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À la grecque simply means to cook vegetables in the style of the Greeks. The basic preparation is a mixture of olive oil, onions, dry white wine, coriander, peppercorns, lemon, salt, and bouquet garni. The method is used to cook a variety of vegetables, and they can be served hot or cold.
Traditionally, only olive oil is used as the fat partly because butter or other solid fats will solidify once the mixture cools. The coriander seeds should be toasted and then tied, along with the peppercorns, in a cheesecloth bag (sachet) before being added to the simmering wine and oil mixture. After cooking, the sachet remains in the liquid until it has cooled thoroughly so that the flavor of the spices fully infuse the liquid. The lemon juice and wine add a pleasantly acidic edge and prevent the vegetables from oxidizing during cooking. The acid component also helps give the vegetables the desired crunchiness.