Swiss Chard With Pinto Beans and Goat Cheese: After the Fire

(Hey folks! Today on Serious Eats, I recount my tentative step into the wide world of tofu. The good news: after whipping up a Sweet and Spicy stirfry from All Recipes, I’d do it again. The bad news: there is no bad news, making this an extraneous sentence.)

About two years ago, right before I started this blog, I attempted to make Swiss Chard With White Beans from a recipe I found online. Ignorant to the world of chard, I shoved a bunch in a big pot with a little water, turned the heat to high, and abandoned it for about 15 minutes.

You know how it smells when hair burns? Like, when you get too close to your birthday cake and singe your bangs? Or you try to ignite a lighter for a college comedy sketch, and you accidentally spark your left eyebrow, turning part of it white? This was like that, only possessing distinct undernotes of leafy greenness.

Turned out, chard is not supposed to be left unsupervised in a closed vessel over open flames. Besides creating an apartment-wide stink bomb, I also burned the sides of Rachel’s big pot to ashy black oblivion. As I recounted in this September 2008 post, chard’s been a non-entity in my kitchen ever since. Also, I still owe Rach a new pot.

Happily, that chardlessness ended this weekend, with a big ol’ batch of Swiss Chard With Pinto Beans and Goat Cheese from All Recipes. This stuff was good – even better than I expected, and I expected pretty great things.

The recipe starts simply by sautéing and steaming a behemoth bunch of chard over butter and olive oil, then adding beans, tomatoes, and – get this – lime juice. Say what? Yep.

Then, everything’s topped with a smattering of goat cheese, and thrown into a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, or just enough time to warm the frommage. The result is savory, creamy, substantial, and bright all at the once. Needless to say, I will be making it again. Perhaps several times. Perhaps on a Tuesday.

In conclusion, welcome back, Swiss chard! I missed you, and promise never to scorch you and/or your cooking implement beyond recognition again.

Also, Rach, I swear that pot is coming.

Swiss Chard with Pinto Beans and Goat Cheese
Makes 5 good-sized side servings
Adapted from All Recipes.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 huge bunch Swiss chard (or 2 smaller bunches) - rinsed, stems removed, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.

2) In a large skillet or pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute 30 to 60 seconds. Add Swiss chard. Cover. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pintos, tomato, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir. Cover again. Cook a few more minutes, until chard is totally wilted.  .

3) Pour mixture into baking dish. Spread out evenly and push down a little bit. Dot with goat cheese. Bake 15 minutes. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
200 calories, 9.6 g fat, $1.05

Calculations
1 tablespoon vegetable oil: 124 calories, 14 g fat, $0.09
1 tablespoon butter: 102 calories, 11.5 g fat, $0.07
2 cloves garlic, minced: 4 calories, 0 g fat, $0.05
1 pinch red pepper flakes: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 huge bunch Swiss chard (or 2 smaller bunches) - rinsed, stems removed, and cut into 1/2 inch slices: 182 calories, 1.9 g fat, $1.99
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained: 361 calories, 3.4 g fat, $0.75
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped: 16 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.34
Salt and pepper to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice: 5 calories, 0 g fat, $0.16
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese: 207 calories, 16.9 g fat, $1.75
TOTAL: 1001 calories, 47.9 g fat, $5.24
PER SERVING (TOTAL/5): 200 calories, 9.6 g fat, $1.05

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Posted in: Mains,Sides,Vegetarian

Zucchini and Rosemary Soup: In Defense of Food

What do you do when someone in your family loathes a dish, but you adore it? Do you keep making it? Do you have pity and eliminate it from rotation? Do you keep a stash hidden in your toilet tank, to secretly parse out to yourself at random intervals?

What if you were a food blogger? What if you whipped up a soup (er … for example), and half of your crowd despised it like a despot, while the other half praised it like a prophet? Would you post it? Would you bury it in your archives, next to that Potato and Black Bean Pancakes recipe that tasted like the filling of a futon?

Here’s why I ask.

A few days ago, as part of our Eat Your Veggies Experiment, I fed Dustin and Linda each a bowl of Bon Appetit’s Zucchini and Rosemary Soup. They HATED it. Like, if Darth Vader served it to them on the flaming corpse of a dead bunny, they couldn’t have disliked it more.

