Unicorn (Unicorn@Indenial.com)
Wed, 10 Feb 1999 21:11:47 -0500
Reader "Trudy" was the first of many to send me this little modern-day
fable:
Here is a story about the Frugal Gourmet's recent visit to Europe last
summer. He had a delightful time sampling the cuisine in Italy,
France and Germany, but he made the mistake of stopping off in London
on the way home. Needless to say, he found English food bland and
over cooked.
However, one day he had a great meal of fish & chips at a London pub.
He asked the manager of the pub if he could have the recipe for the
fish and chips. The manager confessed that he bought his fish and
chips from a nearby monastery, and thus the Frugal gourmet would have
to get the recipe from one of the brothers.
The Frugal Gourmet quickly ran down the street to the monastery and
knocked on the door. When one of the brothers came to the door, the
Frugal Gourmet asked him ... if he were the "Fish Friar."
The brother replied, ... "No, I'm the Chip Monk."
Our Valentine's Day menu continues with a dish that can be adapted to
vegetables other than Belgian endive, which is also known as chicory,
French endive, and witloof in various parts of the world. You can
cook hearts of celery, escarole, romaine lettuce, or radicchio in the
same manner, adjusting the cooking time as necessary for the more
tender vegetable.
Braised Belgian Endive
2 or 3 Belgian endive cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh or canned chicken stock
1/2 oz (15 g) prosciutto or other ham, cut into matchsticks
1 Tbs (15 ml) butter, cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs (45 ml) heavy cream
Butter a saute pan that is just big enough to hold the endive in a
single layer. Place the endive halves in the pan, add the chicken
broth, scatter the ham on top, dot with the butter, and season with
salt and pepper. Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 45 to
60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the
cream, swirling the pan to incorporate the liquids, and turning the
endive so as to coat with the sauce. Serves 2.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu Feb 11 1999 - 09:00:05 EST