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The Accidental Vegetarian Archive Braised dishes present endless variations

Amanda Berne

 

Friday, August 28, 2009

 

 

 

--

The Accidental Vegetarian

Braised dishes present endless variations 08.28.09

Variations on summer salads 08.09.09

Creating yummy vegan sweets 07.05.09

Going vegan for a month 05.24.09

More The Accidental Vegetarian » .

--

Summer's supposed to be the season of bountiful for cooks, but for me it's about

hurry up and waiting. It's not to say that I don't enjoy the squash, cucumbers,

berries and stone fruit. It's just that sometimes I want to match my eggplant

with roasted sweet tomatoes, and those pole beans just beg for a long cook in my

own canned tomatoes. At first all I want are raw tomatoes, drizzled with oil,

and crusty bread to sop up the juices. As the tomatoes dwindle, I go into frenzy

mode, trying to figure out how to keep them for the cold months to come. I

freeze or can them to use throughout the year.

 

In braising, you can use fresh or canned tomatoes - just peel and seed, though

this is optional for tomatoes with very thin skins.

 

Braised dishes are such a natural for variation. Any hearty summer vegetable -

okra, beans, peas and eggplant - will stand up to a braise like this, and the

variations are endless. If you don't have fennel, substitute a carrot or more

celery. Instead of basil, try placing a branch of rosemary into the braise when

you add the tomatoes, then remove it right before serving.

 

I often mix vegetables, especially different types of wax beans. I find it hard

to control myself at the market when faced with purple, yellow and green wax

beans, Romanos and fresh cranberry beans (which can also be used after first

cooking them for about 15 to 20 minutes).

 

When choosing green, wax or Romano beans, pick bright green beans that are long

and slim, without large bulges from the beans within (these are generally older,

tougher beans), and avoid withered beans. Eggplant should be taut and shiny

without any soft spots or noticeable blemishes.

 

Tomato-y Romano Beans With Eggplant has many of the flavors of a traditional

eggplant caponata, a sour-sweet dish made in Sicily, but focuses instead on

broad hearty Romano beans as the main component. Baby eggplant are phenomenally

silky when cooked quickly over relatively high heat; they practically melt into

each bite and are kept from being too rich by the tangy tomatoes.

 

Each bite reminds me that the new crop is starting up. With a bit of planning,

this year I can avoid the frenzy. That is, if I can stop eating the tomatoes out

of hand first.

 

Tomato-y Romano Beans With Baby Eggplant

Serves 4 to 6

 

 

•1 1/2 pounds fresh Romano beans, green beans or other wax beans, trimmed

•1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

•1 small onion, chopped

•1 stalk celery, chopped

•1/2 bulb fennel, chopped

•2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

•-- Coarse salt

•1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes with juices

•1/4 cup vegetable stock + more as needed

•8 baby or Thai or other small variety eggplants, halved or cut into thirds

(or 1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes)

•1/4 cup sliced basil

•1 tablespoon coarsely chopped capers

•-- Squeeze of lemon, to taste

•-- Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Romano beans

until green and tender, but still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse under

cold water.

 

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add

onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery, fennel and garlic,

and season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened and turning golden, 7

to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes.

 

Add beans to the pan with the stock, and return to a simmer. Toss once, to cover

beans, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes,

until beans are tender. For older beans, you may have to cook an additional 10

minutes or so. Add more stock or water as needed so the liquid doesn't

completely evaporate.

 

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place

eggplants, cut sides down, in the oil, and cook until they are browned, about 5

to 10 minutes. Flip once, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Drain on

paper towels.

 

Once beans are tender, carefully fold in eggplant, basil and capers. Cook for 2

minutes more, then season with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper. Serve

hot, warm or at room temperature.

 

Per serving: 255 calories, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat (3 g

saturated), 0 cholesterol, 99 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.

 

Wine pairing: The flavors in this dish are reminiscent of ratatouille. Chilled

rosé, Gamay, Chianti or Barbera are good pairing choices. Try the 2007 Eberle

Steinbeck/Christian-Lazo Vineyards Paso Robles Barbera ($25).

 

Amanda Berne is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at

food, and go to sfgate.com/food to read her previous columns.

 

This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

 

 

 

Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/28/FDJS198VRR.DTL#ixzz0\

PaSEHZP8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me. "

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I never de-seed and skin tomatoes. I suppose it is best to do that if people are not so keen on them.

 

I have a vegetarian friend who nearly always uses a slow cooker, and makes some very nice dishes with a mixture of vegetables and herbs.