In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. Neither of them are big zucchini fans, and the texture was a little too bizarre for such particular eaters. Dustin was most wary of the aftertaste, and my sister said it looked “like snot,” which … okay, point taken.

Thing was, I loved the soup. My lunch for the last three days has consisted of: the soup, a banana, and whatever random starch I dig out of my fridge door. And without hyperbolizing in the slightest, it’s made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life.

Rachel loved it, too. Even Epicurious readers were cocoa for cuckoo poops about it, lavishing the recipe with a 92% approval rating. That’s better than both Southern Fried Chicken AND Chocolate Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting. So there you go.

Subsequently, I’m postin’ it. That’s right, punks. This thing is going up on the blog, about six inches below this very sentence. No one can stop me, except maybe a Sith lord and his fiery rabbit.

Of course, if you were to try it, know the following:

1) This was already a waggin-fraggin bargain, but will be much cheaper in two or three months, when zucchini is in season.

2) You could probably cut all the butter to make it even leaner, but it’s sterile and I like the taste. (What movie?)

3) I added croutons, but omitted the scallions and chunked zucchini. You can, too. Remember: cooking has no boundaries except those you impose on yourself. (And those that fire marshals impose upon you. Those are pretty important, too.)

Have a fabulous weekend, folks. Get outside if you can, and make this soup, too. The dislikers will get over it, and you’ll be happier in the end.

Zucchini and Rosemary Soup
Adapted from the Bon Appétit/Epicurious
Serves 8

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, separated
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1 russet potato, peeled, sliced
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (optional)
Croutons (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)

In a big pot or Dutch oven, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. When butter melts, add onion. Cook 5 minutes, until a little soft and translucent. Add garlic and rosemary. Stir. Add broth and potato. Jack heat up to high. Once it starts boiling, drop heat to medium-low and cook/simmer 10 minutes. Add the 3 sliced zucchinis. Cook another 15 minutes. (Zucchini should be tender at that point.) Puree, using either a regular blender or a stick blender. (Be super careful with the regular one, working in batches.) Salt and pepper to taste.

OPTIONAL (I didn't do this): "Cook cubed zucchini in saucepan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Drain. Rewarm soup over medium heat. Ladle into bowls. Top with zucchini and croutons. Sprinkle with green onions."

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
78 calories, 4 g fat, $0.78

Calculations
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, separated: 204 calories, 23 g fat, $0.18
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil: 66 calories, 7.5 g fat, $0.05
1 large onion, chopped: 63 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.25
2 garlic cloves, sliced: 9 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary: 2 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.18
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth: 30 calories, 0 g fat, $2.25
1 russet potato, peeled, sliced: 168 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.45
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced: 94 calories, 1.2 g fat, $2.72
Salt and pepper to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
TOTAL: 636 calories, 32.3 g fat, $6.20
PER SERVING (TOTAL/8): 78 calories, 4 g fat, $0.78

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Posted in: Mains,Sides,Soups and Stocks,Vegetarian

CHG Favorites of the Week

Food Blog of the Week
Chow Mama
Imagine a kid food site that didn’t fall back on fish sticks or chicken fingers, and you’ve got Chow Mama. An attractive, simple design paired with good-lookin’ recipes make it fun to flip through, even from the non-moms among us. And if that’s not enough, check the mission statement: “Being a ChowMama (and ChowPapa!) is all about feeding your family delicious and nutritious foods that keep the whole family happy and healthy. Because the foods we feed our children when they’re little help shape their eating habits for life.” Cheers!

Food Comedy of the Week
“Sur La Table” from South Park
Parker and Stone milk the kitchen store’s gratuitously French pronunciation for all it’s worth. Hilare! (Thanks to Eat Me Daily for the link.)



Food Quote of the Week
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Food Movie Clip of the Week
The food fight scene from Animal House
Yes, it’s dubbed in Italian. But did that matter when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? No! So much of the genius lies in John Belushi’s facial expressions, it works anyway.



