VEGETABLES à LA GRECQUE

Vegetables à la Grecque image

I wrote that I found these perfect - the ur-preserves - and then tasted them again. And I can only affirm it as a truth. They are richer than plain vinegar pickles, which lets them be their own hors d'oeuvre, in a small chilled bowl, with olives perhaps alongside. They are deeper tasting and more eloquent than crudité. They are piquant enough to awaken the appetite without sating it. I love them, and they are very simple to make.

Provided by Tamar Adler

Time 1m

Yield About 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
4 tablespoons good white wine
4 cups water
5 1/2 teaspoons iodized salt
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 whole dried chilies
2 whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon saffron threads
A few whole branches fresh thyme
1 medium onion, halved vertically, then sliced vertically
2 cups thinly, vertically cut fennel
6 cups quartered cauliflower or flavorful mushrooms, like trumpets, king oysters and creminis (separated by type)
2 cups thinly, diagonally cut celery

Steps:

In a pot, bring the liquids, spices and herbs to just below a boil.
Cook each vegetable, separated by type, in the seasoned liquid. Start with the onion, then fennel, then cauliflower or mushrooms, then celery. Cook each until it can be pierced with a knife and tastes delicious. As each batch is done, scoop it out with a slotted spoon or a hand-held sieve. Place on a cookie sheet to cool.
If spices or bits of herb stick to the vegetables, put what you can back in the pot and don't worry about the rest - everything will marinate together, so things will redistribute. When all the vegetables are cooked, layer them in a 1-quart Mason jar - it looks nice if you do mushrooms, then onions and so on. Pour all of the cooking liquid over them, without straining. The olive oil in the liquid will rise to the top and create a seal.
Serve alone as an hors d'oeuvre, or as part of a salad, or on little buttered toasts. Or in an omelet. Or in a sandwich. Anywhere, really, but in a strawberry tart. Refrigerate for up to a month.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 290, UnsaturatedFat 23 grams, Carbohydrate 9 grams, Fat 27 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 708 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams

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