Scenes around town - BPC

A week and a half ago I declared fall had arrived in NYC. Well...I lied. No sooner had I said it then we had a string of muggy, humid days in the 70’s. But this weekend it really, REALLY felt like we turned a corner. My neighborhood, Battery Park City, sits on the banks of the Hudson River, and I have a bird’s eye view of the changing season. Leaves are turning, squirrels are hording, and there is no mistaking the setting autumnal sun.

What is Fair Trade, anyway?

Given it’s almost Halloween, it seems appropriate to talk about chocolate for a minute. I’m not a fanatic like some people I know (Joyce) but I do love a little something sweet after a meal and lately I’ve really taken to dark chocolate. And I mean good dark chocolate, not the junky stuff they sell at Duane Reade. They say dark chocolate is a health food so I figure as long as I don’t do anything crazy like scarf down a whole bar at one sitting, I’m doing my body a favor, right?

My current favorite is from Equal Exchange, a Fair Trade member and maker of very delicious chocolates. I like their Organic Extra Dark Chocolate bar, made with 80% Panamanian cocoa beans. The remaining 3 ingredients are cocoa butter from the Dominican Republic, organic sugar from Paraguay, and vanilla from Madagascar (that's right - no corn syrup, artificial flavors, or emulsifiers like soy lecithin). It says on the wrapper “By choosing Equal Exchange fairly traded products, you support a food system that builds stronger farming communities, creates a more equitable trade model, and preserves our planet through sustainable farming methods.”

This all sounds great and true to my assumption a product with Fair Trade certification is a good thing but I have to admit, I don’t truly know what Fair Trade means. Chris Martin of Coldplay is an advocate, but should I really trust a rock star (other than Bono, of course) to guide me on matters of ethics? Since I’m on the fence on that one, I did a little research…

Fair Trade is most commonly associated with coffee, which was the first agricultural product to be certified Fair Trade in 1986. But the real beginnings started more than forty years prior, in the 1940’s, when European and North American church groups, in an attempt to alleviate suffering in poverty-stricken and underdeveloped regions of the world, began importing and selling those citizen’s handicrafts. Because their products were sold to customers directly, without a middleman, the impoverished were able to receive a fair price and higher return for their products.

The next few decades saw much of Fair Trade’s growth occur in Europe where it was often tied to political groups taking a stance against what they saw as the growing dominance of global corporations in the marketplace. The main vehicles for Fair Trade, Alternative Trading Organizations (ATOs), flourished. Over the years, the focus of Fair Trade shifted from handcrafted goods to agricultural commodities.

Fair Trade arrived in the United States in 1986 with Equal Exchange, makers of my delicious chocolate bar. The three founders met while managing a food co-op in New England and decided they wanted to do something to raise awareness and respect for where food comes from, how it’s grown, and who grows it. They chose fairly traded coffee from Nicaragua as their first product. Back then coffee was not the ubiquitous beverage it is today; the guys from Equal Exchange bet on coffee’s huge growth potential and man, were they ever right. Twenty years later, the company is going strong selling a range of organic and/or sustainable products that includes tea, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, bananas, nuts and berries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

The do-gooder side of me loves the concept of my Fair Trade chocolate bar and what it stands for: stable, profitable income and safe working conditions for small-scale farmers; investment in local communities; encouragement and support for environmentally-safe farming practices. The food-lover side of me craves the creamy, rich, non-bitter taste of this dark chocolate (an 80% chocolate bar that’s not bitter and chalky is a miracle, actually). And it’s organic to boot.

There is no doubt Equal Exchange is more expensive than Hershey’s. I wish it weren’t so; living in Manhattan I pay through the nose for everything and for once it would be nice to catch a break on something. But life is about choices and I don't think food is the place to start skimping on cost. The fantastic taste, ethical production, and championing of the Little Guy makes it worth the extra $$ to me.

