THE OPTIMAL WINE PAIRING
With its golden yellow color, this Chignin-Bergeron “Exception” from Denis and Didier Berthollier (Savoie) develops a nose of dry apricot, honey and white peaches,
The herbaceous notes of the Roussanne will be in perfect adequacy with the comfrey fritter.
Domain in organic conversion.
A NOTE ON THE CHEF
Like Don Quichotte, some thought that by going against the grain of gastronomy, René Mathieu was on the wrong track. The Chef of the Year 2011 continues to make waves throughout Europe, whilst his gastro-botanical exploits are reported by the media all over the world.
It must be said that his interest in plant-based flavours is not new!
His persistence in advancing towards an exceptional vegetal cuisine has convinced us to award him again the title of Chef of the Year in 2021, because it is at the end of the first confinement that the Chef has definitely taken the plunge by proposing a totally vegetal menu, from root to leaf, from stem to flower.
A NOTE ON THE CHEF
Like Don Quichotte, some thought that by going against the grain of gastronomy, René Mathieu was on the wrong track. The Chef of the Year 2011 continues to make waves throughout Europe, whilst his gastro-botanical exploits are reported by the media all over the world.
It must be said that his interest in plant-based flavours is not new!
His persistence in advancing towards an exceptional vegetal cuisine has convinced us to award him again the title of Chef of the Year in 2021, because it is at the end of the first confinement that the Chef has definitely taken the plunge by proposing a totally vegetal menu, from root to leaf, from stem to flower.
THE VEGGIE FISH & CHIPS
Ingredients for 4 people
20 fresh comfrey leaves (to be picked in the forest)
75 g rice flour
20cl of sparkling water
1 egg white
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper
A few mushrooms of the moment
Fermented nut cream or seasoned cottage cheese.
METHOD
In a bowl, pour the flour and dig a well in its center. Mix and little by little, pour in the sparkling water without stopping to stir, at first gently and then more and more vigorously until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for one hour.
Heat the frying oil in a frying pan.
Take a comfrey leaf and dip it entirely into the dough to coat it well.
Then place it in the hot oil. Do the same with all the comfrey leaves. Let the fritters swell and brown, turning them over so that they are golden on both sides. Place the fritters on paper towels to drain as you go.
DRESSING
Serve your comfrey fritters immediately and enjoy them hot or decorate each leaf with a few mushrooms, edible flowers and some fermented nut cream or cottage cheese.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
COMFREY
It is interesting to give it a place in the vegetable garden, first of all because it is a real fertilizer plant (enrichment of the soil in minerals and trace elements, preparation of comfrey purin -which is a natural and economical compost activator-), but also because it is one of the melliferous plants: its flowers have a strong nectariferous potential, which is useful to attract pollinating insects and to feed bees.
COMFREY
It is interesting to give it a place in the vegetable garden, first of all because it is a real fertilizer plant (enrichment of the soil in minerals and trace elements, preparation of comfrey purin -which is a natural and economical compost activator-), but also because it is one of the melliferous plants: its flowers have a strong nectariferous potential, which is useful to attract pollinating insects and to feed bees.
CONFUSION
First of all, if Comfrey and Digitalis are both hairy, the texture of the leaves is quite different and this is a very important characteristic:
-Comfrey is rough
-Digitalis is soft
CONFUSION
First of all, if Comfrey and Digitalis are both hairy, the texture of the leaves is quite different and this is a very important characteristic:
-Comfrey is rough
-Digitalis is soft
PROTEINS & VITAMIN B12
Comfrey is a plant sometimes classified among the forgotten vegetables. Leaves and roots are edible; and if the gustatory interest of the roots is not always unanimous, the leaves, on the other hand, are known for their taste which reminds that of fish. Comfrey leaves are also rich in protein, vitamin B12 (which vegetarians often lack), silica and potassium. However, comfrey (and especially its roots) contains alkaloids, pyrrolizidines, which are toxic for the liver in case of daily and prolonged consumption.
PROTEINS & VITAMIN B12
Comfrey is a plant sometimes classified among the forgotten vegetables. Leaves and roots are edible; and if the gustatory interest of the roots is not always unanimous, the leaves, on the other hand, are known for their taste which reminds that of fish. Comfrey leaves are also rich in protein, vitamin B12 (which vegetarians often lack), silica and potassium. However, comfrey (and especially its roots) contains alkaloids, pyrrolizidines, which are toxic for the liver in case of daily and prolonged consumption.
