Thinking Inside the Bag

There are few brown-baggers in the building where I work. This is not because the food in the neighborhood is so great (it isn't), or because the cafeteria is Google-like (it isn't), but because many people are either "too busy" or too embarrassed to bring their lunch. Somehow one of our oldest and sanest traditions has become a laughingstock: It's not hip to bring lunch.Let's try to fix that.As a meal, lunch is undeniably tough; most people say that and I recognize it. But something good happens when you make the default a brown bag.I am not talking literally about brown bags; you can bring your groovy REI lunchbox, or your authentic Mumbai tiffin carrier (actually, where I work, the people who seem to bring their lunch most often are of South Asian origin) or - as I tend to do - your assortment of recycled takeout containers.Whatever you pack it in, what happens when you bring your lunch is that you start to see it as primary, and the restaurants and fast-food joints and company cafeterias as backups, rather than the other way around.It's no major feat, of course, to develop a ham-and-Swiss-on-rye habit and accompany it with a salad and a piece of fruit, in that way producing a lunch that's cheaper and no doubt of higher quality than almost anything you're able to buy in your neighborhood. Still, few people seem to do that these days, at least in my circles.More often (this is an observation, not a study), those who bring their lunches are going one of three routes:Carrots, celery sticks, apples, a tomato, a banana. Basically a few things they can grab in two seconds and eat without guilt.Leftovers. This is obviously the simplest route and, because almost every workplace has a microwave now, an extremely practical and often savory one. To make this work, you may have to hold back at dinner, or cook more than you're used to, without eating more.Then there is the creative assortment that may require last-minute assembly at work. Again, the microwave helps here.My strategy is to try to have all of these things working for me. I'm not above bringing leftover pasta, or stews, or other things that are easy to reheat. I do resort to the grab-and-go style of raw food at least once a week. And I often try (I really do) to pack a few components separately and then ready them for microwaving at lunchtime.The key, as in so much good eating, is having a well-stocked pantry. I'm talking here not only about olive oil and vinegar and soy sauce, the kinds of things that every cook has. And I'm talking not only about tuna and sardines and maybe bread and tomatoes, the staples of many brown-baggers.I'm also talking about building blocks, like tomato sauce, a pot of beans (or grains, equally valuable), a pan of roasted vegetables, perhaps even a roast chicken. These are the kinds of elements that you can put together while you're doing something else - whether cooking a meal or watching a football game or catching up on email - and that will last all week, adding substance, flavor and real appeal to whatever else you have lying around. Get that kind of thing going, and you'll be overwhelmed not by the challenges of putting together a decent lunch before you leave the house, but by the possibilities.There's at least one other decidedly easy way to add character to even the most mundane dishes. That involves creating a fresh sauce of the type that takes little or no cooking (I've provided five no-cook types here) and keeps for a few days. You can think of a vinaigrette as the prototype here, but even the kinds of things we might once have thought of as exotic - soy-ginger dipping sauce! - are quickly put together using now-common ingredients.Planned leftovers, as opposed to random ones, can make a huge difference. What you can do with a few pieces of cooked chicken or steak, a couple of fish fillets, even a pile of cooked vegetables is nothing short of creating another meal. And there is almost nothing that won't sleep soundly in the refrigerator, with little or no loss in quality, from any given Sunday until the following Friday.This is, of course, a strategy built on cooking: You can't have leftovers or a container of roasted vegetables unless you cook. And in a way, the intent to bring lunch can help turn you into a cook who's more efficient, less wasteful and ultimately less recipe-dependent. Because the lunch thing really isn't about cooking, but assembling.If you have beans, grains, greens - cooked and raw (but washed, of course) - cooked and raw vegetables, a sauce or two (including, at least sometimes, tomato sauce, which can turn almost anything into a soup or stew with just the addition of water), plus the staples you normally have in your pantry and then a leftover or two, lunch becomes a snap.And as it becomes ritualized, the process becomes both more pleasurable (you could have a favorite bowl at work to make it even more so, and real silverware and napkins) and more rewarding. Monotony becomes a thing of the past, as does the dread of figuring out where and what to eat: You have taken control. Let the others laugh.
Escabeche SaladTime: 30 minutes, plus overnight refrigerationYield: 4 servings1 cup extra-virgin olive oil6 tablespoons good vinegar, or to tasteSalt and pepper2 teaspoons Dijon mustard1/4 cup minced onion, shallot or scallion1/2 teaspoon minced garlic2 cups leftover chicken, beef, fish or the like (even tofu)2 cups cooked vegetables, rinsed with boiling water if necessary to remove any sauce6 cups salad greens, washed, dried and packed in a container1. Whisk or blend olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, Dijon, onion and garlic; adjust seasoning as
necessary.2. Pour the sauce over the protein and vegetables, and refrigerate overnight and for up to several days. When you're ready to serve, put a portion of the escabeche over greens.Cold Sesame Noodles with Crunchy VegetablesAdapted from "How to Cook Everything," by Mark BittmanTime: About 10 minutesYield: 4 servingsSalt4 cups chopped fresh crunchy raw vegetables: snow peas, bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions12 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles or long pasta like linguine2 tablespoons dark sesame oil1/2 cup tahini, peanut butter or a combination2 tablespoons sugar3 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (optional)1 tablespoon rice or white-wine or other vinegarHot sesame oil or Tabasco sauce to taste1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Prepare the vegetables: trim, seed, peel as
necessary and cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve in a container until ready to use.2. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. When they're done, rinse
in cold water, then toss with 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil. Store in one or more containers.3. Whisk together remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil, the tahini, sugar, soy, ginger, vinegar, hot oil and black pepper in a large bowl. Thin the sauce with hot water until it's about the consistency of heavy cream; you will need 1/4 to 1/2 cup per serving. Store as desired.4. When you're ready to eat, toss a portion of the noodles and a portion of the vegetables; top with sauce and stir to coat.Microwave Mixed RiceYield: 1 ServingTime: About 10 minutes1 1/2 cups cooked rice1 cup (more or less) leftover cooked vegetables or meat1/4 cup vinaigrette, sesame dipping sauce, tahini sauce, pico de gallo, onion chutney, pesto,
hummus or any other sauce you likeSalt and ground black pepper1. Toss ingredients into a large bowl, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Microwave for 1 minute.2. Stir and cook for another minute or 2 or until warm. Serve.
Sidebars:

