The Hungry Wife

Yogurt Tahini Dressing, along with brown rice, tofu, and miso soup crossed over into mainstream cuisine about thirty years ago and never left.  To make a delicious lower-fat version, just use nonfat yogurt.
Yogurt Tahini Dressing, continued…

Kabobs make outdoor entertaining festive and fun. They can be easily assembled ahead of time, grilled to perfection in minutes and there’s little clean up after the meal. They’re perfect for backyard picnics and parties.  Who doesn’t love a kabob?  You can put anything you want on a kabob, and these are no exception.  The traditional meat for kabobs is lamb, but you can also use: beef, goat, chicken, fish, seafood (shrimp, scallops), vegetable or tofu.
Steak and Vegetable Kabobs, continued…

Cool and crisp, refreshing and cleansing, Cucumber Salads are important in cuisines around the world.  At The Hungry Wife we love eating them with Indian, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and North African main dishes.  Pour our easily prepared dressings on a few sliced cucumbers and you have a little side dish, salad, or garnish that can really make the meal.
Cucumbers with Arugula Caper Dressing, continued…

Sicilian Eggplant Pasta:  Eggplant Parmesan, is there nothing better?  And if you love to eat that dish, then you’re going to love this Sicilian Eggplant Pasta!  The Hungry Wife version of a rustic Southern Italian specialty pairs the crunchiness of fried eggplant with smooth fresh mozzarella that melts into the hot pasta.  The eggplant’s crisp egg coating prevents it from absorbing excess oil when frying.
Sicilian Eggplant Pasta, continued…

Beets – If root vegetables are underrated, they are probably considered the worst of the lot.  So much so, in fact, that many people have never cooked fresh ones (since boiling them can sometimes make a bit of a mess in the kitchen).

Once solution to this dilema, try baking beets whole, wrapped in foil (bake at 400 degrees, on a baking sheet, about 1 hour or until tender).  Not only will you discover a whole new flavor, but cleanup is a snap.  And when you try them, make a few extra.  They are a delicious and colorful addition to many dishes: You can dice or slice them and add to a salad; cut in julienne, toss in butter and serve as a side dish or garnish or marinate them and serve as part of an antipasto plate (with a slice of salami, some good olives, a bit of cheese, etc.).  Or puree the baked beets smooth or coarse, season with a touch of nutmeg and work in a piece of sweet butter, and discover a whole new vegetable dish.

One nice part of buying these at farmers’ markets is that you can often find them with their green tops attached.  To prepare the greens, cut them from the roots, wash well, trim off thick stems, and steam or saute in butter.  And a new development, found at some farmers’ markets, is golden beets, which taste like red beets but lack their pigment, betanin.
Orange Glazed Beets, continued…

Pizza has become a quintessential American comfort food, and this Zucchini & Fresh Tomatoes with Fontina Pizza fits right in.  Ever since Italian immigrants started making pizzas in their neighborhoods, it’s been a hit.  Now you can find it topped with all sorts of vegetables, cheeses, seafood, meats, and even eggs and fruits.  There are pita pizzas, French bread pizzas, English muffin pizzas, taco pizzas, and Hawaiian pizzas.

Pizza goes great with soup and salad.  It’s often eaten for breakfast and is probably one of the healthiest fast foods you can buy.  Unless of course your like me, and prefer your pie with extra-cheese.  I love eating this pizza, mainly because I don’t feel bad after eating that extra piece.  This nice thing about this pizza is that if you buy pre-made dough, you can make it in a hurry.  Want it a little more organic, then try your hand at making your own dough.
Zucchini & Fresh Tomatoes with Fontina Pizza, continued…

Until recently, farmers and plant breeders saved the seeds of the most desirable plants from each year’s harvest for the next year’s crop.  Gardeners gave their  surplus to friends and relatives, and especially noteworthy varieties found their way to seed companies for wider distribution.  Today with larger mechanized farms, fewer gardeners harvesting seeds, and more hybrids and sterile seeds, many heirloom varieties have become rare or extinct.

This amounts to more than just the old being pushed out by the new. Heirlooms are not the first choice for agribusiness where concerns of perishability, yield, shipping endurance, pest resistance, and appearance are more important than flavor. As more old varieties are lost, we also lose a broad genetic base. This creates a less diverse source of food crops that may not be as adaptable or hardy.

