbs. Set aside.
For 2 cups béchamel
5 Tb flour
4 Tb butter
A heavy 2-quart saucepan
A wooden spoon and a wire whip
1¾ cups milk heated in a small saucepan (a little more if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
A rubber spatula
A lightly buttered 6-cup baking dish about 1½ inches deep
2 to 3 Tb of the reserved bread crumbs
1 Tb melted butter
For the béchamel sauce (which you can make while the eggplant macerates), melt the butter in the saucepan, blend in the flour, and stir over moderate heat until flour and butter foam together for 2 minutes without browning at all. Remove this roux from heat, and when it stops bubbling, vigorously blend in all of the hot milk at once with wire whip, beating until mixture is perfectly smooth. Return over moderately high heat, stirring with whip as sauce thickens and comes to the boil. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes, season lightly to taste, and remove from heat. Sauce should be quite thick; if too thick for easy spreading, beat in more milk by droplets. (If done ahead, clean off sides of pan and press a sheet of plastic wrap on surface of sauce to prevent a skin from forming.)
Spread a ⅛-inch layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish with spatula, spread half the eggplant on top, and cover with half the sauce. Spread rest of eggplant over this and cover with the last of the sauce. Sprinkle the crumbs on top and dribble melted butter over the crumbs.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Recipe may be completed to this point and set aside.
To gratiné, if sauce and eggplant are still warm, set 4 to 5 inches under a moderately hot broiler for several minutes, until eggplant is bubbling and crumbs have browned lightly. Otherwise bake in upper third of a 425-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, but do not overcook.
[Eggplant Soufflé]
Fold beaten egg whites into the preceding sautéed and sauced eggplant, and you turn it into a soufflé—not the airy cheese type, of course, but something that puffs dramatically in a wide baking dish with removable collar. Serve it, along with a fine tomato sauce, to accompany boiled beef, roast lamb, broiled or roast chicken, or let it be the main course for an informal luncheon.
For 8 servings
The soufflé base
Ingredients for the preceding 2 lbs. of sautéed eggplant baked in béchamel
Following the preceding recipe, peel, cube, salt, drain, and dry the eggplant; sauté in oil until thoroughly tender and very lightly browned. Toss with the shallots or scallions and garlic.
Chop rather roughly with a big knife on a board. (You will have about 2½ cups.) Fold into the pan of béchamel sauce, along with the chopped parsley. Carefully correct seasoning.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTES: May be completed in advance to this point; clean off sides of pan and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the sauce. You may also fill the mold (next step), cover with a bowl, and bake an hour later.
Assembling and baking—25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees
1 Tb soft butter
A 6- to 8-cup baking dish about 2 inches deep (such as a round one 10 to 11 inches in diameter, or a casserole)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Waxed paper
Heavy aluminum foil and 2 straight pins
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1½ to 2 cups tomato sauce, or the fresh tomato coulis, Volume I, page 78
Preheat oven in time for baking. Smear butter inside baking dish, sprinkle cheese inside to coat bottom and sides. Shake or knock out excess cheese onto waxed paper and reserve. Encircle circumference of dish with a double thickness of well-buttered aluminum foil secured by pins; foil should rise 1½ inches above rim of dish. Reheat soufflé base, folding over moderate heat. Stir in the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks; stir one fourth of them into the soufflé base along with all but 1 Tb of the reserved Parmesan cheese. Scoop rest of egg whites on top of soufflé base and delicately fold in with a rubber spatula.
Turn the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and set soufflé immediately in lower third of preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until soufflé has risen about double and is nicely browned. (If served as soon as it has risen, the inside will be soft and the soufflé will sink rapidly; if baked 5 minutes more, the soufflé will be drier but will hold up longer. Follow your own preference, but these additional minutes give you some leeway.)
As soon as the soufflé is done, remove from oven, undo aluminum collar, and serve immediately, accompanied by the tomato sauce in a warm bowl.
[Sautéed Eggplant with Tomatoes, Peppers, Garlic, and Basil]
Pistou, a Provençal purée of fresh garlic and basil, is stirred into sautéed eggplant that has simmered with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, making a dish reminiscent of that famous Mediterranean medley, ratatouille, but much easier to produce. Good hot or cold, pistouille can be served with broiled fish, broiled chicken, roasts, steaks, chops, cold roast pork, veal, or lamb, and any leftovers can stuff eggs, tomatoes, or other vegetables.
NOTE: This dish is naturally at its best when fresh basil and local tomatoes are in season. Out of season, use fresh tomatoes plus a tablespoon or so of canned tomato sauce or purée, and if you cannot find fragrant-smelling dried basil, use oregano.
For 4 to 6 people
Ingredients for salting and sautéing 2 lbs. eggplant, as in the Master Recipe, Steps 1 and 2
Peel, salt, drain, dry, and then sauté the eggplant in oil until lightly browned as described in the Master Recipe.
