What I learned today (Take Two)

I add salt, if needed to beans after they are cooked.

I learned from Rancho Gordo to salt the beans after they have cooked, taste, and adjust seasonings if needed.

Nor do I. Osmosis (absorption of water by the dried beans) is a big part of the cooking process. Salting the water will slow that down. Not what I would want, given how long some dried beans take to cook, chickpeas probably being the worst in the time-to-cook department. I add any necessary salt after the beans are done. -Paul W.

Sorry, but au contraire. Salting before cooking works better. As ATK (and many other sources) state:

As the beans brine in the salt water, the sodium ions replace some of the calcium and magnesium ions in the skins, causing the pectin to weaken. Because sodium ions are more weakly charged than calcium and magnesium ions, they allow more water to penetrate the skins, leading to a softer texture.

Aha, different mechanism from osmosis. Thanks for the correction.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

So I visited the India Mart again today. Only my third visit there in about three months, but they recognize me now and lacking any other customers at 10 a.m. I got a lot of personalized attention. I discovered that what I call pattypan squash are highly valued in the Indian community, where they call them Chapan Kaddu. This is exciting as it's my very favorite squash, and not one I ever see in conventional western grocers.

Of course I bought some. I also bought another summer type squash I don't know at all but which my new friend there says is very similar to patty pan squash. Small, round, with a greenish white skin about the color of honeydew melon. They're called Tinda and I can't wait to try them. I also bought Moringa, another new item to me, which are in looks similar to what I know of as Chinese okra but which are skinny, maybe 1/2" diameter, and around two feet long. They cook in about the same time and manner as real okra, and one peels them a little prior to sauteeing. Are good combined with potatoes and some tomato-spice stuff I'm told. Will get back to you all on what those are like.

Also bought more Rusk. This one contains fennel. Haven't tried it yet but I'm excited.

[Jenise]

Oh, and I forgot the most important thing I learned in the produce department at IndiaMart. That the 'saag' in Saag Paneer is actually rapini, not spinach as I have always believed. Sometimes spinach might be blended in, but it's not standard.

I've seen tinda for sale at Indian groceries but never tried it. None of the conventional groceries around here carry pattypan.

Saag is the generic term for cooked greens,, just as dal is a generic term for dried bean/lentil preparations. Saag can be made with spinach, mustard greens, collard, etc. as well as rapini.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

At this market, 'saag' is also the name for raw rapini/rabe.

[Jenise]

So yesterday I learned that I do not like the vegetable I bought at the India Mart called moringo. Long 18 inch-ish skinny pods require peeling. They are woody, skinny and not perfectly straight so this is not easily done. They had a starchy-sticky feel to them once peeled. I boiled a small amount just to see what I had here and did not like the flavor--vaguely okra-ish--nor the woody texture which did not cook out, and tossed the rest. Boo hiss moringo!

It appears that moringa is more of a medicine than anything else, although it is also consumed as a vegetable.

Growing up I was surrounded by my grandparents and auntie's giant gardens. I grew up loving most veggies, which were usually boiled to death. Nowadays, we have grown to love roasting our veggies or grilling them. I roasted beets, then peeled and usually pickled them. Then I discovered the beautiful golden beets with the stripped interiors at Farmer's Market. Yesterday, I decided to use a potato peeler and peel them first, cut them into bite-sized chunks, and toss them into a bowl with uncured red onion wedges, Brussels sprouts, sliced garlic, fresh lemon wedges, shishito peppers, and large chunks of small zucchini. A good toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of Penzeys Sunny Paris seasoning and roast on a sheet pan at 400°. It was a beautiful outcome, the beets were a brilliant yellow and oh-so-sweet. I learned a new method for cooking the beets, which I will use often when the goldens are out.

I grew up hating most veggies, precisely because they were boiled to death. For me the worst was Brussels sprouts. In my opinion they took all of the obnoxious characteristics of a whole head of cabbage (horrible smell, gag-inducing taste, mushy texture) and condensed it down into something that you had to bite into at least once before you could swallow it.