Totally Unrelated Extra Special Bonus of the Week
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Trailer
EEEE! It’s weird to think that a generation of children is going to grow up SCARED TO DEATH of Ralph Fiennes. Granted, he’s played a sleazy drug addict, a mental patient, a serial killer, the worst Nazi ever, and now Lord Voldemort, but … um … okay, I had a point here somewhere.

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Posted in: Links

Veggie Might: BBQ Slaw, Y'all

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.

This weekend I was craving a little Southern fried comfort food. For a vegetarian substitute, well-pressed firm tofu, dredged in corn meal hits spot perfectly. It tastes nothing like catfish, but satisfies the craving for something savory, chewy, and cooked in oil.

To go with it, I whipped up some hush puppies from a mix my mother put in my take-home box the last time I visited (along with boxes of Luzianne tea and Duke’s mayonnaise, neither of which I can get in the great white north). I still needed a vegetable.

Oh crisper drawer, why are ye always so bare toward the end of the pay period? I had three beets and a 1/2 a cabbage left over from the massive pot of gumbo I took to an Easter/Passover, dual-holiday, superfood blowout on Saturday.

Pop Quiz 1
Drawing conclusions from the passage above, what could Leigh make with the vegetables in her fridge to go with fried “catfish” and hushpuppies?

Answer: Slaw, y’all.

Everyone from North Carolina’s southern Piedmont region knows there are two kinds of slaw: regular slaw and barbecue slaw. Regular slaw is classic mayo-based cabbage slaw with carrots thrown in for color. Barbecue slaw is cream-based with a barbecue flavor.

Regular slaw is traditionally served on hamburgers, hot dogs, and alongside fried fish and hushpuppies at fish camps.

Pop Quiz 2
What is a fish camp?

Answer: A restaurant near a river where local fisherman sell their catch to the hungry public.

Barbecue slaw is similar to regular slaw, but with a kick. It is served with barbecue, either on the side of or right on a pulled pork or chicken sandwich. When I’m back home, I go for a “slawburger,” (bbq slaw + pickle + bun = slawburger), which makes for an awesome if sloppy sandwich. And my dad’s recipe is dang good.

Pop Quiz 3
True or False: You can’t mix BBQ slaw with fish fixin’s.

Answer: False. All this stuff is interchangeable.

Since I get hushpuppies at both fish camps and bbq joints, I figured I could have bbq slaw with my fried tofish. (I just invented a new fake meat!) Plus, beets are strong and I knew they would overpower the dressing if I mixed them into regular slaw.

I was right, and it turned out great. It’s been a perfect compliment to tofish, grilled cheese, and my fork all week long.

The beets nearly overtook this recipe too, so I added more sauce than the regular recipe calls for. If you make this with more cabbage and fewer beets, halve all the amounts except for the soymilk. You’ll be golden.

Oh, crisper drawer, you forced me improvise and added color and fiber to my deep fried food festival. My arteries and my mouth thank you. Dad, thanks for the recipe. I hope it wasn’t a deep dark family secret.

Beet and Cabbage BBQ Slaw—Veganized and Fancified
Yields 8 to 10 servings

Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
3 medium beets, peeled and grated

Dad’s BBQ Slaw Sauce (adapted)
1/2 c ketchup
4 tbsp chili powder (or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1/3 cup soymilk
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1) Peel and grate beets into a large bowl.

2) Chop cabbage and add to beets. Toss.

3) Mix all measured sauce ingredients in small mixing bowl.

4) Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

5) Whisk together well.

6) Pour over cabbage/beet mixture and toss until well combined.

7) Chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with “BBQ,” “catfish,” or just eat it right out of the bowl.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
Per serving: 28 calories, .25g fat, $0.28 (8 servings)

Calculations
1/2 green cabbage: 89 calories, .5g fat, $.50
3 medium beets: 105 calories, 0g fat, $.99
1/2 c ketchup: negligible calories and fat, $.37
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper: negligible calories and fat, $.02
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard: negligible calories and fat, $.01
1/3 cup soymilk: 30 calories, 1.5g fat, $.13
1 tsp liquid smoke: negligible calories and fat, $.08
1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce: negligible calories and fat, $.06
garlic powder to taste: negligible calories and fat, $.02
salt and pepper to taste: negligible calories and fat, $.02
Totals: 224 calories, 2g fat, $2.20
Per serving: 28 calories, .25g fat, $0.28 (8 servings)

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Posted in: Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

The Eat Your Veggies Experiment Part 2: Results

Two weeks ago, CHG posted a piece called Learning to Love Foods You Hate: a How-to Guide for Frugal Eaters. Essentially, it claimed that reconsidering loathed fruits and veggies will make you healthier and cost less money. Then, it gave several ideas on how to go about that mission.

