Star Billing for a Bit Player

Americans, for some inexplicable reason, have always given short shrift to vegetables. In this country, everyone seems to docilely accept those ubiquitous dishes of succotash blandly accompanying the platters of fried chicken and the self-effacing string beans that meekly attend the roast ribs of beef. But in Europe, hosts hold vegetables in high esteem.

In France, for instance, asparagus isn't just a garnish for a lonely lamb chop but a garden god, a bountiful springtime feast. Fresh asparagus is served after the meat platter has been cleared away, as an independent course, sumptuously robed with a rich hollandaise, or a hollandaise flavored with orange, or buttered and parsleyed bread crumbs.

When the Florentines eat white beans, they're not served a little (continued on page 158) Star Billing (continued from page 109) demeaning side dish but a full dinner plate of the beans simmered for three hours, subtly flavored with sage, garlic and olive oil. Proudly owning up to their special gusto for beans, the Florentines, perhaps apocryphally, say that when they're in the right mood, they not only eat the beans but lick the dish, the tablecloth and sometimes the table itself.

Greeks love spinach almost as much as independence. But the kind of spinach most likely to be served only on Sunday is the spanakopeta, chopped spinach flavored with both pungent and mild cheeses, formed into an oblong shape, wrapped in leaves of phyllo pastry as fragile as an angel's breath and baked to an Olympian brown.

Like a beautiful unattached woman, the independent vegetable course serves party purposes magnificently. As a prelude to an afternoon of tennis or sailing, or to a long spin to an isolated picnic spot, we recommend the pleasant sustaining power of fresh broccoli drizzled with a piquant nut-brown butter sauce and garnished with a French-fried egg. Before the theater and the after-theater supper, Spanish onions stuffed with crab meat will stave off the most aggressive hunger pangs. Outweighing all else are the dinner parties where the host, for one reason or another, finds it expedient to serve a meat course acceptable to all his guests, superb in quality but hardly likely to surprise--such as broiled spring chicken, lamb-chop mixed grill or roast ribs of beef good to the last drop of jus. A menu stimulus is needed to keep the culinary ball rolling. It may be anything from a plate of batter-fried fresh mushrooms with a vermouth sauce to a casserole of eggplant au gratin.

All of the endless predinner debates about whether Brussels sprouts and chestnuts really go well with guinea hen or whether the Swiss chard is or is not compatible with the pork tenderloin simply cease. Either vegetable, served alone, at the summit of its season, goes its own sweet way on any party bill of fare. Parenthetically, we must add that one vegetable--the potato--is, by its very nature, always destined to be a mate to meat. In the same way that a magician needs props to make magic, a chef needs light, golden French-fried potatoes or crisp hashed-brown potatoes to present a perfect steak. In our own peasanty heart, we dig the potatoes best that are not only served with but cooked with the meat itself. No one can overpraise such provender as potatoes à la boulangère, sliced and cooked in the oven with a roast shoulder of lamb and mixed with the succulent brown pan gravy; or potatoes simmered with a boiled New England dinner, each potato like a rustic cupbearer carrying in itself the blended juices of the corned beef, the fresh beef brisket, the cabbage and the rich cooking broth.

What gives the European vegetable chef his edge is his complete freedom from any taint of vegetarianism. If he needs some diced bacon to hop up an artichoke stuffing, diced bacon it will be. If he plans to braise celery and it calls for a meat gravy, he'll snatch the meat gravy from his roast pan, pot roast, stewpot or whatever source is within scrounging distance. He chooses his vegetables like a man selecting pearls. His asparagus will have compact tips with brittle stalks and no trace of wilt. The buds of his broccoli will be dark green or purplish green (depending on the variety), compact and revealing no sign of sprouting. When he presses a Spanish onion, it will be silky firm. Finally, he makes sure that no vegetable makes its bow in the dining room unless it's sizzling hot. Stuffed vegetables, such as Spanish onions and artichokes, in particular will be like quiet fire in full bloom when they arrive at the dining table.

