Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule

Another dish I liked from this weekend was the Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule, which I plan to make next weekend, since I still have lots of artichokes and I brought home some favas from Georgeanne's house. It's a pretty simple recipe, but labor-intensive, as both the favas and the artichokes require some work. I'd recommend it for a small group, so I'm giving a recipe for 4.

Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule
1-2 Tbs. green garlic
4-6 artichokes,, trimmed and quartered
1-1¼ lbs. fava beans, removed from pods with skins off
1-2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 Tb. white wine
2-3 Tb. chicken broth (optional)
Sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauté the garlic in a frying pan with a lid, then add the artichokes and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Next add the fava beans and sauté for a minute or two and add the white wine, scraping up any bits. If more liquid is needed, add the broth (or water). Add salt and pepper to taste along with the sprigs of thyme, and cook over low heat covered for about 15 minutes, or until artichokes are tender. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Saute the garlic in the olive

Provence In California

Last weekend I attended “Provence in California” at Georgeanne Brennan’s house just outside of Winters, here in Yolo County. The two-day cooking class was a gift from Laura and Anne, who found Georgeanne in the last issue of Gourmet. (In May, she was written up in Sunset.)

The classes were lots of fun, with great food at the end of each day. Her cooking style is much like my own, so I didn’t learn “new techniques.” However, I did get to work with a new (to me) ingredient: sardines, which I cleaned and we cooked in Georgeanne’s pizza oven. (See photos.) I also made an easy lemon tart that I’ll add to my short list of desserts—like me, Georgeanne says that she’s not much of a baker, and this tart lets you press the dough into the tart pan, rather than rolling it out. We made lamb one day, much like mine from the previous weekend (but roasted, not grilled), with lots of fresh herbs plus potatoes and onions. The pizza-making reminded me how much fun it is, so I’ll be making pizza again, after probably a dozen or more years.

Georgeanne also runs classes in Provence, so maybe I’ll get there too, someday. Here is the recipe for the Meyer lemon tart—unfortunately I didn’t take a picture.

Georgeanne Brennan’s Meyer Lemon Tart—10 servings

For the pastry
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup cold butter
1 large egg

For the filling
4-5 lemons (may be made with any lemons)
1¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs
10 Tb melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Have ready a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. To make the pastry, combine the flour and ¼ cup of sugar in a bowl and stir until well blended. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and mix it into the dough with a fork. Press the dough evenly into the tart pan; it should be about ¼ inches thick. Line the crust with aluminum foil (and beans or pie weights if desired) and bake until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue baking another 5 minutes or so until firm and barely colored.

Finely grate the zest of 2 or three lemons, and then halve and juice enough lemons to measure ¾ cup of lemon juice. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow. Gradually pour in the melted butter beating constantly, and then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Gently spoon the filling into the tart shell and bake until the crust and filling are golden and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Dinner for 25!

I’m cooking dinner for 25 people this weekend, a mini-fundraiser at $50 a person for a group I belong to here in Davis: the University Farm Circle. It’s a spring menu from the south of France, with lots of my favorite recipes. If I have time (and remember), I’ll take some photos. Here’s the menu:

Appetizers: finger food only
Mixed olives with herbed goat cheese
Duck bites
Baguette/ cheese/fruit
Mixed nuts

Dinner: served buffet-style
Grilled spring lamb, with mint salsa verdé
Baked salmon, with olive and basil butters
Lavender pasta, with wild asparagus & spring vegetables
Red potato and red onion gratin
Warm green bean salad, with garden lettuces and arugula

Desserts: various
Aunt Mary’s cheesecake
Strawberries and fruit compote
Chocolate truffles

Beverages:
Red, white and rosé wines from Bogle
Mixed drinks
Seltzer & Sparkling juices
Decaf French-roast coffee

Artichokes

We planted artichokes a couple of years ago, and we’ve enjoyed having them right outside our door. Unfortunately, the plants are exceedingly large and really don’t fit well into a suburban garden. We bought two plants, and the artichokes are quite different—one roundish and the other cone-shaped. Usually we just steam them, but occasionally I do them “Roman-style,” where you eat the whole thing. This works best when they’re not too big. One of our plants fell down in a big wind-storm, so I’ll definitely take it out—maybe move it, if that’s possible. If not, I may start with a small new one, in a location that can handle it when full-size. Take a look!

Celery Gone Wild!

When I planted 6 small celery plants by mistake last summer, little did I dream what monsters they would become. I have added celery to everything I can think of, made braised celery and celery soup (twice), and still there’s more. It’s now taller than I am (but in raised beds). Last weekend I got rid of most of my winter vegetables to plant summer ones: 5 new tomatoes, 2 squash, a small mixed pot of green and yellow beans, a Japanese eggplant, and three basil plants. I’m still looking for lemon cucumber but am skipping peppers this year.

Yesterday, we finally had to take the celery out, so that the squash plants and other things in the bed would have some room to grow. We cut off a couple of bunches and tossed the rest—much of it had gone to flower, and some of the stalks were 3-4 inches thick.

Julia Child’s recipe for celery soup (Volume II) couldn’t be simpler, and it doesn’t even call for heavy cream. You simply sauté about 1½ cups of onions or leeks with 3 cups of celery stalks (I added some leaves, too) until tender but not browned, and then cook for 30 minutes with 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (I made my own, with more celery!) and 1/3 cup of rice.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook 1 large or 2 medium chopped (and peeled) baking potatoes in 2 cups of salted water. Drain the cooking water into the leeks and celery, then mash the potatoes with one cup of milk (I tend to avoid the food processor with potatoes). Purée the leek and celery mixture using either a blender or food processor, then add to potato mixture with about a cup more milk—or more if needed. Serve with chopped tarragon or parsley and croutons, if desired. The soup is great cold—but it will thicken up, so you will need to add more milk—or buttermilk!