Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Gratin

You might be forgiven for thinking that the above vegetable is some wierd alien species of potato! You would be in fact wrong, for it is not a potato at all, but a wonderful delicacy known as the Jerusalem Artichoke.

What's that you say??? Looks nothing like an artichoke! Well, that would be because they are two completely dissimilar vegetables and plants. One (the regularArtichoke) is a thistle type flower of a plant, and the other is the tuberous root of a particular species of sunflower. Often called sunchokes or sun roots, and even earth apples, these are one of my favourite vegetables . . . cooked into beautifully rich winter soups, mashed and souffled, or layered in casseroles and gratins.



They do have one drawback though . . .

Not to be indelicate, but . . . they can create a lot of . . . *ahem* . . . shall we say . . . wind . . . for some people who eat them . . .

I do make a wonderfully delicious Jerusalem Artichoke and Lentil soup, which creates somewhat of a double dose of the . . . *ahem* . . . self same problem, but . . . is well worth the consequences of eating it, as it is soooo delicious!!!



Here I've combined them with another of my favourite vegetables, parsnips . . . and created a delicious gratin . . . not to be missed!



I think you will love this. It goes wonderfully with chicken or fish and even pork.

Oh heck . . . it goes wonderfully with anything, and even makes a delicious vegetarian main option, as long as you use a vegetarian cheese.



Enjoy! We sure did! No matter the . . . ummm . . . consequences . . .



*Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsnip Gratin*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Two of my favourite vegetables combined in a tasty Gratin. What more could you ask for?

500g of parsnips, peeled and sliced
500g Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and dropped into acidulated water
(water with some lemon or vinegar added to help prevent them from browning)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
5 to 6 stalks of fresh thyme
2 TBS butter
2 TBS grainy mustard
4 TBS grated gruyere cheese, divided
100ml white wine
250ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste

Parboil the parsnips in lightly salted water for about 8 minutes, then drain well and set aside. Do the same with the artichokes, cooking them for about 15 minutes. Drain well and then slice the same thickness as the parsnips.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Place the garlic into a saucepan along with the butter. Heat over low heat until the garlic becomes very fragrant and soft. Add the thyme, mustard and white wine. Heat gently and then whisk 2 TBS of the gruyere cheese.

Butter a shallow gratin dish. Layer the blanched and sliced vegetables in the dish, seasoning with some salt and pepper. Pour the wine mixture over top and give the dish a bit of a shake to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the double cream over top. Cover tightly and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the remaining TBS of gruyere on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered or until the vegetables are completely tender and the dish has become golden brown on top.

Brown Sugar and Butter Glazed Parsnips

Parsnips wasn't something that we really ate much of when I was growing up. My mom hated them. I remember her cooking them once, lightly boiled and then sliced and fried in butter. She wanted to see if her dislike for them had diminished.



It hadn't.



I loved them though, and I still do. (I know . . . what don't I love??? Well snails for one . . . and squid, but I digress.)



Parsnips.
They give soups and stews incredible flavour.



Mixed with cooked potatoes and carrots, they make lovely root vegetable mash.

Roasted in goosefat, and then glazed with honey, they are my favourite part of our Christmas dinner.



Boiled, and then glazed in brown sugar and butter, with a bit of nutmeg . . .

They make any dinner feel like Christmas.

I could eat a whole plate of these . . . and nothing else at all.



*Brown Sugar and Butter Glazed Parsnips*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Crispy tender parsnips glazed with butter, brown sugar and nutmeg. Delicious!!

1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced in half
(If they are very large cut out the woody core and discard, cut into quarters)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS soft light brown sugar
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Place the parsnips into a pot of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook, just until crispy tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well. Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a large skillet. Add the parsnips and season to taste with some salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Cook, stirring gently until the parsnips are lightly browned and glazed.

Potato Scallop

Alright . . . I confess. The potato IS my favourite vegetable. That's why "low carbing it" has never worked for me.

I love them in any way, shape or form.



I love em mashed.



I love em fried.



I love em boiled and baked.



Heck, when I was a kid I even used to beg raw pieces off my mom when she was getting them ready for our supper.

She said they'd give me worms.



But they didn't.

So there.



This is one of my favourite ways of cooking potatoes. It goes with just about anything. In fact, back home where I come from, local firehalls and churches make lots of money with Saturday night Baked Bean Suppers, and Potato Scallop figures highly on the menu.



You just can't have ham or a baked bean supper without serving this.

It's unconstitutional.



*Potato Scallop*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

You'll see lots of versions of this recipe which call for the making of a bechamel sauce to cook the sliced potatoes in. My mom never did this, and to be honest we never minded. We always just loved them the way she did them. I still think they are the best of all.

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 TBS flour
2 TBS softened butter
2 TBS finely chopped onion
1 TBS finely chopped parsley
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups whole milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Generously butter a large baking dish. Place half of the potatoes into the dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper, flour, onion, cheese and parsley. Dot with half the butter. Repeat the layer, ending with the remaining butter. Pour the milk over top to cover the potatoes. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Take off the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Serve warm.

Tatties and Neeps

How could something with such an interesting little name fail to be totally delicious . . .

If you have swede, and potatoes in your larder . . . you have the makings of this most tasty Scottish dish. And, I can assure you . . . it goes with just about any type of meat or poultry. Actually the Scots usually eat this with haggis on Robbie Burns Night . . . and we all know what that is . . . so . . .



It's very basic, and very simple and apparently was something that was eaten frequently by poor crofters up in the Scottish Highlands . . .

