Catching a Rainbow

January, a time when thoughts turn to root vegetables, hearty soups and slow cooking, when once in a while something comes along to lighten the heart.
Lambs leaf lettuce is just such a thing. At a time when nature is at its deepest slumber, this delicate vegetable steps forward as if to remind us that there will be a spring, and that the interminable cold and gloom will not last forever, in perpetuity.


HISTORY:

Salads originated in the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of such has been found in the tombs of the pharos dating from the 5th century BC.
The culture of corn salad, or lamb’s leaf lettuce first began in France, alongside the River Loire, during the Renaissance period of the 14th Century. Images of the crop appeared in a painting by Leonardo de Vinci, Léda and the Swan, which has unfortunately been lost.
The 15th Century poet Pierre de Ronsard sang of the “small salad of the fields and meadows…” where the lettuce remained, a long time wild. Two centuries later the crop made its way into cottage gardens and its domestication began.
Following the second French Empire a Parisian restaurant owner created a salad in celebration of the Italian king Victor Emanuel II, a salad of lamb’s leaf lettuce, turnip and beetroot - the colours of the Italian flag.
Primarily grown in France and the Netherlands, Lambs leaf lettuce is known by many different names. Clairette, Corn Salad and La Doucette or "the little sweet one" in French. In Germany it is known as Feldsalat (meaning field salad) and in addition mâche,rampion, Rapunzelsalat, Salade de Chanoine, Salade de Prêtre are all common names.


BUYING:

Lambs leaf lettuce looks similar to water cress, but with a milder slightly bitter nutty taste. The leaves are said to be the shape of lamb’s tongues and are found in small clumps. As with all salads it is better not to buy those that are pre-washed and pre-packed and often preserved in a protective atmosphere. Once the bag is opened they degrade very quickly and are best eaten within one or two days.
Buy in clumps, complete with the sandy roots, which are a result of the soil this vegetable prefers to grow in. The leaves are extremely fragile and will not tolerate being crushed, better to place them on the top of a shopping basket where they can be carefully looked after.

STORING:

The lettuce does not store well, better to buy often and then replenish the supply. A few days in the bottom of the fridge are all than can be expected of this hardy, yet at the same time fragile crop.

PREPARING:

It cannot be emphasised enough, when washing lambs leaf lettuce, allot of water is required, a whole sink...and that is for the first washing. Remove any roots, but pinch them off using your thumb and forefinger just below the base, so maintaining the leaves in their original small bunch, which looks more appealing on the plate.
Fill the sink and allow the lettuce to float for about thirty minutes, agitating the water every so often. The sand trapped in the roots will be released and fall to the bottom of the basin.
Drain the lettuce, empty the sink cleaning away any sand, and then repeat the process.
Gently place the salad in a salad spinner, an absolutely indispensible item for any kitchen, indeed no salad should be placed on the table until it has been spun to remove the excess water. (Click on the below link to order one)
All salads should be dressed, it is the utmost in laziness to serve a salad un-dressed as happens all too frequently in the United Kingdom.

COOKING:

Not usually done, however the leaves can be added to a stir fry at the very last minute, or cooked very quickly and used as a replacement to spinach.
As with all salads a vinaigrette dressing of your choice is preferable, but for the same reason care should be taken as when transporting, any vinaigrette should be served apart, and added to the leaves at the last moment. If poured over the salad, and left for any more than a few minutes, the fragile leaves will begin to cook in the acid thus becoming limp, unpalatable and only fit for the dustbin.
In fact, a vinaigrette dressing or other sauces made with strong acidic ingredients are not the best for Salade de mâche. Walnut oil, in which a few slices of green apple have been allowed to soak for twenty minutes, or a small piece of citrus fruit, will provide all the acidity required and provide a subtle yet well balanced dressing which will perfectly complement your salad.


OTHER STUFF:

Lambs leaf lettuce, with its delicate fruity flavour complements strong flavoured food admirably. Fruit, dried fruits and nuts, particularly walnuts, are a wonderful combination. It goes well with pâté, chicken livers and duck. Later in the meal the leaves complement certain cheeses, particularly goat’s cheese from the Loire valley, as well as blue cheeses of all varieties.

All pre-packed salad should be thoroughly washed, even if it claims to be ready-washed. A major cause of food poisoning in France and something which doctors warn against during pregnancy, is supposedly pr-washed salad goods.


Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) First king (1861-1878) of united Italy and last king of Piedmont-Sardinia (1849-1861).
Victor Emmanuel succeeded his father Charles Albert to the throne of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1849, following the abdication of Charles Albert after two humiliating defeats by Austria… Victor Emmanuel successfully met various crises in the early years of his reign.
In the 1850s Piedmont-Sardinia remained the only constitutional state in Italy, a haven for persecuted Italian nationalists and liberals who had been involved in the 1848-49 revolutions. By 1859, assured of military support by Napoleon III of France in the Treaty of Plombières, Piedmont-Sardinia once again went to war with Austria. As a result of this conflict, Austria ceded Lombardy. Successive upheavals in the smaller states of central Italy and Giuseppe Garibaldi's successful campaign in southern Italy against the Neapolitan Bourbons led to the creation of a united Italy…

RECIPES:

Lambs leaf salad with beetroot and pine nuts


©Copyright Malcolm Hamilton 2007-2008






References:
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
http://www.mache-nantaise.com/
Bibliography
F. Cognasso, ed. Le Lettere di Vittorio Emanuele II. (Turin, 1966).
Denis Mack Smith. Victor Emanuel, Cavour and the Risorgimento. (New York, 1971).
Denis Mack Smith. Italy and Its Monarchy. (New Haven, 1989).
H. McGaw Smyth, "The Armistice of Novara: A Legend of a Liberal King," Journal of Modern History (1935): 141-74.
F. Valsecchi, ed. Le Relazioni diplomatiche fra l'Austria e il Regno di Sardegna (1849-1860). (Rome, 1963).

