Eating of the Green : The Emerald Kingdom

In the beginning, nothing was green. Nada. The earth was a molten mass of red-hot lava when it wasn’t just plain under water.

Then came the cyanobacteria and the chlorophyta, primitive algae that sported eye-catching chlorophyll membranes. By careful use of these, they could break down carbon dioxide by photosynthesis.

It worked out swell. The cyanobacteria gorged themselves on rich, nutritious carbon, and from 2.5 billion to 600 million years ago, great green puddles of algae ruled the Earth. Eventually some algae started living on land and begat the mosses and plants, and greenness spread to every square inch of it, especially Ireland.

Pretty soon it was the 5th Century AD, and St. Patrick went to Ireland, killed all the snakes and converted the people. He found the Irish eating leeks, nettles, cresses and cabbage, which are all green. Even today, potatoes may turn green on you if you’re not careful. Between one thing and another, everything in the world temporarily turns green every March 17, especially beer.

And that brings us down to the 1950s, when it was discovered that chlorophyll destroys bad breath by converting it into rich, nutritious carbon. At long last, toothpastes and candies turned green. Cyanobacteria nursed hopes of a big comeback.

And now we’re right up to the present day, the Food Pyramid Age, which stresses green, leafy vegetables, and also grain products, which, like potatoes, may turn green on you if you’re not careful. (NB: Bread mold is a fungus, not a plant, and does not contain chlorophyll; do not brush with it.)

In the present age, we eat leaves (greens, herbs) and green vegetables (zucchini, peppers) by the bale. The most important discovery of the ‘80s was a green fruit, the kiwi. We are so crammed with Vitamin A that our eyes glow in the dark.

The next important event after St. Patrick’s Day will be the Vernal Equinox, March 21, which is the first day of spring. In springtime, as we know, everything finally--no kidding--turns green.

There was a brief time, in the early ‘70s, when tabbouleh appeared at every party. This version, which contains not only parsley and mint, but basil as well, is particularly delicious.

TABBOULEH 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped 4 cups 1/4-inch-thick green onion slices 1/2 cup bulgur, softened in 1 cup water 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, finely diced 6 fresh mint leaves, chopped 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup lemon juice Salt, pepper Belgian endive or lettuce Tomato wedges Lemon wedges

Combine parsley, green onions, bulgur, diced tomatoes, mint, basil, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Serve garnished with endive and tomato and lemon wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 179 calories; 50 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.99 gram fiber.

This is a classic California recipe, created in the mid-’20s at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in honor of George Arliss, who was appearing in a play called “The Green Goddess.” The recipe turned out to have a longer run than the play.

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING 1 cup mayonnaise 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons anchovy paste 1/4 cup minced chives or green onion tops 1 tablespoon lemon juice Salt, pepper 3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar 1 cup chopped parsley 1/2 cup whipping cream

Combine mayonnaise, garlic, anchovy paste, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, tarragon vinegar, parsley and whipping cream in blender. Process 20 seconds. (Or crush garlic and add to mayonnaise, along with anchovy paste. Add parsley, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar and whipping cream. Beat thoroughly with rotary beater.) Serve over torn Romaine lettuce. Makes about 1 2/3 cups.

Each tablespoon contains about: 52 calories; 90 mg sodium; 9 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

This recipe comes from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s “Simple Cuisine” (Prentice Hall: $29.95). He specifies pureeing the kiwi in a food mill to get the most brilliant green: “A food processor or blender can be used, but it will liquefy the fruit to a more pastel puree.”

COLD KIWI SOUP Scant cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons honey 11 kiwis 1 medium apple (Cortland, Granny Smith or other tart apple) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup sugar

20 large strawberries, sliced in half

In non-reactive saucepan, combine wine and honey over medium-high heat. Bring to boil, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Peel 8 kiwis, quarter, and remove thin white core. Put through medium disk of food mill and mix puree with wine syrup. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Peel remaining kiwis and cut into eighths. Peel and dice apple. Toss apples first in lemon juice, then sugar. Arrange kiwi and strawberry slices around inside of each of 4 soup plates. Ladle in cold kiwi mixture over fruit and garnish with few pieces of sugared apple.

Each serving contains about: 307 calories; 17 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.91 grams fiber.

