trinxat (catalan cabbage-and-potato cake) recipe SOLAR.KnowledgePublications.com

trinxat (catalan cabbage-and-potato cake) recipe
13 dec 2005
trinxat (catalan cabbage-and-potato cake)
serves 6

salt
1 2-lb. savoy cabbage, tough outer leaves discarded
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled
12 thick slices of meaty salt pork or bacon
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 1/2 oz. fatback, rind removed, thinly sliced
freshly ground black pepper

1. bring two pots of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high
heat. put cabbage in one and potatoes in the other, and cook both until
very tender, about 45 minutes for potatoes and 60 minutes for cabbage.
drain potatoes, and transfer to a large bowl. drain cabbage in a colander,
and allow to cool slightly; then pull out and discard core, and drain again,
pressing cabbage to release water. add cabbage to potatoes, and mash together
with a potato masher. season to taste with salt, and set aside.

2. working in batches, lightly brown salt pork on both sides in a 10''
skillet over medium heat; then drain on paper towels, and set aside. pour
off fat, and wipe skillet clean with paper towels. heat oil in same
skillet over medium heat. add garlic, and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes;
then add oil and garlic to cabbage mixture, stirring in well.

3. in the same skillet, heat half the fatback until fat is rendered. add
half the cabbage mixture, and flatten into a 1/2"-thick pancake. cook over
high heat until bottom crust has formed and trinxat slides easily in
skillet, 5-10 minutes. invert a large plate over skillet, and carefully
flip trinxat over; then slide it back into skillet, browned side up.
season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until bottom is browned,
5-10 minutes. transfer to a platter. repeat process with remaining cabbage
mixture to make second trinxat. to serve, cut each trinxat into thirds,
and garnish each with 2 strips salt pork.

http://saveur.com/article.jsp;jsessionid=46236e938de941f26a400b92794919b8?id=15831&typeid=120

anyone tried this? like swiss roesti, but it needs more garlic, no?
and the cabbage and potatoes would cook quicker if cut up and steamed.

another version:

trinxat de la cerdanya

ingredientes:
1 col verda d'hivern
1 quilo de patates
4 trossos de cansalada viada
2 grans d'alls
oli llard, sal

elaboración:
poseu una olla amb aigua al foc, quan comenci a bullir tireu-hi la sal, i la
col, netejada i trossejada.
peleu les patates i afegiu-les a l'olla, deixeu-ho bullir uns vint-i-cinc
minuts fins que estigui tot cuit.
escorreu be. passeu la col i les patates a una cassola i tritureu-les amb
l'ajut de l'escumadora, per tal que quedi ben barrejat.
en una paella amb una mica d'oli i una mica de llard, fregiu-hi els alls
pelats; quan estiguin ben daurats, retireu-ho. afegiu despres la cansalada,
fregiu be, fins que quedi ben fet reserveu.
poseu un xic d'aquest oli a dins de la cassola on hi ha la col i les
patates, removeu be.
en la paella on heu fregit la cansalada, i amb el greix que queda, poseu-hi
tot el que hi ha a la cassola, formeu com una truita, daurant-la molt be per
ambdues bandes.
quan estigui al punt, serviu-la de seguida amb el trossos de cansalada a
sobre.

receta escrita por:
catàleg trinxat
dirección:plaça nova, 1población:alp
teléfono:690 07 08 90email:info@trinxat.com
web:http://www.trinxat.com

is this the secret to long-lived andorrans? the webmaster says:

... i don´t thing so, andorrans live longer cause the live
at 2.000 metres hight. i live in cerdanya, just in the border with andorra
and france. but potato is a good ingredient, aboriginal people in new
zealand (maoi) , they eat all the day patato and they grow really strongs,
but you need to do a lot of sport, if not you will be fat in some days...

a fancier version at http://www.spanishjourneys.com/on_menu.htm uses veal
sweetbreads, green beans, 3 cloves of garlic, beef stock, caramelized onions,
chives, almonds, almond oil, purslane, and almost 2 cups of olive oil.

nick