Double play

Day 1: The Sauté 

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double -
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

- "Baseball's Sad Lexicon" by Franklin Pierce Adams

For those who don't memorize baseball stats from a hundred years ago, Tinker, Evers and Chance were the triple-play combination on the Chicago Cubs teams of the early twentieth century. Although they weren't the most prolific triple-play infielders in history, thanks to this poem they're probably the most famous. The Cubs have not won a championship in 106 years (a record being avidly pursued by hockey's Toronto Maple Leafs).

The only thing better than your team turning a double play on the baseball field, is you turning a double play in the kitchen. I love to cook, but there's no greater satisfaction than getting two different meals from one preparation.

This dish, that uses vegetables available at the farmers' market now, is a great example. We ate it freshly sautéed for dinner a couple of nights ago, and thought it was terrific. The following day, Andrew and I enjoyed it for lunch baked into an omelet with a little added parmesan.

The only way to top that would be making a bigger batch, so I could make it into a frittata for that ever-elusive triple play.

Day 2: The Omelet

Corn and Yellow Bean Sauté with Bacon and Herbs
(from Fresh From the Farm, by Susie Middleton)

Note: For meal #2, I made a two-person omelet and added leftover sauté with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan. Next time I'd try it in a frittata with grated Gruyere.

Ingredients:

2 strips bacon
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup small-diced yellow onions
kosher salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups small-diced yellow beans (or green beans)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 or 3 ears)
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lemon
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels and drain off all but 1 Tbsp of fat from the pan. Add the butter to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter has melted, add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the olive oil, yellow bean, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are somewhat shrunken and both the beans and onions are lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes more. Add the corn kernels and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the corn is glistening, slightly shrunken, and slightly darker in colour, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until fragrant and well-mixed, about 1 minute. Crumble the bacon and add to the pan. Stir until heated through and remove the pan from the heat.

Season with a few generous grinds of pepper and a light squeeze of the lemon. Stir in the herbs. Let sit for another couple of minutes, then stir again, scraping the bottom of the pan, and season to taste with salt, pepper, or lemon juice.

*
Andrew suggested I tell my readers if you Tinker with the recipe, you might end up with something you'll love for-Evers. I told him there was no Chance I'd print a pun that bad. However, the blog post ain't over 'til it's over, so here it is.