Five No-Cook SaucesBasic vinaigrette: You have to decide whether you like 50 percent vinegar, 30 percent or more like 25 percent. Experiment. But start with 1/2 cup good olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice or sherry (or other) vinegar, a minced shallot and some salt and pepper. If you use a blender, the emulsion will hold for days.Sesame dipping sauce: Whisk together two tablespoons dark sesame oil, two tablespoons peanut oil, one tablespoon minced onion or shallot or a little garlic, two tablespoons soy sauce and, if you like, one tablespoon sesame seeds or finely chopped peanuts. Cilantro is a good garnish.Tahini sauce: Combine 1/2 cup tahini with some of its oil, 1/2 cup water, the juice of one lemon, one peeled garlic clove, salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cumin in a food processor; process until smooth. Or whisk the ingredients in a bowl (mince the garlic first). Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice, oil, water or garlic as needed.Pico de gallo: Combine 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, 1/2 large chopped white onion or three or four scallions, one teaspoon minced garlic, minced fresh chili (jalapeño, Thai or habanero) to taste, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves and two tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or one tablespoon red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let sit to allow the flavors to develop.Raw onion chutney: Finely chop two small to medium or one large white onion and combine with one teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns, 1/4 cup red wine (or distilled white) vinegar and one teaspoon paprika. Let sit for an hour. Stir in cayenne to taste, then taste and adjust seasoning.
Three Key Recipes

Basic Tomato Sauce:  Put three tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, add one chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. (Or alternatively, use three or four smashed cloves garlic and a dried chili or two; cook until the garlic has browned a bit.) Add 4 cups fresh or canned chopped tomatoes and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally over lively heat until the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, 10 to 15 minutes. Basil or parsley at the last minute never hurts. It stores in the fridge for up to a week. Makes four servings.Roasted Vegetables: Heat the oven to 425 degrees while you prepare around 2 pounds of varied vegetables: root vegetables, squash, eggplant, fennel, celery and so on. Peel, stem, seed, chop or cube as needed; it's good if pieces are all about the same size. Put 1/4 cup oil in the bottom of a roasting pan and toss the vegetables with it and a lot of salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables, shaking the pan occasionally, until they are tender and beginning to brown, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the type of vegetable. If they are browning too fast, lower the temperature a bit. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Store in covered containers and reheat before eating. Makes four servings.

A well-seasoned pot of beans: Put 1 pound washed beans (black, for example) in a large pot with water to cover. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add two bay leaves, two crushed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons cumin or chili powder and a few sprigs of thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme). Cover loosely; adjust heat so beans simmer. When they begin to soften, season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until they are very tender, at least one hour; add water if necessary. Add two cloves minced garlic and one minced onion. Cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (until the edge is off the garlic) and season with more salt, pepper and cumin or chili powder. Discard bay leaves. Store in a sealed plastic bag or container. Makes up to eight servings.
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