The misnamed Jerusalem artichoke has no real link with Jerusalem at all and only a distant link to the more familiar Artichoke, both coming from the same family of plants the family Asteraceae or Compositae.
It is a relative of sunflower native to eastern North America, from the state of Maine to North Dakota, and south into some of Florida and Texas
It has a distinctive nutty flavor which has been suggested to be similar to that of glove artichoke hearts- being used in many recipes to replace or compliment potatoes. The plant which if left unattended can become an invasive weed is a wonderful source of an inexpensive but delicious food.

HISTORY.

Jerusalem artichokes were found being cultivated in North America and are said to have been introduced into Europe by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Although de Champlain described the vegetable tuber as tasting of artichokes there real taste is similar to that of Chinese water chestnuts. Certainly not native to Jerusalem, the route of the name is thought to derive from the Italian for Sunflower, girasole to which the Jerusalem artichoke is related. Indeed the plant resembles a many stemmed sunflower complete with numerous small sunflower type blooms.
In France the Jerusalem artichoke was synonymous with rationing during the World War II when they were grown as a food staple all over the country.

BUYING.

Roots should firm, dense and free from spongy soft areas. Their shape, not dissimilar to ginger can be very nobly and one should try to buy the largest tubers available.

STORING.

Jerusalem artichokes will keep for several weeks in the salad chiller of the fridge but are better stored in a cool dry area such as a garden shed or garage covered with sand, much the same way as carrots are often stored.

PREPARING.

As potatoes.

COOKING.

A perfumed vegetable without being too scented which can be used to make a different recipe wherever potatoes are called for. Often thought of as peasant food and not fit to grace the tables of high society, the Jerusalem artichoke marries perfectly with the woody aromas of wild mushrooms and dried fruit and nuts. The flavour utterly sublime with lobster and crab can also be used with other seafood such as scallops.
They can be cooked as potatoes – baked roasted, sauté, boiled or steamed, and as with potatoes Jerusalem Artichokes will discolour when exposed to the air. Once peeled and cut maintain their colour by storing in acidulated water, using either a little vinegar or preferably lemon juice.


OTHER STUFF.
Because of the peculiarities in the digestion of Inulin, the form of carbohydrate found in Jerusalem Artichokes, they do have the side effect of causing flatulence.



RECIPES.

Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Seared scallops with bacon, Jerusalem artichoke puree and crushed peas

Chicken and Jerusalem artichoke pie

Jerusalem artichoke and sage gratin

©Copyright Malcolm Hamilton 2007-2008

Jerusalem artichoke

The misnamed Jerusalem artichoke has no real link with Jerusalem at all and only a distant link to the more familiar Artichoke, both coming from the same family of plants the family Asteraceae or Compositae.
It is a relative of sunflower native to eastern North America, from the state of Maine to North Dakota, and south into some of Florida and Texas
It has a distinctive nutty flavor which has been suggested to be similar to that of glove artichoke hearts- being used in many recipes to replace or compliment potatoes. The plant which if left unattended can become an invasive weed is a wonderful source of an inexpensive but delicious food.

HISTORY.

Jerusalem artichokes were found being cultivated in North America and are said to have been introduced into Europe by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Although de Champlain described the vegetable tuber as tasting of artichokes there real taste is similar to that of Chinese water chestnuts. Certainly not native to Jerusalem, the route of the name is thought to derive from the Italian for Sunflower, girasole to which the Jerusalem artichoke is related. Indeed the plant resembles a many stemmed sunflower complete with numerous small sunflower type blooms.
In France the Jerusalem artichoke was synonymous with rationing during the World War II when they were grown as a food staple all over the country.

BUYING.

Roots should firm, dense and free from spongy soft areas. Their shape, not dissimilar to ginger can be very nobly and one should try to buy the largest tubers available.

STORING.

Jerusalem artichokes will keep for several weeks in the salad chiller of the fridge but are better stored in a cool dry area such as a garden shed or garage covered with sand, much the same way as carrots are often stored.

PREPARING.

As potatoes.

COOKING.
A perfumed vegetable without being too scented which can be used to make a different recipe wherever potatoes are called for. Often thought of as peasant food and not fit to grace the tables of high society, the Jerusalem artichoke marries perfectly with the woody aromas of wild mushrooms and dried fruit and nuts. The flavour utterly sublime with lobster and crab can also be used with other seafood such as scallops.
They can be cooked as potatoes – baked roasted, sauté, boiled or steamed, and as with potatoes Jerusalem Artichokes will discolour when exposed to the air. Once peeled and cut maintain their colour by storing in acidulated water, using either a little vinegar or preferably lemon juice.


OTHER STUFF.

Because of the peculiarities in the digestion of Inulin, the form of carbohydrate found in Jerusalem Artichokes, they do have the side effect of causing flatulence.

RECIPES.

Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Seared scallops with bacon, Jerusalem artichoke puree and crushed peas

Chicken and Jerusalem artichoke pie

Jerusalem artichoke and sage gratin