Restaurant Widow

Arugula, with Pasta & Beans

I suppose it has something to do with winter, but I realized the other night that I've hardly been posting any recipes this year.  (Yikes!  I had no idea!)  My apologies.  It isn't that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I am not really inspiried during the late winter, and do you really want to know how many times we eat spaghetti with meat sauce?

Husband and I have been trying to eat a little more healthfully as of late, and those recipes seem kind of boring, too.  But then I thought, my boring might be useful to someone else.  So here we are.  A vegetarian dish with pasta and beans (complete protein) and the first of the year's arugula - I love arugula - which comes together in less than 15 minutes, makes a nice lunch, and can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature.  It makes a nice thing to take along in one's lunchbox.  In fact, I packed it for Husband today, so I hope he's enjoying it.

This is another recipe to show how a few staple pantry items (pasta, beans, roasted red peppers) can come together with even the earliest crop of local greens.

Arugual with Farfalle & Beans - serves 4

1/2 pound farfalle or other small pasta shape
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 large bag (8 cups or so, 4 hands full) arugula or other nice peppery green, rinsed in several changes of water
1 tbsp good, tasty extra virgin olive oil
freshly cracked pepper
salt
2 tsp lemon juice

Cook the farfalle according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Place a large pot over medium heat and add the beans and roasted red peppers, and arugula.  Drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.  Turn the heat off and dump the still-hot drained pasta on top and allow to sit for a few minutes, until the arugula has wilted.  Toss everything with tongs and taste to correct seasoning.  This dish can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature.  It's very good for you. 

More Variations on Themes, with Pantry Lesson

Sorry, all evidence of today's recipe has been consumed. 

Oh readers.  If only you knew the lists and lists of things I have waiting to write about.  It's overwhelming.  One of the things about which I have been waiting to write is a lesson, or series of lessons, on how to stock one's pantry and freezer, if possible.  Of course, this lesson is of particular importance going into the winter months, and not out of them, as we are now, but it's also important so that you can begin to plan for next year. 

It's important to stock your pantry because, well, let's face it: we aren't always eating from the produce department 100% of the time, and sometimes we are just too tired or lazy or beat down by the man to go to the grocery store or chop lots of things or what have you.  This is where your pantry comes in. 

Now, your pantry is mainly a place for starch-based meals, so it's kind of up to you which starch suits you best - rice, pasta, beans, or a combination thereof.  In our house, there's no questions: it's pasta.  Although we are fond of every starch, really. 

Now that you have chosen your starch, it's time to think of things to add to it.  This is where you should think about stocking things such as canned roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes, capers, curry pastes, quick-cooking legumes such a lentils, pickled veggies, etc. 

If you have room in your freezer, it's also nice to have an assortment of things which can be defrosted rather quickly (or cooked from frozen) and added to things from your pantry.  I like to have lots of stock, veggies - especially peas and corn, which can be added to practically anything - sausages, and ground meats (veal, turkey, etc).  If you have a vacuum sealer, you can save money by doing what I do - buying giant packages of ground meat, already rolled into 8 ounce balls, or 30 Italian sausages at a time, and dividing them into smaller amounts for freezing.  Perhaps we'll go into that in greater depth sometime.

From these ingredients, you can start to plan easy meals.  A few examples from this site are Coconut Curried Rice with Peas, Pasta with Things from Tins & Jars, and a few variations on today's recipe. 

Once you begin to see how a well-stocked pantry can take a lot of the thinking out of meal planning, you'll begin to see what you and those you feed are fond of, and you can begin to work from your pantry and have your own variations on themes.

Today's recipe uses only one really perishable ingredient, kale, and one semi-perishable one, Parmesan.  Aged Parmesan, being a very low-moisture cheese, will last forever (or at least a month or so) in the fridge, and after it's served its usefulness as a grating cheese, the rind or leftover hard bits can be used to make delicious vegetarian stock or flavor soups.