New York Magazine guide to Greenmarket Apples

Looks like I'm not the only one obsessing about apples!  There are so many apples in this guide I'd like to try, it's hard to know where to start.  Similar to heirloom tomatoes, the names, history, and descriptions of heirloom apples are a delight to read and the 28 listed here are no exception.

What makes an apple an heirloom?  Generally speaking, it's a named variety that has been passed down through families, communities, or regions for generations.  Each year as homes are sold and developers purchase small orchards, many of these special (enthusiasts would say magical) apples disappear along with part of America's cultural history.  

Unlike an heirloom tomato, it's not as simple as saving an apple's seed to grow another genetically identical tree.  To do so, a cutting from one tree must be grafted to the rootstock of another tree. Trees grown from a seed will produce hybrid fruit, which is one reason why there are over 14,000 documented apple varieties in North America since the English brought seeds over from Europe.

Sadly, 90% of the apples consumed today in the United States consist of only 11 different varieties.  These varieties are not favored because of taste; they are favored because - you guessed it - they can withstand the rigors of transportation over thousands of miles from Washington State (or, out of season, Chile and New Zealand) to get to market.  Wouldn't you rather eat an apple grown for its complex flavor, juiciness, and/or texture than for its ability to not bruise??

I say resist the urge to buy a Red Delicious (currently the commercial leader, pulling in 40% of all apple purchases in the United States). Walk past the commercial jars of applesauce on the grocery store shelves (most likely made with apples from another country).  Drive by the supermarket, head straight to a farm stand, and pick up a locally grown apple variety that may or may not look a little homely compared to its waxy, bodacious, and bland distant cousin, Red Delicious.  Give it a chance; I bet you find it has personality and taste to spare.

Calvados Applesauce with Butter Walnut Crumbs

Fall finally feels like it’s here for keeps; the temperature has dropped enough that I need a light jacket to run around town in,
 

the shadows are growing longer, the daylight growing softer, and the ornamental grasses in the park have donned their tassels.

On Saturday at the Tribeca farmers market my favorite edible sign of fall, apples, was out in full force.

I eat an apple every (week)day pretty much without fail. I’m a creature of habit when it comes to eating (see my egg post) and when I’m at work I have an apple around 3:00 or 4:00 because A) it’s good for me and B) I’m always hungry.

I buy my apples from Terhune Orchard on Saturdays at Union Square throughout the winter, spring, and summer because their apples always retain their crisp texture. I’ve tried buying from other farmers and I hate to say it but they often disappoint; their apples are usually soft and mealy, which is just horrible in an apple. Part of an apple's appeal is biting into it and hearing a snappy crunch...

What sets Terhune apples apart is the way they are stored; in addition to keeping them in cold storage at a low temperature (common practice on farms), the room is also equipped to maintain the air’s oxygen concentration at low levels (not so common). Both these factors combined vastly increase the life of an apple.

But it’s fall now so it doesn’t matter which farm I buy my apples from; they are all fresh off the tree, crisp, and delicious. Prospect Hill Orchard comes to the Tribeca farmers market from Ulster County, NY and has a nice selection of apples, including heirloom and organic, as well as the usual suspects.

For the past month I’ve been hoping to cook or bake something with apples but have failed miserably; there never seems to be enough hours in the day. On Saturday morning Ruth Reichl’s tweet sent me over the edge: “Silver sky. Storm’s end. Baking bread perfumes the house with its warm, brown scent as apples, butter, Calvados melt into chunky sauce.”

That’s it; apples here I come! I’m starting with an applesauce dessert and who knows what will be next. Stay tuned.

Applesauce with Butter Walnut Crumbs
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2004

This is so easy! No excuses, people!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 slice firm white sandwich bread with crust, coarsely ground in a food processor (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup bottled chunky applesauce (I made me own; see below)

Garnish: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Heat butter in an 8-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook nuts and bread crumbs with a pinch of salt, stirring constantly, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spoon applesauce into a goblet or other glass, then sprinkle with crumb mixture.

Calvados Applesauce
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2003

Given whom the tweet came from, I knew exactly where to find a Calvados applesauce recipe. I went to Gourmet online and there it was.