When I started cooking for myself I learned that, when not boiled to death, most of those hated veggies of my childhood--including Brussels sprouts--were palatable and even enjoyable. I still don't care for string beans or lima beans, though.

-Paul W.

Paul, have you tried cooking the green beans like this? Very similar to my family recipe that we all loved. I also added Poultry Seasoning and Beau Monde to the sauce mix. I have used both canned (the good brand) and fresh green beans. I always use chicken stock.
INGREDIENTS

▢4 slices bacon diced
▢½ cup diced onion
▢2 cloves garlic minced
▢1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
▢15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
▢½ cup chicken broth
▢1 teaspoon salt
▢½ teaspoon cracked pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry, stirring often, until browned but not yet crisp. Do not drain.
Stir in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the green beans, canned tomatoes (with juice from the can), chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover pan and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
TIPS & NOTES:
To make this recipe using canned green beans, drain juice from green beans and use 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 1/2 cup as called for above. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, until liquid has evaporated from pan and beans are very tender.

On a Youtube, I watched a number of sandwiches that aren't seen much anymore. One caught my attention: a grilled cheese with Marmite. Since I like Marmite, I gave it a try. Interesting. Real earthy. Not bad.

[Jenise]

Larry, it puzzles me that I don't like marmite. Yeasty, earthy, salty, weird--these are all things that would normally be in my wheelhouse but it just doesn't work for me. I just can't figure out how an entire nation loves it yet another does not. I guess you truly have to grow up with it.

Yesterday, after a day of working on my new terrine idea (started around 9:00, pulled it out of the oven around 5:00--it truly was an all-day effort), for dinner I made a cold plate of crackers, raw vegetables, and a block of commercially made pate campagna for comparison. It was VERY livery with a densely fatty/slick texture. Bob didn't love it but didn't hate it; me, I hated it. A purple-brown color, it looked like dog food. I put a slice on a cracker and held it up in the air like a treat and instructed Bob to bark and roll over. It was B-A-D bad. I've had good traditional pate campagnas--that wasn't it.

Larry, it puzzles me that I don't like marmite. Yeasty, earthy, salty, weird--these are all things that would normally be in my wheelhouse but it just doesn't work for me. I just can't figure out how an entire nation loves it yet another does not. I guess you truly have to grow up with it.

It was only in the last 20 years that I tried it. Can't explain it.

A purple-brown color, it looked like dog food.

Yeah, I've had that moment, too. Best to switch to some other food because once it's in your head, it takes mere seconds to get to Purina Human Chow with pictures of happy humans cavorting on the package....

Men At Work's hit song Land Down Under was a chart-topper in the US. It mentioned a Vegemite sandwich and that triggered a big Vegemite craze in the US. Until folks actually tried the stuff.

The Vegemite vs. Marmite debate in Commonwealth countries reminds me of the Coke vs. Pepsi cola debate here in the US.

-Paul W.

I like Marmite, but haven't tried Vegemite.

Yesterday I got reinforcement for one of those "well, duh" bits of knowledge: always wash vegetables yourself even if the package says they're already washed. In this case it was packaged celery. The package said "washed, keep refrigerated". But there was a good bit of grit visible on the bases of the outer stalks. Celery is tricky, anyway, because dirt tends to collect between the bases of the stalks. Maybe they did wash the celery, but if so they did a poor job of it.

-Paul W.

The worst are leeks.

Bok choy isn't far behind.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

The worst are leeks.

Pretty equal to celery. And if you buy organic/local, it's a dead heat. Celery's ALWAYS dirty.

Paul is right, too: bok choy is kinda curvy but open at the base so very easy to catch grit.

I have a vegetable brush and use it under a stream of running water from the tap to scrub dirt off root vegetables and all these grow-right-on-the-dirt vegetables.

The hardest one is basil. I don't use a brush, of course, but rinse the leaves in a bowl with a couple changes of water. But I'm never quite satisfied....