The onion, pepper, and tomato garnish
⅔ cup minced onions
⅔ cup diced green bell peppers
2 Tb olive oil
2 cups fresh tomato pulp (2 lbs. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped)
A 2½-quart saucepan or another frying pan
While the eggplant is macerating in salt, cook the onions and peppers in oil in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender and translucent but not brown. Add the tomato pulp, cover pan, and simmer 5 minutes to render its juice; uncover pan and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes or more until juices have almost entirely evaporated. Set aside.
When eggplant has been sautéed and drained, return it to the frying pan with the tomato mixture and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to blend flavors and evaporate more liquid. Mixture should form a thick mass.
2 large cloves of garlic
A garlic press
12 to 14 large, fresh basil leaves, minced (or about ½ Tb fragrant dried basil or oregano)
A small bowl and a pestle, or small wooden spoon
Purée garlic through press, then mash with the basil or oregano in the bowl to make a smooth paste; fold into the hot eggplant.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be completed to this point. Set aside.
3 Tb fresh minced parsley
Reheat just before serving, correct seasoning, and fold in the parsley.
2 to 3 tomatoes
Salt and pepper
3 Tb fresh minced parsley
½ Tb olive oil
Whether the eggplant is cooked and cooled or left over, a little ripe tomato will freshen the taste. Peel, seed, and juice the tomatoes; dice the pulp. Place in a bowl and fold with the seasonings, parsley, and oil. Let stand 10 minutes, drain, and fold into the eggplant.
VARIATION
[Cold Eggplant à la Grecque with Tomatoes and Basil]
Much the same as cold pistouille, but with a more piquant flavor, is eggplant simmered in a court bouillon, turned briefly in oil to enhance its flavor, then folded into tomatoes that have also cooked in the court bouillon. A final touch is the pistou of garlic and basil, which makes this an especially good cold hors d’oeuvre with sardines, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, olives, or other Provençal trimmings.
For the court bouillon
3 cups water in a 3-quart stainless saucepan
1½ Tb lemon juice
3 Tb olive oil
1½ tsp salt
6 coriander seeds
¼ tsp thyme
1 imported bay leaf
2 large cloves mashed garlic
2 lbs. firm, fresh, shiny eggplant
A colander set over a bowl
Olive oil
A heavy no-stick frying pan (10 to 12 inches in diameter if possible)
A serving dish
Combine the court bouillon ingredients in the saucepan and simmer at least 5 minutes, or while you are preparing the eggplant. Peel eggplant and cut into ¾-inch cubes. Place half (4 cups) in the simmering court bouillon, bring to the boil, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain into bowl, return court bouillon to pan, and simmer the rest of the eggplant. Drain, return court bouillon again to pan, boil down rapidly to 1 cup, and reserve. Meanwhile, pour a 1⁄16-inch layer of oil into frying pan and sauté drained eggplant (adding only half if pan is small), using moderately high heat. Shake and swirl the pan frequently by its handle to toss the eggplant, and sauté for several minutes, until eggplant is tender but not browned. Turn into serving dish, leaving oil in pan.
3 to 4 Tb minced shallots or scallions
1½ lbs. (6 medium) tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 2 cups pulp)
1 or 2 cloves garlic
A garlic press
¼ cup fresh basil, minced (or about ½ Tb fragrant dried basil or oregano)
3 Tb fresh minced parsley
Stir the shallots or scallions into the frying pan and cook for a moment, then add the tomatoes and the reduced court bouillon. Boil slowly for 5 minutes, then raise heat and boil rapidly until liquid has almost evaporated and tomatoes are quite thick. Correct seasoning. Purée garlic through press into a small bowl; using a wooden spoon, mash with herbs to make a smooth paste; fold this pistou into the hot tomatoes. Then fold the tomatoes into the eggplant. When cold, cover and chill. Sprinkle on the parsley before serving.
[Eggplant Caviar with Walnuts—A Cold Spread or Filling]
Recipes for eggplant caviar have been around for years, but this is the only one we know that combines eggplant and walnuts. Tremendously easy to do in the electric mixer, this is something you can keep on hand in the refrigerator for a week or more, and use on toast or crackers, or as a dip for cocktail tidbits, as a filling for hard-boiled eggs or tomato shells, or to pass with cold meats or chicken.
