Market Find: Snow Pea Sprouts

Last week, during a brief visit with family in Toronto, I was treated to a delicious dinner at Wah Sang restaurant in Chinatown. Amongst the feast of fried lobster, crispy chicken, squid with minced chiles, snails in black bean sauce, tofu hot pot, Yang Chow fried rice, and stir-fried noodles with assorted seafood was a plate of simple greens, sitting there--quietly, glistening slightly with a touch of oil and sprinkled with garlic. I learned these to be the sprouts of the snow pea plant, and they were delicious. They just tasted so green, which gave a nice balance to all of the meat and fish and starch we were consuming.

As I perused the stalls last Saturday at Eastern Market, I came upon a small display of these very sprouts at the Vang Family Farm stand. I snatched up a bunch and looked forward to trying my hand at them in my own kitchen. With their soft, delicate leaves and curly-queue stems, they were a picture of prettiness.

After rinsing and giving them a gentle tumble in the salad spinner, I sauteed them in some olive oil with minced garlic. With a few turns in the hot, garlicky oil, they turned a bright, bright green, and I hit them with a dash of salt and pepper. These appeared to be a little more mature than those at Wah Sang, so their stems were a bit thicker, resulting in a slightly chewier bite. Although they could've benefited from an extra minute or two in the pan, they were nonetheless delicious, especially with a light drizzle of hoisin sauce.

Smoky Greens & Beans

I had a quite the marvelous market haul this past Saturday from my brief, early morning jaunt to Eastern Market. For just over $10, I scored some great local, late-season produce, including kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, potatoes, and onions the size of a small child's head. On top of that, I picked up a dozen organic, pastured eggs from the Hampshire Farms stand, where I'd purchased the split peas mentioned my previous post.

We were pretty booked all weekend long, so I was really looking forward to getting into the kitchen this week and cooking up some hearty, wintry dishes with my haul. While flipping through a recent issue of Bon Appetit, I found the exact recipe to kick off my week. It would make use not only of some of the aforementioned produce, but also the gorgeous speckled and striated dried Roman beans I picked up at Ventimiglia's Italian Market in Sterling Heights. Also known--among other names--as cranberry beans and Borlotti beans, these are white with deep red striations, and similar in size to cannellini (white kidney) beans. They're firm yet creamy in texture and nutty in flavor, and are typically used in soups and stews. As such, when paired with the beautifully curly kale from the market, they made for a delicious winter stew for tonight's dinner. The smokiness of the Spanish paprika contrasted nicely with the vegetal taste of the kale and the nuttiness of the beans.

Smoky Greens and Beans (Bon Appetit, November 2009)

While this recipe calls for canned cannellini beans, I substituted them with an equal quantity of home-cooked Roman beans, prepared via the method in my January 5 entry, "Mangiafagioli")

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice

1-1/2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton Picante or Pimonton de La Vera Picante)

1 14.5-oz. can vegetable broth (I substituted with water)

8 c. coarsely chopped greens (e.g., kale, mustard greens, collard greens)

1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained

Grated Manchego or Parmigiano cheese (optional)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and beggining to brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and paprika; stir 1 minute. Add broth and greens; bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until greens are wilted and tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Divide among bowls; sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Serves 4.

"This is poor people food!" Todd exclaimed when he peered into the pot of simmering beans. Yes, beans are known to be traditionally peasant food--they're economical, healthful, and belly-filling. They're a delicious source of protein and fiber, which is perfect, as I search for ways to cut down on my consumption of animal proteins and carbohydrates.