Oh well . . . I've been told in the past that I am common . . .



Perhaps my love of this dish proves it.



Who knew??

My mother always made this, ceptin we called it mashed turnips. I never knew we were eating something as exotic as Tatties and Neeps. A rose by any other name eh?



*Tatties and Neeps*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Pretty basic. Pretty tasty. Yum, yum!

1 lb potatoes (You want a nice and floury type, such as a Maris Piper)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 lb. neeps (depends where you come from whether you call them turnips or swedes)
1 heated tablespoon of butter or dripping
salt and pepper to taste



Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in a pan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes or so until tender. Drain well.

Peel the swede and cut into small chunks. Place in a pan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until quite tender. Drain well.

(I usually cook the two things at the same time so that they are hot at the same time, starting the swede a bit before the potatoes)

Place the cooked potato and the swede into the same pan and mash them very well together, adding salt, pepper and butter. Stir in the chopped chives. Serve hot.

Ginger Spiced Coconut Rice

Rice was not something that my mother ever cooked for us when I was growing up. I think it was because my dad liked meat and potatoes. I was an adult before I ever tasted rice, and that was at a chinese restaurant! (and to be honest, I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't like it, or how it felt in my mouth) I was totally wrong. I fell in love with it.



High in nutrients, rice is a great source of insoluable fibre. Rich in carbohydrates and low in fat, it's a pretty healthy choice. (as long as you aren't on a low carb diet that is) Rice is an extremely healthy food for a number of reasons. Rice is a complex carbohydrate, which means that it contains starch and fiber. Complex carbohydrates are digested slowly, allowing the body to utilize the energy released over a longer period which is nutritionally efficient. It's low in sodium and gluten free. With only trace amounts of fat and no cholesterol at all, it's pretty good for people on diets, and it's not surprising that most of the world relies on rice as a major part of it's diet.



I love Basamati rice most of all. I could just sit and eat a bowl of it and nothing else.

I especially love this particular recipe of mine where I combine it with rich coconut milk, ginger, red chili flakes and nuts.

It's mmm . . . mmm . . . good.



*Ginger Spiced Coconut Rice*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is my absolute favourite rice recipe. It has a bit of heat from the candied ginger and the red pepper flakes, but this goes very well with the coconut flavour. This goes great with most Asian dishes.

200g of basamati rice (1 cup)
1 400ml tin of coconut milk
2 ounces water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp tumeric
1 tsp grated fresh ginger-root
finely chopped crystallized ginger (a heaped dessertspoon)
toasted sliced almonds (a small handful)



Rinse the rice under running cold water. Drain and place in a saucepan along with the coconut milk, water, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, tumeric and fresh ginger-root. Stir well to combine. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture just begins to come to the boil. Reduce heat immediately to low, cover, and cook on low for about 18 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover again and let sit for 5 miore minutes. Garnish the finished rice with the candied ginger and the toasted nut flakes. Delicious!

Note - Don't forget that it's really important to cool cooked rice down quickly before storing, and to reheat it thoroughly to a high temperature before using again. Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins. The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat. It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.

Grilled Thai Steak Salad

It was another scorcher down here in the South East of England yesterday. In my house that means it's a salad day. Something delicious that means minimal heat from the stove and something that you relish and enjoy sitting under the umbrella at the picnic table on the back patio.

Salad in my house is not just a mix of salad leaves with an obscure bottled dressing poured over top.

In my house . . . Salad is often the meal, the star of the show . . . Centre Stage.

We really enjoyed this grilled steak salad yesterday. It had a slightly Tai flavour, with a distinct bite coming from the red chilies and a wonderful tang from the lime. I also got to use up the rest of the cucumber, lettuce and radish from last week's veggie box . . . several days old, they were still crisp and delicious!
 

*Grilled Steak Salad on the Thai Side*
Makes 4 servings
Printable Recipe

I love the tangy dressing on this salad, with it's slight sweet and sour flavour, hot and spicy from the chilies and the sweet surprise of fresh pineapple.

DRESSING:
5 TBS pineapple juice
1 TBS dark soy sauce
1 TBS groundnut oil
1 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 tsp fresh lime juice
the grated zest of one lime
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh gingerroot
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
large pinch of crushed red chili flakes
1/4 cup fresh pineapple, cut into a small dice
1 TBS finely chopped fresh coriander

1 pound of grilling steak (flank, top round, rump)
1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

SALAD:
6 lightly packed cups of fresh salad leaves
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
3 big radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

TO GARNISH:
1/4 cup finely chopped chives



Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients. Set aside.

Place all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Mix them together lightly with your hands.

Rub the steak with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the steak on a hot grill for 4 to 5 minutes on one side. Flip over and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. (Alternately you can grill it in a hot pan. Sear it for some 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare.)

Season the salad leaves with some sea salt and black pepper and then toss with about half of the dressing. Divide amongst 4 serving plates. Thinly slice the steak across the grain and drape it over the salad leaves. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing and sprinkle chives on top. Serve.

I added some homemade oven chips for Todd. (The ultimate steak and potato meal in my opinion) I just cut a few potatoes into wedges and then tossed them together with a bit of vegetable oil, a TBS or two of dry bacon and onion dressing mix, and some salt and pepper. I banged them onto a baking tray and then roasted them for about 15 minutes at 205*C/425*F. These are so easy to do and you can vary the flavour however you like by using any variety of seasoning mixes. Curry ones are really nice!