For 4 to 5 cups
About 2 lbs. firm, shiny, unblemished eggplant
An electric mixer
7 to 8 ounces (about 2 cups) ground walnut meats (grind them in an electric blender)
¾ tsp salt, and more as needed
⅛ tsp pepper
1 to 4 large cloves garlic puréed in a press
4 to 6 squirts Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root or ¼ tsp powdered ginger
5 to 8 Tb olive oil
Optional, to bring out flavor: ½ tsp monosodium glutamate
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut off green cap and place eggplant (or eggplants) in a shallow roasting dish or pie plate. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until thoroughly soft to the touch. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop flesh into bowl of mixer. Beat several minutes at high speed to purée the eggplant flesh, then beat in the ground walnuts, salt, pepper, garlic to taste, Tabasco, allspice, and ginger. By driblets, as though making mayonnaise, beat in enough oil to make a creamy mass, but not so much as to thin the mixture; it should hold its shape softly when lifted with a spoon. Taste carefully; correct seasoning, adding the MSG if you wish, and the tentation is ready to use.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Will keep several days under refrigeration; may be frozen.
GRATIN D’AUBERGINES, PROVENÇAL[Sliced Eggplant Baked with Cheese and Tomatoes]
When you have the time for it, this is a most attractive way to serve eggplant: it is sliced but the peel is left on, and the slices are arranged upright in the baking dish with tomatoes and cheese in between. When baked, the purple-skinned slices form dark ripples separated by hints of red and brown, and the same effect is carried over onto the plates when you serve. This is a particularly good dish to go with roast lamb or veal.
NOTE: Fresh tomato sauce, coulis de tomates, in Volume I, page 78, is the most desirable one here, but the following sauce with canned Italian tomatoes is an excellent alternative. We prefer canned tomatoes to tomato purée because they are less concentrated and the resulting sauce, we think, tastes more like the fresh.
For 4 to 6 servings
1) The tomato sauce (using canned tomatoes)—for about 1 cup
1 cup minced onions
2 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
A heavy bottomed 2-quart saucepan with cover
A 1-lb. can of peeled Italian-style plum (pear-shaped) tomatoes
A sieve set over a bowl
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp thyme or oregano
A 1-inch piece of dried orange peel or ¼ tsp bottled dried peel
A pinch of saffron threads
1 large clove mashed garlic
¼ tsp salt
Stir the onions into the oil, cover pan, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are tender and translucent but not browned. Meanwhile drain the tomatoes, collecting their juice in the bowl; pour juice back into the can and reserve. Rub the tomatoes through the sieve to eliminate seeds. When onions are tender, stir in the sieved tomato pulp and the herbs, orange peel, saffron, garlic, and salt. Cover pan loosely and simmer, stirring occasionally, and adding a little of the tomato juice if sauce becomes too thick. Let sauce simmer at least 30 minutes, although a total of 45 to 60 minutes will make it even better. Taste carefully and correct seasoning. Sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape softly in a spoon.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be made several days in advance and refrigerated; may be frozen.
2 lbs. firm, fresh, shiny eggplants (or eggplant)
Cut off green caps, and wash the eggplants but do not peel them. Halve or quarter the eggplants, depending on size, and cut into slices ⅜ inch thick and about 2 inches from skin side to bottom of slice.
A large saucepan of boiling salted water (1½ tsp salt per quart)
A skimmer or slotted spoon
A tray covered with several thicknesses of paper toweling, and additional paper towels
A large (11-inch) frying pan, preferably no-stick
Olive oil or cooking oil
A flexible-blade spatula
A second tray or a platter to hold sautéed eggplant
A dozen slices or so at a time, blanch in the boiling water for 2 minutes—barely to soften, not to cook through; dip out with skimmer or spoon, and drain on paper towels.
Pat tops of slices dry with towels. Pour a ⅛-inch layer of oil into frying pan; heat to very hot but not smoking. Sauté for a minute as many slices in pan as will fit in one layer, on each side, barely browning them, and transfer to second tray. Continue with rest of slices, adding more oil to pan as necessary. (Although all of this is somewhat of a nuisance, it is this step that gives the final dish its distinction.)
An oiled 5- to 6-cup flameproof gratin dish, such as an oval one 10 to 11 inches long and 2 inches deep
About 4 ounces Swiss cheese sliced 1⁄16 inch thick
The reserved tomato juice
Aluminum foil
Arrange the eggplant slices purple side uppermost in overlapping rows, each row spread with tomato sauce and covered with slices of cheese as shown.
If you need more room, push the rows more closely together as you go; if you need less, let them lie flatter. Pour in about ½ cup of the tomato juice, enough to come ½ to ⅔ the way up the eggplant. Cover closely with the foil.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be prepared in advance to this point; refrigerate if you are not going to bake within an hour or so.
4) Baking and serving—preheat oven to 375 degrees
Heat briefly on top of stove, just until contents start to bubble, then bake for 45 minutes to an hour in the middle level of the preheated oven. Eggplant is done when the slices are tender and juices have thickened but are not quite absorbed. Uncover for last 10 minutes of baking so that cheese will brown and liquid will thicken more. (Add more tomato juice if there is danger of eggplant drying out before it is done.) Serve bubbling hot.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: This may be baked well in advance of serving, and then reheated. If so, take it out of the oven before liquid is quite absorbed, so there will be enough to moisten the eggplant during its reheating. Any leftovers may be transferred to a smaller dish and reheated under a slow broiler.