Last week, Rachel and I decided to conduct an experiment to put our theories to the test. You met our testees, Linda (my sister) and Dustin (a friend / Comedy Nerd extraordinaire). They explained which foods they like (pasta), which they hate (almost all veggies), and then you guys gave tons of fantastic suggestions about how to feed them. They included:

• Juice: “Roasted cauliflower with parm cheese. … Or puree a veggie into some pasta sauce, or zucchini bread.”
• Kitchen Bitsch: ‘I do think that a lasagne or quiche could be a way to start. If all else fails, deep fry.”
• TC Byrd: “I'm definitely thinking a red sauce could be useful here.”
• Katie: “You can pretty much throw zucchini in no matter what you make. … The flavor is so mild and the texture so innocuous, it blends really well and is easy to hide!”
• Jen: “I have found soup is always good, especially if you serve it with some bread… Pureed foods (soup, dips, sauces, etc) might also avoid texture issues. (That's how I convinced my husband mushrooms weren't Satan's vegetable.)”

Thanks to your ideas, we decided on zucchini bread, zucchini soup, mashed potatoes with cauliflower, a red sauce with a pureed red bell pepper, and eggplant lasagna.

And last night, we conducted our experiment.

Here's how it went down: we served Dustin and Linda five separate courses. They didn’t know what was in them beforehand, and recorded their ratings (from 1 to 10) and impressions after each one. We also had two Control Group members (The Boyfriend and Dustin’s wife J) to ensure that the recipes were, in fact, palatable.

So ... was the food any good? Do Dustin and Linda now like vegetables? Did either of them throw anything at me? Read on to find out the results, along with the recipes, the principles we followed from LtLFYHaHGfFE, and everyone’s reaction to each dish...

DISH 1
Mom’s Zucchini Bread from All Recipes
Principle: Cook the best-reviewed recipe you can find featuring that food.

DUSTIN: 5 - Didn’t really taste like anything to me. It was sort of like not eating anything.

LINDA: 9 – It’s desserty! It tastes like Mom’s banana bread but less sweet. Yum! And, bread is good!

CONTROL GROUP: 9.5 & 8 – “sweet, cinnamony, light,” “yummy.”


DISH 2
Zucchini-Rosemary Soup from Epicurious
(changes: halved the olive oil)
Principle: Understand you don’t have to eat it the way your Ma (or Pa) prepared it.

DUSTIN: 3 – Aftertaste is kind of gross. Mostly garlic or oniony taste up top. Worse over time.

LINDA: 5 – Looks like snot. I can see the onions – no good. (I think she though that the bits of zucchini were scallions. - Kris) I like the croutons, though, and that makes me want to eat it.

CONTROL GROUP: 7 & 6 - “nice rosemary flavor,” “texture is not pleasant, leaves me wanting a substance I can taste and either slurp or chew.”


DISH 3
Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower from Recipe Zaar
(changes: used 31 oz potatoes, 13 oz cauliflower, added extra tablespoon of butter)
Principle: Make it unrecognizable.

DUSTIN: 6 – It tasted pretty normal. I might eat it again.

LINDA: 8 – I only eat mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, and it reminds me of that. Good. I would definitely eat this again.

CONTROL GROUP: 8 & 8.5 – “I like the lumps & pepperyness & butteryness.” “Best mashed potato home-style recipe ever. Just awesome.”


DISH 4
Ziti with Ragu and a Pureed Red Bell Pepper
Principle: Use it in a recipe with foods you love.

DUSTIN: 1 – Do not like taste. Do not like smell. It tastes like grossness. AND I LOVE PASTA. But not this pasta.

LINDA: 2 – I really wanted to like this because it’s after all, pasta. But it smells funky and tastes offensive. Reminds me of licorice.