I doubled the recipe and halved the amount of sugar originally called for. I also used Golden Delicious apples because the Gala’s had sold out by the time I got to the stand.

I’m sure you can leave the Calvados out if you want but I found it added a nice depth of flavor.

1 lb Gala apples
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Calvados

Peel and core apples, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Bring apples, water, sugar, zest, and cinnamon to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Remove lid and simmer until most of liquid is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Add Calvados and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Mash apples with a potato masher or a fork to a coarse sauce, then cool.

Ten years of eggs for breakfast and counting….

I’ve been eating eggs for breakfast for, oh, I don’t know, 10 years? Maybe more, but it’s something like that. I never believed the naysayers who said eggs were bad for my cholesterol levels (they’ve been proven wrong, anyway) and have eaten one, usually two eggs a day for years. I just got the results back from my yearly physical and in my doctor’s words my cholesterol levels are “great”.

I even like to have eggs for dinner and when I go to one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, The Odeon, I’ll often order an omelette as my entree. For me, it’s one of life’s ultimate comfort foods: delicious, nutritious, warm and filling.

For as long as I’ve been cooking eggs, I’ve been buying them from the Greenmarket. It used to be there were only one or two farmers who sold eggs at Union Square; I’ve always bought mine from Quattro’s Game Farm, a 50-year old family farm located in New York’s Hudson Valley. The Quattrociocchi family treat their chickens well, letting them spend their days on pasture for most of the year. Along with eating whatever they find pecking around the field, their birds are fed oats and corn ground into feed on the farm. One look at a Quattro egg is all it takes to know their chickens live a good, clean life; the egg yolk from a pastured bird is more orange than yellow, a result of the varied nutrients they take in.  When cracked open, the egg is so firm and fresh it barely moves.

One of the reasons I got into the habit of going to the Saturday Union Square market before 9:00 AM was so I could get my weekly carton of eggs; any later and Quattro’s would more often than not be sold out. Now there are many more farmers selling eggs so I never have to go home empty-handed, but I’m still loyal to my friends at Quattro’s.

I cook my eggs in a cast iron skillet because that’s how my mom has always done it and her mother did the same. In fact, my mom uses my grandmother’s iron pan that is wonderfully seasoned from decades of use.

What do I mean by “seasoned”? That is the non-stick patina cast iron acquires from an initial application of vegetable oil to its surfaces and time spent in a hot oven. Subsequent use will only enhance this coating.

My pans are made by Lodge Cast Iron, a family-owned company located in South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1896. Manufacturing with iron can emit pollutants into the environment and Lodge has made serious strides to reduce its impact on the environment, earning awards for their efforts from local and state governments.

A well-seasoned cast iron pan should require little, if any, oil or butter to cook food in it. I recently noticed food sticking to my skillets, which doesn’t really bother me – it gives me a good excuse to add a little Ronnybrook butter to the pan – but I decided a re-seasoning was in order.

I went to one of many online sources to get detailed instructions on the correct way to season cast iron. After coating my two favorite pans in vegetable oil, I popped them into a very hot oven for an hour. Or I should say I intended to pop them in for an hour. The genius that designed my apartment thoughtfully placed the smoke alarm on the wall directly next to my oven. Oil baking for an hour at 500 degrees will generate some smoke. Not a ton, but enough that a fire detector located 5 feet from the oven will go off...and off...and off. Needless to say, my pans did not bake for an hour – more like 20 minutes. But even that abbreviated time has helped restore the beautiful, black surface that is so desirable on a cast iron pan.

There are many reasons to use cast iron when cooking; I like that its non-stick surface is chemical-free and that cooking in an iron pan adds a small amount of iron to my diet. It is incredibly long lasting and, as noted, can be handed down from generation to generation. It can go from stove to oven to grill. Cast iron is incredibly inexpensive when compared to other cookware; today my 9” skillet costs $16.99 online.