VARIATION
[Main-course Eggplant and Tomato Casserole for Leftover Meat]
Sautéed sliced eggplant, an excellent tomato sauce, and grated cheese are just the elements for turning yesterday’s roast into a splendid new main course. Turkey, veal, or pork respond especially well to this treatment. The meat is ground and flavored, while the other elements are the same as in the preceding recipe. You may arrange the eggplant in upright slices if you wish to take the time, or lay them flat as suggested here and build the casserole in layers. Serve this hot with French bread and a chilled rosé wine, and follow with a tossed green salad. It is also delicious served cold.
NOTE: As in most recipes of this type, exact proportions are not of vital importance. If you have less or more meat, add fewer or more onions and the other ingredients that flavor it.
For 6 to 8 people
The meat mixture
1 cup minced onions
2 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
An 8-inch frying pan with cover
Stir the onions into the oil, cover the pan, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are tender. Raise heat and stir to brown onions lightly for 2 to 3 minutes.
About 2 cups ground cooked veal, pork, or turkey (previously trimmed of all fat, skin, and gristle)
About ½ cup ground baked or boiled ham, or ready-to-cook packaged ham slice (you may include some of the fat)
About ¼ tsp of whatever herb you prefer and are using in the tomato sauce (thyme, oregano, fresh basil, rosemary)
½ cup thickened gravy from the roast, or ½ cup stock or bouillon blended with 1½ tsp cornstarch
1 clove mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
3 to 4 Tb chopped fresh parsley
Stir the ground meat into the onions, along with the herbs, the gravy or bouillon, and garlic. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes to blend flavors. Season carefully with salt and pepper to taste, and a little more of the herb if you think it necessary. Let cool while you are completing other parts of the recipe. When tepid or cold, blend in the egg and the parsley.
Assembling the casserole
Ingredients for the 2 lbs. sliced, blanched, and sautéed eggplant in preceding recipe, but 2 cups tomato sauce, and the tomato juice and 1 cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese (or ⅔ cup Parmesan if you prefer)
An oiled 3-quart baking dish or casserole such as a round earthenware one 10 inches in diameter at the top and 3 inches deep
¼ cup coarse white bread crumbs, fresh or stale
2 Tb olive oil or melted butter
A rubber spatula
1 cup tomato juice
A cover for the casserole, or aluminum foil
For a round casserole 10 by 3 inches, you will have 4 layers each of eggplant, meat, tomato sauce, and cheese. Arrange them, then, in the casserole in that order, ending with a mixture of cheese and bread crumbs tossed together. Dribble olive oil or melted butter over the top. Drawing edges of ingredients ¼ inch toward center of casserole in several places, pour in the cup of tomato juice.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be assembled a day in advance of baking.
Baking and serving—about 1¼ hours at 375 degrees
Cover, heat to simmer on top of stove, and bake as directed in Step 4 of preceding Master Recipe.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be baked in advance and reheated.
[Swiss Chard Gratinéed with Cheese Sauce]
This way of serving chard brings out its special flavor, and makes it a most attractive accompaniment to roast beef or chicken. Here both the long white stems and the large green leaves are used, but they are cooked separately before being combined.
For 6 to 8 servings
1) Preparing the chard
About 10 stalks (2 bunches) fresh chard
Cut the green part of the leaves off the white of the stalk that runs up the center of the leaves. Wash leaves and set aside. Trim off any discolored bits and ends, wash the long white stalks thoroughly, and cut into ¼-inch slices (makes about 8 cups).
2) Cooking the white stalks
¼ cup flour (instant-blending works nicely here)
A heavy-bottomed 2½-quart saucepan (no-stick is useful)
A wire whip
1 cup cold water and 2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
1 Tb lemon juice
The sliced stalks
A wooden spoon
A sieve set over a bowl
Place flour in saucepan. Beating with wire whip, gradually blend in the cold water to make a smooth mixture. Beat in the hot water, salt, and lemon juice, and bring to the simmer, stirring. Add chard stalks and simmer about 30 minutes or until they are tender, stirring occasionally, and adding a little more water, if necessary, to prevent scorching. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. (You will note that the chard stalks acquire a subtle flavor when finally tender, and that they leave a sticky film on the bottom of the pan.)
3) Cooking the green leaves
The green leaves
A large pan of boiling salted water
A colander
While the stalks are simmering, drop the leaves into the boiling water, bring rapidly back to the boil, and boil uncovered for 5 to 6 minutes or until leaves are fairly tender. Drain, refresh in cold water, squeeze dry a handful at a time, and chop. You will have almost 2 cups; mix them into the cooked stalks.