CONTROL GROUP: 7 & 7 – “nice, sweet, better with grated cheese,” “an excellent sauce.”


DISH 5
Eggplant Lasagna from About.com
(changes: used 1-lb eggplant, added 4 oz. mozzarella, deleted olive oil, mushrooms and onions)
Principle: Try it in an ethnic dish.


DUSTIN: 2 – Again, aftertaste is very not good. Did not like any of it. Just make lasagna.

LINDA: 3 – That funky green stuff ruins the whole thing. I found some celery in it which I like, but it was so mushy. The pasta was good, though. (FWIW, there was no celery in it. - Kris)

CONTROL GROUP: 7.5 & 6 – “interesting flavor, different,” “ a tasty lasagna, but lacked punch and needed some spice.”


How do you feel about this experiment?

DUSTIN: I felt like it only showed you can make inferior versions of food that people might be okay with.

LINDA: Fine, but I’m still hungry.

CONTROL GROUP: “It was yummy.” “I eat anything.”


Do you feel the experimenters tried to accommodate your tastes? Why or why not?

DUSTIN: It made an attempt – except for the pasta. That was just bad.

LINDA: Yes. All the foods were dressed as something I would eat.

CONTROL GROUP: “It was innovative, which is good.” “No. I like spicier, richer tastes.”


Will this change the way you eat (in any capacity) in the future?

DUSTIN: Nope. But you knew that going in.

LINDA: I think I may try zucchini in the future.

CONTROL GROUP: “I am already very open in my eating choices, but I think I will explore even more.” “No.”


MY THOUGHTS

I went into the experiment hoping Lin would like three dishes, and Dustin wouldn’t puke. Based on those expectations, I’m pretty happy. Yeah, the pasta sauce was a bust (and how!), but the potatoes and bread went over much better than I anticipated. (They were BY FAR the unhealthiest dishes, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.) That Lin is willing to try zucchini now is just an added bonus.

Ultimately, I think the initial article still holds up. Getting someone to reconsider a food they hate is a tough process, and takes persistence and creativity. But you have to start somewhere. Maybe with a zucchini bread?

We end with two quick semi-confidential notes to readers:

• I Heart Kale! I made kale pesto. I loved it, but thought it was a bit too strong-flavored for our eaters. Instead, The Boyfriend and I will be feasting on it tonight. Thank you!
• Watershed! I had every intention of making Sweet Potato Ravioli but couldn’t find wonton wrappers ANYWHERE. Where do you get these things? There are two pounds of sweet potatoes sitting in my pantry that would love to know.

**Same as last week, less-than-charitable criticism will be deleted immediately.**

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality,Health

City Kitchen Chronicles: Pecan Cookies and Baking Conundrums

City Kitchen Chronicles is a bi-weekly column about living frugally in Manhattan. It's penned by the lovely Jaime.

In terms of my current cooking confidence, I wouldn’t say that I’m scared of baking. For cooking (as opposed to baking) I’m an improviser, but I enjoy the recipe-following of baking. It’s been thoroughly impressed upon me that baking recipes must be followed precisely – the balance of flour, fat, liquid, and leavening is a science, and not a place for uninformed tinkering. When I get the chance to bake, I enjoy it.

I took one such chance last week, making cookies for my dad’s Passover seder. (The seder is the Passover dinner. “Seder” means order, and, when observed thoroughly, it’s a run-through of over a dozen steps – bless the wine, wash your hands, eat the green vegetables, bless some more wine, bless and eat the matzah, recount the ten plagues, etc.) I’d stumbled across what looked like an easy, tasty recipe, and I’m discovering that I really love sharing food I’ve made, the making and the sharing. It warms my heart.

So, anyway, this recipe. I realize that as it’s flourless (and simple) it doesn’t really fall under the whole DON’T ALTER THE BAKING RECIPE thing. I mean, not that it would work as well if messed with, but it’s not a cake. But this was an occasion to learn a different baking lesson: read the Epicurious comments, and listen to them.

This recipe has 17 reviews, ranging from four forks to zero. Let’s look at a few:

After making this and having it spread into one giant mess, I realized the egg whites need to be beaten to soft peaks. What a waste of expensive pecans.