 

Jo

 

 

-

fraggle

vegan chat ; vegan-network

Saturday, August 29, 2009 4:40 PM

Braised dishes present endless variations

The Accidental Vegetarian Archive Braised dishes present endless variationsAmanda BerneFriday, August 28, 2009-------------------------The Accidental Vegetarian Braised dishes present endless variations 08.28.09 Variations on summer salads 08.09.09 Creating yummy vegan sweets 07.05.09 Going vegan for a month 05.24.09 More The Accidental Vegetarian » .-------------------------Summer's supposed to be the season of bountiful for cooks, but for me it's about hurry up and waiting. It's not to say that I don't enjoy the squash, cucumbers, berries and stone fruit. It's just that sometimes I want to match my eggplant with roasted sweet tomatoes, and those pole beans just beg for a long cook in my own canned tomatoes. At first all I want are raw tomatoes, drizzled with oil, and crusty bread to sop up the juices. As the tomatoes dwindle, I go into frenzy mode, trying to figure out how to keep them for the cold months to come. I freeze or can them to use throughout the year.In braising, you can use fresh or canned tomatoes - just peel and seed, though this is optional for tomatoes with very thin skins. Braised dishes are such a natural for variation. Any hearty summer vegetable - okra, beans, peas and eggplant - will stand up to a braise like this, and the variations are endless. If you don't have fennel, substitute a carrot or more celery. Instead of basil, try placing a branch of rosemary into the braise when you add the tomatoes, then remove it right before serving.I often mix vegetables, especially different types of wax beans. I find it hard to control myself at the market when faced with purple, yellow and green wax beans, Romanos and fresh cranberry beans (which can also be used after first cooking them for about 15 to 20 minutes).When choosing green, wax or Romano beans, pick bright green beans that are long and slim, without large bulges from the beans within (these are generally older, tougher beans), and avoid withered beans. Eggplant should be taut and shiny without any soft spots or noticeable blemishes.Tomato-y Romano Beans With Eggplant has many of the flavors of a traditional eggplant caponata, a sour-sweet dish made in Sicily, but focuses instead on broad hearty Romano beans as the main component. Baby eggplant are phenomenally silky when cooked quickly over relatively high heat; they practically melt into each bite and are kept from being too rich by the tangy tomatoes.Each bite reminds me that the new crop is starting up. With a bit of planning, this year I can avoid the frenzy. That is, if I can stop eating the tomatoes out of hand first.Tomato-y Romano Beans With Baby Eggplant Serves 4 to 6•1 1/2 pounds fresh Romano beans, green beans or other wax beans, trimmed•1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil•1 small onion, chopped•1 stalk celery, chopped•1/2 bulb fennel, chopped•2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed•-- Coarse salt •1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes with juices•1/4 cup vegetable stock + more as needed•8 baby or Thai or other small variety eggplants, halved or cut into thirds (or 1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes)•1/4 cup sliced basil•1 tablespoon coarsely chopped capers •-- Squeeze of lemon, to taste •-- Freshly ground black pepper to tasteInstructions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Romano beans until green and tender, but still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water.Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery, fennel and garlic, and season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened and turning golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes.Add beans to the pan with the stock, and return to a simmer. Toss once, to cover beans, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until beans are tender. For older beans, you may have to cook an additional 10 minutes or so. Add more stock or water as needed so the liquid doesn't completely evaporate.Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place eggplants, cut sides down, in the oil, and cook until they are browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Flip once, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Once beans are tender, carefully fold in eggplant, basil and capers. Cook for 2 minutes more, then season with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.Per serving: 255 calories, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat (3 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 99 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.Wine pairing: The flavors in this dish are reminiscent of ratatouille. Chilled rosé, Gamay, Chianti or Barbera are good pairing choices. Try the 2007 Eberle Steinbeck/Christian-Lazo Vineyards Paso Robles Barbera ($25).Amanda Berne is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com, and go to sfgate.com/food to read her previous columns.This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/28/FDJS198VRR.DTL#ixzz0PaSEHZP8"Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me."

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I thought mine were finished so i tried to pull them out of their containers, but I couldn't do it so i decided to cut them down and dig the rest out. When I cut them down, there was new growth there so I left it to see what would happen and now I have 2 new plants with blossoms. I hope I actually get some tomatoes from them. We don't have frost here(usually) so there could be enough warm weather left for them to actually do something. Last year my plant produced tomatoes clear up to November.Patricia--- On Sat, 8/29/09, jo.heartwork <jo.heartwork wrote:jo.heartwork <jo.heartworkRe: Braised dishes present

endless variations Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 12:27 PM



 

I never de-seed and skin tomatoes. I suppose it is best to do that if people are not so keen on them.