This recipe is also from “Simple Cuisine.”

LAMB CANNELLONI WITH ZUCCHINI JUICE 2 racks of lamb 1 medium eggplant 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 green pepper, seeded, membrane removed and diced 1/2 sweet red pepper, seeded, membrane removed and diced 2 anchovies, chopped 2 medium button mushrooms, diced 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic Salt Freshly ground pepper 4 spring rolls or egg roll wrappers 3 large zucchini, peeled, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon whole thyme leaves 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Trim any excess meat to make smooth rack. Reserve trimmings to make about 1/2 cup.

Brush whole eggplant with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast at 550 degrees 1/2 hour. Remove from oven, leaving oven on. Cut in half and scrape flesh into bowl. Discard skin. Saute peppers, anchovies, mushrooms and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil until tender. Add eggplant. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat 10 minutes.

Chop reserved lamb trimmings. Saute in 2 tablespoons oil until golden and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add to eggplant mixture.

Cook spring roll wrappers in boiling, salted water until soft, about 15 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Divide filling into 4 equal amounts on each wrapper. Roll wrappers around filling into cannelloni shapes.

Put zucchini through juice extractor. There should be 1 cup of juice. In saucepan, combine zucchini juice with 6 tablespoons oil and thyme leaves. Bring to boil, remove from heat. Keep warm.

In medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add racks and saute until brown on both sides. Remove racks to oven-proof dish and finish cooking in oven 15 to 18 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness.

Sprinkle cannelloni with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts and is golden brown.

Season lamb to taste with salt and pepper. Slice into chops. Divide lamb and cannelloni among 4 warmed serving plates. Spoon some sauce around lamb.

Each serving contains about: 619 calories; 372 mg sodium; 93 mg cholesterol; 48 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 0.86 gram fiber.

Note : Spring rolls and egg roll wrappers are available in Asian markets. Spring roll cannelloni are lighter than those made conventionally with pasta.

Greens and walnuts are bound with eggs and baked, producing something like an Italian frittata. The dish can be eaten hot or cold, but the flavor of browned onions and leeks comes across best when it’s hot. From “In a Persian Kitchen,” by Maideh Mazda.

KUKU-YE SABZI (Iranian Green Omelet) 2 cups finely chopped leeks 1 cup finely chopped lettuce 1 cup finely chopped parsley 2 cups finely chopped spinach 1 cup finely chopped green onions 1 1/2 tablespoons flour 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 8 eggs 1/3 cup butter Plain yogurt

Place leeks, lettuce, parsley, spinach and green onions in bowl. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Mix in walnuts. Beat eggs well and add to vegetables. Melt butter in 9-inch non-stick baking pan and pour vegetable mixture into pan.

Bake at 325 degrees until top is crisp and brown, about 1 hour. To serve, cut into 9 (3-inch) squares and spoon yogurt to taste on top. Makes 9 servings.

Each serving contains about: 202 calories; 478 mg sodium; 207 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 1.4 grams fiber.

This recipe comes from Elizabeth Andoh’s “An American Taste of Japan.” It ends up a beautiful, pale - green color and is very simple to make. (Mirin and matcha can be obtained in any Japanese grocery store.)

GREEN TEA ICE CREAM 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup water 1/2 teaspoon mirin (sweetened rice wine) 2 teaspoons matcha (powdered green tea) 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup half-and-half

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar melts, then simmer 5 minutes. Stir in mirin and remove from heat.

Put matcha in small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon sugar mixture to dissolve thoroughly, then stir tea mixture into remaining dissolved sugar in saucepan. Add milk and half-and-half. Pour into electric ice cream maker and process 10 minutes or until ice cream is silky and smooth, not too hard. Makes 1 pint or 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 119 calories; 28 mg sodium; 13 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0 fiber.

This concoction is from the ‘50s, when women prided themselves on being able to get dinner on the table in a flash. It is certainly easy to make and has a certain sort of unexpected green glamour.

BAKED GRAPES WITH CREAM 1 pound green grapes 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar

Spread grapes in single layer in gratin or 8- to 6-inch baking dish. Cover with sour cream. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees until sugar melts, about 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 150 calories; 28 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.56 gram fiber.