Great cookies! I beat the egg whites until they held a peak but were not stiff or dry. The batter spread but puffed up during baking. My husband always prefers something with chocolate, so I melted chocolate chips and made sandwich cookies with the melted chocolate in the middle. They were enjoyed by all.

There is something wrong with this recipe. I tried it twice and wasted all my ingredients. The batter spread into one big mess. After reading other reviews perhaps the egg whites need to be beaten until stiff. I hope you can advise.

… I had a little batter left over after the first batch and I made much smaller cookies i.e. a very level tablespoon. For some reason these cookies did not flatten out the way the larger ones did.

…Ok, so I have now made these cookies 3 times. I have whipped the egg whites and only lightly beaten them. Either way had no impact. The trick to these cookies is the parchment paper.

…Recipe should be more specific about what to do with the whites.

Do not bake them for the time recommended, as you will end up with burnt cookies (which I did). For the second batch, I turned the oven down to 350 and baked them only 10 mins. You really have to watch them.

Okay, there’s obviously something tricky going on here. I decided I would make a sort of test run batch for a potluck the week before Passover. If things went well, I’d make them again for the seder.

And things did not go well. Mostly because I pretty much followed the recipe, rather than heeding the comments. I baked the cookies on parchment, but they still spread. I beat the egg whites until foamy (the recipe doesn’t specify anything beyond “lightly beaten”) rather than until they made soft peaks, and the cookies were flat. I baked at the recipe-specified 375, and they burned.

By the time the last sheet of test-run cookies went in the oven, I’d turned down the heat, so at least they weren’t burning, but they were not what I’d call a success. I almost didn’t tackle them again for Passover, but what cookies weren’t burnt were, although ugly, pretty dang tasty.

So the day of the seder, I gathered my ingredients, revisited the comments and reviewed my experience, and set to work. And I ended up with a pile of delicious, unburnt cookies that were only mildly ugly. I could convince myself they were lacy rather than pockmarked. I consider this a success.

But let’s look at how many changes/clarifications are necessary to make the original recipe work:

• Change oven temp from 375 to 325.
• Adjust baking time from 15-17 minutes to “just watch them.”
• Clarify that “lightly beaten” is actually “beaten until they form soft peaks, and then a bit longer for good measure.”
• Emphasize that parchment paper is necessary to make these cookies work.
• Form cookies from teaspoons of batter rather than half-tablespoons.
  

Oh, also, because my mostly Dominican neighborhood doesn’t stock Kosher for Passover ingredients in the supermarkets, I made these with corn starch rather than potato starch. That doesn’t change the recipe or the cookies other than making them not actually Kosher for Passover.

My dad’s seder was a very lax place.

Crunchy Pecan Cookies
Makes about 35 cookies
Adapted from Gourmet/Epicurious

1 ½ cups pecans
1 cup sugar
¼ cup corn or potato starch
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
3 large egg whites

1) Pre-heat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I think a silpat might work for this, but an unlined baking sheet will probably be bad news.)

2) Chop 1 cup pecans.

3) Combine remaining ½ cup pecans, sugar, starch, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until until "finely ground," but not long enough so it becomes pasty.

4) To a large bowl, add egg whites. Beat them with a hand mixer until you get soft peaks. (Err on the side of overbeating.)

5) Gently mix food processor mix into egg whites, then stir in the chopped pecans

6) Drop teaspoons of batter onto baking sheet with 2” space and bake until cookies are lightly browned, 12-20 minutes. (Eyeball it.) Slide parchment off the sheet and on to a wire rack. Once cookies are completely cool, remove them from parchment.

7) Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. (They age well, getting nice and crispy the next day. Just make sure they’re totally cooled before sealing them up.)

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Cookie
62.3 calories, 3.6 g fat, $0.14

Calculations
1 ½ cups pecans: 1233 calories, 128.5 g fat, $3.75
1 cup sugar: 774 calories, 0 g fat, $0.50
¼ cup corn starch: 122 calories, 0 g fat, $0.05
¼ tsp salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
¼ tsp cinnamon: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
3 large egg whites: 51 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.70
TOTAL: 2181 calories, 128.7 g fat, $5.02
PER COOKIE (TOTAL/35): 62.3 calories, 3.6 g fat, $0.14

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Posted in: City Kitchen Chronicles,Desserts and Snacks,Vegetarian

Tuesday Megalinks: The Origami Edition

This week, the internets were all about saving money on food, the dangers of vegetarianism, and lots and lots of service industry foul-ups. The $400 service charge will BLOW YOUR MIND.