4) Sauce and assembly
1 egg yolk
¼ cup heavy cream
A clean saucepan
The stalk-cooking liquid (plus milk if necessary to make 2 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste
A buttered 5- to 6-cup baking dish about 2 inches deep
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tb butter
Blend the egg yolk and cream in the saucepan with a wire whip, then gradually blend in the stalk-cooking liquid. Bring to the simmer, stirring, and simmer 1 minute. Correct seasoning. Spoon a layer onto the bottom of the baking dish. Taste the cooked stalks and leaves, and season if necessary. Spread half in the dish, spread on half the sauce and half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining chard, sauce, and cheese and top with the butter, cut into dots.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be completed a day before serving; cover with plastic and refrigerate.
5) Serving
If chard is still warm, set under a slow broiler until just beginning to bubble and top is nicely browned. If cold, set in upper third of preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes just until bubbling hot and top has browned.
[Spinach Braised with Onions—also for other greens]
This is creamed spinach with character, which will stand up to steaks, chops, roasts, and broiled fish; you can also serve it with poached eggs and croûtons. Although fresh is best, frozen spinach is very successful done this way, as are other greens such as collards, chard, and kale.
For 4 people
1 cup minced onions
3 Tb olive oil
An 8-inch, heavy-bottomed no-stick or enameled frying pan
Optional: 1 to 2 large cloves garlic, mashed
2 cups blanched, chopped spinach (2 lbs. fresh spinach boiled 3 minutes, drained, squeezed dry, and chopped)
2 Tb flour
1 cup hot milk, more if needed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 4 Tb heavy cream
Cook the onions in the oil for 8 to 10 minutes or more until tender and just beginning to brown lightly. Add optional garlic and cook for a few seconds, then stir in the spinach and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Blend in the flour and stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat; gradually blend in the milk. Set again over heat, bring to the simmer, stirring, and add seasonings to taste. Simmer slowly over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure spinach is not sticking to pan. Spinach is done when it is tender and has absorbed the milk. (If you are doing other greens you may have to cook them longer, and add a little more milk.) Just before serving, taste carefully for seasoning and stir in the cream, a tablespoon at a time.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Set spinach aside after it has simmered in the milk; smooth it with a rubber spatula and spread 2 tablespoons of cream over it. Reheat and finish seasoning just before serving.
Before Columbus sailed back from his famous voyage of 1492 the squash family was unknown in Europe. The only written accounts date from after his return, and this seems as good a reason as any to trace the origin of squash from the Americas. Our word, “squash,” is of Algonquin origin; the Latin generic is Cucurbita, and the French, courge. Hard-shell, mature, yellow-fleshed varieties like Hubbard, turban, acorn squash, and even pumpkin come under the popular heading of winter squashes, courges, while the soft-shell, tender-seeded types like zucchini, yellow crooknecks, and pattypans are called summer squashes, courgettes. However, winter squash is available in August, and summer squash can be found in December as well as June. Our main emphasis here will be on summer squash, particularly zucchini, but we shall start off with a prize pumpkin.
[Stuffed Pumpkin or Pumpkin Soup Served in a Pumpkin]
In France a potiron is any member of the squash family including the citrouille, which is a pumpkin-like yellow-fleshed squash tasting like our Hubbard and acorn squashes. Thus you can never be quite sure whether you are getting in France what we would call pumpkin or what we would call squash; many’s the bride who has tried to duplicate her French mother-in-law’s famous potage au potiron and finds that the secret ingredient which gave that wonderful flavor was squash rather than pumpkin. Use American pumpkin for this recipe, which can be either a soup or the starchy vegetable to go with turkey, goose, duck, pork, or game birds. Cooked and served in the pumpkin itself, this always makes an amusing presentation.
As a vegetable serving 6 to 8
1½ cups (pressed down) fresh white crumbs from nonsweetened homemade-type white bread
A roasting pan
A fine, hard, unblemished 4-lb. pumpkin (about 6 inches in diameter) with 2-inch stem
1 Tb soft butter
Salt
Spread the bread crumbs in the roasting pan and let them dry out in a 300-degree oven, stirring occasionally; this will take about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, with a short, stout knife, cut a cover 4 inches in diameter out of the top of the pumpkin. Scrape all the stringy material and seeds from cover and inside of pumpkin (an ice-cream spoon and grapefruit knife are useful for this). Rub inside of pumpkin and the cover with the soft butter and sprinkle lightly with salt.
⅔ cup finely minced onions
6 Tb butter
An 8-inch frying pan
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper and nutmeg
½ tsp ground sage
½ cup finely diced or coarsely grated Swiss cheese
2 to 2¼ cups light cream
1 bay leaf
A shallow lightly buttered baking/serving dish to hold the pumpkin
While bread crumbs are drying, cook the onions in the butter for 8 to 10 minutes over low heat until tender and translucent. Then stir in the crumbs and let them cook slowly for 2 minutes to absorb the butter. Stir in seasonings and sage. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, then spoon the mixture into the pumpkin. Pour in the cream, adding enough so mixture comes to within ½ inch of pumpkin rim. Lay bay leaf on top and replace cover.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be prepared in advance to this point.
