Tortarello stufato al vino bianco, dragoncello e AUREIO
Turkish acur (Armenian cucumber) braised in white wine, tarragon and AUREIO: the sauce is a real success, the vegetable was not
Ici vient l'image 1 : le plat terminé (photo principale)
Introduction
This page is a test, published as it happened. The acur, also called Armenian cucumber or snake melon (in Italy, tortarello), is a long cucumber-like vegetable from the melon family, often sold in Turkish shops. I braised it in a sauce of white wine, a little tomato passata, light chicken broth, tarragon, my AUREIO blend and Turkish spices.
The sauce was excellent: aromatic, balanced, full of flavour. The vegetable, however, stayed firm and fibrous even after almost 50 minutes. I am publishing the recipe anyway, because the sauce and the method are good and work with other vegetables, especially tender ones from the cucumber and zucchini family.
Ingredients
Quantities used in this test
- 325 g (11.5 oz) acur, unpeeled
- 100 g (3.5 oz) onion
- 12 g (0.4 oz) garlic
- 15 g (about 1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 60 g (about ¼ cup) dry white wine
- 35 g (about 2½ tbsp) tomato passata
- 100 to 500 g (scant ½ cup to about 2 cups) light chicken broth, depending on the vegetable (see note below)
- 0.60 g (about 1 tsp) dried tarragon
- 0.50 g (a generous pinch) AUREIO, my house spice blend
- 0.50 g (a generous pinch) Çiğ Köfte Harcı, Turkish spice mix
- about 0.25 g (a pinch) white pepper
- Salt to taste
In this test I used 500 g of broth in total, because the acur would not soften. With a tender vegetable, 100 g is enough.
Ici vient l'image 2 : l'acur cru coupé en bâtonnets
Method
1. Prepare the vegetable
Cut the acur into thick sticks, without peeling it.
2. Soften the base
Gently sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil, covered, for about 3 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
3. Deglaze
Pour in the white wine and let it reduce by half.
4. Add the tomato
Add the tomato passata and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the broth and the vegetable
Add 100 g of broth, then the acur and the spices: tarragon, AUREIO, Çiğ Köfte Harcı, white pepper and salt.
6. Braise
Cook covered, checking every 5 minutes. Add the rest of the broth little by little, only if needed, so the sauce never dries out.
Ici vient l'image 3 : la cuisson dans la casserole
Cooking log of the test
- 0 to 35 min: about 75–80 °C (167–176 °F), checked every 5 minutes. From 20 min, the acur is still very firm, then hard and fibrous.
- Around 37 min: heat turned up.
- 40 and 45 min: about 90 °C (194 °F), still firm.
- About 50 min: cooking stopped, so as not to waste gas for nothing.
Author’s note
Result of the test. The sauce is a success. The acur was more pleasant raw than cooked: once cooked, it stayed tough and fibrous. The vegetable was probably old or overgrown, but the cooking conditions may also have played a part. Holding a vegetable for a long time at 75–80 °C can make it firmer instead of softer, and acidity from the wine and tomato slows down softening. A real simmer, close to 95–100 °C, works better.
The broth depends on the vegetable. It is not a fixed quantity. A peeled, seeded European cucumber or a young zucchini needs only about 100 g and a very short cooking time; a cucumber falls apart quickly, so add it at the end and taste after a few minutes. Firmer vegetables such as fennel, Hokkaido squash or carrots may need up to 500 g, added little by little. Eggplant also works, with some adjustment.
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