{"id":1772,"date":"2005-02-17T02:19:00","date_gmt":"2005-02-17T02:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2005\/02\/17\/the-simple-and-the-unsexy"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:29","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:29","slug":"the-simple-and-the-unsexy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/02\/the-simple-and-the-unsexy\/","title":{"rendered":"The simple and the unsexy"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a weekend of cream puffs<\/a>, a girl\u2019s got to take a breather.
Moderation is horribly unglamorous, I know<\/strong>. But, dear reader, I also know that you\u2019re the sort who values truth\u2014ugly, unwashed, morning breath and all.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll give it to you straight: I channel the USDA food guide pyramid<\/strong>. I don\u2019t mean the new recommendations announced last month<\/a>, which are well-meaning but unrealistic at best\u2014three cups of dairy products per day for the average adult?!\u2014but rather the concept<\/em> of the food pyramid. I\u2019m not sure how this came to be, but I\u2019m crazy<\/em> about the five major food groups. I love them equally, the way a mother loves her children. Brussels sprouts speak to me as sweetly as crusty bread, and to my ears, the crunch of an apple is as good as the sizzle of a roasting chicken. Nurse Flinn must have done an exemplary job of teaching health class back in third grade. Someone needs to tell her that I\u2019m still waiting for my hard-earned A+ gold star stickers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Now, this is not to say that I don\u2019t have fried chicken dreams<\/a>, or that I can forgo dessert. I think I\u2019ve made it amply clear that I go weak in the knees before any number of things sweet<\/a>, jammy<\/a>, fruity<\/a>, nutty<\/a>, buttery<\/a>, crunchy<\/a>, cakey<\/a>, creamy<\/a>, or frozen<\/a>. But <\/em>I also want my roasted cauliflower<\/a>, my grains, and a hunk of beast. I want it all<\/em>, damn it. If life itself is the proper binge, as dearly departed Julia once said, I’ve got to make room for everything. Enter that boring \u201cm\u201d word, that thing I mentioned in the first paragraph. If I’m to be civilized and presentable, I must<\/em> have my daily dark chocolate<\/strong>, but not enough to have me moaning and slumped on the floor. Not often, at least. Well, you know me. Ahem.<\/p>\n

The foods and recipes I feature most often on Orangette aren’t fancy or complex. I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity\u2014honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves. And<\/em> that features all five food groups. Truth be told, the majority of my meals consist of simple, unsexy staples<\/strong>: this winter it’s pungent, buttery, melting fontina on coarse bread; unruly greens braised into submission; and, of course, cabbage<\/a>, the season\u2019s princely toad. Sometimes nothing is more welcome than a sunny-side-up egg, flecked with salt and freshly ground pepper, blanketing a bowlful of red lentil dal<\/a>. And lately, there\u2019s been a parade of citrus. Around here, it\u2019s an (heirloom navel) orange a day, perfumed and spicy, spraying bitter orange oil over my fingers and wrists; and after a late, loud, smoky night out, I\u2019ve been known to sneak a slathering of lemon curd on whole wheat toast before bed\u2014your typical rock \u2018n roll gourmandise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And this week, after so much whipped cream and whatnot, I\u2019m reaching for warm chickpea salad.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Another standby from Lynne Rossetto Kasper\u2019s Splendid Table Weeknight Kitchen<\/em> newsletter<\/a>, it\u2019s earthy and clean, sweet with shredded carrots and punchy with red wine vinegar<\/strong>. It\u2019s horribly unglamorous and completely delicious, the sort of thing that makes you want to dive headlong into the bowl\u2014and then have cream puffs for dessert.
Ahem.<\/p>\n

Warm Chickpea Salad with Shallots and Red Wine Vinaigrette<\/strong>
Adapted from The Splendid Table Weeknight Kitchen<\/em>, which in turn excerpted from Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Lynne Rossetto Kasper recommends serving this with a leafy tossed salad, but I also like it with braised or saut\u00e9ed winter greens. Either way, be sure to have a loaf of crusty bread alongside. Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge and make for tasty lunches.<\/p>\n

1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
\u00bc tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
\u00bd cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, chopped
1\/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

In a large bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the shallots and garlic to mellow.<\/p>\n

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the chickpeas, and blanch for a minute or two. Drain.<\/p>\n

Add the carrot, parsley, and olive oil to the shallot mixture. Toss in the chickpeas, and season as needed with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, while still warm.<\/p>\n

Serves four.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a weekend of cream puffs, a girl\u2019s got to take a breather.Moderation is horribly unglamorous, I know. But, dear reader, I also know that you\u2019re the sort who values truth\u2014ugly, unwashed, morning breath and all. I\u2019ll give it to you straight: I channel the USDA food guide pyramid. I don\u2019t mean the new recommendations announced last month, which are well-meaning but unrealistic at best\u2014three cups of dairy products per day for the average adult?!\u2014but rather the concept of the food pyramid. I\u2019m not sure how this came to be, but I\u2019m crazy about the five major food groups. I love them equally, the way a mother loves her children. Brussels sprouts speak to me as sweetly as crusty bread,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe simple and the unsexy | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/02\/the-simple-and-the-unsexy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The simple and the unsexy | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a weekend of cream puffs, a girl\u2019s got to take a breather.Moderation is horribly unglamorous, I know. But, dear reader, I also know that you\u2019re the sort who values truth\u2014ugly, unwashed, morning breath and all. I\u2019ll give it to you straight: I channel the USDA food guide pyramid. I don\u2019t mean the new recommendations announced last month, which are well-meaning but unrealistic at best\u2014three cups of dairy products per day for the average adult?!\u2014but rather the concept of the food pyramid. I\u2019m not sure how this came to be, but I\u2019m crazy about the five major food groups. I love them equally, the way a mother loves her children. 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