We had our first picking of beans this week, and though my files are flooded with bean recipes, they can wait until later in the season. For the first picking, the best thing you can do is snap off the ends, steam them until tender, pile them in a big dish and add a lump of butter and some salt and pepper. With a hunk of crusty bread, salad and a glass of wine, a plate of just-picked beans makes a great meal.
In a couple of days I’ll be working my way through the recipes, and beans will be turning up in everything from chicken salad to spaghetti omelets. I’ll layer them on grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and toss them with cannellini beans and a lemony dressing. For side dishes, I’ll doll them up with toasted nuts and parsley and do a stir-fry with black bean sauce and ginger. If I can figure out a way, I’m planning on adding them to an eggplant Parmesan with sausage and ricotta, and while they’re still tender, I’ll put them in zucchini soup.
By the end of the season, the beans will be too fat and pulpy to eat. But by then I will have exhausted my recipes and we will have had our fill of beans. My husband will pull up the plants and take them to the compost where they will be transformed into nourishment for next year’s plants.
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By now, everyone reading these blogs knows we eat a lot of beans at my house. I’m always on the look out for some new seasoning to use to kick this weekly staple up a notch. Here’s the latest: Pinquito Beans with Seasoning from Susie Q’s. These are heirloom beans grown in the Santa Maria Valley of California. And the seasoning is a blend of mild red chili, onion, garlic and spices. The beans don’t need to be soaked—just place them in water with the seasoning and simmer 2 hours. Very tasty. To order, go to Susie Q's.
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Here's a recent question from a Relish reader about wine and our wine columnist Wini Mornaville's terrific response:
Hi, This question is for Wini Moranville. I have always loved Chablis Blanc which is practically non-existent at least where I shop. I can find it by Inglenook and Gallo use to make it. Is it just not a popular variety of grape anymore. I just don't seem to care for Chardonnays, but sometimes I can find a Pinot Grigio I like. I seem to like dry wines, but Chablis is just my favorite. Thanks! — Missy Aslund
Hi Missy--
What a great question! The term "Chablis" has confused wine-drinkers for the past 40 years! That's because in the 60s and 70s and into the 80s, Chablis was a term used by California winemakers simply to refer to just about any white wine (though many were made from the Chardonnay grape).
Actually, Chablis is the name of a place--it's a village in Burgundy France. True "Chablis" wines can only be made in and around the Chablis growing area. And they are always made from the Chardonnay grape. These days, the term Chablis is generally used ONLY for these French wines--wines that come from the Chablis area. So while you can still find Chablis wines, they'll be different than the California "Chablis" wines you remember. And they also may be quite expensive--French Chablis are premium wines.
But, you might be thinking...."if I don't like Chardonnay, how come I always liked Chablis?"
The Chardonnay grape can be made into many differing styles of wine. The French use restraint when it comes to how much they age their wines in oak barrels, resulting in wines that allow the grape's pure fruit flavor to come through. In the 90s, California winemakers ramped up their use of oak barrels, resulting in big, buttery, woody tasting wines that a lot of people liked. These were different than the California "Chablis" wines you liked, and they were also different from the true French Chablis.
It doesn't sound like you were a fan of those big, buttery/oaky Chards.
Fortunately, you can find lots of Chardonnays that are made with little or no oak. New Zealand produces Chardonnays made with no oak--look for the words "unoaked" on the bottle--or "stainless steel fermented (or aged)".
Personally, I prefer moderation in the use of oak--that is, I like a little of that full, round effect that a judicious use of oak can bring, but I don't want a full-blown oak-bomb, either. The trick is finding bottles with a little restraint. Ask your wine-seller for a good French White Burgundy (these are made from Chardonnay--and Chablis would fall in this category, though there are less-expensive choices). Joseph Drouhin makes terrific white burgundies in all price ranges. (Sometimes "Bourgogne" will be on the label--that's French for Burgundy.)
Another fabulous pick is: Rosemount Show Reserve 2006 Mudgee Chardonnay-- a gorgeous wine for $15.
Or, get to know a good wine-seller and tell him/her you're looking for a Chardonnay with restrained oak influence....I guarantee there are plenty out there.
Good luck!
Best,
Wini Moranville
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This is a great year for peaches and nectarines. The fruit is juicy and full of flavor and when you slice them, the pieces slide away from the pits almost by themselves. I’ve had to restrain myself from buying more than I can use, but invariably, I’m overstocked. That’s why, although it’s a steamy day, almost too hot to put on an apron, I’m not thinking twice about turning on the oven for a peach and nectarine crisp.
