Experimenting: scorzonera and jerusalem artichoke gratin

Ok, ragazzi,  Annalena needs to fess up right away.  She could have used a different word for that title, because the vegetable in question has many names, and you probably know at least one of them;  however, she is trying to get her wordsmith friend Professor Hymes to read this  (and she'll hint strongly on facebook too, since he's probably foregoing the Superbowl for reasons of allegiance), and this is one way to do it.

The fun of belonging to one of the CSA's, or food delivery services, etc, is that you never really know what they're going to send you.  Currently, Annalena belongs to  Quinciple, which sends a box every week, with enough food to serve two people, two or three meals.  If you use everything, as Annalena tries to do, this is ultimately a bargain.  And at its best, it leaves you wanting more of some of what they've sent.  True, Annalena will probably never use smoked salt (in the box), again, but this dish...

The list of ingredients referred to an item as "scorzonera."  First, Annalena thought it was cheese, but there was another cheese in the box.  She read on and smiled.  But just a bit.  "Also known as black salsify or oyster plant."  Well, it is called oyster plant because, allegedly, when cooked, it tastes like oysters.

Annalena needs to say that to her, it does NOT taste like oysters.  Not at all.  And she has had it in restaurants, but never worked with it.  So the fact that they actually included a recipe (one of the big pluses of this service, gang, is that they include recipes that use multiple ingredients from the box), for using this product was a good thing.  (Look up a picture of 'black salsify,' ragazzi, and you'll see why it is a vegetable that non-pluses one. )

There were also jerusalem artichokes in the box.  Or, sunchokes, or girasoles.  Another vegetable with many names,  and one that many people do not know.  Annalena knows them well, as the casual reader of this blog will know.  She already had some in her fridge, and now she had more.  They do store well, but not forever.   So, it was time to get to work.  Out came the recipe card, out came the pots and pans and, as Jackie Gleason used to say  "AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY we go."

The recipe said you should use a mandoline for this, otherwise the dish is very tedious.  Annalena could see that.  Buy yourself a Benriner instead, ragazzi.  It costs about 30.00, and it will transform your life.  For a few months, use the guard. It's sharp.

Wash your veggies: a pound of the jerusalem artichokes, and a half pound of the salsify.  Scrape the salsify a bit, but do not peel it.  Then slice them very thin:  1/16 of an inch is what the recipe called for.  You could go thicker, and if you do t his by hand, you probably will.    But before you start slicing, measure out a cup and a half of milk, and get a non-metallic 9x13 inch pan ready, by buttering it.    Know that when you slice the jerusalem artichokes, they will darken, so you may want to do them after you do the salsify.  It will feel like you're slicing forever, but that's because of the repetitive motion.  Annalena was done with all slicing in less than ten minutes.  Now, put half of the jerusalem artichoke slices in the pan, and spread them evenly.   Season with salt and pepper.Follow this with all of the salsify.  Season again. Finish with the jerusalem artichokes. And season.  Press everything down a bit, and now pour the milk over the veggies.  You all know the rule: NO SKIM MILK IN THE KITCHEN. Get about two tablespoons of unsalted butter, break it up into small bits, and put it over the veggies.    Put this in the oven, preheated to 350, for forty minutes.


While this is happening, make some herbed bread crumbs.  You do this by putting about two cups of cubed, stale bread (and Annalena's bread was REALLY stale) into a food processor, with about half a teaspoon of a dried herb that's fresh.  ("Fresh" dried herb?  Yes, ragazzi.  Smell them).  Cube up the bread to small pieces first, and process until you have very rough, uneven crumbs.  They will smell, divine.  BUT WAIT!

Now, after the forty minutes, sprinkle the crumbs on the veggies, and bake for another fifteen minutes.  They will toast up, beautifully, and the smell of the herbs.... Annalena used oregano.  OH, she wanted to dig in and eat this while it was still in the oven.

Gratins made this way are transformed. You lose the milk, and get a thick, creamy sauce from the action of the starch in the veggies.  There is no need for cheese for this, but if you must...

No, don't.  Eat it this way.  With a simply prepared chop or steak.  Or by itself.  And feel proud of meeting a new veggie with an interesting name, eating seasonally, and having a good meal.