April 2011 Archives

This is a variation on a recipe included in the latest Willams-Sonoma catalog that originally called for the use of a frittata pan set which requires cooking on top of the stove and flipping the frittata. It’s much easier to cook this in the oven where it will puff nicely and the cheese will brown on top.

• 1 and 1⁄2 lbs russet or other white potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (Place in bowl of cold water until ready to use and then pat dry with paper towels before adding to pan.)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher or sea salt and freshly grated black pepper
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 10 thick-cut bacon slices, diced
• 10 eggs, beaten with a little milk and 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 1 and 1⁄2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onion in olive oil until softened and slightly colored in a 10-inch heavy-duty nonstick pan that is ovenproof; salt and pepper to taste. Remove onion and sauté bacon until crisp and remove to paper towels to drain. Pour out all but one tablespoon oil and bacon grease and return onions and bacon to pan. Layer sliced potatoes over the onion and bacon mixture in pan in overlapping concentric circles to fill the pan and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and slowly pour beaten egg mixture over the potatoes, onions and bacon. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and return to oven for 30 minutes or until puffed and browned on top.

Slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and chopped chives. Serves 8 for brunch with a winter salad of mixed greens, sliced oranges and roasted beets — or add baked local beans for a hearty dinner or Super Bowl party.

Frittatas are great party food, no matter the season or affair. And nothing is easier for a Sunday supper or brunch. In Europe this basic preparation is made throughout the Mediterranean and is eaten as picnic and bar fare. Substitute at will here; other greens or veggies are welcome. I often add blanched asparagus spears in a spoke pattern and sliced red pepper between the spokes for a more colorful presentation. The frittata is just as good for lunch or breakfast the next day.

• 1 pound market spinach
• 1 to 2 large baking or boiling potatoes
• 1 cup thinly sliced onions
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 1 cup thinly sliced fennel
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8–10 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
• Grated Swiss, Parmesan or cheddar cheese (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Select a large skillet with an oven-proof handle. Prepare spinach by washing well, removing and discarding thick stems. Chop a little if the leaves are big. Add spinach to 1 tablespoon oil in 8–10 inch skillet and saute for three minutes till softened. Remove from skillet and add remaining oil. Add onions and fennel and saute until softened and lightly colored, about ten minutes.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes crosswise and layer slightly overlapping in concentric circles over the onion and fennel. Salt and pepper lightly and pop in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven carefully and lower oven temp to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the spinach over the potatoes and arrange tomato slices over the spinach. Gently pour seasoned eggs over the mixture and place mixture back in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until puffy and lightly brown on top. About ten minutes before you remove from oven you may sprinkle with the grated cheese.

According to David Page, chef at Shinn Farmhouse on Long Island, N.Y., these should have the texture of cottage cheese. He serves them with buttered toast or biscuits.

One tip: Chef Page suggests adding salt and pepper when you first start beating the eggs, but based on the suggestion of Jamie Oliver (I think), I have learned to wait until the cream or milk is added to the eggs and the eggs have been placed in the pan—it really does make it easier to keep them creamy as the salt seems to create some kind of break in the coagulation of the raw eggs if added too early. You can see this for yourself.

12 large eggs, beaten 4 tablespoons heavy cream 2 tablespoons softened sweet butter 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs—chives, tarragon, basil, parsley, or your choice

Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk till the yolks are broken up, then whisk in the cream. Place the eggs over a double boiler or a very low heat in a heavy pan and keep whisking vigorously, keeping them creamy. As soon as they begin to set, remove pan from the heat and add butter and herbs. Serves 4–6.

You can learn a little more about the origins of Smart Markets from a recent article in the Manassas Patch about our market on the Prince William Campus of George Mason University.

Janssen utilizes her 20-plus years in the catering business and over 10 years experience as a local Market Master to preach her knowledge about the benefits of locally grown and sourced products.

“We have lost at least a generation when it comes to simple food values, by reaching out into the community we try to get people to feel comfortable about cooking food,” she said.

And if you get our newsletter, you know she preaches! Read the full article here.