Chefs love cast iron for its ability to maintain a high, even temperature which produces excellent carmelization and a crispy coating on food. I just read an article on food entrepreneur and Mario Batali sidekick (his words, not mine), Joe Bastianich, and when asked what his favorite cooking tool was, he said his cast iron pan.

During the week while I’m scrambling to get to work in the morning, I do the same to my eggs. I have it down so pat that I can get everything out of the fridge, heat the pan, whisk the eggs, toast the bread, stir the eggs, butter the toast, and plate my breakfast in less than 5 minutes. (I’m happy to report that my new kitchen is just big enough that I can’t stand in the same spot and do all of the above as I could in previous apartments. This one actually requires moving several steps in either direction. You have to have lived in a NYC apartment - my loft-living friends being an exception – to understand how exciting this concept is…)

On the weekends I like to fry my eggs in a pan that is divided in sections so the egg doesn’t spread out too much. I take a nicely toasted slice of multigrain bread from Rockhill Bakehouse or Our Daily Bread, butter it with more Ronnybrook butter, and slip a slice of Cabot extra-sharp cheddar under the hot egg, melting the cheese just so. This summer I became obsessed with Cholula hot sauce thanks to my Vineyard friend, Elliot, who taught me to sprinkle a bit on top of my eggs for a little kick. Perfection!

More Books! My Cookbook Top 10

Speaking of cookbooks, what are my favorites?  My friend, Heather, asked so here goes…

#1 The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters.  If I was on a deserted island and could have only one cookbook…it would be 101 Ways to Enjoy a Coconut.  BUT - if my island came with a Viking stove, Sub Zero fridge, and a farm, this would be the book I’d want with me! 

If you’ve been reading my blog you already know I love Alice Waters and her restaurant, Chez Panisse.  Her outlook on food – fresh, seasonal ingredients, sourced from local farmers and purveyors, prepared simply and deliciously - is right up my alley.  To quote from the book:

I’m convinced that the underlying principles of good cooking are the same everywhere.  These principles have less to do with recipes and techniques than they do with gathering good ingredients, which for me is the essence of cooking. 

This book is like a locavore’s version of The Joy Of Cooking.  Alice does an incredible job of teaching the basics of cooking such as sautéing and roasting and sauces and stocks, while explaining the importance of selecting the best ingredients to make the most of a recipe.  I’m constantly pulling it off the shelf for recipes, yes, but also to walk me through her tried-and-true methods for cooking just about anything.  Take, for instance, plain rice; mine never used to turn out until I read her two-page description of how to make it.  Now my rice comes out great and I’m happy, grateful for her guidance.    

Alice is the leader of what she calls the “Delicious Revolution” and a seasoned 40-year restaurateur who knows her way around a kitchen.  The Art of Simple Food is the book I give to any friend, novice or expert, who has a serious love and appreciation for simple and tasty food. 

The rest of the books I’m not ranking in any particular order – I use and love them all!

All the Barefoot Contessa / Ina Garten books (there are six with another coming in October).  Why?  Her. Recipes. Work.  I’ve made many of them and not only do they never fail; they never fail to be delicious.  Ina’s food is comforting, easy, and elegant.  To top it off, she’s got great entertaining and culinary style - sophisticated but casual; polished yet laid-back.  I’d like to think that’s how I am; I know that’s how Ina is.

Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.  A classic, and the best book I know of for authentic, Italian food.  Again, the recipes are simple (I see a theme developing here), clear, and comprehensive. As Marcella explains, there is actually no such thing as Italian cooking; each region of the country has their own cooking style that differs distinctly from the others. She somehow manages to capture the sights, smells, and tastes of all of Italy in a way that transports you from sea to countryside to city with ease.  The first recipe I ever wrote down and made my own was Marcella’s Bolognese Meat Sauce. 

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison.  She's authored over ten books, mainly vegetarian, but this one includes some carnivorous stuff.  Deborah grew up in California on a walnut orchard with a big vegetable garden out back.   She’s been a graceful, expert ambassador for farmers' markets throughout her life.  Her recipes are a lovely tribute to all the goodies that come from the ground and pastures of small farms across the United States.       

