by Jonell Galloway
Click here to find the best in current food news and trends in the world of real food, Slow Food and mindful eating.
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What to Eat in Switzerland: A Geneva Christmas: Cardoon Gratin Recipe
From the archives
Cardoon gratin is a classic Geneva Christmas dish, but only brave souls should try to prepare them because they are prickly, and the preparation can be long and tedious. Many farmers markets in Switzerland now sell them prepared sous vide, in plastic vacuum-packed packages, which is probably the best option for those who don’t get a thrill out of getting a few pricks. In any case, it is important to schedule it carefully into your meal preparations, because it is time-consuming any way you go about it.
Cardoon Gratin Recipe
Preparation of Cardoons for Gratin
- Throw out any hard stems and any that are wilted.
- Peel the cardoons by removing leaves, spines and stringy parts. The exterior will then be covered with a fuzzy layer. Use a cloth to rub stalks gently to remove fuzz.
- Cut stems into 8 cm (3 cm) slices. Rub with lemon, or if you intend to use them later, put slices into lemon water so they won’t turn dark.
- You now have two choices: you can either cook them in a white vegetable broth you’ve made ahead of time, or you can cook them in the lemon water you soaked them in.
- Bring to a boil and boil until tender. It should take about 30 minutes for them to become tender, but if they are larger in diameter it can take up to 2 hours, so allow plenty of time.
Recipe
All these steps can be carried out while the cardoons are cooking. There are actually several ways of doing this. You can either make a Béchamel (white) sauce and sprinkle cheese on the cardoons before you put them in the oven, or you can make a Mornay (cheese) sauce and pour it on the cooked cardoons before putting in the oven to brown. I think it’s tastier to make a Mornay sauce, and then sprinkle a bit of cheese on the top before putting it in the oven. Here’s my recipe.
Ingredients
Click here for British/American/metric recipe converter
Approximately 1 kg of cardoons 30 g of butter 1 tablespoon of flour 2.5 dl of whole milk 1 dl of cream 50 g of cheese, type Gruyère or Swiss (see photo below), grated Lemon juice, freshly squeezed Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Make a Béchamel sauce, using the proportions of ingredients above.
- When finished and seasoned, add cream and cheese, setting aside a tablespoon of cheese. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 250° C.
- Once cardoons are tender, drain, making sure all water is drained off.
- In a large bowl, mix cooked cardoons and Mornay sauce.
- Pour into a baking dish of the appropriate size, so that there is a layer of about 3 cm high.
- Sprinkle evenly with remaining grated cheese and a few knobs of butter.
- Put in hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes: It is important to use a hard, Swiss-type cheese. Cheddar cheese would have too strong of a taste. If you can’t find cardoons, the same recipe can be made with Swiss chard, thus eliminating the long, meticulous preparation. Simply cut them as for the cardoons and cook in chicken broth until tender, then follow the other steps in the recipe for making the gratin. Its texture is quite similar to that of cardoons.
Related articles
- Switzerland: About Cardoons, Geneva’s Favorite Winter Vegetable
- Switzerland: A Geneva Christmas: White Wine Potatoes
- Switzerland: A Geneva Christmas: Longeole Sausage
- Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes: Cranberry-orange Relish
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Food Art from Simple Sustenance: Brussels Sprouts, a food photography exhibit
by Renu Chhabra
All the gifts are nothing. Money gets used up. Clothes you rip up. Toys get broken up. But a good meal, that stays in your memory. From there it doesn’t get lost like other gifts. The body it leaves fast, but the memory slow.–Meir Shalev
Brussels sprouts, the tiny cabbage-like vegetable!
We all know what they are. Right? The ones that show up at the holiday table among other delicious and indulgent dishes. Some of us wonder why are they here when we have so many other goodies to enjoy.
Yes, it’s our love hate relationship with brussels sprouts.
But they come to us with good intentions and mean well for our health.
Brussels sprouts are from cruciferous family of vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and bok choy, known for several health benefits. These vegetables are big players in cancer prevention and lowering cardiovascular risks. And brussels sprouts are the proud members of this respectable family.
