White Bean Soup

"Let Omar sing of wine and bread, but I prefer fine soup instead."

You would think a chest-rattling cold would keep me in bed, but two things compelled me to move to the kitchen: guilt and economy.

It's been 13 months since my last blog post. Save for the readers still loyal enough to bitch me out at every possible turn, I was good with that. But seriously, I've missed writing, and more specifically cooking for the simple joy of being in the kitchen. I always knew I would eventually run out of excuses and get back to my pots and pans and that pretty blue flame. I think I've finally arrived.

And what of economy? Well I had some Italian sausage in the refrigerator that was gonna go bad if I didn't cook it soon, and I hate, HATE throwing food away. So, convinced my skull was going to crack open with every sneeze and cough, I willed myself to the stove for some homemade comfort & joy.

White Bean Soup - a Blog.O.Food original

1 16-oz bag dried cannellini beans, sorted and soaked overnight 1 ½ lb sweet Italian sausage (removed from casing) 1 ½ cups yellow onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp red pepper flake Salt & pepper to taste

Sort and clean beans before soaking overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day, rinse beans, discarding any loose skins or beans that float. Add to a large stock pot and fill with cold water at least 2" above the beans. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for an hour (longer is beans are not fresh), checking water level and stirring occasionally. Once beans are nearly soft add salt to taste, do not salt beans before cooking. Remove beans from heat and keep covered.

Meanwhile, give your onions a small chop and add to the oil heated in a large skillet. Cook until the onions begin to wilt and turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for two minutes more.

Add the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook through, just until no longer pink. You can temper the pork and onions with a ladle or two of the bean water and allow to reduce down. Taste for seasoning. Here's is where I add the red pepper flake Finally, transfer the meat mixture to your pot of beans and stir to combine, and re-heat over a low flame.

I felt better after the first spoonful. Too easy, so delicious. The red pepper flake aren't absolutely essential, but I had to clean out my sinuses one way or another, and I never take cold medicine. So it that or pipe cleaners.

Returning to the blog has been a long time in coming. But I'm finally excited to be back. Thanks for your patience and continued support.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Smoky Red Lentil Soup

"Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup?" ~ Miss Manners

Soup in August? Yeah well, we've had two despicably dreary weekend days. Low, slate-gray clouds, a relentless downpour, and heaps & heaps of self-pity. I needed some cheering up, something to take my mind off my pitiful sorrows.

Smoky Red Lentil Soup - A Blog O. Food original

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 celery stalks, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 3 Tbsp tomato paste 4 tsp paprika ½ tsp sweet curry ¼ tsp white pepper 2 cups red lentils, rinsed 5 cups chicken stock 3 red peppers, roasted, skins peeled ½ cup heavy cream 6 strips apple wood bacon, fried crisp

Pre-heat oven to 450°F. Bring up the temperature of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat until translucent, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute to release its oils. Add the celery and carrot and cook uncovered until most of the moisture has cooked off and the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the tomato paste and spices, stir to combine and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the lentils and chicken stock, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cover the Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until lentils are soft.

Meanwhile, coat red peppers in olive oil and place on a baking sheet in the hot oven. Rotate and turn the peppers frequently until charred all over. Remove peppers from the oven and let rest in a mixing bowl covered with a moist towel.

After removing the stems, seeds, and charred skin of the cooled peppers, purée in a food processor, along with the lentil soup. Purée in batches if necessary. Return the smooth soup to the pot, stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning for salt. Keep covered and warm over a low heat until ready for serving.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, gently mound a few pieces of chopped bacon in the center of the bowl, and offer up toasted baguette slices on the side.

I have to admit that every time I make a creamed soup I covet greatly Williams-Sonoma's immersion blender, and I am just about one more disappointment away from some serious impulse spending, but really a food processor works perfectly adequately.

And what about the soup? I wanted rich smoky flavor, and I got just that. All the paprika and roasted peppers made sure of it. The curry rounded out all the other elements. Bacon needs no justification, least ways, not in these pages.

Curled up on the couch watching bad TV and slurping warm, hearty soup on a crummy weekend. Sometimes, only the guilty pleasures will get you through the rough spots.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

So Much More Than Baloney

So, I was out in San Francisco over the long Easter break and got to dine at one of the City's more popular eateries. People say it's impossible to get a reservation, but nobody told me that before I called a few days before my arrival in town. I got a table for four at 10:30 that magically turned into a 6:30 seating within just a few hours of my booking. nopa thoroughly embraces the "local food" ethos. Everything is seasonally fresh, so the menu is continuously changing. It's is in its fifth year and its popularity has yet to wane. I soon found out why.

Good blogger that I am, I had neither camera nor notebook with me that night, so recalling what we ate is proving problematic. I do remember a fire-grilled calamari appetizer that couldn't have been more perfect. Not under-cooked, not rubbery, the chef must have stood over the grill with a stopwatch, that's how tender it was.

There was an amazingly moist rotisserie chicken; a sweet, succulent grilled pork chop with the faintest blush of color - more like steak than pork - and at a Ten Hour Bolognese pasta on the menu that ricocheted round and round my brain pan. I just had to try it. I haven't tasted anything that flavorful, complex and satisfying in a long time.