David Tanis' book A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, is wonderful - great stories, beautifully written, and incredible recipes.  This book reads like a novel and if you’re like me, you’ll stay up late, turning its pages, and drifting off to sleep with dreams of goat cheese with honey and warm asparagus vinaigrette dancing through your head.  No surprise, he’s a Chez Panisse alum…

Okay, back to reality.  Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, published by Martha's Everyday Food magazine, is exactly what the title says – great, fast food.  The book is filled with tasty, mostly healthy, seasonal recipes that don’t take much prep or call for a lot of ingredients.  Every day – in fact, most days – are not Chez Panisse kind of days.  Work, kids, life gets in the way of elaborate meals.  This is the book to reach for during the week when you want something fresh, from scratch, and FAST.

Tom Valenti’s Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals is a classic in my family.  I thought the concept sounded appealing (One pot?  Sign me up!) and turns out, so did my dad.  I took the book home to my parent’s one weekend and never saw it again.  Dad swiped it.  After eating several dishes he prepared from the book, (my favorite being Simmered Shrimp Saute with Shitake Mushrooms and Scallions), I bought another copy for myself, which now never leaves my apartment for fear of another theft (yes, it's that good!).

Speaking of one-pot meals, there isn’t one much more satisfying than risotto.  Risotto by Judith Barrett and Norma Wasserman isn’t one of the famous chef/highbrow titles on my bookshelf, but you know what?  They taught me how to make risotto many years ago and I’m forever indebted.  I love this book – it’s an old friend. 

The Balthazar Cookbook.  Keith McNally has a reputation in the press for being a bit of a curmudgeon.  I’d like to believe it’s not true, but even if it is, I really don’t care!  I love his restaurants - they’re buzzy, hip, fun places and I’ve never had a bad meal at any of them.  His executive chefs, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, excel at French brasserie cooking and I’ve made their Chicken Liver Mousse, Moules a la Mariniere, and Braised Short Ribs (okay, Dad made that one) to prove it.  The book is filled with wonderful, satisfying food, especially for the upcoming fall and winter months. 

No surprise, I’m ending with my current culinary crush, Frank Stitt.  I’m still waiting for someone to invite me to Birmingham!!  Anyway, both his books – Frank Stitt’s Southern Table and Bottega Favorita – are my idea of perfection.  Incredibly photographed by Christopher Hirsheimer (who I had the pleasure of interning under at Saveur back in the day – she really is lovely) his food is the epitome of elegant, seasonal, local food.  There are a mix of easy and more complicated recipes that I may or may not make but never mind; it’s sheer joy to page through his books.  Did I mention he used to work at Chez Panisse?  I sense a theme….

Salmon with Orzo Salad

Frank Stitt’s Bottega Favorita

1 ½ cups orzo

About 1 tablespoon olive oil

Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, any pin bones removed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn)

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

1 shallot or ¼ red onion, minced

¼ cup pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives, coarsely chopped

¼ cup basil leaves, torn into little pieces or cut into chiffonade, plus 4 small sprigs for garnish

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons L’Estornell Spanish garnacha vinegar or other good-quality red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Grated lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 5 – 7 minutes.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Toss with a splash of oil.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, then add just enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan.  Season the salmon with sea salt and pepper, place in the hot skillet, and cook until the fish is lightly golden on the first side and the edges are beginning to turn opaque, about 4 minutes.  Turn the salmon and transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 4 minutes for medium-rare, or about 6 minutes for medium.  Transfer the fillets to a rack and keep warm.

Stir the corn, tomatoes, shallot or onion, olives, torn basil, and salt and pepper to taste into the orzo.  Add the vinegar, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil, and toss to coat.  Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.

Place a large spoonful of the orzo on each serving plate and top with a salmon fillet.  Garnish each plate with a little lemon zest, if desired, and a sprig of basil.

Serves 4

The UK Observer's list of the 50 best cookbooks of all time

How is it possible, given all the cookbooks on my shelves, I own only 8 out of 50 from this list??  My Amazon wishlist is about to grow even longer...

