Thanksgiving Feast Part 2 This week, with Thanksgiving being only a couple of days away, we will be talking about 5 more vegetables for your Thanksgiving table. These items are a must at Produce Pete's table.
Artichokes Artichokes are actually the giant, unopened buds of a flowering plant - an edible relative of the thistle. They've been a favorite in Spain, Italy, and other Mediterranean countries for hundreds of years, but many people here still think of them as fairly exotic. Although they take a little time to eat - there's no way you can wolf down an artichoke - they're actually fun to dismantle; and the tender flesh at the base of the leaves and especially at the heart has a distinctive sweet, nutty taste that's absolutely delicious. Artichokes can be prepared in dozens of ways, and I like all of them. The largest crop of artichokes is still produced in Mediterranean countries, but California is the biggest supplier in the U.S. Castroville, located near San Francisco, calls itself the Artichoke Capital of the World; and the whole economy of the place revolves around the vegetable - there's even a statue of an artichoke in the middle of town. With its cool, humid, foggy weather, the area is perfect for growing good artichokes. There are three basic types of artichokes, plus a new "thorn less" variety that's beginning to appear on the market. The globe type is the most common, with a large fairly round shape and smallish barb on the tips of the leaves. The oval artichoke is very thorny, with a longer, more pointed leaf. The taste of both is identical and they can be cooked in the same way, but I find that glove artichokes are usually more tender. The third type is the small, loose baby artichoke, which is often marinated whole in vinegar and oil after it has been washed and dethorned. Most baby artichokes don't have many thorns in the first place, and they can be eaten whole, without removing the "choke". Thornless artichokes are also available. I find them to be excellent if they're from California but unreliable if they've been imported from Mexico or Chile. The imports are difficult to cook properly because it's hard to get the timing right - some cook fast and tender, others take an hour and either stay raw or suddenly turn to mush. The imports are usually a paler green than the California crop, but it you're in doubt, ask your produce manager. Season The peak of the season is in March, April, and May, when California producers ship nearly half the annual crop, but artichokes often show up in the fall. The worst time for artichokes is in the dead of summer (July and August) when growing conditions are too hot and dry for good artichokes. However, they are available year round. Selecting Look for fat, firm-looking buds with dense, tightly packed leaves of a uniform dusty green. Lots of black spots tired color, or opened leaves indicate an older artichoke that will have a woody taste. An artichoke with one or two black spots, on the other hand, isn't always a bad risk. Don't worry if the artichoke is discolored on the stem end - you're going to cut that part off. When selecting an artichoke, gently pull back the central leaves, taking care not to prick yourself on the thorns, and look into the heart. If there is no black showing inside, the artichoke is good. At home you can be more aggressive - turn the artichoke upside down and give it a good whack or two on the counter to make the leaves open out more easily. Artichokes that have developed purpling on the leaves have been exposed to too much hot sun and will be much less tender. An artichoke that shows some bronzing and peeling has had a touch of frost, which won't hurt the flavor and may in fact improve it. If you're unsure about what kind of discoloration is okay and what kind is not a good rule of thumb is not to buy discolored artichokes in the summer. Storing Artichokes are quite perishable. Use them as soon as possible. Refrigerate for one week only if necessary. Preparing There are a thousand ways to cook artichokes, but one thing to avoid is to cook them in an aluminum pot since they will turn a gray-green color. To prepare them for the pot, rinse the artichokes in cold water, handling them carefully so that you don't prick yourself on the pointed barbs at the end of each leaf. The barbs are softer and easer to handle after the artichoke is cooked, but many people prefer to remove them beforehand by snipping off the tips of the leaves with kitchen shears or scissors. Remove the thorns from baby artichokes that you intend to eat whole. Recipes with Artichokes Bette's Stuffed Artichokes
