Gentle readers…when last we met I had used up all my words (it happens) on just a smattering of all there is to say about the veggie aisle. I’ve subsequently been contacted by the onion, garlic and bell pepper consortium with a request to rectify the omission. I shall do so forthwith.
This particular trio usually spend their talents boosting the reputations of their “prettier sisters.” But just for a moment, let’s give them a star turn of their own.
Consider the onion…And there are lots of varieties to consider…but we’ll just concentrate on the ones most likely to be found at your local stand. Sliced or chopped, raw or cooked, white, red or yellow, what would a burger be without ‘em? Or a South Philly cheesesteak, for cryin’ out loud? But does anyone really notice? Do they go home and talk about the onion? No, they do not. Now take that same, or any onion (lately I’ve been buying the giant white ones) peeled, halve it across its equator, slip on some oil and roast it in the oven or on the grill…and it elevates from condiment to cuisine. And even though the roasting brings out the sugar, onions remain low in carbs…9 – 10%, raw or cooked.
If any of what I’ve just said makes you weep with joy, it may actually be due to something called a lachrymator…a substance found in all onions. Fer cryin’ out loud, who knew? As for the origins and health benefits, if you care to dive deep, you can click here, but no one summed up its medicinal value better than Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s letter to the War Department: “I will not move my army without onions.”
While the onion may havegiven rise to the breath mint, it sure had some help from its close cousin, and what I like to call Allium sativum…better known as garlic. Best known as a base ingredient for soups, stews and sauces (or gravy), the garlic bulb is front and center in almost every ethnic cuisine. How’d they build those pyramids, you ask? It seems that ancient civilizations believed that it enhanced physical strength and stamina, so was given in large quantities to the slave and labor forces to increase productivity. Thus it was considered “poor man’s food,” and its lingering “perfume” on skin and breath was a dead giveaway as to your social status. Today…not so much. Garlic is just as at home in 3-star Michelin kitchens as in Mamma’s pantry. And just like its cousin, garlic is low in carbs.
Tip: Whether a romantic partner or a kissin’ cousin, if you love someone who loves onions or garlic, best to share the love.
And finally we’ve arrived at the bell pepper…the much more mellow fellow of the trio. A member of the nightshade family, and cousin of the tomato, the common bell can be eaten raw, as a crudité or, stuffed and roasted, serve as a great delivery system for a scrambled egg mixture or leftovers foraged from the fridge. …Maybe top it with some sort of sauce and, voilà, now it’s dinner.
In case you’re wondering about the color…if Peter Piper picks a peck of green peppers, they will have a sharp, almost bitter flavor…and add more punch to the recipe. If Peter waits until that same pepper turns a ripe red, it will be more mellow, and more easily digested. Note: Unlike the onion and garlic, the bell pepper, in any color, is mostly carbs.
Nerd alert: If you’ve been keeping score over these last few chapters, you’ll have noted that almost every food we eat today had its origins in the Middle East…most notably the ancient region where the Tigris meets the Euphrates, and where it’s said civilization was born. Not so the bell pepper nor corn on the cob…They were first grown in Mexico and had to circumnavigate the globe in the opposite direction.
Food in every form is hard won from the earth. Give thanks to Mother Earth and the Farmer.
Looking ahead: Here’s lookin’ at you, kid… some basic ingredients (fruit or veggie) for a smooth cocktail…or mocktail…are right where we’re standing, here in the produce aisle. There’s a market buck for anyone bringing me a recipe this Saturday ahead of next week’s letter.
In the Artist’s Tent: The Abstract Art of Kevin Koethe…finding the patterns in the everyday.
Hope you are all staying cool…at the pool or under the sprinkler.
Terry Baraldi