RICHARD FRISBIE :: FOODBITES

    I sometimes run into anomalies, odd facts, neighborly interactions and/or ways of food preparation I call FOODBITES that don't make an article, but can be interesting nevertheless. I've collected a couple here as time- and money-saving ways to prepare dinner, and to illustrate what stimulates the writing process. I hope you enjoy them.

# At the Farmer's Market the other day I was buying beets when a woman I know asked the young man waiting on her if there was anything to be done with the beet tops. It was the way she asked the question more than anything else that determined the answer she got - No. (There's a lesson to be learned there.) At her request, the young man cut off and discarded the beet greens. Later I told her I would have at least put them in the crock pot with other vegetables and seasonings and made a colorful vegetable broth. Then I went home, rinsed enough sand out of mine to fill a sand box (wash 3 times!) and shredded one raw beet into my salad. The rest, tops and all, I quickly boiled, peeled, cooled and chopped to serve another day with a vinaigrette. Nothing was thrown away!

# Last year I made humus for a friend whose husband is a CIA graduate. She told me I was brave to make it for someone of Lebanese descent. (I didn't know!) It tasted great to me, but she remarked on the grainy texture and told me how to fix it: mash your garbanzo beans while they're still warm. After a year of further experiments refining that advice I can now present the definitive path to creamy, smooth and delicious humus. First, soak whole dried organic beans overnight in water to which you've added garlic, hot pepper, coriander, powdered bay leaves - whatever you want the beans to taste like. This is a trick I learned from a gather foodie. It is your chance to affect the bland taste of the bean - use it! But don't add salt or vinegar because it will make them tough. The next trick is not to boil the beans AT ALL during cooking. I've tried simmering them for 3 or 4 hours on the stovetop with some success. Now I put them in the crock pot, soaking liquid and all, on low, and go to work. They cook slowly and perfectly all day without heating up the kitchen. When I get home I strain them (reserving the liquid to flavor a later soup) and process them warm. The result is the lightest and creamiest humus and/or chick pea skordalia* I've ever tasted. Both are great on crackers, and also work fine as a healthy sandwich spread.
HINT - you can never have too many garbanzo beans. I always cook enough to have some leftover to add to salads. That's when you'll really taste the result of the flavored soaking!

* This month's Bon Appetit has a recipe for skordalia that looks like skordalia & basil pesto combined. I just substituted garbanzo beans and it turned out GREAT!    

Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food 
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we'll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.

BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called "Fruit of the Vine" for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

You can read all of Richard's articles  http://rfrisbie.gather.com/
or find him with the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at  http://foodtalk.gather.com