Give them a little love and they will treat you well.
Enjoy this simple recipe with choice of your favorite flavors and garnish.
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My Favorite Hanukkah Foods: Grandma’s Latke Recipe
From the archives
Hanukkah recipes are passed down from generation to generation. There are hundreds of recipes floating around on the Internet, but I thought it best to consult a friend with trained taste buds. Here is what Warren Bobrow has to say.–Jonell Galloway, Editor
My Favorite Hanukkah Foods
Of all the holiday foods I look forward to, there are two dishes that clearly connect my stomach to the past. The first is a rousing bowl of matzo ball soup. The other, specifically a Hanukkah dish, is a plate of crispy potato latkes, cooked in a heavy cast iron pan.
Ur-Bubby’s Latkes
I forewarn you. This is a Jewish story, so it is repetitive and sometimes fahklumpt (a confused story, for those who are not in the know), told by a kvetch (a complainer) who secretly loves life and food and words and work, and tells a story full of fond memories.
My great-grandmother Yetta made excellent latkes. During these eight days of Hanukkah (eight chances to get it right . . . to be exact), we celebrate the past by reliving these flavors and the stories that go with them each time we bite into a steaming morsel of grated potato, egg, onion and a bit of vegetable oil, made straight from her recipe.
Generations of cooks have grated potatoes for latkes in celebration of Hanukkah. You will not be the first or the last. And every family has their own special recipe, their own special stories.
Bubby Yetta was particularly interested in not scraping her knuckles. Even so, she used to say that if you don’t catch your knuckle on the potato grater, the latkes couldn’t possibly taste good. Something about the physical act of grating potatoes already connects me to the old days when Bubby made the latkes every evening during Hanukkah.
Onions also resonate in my memory: the tears that ran down her cheeks as she grated the onions were not tears of joy. We heard the same kvetching every year, and carry on as we make our own history.
Every day of Hanukkah, Ur-Bubby Yetta would scrape and grate until the job was done. Much hushed conversation would follow. Were the latkes going to be good? If not, what would we do, there was no place in those days to buy frozen latkes in the supermarket!
And with each potato and onion grated, each tear fallen, each latke fried, another memory was made. Years of latke conversation would follow . . . How about the ones we made twenty years ago? Did potatoes taste differently then, or was it a specific taste that stuck in our memories?
So careful with the grater, and accept that you’ll invariably catch your knuckle at least once, and that you may well have the battle scars to prove that you made them from scratch. And stories to tell.
Recipe
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Simple Sustenance: Herbal Warmth — Rosemary Potato Soup with Paprika Oil Recipe
Simple Sustenance: Herbal Warmth — Rosemary Potato Soup with Paprika Oil Recipe
by Renu Chhabra
Herbal Warmth — Rosemary Potato Soup with Paprika Oil
As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship, whence a sprig of it hath a dumb language.” — Sir Thomas More
Rosemary potatoes are my favorite all year long.
I always find myself circling around the oven when potatoes are roasting. Is it the intoxicating aroma of rosemary, or the anticipation of a warm bite of the potatoes?
I think it is both.
Hot from the oven on cool nights or at room temperature on warm days, they are always delicious. A cold nibble from the fridge does not disappoint me either. It is a classic combination that is very satisfying.
And who needs chips or french fries when oven-roasted spuds can treat our taste buds guilt free?
But today it’s about soup. My first pot of warm soup this season. And it’s rosemary potato soup.
A pot of familiar flavors simmered on stove top.
This soup has the same foundation of flavors. Fragrant rosemary perfumes the soup and garlic gives it pungency. In addition, I added sauteéed onions and fresh scallions to it. Sautèed onions also used as garnish in this recipe, give a deep flavorful bite. A drizzle of paprika oil adds color and warmth to this soup.
This recipe is vegan, but you can add a little milk for creaminess. Also garnish with your favorite cheese, if you wish.
The basic soup can be dressed several ways with your choice of garnish. I have enjoyed a few combinations.
- Kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, Pecorino cheese, and a drizzle of rosemary oil or plain extra virgin olive oil
- Sauted or oven-roasted mushrooms with paprika oil
- Basil pesto and bits of sun dried tomatoes
- Caramelized onions, Parmesan cheese, and roasted hazelnuts.
Be creative and let your palate guide you. A basic soup with so many options to dress it with, See what you have in your pantry and fridge to brighten it to your liking.
I would love to hear your ideas.
Recipe
Paprika Oil
¼ cup olive oil½ teaspoon paprika
- Warm olive oil in a small pot. Remove from heat. Stir in paprika. Whisk lightly to dissolve well. Set aside.
- If you like spicy, make chili oil instead.
Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil2 cups onion, diced small
6 cups potatoes (3 large), diced small
5-6 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or to taste)
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste
4-5 green scallions, chopped plus for garnish, chopped fine
3 cups water or vegetable stock
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pot and add onions. Sauté on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until golden. You want some color, but be careful not to burn the onions.
- Set aside a tablespoon or so for garnish.
- Stir in garlic, potatoes, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for a minute and add scallions and water or vegetable stock.
- Bring it to boil and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
- Let it cool a little.
- Puree with immersion blender or in a blender to desired consistency according to your taste — smooth and creamy or rustic and chunky.
- Add a little water or stock if it is too thick. Adjust seasonings. Set aside.
To serve, heat the soup and ladle into bowls. Garnish with browned onions. scallions, and a drizzle of paprika oil. Serve hot.
Note: I used water but if you wish, you can use vegetable stock. Potatoes absorb a lot of flavors, so adjust flavors to your taste. Add as much or as little garlic, salt, pepper. Rosemary can be overpowering, if used in excess. Garnish to your taste. If you like spicy food, make chili oil instead of paprika oil.
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Our Word of Thanksgiving: Thanks to our readers for their loyalty
We would above all like to thank our readers for supporting us in our efforts to build a site that joins the voices of people from around the planet who care about cooking, farming, health and everything related in a responsible, ethical manner. We think of our readers as part of our community, a sort of family that cares about the way food is grown, cooked, eaten; the mark it leaves on the planet; the health of our children.
So to all our readers (and contributors) around the globe:
Jonell Galloway, Editor
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In Europe, sometimes it has to be sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin for Thanksgiving
Tom and Maggie’s Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Pie
We’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner together for oh so many years — ever since we were in college in Paris. Since the pumpkin in France is always too watery, no matter what method of cooking we used and what type of pumpkin, we had difficulty getting it to set, so we decided to use sweet potatoes, which give a much more predictable and reliable result, which is absolutely necessary when preparing a Thanksgiving feast for a crowd of 20 or 30 convives. In addition, we’ve grown to like it better (perhaps because we know it will always set, unlike pumpkin?).
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Thanksgiving Turkey News: Tips on Choosing, Buying and Cooking
by Jonell Galloway
How to Choose, Buy and Bake a Turkey in the U.S. and Europe
The USDA gives useful facts about about turkey hygiene and cooking, all based on the assumption that you’re cooking frozen turkey. If you live in the U.S., you’ll most likely be cooking a frozen turkey, so this information is spot-on.
Julia Child’s The Way to Cook still rates top on my list for detailed, illustrated explanations of how to prepare and cook a turkey and lots of other tips.
If you live in Western Europe, there are plenty of free-range, grain-fed turkeys. I order mine months ahead from a farmer near me, since in Europe they only eat turkey at Christmas and they won’t be fattened otherwise.
In Paris, in the 7th and 16th arrondissements in particular, many butchers have fattened turkeys for Thanksgiving, and they are often free range and natural. One of the most prized origins in France is dinde de Bresse, which of course comes from Bresse and is free range. In Geneva, you can buy these, stuffed or unstuffed, at La Boucherie Molard across from the Globus during the Thanksgiving period.
If you live in other cities in Western Europe, you may not have a lot of choice. I’ve had a number of bad experiences ordering turkeys through the butchers in the provinces. They are never sure whether they’ll actually receive a fattened turkey or a scrawny thing which was intended to be fat for Christmas. If you live in the country, however, try and find a turkey farmer near you. They will invariably be cheaper and often better.