Baking and serving—baking time about 2 hours
Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 1½ hours, until pumpkin is beginning to soften on the outside and the inside is beginning to bubble. Reduce oven thermostat to 350 and bake another half hour until pumpkin is tender but still holds its shape solidly. (If pumpkin is browning too much, cover loosely with foil or brown paper.)
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be kept warm in a 200-degree oven for half an hour at least.
To serve, remove cover and dip into pumpkin with a long-handled spoon, scraping flesh off bottom and sides of pumpkin with each serving of the filling.
Use a 6- to 7-pound pumpkin and the same ingredients, except replace the cream with enough chicken stock to come within ½ inch of rim. Stir half a cup or so of heavy cream and a handful of chopped parsley into soup just before serving.
Zucchini, the familiar almost cucumber-shaped green squash that is on the market all year, is our main concern here, although you may substitute yellow crooknecks or straightnecks, or the striped, green, zucchini-like cocozelle in any of the recipes. Scallop or pattypan squash (patisson) may also be adapted, particularly in the recipes for stuffed zucchini.
When you are buying summer squash, look for obviously fresh, clean specimens that feel heavy, are firm to the touch all over, and have skin so tender you can pierce it easily with a fingernail. Fully edible summer squashes are immature: when you cut them open the seeds are soft and the tissue surrounding the seeds is moist and crisp. In all of these squashes, except for the giant crookneck, size indicates quality. Beware of foot-long zucchini, crook- and straightnecks over 10 inches, cocozelles more than 8 inches, pattypans that exceed 4 inches in diameter. However, if you do find yourself with slightly overage squashes, you can peel them if the skin seems tough, quarter them lengthwise, and cut out the pulpy core and tough seeds; use only the moist, crisp flesh between skin and core. Store summer squashes in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, where they will keep for a week to 10 days if very fresh.
Tender-skinned squashes need no peeling; their flavor is delicate anyway, and to remove the peel makes them taste even milder. Both yellow and green tender squashes contain a large amount of vegetable water, and if you do not deal with it in some way before the serious cooking begins, you will have watery casseroles and overcooked sautés. There are two methods for eliminating the water, both equally good because neither removes essential flavor. The easiest method, when you are to sauté chunks of zucchini, for instance, or hollow it out for a stuffing, is to drop the whole squash into boiling salted water and boil about 10 minutes, just until the flesh begins to yield to pressure. This is called blanching. The second method, for cut or grated squash, is to salt it, let it stand for 20 minutes until the water oozes out of the tissues, then squeeze or pat it dry. We shall use both systems here, starting out with a number of unusual recipes for blanched, sautéed zucchini.
You will notice that only twice is any herb but parsley used in the following recipes, in order that the delicate flavor of the zucchini may be pointed up rather than masked. Preliminary sautéing of the zucchini before saucing or simmering does much to bring out its flavor, and shallots, onions, garlic, and cheese seem to be its natural complements.
1 zucchini 8 inches long and 1¾ inches at its widest diameter weighs 5 to 6 ounces; 3 zucchinis of this size weigh about 1 pound.
1 pound of plain, raw diced or sliced zucchini makes about 3½ cups.
1 pound of freshly grated zucchini, lightly pressed down, makes about 2 cups; when salted and squeezed it makes 1 cup and renders ⅔ cup of juice.
1 pound of zucchini will provide 2 to 3 servings as a vegetable garnish.
The object in blanching zucchini or other summer squashes is to boil them just long enough to minimize the oozing out of their vegetable water, but not long enough to cook them quite through. In other words, they are not tender; they hold their shape.
Shave the stem and the tip off each zucchini (or other summer squash), scrub thoroughly but not harshly with a vegetable brush under cold, running water to remove any clinging sand or dirt. Plunge zucchini into a large kettle or saucepan of boiling, salted water; when water returns again to the boil, boil them slowly, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes usually, until the flesh will just yield slightly to pressure. Test each zucchini, and remove one by one as they are done, plunging them into cold water. Drain, and the zucchini are ready for sautéing, stuffing, creaming or whatever the following recipes direct. If you are not continuing the recipe until the next day, cover and refrigerate them.
COURGETTES SAUTÉES, MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL[Zucchini Sautéed in Butter with Lemon and Parsley]
One of the very easiest and most delicious ways to serve zucchini is to blanch it whole, cut it into large dice, then toss in butter and seasonings, finishing it off with lemon juice and parsley. Cooked this way, zucchini goes with anything, and it is particularly recommended when you want a simply done green vegetable to go with something rather elaborate, such as escalopes de veau à la crème or a chicken fricassee.
