Kumquat and a Comforting Corn Gratin

Just as the days are getting sunny, we harvested quite a few fruit and made marmalade. We also created a warming casserole loosely inspired by a Chilean dish.

Kumquats do not last forever, so we replace them every few years. Last December we found a very robust kumquat tree —or bush as some would call it even though it has a small trunk. We decided to plant it in a bottomless clay pot so its root can eventually find some good soil, hoping it will last longer.

On Kea citrus trees in general do not exactly thrive, probably because of the poor soil especially in our neighborhood; but they do grow. In the winter we find excellent local tangerines, oranges and sometimes blood oranges, and of course lemons of the old aromatic type, and plenty of bitter oranges, all of which we grow at our property too. There are also some locally grown bergamots, and we always have kumquats in our garden in large clay pots.

Hailing from the Far East, kumquats are eaten whole without peeling, as it is their peel that carries most of the aroma and sweetness, contrary to the oranges.

The Citrus margarita variety is most common in Greece, giving somewhat large, oblong bright orange fruit. Mostly people make jams and all sorts of sweets with it.

Our latest kumquat marmalade has little sugar and it is tart, aromatic, and somewhat bitter. I am sure it will perfect as topping for cakes and cream.

All citrus fruits seem to particularly attract people. It is their strong and complex aromas and of course their lush, juicy taste, and maybe the difficulty to grow them in colder climates that make them so desirable. Think of the elaborate orangeries of the French chateaux which housed the large pots of oranges and lemons in the winter to protect them from the frost, while in the spring the trees were dragged back to the open air.

Kumquats have become quite common here as decorative plants in urban balconies. In the past, the plant was typical in Corfu and everyone coming from that popular northwestern island brought kumquat liqueurs, spoon sweets, and candied fruit.

We often use kumquat peel, cut in slices on flatbreads, over spicy cheese. This year we made a marmalade in which we added very little sugar, so its taste is more intensely citrusy.

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Ten years ago: Just by chance I fell into this February 2015 photo of Neva in the garden (left) which happens to be very similar to one I took recently.

Besides the seemingly late blooming of the oxalis that cover the soil, Neva does not look to have aged much. What do you think?

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The way I cook: inspired by ingredients and recipes

I hardly ever follow recipes. I seldom did, only when I started baking cakes because Costas likes them and I was not confident to make substitutions and additions –or omissions.

I read cookbooks and recipes all the time from the newsletters I subscribe to and from newspapers, magazines, and I also occasionally follow cooking segments on TV. If I find something appealing, and its ingredients are in season or at hand, I cook a dish inspired from it.

This week’s recipe has its roots in the Chilean Pastel de Choclo that Costas and I watched at the always interesting daily Voyage en cuisine of ARTE TV, the European equivalent of PBS. The original dish as I remember it —because I cannot find it on the ARTE’s website— started by chucking lots fresh corn, sauteing it in butter and mixing it with some sugar and cream, I think. Then the ground or chopped meat was braised with tomato paste and lots of spices.

On the baking dish some of the corn was added, then the meat, topped with more corn and on it cooked chicken and hard-boiled eggs were placed. The dish was topped with the rest of the corn mixed with more cream or béchamel sauce, maybe. In the recipe I found in Serious Eat the corn is mashed, mixed with milk and cornstarch and scented with basil. My dish only vaguely resembles the original, and might be closer to our comforting pasticcio, with the corn taking the place of macaroni…

Corn, cheese, and ground meat gratin

Loosely inspired by a Chilean dish. Note that my olive oil and yogurt version of béchamel was included in the first revision of The Joy of Cooking.

Serves 6

The CORN

1/3 cup olive oil

450 grams corn kernels, fresh or frozen—defrosted

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sultanas or currants

1 cup (120 grams) smoked hard cheese like cheddar (not provolone)

The GROUNG MEAT

3 tablespoons olive oil