The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-06

ticle and Is Used to Fntten Cattlc-NIout,
Watering Recipes Used by French and
Creole Chefs.
just 56 years after Columbus discov-
cred America gastronomic genius in
the south of France discovered the arti-
choke as q delicious dish of saladio
character. 1t was indeed rather re-
markable find or guess, for tho plant
bears strong resemblance to the this
tie, and up to that date any man who
ate it ran tho risk of being classed with
that animal which enjoys thistles and
knows how to bray
The portion of the artichoke generally
eaten is the undersido of tho head be-
fore tho flower unfolds itself, or what in
kitchen parlance is called tho artichoke
bottom But the lower part Of the leaves
that join this base and contain about q
fifth of teaspoonful of edible and ems
lily digestible substance is equally priced
by the wise. A common way of eating
these bottoms after tho head is removed
from the plant and the body has been
well boiled, like cabbage, is to pull
off the leaves aFl then eat the remain
der soused in salt and butter.
But the French and the creoles of
New Orleans, where tho artichoke is
regarded with kind of sentimental or
affectionate appetite, frequently gather
the heads when the bottom is no larger
than u silver dollar and eat the lower
end of the leaves raw, dipping them
daintily in sauce made of oil, red pep
per and red wine vinegar or occasional
ly i'll queer sauce Of butter and spice
Another way the French and their
kindred here have of embalming the
artlchoke i'll the memory of particular
stomachs is to bake the dried heads, for
which purpose the second crop or rowen
of artichokes is preferred in meat pie
with mushrooms. This dish has not yet
made its appearance in New York res
taurants.
Neither has the artichole patty, an
invention of the famous Partisan chef,
Trisconi, now living in rich retirement
on his estate near New Orleans, and
cooking only occasionally on state occa-
sions or for gourmots whose praise de
lights his poet nature. AT dinner given
in 1854 by the New Orleans exposition
management to some editorial visitors,
Trisconi presented some of these famous
patties, and one editor, whose name is
household word, remarked that such
a dish could teach man the art to choke
himself to death without grieving to
which another replied that the art to
joke i'll that way was an editorial func-
ton more honorcd in the breach than in
the observance, and III an awcsonlc hush
the guests went on solacing their souls
with pattics.
The composition of these culinary
wonders Is Il profound secret which will
probably die with its Columbus, but
there are many other ways-ubout 20 i'll
all-of cooking the artichokc, and some
of these methods carry elaboration to
excess. Let brief description of one
way suffice.
You take about six or eight plants of
medium size, remove the coarScSt leaves,
trim them off straight on top cut ont
the cores or chokes, wash and drain care
fully. Then fry the tips in oil. and for
dressing chop up very fine half pound
of fresh pork fat, with the same amount
OF butter Add 3 minced shallots, n large
spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pep
per, nutmeg, IL pound of minced mush-
rooms and gill of madeira After thor
ough mixing divide into as many por-
tions as you have articholie shells and
fill the hollow plants.
Cover these with bands of thick pork
and tie around with strong string. Put
these imprisoned artichokcs now into a
large saucepan, with moro pork, chopped
carrots onions, parsley, etc Moisten
with medium stock and white wine and
let boil
Then skin and cook III an oven for an
hour Drain off the stock and reduce it
with espagnolc to scmiglazed state,
sprinkling i'll just suspicion of lemon
juice now and then. Free the articokcs
from their cord and bands and serve
them, thinly covered, not drowned, in
their accompanying sauce The name of
the dish is artichants cnticrc la bari
gOule and is equal to Il dinner of several
courses
By some persons this dainty vegetable
has been confused with the so called
Jerusalem artichokc, which is also eat
en- though chiefly by cattle The Jcru.
salem artichoke is not true species at
all, but of IL kind of wild sunfiowcr
(hcncc its Italian nalnc girasolc, turn
ing to sum, with tubcroso root that
resembles potato and tastes very like IL
delicate turnip when well cooked.
This plant is called in some localities
the Canada potato III others the Vir-
ginian. 1t was introduced into England
III 1920, and its tops, when cured, were
found to bc good hay, five or six tons to
the acre, and its tubcr was fed to cattle.
1t is not unite rs uOuriShinu SIC tho no
tato, having per cent moro water, but
it is very fair eating in spite of the pref
udicc against it. Once i'll soil, it is