The 200 Mile Brunch

I am so excited, I just might burst. I need to relieve the pressure. May I boast for just a moment? I promise to keep it short. This weekend I had my friend Gloria over for a simple birthday brunch. It was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday morning, a welcome break from the gloomy, depressing, if not apocalyptic weather of the past two weeks here in New York. I'd been looking for a reason to make a delicious frittata from my brand new cookbook, and this was clearly it. I normally don't eat breakfast or bother to cook lunch on the weekends, so this was the perfect occasion to bust out the dish. Before I even started with the eggs I popped some country style biscuits into the oven, perfuming the entire apartment with buttery goodness, and made some fresh iced tea oozing with lemon juice and garnished with paper thin lemon slices.

But it's not the iced tea, or the biscuits, or even the frittata itself that have me giddy. It's what went into the frittata. Every single element with one exception was local and organic, something that I've been trying very hard to make the norm in my house for quite some time. The eggs were local and free-range, the spring onion and green garlic that flavored the beans were from my CSA, and the thyme came right from my little urban garden, making the long trip from my living room windowsill to my kitchen, not 20 feet away. The beans are my only downfall. They are organic, but I imagine not local, since I have yet to see white beans at any farmers market (except the occasional French flageolet bean--used in cassoulet--that costs about 18 bucks a pound). But I am proud of myself nonetheless, especially when I realized that I hadn't gone supermarket shopping in about 8 months. Sure, I stop in for a random specialty ingredient every now and then, and pantry staples like oils and such, but otherwise I lived primarily off of the farmers market when cooking at home. It's a small step for mankind, but a massive leap for my diet and the quality of my food.

But enough about me, lets get back to the delicious food at hand. This is a stove-top frittata, so no need to bust out the oven-safe pots and pans. It's on the thin side, but very tender and with added crunch from crispy beans. They're cooked first on their own with spring onion, garlic and thyme (all things not included in the original recipe) in a few drops of olive oil. They're allowed to crisp and brown as the oil is absorbed and the pan dries up, all before adding the egg. The inside remains soft while a light and crispy crust forms on the outside, giving the beans more flavor and excellent texture. After pulling them aside to rest on a plate, all you have to do is start the eggs in a non-stick skillet as if starting an omelet. Once the eggs are almost entirely cooked through on the bottom and edges, add the beans and cook until the eggs are fully done (the recipe suggests leaving them runny, but I don't really like that for this preparation). Here's the recipe with my changes, which also reduces the quantity so it's one large frittata (about 10 inches in diameter) instead of the 4 smaller ones in the book. It's more than enough for one person, but could also be split for two with a side of home fries or a salad.

Crispy White Bean Frittata
adapted from Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen

1 cup cooked white beans like cannellini, or half of 1 15 oz can of white beans, drained
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 small head of green garlic, minced, or 1 clove regular garlic, minced
1/4 tsp thyme, coarsely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly cracked pepper

1. Heat 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add spring onions and garlic (reserve a few for garnish), cooking for one minute until fragrant (do not brown). Add beans, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring infrequently so they get a chance to brown on both sides. Once browned, remove beans to a plate and set aside.

2. Add more oil to the pan (just enough to keep the frittata loose) and the eggs. Season with salt and pepper and swirl the pan so the eggs are spread in a thin, even layer. Once they're cooked through on the bottom, add the beans. Keep swirling the pan occasionally to keep frittata from sticking, and remove to a plate once the eggs are cooked. Garnish with remaining spring onions and enjoy!

-Laura

Recession Special Recipe: Pasta with Sausage, Greens and White Beans

Today we have a nice treat in the second installment of the Recession Special: a super tasty restaurant recipe that is as affordable as it is easy to make. During a recent trip to Mia Dona (chef Michael Psilakis and restauranteaur Donatella Arpaia's place), one dish on the rustic Mediterranean menu sounded plain but just seemed to scream "winter". It was a simple pasta dish of orecchiette, kale, sausage, and white beans. There was no particular sauce, nothing gloppy or saucy to overpower the lovely pieces of the dish. Instead, it was all held together by the sum of it's parts: fresh ingredients working together in perfect balance. The sausage was spicy, but not overpowering, and the kale was cooked perfectly, providing a little toothy bite. The white beans were unexpected in pasta, but sweet and delicious, adding a lovely contrast to the heartiness of the kale and the heat from the sausage.