What can the consumer do?  If you enjoy gardening, grow heirloom vegetables yourself.  Patronize farmers’ markets and produce stands where farmers label and promote  heirlooms.  Buy locally grown fresh produce to support growers who can produce a wider range of varieties than what is offered at typical supermarkets.  Another option is to join Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to encourage regional small-scale farms.  CSA members buy shares in the produce they will eventually receive.  Most CSAs encourage participation, including input on what to grow.  For more information, visit www.reeusda.gov/csa.

Here is a list of a few favorite heirloom varieties that can be found if you look hard enough.

BEANS:  Cherokee trail of tears – Carried by the Cherokees on their forced march west to Oklahoma.  These are very tasty purple podded beans.

Kentucky wonder – A classic green bean, excellent flavor, great fresh, frozen, or canned.

Jacob’s cattle – White beans attractively spotted with maroon.  Good for all bean dishes, especially soups or baked beans.

BEETS:  Chioggia – Strong-growing beautiful Italian variety.  Horizontal slices show alternating rings of rose pink and white.  Nice in salads.

Golden beet – Brilliantly colored roots that are also particularly sweet.

BROCCOLI:  Romanesco – Spiraling florets form psychedelic patterns on this nutty-flavored Italian heirloom.

CABBAGE:  Early jersey wakefield – A very tender and sweet English variety from the eighteenth century.

CARROTS:  Scarlet nantes – Non-fibrous texture and sweet flavor for all uses, particularly jucies.

CORN:  Golden bantam – Introduced in 1902, this is still a popular sweet corn for home gardeners.

EGGPLANT:  Rosa bianca – Delicate flavor, smooth texture, and unusual  lavender stripes on a white fruit make this Italian heirloom worth trying.

KALE:  Russian red (ragged jack) – Brought to North America by Russian traders, this is a favorite variety of a very nutritious cooking green.  The flat, violet-veined leaves are milder and more tender than other kales.

LEEKS:  Black seeded simpson – A crisp, tasty, classic looseleaf with bright yellow leaves.

Forellen schluss (speckled trout) – An Austrian heirloom with very tender, light green leaves speckled with maroon.

MUSTARD GREENS:  Mizuna – A Japanese type that is versatile; baby greens are good in salad, mature leaves cook quickly for soups or stir-frys.  Plant has a lovely feathery, fern-like habit.

Tatsoi – A Chinese heirloom with deep green leaves on white stalks, similar to pak choi, but smaller.  Use like mizuna.

PEAS:  Golden sweet – Unusual chartreuse snow pea, new to this continent but grown for centuries in India.  Eat the pods before peas develop.

SWISS CHARD:  Five color silverbeet – The flavor of this Swiss chard is not different from the green variety, but the gorgeous color range of red, pink, yellow, orange, and cream range stops people in their tracks.  Good in both flower and vegetable gardens as an edible ornamental.

SQUASH:  Delicata – A nineteenth-century introduction valued today for its dry, sweet flesh.  Sized just right for individual servings of stuffed squash.

TOMATOES:  Amana orange – Huge slicing tomatoes with rich flavor.  Combine with other colored slices for festive platters.

Black krim – Russian heirloom with full flavor and purplish-red fruits that turn almost black in hot weather.

Brandywine – Large pink beefsteak, good for slicing, intense tomato-ey flavor.  An Amish family heirloom that has become very popular.

Cherokee purple – Tennessee variety reputed to be one of the sweetest.  Unusually colored rose, green, and brown.

Costoluto genovese – Italian variety good for sauce, juice, fresh eating.  Somewhat tart, bright red.

Green zebra – An introduction from the eighties that is grouped with heirlooms because of its appearance and non-hybrid status.  Zesty tart-and-sweet flesh that is, not surprisingly, striped yellow to yellow-green.

Joya de oaxaca – Mexican variety that is god both fresh and dried.  Yellow flesh streaked with pink, orange, and red.  Highly flavorful.

Mortgage lifter (radiator charlie’s mortgage lifter) – Huge beefsteaks that enabled the breeder to pay off his mortgage by selling the plants and seeds of this exceptional tomato.

Yellow Pear – Prolific producer of sweet, juicy small tomatoes that are low in acid and very flavorful.

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, Copyright 2001, Moosewood, Inc., Clarkson Potter, Publishers.

Pantry List:  Having basic cooking ingredients at home saves time and makes it easier to eat well day in, day out.  With a well-stocked pantry, you can whip up creative meals with items on hand and shorten your shopping list when preparing a complicated meal.  Consider buying pantry items in bulk from a reliable local store where stock rotation ensures the freshness of food.  That way you get the quality and quantity you want and you’ll save money and consume less packaging.