As I've said, today's recipe is a variation on a theme, but it's a favorite of ours, and it shows how you can take one basic recipe and expand it for your purposes.  Also, it was the first variation in which we used our homemade chicken & pork trotter stock, and I must say, the mouth feel was great.  Just goes to show what a little homemade stock will do.

Freezer & Pantry Soup, with Sausage, Beans, Kale, and Other Good Things - serves 6

1/2 pound small pasta, such as farfalle, cooked one minute shy of package directions, water reserved
Olive oil
3 bunches kale, rib removed, greens roughly chopped and washed
salt & pepper
3 links (or 3/4 pound bulk) sweet Italian sausage with fennel
1/2 cup white wine or additional stock
Dried Italian spice blend (or dried oregano)
red pepper flakes to taste
2 cans white beans in their liquid
1 small jar roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups stock, preferably homemade
2 tbsp decent balsamic vinegar
freshly cracked pepper
freshly grated Parmesan

I like to have the pasta cooking while I'm making the soup, so that instead of draining it, I can move it from its boiling liquid to the soup with a spoon, getting some of the pasta water in the soup in the process.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Add the chopped greens in and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Stir with tongs while they wilt, cooking until they are just getting tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pot and reserve, being sure to include any leftover liquid.  Add a little olive oil to the pot and turn the heat to just under high.  Crumble the sausages into the pot, discarding the casing.  Brown the sausages, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When the sausage is browned, deglaze the pan with the white wine.  When the liquid has cooked off (about 2-3 minutes), sprinkle the sausage with 1 tsp Italian spices and red pepper flakes, to taste.  Add the white beans with their liquid, the red peppers and the reserved greens.  Stir to coat everything with the tasty sausage juices.  Add the stock and the balsamic vinegar and bring everything to a simmer.  When the pasta is done, add it to the soup, along with about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer the soup for 5 minutes, just to be sure the flavors have melded.  Taste to adjust seasoning.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with pepper & Parmesan, to taste.

In Which Husband Makes the Most Delicious Soup & Stock. Ever

Kudos to my brilliant readers for sleuthing out my super secret picture titled "stock."  I know how to take all the fun out of guessing games...

So.  It all started the other day when Husband began thumbing through that good old ode to offal, Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast, and stumbled upon a recipe for braised pig's trotters with chicken, and began shopping.

What exactly are trotters, you might be asking? Someone asked me recently if "trotter" was polite term for, erm, Rocky Mountain Oyster (but he didn't use that term, either).  No, no, nothing that delicate.  A pork trotter is the foot of the pig.  I haven't had many pig's feet in my days, although I do recall seeing them pickled, and in a jar, and staring at them in mild horror at the thought of eating one of those tiny little feet. 

The idea of the recipe is to braise the trotters in a bottle of red wine, pluck the meat from them, and then braise the meat with cut up bone-in chickens.  All was going fine until we came to the point of plucking the meat.  No meat.  A lot of fat and connective tissue, but no meat of which to speak.  Hm.  They did, however, smell quite tasty - Husband compared it to precisely the aroma of a really gamey Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf.  We pondered the issue for a bit, and he bisected another foot with a knife, and upon finding no meat again, decided to just set the feet aside and braise the chicken in the pork stock.  He added some baby Yukon Gold potatoes and a few turned carrots, and after what seemed like an eternity (I have no patience, so when someone else is cooking, it always seems as though an eternity has passed), we finally sat down to eat.  And eat, and eat.  The chicken was meltingly tender, the stock was practically sticky with gelatin, and rich beyond belief - so rich, in fact, that we were certain we could fill the pot back up with water and get another equally delicious soup. 

We had a few soup leftovers, and the next night we staggered in from the bitter cold from work and set out to partake of them.  We knew we were onto something good when the leftovers plopped from their containers in the manner of a Jello mold - no joke.  A meat jello mold, with bits of chicken and potatoes and carrots floating within the nearly clear stock.  If it hadn't been 1 in the morning, I would have taken a picture.

