This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
Much like how the novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, doesn’t truly relate to the GI illness that has ravaged populations in the 18th-20th centuries, this meal's name actually refers more to how, or where, it was cooked. This dish originates from the beautiful Valais region of Switzerland, home to Zermatt and the Matterhorn mountain range. The dialect there for "chol-" relates to coal. Traditional cooking methods refer to cooking on hot coals…where would one store and burn such coals? In the cholera! This meal is amazing. What’s not to love about a dough-encased savory pie containing fruit, cheese, potatoes, and bacon?! Add in a little nutmeg, and you’re in Swiss heaven. We turned on some christmas music last night, viewed photos of the Valais with the girls, and enjoyed a bottle of Viogner from the winery where we got married. It was a perfect night.
Swiss Cholera
1 lb of baby potatoes
1 box of puff pastry (2 sheets)
2 tbsp butter
Yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 leeks, white part only, ¼” sliced rounds
Nutmeg
¾ lb sliced bacon, cut into ½” thick strips
¾ lb gruyere, grated
1 large honeycrisp apple
1 pear
Egg
Milk
Boil the potatoes in salted water, until they are nearly fully cooked (a chef’s knife easily inserts into the potato, but the potato doesn’t slide off the knife back into the water). Drain and reserve. Once the potatoes have cooled, slice them into ¼’ coins.
Remove the pastry shells from the box and allow to thaw on the counter.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onion and leeks, over medium heat, until softened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg. Place into a bowl and reserve.
In the same skillet, render the bacon until lightly crisped. Turn off the heat and let the bacon continue to slowly render its fat.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9” springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom.
Core and slice the unpeeled fruit.
Roll out one sheet of the pastry until fairly thin and set it into the prepared pan, allowing any excess to hang over the edges.
Place a layer of the sliced apples on the pastry in the pan.
Top the apples with cheese, followed by the potatoes and press down to make one solid layer. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg.
Add in the reserved onions and leeks.
Top with the rendered bacon, followed by the sliced pears.
Roll out the 2nd pastry sheet. Fold over any excess pastry from the bottom layer over top of the pie filling. Place the 2nd sheet on top and tuck in down inside the pan to make up for any bare areas the bottom pastry sheet didn’t cover.
Remove any excess pastry and crimp the edge along the pan’s ring.
Whisk together an egg with about a tsp of milk and brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash.
Season with some sea salt and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is golden.
Let the pie sit for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and release the clasp. Slice up and serve!
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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