Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Trader Joe's - The Supermarket for People Who Don't Cook

The Trader Joe's near me in Manhattan is a crowded nightmare, with queues frequently stretching to the back of the store. I can't even go in it. So I'm kind of late in coming to the party, as far as the Trader Joe's love fest is concerned. I've been in friends' apartments and seen quality products they've purchased for cheap at TJ's. I understand how their Aldi-like business model allows this to happen. Skip the middle man, brand it yourself and pass the savings on to the customer. Makes sense. But I never got to wrap my head around the phenomenon that is Trader Joe's... Until now, having just returned from a lovely, spacious, rock and roll themed location on Sunset in West Hollywood.

I get it. It's as clear as day, now. I know why so many rhapsodize about this place. I understand.

You know how the Food Network on TV started out doing cooking shows, then realized that home cooks were a pretty small audience to target? What did they do? They took a cue from popular Japanese television shows, and started airing programs about food geared toward people who didn't actually cook. And what happened? They got huge. My father, who has probably cooked no more than ten meals in his life (other than grilling, of course) watches the Food Network all the time. He loves it. He loves food.

What does this have to do with Trader Joe's? They've pulled off a similarly brilliant move: They've positioned themselves as the supermarket for people who love food, but don't really cook. Most of what they carry could be described as "ready to eat" or "heat and eat" foods - it's a sea of "value added" products. They offer a wide variety, the quality is pretty high and the prices vary from fair to downright cheap! Need your hand held in the kitchen? How about vacuum sealed bags of cooked rice? How about several varieties, variously seasoned and ready for the microwave? That'd go great with that vegetarian Indian entree in aisle four, wouldn't it? (The place is pretty vegetarian friendly - they know their demographic. Like in Whole Foods, young women are disproportionately represented among the shoppers). Looking for the upscale, world-beat, modern versions of the TV dinner, canned soup, snack foods, frozen entrees, dump and stir, heat and eat? Look no further! What about those who might scoff at such processed foods? Lure them in with organic processed foods! Let's see them scoff now! And for the cherry on top of the sundae: unbelievably cheap wine. No wonder the place is a goldmine.

I'll admit I admire it. I wish I'd thought of it. Hell, I wish there had been one near me when I was in college. Then again, I might never have learned to cook if a Trader Joe's had been part of my young life. It might never have occurred to me that a little bit of effort in the kitchen would allow me to do so much better. What motivation would I have had? Some of the stuff they sell is really good, as far as convenience food goes. Yeah, a love of food is part of what got me into cooking, but being a starving musician who wanted to eat a greater variety of foods than I could afford to go out for was an equally big motivating factor. There's so much inexpensive variety at Trader Joe's it's almost scary.

So what's there for me? Not much. I like cheap olive oil, basmati rice, pine nuts, etc, but I can find those things elsewhere. And elsewhere I don't have to wade through mountains of unnecessary packaging, all emblazoned with the Trader Joe's brand name. I'm not going to be tempted by the chicken chipotle wrap sitting next to the plastic container of seven layer dip. Sorry. I'm looking for ingredients from which I'll make my own meals, thank you very much. You can't even buy a bunch of parsley there! What they sell is a few sprigs in a rigid plastic box for the greater part of two dollars. The lion's share of what I bought today was a loaf of bread, some smoked fish, some sliced ham, salad makings and a bag of pasta. Like I said, it's a supermarket for people who don't really cook.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Leftover Maintenance

None of us want to waste food, yet we do. A big culprit when it comes to wastefulness is your fridge, notably leftover dishes or ingredients that get pushed to the back and forgotten about until they're inedible. People simply don't get excited about eating the same thing two days in a row, especially when it's likely to have suffered from time spent in the fridge. So instead they figure they'll get to the leftovers later, and that day never comes.

How did generations of grandmothers who never wasted a scrap of food get around this? They'd transform leftovers from one meal into an entirely different meal the next day. They had a whole repertoire of dishes created for the sole purpose of using up leftover this or that. Some of these were on the humble side, but humble and delicious are not mutually exclusive! Here are a few of my favorite leftover transformations:

Italian Bread Soup

This is something to do with leftover Italian (or French) bread that's gone stale overnight. Cut the bread into cubes and fry in olive oil with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Throw in some chopped garlic and fry for another minute. Cover with chicken broth (or stock), break up a few canned tomatoes into it, and gently simmer for ten minutes. Add a finishing herb (Italian parsley, basil or even chopped fresh rosemary leaves) and serve topped with grated Romano cheese.

Fritatta of Leftover Pasta

Any leftover long pasta will work here, regardless of how it's been sauced. To serve two heat olive oil (or a small amount of butter) in the bottom of a 10" pan. Add just enough leftover pasta to cover the bottom of pan. Grate some cheese (I use Romano) over it, then pour in three beaten eggs. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for ten minutes (or until eggs have set on top). Serve pasta side up, with a salad.