Idaho Potatoes First cultivated in Peru centuries ago, ordinary white or "Irish" potatoes are still grown there - in varieties that include white, blue, red, and even striped and polka-dotted versions. Although we see only a few common ones in most supermarkets, there are more than two hundred varieties of potatoes now being cultivated. A small number of unusual varieties and hybrids can be found in farm markets and specialty produce stores. A member of the nightshade family, along with the tomato and eggplant, the potato is native to South America. Brought to Europe by Spanish explorers, it was a bit slow to be accepted because many people believed it was poisonous. By the end of the sixteenth century, however, potatoes were regularly taking a place on the table in German households, and now this highly nutritious vegetable is a staple in almost every country in the Western world. Potatoes store very well, but they don't keep forever. The year-round supply found in the stores is possible because crops from different states are harvested at different times. On the East Coast, for example, potato crops from Florida are the first to arrive on the market. As the season progresses, the potato harvest moves up the coast until the season ends with potatoes from Maine, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. "New" potatoes aren't a specific variety, there are many varieties that are good when they're harvested early and shipped directly to market. Although "old" potatoes - potatoes left a long times in the ground - aren't as attractive, they keep a lot better than the new crops and are good winter staples. The famous Idaho potato is harvested in the early fall, but it stores well and is available nine or ten months of the year. Idaho has the right soil and weather conditions to grow a great potato and it is the variety Americans choose first for baking. The skin is thick and leathery, and the flesh has relatively low moisture content. Graded by size, Idaho's range from 60 to 140 potatoes per 50-pound box.
White-cap Stuffing Mushrooms The common white cap mushroom, which I'll call the cultivated mushroom even though so many "wild" ones are now being cultivated, has been around for a long time. It has been bred to be uniform and, in many cases, very white. California and Michigan are big producers, but Pennsylvania grows about 50 percent of what's on the American market. They are raised in cellars, caves, special constructed mushroom houses - even n abandoned mines. The perfect white mushroom is white, firm, and dry to the touch, with no sticky or tacky feel. Some varieties have a tan tinge or slight scale, so a white-white color is not always the key indicator of freshness. A closed cap is when you turn a button mushroom over, the underside of the cap should be attached to the stem by a thin veil of flesh. Caps that have opened to reveal the dark gills underneath show age. Button mushrooms start to open after three or four days, after a couple more days, they are fully opened, discolored, and starting to get sticky. Simply handling mushrooms makes them discolor. That's why white mushrooms are often packaged in small cello-packs. Larger quantities are often sold in three-pound wooden baskets or lugs. These should be bought only when you know you'll be using them quickly. Button mushrooms refrigerate well, but wrap them in paper towels. Like other mushrooms, they should never be immersed in water when cleaned. Button mushrooms can be eaten in dozens of ways raw, sautˇed, batter-dipped and fried, stuffed, marinated, pickled. They can be used in soups, in sauces, in meat or poultry dishes - the list is endless.
Rutabaga - Yellow Turnip Each year Americans consume greater quantities of almost every sort of fresh vegetable except rutabagas. This neglected vegetable deserves better. Rutabagas can be cooked like potatoes, and if they're prepared right, they have a creamy, potato like texture and a distinctive taste. They've been a must on my family's Thanksgiving table for years, thanks to my Irish mother. Sure, the rutabaga is homely, but this inexpensive vegetable has a long shelf life, can be cooked in a number of ways, is very nutritious and is generally a terrific, hearty winter vegetable. Large and squat, a rutabaga looks a lot like a big darkened white turnip with the top and tail cut off. The skin is purple at the top, yellowish below, and the whole root is heavily waxed to prevent it from losing moisture and shriveling. Rutabagas are grown in cooler climates everywhere, but for the U.S> market, Canada grows the best. Season Rutabagas are in season from October through early summer. Selecting Choose roots that are heavy in the hand for their size, more rounded than pointed, and hard as a rock - with no soft spots. The tops should be purple and bright looking, and the wax should have a good shine on it. You can tell right away if a rutabaga is old, the wax will look dull, and the rutabaga will feel light. Storing If you can, store rutabagas in a cool, dark place like a root cellar. Even at normal room temperature, however, rutabagas in good condition will keep for a couple of months. Preparing Prepare rutabagas as you would potatoes, or as if they were acorn squash, with a little sweetening (they aren't stringy like acorn squash). We mash them just like potatoes, peel, cube, boil, and mash, add butter, salt and pepper. Or combine with potatoes before mashing for a milder flavor. I love mashed rutabagas straight, they've got a distinctive taste and they really stick to your ribs. They're excellent as a side dish with turkey, roast chicken, pork roast, pork chops, or ham.