Ragù alla Bolognese - adapted from the Italian Academy of Cuisine*

¼ lb pancetta, cubed 2 carrots, peeled and minced 2 stalks celery, minced 1 yellow onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb ground beef 1 lb ground veal 6 oz tomato paste ½ bottle dry red wine 1 cup whole milk Salt & pepper taste

Render the pancetta in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. (I cheat by starting things off with a couple of fat dollops of reserved bacon fat to get everything going in the pot.) Add the soffritto (mirepoix if you prefer) and sauté over low heat until thoroughly soft (20-25 minutes or more). Stir as necessary. Add the ground meat and allow to gently come up to a simmering point, stirring constantly until it sputters.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook through, until the mixture begins to take on a little color.

Add the wine and leave to simmer for at least 2 hours (I had time to kill, so went for four). You can add a bit of beef stock once the sauce is reduced by half, and continue reducing and adding stock for the duration.

While stirring, drizzle the milk into the sauce to incorporate, and season with salt and pepper. For added richness, a recommended option is to add a "a panna di cottura di un litro di latte intero". This is whole milk reduced in a saucepan to at least half its volume. I served my ragù over fat pappardelle egg noodles, but any long pasta will do. The secret is in the sauce after all. Oh, and don't forget the fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano. No cheese in a green container is ever gonna bring honor to your efforts in the kitchen with a sauce like this.

Well, I ended up with one killer Bolognese. Maybe not the 10-hour indulgence that comes out of nopa's kitchen, but damn it was good. Totally rich and fulfilling. I confess, yet again, to licking my plate clean afterwards. (I had the sauce over spaghetti the next night, and dipped toasted French bread into warmed-up leftovers a third.)

You can do this sauce in as little as two hours, but even still it's a time consuming affair. I do this because of a wicked stubborn streak running down my spine. If you decide to give it a whirl, do it for the love!

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

*The classic Italian Bolognese includes neither garlic nor herbs.

Pasta Fagioli

"Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars!"

Pasta e fagioli - adapted from La Cucina Italiana

1 16-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 clove garlic, finely chopped 8 oz pancetta, cut into ½" cubes 8 oz sweet Italian sausage, casing removed 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock 1 lb ruote (cartwheel) pasta Fine sea salt Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Red pepper flake

In a large heavy stockpot, combine pancetta and sausage and a little oil over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, breaking up the sausage into bits with a wooden spoon until fat is rendered and sausage is just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add onion and more oil, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, another 5 minutes or so. Add chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

Add beans, stock and 2 cups water; bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 25 minutes. Increase heat to bring soup to a low boil, add pasta and cook until pasta is barely al dente (pasta will continue to cook in soup; so do not overcook). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into serving bowls, sprinkle with grated cheese and red pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

So when your day sucks ass and the weather outside is more like winter than spring, don't get mad, get cooking.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Slow-cooked Pork Tacos

So if we just ignored the fact that I haven't posted a recipe since December 1, 2010, do you think anyone would notice? Yeah, me neither.

Winter is grudgingly giving way to spring, but not without a lot of fuss and some chilly nights. Why not chase to the blues away with Nature's comfort food - Mexican.

Slow-cooked Pork Tacos - From food52.com

2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 2 tsp Ancho chili powder 1 tsp chipotle chili powder ½ tsp dried oregano 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into ¾" chunks Kosher salt Peanut oil 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 1 poblano pepper, finely chopped 1 Serrano chili, seeded and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, with their juices 1½ cups chicken stock 2 large limes Corn tortillas 2 avocados Pickled onions (recipe to follow) Cilantro

Pickled onions

1 medium red onion 1 Tbsp Kosher salt 2 Tbsp sugar ¼ medium beet, peeled Handful cilantro Cider vinegar

Slice the onion thinly and put in a glass container safe for the microwave. Add the salt, sugar, beet and cilantro. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vinegar. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for another minute. Cool, then cover and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

Put the cumin and coriander in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the spices for a minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're fragrant. (Be careful not to scorch them.) Grind the spices using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in both chili powders and the oregano and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the pork well with salt and add about half of the meat to the pot. Brown well on all sides, about 4 minutes total, and transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add more oil and brown the second batch of meat, adding it to the bowl once it's done.

Lower the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion, poblano, Serrano and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant. Stir in the spice mixture and cook for another minute.

Return the meat to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated, and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. (The meat should just be covered in liquid - if not, add a little water.) Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Turn up the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer gently for an hour. Uncover the pot and continue to simmer until the pork is very tender and the sauce is reduced and thick, 20 30 to 60 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning, and squeeze another half a lime into the sauce.

To serve, heat tortillas on a dry griddle or skillet. Peel and roughly chop the avocados and sprinkle with a little lime juice to keep them from turning brown. Cut another lime into thin wedges. Fill each taco with some of the pork, cilantro, avocado, and pickled onion. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing. Don't forget the cerveza Mexicana!

Talk about getting back into the swing of things with a little verve and panache. The roomie was duly impressed. So was the cook for that matter! It's good to be back.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food