Those of us who are not painters, designers, decorators or otherwise skilled in the visual arts may not think a lot about food and color. But just as the culinary world offers a vastly varied palette to satisfy the palate, it also offers a varied palette with which to “paint” the plate. Two new cookbooks emphasize food and color in intriguing ways: “Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook” by Tessa Kiros (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2007) and “Coloring the Seasons” by Allegra McEvedy (Kyle Books, 2007).
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These authors are both accomplished cooks. Kiros, who lives in Tuscany, has cooked in restaurants in Australia, Greece, Mexico and the United Kingdom. McEvedy was a rising-star chef in London when she decided that she “was no longer interested in cooking smart food for smart people” and began a restaurant in a community center to bring “the best food to the most people.” She has become a popular cookbook author, newspaper columnist and radio personality.
When it comes to winter, McEvedy colors it ... not white as you might expect but green, “deep, dark forest green,” as she sings the praises of kale and chard, spinach, artichokes, broccoli and cabbage. She adds another color to the winter palette, the purple of red cabbage and radicchio (“the best winter leaf of all”). To these colors I am going to add brown, for dark chocolate (think hot cocoa, brownies, and fudge), slow-cooked beans and braised hunks of meat.
“The way to get through winter is not to fight it, but to go with it, make the most of what nature is offering, and look for the beauty that’s out there, rather than lamenting what’s not,” writes McEvedy. Words to cook and live by. Color us well fed.
SWISS TART
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-3/4 pounds Swiss chard
1 (9- to 10-inch) unbaked piecrust
6 eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
9 ounces strong Gruyere cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2-1/2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and cook the onion and garlic, covered, for 5 minutes.
Cut off and throw away all but about 4 inches of the white stalks from the chard. Cut the leaves away from the remaining stalks, then split the stalks in half and slice into pieces 1/2-inch thick. Rinse the stalk pieces and add to the onion mixture and cover. Roughly chop the green leaves, and rinse well. Once the stalks have cooked for 5 minutes, add the leaves. Turn the heat down, and uncover the skillet. Keep cooking until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. The stalks should now be translucent, and the mixture should be a bit mushy. Remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Roll out the dough and fit into a 9- to 10-inch pie plate or a quiche dish. Let sit for 10 minutes. Fit aluminum foil over the crust, following the contours of the pan. Add pie weights or beans to keep the crust from puffing up while prebaking.
Bake the pie shell for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and remove the pie weights and foil. Allow to cool. Leave the oven on.
In a bowl, mix the eggs, cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked vegetables and scoop into the pie shell. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until it has risen and browned on top. Serve warm, not hot.
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe from “Coloring the Seasons” by Allegra McEvedy (Kyle Books, 2007)
PROSCIUTTO, MOZZARELLA AND RADICCHIO LASAGNA
9 ounces radicchio
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken stock or canned broth (or 6 cups broth made with bouillon cubes)
12 uncooked lasagna noodles (about 9 ounces)
9 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
2 cups grated mozzarella
2-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Split the radicchio down the middle and remove the core. Wash the leaves and drain well. Shred the radicchio into thin strips and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the oregano and oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the stock.
Lay down three lasagna noodles in a 12-by-8-inch or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of prosciutto, using about a quarter of the total. Sprinkle on a quarter of the radicchio, followed by 1/4 of the mozzarella and 1/4 of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat three times. You should have four layers, each with a “foundation” of three noodles.
Gently pour in the hot stock, aiming for a thin stream around the side. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. The stock will cook the lasagna and keep it moist. Serve with a big green salad.
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe from “Coloring the Seasons” by Allegra McEvedy (Kyle Books, 2007)
LENTILS AND SAUSAGES
1-1/2 cups small brown or green lentils
about 8 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 cups hot water
salt
4 Italian sausages, hot or mild
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
olive oil or chili oil, to serve
Pick over the lentils, discarding any stones or weird-looking ones. Rinse well.
Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a pan, and saute the onion over medium-low heat for a few minutes until it is softened. Add the carrot, celery and garlic and saute for another couple of minutes to soften. Add the lentils, stirring to coat. Add the hot water. Season with salt and bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cook uncovered for about 40 minutes until the lentils are soft and there is very little liquid left in the pan.
Meanwhile, prick the sausages here and there with the tines of a fork. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and fry until golden brown on all sides, adding more oil if needed. Slice to make sure they are cooked through.
Stir the parsley into the lentils. Add the sausage. Heat through for a minute, then serve with a drizzle of oil (olive or chili) over the lentils. Excellent with sauteed spinach.
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe from “Apples for Jam” by Tessa Kiros (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2007)
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