Michel Bras
Chef-patron, Michel Bras, Laguiole, France
"Traditionally an upland dish, the gargouillou was a staple part of the diet of Aubrac inhabitants. A potato ragoût in broth, it appeared on tables throughout the year. It has become a dish which changes with the seasons, while reflecting the permanence of nature: in spring the greenery, the young sugars and the wild herbs; in early summer the contrasts between the bitter end-of-spring flavours and the softer summer ones; in early autumn, it changes to capture the scents and tastes of the woods; in winter it's nourishing and warming."
Le gargouillou de jeunes légumes (from Le Livre de Michel Bras)
"This isn't a recipe you can codify in grams and centilitres. It's about reflecting nature. It's difficult for me to cite all the vegetables which enrich my cuisine and explain how to clean or prepare each one, so I've tried to group them in categories which you can dip into."
Ingredients
Choose from
Perennial vegetables: asparagus; edible ferns; hops; artichokes; cardoons (either simply boiled or flavoured with coriander and orange zests)
Leaf vegetables: amaranth; parsley; spinach; brassicas; cresses; salad leaves; celery; borage; Good King Henry (either left raw or blanched)
Onions and bulbs: wild and cultivated garlic, chives, onions, leeks, fennel (cooked or raw)
Roots: radishes, beets, carrots, parsnips, scorzonera, crosne (cooked or grated)
Pods: beans, peas and pulses (both dried and fresh, short and prolonged cooking)
Vegetable fruits: cucumbers, marrow/squashes, tomatoes, peppers (prepared according to their type)
(Multiply the proportions according to the quantities you prepare)
200g trimmed cèpes
100ml oil
50ml water
2 cloves garlic
10 coriander seeds
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Parsley
5 peppercorns
Lemon juice
Seasoning
For the parsley oil
30g parsley leaves
50ml grapeseed oil
2 thin slices of jambon de campagne
Vegetable bouillon
Knob of butter
To garnish
Wild herbs (Michel Bras is an inveterate forager - for details consult Le Livre de Michel Bras, editions de Rouergue)
Sprouted grains (soy, alfalfa, etc)
Crystallised leaves
Method
Blanch cèpes for 30 seconds and refresh. Simmer oil, water, garlic, coriander seeds, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and five peppercorns for five minutes. Add the cèpes and simmer for a further five minutes. Add lemon juice to taste and season.
To make the parsley oil, blend parsley with grapeseed oil and strain through a tamis.
To assemble the dish, sauté some thin slices of jambon de campagne in a pan, discard the fat, deglaze with vegetable bouillon and emulsify with butter. Toss a combination of the vegetables in the pan. Off the heat, mix in a combination of flavourings, wild herbs, grains and leaves.