For 6 people
1) Sautéing the zucchini
2 to 2½ lbs. blanched zucchini (6 to 7 zucchini 8 by 1¾ inches, for example)
Paper towels
About 4 Tb butter
1 to 2 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
A large (11-inch) no-stick or enameled frying pan
A cover for the pan
Salt and pepper
After the zucchini have been scrubbed, blanched, and drained as in the preceding directions, cut them in quarters or sixths lengthwise, depending on their diameter. Cut the lengths crosswise into 1-inch pieces, and pat dry with paper towels. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 of oil over high heat. When butter foam has begun to subside, toss in the zucchini. Toss and turn frequently, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle, for 5 minutes or more, until zucchini is beginning to brown very lightly. By this time, it should be just tender; if not, cover pan and cook over low heat for several minutes. (If you are using a smaller pan, sauté in several batches and turn each batch out onto a dish until all is done, then return them all to the pan.) Toss with salt and pepper to taste.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be done in advance to this point. Set aside. Reheat to sizzling before continuing.
2) The maître d’hôtel seasoning
Drops of fresh lemon juice
Remaining butter from Step 1
2 to 3 Tb fresh minced parsley
A hot serving dish or the meat platter
Just before serving, toss with drops of lemon juice; correct seasoning, and add a little more lemon juice if you feel it is necessary. Then toss with another tablespoon or so of butter and the parsley. Turn out onto hot dish and serve immediately.
VARIATIONS
[Zucchini Sautéed in Olive Oil with Garlic and Parsley]
Garlic and olive oil are especially good with zucchini, and this dish goes well with steaks, chops, broiled chicken, and fish.
2 to 2½ lbs. blanched zucchini quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 to 4 Tb olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
Optional: ¼ cup dry, fairly coarse crumbs from non-sweetened homemade-type white bread
3 to 4 Tb fresh minced parsley
Dry the zucchini pieces with paper toweling and sauté, tossing frequently, in hot olive oil until just tender and very lightly browned. The moment before serving, toss over moderately high heat with the seasonings, garlic, and optional bread crumbs, then with the parsley.
[Zucchini Pieces Sautéed, then Baked with Cheese]
This is a convenient ahead-of-time preparation that goes nicely with broiled chicken or fish and with steaks or chops.
2 to 2½ lbs. zucchini prepared as in either of the 2 preceding recipes
A heavily buttered 6- to 8-cup baking and serving dish about 2½ inches deep
½ cup grated Parmesan or Swiss and Parmesan cheese
2 Tb melted butter or olive oil
Prepare the zucchini as directed, but leave it slightly undercooked. Sprinkle baking dish with cheese, and fill with layers of zucchini and cheese, dribbling butter or oil over all. If zucchini is still warm, reheat and brown lightly for several minutes under the broiler; otherwise, reheat to sizzling for about 15 minutes in upper third of a 425-degree oven.
[Zucchini Simmered in Cream and Tarragon]
The French word moelleux can probably best describe the tender, melting, softly fragrant quality of zucchini warmed in butter and shallots and then simmered in cream and tarragon. This lovely dish goes particularly well with roast chicken and veal.
PRELIMINARY NOTE: Cut the zucchini into any shape you wish. Although the 1-inch pieces used in the preceding recipes are easiest to cook, round slices half an inch thick or lengthwise strips ⅜ inch thick and 2½ to 3 inches long are attractive to serve. Choose for the cooking an 11- to 12-inch no-stick or enameled frying pan, straight-sided chicken fryer, electric skillet, or casserole. If you decide to cut the zucchini into strips, you will have to do the preliminary sauté in several batches.
For 6 people
2 to 2½ lbs. zucchini blanched whole as directed
About 4 Tb butter
One of the pans discussed in preceding paragraph
Salt and white pepper
2 Tb minced shallots or scallions
1 tsp fresh minced tarragon or ¼ tsp fragrant dried tarragon; more if needed
About 1 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream, more if needed
Cut the blanched zucchini as discussed in preceding paragraph; dry well on paper towels. Over moderate heat, melt enough butter in pan to film it by 1⁄16 inch. When butter foam begins to subside, sauté the zucchini for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing or turning, until it is well warmed through but is not browning. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle on the shallots or scallions and tarragon, and pour in the cream. Simmer for about 10 minutes, basting frequently with the cream, until zucchini is tender and cream has reduced enough to enrobe the zucchini pieces.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be done in advance to this point; set aside uncovered. Reheat to simmer before proceeding.
More cream if needed, and the remaining butter
2 Tb fresh minced parsley plus 1 tsp fresh minced tarragon if available
A hot serving dish
Just before serving, taste carefully for seasoning, adding a little more tarragon as well as salt and pepper if needed. If sauce has reduced too much or if it looks slightly curdled, add 2 to 3 tablespoons more cream; bring to simmer, remove from heat, and baste the zucchini to smooth out the sauce. Add also another tablespoon of butter, basting until it has been absorbed. Arrange on hot dish, sprinkle on the herbs, and serve immediately.