Casual Kitchen: Six Good Things About the Awful Economy
Though Dan’s excellent rundown focuses on food, I offer this as #7: more time for checking your bank statements. Seriously, I never knew as much about money as I do now. Thanks, recession!

Consumerist: 112 Ways to Save Money
Consumerist asked, readers answered. From “serging” socks to nuking pens for their last bit of ink, you will never need another frugality post. I promise.

Consumerist: Let Supermarkets Help You Save Money
When it comes to this blog, there are fewer more thrilling quotes than: “Consumer Reports is gearing up to release their supermarket ratings, but the preliminary results show that supermarkets are trying to help consumers by extending sales and rewarding loyalty.” FEEL THE EXCITEMENT!

Dear Abby: Family Feuds Over Passing Of Plate From Bargain Buffet
As a dedicated Dear Abby reader since third grade, I had to pass along this letter from STEAMED AT THE SALAD BAR IN COLORADO. She witnessed a relative buy a single ticket for an all-you-can-eat buffet, and then feed her whole family from that one plate. Abby responds in kind, and does not hold back with the wet noodle, folks.

Eater: Tipped Off – the 20% House Charge at Masa
Once you get beyond the fact that this is a $2000 dinner bill, take a look at the $400 service charge. It’s not a tip – gratuity has yet to be added on. That is a honkin’ load of bullcrap, people.

The Kitchn: Good Question – How Can I Preserve All These Onions?
Do you have a plethora of onions leftover from the winter? Are you wondering what to do with them? Can you operate a spatula? Good. Read this.

The Kitchn: Good Question – Lighter Recipes for Dutch Oven Cooking
Do any cooks out there read the words “dutch oven” and giggle, because they still think of the “farting in bed” definition? I do. I’m nine.

Michael Ruhlman: Dough and Batter Ratios (the Chart!)
Prepare to be blinded by science: blogger / chef / personality Ruhlman has boiled baking down to a few simple mathematical proportions. Here, they’re presented in lovely chart form.

New York Times: New York Health Official Calls for Tax on Drinks With Sugar
…but New York politicians aren’t likely to enact any legislation. Because taking soda from New Yorkers would be like taking bagels from New Yorkers. Violence and sugar crashes will follow.

Oregon LIVE: Make the Most of Bulk Bins
Thorough, brilliant article on the art of bulk bin buying. A must-read. Just tremendous. (Thanks to reader Karen for the suggestion.)

Serious Eats: Served – The Ballsy Waitress
SE’s resident server columnist got a $5 tip on a $66 bill. So, though she’d never done it before, she confronted the guests, asking if there was anything wrong with the service. They said, “no, you were great,” realized the mistake, and coughed up another $8. Has this ever happened to you?

The Simple Dollar: Buying Fresh, Buying Cheap
Short ‘n’ simple guide to getting fresh fruits and veggies at a low, low price.

Surgical Technical Schools: 100 Best Blogs for Living Healthy on a Budget
“Is this heaven?”
“No, it’s Iowa an even hundred of the web’s best offerings.”
“Oh. I must have taken a wrong turn. Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s okay. Wait! You forgot your coat!”
"Oh! Thanks. Man, this has taken a weird turn for what's essentially a blog blurb."
"Yeah, I know. Wanna go get some coffee?"
"I do. Let's hurry!"

Time Magazine: Is Vegetarianism a Teen Eating Disorder?
Get this: Minnesota professors found that a full fifth (20%) of teenage vegetarians have eating disorders of some kind. Apparently, lots of veggie kids are more concerned with keeping their weight down than saving a chicken, and see going meat-free as an easier way to do that.

And last but definitely not least, Leigh’s Gumbo post was included in this weeks Make it From Scratch Carnival, hosted at I’ve Gotta Little Space to Fill. Thanks, MB!

(Photos courtesy of Amazing-Arts, Colectiva, and PJ Lighthouse.)

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