This is something you can make when it seems like there is nothing left to eat in the house. All you really need is any shape of pasta, a couple onions, plain yogurt, dried up bits of bread, salt and olive oil. Optional add-ins might include something green, crushed red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of cheese such as grated Parmesan or crumbled feta.

You could even make it without the yogurt and the breadcrumbs if you had to,  though they do add a satisfying creamy tartness and crunch, respectively. Other than the pasta, the only nonnegotiable item in this recipe (if you can even call it that) is the humble onion.

We're talking regular yellow onions, thinly sliced into circles and cooked low and slow in olive oil with a pinch of salt. Keep going until they are deeply caramelized, teetering on the edge of char, a dark golden-brown tangle of sweetness. The color brings with it that compelling fifth taste called umami, described as meatiness or savoriness.
Caramelized onions have a million uses: layered into sandwiches or on burgers, stirred into a pot of white beans and greens, scattered over flatbreads or folded into eggs. It's a great thing to do with onions that you might have stockpiled (who, me?) until they are starting to sprout or soften. They even freeze well, should you have any leftovers, though I never have.

Caramelized Onion Pantry Pasta

Makes 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• ¾ cup coarse, chunky bread crumbs pulsed in a food processor or bashed with the back of a heavy pot from dry or toasted bread (sub: ½ cup fine breadcrumbs)
  
• 1½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided, plus more to taste
  
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced into rounds
  
• 12 ounces pasta, pretty much any shape except tiny like orzo
  
• ½ to ¾ cup plain yogurt
  
• Good pinch crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
  
• Several handfuls of chopped leafy greens such as spinach or arugula, or herbs such as flat-leaf parsley (sub: 2 cups frozen peas, thawed by putting in colander and draining pasta over peas; or small broccoli florets, lightly steamed), optional
  
• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional
  

Directions

1. In a large skillet or sauté pan set over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, 2 to 5 minutes (depending on size of breadcrumbs) until golden brown. Scrape out of pan onto a plate and set aside.
   
2. Wipe out skillet (no need to clean) and set back over medium heat with the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply golden brown and caramelized. This can take 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan with onions from heat when done.
   
3. While onions are cooking, set a large pot of well-salted water on to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Important: Before draining, make sure to scoop out and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
   
4. Add hot, drained pasta to the skillet of caramelized onions along with ½ cup of the yogurt, red pepper flakes if using and remaining teaspoon salt. Add ½ cup of pasta cooking liquid and use tongs to toss everything together. Add more yogurt and pasta water as needed to enable yogurt to spread around and coat pasta evenly.
   
5. Toss in green stuff, if using, and taste, adding more salt, crushed red pepper flakes or a little olive oil if needed to balance yogurt acidity.
   
6. Serve topped with fried breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan if using.
   

Got cooking questions? Feel free to email them to pasanen@sevendaysvt.com.

We started this cooking column less than a month ago to help everyone cook their way through the pandemic, and already I am sharing a second recipe featuring eggs. I will admit that, while I have not hoarded toilet paper, I could be accused of hoarding eggs.

Eggs are a must-have for me, as they are apparently for several local chefs and food pros interviewed about their pandemic pantries. Even in normal times, I need at least a dozen eggs in my fridge or I feel bereft. Since I'm shopping less frequently, I now start to get anxious when there are fewer than two cartons. (And there are only two of us in the house.) Luckily, I have had no trouble finding local eggs at farmstands, stores and even delivered to my door.

Beyond their critical contributions to baked goods, eggs are an incredibly versatile, high-quality protein source, relatively inexpensive and comforting for many people. They also keep a long time. From spaghetti carbonara to fried rice to huevos rancheros, eggs turn basic pantry staples or leftovers into a meal the world over. There's a reason #Putaneggonit has more than 120,000 posts on Instagram.
This egg recipe takes us to North Africa. Shakshuka, which is often translated to "all mixed up," is a popular dish in Libya, Tunisia and Israel. Essentially, it's a chunky, spiced tomato and bell pepper sauce with eggs poached in it.

There are a zillion variations out there. Chef and cookbook author Einat Admony calls it "Cinderella in a skillet" in her cookbook Shuk: From Market to Table, the Heart of Israeli Home Cooking (Artisan, 2019). She offers three recipes for it: a classic tomato made with red pepper and eggplant; a Yemenite version with coconut milk and preserved lemon; and a green shakshuka with chard, kale, spinach and feta.

My shakshuka varies with whatever I have on hand. I always start with onion, bell pepper and tomatoes before throwing in any leftover cooked vegetables (from diced roasted squash to mushrooms) and whatever leafy green I have on hand. It's a great way to use up limp greens after refreshing them in cool water. (See photos below of radish greens before and after a 30-minute soak.)