Cardoon An old Italian favorite, cardoon is also known as cardoni or cardone. It looks like pale, overgrown celery, with long, flexible stalks lined with jagged leaves. The outer stalks are very fibrous and covered with prickly thorns; the inner stalks are pale, tender, and succulent. Cardoon is never eaten raw, but it's delicious cooked - when breaded and fried, it tastes almost like veal cutlet. The flavor is like a cross between artichoke and celery. Cardoon is a traditional dish among Italians around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the vegetable is often hard to find because most people don't know what to do with it. A relative of the globe artichoke, cardoon is a member of the composite family, a name that derives from the Latin for thistle and includes lettuce, dandelion, endive, and Jerusalem artichoke. It originated in the Mediterranean area and was widespread through southern Europe by the Middle Ages. Well liked by the Romans, cardoon was consumed in large quantities by pregnant women, who believed it would give them male children. Cardoon is now grown mainly in Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, and Australia. Early colonists and Italian settlers in North America first cultivated cardoon on the East Coast and later in California, which is about the only place in the U.S. that grows it commercially. But you can still find cardoon growing wild on the roadsides in new Jersey and other eastern states. Season Available September to March, mostly in Italian specialty markets. Selecting Cardoon comes in gigantic stalks that range from six to ten pounds. Look for firm, very crisp cardoon with a touch of dew on it - almost as if you were choosing celery. The large top leaves are always cut off when it's harvested, and discoloration at the cut edge is normal. Storing Since the stalks are so large, you may not want to use more than half at a time. Cut the cardoon crosswise and use the top half first - the base will keep longer. Wrap it in a damp paper towel, place in a paper or plastic bag, refrigerate in the crisper, and it will hold a week or two but no longer. Never let it dry out - dried-out cardoon is inedible. Preparing Cardoon is usually precooked before use in recipes to tenderize and remove any bitterness. Handle the plant very carefully, as its leaves are thorny and will prick your fingers. Slice off the top of the cardoon and discard the tough outer leaves, then separate the inner leaves, wash individually, and trim the leafy edges off each stalk with a carrot scraper. That's where the thorns are, but you need to remove only a thin layer, as if you were peeling celery. Cardoon may discolor as you work with it, but the color will even out as it cooks. The pared stalks can be sliced, diced, or julienne, according to your recipe. To precook, put the pieces into a large quantity of boiling salted water with a little vinegar or lemon juice, and cook about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and discard the water; then proceed with your recipe or simply serve with a little melted butter and salt and pepper. Once cooked, cardoon turns the same grayish color as overcooked artichokes, and like artichokes, it should never be cooked in an aluminum pot. While its color isn't particularly pretty, it tastes great. Cooked, drained cardoon is very tasty marinated in a good vinaigrette - let it stand in the refrigerator overnight, then garnish with olives and capers and serve cold. For a good mixed vegetable dish, sautˇ a little garlic and some onion in olive oil, add plum tomatoes, cooked cardoon, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and simmer five to ten mintues. Cardoon is especially delicious pounded, breaded, and fried like cutlets or fried tempura-style and served with anchovy sauce. Recipes with Cardoon Cardoon Tempura with Anchovy Sauce
Additional Resources Take a look at Thanksgiving Feast Part 1. Other recipes from Produce Pete. |