Free-range, organic turkeys will never weigh as much as the supermarket variety, but the ratio of meat to bone is greater. It’s amazing how much meat there is on a 9 or 10 lb. turkey.
I have never tasted Mary’s Turkey in California, but they sound appetizing. Mary certainly takes her poultry seriously. They are free-range, vegetarian-fed, gluten-free, and free of all antibiotics, preservatives and hormones. They are also USDA-certified organic. You can order them online, or find a store near you that sells them.
Click here to watch an entertaining but helpful video about the dangers of frying turkeys.
Chowhound has a great discussion board about whether free-range, heritage turkeys are worth the price. I would always vote for free-range and natural. They have more meat and less bone, probably due to the fact that they’ve not been gorged with antibiotics, steroids and we probably don’t want to know what else. In addition, they don’t taste like meal.
The wild turkey population is growing in much of the U.S., so I’m sure many are tempted to shoot a big one for Thanksgiving. That’s all fine, but keep in mind: cooking a wild turkey is an entirely different bag of worms. If they are large, they risk tasting gamy. Here is some good common-sense advice for preparing and cooking them.
“Truth About Turkey” gives an excellent layman’s explanation about how the various kinds of turkey in the U.S. are raised.
“Have a Slow Food Thanksgiving” gives a list and directories of where to buy heritage, organic and free-range turkeys in the U.S.
Whenever possible, buy directly from a local farmer. When buying fresh turkey, always ask about the “use by” date. It will depend on packaging as well as when the turkey has been slaughtered. If bought fresh and unpackaged, The New York Times and Seattle Times suggest you can keep it one or two days maximum in the refrigerator, so plan your pick-up time carefully.
Related articles
- An Ode to Thanksgiving: A Poem by Mark Manning
- Thanksgiving 101: How to Fry a Turkey
- How Far in Advance Can I Buy a Fresh Turkey?
- Tips on turkey labels
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Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes: Cranberry-orange Relish
Spontaneous Cuisine, by
From the archives
A healthier, tastier recipe than the traditional cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce is of course a mainstay of any Thanksgiving dinner. In Switzerland, we eat a lot of game, so it is good to always have some on hand to eat with deer, wild fowl, boar, or whatever the hunters bring in.
This is a variation of the very plain, classic recipe. I’ve been using it for years. It’s easy, quick and a no-brainer. You can make it ahead of time (in fact, it’s better to make it a day or two before Thanksgiving). In addition, it keeps for ages, just like jelly or jam.
Recipe
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Click here for Imperial-metric converter
12 oz/375 g fresh cranberries1/2 cup light brown sugar (if you like it really sweet, you can double the quantity) 1 tablespoon water 1 large navel orange 1 small sliver of ginger, finely grated (optional), or 1 stick of cinnamon (optional) 1/2 cup shelled walnuts (optional)
- Place cranberries in a large saucepan with sugar and water.
- Juice the orange and remove any white pith that lingers. Cut peel into small juliennes or zests, carefully removing any pith that is sticking to them. Add zests and juice to cranberry mixture.
- Add ginger (optional) or cinnamon stick (optional).
- Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover and cook until all the berries have popped open. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. Just be patient and keep an eye on them. If liquid evaporates before all the berries burst, add a just enough water to prevent them from sticking. Remove from heat.
- Taste and adjust sweetness if necessary.
- Pour into bowl you plan to serve it in and let it set. This can take a couple of hours, so it is advisable to make it well ahead of time, even 2 or 3 days. It keeps well in the refrigerator.
- When ready to serve, shell and chop walnuts. Add at last minute, right before serving (otherwise, they tend to get soggy).
This recipe was originally published on GenevaLunch.
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- What, no pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce at the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving in 1621?
- Health Challenge: Luscious Red Cranberries, good for your Health and Good for your Heart
- An Ode to Thanksgiving: A Poem by Mark Manning
- Savoring Fall: Cumin-Lime Pumpkin Mash
- Diner’s Journal Blog: Why Won’t My Cranberry Sauce Gel?
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