Rather than simmering the zucchini in pure cream, you may use a thin cream sauce, such as that in which the sliced potatoes and basil simmer (pommes de terre au basilic).
[Zucchini Gratinéed with Cheese Sauce]
When you want a creamy vegetable dish to go with broiled meats or roast chicken, and one that you can get ready for the oven well ahead of time, prepare sautéed zucchini with lemon and parsley as in the Master Recipe. Then turn to the Broccoli Mornay recipe; fold the zucchini into the cheese sauce, arrange in a baking dish, and finish it off with cheese and butter in the oven as described for the broccoli.
[Zucchini Baked with Garlic, Parsley, and Béchamel]
An alternative to the preceding cheese sauce is zucchini sautéed in olive oil with garlic and parsley, as in the first variation, then baked in a béchamel sauce topped with bread crumbs and butter, following aubergines en persillade, grainées. The little hint of garlic here is delicious, and the dish goes nicely with steaks, chops, and roast lamb.
[Zucchini with Tomatoes, Peppers, Garlic, and Basil]
Here sautéed zucchini is simmered in a mixture of cooked onions, peppers, and tomatoes, and given a final pistou flavoring of garlic and basil. This goes hot with broiled fish, chicken, roasts, steaks, and chops, and cold on picnics. Follow the pistouille recipe, substituting blanched, sautéed zucchini pieces for eggplant.
An interesting and easy way to serve zucchini or other tender summer squashes is to grate them, salt them so the vegetable water runs out, squeeze gently dry, and sauté in butter or olive oil for a few minutes until tender. You can then serve the zucchini as is, simmer it with cream, bake it in a sauce, or turn it into a molded custard. The preliminary sauté gives added flavor, as well as removing extra vegetable water. Anyone eating grated zucchini for the first time is almost certain to think it is a remarkable new vegetable.
Shave the stem and the tip off each zucchini (or other summer squash), scrub the vegetable thoroughly but not harshly with a brush under cold running water to remove any clinging sand or dirt. If vegetables are large, halve or quarter them. If seeds are large and at all tough, and surrounding flesh is coarse rather than moist and crisp, which is more often the case with yellow squashes and striped green cocozelles than with zucchini, cut out and discard the cores. Rub the squash against the coarse side of a grater, and place grated flesh in a colander set over a bowl. For each 1 pound (2 cups) of grated squash, toss with 1 teaspoon of salt, mixing thoroughly. Let the squash drain 3 or 4 minutes, or until you are ready to proceed. Just before cooking, squeeze a handful dry and taste. If by any chance the squash is too salty, rinse in a large bowl of cold water, taste again; rinse and drain again if necessary. Then squeeze gently by handfuls, letting juices run back into bowl. Dry on paper towels. Zucchini will not be fluffy; it is still dampish, but the excess liquid is out.
The pale-green, slightly saline juice drained and squeezed out of the zucchini has a certain faint flavor that can find its uses in vegetable soups, canned soups, or vegetable sauces.
COURGETTES RAPÉES, SAUTÉES[Grated Zucchini Sautéed in Butter and Shallots]
This is the base recipe for sautéed grated zucchini. Serve it as is, with the addition of a little more butter, or turn it into one of the variations that follow. Like the blanched and sautéed zucchini pieces, this recipe goes with anything and is particularly useful when you want a rather neutral but attractive green accompaniment to creamed dishes like sweetbreads and elaborate soles in white wine sauces. You may also use it rather than spinach as a bed for poached eggs in hollandaise sauce, creamed chicken, and their like.
For 4 to 6 servings
1) Preliminary sautéing
2 to 2½ lbs. zucchini (6 to 7 zucchini 8 by 1¾ inches, for example)
2 Tb butter
1 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
A large (11-inch) no-stick or enameled frying pan
2 to 3 Tb minced shallots or scallions
A cover for the pan if needed
Trim, wash, grate, salt, squeeze, and dry the zucchini as directed in notes preceding this recipe. (You will have 2 to 2½ cups.) Melt the butter with the olive oil over moderate heat, stir in the shallots or scallions, and cook for a moment, then raise heat to moderately high. When butter foam has begun to subside, add zucchini. Toss and turn it frequently for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle. Zucchini is ready to serve as soon as it is tender; taste to check. (If you wish, you may cover the pan and finish cooking for a few more minutes over low heat.)
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: Zucchini may be completed to this point several hours in advance of serving. Set aside uncovered; cover when cool, and reheat before proceeding.
2) Final flavoring and serving
More salt if needed, and white pepper
2 to 3 Tb soft butter, more if you wish
A rubber spatula
A hot serving dish
Shortly before serving, reheat the zucchini, tossing and turning it. Taste carefully for seasoning. Remove from heat and fold in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, with rubber spatula. Turn into hot dish and serve immediately.