La Boumiano (with Country Ham)

La Boumiano ambé la polènto, lou cambajoun de campagno e leis ious fregits

Old Fashioned Ratatouille with Polenta, Country Ham and Fried Eggs


Aro qu' avèm un beu mai pichot ‘ort’ –– ço vou dire en Francés un ‘jardin potager’ –– e podèm cultivà nostreis propres liéumes, siam forço countènts, particulieramen per-ço qu’ en aquel ort avèm quasi tot que nos fau per faire ‘La Boumiano.’

La Boumiano, coume ai descrit dins ma ‘posto’ au sujèt deis estoufados de liéumes que se fan a l’entour de la Mediterragno pounento...
Ratatouia, Samfaina, Cianfotta: Some Related Summer Vegetable Dishes (link)
...es la versioun dau plat que se trouva dins la regioun camarguenco; e lou plat ambé aquest nom es estat antan proun escampihat per uno grando part de la Prouenço, mai vuei lo nom e meme l’estile de l’alestimen perden plaço au plat niçart aparentat, renoumnat per tot lou mounde, la ‘ratatouia’.

La semano passado ai fach per la primero vegado la boumiano ambé leis liéumes de nostre pichot ort; per esta oucasioun, uno grando coucourdo, doas merinjanos, uneis pebrouns dous e uneis autres picants, e de tout segur deis bellos poumos d'amour. Vaiqui leis frus de nostro terro e de nostre labour:



Aquest’ estoufado vegetalo ai fach antau: en uno grando sartan ai acoumençat amb un soufrit de cebos coupados proun finos en òli; unos douassos d’aiet menussados li ai ajutados après un pau de temps. Puèi li ai ajutat touteis leis autreis liéumes segound l’usanço: leis pebrouns, puèi leis pèços de coucourdo, deis poumos d’amour e finalmen leis merinjanos coupados. Touto esto sartanado l’ai facho cuèire a pichoun fuoc longtemps, fins a que tout es forço bèn cuit e l’estoufado es bèn reduo. A la fin on la pòu arrousà amb un pau de boun òli.

Per esto oucasioun se siam manjat nostro boumiano acoumpagnado de polènto amb un pau de froumage espagnol raspat (lou manchego), pan francés (de Medici), deis ious fregits, e uneis tranchos dau beu cambajoun de campagno que nostre boun amic, N’Erik M., nos a regalat; merci as En Waderoberts, nostramicWill, e subretot a N’Erik.

Vaiqui lou boun repas:



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Summary in English
Thanks to waderoberts (link), (y)ourpalwill (link), and especially Erik M. for their parts in making this meal possible.

Both in Spain and in Southern France, local forms of the Western Mediterranean summer vegetable stews (link) are eaten along with fried eggs or slices of ham. Last week, after receiving a gift from Erik M. of some of the beautiful country ham from Missouri that waderoberts turned us all on to, and with inspiration from (y)ourpalwill's pictures of his ham and grits meal, I decided to make a meal bringing together American and Western Mediterranean elements: a summer vegetable stew, accompanied by fried eggs and country ham, with some polenta on the side. The stew, la boumiano, (sofritto of onions and garlic in olive oil, with sweet and spicy peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant, all thoroughly cooked) we made with all non-sofritto elements being products of our garden (see picture above). The combination of salty ham, sweet and spicy boumiano, creamy polenta (topped with some grated manchego) and fried egg, with yolk serving as a further, creamy and rich little sauce, was one of the best meals we've had in a while (and we generally eat pretty well).

Antonius

A,

That is one of the best uses of a summer garden I have seen in a while. I'm going to take that meal as an inspiration and do some harvesting.

I still remember a wonderfully creamy ratatouille omelet at the old L'Escargot at the Allerton Hotel when Lucien Verge was still there. One of the best breakfasts I'd ever had, and accompanied by the best hash browns I have ever eaten in my life (polenta would be good, but if I were marooned on a desert island with but one single foodstuff, it would be the noble spud).

Sounds like a good meal. After my trip to Fairplay, I made a leek and country ham frittata with a side of piperade.

Wow. Beautiful pics, Antonius.

I am, at once, humble, happy, privileged, and honored to have figured in some minor way in this.

It sounds and looks delicious.

Cheers,
Wade

stevez wrote:That is one of the best uses of a summer garden I have seen in a while. I'm going to take that meal as an inspiration and do some harvesting.

Steve:

Thanks! As you know, all these things taste so much better when just picked... The boumiano/ratatouille had a remarkably rich flavour, with a surprising (and very pleasant) sweet edge. The spicy element was probably almost all from the Hungarian peppers but my jalapeños, many or most of which are mild (though a couple this week have been very spicy) also have a very nice pepper flavour, akin to the flavour of the bell peppers.

***

Wade, Will, Erik, et al.:

Continuing the Mediterranean/American South fusion theme, I also used the country ham to make a nice plate of pasta with beans and greens. The beans I used were good old cannelini and the greens were baby beet greens from the Kinnikinnick stand at last week's Saturday morning Green City Market in Lincoln Park. These were very tender and deeply flavourful greens. Not cheap either but worth the price. Here's how the dish looked before receiving a little dusting of ricotta salata with red pepper (just barely visible in the upper-left corner):



The ham worked beautifully in this dish, with its saltiness and nice little 'dark' overtones. Thanks again for getting us eating this ham!

Antonius

I went back and double-checked my call registry, but, nope, no phone calls from Antonius.

Next time, I want an invitation!

Your dishes look fantastic.

E.M.

And, I thought that I was getting creative with 7Up and Tilamook Cheddar grits. Sheesh.

Tonight I took a run through the garden and made my version of Boumiano.



I cut the veggies a little more rustically and cooked it a little more al dente than Antonius, but it was good nonetheless. It accompanied some halibut that I grilled on my Weber Kettle over some alder wood for a wonderful Sunday supper.

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread for this, but a nice article about eating (as my grandmother would have said) close to the bone is at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/17/dining/17summ.html

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