The recipe is a variation of one I make all the time and is “tinkerer-friendly.” In the fall and winter, I use it for apples and pears, and in late summer, when local blueberries are ready, I use it for berry crisps. Sometimes, I toss dried fruit —golden raisins, cranberries, whatever, with the fruit. Occasionally I spoon dollops of marmalade or jam on top of the fruit before adding the crumbs or add nuts or sweet spices to the streusel. I would like to say that it’s best when it’s warm, but the truth is, it’s good anytime. So if you happen to get up hungry in the middle of the night, grab a spoon, open the refrigerator and help yourself to some crisp.
Peach-Nectarine Crisp with Ginger
To make the crumble, into a blender put 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Pulse to combine. Add 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) ice-cold butter cut into small pieces and process until crumbly. It’s no problem if you overprocess and end up with big clumps — separate them with your fingers as you crumble them over the fruit.
To make the fruit filling, slice about 2 1/2 pounds of peaches or nectarines or some of both (you’ll have about 8 cups) into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. In a cup or small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and pour over fruit. Mix gently with a large spoon and turn into a 2-quart baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top and bake at 375F about 40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Makes at least 6 to 8 servings.
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If you’re thinking about starting a little catering business and kicking it off at the Democratic convention in Denver next month, get ready to start jumping through culinary hoops. The organizers of the event have come out with a long list of rules that make the Democrats sound like the party of fussy eaters.
In addition to outlawing fried foods, the party’s food police have said that everything has to be organic or locally grown. If that’s not enough to put a crimp in your style, there’s the issue of color. Instead of focusing on flavors and textures, you’d better start thinking about the colors of the foods you’re planning to put together on the plate. According to the instructions, at least three of five colors (red, yellow, green, blue/purple and white) must be represented on every plate. If you think for a moment you can get around the color chart with garnishes — parsley sprigs, lemon wedges — forget it. They don’t count. And while you’re getting the plate pictured in your head, be sure fruits and vegetables take up at least half the space. That’s the rule.
If you still have your heart set on the convention, you might do better with something entirely different. Apparently, instead of accepting his party’s nomination in the convention center, Senator Barack Obama plans to move the venue to the Denver Broncos football stadium, which seats more than 75,000. You could set up a burrito stand outside the place, fill your burritos with whatever you like, and probably make a killing.
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Sunday Soup (Chronicle, 2008), a new cookbook by Betty Rosbottom, presents 60 soup recipes organized by season. A quick glance has me ready to dive into Avocado Soup with Fresh Tomato Salsa, Chilled Carrot Soup with Cumin and Lime, and Zucchini Vichyssoise, all of which she recommends for summer.
So why the name, Sunday Soup? “Soup makes a fine meal anytime, but Sunday is when many of us are home with family and friends and have a few extra hours to cook,” says Rosbottom.
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Here’s the latest in the “some people have too much time on their hands” category. I just received a review copy of The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook (Cider Mill Press), filled with “100 easy to make, all-natural, tasty dog treats, using 100 percent organic ingredients and free of wheat, corn and soy.” Whew! All I can say is some dogs, and their doting owners, really do have the life of Riley.
My dog Roxie likes Milk Bones just fine.
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I make the first announcement at breakfast, when he invariably says he can’t think about dinner in the middle of Wheaties and banana. As the day goes on and the menu changes, I give updates. It’s worked pretty well until recently when he heard the word “leftover” once too often and decided there should be a better way to describe day-old meat loaf and microwaved omelet. And this has led to a marathon of conversation about what he refers to as “recycling food.”
Unlike car dealers who have done a pretty good job changing their image by substituting “preowned” for “used,” I’m having a hard time letting go of “leftover.” So far, I’ve been able to come up with “encore,” “second-act,” and “reruns.” Just yesterday, our blue-plate special was pizza with homestyle meat loaf, and tonight we’re dining on risotto and scallops deja vu. As soon as that fish hits the table I know he’ll recognize it, but the risotto is from-scratch, which should take some of the sting out of the scallops.
And do you know why it’s best to use a metal cutter to stamp out the biscuits? A tumbler can certainly cut the shapes, but it needs to be twisted, pinching the dough and keeping the dough from fully rising. A metal cutter slides straight through the dough with no twisting.
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That set off a wave of spontaneous giggling on the part of two of my younger aunts. Of course, their older sister promptly gave them the evil eye and told them to shush, but I knew why they were laughing. Mama’s biscuits evolved over the years, and the ones my brother recalled were from the “shortening years.” The “lard years” produced results that were something else entirely, but those are the biscuits I wish I had every morning—flat, anything but flaky, and at the end of the week (when supply of dough she made up on Mondays “ripened”) tasting like sour dough bread. Hot from the oven and smeared with butter, they were perfection—just as good as her hot water corn cakes, buttermilk skillet cornbread, and yeast rolls.
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