 

I have a vegetarian friend who nearly always uses a slow cooker, and makes some very nice dishes with a mixture of vegetables and herbs.

 

Jo

 

 

-

fraggle

vegan chat ; vegan-network

Saturday, August 29, 2009 4:40 PM

Braised dishes present endless variations

The Accidental Vegetarian Archive Braised dishes present endless variationsAmanda BerneFriday, August 28, 2009------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -The Accidental Vegetarian Braised dishes present endless variations 08.28.09 Variations on summer salads 08.09.09 Creating yummy vegan sweets 07.05.09 Going vegan for a month 05.24.09 More The Accidental Vegetarian » .------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -Summer's supposed to be the season of bountiful for cooks, but for me it's about hurry up and waiting. It's not to say that I don't enjoy the squash, cucumbers, berries and stone fruit. It's just that sometimes I want to match my eggplant with roasted sweet tomatoes, and those pole beans just beg for a long cook in my own canned tomatoes. At first all I want are raw tomatoes, drizzled with oil, and crusty bread to sop up the juices. As the tomatoes dwindle, I go into frenzy mode, trying to figure out how to keep them for the cold months to come. I freeze or can them to use throughout the year.In braising, you can use fresh or canned tomatoes - just peel and seed, though this is optional for tomatoes with very thin skins. Braised dishes are such a natural for variation. Any hearty summer vegetable - okra, beans, peas and eggplant - will stand up to a braise like this, and the variations are endless. If you don't have fennel, substitute a carrot or more celery. Instead of basil, try placing a branch of rosemary into the braise when you add the tomatoes, then remove it right before serving.I often mix vegetables, especially different types of wax beans. I find it hard to control myself at the market when faced with purple, yellow and green wax beans, Romanos and fresh cranberry beans (which can also be used after first cooking them for about 15 to 20 minutes).When choosing green, wax or Romano beans, pick bright green beans that are long and slim, without large bulges from the beans within (these are generally older, tougher beans), and avoid withered beans. Eggplant should be taut and shiny without any soft spots or noticeable blemishes.Tomato-y Romano Beans With Eggplant has many of the flavors of a traditional eggplant caponata, a sour-sweet dish made in Sicily, but focuses instead on broad hearty Romano beans as the main component. Baby eggplant are phenomenally silky when cooked quickly over relatively high heat; they practically melt into each bite and are kept from being too rich by the tangy tomatoes.Each bite reminds me that the new crop is starting up. With a bit of planning, this year I can avoid the frenzy. That is, if I can stop eating the tomatoes out of hand first.Tomato-y Romano Beans With Baby Eggplant Serves 4 to 6•1 1/2 pounds fresh Romano beans, green beans or other wax beans, trimmed•1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil•1 small onion, chopped•1 stalk celery, chopped•1/2 bulb fennel, chopped•2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed•-- Coarse salt •1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes with juices•1/4 cup vegetable stock + more as needed•8 baby or Thai or other small variety eggplants, halved or cut into thirds (or 1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes)•1/4 cup sliced basil•1 tablespoon coarsely chopped capers •-- Squeeze of lemon, to taste •-- Freshly ground black pepper to tasteInstructions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Romano beans until green and tender, but still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water.Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery, fennel and garlic, and season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened and turning golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes.Add beans to the pan with the stock, and return to a simmer. Toss once, to cover beans, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until beans are tender. For older beans, you may have to cook an additional 10 minutes or so. Add more stock or water as needed so the liquid doesn't completely evaporate.Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place eggplants, cut sides down, in the oil, and cook until they are browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Flip once, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Once beans are tender, carefully fold in eggplant, basil and capers. Cook for 2 minutes more, then season with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.Per serving: 255 calories, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat (3 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 99 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.Wine pairing: The flavors in this dish are reminiscent of ratatouille. Chilled rosé, Gamay, Chianti or Barbera are good pairing choices. Try the 2007 Eberle Steinbeck/Christian -Lazo Vineyards Paso Robles Barbera ($25).Amanda Berne is a former Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at food (AT) sfchronicle (DOT) com, and go to sfgate.com/food to read her previous columns.This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco ChronicleRead more: http://www.sfgate. com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? f=/c/a/2009/ 08/28/FDJS198VRR .DTL#ixzz0PaSEHZ P8"Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me."

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