There are vegetables whose winning ways have made them part of countless legends. Whether artichokes, as alleged, were the favorite of Anthony and Cleopatra doesn't really matter. The gentle, rich flavor of artichokes is still perfect sorcery for any Cleo captivating her Tony, or vice versa. The myth we like best is the one told by Horace about the nymph on the Greek island, whose beauty was so exalted that an envious god had her transformed into an artichoke. Her name was Cynara. Cynara scolymus is still the botanical name for the California vegetable known as the globe artichoke--sometimes called the French or Italian artichoke. (The Jerusalem artichoke is another vegetable altogether.) Cynara has been loved in countless fashions. But the artichoke provides its most sensual pleasure when it's first simmered in water, then stuffed and baked. In size, artichokes range from the tiny specimens preserved in oil as a vegetable hors d'oeuvre to specimens the size of a fist--these, in turn, ranging from a petite girl's fist to the clenched paw of a prize fighter. On the vegetable stall, artichokes, with their sharp leaves, somehow look a trifle pretentious. But nobody has ever been known to eat an artichoke pretentiously. After being cooked, the leaves are always torn off by hand and eaten by hand; first they're dipped into butter or hollandaise and then they're run between the teeth to gather the fleshy part at the bottom of each leaf. After all the leaves have been worked over, the tender bottom of the artichoke remains. If the artichoke has been stuffed, both stuffing and bottom are then dispatched with knife and fork.

Hosting, as most men eventually discover, covers a multitude of abilities. The recipes that follow (each one of which serves six) should be of immense aid in developing every man's vegetability.

[recipe_title]Broccoli, Beurre Noir, with Egg[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 lbs. fresh broccoli[/recipe]

[recipe]2 large cloves garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons capers in vinegar, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]6 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Wash broccoli. Cut off 1 1/2 ins. from thick lower ends of stalks. With vegetable peeler, scrape outside of stalks. Cut thick stalks into four lengthwise strips up to flowerets; cut thin stalks into two lengthwise strips. Cook broccoli in wide shallow pan in 1 in. salted water. Keep pan covered. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until just tender. Smash garlic slightly with side of French knife. Melt butter in saucepan with garlic. Heat until butter turns a medium brown. Remove garlic from pan; turn off flame. Add anchovy paste, vinegar and drained capers. Stir with wire whip until anchovy paste is well blended. Keep broccoli and butter sauce warm. Heat 1 in. salad oil in electric skillet preheated at 370°. Drop eggs, one at a time, into oil along side of pan. Use kitchen spoon to turn whites over yolks. Turn eggs to brown slightly on each side. Drain broccoli, season with salt and pepper and place on serving plates. Pour butter sauce over broccoli. Place a French-fried egg on top of each portion. Serve with crisp French or Italian bread.

[recipe_title]Artichokes Stuffed with Ham[/recipe_title]

[recipe]6 large globe artichokes[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 2 lemons[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices bacon, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup finely minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced very fine[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. sliced cooked ham, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon ground fennel[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon ground cloves[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Grated parmesan cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup melted sweet butter[/recipe]

With sharp heavy French knife, cut off 1 in. from top of artichokes, discarding sharp leaf ends. Dip ends in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Cut off the stub of each bottom stem, leaving flat bottoms. Dip bottoms in lemon juice. Pull off and discard outside bottom leaves or any discolored leaves. Place artichokes in saucepan with 1 in. boiling salted water. Cover with tight lid and simmer till tender, about 1/2 hour. Artichokes are tender when outside leaves are easily detached or when centers of artichokes are easily pierced with kitchen fork. Carefully remove artichokes from water. Turn upside down to drain. When cool enough to handle, separate leaves slightly and, with spoon, remove fuzzy inside choke. Preheat oven at 400°. Sauté bacon, onion and garlic over low flame until bacon just begins to brown. Remove from fire. In mixing bowl, combine bacon with ham, heavy cream, bread crumbs, fennel and cloves. Mix well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Again separating leaves gently, fill each artichoke with ham stuffing. Place stuffed artichokes in baking pan or casserole covered with lid or aluminum foil. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle filling lightly with parmesan cheese and with a few drops of butter. Place under broiler flame until cheese browns lightly. Avoid scorching. Serve balance of melted butter at table for dipping artichoke leaves.

[recipe_title]Greek Spanish Rolls[/recipe_title]

[recipe]6 leaves phyllo pastry[/recipe]

[recipe]2 lbs. fresh spinach[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup finely minced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill[/recipe]

[recipe]4 ozs. mozzarella cheese, shredded[/recipe]

[recipe]4 ozs. feta cheese, crumbled[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cinnamon[/recipe]

[recipe]2/3 cup melted butter[/recipe]

The phyllo pastry sheets or leaves may be bought in stores specializing in products from Greece or the Middle East. Keep refrigerated until used. When sheets have been removed from package, cover them with a damp towel to keep them from drying. Leaves should be at room temperature before filling.