If making shakshuka for supper, I often add a can of chickpeas or white beans for more substance. To finish, I sprinkle the hot skillet with some cheese — ideally feta, but shredded Vermont cheddar works well, too.

Shakshuka was one of the first recipes our younger son, Alex, cooked for himself (not counting Annie's mac and cheese). When I asked for his tips, he texted me, "The longer you cook it, the more tasty it is."

Shakshuka

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
  
• 1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced into thin strips
  
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin, or sweet or smoked paprika
  
• ½ cup chopped parsley, cilantro or scallion greens, plus more to garnish, optional
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
  
• Pinch cayenne, plus more to taste
  
• Small bunch chard, kale, spinach or other greens, sliced into ribbons
  
• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or white beans, or diced, cooked sweet potato or winter squash, optional
  
• 4 to 8 eggs
  
• ½ cup crumbled feta, fresh goat cheese or shredded cheddar
  

Directions

1. In a medium (or large if using all 8 eggs) skillet set over medium-high heat, add oil, onion and pepper. Sauté for 7 to 9 minutes until softened and peppers are starting to color.
   
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar, cumin or paprika, and herbs, if using. Stir to combine. Cook for a couple minutes.
   
3. Stir in tomatoes and a ½ cup or so of water swirled in the empty tomato can to get all the tomato goodness out. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pinch of cayenne. Stir in greens. Reduce heat to low and simmer, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring a couple times. Taste and add more salt or cayenne as desired. (Flavor will intensify as you continue to cook, as Alex pointed out.)
   
4. Increase heat to medium. Stir in chickpeas, beans or cooked sweet potato or squash, if using, and cook about 5 to 7 minutes until they are warmed through.
   
5. Reduce heat to low. Use a large spoon to make well-spaced, individual depressions in the tomato mixture and crack eggs carefully into each hole. Season eggs with salt and more cayenne, as desired.
   
6. Cover pan and cook eggs until done to your liking, about 8 minutes for just set and more for harder cooked eggs. Immediately sprinkle with cheese and additional chopped herbs, if using.
   
7. Serve hot straight from the pan into shallow bowls with crusty bread on the side.
   

Got cooking questions? Feel free to email them to pasanen@sevendaysvt.com.

One year ago, after 16 years of growing vegetables and herbs at Burlington's  Intervale, Mara and Spencer Welton sold Half Pint Farm, the organic farm they founded in 2003.

The Weltons took the rest of 2019 off.  On New Year’s Eve, taking stock and looking forward, they asked each other: "So, what are we going to do now?" Mara recalled.

The couple decided it was time to look for jobs. Mara and Spencer updated their resumes for the first time in 16 years and sent out cover letters. They had interviews and received callbacks for positions in Vermont’s food and agriculture sectors, Mara said.

No one hired them.

“We were mind-boggled,” Mara said. “I guess the universe was telling us, 'Working for other people is not for you.'”

But that was OK, she said. The Weltons, a couple since high school in Denver and married for 27 years, enjoy working together and running a business. So this spring, they launched a new business: Chile Colorado, a mobile eatery that serves food from their native Southwest.

“We’ve always come back over and over to the idea of bringing southwestern food to Vermont,” Mara said. “It’s our passion. It’s what we crave.”

The Weltons purchased two food carts from Carte Blanche, rigs that earlier belonged to Burlington taqueria Taco Gordo.

 “They have a nice legacy here in Burlington,” Mara said of the carts.

Cooking out of their home kitchen in the New North End, which is licensed for catering, the Weltons make dishes including enchiladas, posole, nachos, burritos, tostados and chile Colorado. (They had offered southwestern fare at the Burlington winter farmers market for a few years after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.)

Chile Colorado offers free delivery, Monday through Wednesday, to six Chittenden County towns. It has curbside service from 3 to 7 p.m. on Fridays at Simple Roots Brewing in the Burlington's New North End, and on Friday and Sunday mornings outside the Weltons' home.

The plan is to set up one cart at the Elks Lodge on North Avenue in late May or early June. (Check Chile Colorado’s social media for updates on locations and dates.)

The Weltons shared the recipe for their business' namesake dish, chile Colorado, with Seven Days.

