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A La Grecque Captures Essence Of Vegetables

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By AMY SCATTERGOOD, Los Angeles Times

Published: January 23, 2008

The vegetables - crisp-tender baby carrots, artichokes, mushrooms, cauliflower florets, pearl onions - are gorgeous, their colors bright and true.

Quartered, halved or left intact, gently cooked in olive oil and an aromatic court bouillon, then cooled and served lacquered with the broth, they arrive, captured in their very essence.

These are "vegetables a la grecque," an ancient appellation for a simple French technique. This is a wonderful dish for this time of year, when young root vegetables are abundant and when we're hungry for dishes with bright clean flavors.

In France, mushrooms or artichokes a la grecque are served as a first course or as part of an "hors d'oeuvres varies," the French version of an antipasto platter.

"Whenever you see 'a la grecque' on a menu, you can be sure that whatever is being served is pickled," writes chef Daniel Boulud in "Cafe Boulud Cookbook."

"It's a real classic in France," chef Alain Giraud says. "But I call it farmers market vegetable salad because most people don't know what vegetables a la grecque is."

Many sources attribute the name to a French fondness for naming recipes after countries. Though in France a single vegetable a la grecque is more common, it's great to do an assortment. Giraud likes to mix his vegetables, using whatever is loading the market stands.

You can find them in the dining room of the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, Calif., where chef Craig Strong has vegetables a la grecque as an appetizer or as part of his tasting menu.

Strong arranges whole mushrooms, baby carrots and pearl onions, slices of fennel and florets of cauliflower on a plate, then adds several sauteed shrimp and a drizzle of the poaching liquid.

Boulud says vegetables a la grecque are first slow-cooked in olive oil, then poached in a combination of herbs, wine, vinegar and/or lemon juice and coriander seeds, the key aromatic note to the dish. The acid, from the vinegar or lemon juice, acts as the pickling or preserving agent. After cooking, the vegetables are chilled, then served with the same liquid as a sauce.

Some cooks choose not to cook the vegetables first in olive oil, but to add the oil to the poaching liquid instead - or even to save it and finish the dish with a good extra-virgin olive oil. Some add a hefty pour of vinegar (Boulud adds three kinds); others substitute wine for the vinegar or add honey to the liquid.

Sturdy Veggies Work Best

However you choose to make it, the dish is ideal for tender, young vegetables, not only artichokes and mushrooms, but also carrots, fennel, cauliflower and pearl onions or even celeriac, bell peppers or fresh lima or fava beans. Just be sure to pick vegetables that can hold up during the cooking process. Root vegetables work particularly well; leafy greens do not.

Although you can use Boulud's method and cook the vegetables first in olive oil (or, as he does, oil and rendered bacon) before adding the broth, a simpler and lighter method is to drop the uncooked vegetables directly into a court bouillon seasoned with the olive oil.

Make A Classic Bouillon

Begin by making a simple court bouillon. A classic bouillon is a mixture of water; either wine, vinegar or lemon juice, or a combination of all three; peppercorns and salt; and aromatics and herbs, usually onion, garlic, shallots, celery and a bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaf and parsley.

To the basic bouillon, add a generous amount of coriander seed - and olive oil. Many cooks wait to add salt until after the vegetables have cooked.

Bring the bouillon to a simmer, then drop in the vegetables. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are just tender; they should still have some garden crunch to them.

While the vegetables cool, reduce the broth until it's almost a syrup. Return the vegetables to the reduced broth, season with a little salt or pepper, and chill for a few hours or even a few days. That's it.

Though there are similarities, vegetables a la grecque differs from glazed vegetables, which remain in the broth and often caramelize in the process.

You can cook several vegetables with similar cooking times in one broth or concentrate on a single vegetable. Cook button and cremini mushrooms, for example, letting the broth capture the essence of their earthy flavor, and serve them bistro-style with grilled bread.

You can also jazz up the court bouillon with spices other than the traditional coriander - dried fennel seeds or star anise are lovely with fennel; celery seed compliments tender celery stalks or celeriac, or you can get really creative and toss in a few dried chiles, a handful of Tellicherry peppercorns, slices of lime, even a vanilla bean.

Strong finds many of the traditional recipes too tart and acidic, so he adds a generous dose of honey. Slices of lemon, a dried chile de arbol and a star anise also go into the mix, plus a few teaspoons of good white wine vinegar and house-made chicken consomme.

Instead of cooking the vegetables first in olive oil or adding oil to the bouillon, Strong finishes the dish with a fruity olive oil from Barcelona.

Giraud first sautes onions in olive oil, then adds white wine that he has flambeed and reduced, as well as stock, aromatics and herbs - "most important, of course, is coriander, the smallest seeds you can find" - to the poaching liquid.

Vegetables a la grecque, Giraud says, "is a great base" to build upon. In the summer, he'll toss in cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh mint or basil or cilantro, and finish with a good California olive oil.

This recipe is adapted from "Vegetables," by James Peterson.

MUSHROOMS A LA GRECQUE

1/2 pound small white button mushrooms

1/2 pound small cremini mushrooms

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

8 slices country white bread, for grilling

2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

Slice off and discard the mushroom stems. Rinse and drain the mushrooms. If the mushroom caps are larger than 3/4-inch in diameter, cut them in half vertically. Put the mushrooms, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander seeds and 1/4 cup water in a 3 1/2- or 4-quart pot. Cover the pot, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, gently shaking the pan a few times during the first few minutes of cooking. Simmer gently, covered, for 12 minutes to cook through.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the pot and put them into a bowl to cool. Return the mushroom liquid to a good simmer, adding any remaining liquid that the resting mushrooms have released. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, then remove from the heat.

Pour the reduced liquid over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. The recipe to this point can be made ahead and the mushrooms stored, refrigerated, for 1 to 2 days.

Heat a grill over medium heat. Grill both sides of the bread until lightly browned. Divide the mushrooms with the juices among four small bowls. Sprinkle each with fresh parsley and serve with the bread.

Makes 4 servings.

230 calories; 7 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 346 milligrams sodium

This recipe is adapted from Craig Strong, chef de cuisine, Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa.

VEGETABLES A LA GRECQUE WITH SAUTEED SHRIMP
2 tablespoons honey

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons good-quality white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth

1 pinch saffron

1 star anise

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 sprig thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

3 (1/4-inch) slices lemon

1 dried chile de arbol

12 white mushrooms

2 cups cauliflower florets (from 1 large head)

6 baby artichokes, outer leaves removed and trimmed, cut in half lengthwise

12 baby carrots, trimmed and scrubbed to remove any dirt

16 pearl onions, peeled

4 baby fennel, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise (cut into quarters if on the larger side)

1/2 cup good-quality olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for sauteeing shrimp

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

12 medium tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

In a 12- to 13-inch saute pan, combine honey, wine, vinegar, broth, saffron, star anise, coriander seeds, thyme, bay leaves, lemon and chile. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms, cauliflower florets, artichokes, carrots, onions and fennel. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, until just tender.

Pour the vegetables and the poaching liquid into a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and sea salt. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving, allow the vegetables to come back to room temperature.

Just before serving, season shrimp with a pinch of salt. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet, and saute the shrimp over high heat until pink, about 2 minutes, being careful not to overcook.

Divide vegetables evenly among each of 4 plates, and place 3 shrimp over each serving. Spoon a little of the poaching liquid over each serving, and garnish with a little freshly cracked pepper if desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

312 calories; 10 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 27 milligrams cholesterol; 242 milligrams sodium

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