Mark Bittman's Bad Food (Tax)

Everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes good food.  In Sunday, July 24th's New York Times Mark Bittman officially confirmed his place along side Michael Pollan as an advocate for healthy, unprocessed foods.  Many may take issue in his jump from recipe purveyor to opinion writer but we can only hope that his ideas have a positive influence on future food policy. His article, "Bad Food? Tax It",  offers a glimpse into the possibilities of a federally supported soft drink excise tax.  Bittman argues in support of such a tax.  (Why he omits diet sodas from the equation is baffling; are they not just as noxious as sugar laden drinks?)  He acknowledges the artificially low prices of soft drinks due to current subsidies for corn (and high-fructose corn syrup) yet he fails to make a critical connection: the passage of a beverage tax without the full eradication of this subsidy is simply a means of recuperating the funds the government has already given farmers and corporations to grow and manufacture the very product we would be taxing.

Bittman  suggests a transfer of commodity based subsidies to other "staples" such as seasonal greens, vegetables and other healthy foods.  While noble in its ideals this transfer of subsidies would benefit neither farmers nor the public.  Artificially low food prices (of any food) do not adequately convey the true cost of growing food.  Food is not free, even if you grow it yourself, as farmers well know.  The average American spends less than 9.5% of their income on food; this is the lowest percentage of income spent on food of any other country on the planet (Italy spends 25%, Japan 19%, France 16%, and the UK 11%; middle-income countries spend 35% and low-income countries 55%).  We need to focus on changing the American diet through sustainable, cost-effective means.  A beverage tax may help get us there; redirected subsidies will not.

Regardless of one's stance on subsidies, taxing unhealthy foods is certainly one means of persuading Americans to change their high calorie, saccharine-rich diet.  Mark Bittman's front page opinion in the Times' Sunday Review helps focus our attention on one aspect of this diet; it's time to impose an excise tax on soft drinks and help America work off its ever increasing waist line.

Click here for Mark Bittman's "Bad Food? Tax It"

Tart Green Salad

This is a very tasty, eye-pleasing, belly-filling salad! Lynne Rossetto Kasper's salad of the same name provides the inspiration for this dish.  The tart greens pair beautifully with the warm garlic balsamic dressing.  It is quite an easy salad to make once you are habituated.  Make sure to serve the salad on a platter and not in a bowl: the diversity of colors and textures makes this a stunning salad.  The warm dressing will be drizzled over the top (and not tossed in).

Ingredients
One medium red onion, sliced into thin rings

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Mix of greens: radicchio, escarole, romaine, curly endive cut or torn into bite size pieces
1 cup fresh basil

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

4 scallions (white and green parts) thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
One loosely packed cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler
6 large cloves of garlic, thickly diced
3/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used vinegar from my own barrel, but a good red wine vinegar will work)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Optional: Prosciutto di Parma, cut into bite-sized squares; cooked and then lightly sauteed white beans

Preparation

Soak the onion in the 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar for 30 minutes (this will tame its bite).  Wash and spin the greens, basil and parsley.  Mix the greens with half the pine nuts, most of the scallions, half a cup of shaved Parmigiano, half the prosciutto and/or white beans (if using).  Arrange on a platter.  

Making the Dressing

In a medium sauce pan cook the olive oil and garlic on low heat until the garlic just begins to color (take care not to overcook the garlic).  Remove the garlic from the oil and reserve.  Turn up the heat to medium and add the vinegars and lightly whisk together.  Add the brown sugar.  Let the dressing slowly bubble for a minute.  Taste for sweet/tart balance.  Stir in reserved garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk everything together vigorously.  Set aside until ready to serve, reheating to warm if it has cooled off.  This dressing can be made several hours ahead of time.  (I had left over dressing and used some the next day and it was quite good then as well.  However, it is best made fresh.) 

Salad Assembly

Spread the drained red onions across the salad greens.  Sprinkle the remaining scallions, pine nuts, Parmigiano, prosciutto and white beans across the top.  Spoon the warm, thoroughly whisked dressing over the salad.  Enjoy immediately!

Pairing Suggestions: I would serve this with a crisp white from Friuli, or a young Chianti.  A good, fruity Beaujolais could also work.  If you do go for a red I would serve it slightly chilled!

Fig Tart

With an abundance of figs at the farmer's market right now I thought I would experiment with a simple tart. The frangipane added a nice creamy touch, but it it is just as good without the almond paste. I used two varieties of small figs: Celeste and LSU Purple.