Chile Colorado

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew beef, cut in 1-inch chunks
• 5 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons chile powder, New Mexican medium hot
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 2 cups water
• 2 to 3 cups chile Colorado sauce (rojo chile)
• 18 dried red New Mexican chiles or a mix of guajillos, pasillas and Anaheims

Directions

1. Make chile Colorado sauce: Preheat low broiler. De-stem chiles and break them up into 1-2" pieces. Spread chile pieces and seeds onto a dry baking sheet.
2. Place tray of chiles under the broiler, leaving the oven door open! You must stand there and watch the chiles so they don't burn. Pull them out every 20 seconds or so and toss them as they curl and toast. When they are fragrant and seem toasty (they'll darken in color), they are done. The whole toasting process is very fast and takes 1-2 minutes. Don't walk away, they will burn!
3. Add toasted chiles and about half the seeds to a blender along with 1 clove of garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with warm water and let sit while chiles soften, about 10 to 20 minutes. Blend on high until you have a puree. If it is too thick to blend well, add more water. When completely smooth, set aside and reserve blender for later in the recipe.
4. Start the rest of the recipe. Add 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed 4 quart pan with a lid) and heat on medium-high. When hot, brown meat in batches — don't crowd the pan — adding oil as needed. Using tongs, flip meat as it browns to sear each side. Remove meat to a plate as it cooks and continue until all meat is browned.
5. Lower heat and add onion and garlic to Dutch oven. Cook until soft, but not browned. Add oregano, rubbing it between your hands as you add it. Stir to combine.
6. Sprinkle flour and chile powder over the cooked garlic and onions and stir until it forms a paste.
7. Add 1 cup water and stir to make a roux. Add 1 cup more water and whisk to combine. Raise heat and add 1 cup of the chile Colorado. Heat to a low boil for 2 minutes.
8. Add 1 cup of the reserved chile Colorado back to the blender, and pour the hot chile sauce from the Dutch oven into the blender. Blend carefully until smooth and return to Dutch oven, heat again to a low boil.
9. Add meat back to pot. Cover and return to a low boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until meat is tender and sauce has thickened somewhat, 2-3 hours. Add more chile Colorado or water if mixture gets too thick.
10. Serve with pinto beans, Spanish rice and warm flour tortillas.

Source: Mara Welton of Chile Colorado

Some of you might recall from my first Home on the Range column that I'm helping my brother-in-law, Conor, learn to become a better cook via FaceTime sessions. We figure out in advance what we want to cook, but each of us has different ingredients on hand and there's no running out to the store, so we adapt.

That seems to be the name of the game these days, in all things.

The rural supermarket where Conor goes for groceries every couple weeks does not offer the breadth of options that he and my little sister, Julia, are used to in New York City. And because she is pregnant, he is the designated (but less experienced) shopper. That can yield some mix-ups, such as when he brought home frozen collard greens instead of spinach. So we try to keep things simple.

To help out, I sent them a box of spices and other goodies, including a tagine blend I had in my overflow spice drawer. (Don't mention that drawer to my husband; it drives him crazy. It does come in handy in pandemic times, though.) The mix of eight warm spices incorporates cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and coriander. Along with a big package of ground turkey Conor had bought, and local lamb in my own fridge, it inspired these Middle Eastern-ish kofta kebabs.

Traditionally, kofta are made from ground beef or lamb shaped into long sausages on skewers and grilled. You can make them with pretty much any ground meat; skewers and grilling are optional. I simplified the spice mix in mine and used fresh parsley, which I happened to have on hand; Conor used dried parsley flakes. We roasted them in a hot oven, though you could definitely grill them if the weather ever gets warm enough.

We whisked together a simple yogurt sauce to go with them. I used grated cucumber and mixed in more parsley and some mint; Conor used grated radish, which made for a Pepto-Bismol hue but good flavor. 

Serve the kofta with rice (as Conor did) or pita bread. I finally used a jar of cracked wheat I've had in the pantry for too long. It was so simple, I don't know what took me so long. I rinsed it and submerged it in boiling water. Twenty-five minutes later, I had the basis for a quick tabbouleh with the addition of lemon juice, a little olive oil, more chopped parsley and cucumber, olives, tomatoes, bell peppers and a sprinkle of feta for good measure.

For something so easy, the results were really very good. So good, in fact, that Julia even awarded her husband with his first A- cooking grade. We were all very proud.

Kofta Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce

Makes 2-4 servings (depending if one of you is pregnant or just really hungry)

Ingredients
For kebabs:

• Oil to grease pan if desired
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (sub: ½ teaspoon more cumin)
  
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon sweet, hot or smoked paprika (sub: pinch cayenne)
  
• 1 pound ground meat (I can't think of one that won't work; I first made these with goat and assume it would work with plant-based ground "meat")
  
• 1 small onion, grated or finely minced to yield about ⅓ cup
  
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley (sub: 2 tablespoons minced scallion greens or chives; or 1 tablespoon dried parsley or chives)
  

For yogurt sauce:

• 1½ cups plain yogurt (if it is a loose yogurt, strain in a paper-towel-lined, fine mesh sieve while you prepare kebabs)
  
• 1 cup shredded cucumber (no need to peel), squeezed dry (sub: shredded radish or skip)
  
• ½ cup finely chopped green herbs, such as parsley, mint or cilantro (sub: 1 tablespoon dried parsley, mint or chives)
  
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
  
• A good squeeze of lemon juice (sub: Julia's inspired idea to use caper juice, olive juice or even pepperoncini juice)
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan with foil for easier cleanup if you like, or lightly oil unlined pan. (If straining yogurt for sauce, start that here.)
   