Wash spinach in 4 to 6 clear waters, discard stems and cook with water adhering to leaves until tender. Drain well. When cool, press gently to remove excess liquid. Chop spinach coarsely. Sauté onion in 2 tablespoons butter until onion is yellow. In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, onion, dill and the three kinds of cheese. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste. Divide spinach into 3 batches. Preheat oven at 400°. Brush two sheets of phyllo with melted butter. Place one sheet on top of the other, buttered side up. Place 1/3 of the spinach mixture lengthwise on the phyllo pastry, allowing a 2-in. margin on three sides of spinach. Fold in ends of pastry from sides and roll spinach until covered. Brush top and sides with melted butter. In the same manner, make 2 more rolls with remaining spinach, pastry and butter. (Melt more butter, if necessary.) Place spinach rolls, seam side down, on baking sheet or back of baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until medium brown. Remove from oven. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Filling will remain hot and pastry will be more tender and palatable for this small waiting period. Each roll may be cut in half or into smaller pieces.

[recipe_title]Spanish Onions Stuffed with Crab Meat[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 large Spanish onions[/recipe]

[recipe]2 7-1/2-oz. cans crab meat[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup finely minced green pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon dill weed[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, celery salt[/recipe]

[recipe]Paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]8-oz. can tomato sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup catsup[/recipe]

Cut unpeeled onions crosswise into halves. Place cut side down in pan with water. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes or until onions are barely tender. Drain and remove onion skin. Cut a thin slice from bottom of each onion half so that halves sit evenly, cut side up. With grapefruit knife, hollow each onion, leaving 1/2-in. shell. Chop onion removed from centers extremely fine. Drain crab meat and break into small pieces. Preheat oven at 375°. In mixing bowl, combine crab meat, chopped onion, green pepper, 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, bread crumbs, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and dill weed. Mix well, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and celery salt. Pile crab-meat mixture into onions, patting down to make smooth mounds. Cover each mound with a thin layer of mayonnaise, spreading evenly with knife or spoon. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Place onions on greased shallow baking pan. Bake until brown, about 30 minutes. Combine tomato sauce and catsup and heat slowly up to boiling point. Pour sauce on serving plates. Place stuffed onions on sauce.

[recipe_title]Batter-Fried Mushrooms and Peppers[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1-1/2 lbs. large fresh mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]2 large green peppers[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup cold water[/recipe]

[recipe]4 ozs. dry vermouth[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]12 slices French bread, toasted or fried[/recipe]

Cut stems off mushrooms level with caps. Stems may be saved for another use, such as omelets, soup, etc. Cut peppers into 1-in. squares. Put eggs, water, vermouth, flour, salt and 2 tablespoons salad oil in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into large mixing bowl. Wash mushrooms, drain well and dry on paper toweling. Mix mushrooms and peppers with batter in bowl. Heat 1/4 in. salad oil in electric skillet preheated at 350°. Lift mushrooms and peppers from batter, draining excess from pieces. Sauté mushrooms and peppers until brown on both sides and just tender. Pour sauce below on serving plates. Place mushrooms and peppers on top of sauce. Garnish each portion with 2 slices French bread.

[recipe_title]Cream Sauce with Vermouth[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons instantized flour[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon anchovy paste[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons dry vermouth[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

In saucepan, mix milk, cream and flour, using wire whip, until flour is dissolved. Add butter. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce flame and simmer, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add anchovy paste, parsley and vermouth. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until serving time.

[recipe_title]Eggplant with Bel Paese Au Gratin[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 lbs.[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]8 ozs. bel paese cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]6 tablespoons bread crumbs (fresh, if possible)[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Grated parmesan cheese[/recipe]

Peel eggplant and cut into 1/2-in. cubes. In a large pot, bring 2 ins. water to a rapid boil. Add salad oil; add eggplant and bring to a second boil. Cover pot and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Avoid overcooking. Drain eggplant. Preheat oven at 375°. Remove wax coating (if any) from bel paese cheese and shred cheese on large holes of square metal grater. Mix milk, cream and bread crumbs in saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Let sauce stand about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix eggplant and bel paese cheese and turn into greased shallow casserole. Pour sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese topping browns. Entire casserole may be assembled before dinner and baked during dinner. A delightful course after veal scaloppine or veal cutlet à la Holstein.

So don't pity or shun the poor vegetable; given its proper due, it can rise to any occasion.