Fried Rice

Hot oil + whatever veggies you have lying around (garlic, onion, celery, carrot, green peas, bell pepper, whatever) + any leftovers (meat, fish, poultry, sausage, ham, whatever) + cold leftover rice + an egg + soy sauce (or fish sauce) = fried rice. That's the order it goes down in the wok. Keep things moving quickly once the rice hits, and make sure the egg fries a bit on the bottom of the wok before it gets stirred into the rice. Garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro if you have any lying around. Hot sauce works, too.

Cold Shoulder Francais

Cold leftover roast meat can be served thinly sliced with Dijon mustard (or horseradish for beef), cornichons, bread and butter. Just plate it attractively. Add a salad and a glass of wine and forget you're eating leftovers.

Open-faced Sandwiches w/Gravy

Here's an Americana classic for leftover roast meat and gravy. Reheat the sliced meat in gravy, and use it to top a slice of bread. (Any bread will do, but rye works really well). Eat with knife and fork. Both my mother and grandmother used this to stretch extra meals out of a roast. It's superb with turkey or pot roast. If you're a little shy on the gravy, thin it down with a little water and a pinch of salt. If it looks too damn brown and plain garnish with some chopped chives, so it looks classy.

Soup

Leftover bird carcasses and ham bones make excellent soups. Like many, my grandmother made turkey noodle soup from the leftovers of the holiday bird. She added a big can of tomatoes to it, which I've never seen anybody outside my family do. Try it, it's delicious!

Omelettes

Many leftovers can make surprisingly good omelette fillings. I've had luck with garlic mashed potatoes, ratatouille and sauteed veggies. If all you have leftover is a small amount of something ask yourself: Could this make a good omelette filling?

Red Sauce

Many leftovers can get a new lease on life as part of a red sauce for pasta. My wife particularly likes using leftover grilled meat and veggies. Leftover red sauce can be frozen and added to the next one you make. I knew a guy whose red sauce always contained the frozen remains of the last one he'd made. His sauce never tasted the same way twice!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnuts

Sorry I've been away for so long. Been doing the rock and roll thing: a couple weeks rehearsing in LA, then a week in Tokyo playing shows with Julian Casablancas. It's a pretty top gig: great music, travel and incredibly cool people to work with. (Not to mention how good LA and Tokyo were to a spoiled New Yorker out looking for a bite to eat, even on the cheap). Upon arriving home to the Lower East Side NYC's summer had faded, with the specter of autumn in the night air. I was ready to eat something other than Mexican or Japanese food, of which I'd freely indulged in during my travels - preferably something home cooked and reflective of the changing season. My wife insisted on stepping up to the plate (pardon the pun).

Even though I'd been looking forward to playing around in my own kitchen after weeks on the road, I was too jet lagged to protest leaving the cooking in her capable hands. The smell of the beets roasting while we caught up over a glass of wine made for wonderful anticipation. The play of flavors - roasted beets (sweet), toasted walnuts (mellow), goat cheese (rich and sharp), salad greens in Balsamic vinaigrette (sharp and sweet)- was perfect as the evening cool set in. A couple heirloom tomatoes she'd picked up from my brother's garden even found their way onto the plate. Lucky me, I didn't have to lift a finger.

This salad isn't exactly breaking news in the food world. I remember scoffing at it as "yuppie chick food" back in the 1980's. (What can I say? Back then sushi, arugula and dry wine were considered pretentious. Goat cheese didn't stand a chance). Between the cheese and the toasted walnuts there's just enough substance to stand as a meal on its own, though it also makes an excellent first course. The classic cheese to use here is chèvre, but lower moisture goat cheeses can be substituted. If using a lower moisture cheese use less and slice it very thin (a cheese shaver works well for drier types).

As far as wine goes, this salad is friendly to many: crisp whites with good acidity and light to medium bodied reds work well. If you like whites with more residual sugar than is currently fashionable bust them out. Sparklers are a good call, too. We went with a lighter bodied red (a St Laurent from Germany). It was a great pairing.

This recipe will serve two for a light supper or a weekend lunch.

2 large beets, peeled and cut into just bigger than bite sized cubes
2 oz chèvre (or other goat cheese - see above)
handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
salad greens for two
heirloom tomato, sliced (optional)
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets in a bowl with a little olive oil (about a Tbs), salt and pepper. Place in baking dish (or tray) and roast. Depending on how tender the beets are to begin with they will cook in 40 min to an hour. (Start checking them with a fork after 40 min). They're done when they've shrunk a bit and are easily picked up by being speared with the fork. Let them cool for a few minutes (they can be served warm, but not hot).

While beets are roasting you have plenty of time to get everything else ready: Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking them around every couple minutes so they don't burn. Once they've picked up a little color cut the heat and set aside. Toss the salad greens in a bowl with a drizzle each of oil and vinegar, the chopped garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange greens on one side of each serving plate and top with tomato slices (if using). Arrange beets on the other side of the plate, drizzle lightly with vinegar and top with walnuts and small dollops of chèvre. Serve immediately.