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and paprika.
   
3. Add ground meat, onion and parsley to bowl and mix together well. (Hands work well here and you'll use them to shape the kebabs, so they're going to get messy anyway.)
   
4. Divide meat mixture into 8 portions. (It helps to divide the whole lump in half first, then each of those halves into quarters.) Form each portion into a sausage shape about 4 inches long.
   
5. Arrange kebabs on prepared pan and cook 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through.
   
6. While kebabs are cooking, in a small serving bowl, whisk together yogurt, cucumber, herbs and ½ teaspoon salt. Taste and add lemon juice and salt, as desired.
   
7. Serve kebabs with yogurt sauce over rice, or with pita breads or tabbouleh.
   

Got cooking questions? Feel free to email them to pasanen@sevendaysvt.com.

Courtney Contos used to tell people, "I'm your chef friend in Vermont." Now that she's gone virtual — first as a health coach and now as a chef and cooking instructor — she just wants people to know that she's their "chef friend here on Earth."

Contos switched her focus last summer, closing her Shelburne culinary classroom and store, Chef Contos, after more than six years. At the time, she told Seven Days that she was moving things online to open a functional medicine and wellness coaching business. 

With that new business, Contos was a pre-pandemic adopter of Zoom — the now-ubiquitous video conferencing platform — using it to work with clients to make diet and lifestyle changes. Now that we're all staying home, she's hosting virtual cooking classes, too.

"I had a couple reach out and say, 'We're at home, we need some inspiration and enthusiasm. We're in a rut and cooking the same things over and over,'" Contos recalled. With the online platform already in place, she decided to jump in and start offering the classes — all priced affordably at $11 — with the goal of bringing people together.

While she's taught plenty of cooking classes over the years — she estimates between 1,300 and 1,500 — the first virtual version was an adjustment.

"They've all been in front of people!" Contos said of her previous classes. "This was an experiment, to translate what I've done so many times with people's energy right in front of me and do it through the screen."

So far, the online classes have been a success. The first had attendees tuning in from Germany, Canada and Mexico. It even had a birthday celebration.

"The food was great, and people were excited to see what I was cooking, but it was about way more than the food," Contos explained. "People felt a sense of togetherness, and they had this time to really forget about what was happening and interact."

The 45-minute classes include recipes, tips and resources for far-flung, flavorful food. Upcoming themes include Latin comfort food, samosas and chutney, and a Taco Tuesday party. Contos is happy to share the recipes beforehand for attendees who want to cook along, but she said the classes, ahem, "zoom by even if you're just watching."


"As a health coach — and someone who overcame an autoimmune condition — I feel that nutrition is a big player right now in keeping our immune systems strong," Contos said. One of her favorite ways to get families to eat more vegetables is via a flexible vegetable pancake recipe, served either with a tahini-miso sauce or with a simple yogurt sauce.

"It's a basic recipe that I share with all my clients," Contos said. "They taste so good, and people can use whatever vegetables they have."

Contos challenges herself to use six different types of vegetables when she prepares the pancakes, but they work just as well if all you have is frozen cauliflower. Or spinach. Or kale.

"You could use just carrots and it would still taste awesome," Contos said, at the end of a long list of vegetable suggestions. And isn't that the kind of recipe that we all really need right now?

Vegetable Pancakes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (sub: paleo flour or all-purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons garam masala (or a favorite curry spice)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 5-6 cups chopped or grated vegetables (cauliflower, roasted red peppers, kale, sweet potato, scallion, onion, fresh or frozen spinach, cabbage and canned artichokes are all great options, but use whatever you have on hand!)
• Avocado oil for frying

Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add eggs, lemon juice and water, then whisk until all the lumps are out.
3. Fold vegetables into the batter.
4. Heat a heavy iron pan on medium-high heat, adding enough oil to cover the pan.
5. Spoon some of the batter on the pan, fitting as many pancakes as you can on the pan you use. Lightly press down on each with a spatula. Cover the pan when the first side is cooking, and cook until browned. You should be able to lift the pancake easily when it is ready.
6. Flip and cook uncovered on the other side.
7. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil as needed.
8. Serve with green tahini miso sauce (recipe below) or yogurt.

Source: Courtney Contos, chef and wellness coach

Green Tahini Miso Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 3 tablespoons tahini (sub: nut butter)
• Dash of toasted sesame oil
• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (sub: lemon juice)
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 3-4 tablespoons water
• Fresh herbs, such as dill, mint or parsley (use a touch of all, or substitute whatever you have on hand)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Dash of your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients.
2. Enjoy!

Source: Courtney Contos, chef and wellness coach