Rhulman stock method, take two (click here for take one).  Into the oven (at 180) went the chicken bones, the pig's trotters, and 8 quarts of water.  Overnight it sat, and on through the next day.  Aromatics were added and still it cooked, and then was strained. 

At any rate, all of this to say that the secret to an amazingly rich stock (and soup), with a crazy mouth-filling meaty and savory quality, thanks to their huge amounts of gelatin, is pig's trotters. I believe chicken feet will have a similar effect, but I haven't tested that theory yet.  This stock can literally be refrigerated after straining and then sliced and placed into bags for the freezer.  The best thing about the trotters is that they are remarkably cheap - 3 large trotters were $5 at the Crestview Asian Market (High & Crestview, in Clintonville); one of the only places in Columbus where one can purchase trotters, chunks of pig's blood, soft-shell turtles (but you would never eat a turtle, would you?) and live frogs, all in one visit.  Heaven.

Two recipes!  The soup and the resulting stock.

Pig's Trotter and Chicken Stew - Serves 4, recipe adapted from Fergus, courtesy Husband

Scrub the pig's trotters.  Place three thawed pig’s feet in an 8 Quart stock pot with four chopped carrots, four stalks chopped celery, 10 cloves garlic, 12 peppercorns and one large onion chopped.  Add one bottle red wine (no, it doesn’t matter what it is) and one (32 oz) container of chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer on stove top so that scum may be skimmed. Transfer to 350 degree oven and cook uncovered for 4 hours. 

Remove trotters from broth and allow to cool.  In a separate pan render fat from 8 slices of bacon.  Remove bacon and reserve.  In Bacon fat brown chicken - pieces from 2 cut-up chickens.  When chicken pieces are browned, place in trotter liquid.  When finished browning chicken, pour off any fat and deglaze pan with wine or some of the trotter liquid and add to pot.  At this point, if any meat was on trotters it may be pulled and added to the pot.  Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.  Before serving, add 2 pounds of lightly steamed baby potatoes and 1 pound lightly steamed  carrots.  If you wish, you can pull the chicken from the bones or simply serve the chicken pieces in a bowl and then ladle the stock over, garnishing with the reserved bacon.

Stock - makes 8 quarts of stock

Place the trotters and all of the leftover chicken bones, skin, and meat into an 8 quart stock pot and cover with water.  Place in a 180 degree oven and allow to cook overnight.  In the morning, add more water to bring level back up to 8 quarts and allow to cook for another 8 hours or so (you could probably strain it after the first 8 hours, but this is how we did it, so I wanted to be sure to give you the same instructions).  Add 4 ribs of chopped celery, 6 large carrots, chopped, one large onion, chopped, and a few cloves of mashed garlic.  Return to the oven and cook for one more hour.  Allow the stock to cool slightly and then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.  At this point, you could pour it through a filter, but it was far too thick - even fresh out of the oven - to go through a filter.  Fortunately, when you  put the stock into the fridge, it will naturally separate, any detritus falling to the bottom of the bowl.  Freeze and enjoy!!!

Pasta e Ceci, Take 2

Dear Readers,

Do you mind if I post a recipe - a redux of a recipe, even - without a photo?  No?  Good.  I promise that it is delcious, and since I know so many of you made turkey stock a few weeks ago, I know you'll have amost everything on hand.  For this recipe, I used dried chick peas, and I think it really made the difference.  Canned beans were okay, but the dried beans had a completely different texture and flavor - very firm without being chalky or watery and tinny, the way canned beans can sometimes be, and the flavor had depth and nuttiness.  Of course, I'm the sort of person who never remembers to presoak the beans, and they took 2 1/2 hours to cook before they could go in the stock, but that's neither here nor there.  I used Parmesan stock in addition to turkey stock, because I had some on hand; but you don't have to.  That being said, if you would like a vegetarian version of this dish, and I think it would be a very tasty vegetarian dish, you might want to make your own Parmesan stock.  Start saving those rinds now and you might have enough by the time we have fresh veggies growing again!

