Green Bean Machine

Yes, I've been overtaken by green beans. And purple romano beans, that magically turn green when you cook them. I planted too many. Or they did too well. In any case, the first patch has me overwhelmed, but what I didn't tell you is that the 2nd patch is just coming into its glory. It was a bit behind, which I was thankful for, but it has now started production.

I didn't always like fresh green beans. I had trouble with the fuzz. This seems like a strange concept to me now, as I don't even notice it. But back when I was used to eating canned green beans, those strangely smooth, almost waxy, salty, squeaky nubs that are not quite green, and probably not much "bean", I snubbed my nose at the fresh ones. Processed food has a way of robbing us of our ability to appreciate the real stuff. Our palates get paralyzed by all of the added stabilizers, preservatives, and ultra-cooking that fundamentally changes the original food. And we don't even know it. So, it takes some re-training, almost re-programming, the taste buds to get back on track. Actually enjoying the texture of the real stuff is the happy result. Just don't make the mistake of overcooking your veggies (hi mom!), or you risk losing all that you just worked for.

As my green beans pile up, I am after new ways to prepare them. You see, I have a bad habit of getting bored with the same old/same ol'. Maybe this year I will master a Szechuan-style preparation, but I confess, I haven't yet given it a whirl, so I better wait to share that. What I want to tell you about though, is what to do with the first batch of freshly picked green beans that you come across. I promise, you will not be disappointed with this, if you decide to give it a go. In fact, you may want to run to the nearest farm stand (or my house) and grab up some green beans right now.

Caesar Aioli with Fresh Steamed Green Beans

1 cup mayo (feel free to use low fat, if that's your thing, but not no-fat)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 anchovy fillets, or 1 tsp of anchovy paste

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 minced garlic clove, or 1 tsp of garlic paste (do not used jarred garlic, please)

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

handful of parsley (optional)

Throw all ingredients in a food processor, and let it whir. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Prepare the green beans:

First, trim off the stem end. Set some well-salted water on to boil. Give the beans a few minutes in the pot, being sure they stay bright green. (5 minutes max), follow this with a quick chill down, under cold running water. At this point, you can refrigerate, or serve immediately.

So, what you want to do when you are ready to eat them, is drag those slightly cooked, chilled, little fuzzy green beans right through the aioli, and then chomp 'em up. I swear, you won't miss the canned version.

The Veggie Parade

After an early start with asparagus and greens galore, there has been a bit of a lull in the garden harvest. Then a few beets were ready, an onion, a baby carrot or two. And gradually the parade has started. Gardens always confound me....what doesn't work well last year, I overcompensate for the next, and lo and behold, the tides turn. Like, I seem to be having two good cucumber years in a row, but again no luck with peppers. Then, I doubled, no make that tripled the green bean plantings after an abysmal showing last year. Whoa, they have seriously taken off. Conversely, I swam in tomatoes in 08, so I cutback on tomato plants this year. Now, the tomatoes are painfully slow, skimpy and sluggish, (although grape tomatoes in a container are happily supplying a handful a day). Pittsburgh weather has been uniquely cool and comfortable this summer, and that has created a twist in the expected progression of things, I guess.

In the meantime, as the parade rolls in, what to do with the garden bounty is a daily challenge. With lamb kabobs, a mediterranean-style raw veggie platter seemed the perfect plan. A tzatziki dip on the left side, and a way-more-popular roasted red pepper feta dip on the other.

Another day, marinating the harvest grabbed my interest. These marinated "pickles" turned out to be great stuffed in a tortilla wrap with some cheese, and also the next day tossed with fresh tomato (from farmer's market) and shards of parmesan for a salad.

Now, the green beans have arrived. En masse. Next week I'll tell you all about 'em, but for now, I need to get back to picking them.

Fro-Yo A Go-Go

This has been the summer of yogurt for yours truly. It all began with an innocent stop at a frozen yogurt (fro-yo) franchise in Arizona, only to find it carried "Tart Frozen Yogurt", and they offered a free sample. Addiction. Plain and simple. While I've been living in the hills and caves of Western PA, Tart Frozen Yogurt has apparently been on fire as a frozen confection in trendsetting LA and NY, with franchises specializing in just this product (Red Mango, Pinkberry, et.al.).