The staples below are suggestions of foods good to keep on hand.  I certainly do not stock them all, just the things that I use most regularly.  I hope you’ll use the list for inspiration and as a reminder when it’s time to shop for food.

Shelf Items

1. Grains

Barley, bulghur, buckwheat groats (kasha), cornmeal, couscous, grits, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rice (arborio, brown, white).

Note:  Transfer packaged or bulk grains to glass jars with tight-fitting lids for storage: it’s easier to see how much you have on hand and helps protect your grains from insects.  Milled grains, like flours and meals, have a shorter shelf life than whole grains, so unless you use them up within a month, they should be refrigerated or frozen in closed containers.

2. Beans

Dried – Black turtle beans, black-eyed peas, chick peas, red kidney beans, cannellini (white beans), lentils (red, brown), limas, navy or pea beans, pintos, split peas (green, yellow).

Canned – Butter beans, black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, cannellini.

Note:  When buying dried beans, look for those with uncracked shiny coats and good color.  Red the labels on canned beans.  Some are sodium-free, some are organic, some have additives and preservatives.

3. Pasta

Asian – Rice noodles, soba noodles, udon noodles.

Italian – Spaghetti, linguine, penne, ziti, farfalle, orzo, lasagna noodles.

Note:  Dried pasta, if stored in a well-sealed container, can last a lifetime, so stock a range of shapes and sizes: tiny pasta to add to soups and stews, chunky pasta to toss with vegetables, and long noodles for saucing.

4. Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, tahini, peanut butter.

Note:  Nuts and seeds are terrific to have on hand for cooking, snacking, and for quick, nutritious additions to cereal, yogurt, and fruit salads.  I possible, buy them in bulk, since the tend to be expensive.  Check that they are crunchy, smell fresh, and have good color and sheen.  Always store refrigerated.

5. Oils

Canola, olive (regular and extra-virgin), dark sesame oil.

Note:  Experiment with different brands because the flavor varies.  Oils that are used often can be stored in dark bottles or in a closed cupboard.  Oils that are used less frequently should be stored in the refrigerator.

6. Spices and Herbs

Allspice, annatto (achiote), basil, bay leaves, black pepper, cardamom, cayenne, caraway, coriander seed, cinnamon (ground and stick), cloves, cumin seed, curry powder, dill, fennel seed, five-spice powder, garam masala, marjoram, mint, mustard seed, nutmeg, Old Bay Seasoning, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, sage, tarragon, thyme, turmeric.

Note: An extensive spice collection is a real asset.  Is there anything more frustrating than having everything you need for a recipe except one pesky herb or spice?  since the flavor and fragrance of herbs and spices fade over time, buy in small quantities or store refrigerated in well-sealed containers.  For best flavor, purchase them whole and grind them as needed.

7. Condiments

Chinese chili paste, chinese fermented black beans, fermented black bean sauce, fish sauce (nuoc mam), fruit spreads, hoisin sauce, mustard (Dijon, spicy brown, yellow), soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegars (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, rice wine), wasabi powder.

Note: Condiments add depth, heat, pungency, flavor, and complexity and can make a so-so dish suddenly delicious.  Those that contain fresh ingredients, oil, or high percentages of sugar or other sweeteners should be refrigerated.

8. Canned and Jarred Goods

Artichoke hearts, capers, coconut mik (unsweetened), olives (Spanish, kalamata, black), pinientos, roasted red peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, salsa, tomato juice, tomato paste, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, clams, clam juice.

Note:  Read the labels and experiment with different brands to find your favorites.  I think canned goods that are free of additives and preservatives taste best.

9. Wines and Liqueurs

Chinese rice wine, dry red and white wines, liqueurs (amaretto, Grand Marnier, Frangelico), Marsala, mirin, sake, sherry.

Note:  Sometimes a splash of wine or liqueur can add the perfect touch to a dish.  If not used regularly, store them in the refrigerator.

10. Frozen Foods

Black-eyed peas, lima beans, peas, corn, okra, puff pastry, filo dough, tortillas (wheat, corn) tempeh.

Note:  Keep frozen foods well wrapped to avoid freezer burn.

11. Miscellaneous

Dried fruits (raisins, currants, apricots, dates, figs, dried cherries) – Store refrigerated in a closed container, if not using quickly.

Dried Mushrooms– Store in a cool, dry place

Fresh Garlic – Store in a vented jar.

Seaweed (Hijiki, Nori) – Store in a dry place

Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Store in a closed container or plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, Copyright 2001, Moosewood, Inc., Clarkson Potter, Publishers.