Free Zone Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin
Tender Jerusalem artichokes, baked in milk and garlic, golden in the oven. A rustic vegetable with an artichoke flavor, savior of war winters, transformed into a comforting dish.
Tender Jerusalem artichokes, baked in milk and garlic, golden in the oven. A rustic vegetable with an artichoke flavor, savior of war winters, transformed into a comforting dish.
Those winters, in the South where we lived hidden, our bellies often cried out with hunger. The Jerusalem artichoke, we had scorned it before the war — and it saved us. I cooked it slowly in a little milk, a clove of garlic, and we forgot, for the time of a steaming dish, that the Resistance was also won on empty stomachs. Believe me, nothing tastes better than a hot meal when everything is scarce.
- •Jerusalem artichokes — whatever was found (base)
- •Milk — the little available (binder for the gratin)
- •Garlic — one clove (flavor)
- •Fat or butter — a hint (fat)
- •Parsley, salt, pepper — from the garden (seasoning)
Free Zone Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin
Tender Jerusalem artichokes, baked in milk and garlic, golden in the oven. A rustic vegetable with an artichoke flavor, savior of war winters, transformed into a comforting dish.
Why this dish? A refugee in the Free Zone (Drôme, Dordogne) during the Occupation, Aragon, like all French people, experienced restrictions and rationing. The Jerusalem artichoke, a forgotten vegetable that keeps all winter, became one of the pillars of the scarcity table.
Those winters, in the South where we lived hidden, our bellies often cried out with hunger. The Jerusalem artichoke, we had scorned it before the war — and it saved us. I cooked it slowly in a little milk, a clove of garlic, and we forgot, for the time of a steaming dish, that the Resistance was also won on empty stomachs. Believe me, nothing tastes better than a hot meal when everything is scarce.
Ingredients (period version)
- Jerusalem artichokes — whatever was found (base)
- Milk — the little available (binder for the gratin)
- Garlic — one clove (flavor)
- Fat or butter — a hint (fat)
- Parsley, salt, pepper — from the garden (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Jerusalem artichokes — 800 g (base)
- Heavy cream — 200 ml (binder for the gratin)
- Milk — 100 ml (liquid)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (flavor)
- Grated cheese (Comté) — 80 g (golden crust)
- Breadcrumbs — 2 tbsp (crust)
- Butter, salt, pepper, parsley — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Peel and slice the Jerusalem artichokes, cook in salted boiling water for 10 minutes to soften.
- Rub a gratin dish with garlic and butter, arrange the Jerusalem artichokes.
- Pour the cream-milk mixture, seasoned, sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes until golden on top. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
How it was made : During the Occupation, Jerusalem artichokes and rutabagas — previously reserved for livestock — became the basis of civilian diet. They were easily stored in cellars all winter, and housewives competed in ingenuity to make them appetizing despite the lack of fats.
The contemporary twist : A few toasted hazelnut shavings on the gratin, to highlight the artichoke note of the Jerusalem artichoke — yesterday's scarcity becomes chic bistro fare.
Louis Aragon · Charactorium