Eating weeds: Lamb’s quarters aka wild spinach

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for Summer Fest, a celebration of the summer’s most delectable foods.  This week our theme is herbs, greens, and beans and I’m blogging about a delicious and nutritious green I recently discovered.  Be sure to stop by A Way to Garden, White on Rice Couple, Gluten-Free Girl, and Food2 to read about their take on how to enjoy the best of what summer has to offer.

I don’t consider myself an overly adventurous eater.  Living in NYC as I do, there are hundreds – no, make that THOUSANDS – of opportunities to try new and unusual ingredients and dishes.  Sometimes I do, but more often than not I stick to more familiar fare.   Recently, however, I was tempted by a new ingredient while waiting in line for the much-coveted Mountain Sweet Berry Farm strawberries.  As I’ve mentioned, the line was rather long, giving me plenty of time to peruse the other offerings from the farm.  Lamb’s quarters caught my eye because the sign described it as wild spinach and I love spinach.  Rick Bishop’s farm is a favorite of the best chefs in town and it’s a safe bet anything he sells is worth trying.  I bought a bunch and headed home. 

Turns out I spent three bucks on a bunch of weeds.   Lamb’s quarters can be found on the side of roads and riverbanks and is considered an invasive weed in some parts of the United States.  Unbeknownst to most gardeners who yank it out of ground and toss it on the mulch pile, it is edible and a nutritional superstar at that.  Loaded with vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and beta-carotene, lamb’s quarters is one of nature’s powerhouse foods.  Wild foods are generally more potent than their cultivated cousins, containing vitamins and minerals in much higher quantities.   

On occasion people feel sick after eating wild herbs and weeds; often this occurs because their bodies are accustomed to weaker, less nutritious foods.  There are other reasons, too, and if you decide to venture into the wilderness (or suburbs) to find free lambs quarters, be mindful of where you harvest it from; pesticides and soil pollution are absorbed by the plant and stored in its leaves. Only gather wild edible plants from areas you are confident are chemical-free.

Lambs quarters may be used in any recipe that calls for spinach.  Toss it in salads and swirl it into soups; use the greens in lasagna and omelettes fillings.  Give it a steam or sauté it as I did, with a little olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Unlike wild arugula, which has a more intense, complex flavor than its supermarket counterpart, lamb’s quarters are mild like regular spinach, with the addition of an earthy, slightly mineral taste.  I found it a nice change of pace from the standard greens I eat and loved that something so good is so good for me. 

Foraging for food has become an increasingly popular activity and I’ve noticed classes popping up around the city for those interested in learning the tricks of the trade.  These classes are for people who take their quest to eat local to a whole other level.  I admire their desire and commitment, but I must confess, I won’t be joining them anytime soon.  I’m happy to limit my foraging to the baskets at Rick’s stand. 

Quadrettoni di Frittata con Spinaci e Formaggio

(Square Omelettes Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese)

Adapted from Sicilian Home Cooking by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene

This recipe calls for spinach; I substituted equal amounts of lamb’s quarters. 

Lambs quarters have a powdery white coating on its leaves; to remove it you must immerse the greens in water and swish them about. 

10 ounces baby spinach or lamb’s quarters leaves

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon freshly grated pecorino cheese

2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley

1 cup Italian fontina cheese, grated

Cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves for garnish

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add spinach or lamb’s quarters, reduce to a medium boil and cook until done, about 5 minutes.  Drain greens well, squeeze dry in a clean dishtowel, and finely chop.  Heat butter and oil in a frying pan and add greens.  Season well with salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, pecorino, Parmesan, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Generously butter an 8 x 8-inch square nonstick baking pan.  Add fontina cheese to the greens and quickly toss.  Mix well with the egg mixture.  Pour into the baking pan and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Let the frittata cool for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a cool platter.  Let it cool for an additional 5 minutes.  Cut into 6 squares and garnish each piece with a few cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.

Serves 6