Dear Shoppers,

I am letting you off my hook this week and throwing you at those being dangled by other really good and very famous authors and activists who are churning out books and articles and providing opportunities for all of us to better understand what we are eating and how it affects our health. This is the season of the year in this area when we can fully satisfy all of our nutritional needs by eating locally and when we have a wide array of fruits to satisfy our sweet teeth. It is so easy to step up, eat right and lose weight without really sacrificing anything but the stuff we shouldn’t be eating in the first place.

So I am providing here today a list of really good links — all of which will get you thinking and moving and making changes. And I say that because I know you are interested and intrigued and looking for answers because you shop at farmers’ markets already. Maybe this year we can all step up that commitment to help us focus even more acutely on eating real food and eating well.

• “What If It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?” — An excerpt from a 2002 New York Times article by Gary Taubes about fat and how we gain weight
• “Gary Taubes on ‘Why We Get Fat’” — The San Francisco Gate looks at Taubes’ ideas about weight gain
• Chef Jamie Oliver campaigns against sugary milk in our schools
• Michael Pollan’s “food rules”

Check out these links and let me know how we can help you step up your efforts. That’s what we are here for.

Have a lovely weekend and/or a Happy Easter! See you at the market!

Dear Shopper,

As you know by now if you actually read these things, I am always on the lookout for the next great idea for a newsletter rant — or a trip down memory lane. And I read lots of primary sources like magazines and newspapers and research available on the Web. I even read the Kids Post in The Washington Post.

Recently they asked young readers for their own ideas on dealing with childhood obesity. Out of 300 entries they selected one winner and five runners-up and printed their responses in the paper. All of them were great, but a couple were of particular interest to those of us who see this as more than just a family problem. Jack Mead was the overall winner, and this 11-year-old had some great ideas including getting children into the kitchen, grocery stores sponsoring children’s cooking classes and schools hosting community cooking nights. He even suggested that the Post add a Kids Cookin’ section.

This is a kid after my own heart, but then the kid who already owns my heart has some good ideas too. My granddaughter has posted something on our refrigerator titled “List of Dining Rules.” You may remember that she is 11 years old too, and she is just full of ideas. She recommends one fruit and one vegetable a day, which may not sound like much, but look at the statistics on what people actually eat and it looks like a timely idea. I will list in her own words some of her other suggestions for all of us:

• The routine goes: a heavy breakfast, a light lunch and a fair sized dinner.
• If you are so desperate for a snack, then eat some broccoli or carrots. (which she does)
• Have a sandwich and an apple for lunch (which her father does) — or if you get bored, eat leftover dinner.
• Only desserts and all that crap twice a week.
• No candy bought from stores — under any circumstances! (leaving room here for the sweets available at the market, of course)

Dana Gerber, also 11 and one of the Post winners, had a list of her own:

• Make fatty, processed and fast food less easy to get.
• Have school lunches be healthy food like chicken or fish.
• Put up more farmers’ markets. (She’s got my vote!)
• Replace the candy at the market with magazines.

I think it is great that children are so far ahead of their elders when it comes to dealing with this issue; maybe there is hope that we will one day be able to deal with this as a community and as a country without it becoming fodder for politicos and pundits.

Several years ago after watching children sample their way through farmers’ markets throughout the market season, I realized that kids will try anything: berries; peas in the spring; peaches, tomatoes and raw corn in the height of summer; and pears and apples in the fall. They will even pick up and try hot peppers, which tells me that all we parents need to do is put it on the plate in front of them or, better yet, invite them to shop and cook too. And they will lead us out of this fine mess we have gotten ourselves into.

That precocious granddaughter of mine also was working last year on a design for a Kid’s Page for our website. Maybe this year we can help her make that happen.

See you at the market!

Il Bastone will feature these offerings at our Oakton and Gainesville markets April 9 and 10.

Veggie Corn Empanada

Sweet corn, sautéed onions and red peppers, garlic, and melted mozzarella cheese in a light Béchamel sauce. These turnovers are a complete meal in one and pair well with white wines.

Vermut e Formaggio Sausage

Beef & pork sausage with a noticeable presence of Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth and Pecorino Romano cheese, lots of basil, parsley, and a dab of tomato paste. The complex and sharp flavor comes from the cheese itself, which is made from sheep’s milk and has the consistency of Parmesan cheese. The addition of the vermouth with its herbal characteristics strongly accents the overall taste of this cooking sausage. Due to its high aromatic concentration it is recommended that it be eaten as part of a sauce or stew.