A feast at the Corcoran with Joe Yonan

Thu had just posted a great recipe for caramelized cauliflower from a beautiful cookbook, The New Jewish Table, by Todd Gray, notable chef of Equinox restaurant in Washington, DC – right in our backyard – when I received an unbelievable invitation from the Corcoran Museum. Todd Gray would be preparing his usual brunch one Sunday in October, based on Joe Yonan’s new cookbook, Eat Your Vegetables – Bold Recipes for the Single Cook. Yonan, who is trained as a chef himself, writes a weekly column in the Washington Post Food section, specializing in vegetarian meals for one. Since I look forward to reading his column, this offer was a twofer. Thu and I bought our tickets and thoroughly enjoyed this feast last weekend.

We arrived a little early and had a chance to peruse the new exhibit presented in conjunction with two visiting artists via Mexico’s Cultural Institute. One of them founded Mexicali Rose, a grassroots organization dedicated to providing free access to artistic media in the US – Mexican border town of Pueblo Nuevo. The collaboration between them and the students at the Corcoran resulted in an original mural. At first glance, it was overwhelming, but on closer inspection, it was quite intriguing. Some of our photos are posted below.

Finally, it was time to eat. I was unaware that Chef Gray prepares a beautiful vegan brunch at the Corcoran every Sunday with his very personable wife and partner in crime, Ellen Kassoff Gray. We were treated not only to wonderful food, but an upclose demo of Mr. Yonan massaging kale to make it more palatable. As he describes in his book, it turns “silky and vivid green as the cells break down.” Remarkably, it shrinks just like spinach does – but in this case, without cooking.

Yonan chose to feature kale because of its superfood status – he told us it rates 1000 out of 1000 on the ANDI scale – the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. Since I wasn’t previously familiar with this rating, I decided to look into it more. If you shop at Whole Foods, you may have seen ANDI scores posted in the produce department. Since produce items do not come with a nutrient label, ANDI was developed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live, and by Eat RIght America to put a relative value on their vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients including calcium, beta carotene, lycopenes and fiber. Kale and collard are ANDI superstars, at 1000, followed by bok choy, spinach, brussel sprouts, arugula, Romaine and broccoli. Olive oil only rates a 9 out of 1000 even though it is a superb source of monounsaturated fats; the fat dilutes the density of the other nutrients. So eat a variety of foods that are rated high on the ANDI scale, but realize that many healthy foods are rated low by that scale.

Of the recipes we sampled at the Corcoran, two of my favorites were Sweet Potato Galette with Mushroom and Kale and Thai Style Kabocha Squash and Tofu Curry (pictured above). Other kale options in the book include Kale and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla and Kale and Mango Niçoise Salad. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, you can use the recipes in Yonan’s book, for side dishes. If you don’t care to attend to all of the details, he encourages you to adjust the recipes to your own liking. As a professional writer and chef, he weaves essays and recipes seamlessly. His easy smile and personality, which Thu and I experienced at the Corcoran, come through clearly in his writing. He shares his own evolution to vegetarianism, how he came to love growing his own ingredients, and then the letdown he felt when his community garden was overtaken by construction equipment. “They paved Paradise and they put up a parking lot.” (Those of you who have known me long enough, know I’ve sung my share of Joni Mitchell!) He helps us appreciate how much hard work a day at a farmers market entails – in this case, Tree and Leaf Farm selling its goods at Dupont Circle in DC.

To make home cooking easier, for one or more people, he describes how to store, sometimes freeze, those ingredients that tend to go bad – a 1/2 can of beans or 1/2 a lemon and how to cook some ingredients ahead in bulk for multiple meals. Most importantly, he encourages all of us to experiment, to pay attention to our own tastes and to treat ourselves to what we like — because we’re worth the bother! There are dozens of recipes I can’t wait to try, including Ottoman Eggplant Dip, Spinach Enchiladas and Juicy Bellas – for me and anyone who cares to share it!