The trick to mastering this dish is taking advantage of an old restaurant trick that hasn't translated to every home cook quite yet: pasta water. Every chef-authored book or novel I've read so far has touted the many uses of pasta water in a restaurant kitchen. It quite literally becomes the glue that holds any noodle based dish together. The advantage in a restaurant is that the same water may be used over and over, infusing it with the wonderful starchy qualities that make it indispensable. It's also nice and salty, so seasoning is a cinch. The best explanation as to why we should never strain pasta and always remove it with tongs (for long noodles) or a slotted spoon or spider (for short pastas) that I've read is in Bill Buford's excellent book Heat. He explains the entire history of how we got into the habit of straining pasta and letting all that tasty, useful liquid go right down the drain. This is a very, very important trick for recreating any restaurant pasta dish. A truly great restaurant pasta dish is always light and fresh, even when it involves a cream or tomato sauce. Using the pasta water and the fat of your choice (olive oil, butter, etc...) to your advantage is the first and most important step towards making any restaurant quality pasta dish at home.

This recipe in particular is very accessible because the ingredients are fairly interchangeable to suit your needs. For example, you don't have to use kale if you can't find any or don't like it--any hearty green will do. I used rainbow swiss chard for added color in my dish, and just made sure to leave it a bit al dente to replicate that bite. As far as the sausage, the important thing is that it have a bit of spice. I used a spicy chicken and apple sausage, just to up the winter ante. A cheapy can of cannellini beans and your pasta of choice round out the dish, which shouldn't cost you more than 10-12 dollars total to feed 4. And since the dish is not sauce heavy, any noodle of your liking will do. Here's the basic recipe I came up with, so take it and make it your own!

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Greens and White Beans

1 box dried pasta

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 large spicy sausages (removed from casing if fresh, sliced if fully cooked)

4 cups hearty greens (kale, swiss chard, mustard or collard greens)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving pasta water when done (about 2 cups).

2. Heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a very large non-stick skillet and add sausage. Cook until browned, then add cannellini beans and a pinch of salt, cooking about 2 minutes until heated through.

3. Add pasta to skillet, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water, butter, parmesan cheese and the greens (in batches) until just wilted. Toss to coat and season the entire dish with salt and pepper. Add more pasta water as necessary until the dish is moist but not runny. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

-Laura 

Purple Reign

As I mentioned in a previous post, there was once a time when I feared all purple foods. But no worries, I have gotten over my phobia to such a degree that I now often seek out and buy purple food just for the novelty of it all. It's great to finally be able to add another dimension of color, flavor and texture to my dishes with these poor misunderstood ingredients. Who knew that the pickled beets of the 80's and the ghastly purple potato soup of the 90's could have such an effect on an impressionable young girl?

Never mind the past, because I've made progress. No longer do I run screaming from deep purple fruits and veggies, or cry at the sight of borscht. In fact, just the other day I was intrigued by a mysterious row of brown paper bags at the small farmers market in the lobby of my office building. Only the plum colored pointed ends of their contents were visible, but there was something alluring about about their darkness amidst the shadows of the bag. A better look inside revealed what appeared to be purple string beans. A mere few months ago, I would have passed out then cried under my desk for an hour, but on this day I was so jazzed at the sight of something new and fun that I bought them immediately.