This made one tasty, good looking treat!

Ingredients
One Crust (recipe follows)
Frangipane (recipe follows)
10-20 figs, depending on size
One egg yolk

One tablespoon of melted butter

Crust
8 tbs. unsalted butter (chilled)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4-9 tbs. ice water

Cut the butter into small squares. In a medium size bowl, using your hands, mix the butter in with the flour until the butter is flattened into small pieces about the size of dimes. Make a well in the middle and add the ice water. Mix until the dough forms a ball. You should use just enough water for the mixture to hold together (at high altitude I am using almost 9 tbs. of water, in New Orleans I use less than 5tbs). Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Frangipane

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

5 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon organic orange zest

dash of cream or whole milk

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet toast almonds for about 8 minutes until they just start giving off an aroma. Transfer to a dish and let them cool.

In a food processor blend almonds and sugar until finely ground. Add butter, cream, egg and orange zest and pulse until well blended.

This will make a lot more frangipane than this recipe requires. I have frozen my leftovers in two separate containers until I decide what to make next with this tasty paste!

Putting it all together

Preheat oven to 375F.

On a floured work surface roll out the dough as thin as you can in all directions. Fold it in half over itself legthwise and then horizontally. Roll out again. Continue to fold and roll at least four or five times. The dough should be very thin and stretchy. At this point transfer to a baking sheet and spread a layer of frangipane on the surface of the shell leaving about an inch of border all the way around. Slice figs into quarters (large figs) or halves (small figs). Set half a fig down in the center, skin side down. Add concentric circles of figs around until you reach the perimeter border. Fold the edges up and over the outside row of figs, pinching the dough together as necessary. Brush the outside crust with egg yolk for a nice golden crust. Brush the figs with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar over the figs and crust.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Pairing suggestions: A tasty muscat from Australia would be perfect!

The Best Tomato Sandwich

Admittedly I make my own bread for this scrumptious sandwich. But short of that a good, hearty artisanal bread (wheat or sourdough) will work. The key to this sandwhich is the simplicity and quality of the ingredients.

Ingredients

Two slices bread

One Heirloom local tomato--Brandywine and Black Krim are tasty options (those flown in from faraway places just won't cut it, sorry), thickly sliced.

Basil, torn

Sriracha mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Spinach

Optional: Fried oysters, bacon

Sriracha Never-Fail Mayonnaise

One egg yolk

One tablespoon of Dijon mustard (preferably Maille)

Pinch of salt

Olive oil (approximately one cup)
Sriracha Hot Sauce

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Warm a bowl in hot water and dry. Place the bowl over warm water and add to it the egg yolk, mustard, and salt. Whisk to make sure that these items are at room temperature. Remove bowl from water and place on the counter. While continuously whisking slowly add olive oil. Make sure the oil is emulsifying with the yolk mixture. Continue to pour approximately 1 cup of oil. When finished mix in about a tablespoon of Sriracha--more if you can handle the kick.

Compose Your Sandwich

Spread a thick layer of mayo on your lightly toasted bread and assemble with the rest of the ingredients as you would a sandwich! It will drip a lot so watch out!

Enjoy!

Pairing Suggestions: This would be great with a light, fresh rose from southern France or with a light lager. Or a homemade glass of sparkling lemonade!

Quick Patatas Bravas

This is an easy dish once you have all the components made!

1. Make home-made spicy tomato sauce (Saute in olive oil onions with salt, pepper and cayenne. Add canned, pealed tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, Italian herbs. Puree. Best if let sit over night for flavors to infuse. )

2. Make home-made mayonnaise (All ingredients must be at room temperature. Whisk together one egg yolk, dash of dijon or creole mustard, small squeeze of lemon juice, dash of salt, dash of Worcestershire, dash of Tabasco. While whisking add olive oil until the mixture becomes thick, creamy and tasty. Adjust seasoning as desired.)

Mix equal parts mayo with spicy tomato sauce. Adjust seasoning.

Roast cubed potatoes in a 375 degree oven until crispy on the outside (tender inside). I use a variety of potatoes: Red McClure, La Ratte, Charlotte, and French Fingerling.

Just before serving pour the sauce onto the potatoes. Add chopped fresh parsley as a garnish.

Enjoy!

Drink with a full bodied Spanish rose! Or a rustic Ribera del Duero red.