Pasta e Ceci, Redux - serves 2-4

1/2 Kabocha squash (or butternut squash), halved and seeds scooped out
4 ounces large, flat pasta such as papperdelle - we used petolle, which I think are "postage stamps"; big squares, they have them at Weiland's (they are kind of expensive, but they are delightfully chewy in this soup)
3 cups turkey stock
1 cup Parmesan stock
1 cup chick peas, dried (they take 2.5 hours to cook if unsoaked, 1.5 if soaked - they really are better, but canned is fine), or 1 can chickpeas, drained with a pinch of bean water reserved
6 ounces leftover turkey or chicken, optional
1/4 cup sun dried tomates, chopped into very fine dice
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese
12 sage leaves, slivered

Steam the squash for about 8-10 minutes, or until it is soft, then set aside to cool slightly.  When it has cooled, peel, cut into chunks, and place into bowls.  Sprinkle with salt and half of the sage and set aside.

Boil the pasta according to package directions, but drain one minute early and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, simmer the turkey stock.  Add the chickpeas and about 1-2 ounces bean juice or water in which beans were cooked.  Add the sun dried tomates, the other half of the sage, and a good grating of pepper.  I like to simmer for about 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking, just to get the flavors to mingle.  Add the drained pasta and boil for a good minute.  Taste for seasoning - you might need to add salt, depending on if your stock is salty or not.  Ladle the soup over the squash in the bowls and pass with lots of parmesan cheese for grating and pepper.  Great for those long rainy nights we have ahead of us!

Turkey Stock::the Ruhlman Method

Mmmmmeat jello.  Mmmmmmm.

So.  Regular readers are aware that I have recently read and reviewed Michale Ruhlman's new book, the Elements of Cooking.  In the first chapter, the subject of stock is dealt with.  Having worked in restaurants where we cooked veal stock seemingly nonstop, I was pretty familiar with the basic principles; I've made my fair share of stock over the years, but it had never occurred to me to cook the stock in the oven, until I read Elements.  But it did make sense - the heat would be even and the stock would never boil, first of all.  When we were getting ready to put our Thanksgiving turkey in the pot for stock-making, I said to Husband that I felt I had a moral obligation to my readers to test the Ruhlman method, and cook the stock in the oven.  He looked skeptical, but acquiesced.

And so, into a 16 quart stock pot went the carcass (with only the leftover aromatics which had been stuffed in its cavity for roasting) and enough water to cover, and into a 180 degree oven went the stock pot.  For 10 hours.  After which time I chopped up some leftover celery, a big onion, and a head of garlic and threw those into the pot (we were out of carrots).  I added a few peppercorns and the stock continued for another hour and a half (the Ruhlman method only adds aromatics for the last hour of cooking).  I then strained the stock (the hardest part of the process) into a smaller stock pot (it made about 8-10 quarts).  Now it was my turn to be skeptical.  The stock looked pale, and the turkey carcass looked fresh - usually the stock and aromatics look as though they have been depleted, but these ingredients looked as though they could take another turn with a fresh batch of water.  But I had to go to work, so I put the strained stock in the fridge and left. 

When I got home, I was planning to strain the stock through a paper filter, when I found quite a surprise.  As I carefully took the stock from the fridge (I had a nightmare where I spilled it everywhere), I noticed the stock was jiggling.  This is stock.  Good stock jiggles.  See the surface, with reflection:

So, why does good poultry stock jiggle?  because you have extracted lots of collagen and goodness from the bones; this provides unparalleled richness and mouth feel.  Yum.  The only drawback was I had to warm the stock to ungelatinize it before I could strain it again.

We turned the first quart of stock into a really, really amazing soup (yes, I'll give you the recipe this week) and the rest of it is going into the freezer where it will certainly find its way into risotto over the next few weeks.

So, here is my advice to you: make some stock.  Husband and I are fond of tossing all of our chicken carcasses into the freezer, and then when we have 5 or so accumulated, we turn them into stock.  All future birds will definitely be stockified using this method.  (here's another little tip - we like to add at least one carcass from a Weiland's smoked chicken, it just adds that certain something).

