In researching for this little project I came across a few French dishes I had never heard of before. One being Barigoule. Barigoule is a French casserole of (traditionally) artichokes, carrots, shallots and bacon braised in wine and water. It is typically a peasant dish but has evolved and been adapted many times for eating all year round by everyone. So I thought I would also try my hand at this classic Provencal dish by turning it into a warm Summer salad!
Inspired by the green of asparagus, peas and parsley from the market alongside the colourful root vegetables, I thought it would be perfect to pare my version of artichokes a la barigoule with a creamy egg and an assortment of my finds for a brunch dish.
I trimmed and soaked the artichokes in lemon water before adding them to my broth of butter and white wine. Once the sauce reduced to a runny caramel colour, I added thyme for fragrance, some halved baby onions and a squeeze of lemon to loosen up the sauce. I used potatoes, carrots, peas and asparagus to accompany the artichokes by searing them off in a pan and roasting until tender and a little crispy.
Once the artichokes had absorbed the white wine and butter sauce, I rested them on the tray with the rest of the vegetables. The last component before plating were the beautiful French eggs I also became obsessed with. Two eggs into cold water, brought up to a simmer for 4 minutes gave the perfect creamy yolk. The artichokes lay in a criss crossed pattern against the beans and asparagus and the carrots added a wonderful pop of orange. I added some thinly sliced zucchini and the egg lay on top. I spooned over a little of the sauce and the onions from the pan and garnished the dish with parsley, dill and a good amount of salt and pepper.
Definite French flavours of creamy butter cut with white wine and the the acidity of lemon. It was a little warm for the hot morning but the flavours took me to complex French flavours and made me appreciate the process of slow detailed cookery.