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

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

The Lonely Kitchen

Tonto has been flying solo this week, as the Lone Ranger is still off gallivantin' on the west coast. He isn't much of an email writer, or conversationalist on the telephone, but the photos have been coming in fast and furious. He must be like a kid in a candy store out there. I know just how he feels.

The Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge, Lincoln Park Golf Course

Palace of the Legion of Honor, Seacliff

Coit Tower, Sentinel Building (Columbus Tower) and the Transamerica Pyramid.

Sausalito waterfront, San Francisco Bay

Back here in NYC, the weather has been clear, crisp and clean. Perfect, simply perfect for comfort food. The LR's favorite? Soup.

Split Pea Soup - adapted from James Peyton Shea

1lb dried split peas 6 cups chicken stock ½ yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 carrots, diced 3 bay leaves 2 Tbsp hot sauce 1 tsp ground black pepper 3 Tbsp flour

Sweat mirepoix in a large heavy stock pot, until translucent, then add peas, stock, hot sauce, bay leaves and pepper. Bring to a low rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer on stovetop for 2-3 hours. Remove bay leaves, and whip soup. Make a slurry with the flour and a little water, add to the soup and whisk again.

You can serve this with crisped bacon bits and a dollop sour cream, or fresh mint leaves and swirl of crème fraîche. Be sure to have thick slices of warm rustic French or sourdough bread on the side.

See, when pressed, I can still find my way around the kitchen.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Mature Audiences Only

I've been guilty of peeping at food pornography all week. Yeah, the new Williams-Sonoma catalog arrived, stirring me to bouts of self-pleasure. I always stash my credit card in another room while I leaf through the colorful pages. My fiscal reserve is no match for all that stark-white china, polished steel and kitchen gadgetry.  In this issue, Bill tried mightily to get me to buy his immersion blender and Le Creuset grill pan, but I'm in a committed relationship with my cast iron stovetop grill and Cuisinart food processor. I'm not above swiping his printed recipes, however, and I sure would love to work in that test kitchen. Maybe then I'd get an employee discount on all those sinfully expensive shiny objects!

White Bean Soup - adapted from Williams-Sonoma

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for brush ¼ cup pancetta, chopped ½ yellow onion, chopped 1 each carrot & celery stalk, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained 5 cups chicken stock ¾ tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook pancetta for 5 minutes. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook and additional minute. Add beans, chicken stock and thyme. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Off heat, puree in a food processor in batches, until smooth. Return to Dutch oven and stir in cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with Roasted Red Pepper Crostini on the side.

Roasted Red Pepper Crostini - from Williams-Sonoma

12 baguette slices, ½" thick 4 red bell peppers, roasted, skins, membrane & seeds removed, chopped ½ tsp Kosher salt 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 tsp sherry vinegar ½ tsp red pepper flake ½ tsp honey

Brush baguette slices on both sides with olive oil, and  season with salt. Toast bread on a hot cast iron grill over medium-high heat, 2 minutes on each side. In a small mixing bowl, toss to combine chopped roasted peppers, salt, olive oil, parsley, vinegar, red pepper flakes honey and a little ground black pepper. Top each toasted baguette slice with roasted pepper tapenade. Serve with white bean soup.

Not bad, William, not bad. Earthy and nutty soup made smoky by the the bacon. Puréed was the way to go. Smooth and creamy, without the cream!

Spring is struggling for a foothold in New York. White bean soup will keep the chill at bay until the sun finally warms things up and the first buds open on the trees.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food