Did you try Ruhlman's method - or any other - for your turkey stock this year?  How were your experiences?

Red Curry & Coconut Squash Soup

Okay, it isn't the most exciting picture ever, but it's nice and squash colored, right?  I just threw some pepper on top to make it a little interesting.

Stop the presses - I have made an edible squash soup.  My love of squash soup - and my infuriating inability to make it - have been the bane of my culinary existence for years.  A few people have found this completely incredible - it's the easiest thing in the world, scoffed a line cook at my restaurant, questioning how I had tried to make an apple/butternut squash/curry soup.  "It's best to start with the basics," this line cook said, "and then work form there.  I always try to start with the basics, as I think you should know by now.  Of course, they don't read my website, so what would they know.  My lack of culinary school attendance makes me an unreliable source in their eyes.

At any rate.  This recipe started out when I was going to revisit my squash risotto recipe, in a non-vegan way (if nothing more than to erase that horrid picture, yikes).  I had heard of a differed method for risotto-making with squash and have been dying to try it out.  And then I got lazy.  And pressed for time.  I had a wine tasting to attend, I had exercising to do, I had another post to write, and I had to iron an outfit.  But, more importantly, I had to feed myself, and I didn't want it to involve a half hour of stirring.  Or any chopping, whatsoever.  Fortunately, I had at least pre-steamed a kabocha squash (the finest of the squashes, in my humble opinion) and it was in the fridge.  I had a stroke of brilliance driving home, and was crossing my fingers that I had just one can of coconut milk in the cupboard...

Yes!  I did!  And it was even organic, lite coconut milk!  Now, I don't typically care for lite coconut milk.  Yes, it is considerably lower in fat than its full-fat counterpart, but the flavor is usually weak, thin, and uninspiring.  But I think its lightness, for this soup, was perfect.

If you have some pre-cooked, leftover squash in on hand, this soup literally comes together in about 10 minutes or fewer.  Even if you don't, you can either steam the squash separately, or cut it into cubes and simmer it in the chicken stock, and then add it, along with the stock, to the coconut milk.  I really like kabocha squash here because not only is it delicious, it is not fibrous or stringy the way some other types of squash can be, nor does it become watery, the way acorn can.  There's no need to strain it.

Kabocha Soup with Red Curry & Coconut Milk - serves 4

One medium Kabocha (which is about the size of a small pumpkin, or will fit comfortably in both hands when held together like a bowl - maybe 2 pounds?
2 tbsp butter (or good olive oil, this would make a terrific vegan soup)
2 tbsp garlic & ginger puree - this is a shortcut ingredient, which some people might scoff at, but it is perfect for situations just like this - when your first stipulation for cooking is no chopping.  You can find this at Indian groceries, and some Asian groceries
salt
1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk
14 ounces chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you'd like to keep things vegetarian)
1/2 tbsp - 1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste, depending on how you like your heat level.  I'd start with less, because you can always add more but you can't take away!
1/4 cup brown sugar or, even better, palm sugar if you can find it (again, Asian grocery stores; palm sugar is delicious but can be really hard to find, even with all of our Asian groceries.  I have found it at Sunrise Asian Grocery at Henderson & Reed on the Northwest Side)  Palm sugar has to be grated but has a delightfully savory flavor
1/2 tsp fish sauce - again, leave this out if you'd like to keep things vegetarian or vegan

Cut the squash and scoop out the seeds.  Place it in a steaming basket and steam for about 20-25 minutes, or until very soft.  Be sure the water doesn't boil out!  Allow to cool until you can handle the squash, and then scoop out the flesh.  Mash lightly with a fork and set aside.

