NEW GEAR: Gombe Reserve coffee from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

($17.95, http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com)

Consider this the continuing evolution of coffee from morning wake-up call to political action. Vermont’s Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ latest “special reserve” offering is being produced in conjunction with Jane Goodall.

That’s right — your morning brew can help save the chimps. The coffee, called Gombe Reserve, is being grown by a cooperative of 2,700 farmers along the border of Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Goodall first began her work with primates.

Because coffee plants grow best under the shade of a forest, the hope is that producing coffee will encourage the protection of the park from the deforestation that has affected the lands around it.

The coffee is just the latest entry in a long line of fair trade, organic and sustainably grown coffees available today, helping you turn those groggy first moments of consciousness each day into a political act.

ON THE SCREEN: “The Best Recipes in the World” starring Mark Bittman

In an era of increasingly pornographic food television (when did pecs and cleavage become must-haves for cooks?), Mark Bittman’s new public television series, “The Best Recipes in the World,” is refreshingly watchable.

Unlike so many overproduced programs, Bittman’s new show — which traces great food through Italy, Spain, England and the U.S. — has an everyman quality that will appeal to foodies and more casual eaters alike.

Bittman explores ingredients and recipes with the help of local cooks and celebrity chefs. The first episode tackles rice, with visits to Valencia for paella, New York for risotto with Batali, and California for rice cakes and a risotto-like dish.

The show, scheduled to launch nationally April 14, is about food as much as cooking — and Bittman is savvy enough to know the difference and walk the line. Viewers will come away with an appreciation for technique and ingredients, as well as the culture behind the food.

And Bittman, who is a food columnist for The New York Times, doesn’t hesitate to let his guests tackle the more serious side. During an episode on beef, U.S. farm policy is fair game during a conversation with Bill Niman, of California’s Niman Ranch. You don’t get that sort of real discussion on most food television.

Batali, who appears in many of the episodes, makes a nice foil to Bittman; it’s worth watching the beef episode just to see Batali’s awkward reaction to a “Brokeback Mountain” joke by Bittman.

— By AP Food Writer J.M. HIRSCH

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ON THE TABLE: Noodle Frittata

Finally, something to do with your leftover pasta. Cookbook authors Margaret Fox and John Bear have devised an easy recipe for using cooked pasta in a frittata, essentially an Italian omelet. They say any variety of noodle will do.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

Servings: 1

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 ounces pasta, cooked and chilled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon grated dry cheese (such as Parmesan)

Heat the oil in a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer the onions to a small plate, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan. Set the onions aside.

Add the pasta to the skillet, then season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until golden brown and crunchy. Return the onions to the pan. Mix well. Add the eggs, making sure they cover the noodles. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs.

Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 minute. Remove the lid and place a large plate over the pan. Carefully flip the pan so the frittata lands on the plate. Return the pan to the stove and slide the frittata back into the pan to cook the other side for 1 minute.

(Recipe from Margaret Fox and John Bear’s “Morning Food,” Ten Speed Press, 2006, $19.95)