Touted for its "healthfulness", it has captured a large following seemingly due to its addictive, puckery, refreshing flavor (not unlike a good lemon ice on a hot day). Lucky for me, Pittsburgh now has two tart fro-yo shops (Karmic and Sweetberry). Upon stopping at Karmic twice and feeding the addiction, I did some research and found out that Edy's is making a knock-off
product....I tried Tart Honey and it's not bad:

Then, I came up with this brilliant idea to try to make homemade yogurt. After reading Harold McGee's blog (author of "On Food and Cooking"....the original Alton Brown!), it really didn't seem too hard.

I bought the best whole milk I could find (a local dairy-Brunton). I heated 1 quart in a saucepan to between 180-190 degrees, then let it cool down to around 120 degrees.

I stirred in 2 TBSP of store bought active culture yogurt (type/flavor not important, just the live cultures), poured it into a quart jar, then wrapped it in a kitchen towel.

At this point, you need to maintain a steady temp of around 110 degrees for 4 hours, and let the good bacteria do their work. I did this by turning on my oven for a few minutes to get it slightly warm, then turning it off. I set the wrapped jar into the oven, and left the door slightly open, and the light on. Four hours later, it is thick and set, and goes into the frig.

The result is plain, unflavored yogurt, that is super delicious. For breakfast or dessert, I mix in a small amount of real maple syrup, or honey as a sweetener. Its great with granola, and fruit. One night, I also made a savory yogurt, feta, dijon mustard, aleppo pepper dipping sauce for fried potatoes with it. Really incredible.

We are really noticing the silky smooth texture, softness and mouthfeel that you get with homemade, and of course the freshness and quality is unbeatable.

Consider the Egg

I know that there are cheap eggs out there. Believe me, I know. I used to buy them. The cheaper they were, the more I'd buy. You can do an awful lot with a dozen eggs. Double it to two dozen, and you can keep on doing what you're doing with them for a long time. But with experience comes wisdom, and I have now experienced an egg epiphany! Bear with me, I know this sounds weird.

I've given some thought to those uncomfortable little egg-laying factory farm chickens. I saw the movie "Chicken Run". I know they envision the great escape, and I have surrendered all of my idealistic visions of happy chickens clucking out my breakfast egg that is then delivered fresh to the grocery store shelf. Apparently, that's far from the truth. Tales of cutting off beaks and toes to keep the cramped up chickens from hurting each other, questionable feeding strategies, antibiotic use.... it all gave me pause. That's when we switched to the grocery store "free range" label. This little tag amps up the price a few notches, but I can say it bought us a some peace of mind. But I digress. I really didn't intend to talk about humane chicken conditions.

Back to my epiphany. It actually came when I started buying eggs from small time operations and not the grocery store. Travel just a few miles from my home, and there are REAL farm fresh eggs for $2 a dozen.

Part of the joy of picking them up at the farm is getting to watch the chickens strut around the fields. I swear I heard them chatting, "Are we on holiday?" (ref: Chicken Run). Happy Chickens, Happy Customers.

So, I decided to do a little experiment. One dozen of grocery store "free range" eggs vs. one dozen of farm fresh, I-see-them-free-ranging eggs. Besides price, with grocery store at double the cost, I got a kick from the range of color of egg shells from the farm eggs. Size was inconsistent from the farm, as they are not sold by that standard, but I got over that quickly.

However, when I got them home and cracked them open, it was the color of the yolk that marked the most important difference.

Take a look, and see if you can spot the beta-carotene rich orange yolk from the imposter. Ahah! I have now discovered the value of Real free-range eggs. I know they may not be as convenient, requiring a separate trip. And you will have to seek out a reliable source. But, just maybe, you will be lucky and find someone right around the corner with eggs to spare. In my weak moments, I often consider adopting a few hens myself. But, then I snap back to reality, drive to the farm and purchase some beauties.

Back to my own little experiment in the pan.....after the photo shot, I had to do something with the eggs. So, I whipped up a little bit of Taos, New Mexico. Our most memorable meal there on a trip 10 years ago, was in a little diner for breakfast. Huevos Rancheros, Taos style.

My home version goes like this: Saute' up some diced potatoes and onions. Heat up a corn tortilla. Layer it on a plate with potatoes on top, 2 sunny side up farm fresh free-range eggs, ladle on the green chili sauce (a can of Hatch Green Chili Sauce from Whole Foods will do in a pinch, but this day I had frozen some homemade stuff), sprinkle cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Its our go-to weekend breakfast of champions.

So, consider the egg. The farm fresh, free ranging, free roaming, diverse heritage, happy, care free, cage-free, in-your-neighborhood chicken egg. Better for your health, your wallet, your taste buds,....... and better for the chickens. But lets not forget, better for the farmer who was kind enough to share them.