Artichoke

The wild artichoke, of which we find traces in antique Arab kitchens, gives us two plants : the cardoon and the modern artichoke. The cardoon develops from the trunk of the plant, and the artichoke develops as the fruit.
From Mediterranean Sea, where it was cultivated in Carthaginian gardens, the artichoke came first to Italy, and then, it traveled with Catherine de Medicis who was crazy about it. She introduced it to us and thus increased the pleasure for our palates.
It has been used as drug and supposed aphrodisiac, so it was not advised for use by young ladies.

We say that it is good for kidneys, intestines, liver, gall-bladder, contains a lot of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, different vitamins, so it’s a good remineraliser, good to help cure anemia, tiredness and blood cholesterol.

A cooked artichoke gets oxidized quickly so you have to eat it quickly.
Artichokes aren’t recommended during breastfeeding.

Do you have "an artichoke heart ?" In French, this expression is used to talk about somebody who falls in love often and easily. The middle of the artichoke, from where we take the leaves is like the heart of these people, which gives as much love to other people as there are leaves.

In French, until the Revolution (1789) the word « fruit » was used for all products grown in the soil. Little by little, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the taste for what is now called vegetables increased and so did the taste for sugared and salted foods.
In the 16th century, because it has a slightly sweet taste, the artichoke, like olives and truffles was eaten for dessert. The artichoke needed some centuries to begin to be eaten at the beginning of the meal… or maybe, did you prepare an artichoke with Chantilly cream , for example, for lunch ?

For 6 people : 1kg 200grams small artichoke, 12 small onions, 500 grams of tomatoes, 1 dl olive oil, whole pepper grains
Use small artichokes, removing the outer leaves and put them to cook in a pot with a glass of broth or water, 1 dl olive oil, salt, pepper seeds and 12 small onions. Add more 3 or 4 peeled, seeded tomatoes, cut in quarters, and cover. Let cook on a strong fire 30 minutes and serve as is, but preferably cold.

L’art culinaire moderne. La bonne table française et étrangère (Modern culinary art. The good French and foreign table), Henri-Paul Pellaprat, 1960

Carrot

Depending on different sources, some people say the carrot comes from Afghanistan, some other people say it comes from Europe. It seems that it’s diffused to the East : China and Japan and to the West : Asia Minor and Europe.

The carrot is a rainbow itself, from deep purple, almost black, when it appeared, it has been white, yellow, red, purple, black again and since the 19th century, orange, which comes from a variety cultivated in the Netherlands.

Ancient Romans already cultivated and consumed it, it went through the Middle Ages, and was cooked in Constantinople, used in Arab cooking and seen by the Crusaders.

They contain A, B6, and C vitamins, plus iron, calcium, zinc, and a lot of other elements, so they are recommended for anemia, teeth, growth, breakable nails and hair, liver, eyes, insomnia, diarrhoea, regulation of the gall-bladder and healthy elimination. It’s considered as a diuretic, a disinfectant, and a source of minerals for the body.
It was used for its medicinal properties

From the begining to the end of the meal, carrots are delicious in any kind of dish.
A good organic carrot doesn’t need to be peeled, only well washed.
Its seeds can be used as aromatic condiment.

The carrots are cooked : business is over, there’s nothing to do anymore.

"The carts roll, horses go by alone, head low. The man that Mrs François had just taken in, was lying on his belly, his long legs were lost between piles of turnips, which filled the entirety of the cart, his face buried in bunches of carrots, which grew and bloomed, and, with swollen arms exhausted, holding this big quantity of vegetables for fear that they would fall out at a jolt, he saw in front of him the two interminable lines of gas street-lamps, which came closer together and merged together, very high, in an abundance with other lights. On the sky-line floated a great white smoke, making Paris seem to sleep in a luminous blur with many flames."

Emile Zola, 1840 -1902, French author, 1872

"Get boiling water, enough to do a big soup dish, a quarter kilo of fresh butter, salt and a half « litron » (= 7,8 décilitres) of dry peas, three or four peeled carrots in good chunks, let cook. One hour before serving, add some sorrel, chervil, white chicory, parsleyy roots, scallions, onions, a little summer savory, and two or three cloves. Let simmer all together and then serve the soup."

Dictionnaire portatif de cuisine, France, 1765

During Antiquity, Apicius, a famous Roman gourmet, served fried carrots with garum sauce (Garum was the typical sauce of this time) with wine or salt or pure oil or vinegar.
He also recommended letting them boil, then cutting them in pieces and letting them cook in a cumin sauce with some olive oil before serving them.

Leeks

This bulb vegetable, the leek – allium porrum – has a long history in common with its close cousins : garlic and onion.
This trio grew in the kitchen gardens of the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans thousands of years ago.
Leeks constituted the basic food of the European peasants in the Middle Ages, and the Crusaders founded it again in the Byzantine kitchen gardens too.

In a recipe of a hearty soup from Wales from the 15th century, we can find leeks with cereal, butter, milk and cheese.

They contain a lot of several minerals, plus vitamins B and C. We say they are good for digestion and assist intestinal fermentation.
They are somewhat laxative and very diuretic.

Leeks can be served hot or cold, coated with white sauce or vinegar sauce, in salad eaten with cereals or in soup. It’s available as an organic vegetable and very easy to cook. The green parts are as appetizing as the white parts.

Some leeks. Take the whites of the leeks and crush them in very small pieces and mix them with a good almond milk and rice flour.
And let it cook well. The dish is good for the Lenten period too, mixed with almond milk and rice flour.
And let it cook well and don’t add too much salt.

German Middle Ages, translated into French by Karin Becker

Split the leeks and slice into horizontal pieces, spell the potatoes and cut them in medium-sized pieces. Wash the vegetables in a bowl, so afterwards you can give the water to your plants. Let them cook in a little boiled and salted water or in a steamer then let them finish cooking in the Norwegian pot.
When they are completely tender, drain them well and keep the water for the next soup. Put them in a big dish, coat them with fresh organic sour cream. Mix well and eat it when it’s still mild. Don’t anticipate it will last long, it’s too good !
© : Bernadette Nozarian