Some quick research on these unusual little guys proved that they are in fact quite common, can grow pretty much everywhere, and that they're actually not all that unusual. I was happy to learn ahead of time that they actually lose their dark pigment while cooking, so if you want them to be purple you have to eat them raw (they're green on the inside though, which is really pretty). That was no problem for me since I love raw snap peas as a snack, and have been known to down half a bag of green beans before they're even cooked. I decided to compromise for the salad I was making and blanched half of them and left the other half raw. Besides the color contrast there was also a great mouthfeel to the contrasting textures and flavors. I still had a few mini-heirloom tomatoes so I sliced those up and made a citrus-green olive dressing to pour over the salad. The dish was delicious and super refreshing on a crazy hot evening. So if you have a weird food phobia, get over it! You never know what you might be missing.


Purple String Bean Salad with Citrus-Olive Vinaigrette

2 cups purple string beans
2-3 miniature heirloom tomatoes (or 1 large), cut into wedges
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup roughly chopped pimiento stuffed green olives
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
extra virgin olive oil (1/4 - 1/2 a cup)
pinch of salt
pepper

1. Blanche half of the string beans in boiling salted water until tender-crisp. Remove to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking.

2. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, orange zest, olives, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until vinaigrette forms.

3. Toss cooked beans, raw beans and tomatoes in a bowl with half of the vinaigrette. Plate and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Enjoy!

-Laura

How To Make Avocados Better Without Really Trying

Just like an underrated actor, some ingredients have a way of getting typecast. There is no better example of this than the avocado. I think very few people look at the avocado in their kitchen (because they should never go in the fridge) and think anything but "Guacamole tonight!" Sure, this delicious dip is an excellent showcase for the flavor and texture of the luscious avocado, but it hardly does the versatility of this delicious fruit justice. It's also a perfect topping for sandwiches, a wonderful emulsifier for dressings, and certainly my favorite part of any salad.

That's why, when I was offered some avocados leftover from a photo shoot, I jumped at the chance to bring one home. I was then, of course, faced with the dubious task of figuring out what to make that wasn't incredibly cliché (like, say... guacamole). After giving it some thought I was torn between one of my favorite sandwiches and a simple avocado and bean salad. It turns out that one avocado is actually more than enough to make both dishes, so I went for both. The sandwich was just toasted whole grain bread smeared liberally with chipotle mayo, a nice neat stack of bacon, and cool, tender slices of avocado. It was quick, easy, and perfectly balanced.


The salad was something I'd been eager to try for some time, since avocado is more often than not paired with black beans. I decided to pair it with one of my favorite beans, the soft, plump, and mild flavored cannellini. I threw in some chorizo, one finely chopped jalapeño, half an avocado and dressed the whole thing with lime juice and olive oil. It was simple and light with really clean flavors, and actually made a great companion dish for my sandwich. I served it at room temperature, but certainly you can chill it in the fridge for a bit, or even add some tomatoes and cilantro and make it a bean salsa (it would look great with blue corn chips in particular). Since the sandwich was basically just an assembly job, here's what I came up with for the salad:

Avocado and White Bean Salad

1 16 oz can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup cooked chorizo, chopped
1/2 an avocado, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil (to taste, but about 2 Tbsp)
coarse salt
pepper

1. Combine beans, chorizo and avocado in a bowl and drizzle with lime juice (this will keep avocado from going brown) and stir to combine. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and serve. Enjoy!

-Laura

Bean And Not Heard

Some ingredients don't need much to make them delicious. That's my general feeling about things like beans, specifically black beans. They can act as an excellent meat substitute with little more than a spoonful of cumin and some salt and pepper, or they can be slowly stewed for hours with bacon and veggies for a complete and hearty meal. And not only are they delicious, but they're really, really good for you. Those with high cholesterol should take note of the vast advantages of eating beans, which have been proven to rapidly lower cholesterol due to their high fiber content (within 10 weeks!). Lowering cholesterol also positively affects the heart. Studies have recently shown that lowering your cholesterol by eating beans also greatly reduces your risk of heart disease. Diabetics as well can benefit greatly from eating beans, which due to their soluble fiber content helps keep insulin from floating in the bloodstream, and carries it to where it's needed.

Beans are also great for the figure conscious since their high protein content makes them a great substitute for fatty meat proteins. Pair them with a whole grain like brown rice and you have a virtually fat free meal. Even when embellished with veggies, beans (and all legumes) are still healthy and incredibly flavorful. This week I had a craving for black beans but sought a new way to eat them. Fortunately, my Good Food Fast cookbook was still sitting on my table with an excellent spicy black bean cake recipe inside. The cakes are filled out with scallions and sweet potato, then set under the broiler for a few minutes. There's no frying involved, and only a tablespoon of olive oil is used to sauté the aromatics, so this dish packs quite the healthful wallop, without sacrificing flavor. In fact, there's plenty in the way of flavor with all the cumin, jalapeño and pepper. I actually used seasoned breadcrumbs (contrary to the recipe) and found that I only barely had to salt the whole thing, and the extra spices in the breadcrumbs added a nice boost of flavor. I served the spicy cakes with lemon wedges and a dollop of cold sour cream. The crispy crust is perfect against the cool, smooth cream and tart lemon juice. Here's how to make this delicious and healthy meal for yourself:


Spicy Black Bean Cakes

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
2 jalapeños, finely diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. Heat your broiler.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet and sauté scallions until softened, about a minute. Add garlic, jalapeño and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then remove mixture to a large bowl.

3. Add beans to the bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Fold in sweet potato and breadcrumbs, then taste for salt and pepper. Add egg and mix well. Divide mixture into 6 patties of equal size.

4. Brush a baking sheet with the remaining oil and place patties on top. Broil until golden brown, about 8 minutes. If your broiler is set close to the patties it may take less time, so keep an eye on them. Carefully turn the cakes and cook until crispy on the second side. Serve with lemon wedges and sour cream. Enjoy!

-Laura

Bean And Not Heard

If you asked my grandfather what he wanted to eat, day or night, his answer was always the same: "I want beans." Beans are a little acknowledged staple in Spanish cooking, particularly in the winter. Many of the most well known soups from the north of Spain (like Fabada and Caldo Gallego) where I'm from, are bean soups and are extremely easy to make. But beans are good for more than just soups and stews. They make great salads, side dishes and purees, and are really good for you. They're a great source of lean protein (better than any meats) and have been proven to dramatically lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease, which explains why they're considered by some to be a superfood.

I try to eat them at least once a week, and last week when I just couldn't muster up the strength to make a full meal after work, I decided to take a cue from my grandfather and make some beans and a side salad. Beans are incredibly affordable, especially if you buy them dried, but even the canned variety give you a lot of bang for your buck. I always keep the pantry stocked with at least three different kinds just for weeks like this one. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd make with them, but I wanted something quick and easy. After rinsing them under cold water for a minute (it's important to get that sugary, starchy liquid off of canned beans) I decided that I'd keep it simple and just sauté cannellini beans in really good extra virgin olive oil with garlic and a few dry spices. There are a million easy ways to make these beans, and I often cook them with bacon, artichokes, chorizo, or even red pepper flakes for heat, but this time I just wanted a nice glistening plateful of beans with clean flavors, and maybe a splash of lemon juice.

The dish turned out great. So good, in fact, that I'm thinking of making a simple puree with the leftovers to accompany another meal. I make several pureed soups out of cannellini's, in addition to many dips and spreads when I entertain. If you have a food processor they can be a huge time saver, and keep you from having to turn on your stove top. Just make sure you have some olive oil on hand and add in some of your favorite ingredients--sun dried tomato and basil make a great dip, or bliz it up with rosemary and sauteed onions, then add it to a pan with some rendered bacon and you have a great soup--the combinations are endless. Here's what I did to make my easy dinner beans:

Cannellini Beans with Thyme and Rosemary (enough for 2 people)

1 19 oz can cannellini beans
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
lemon wedges (for garnish)

1. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil with garlic in a non stick skillet on medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, drain beans and run under cold water for a minute to remove starchy liquid. Make sure they're as dry as possible.

3. Add beans to pan along with salt and pepper to taste. Add the dried spices and cook until warmed through. Add more olive oil if the beans look dry.

4. Plate and top with another slosh of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges for a little bit of acid. Enjoy!

-Laura