Have the coconut milk can open and nearby.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium/medium-low heat and melt the butter.  Add the garlic/ginger puree and cook for a few minutes, just until the butter begins to brown very slightly - be careful, because this can lead to burning very quickly.  Everything should smell sweet and nutty.  As soon as this happens, add the coconut milk.  Fill the empty coconut milk can with chicken stock, and add that to the pot.  Add the curry paste, the brown sugar, the fish sauce, and a nice big pinch of salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow to reduce slightly, maybe 5 minutes or so, then add the squash.  Turn the heat off and puree the soup with a stick blender.  Taste and adjust seasonings. If desired, you can garnish the soup with a little bit of coconut creme, which is a different product from coconut milk, and is very sweet - it makes a nice foil for the spiciness of the soup.  but is also available in Asian grocery stores (look for a store with a Thai section)

Sausage and Butter Bean Soup, with a Variety of Greens

I love this time of year.  I love my first batch of sausage/bean/green whatever for the autumn.  Of course, as the weeks progress, the greens will get better and better after hard frosts and everything, but I can never wait that long.  As soon as I see lovely greens, I have to snatch them up. 

I received some Japanese mustard in my CSA box, along with a nice little bundle of fennel fronds.  After I stopped at Toad Hill Organics and saw the amazing red mustard greens and tender, young purple kale, a recipe was beginning to form.  A quick stop to Sommerset Herbs for their delicious sweet paprika peppers, a stop at Blues Creek for sweet Italian sausage, and I was in business.  You could make this recipe even better by using some of North Market Poultry and Game's gelatinous chicken stock.

This soup is great for the beginning of Autumn - actually, for the rest of the winter.  I make something similar to this at least once a year, and more frequently as we get into great greens season.  As the fall progresses and the greens become tougher, I'll substitute a ham hock for the sausage, and cook the greens for hours, but this time of year, you can bring this soup together in under an hour - even shorter, but I like to let things simmer after everything is ready, just to concentrate the flavors.  This soup was a winner at Chez Widow - maybe even my best sausage/bean/green recipe yet - Husband and I consumed the entire pot (8 bowls) over the course of a lazy Sunday, where it served as lunch, dinner, and snack.  Fortunately, it's pretty good for you, what with all the beans and greens.  Greens are really, really good for you, so you should eat some today.  Being covered in porky goodness makes everything edible, so if you're scared, this is a good starter recipe.  Because you are going to add salted pasta water to the soup, use restraint with seasoning.  I didn't salt until the very end.

Sausage & Butter Bean Soup with Greens and Pasta - makes 8 servings

6 ounces small, "soup" pasta, such as tubetti, or these little rings I picked up at Trader Joe's recently
olive oil
one pound bulk sweet Italian sausage, or 4 links
one medium red onion, cut into medium dice
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 sweet paprika peppers, cut into 1/2" chunks, or 2 red bell peppers
red pepper flakes
pepper
three large bunches greens - I like a variety - for this recipe, tender purple kale, red mustard (a delightfully hot variety), and Japanese mustard, any thick stems removed, large leaves torn in half, washed
2 19 ounce cans butter beans, drained
4 cups good quality chicken stock
4 cups pasta water
chunk of Parmesan rind (optional - I have a lot of these in my freezer, but if you don't have any, it's okay.  But you might think about starting to collect them)
One small bunch fennel fronds (optional), roughly chopped
salt
Parmesan for grating

Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 3 minutes less than recommended on the package and drain, reserving 4 cups of the water for using later (this provides a nice viscosity to the soup; if you are making this recipe with pasta, add the beans with their liquid, which will do the same thing).  Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat and drizzle in a little olive oil.  Add the sausage and brown.  When the sausage is brown, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the onions to the pan, turning the heat down a little, and sweat the onions until they are soft, about 7 minutes, and then add the sliced garlic and the red peppers - turn the heat down if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.  If the pan becomes dry, add a little sausage back in.  When the garlic is soft, add all of the sausage back in, coat with a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper about about 1 tbsp red pepper flakes and stir.  Add the greens and stir as they wilt.  Now, I used some kale, which takes longer to cook, so I added it to the pan, stirred everything around, put the lid on and turned the heat to low, and then allowed everything to steam for 10 minutes, and then added the rest of the greens and repeated.  If you are only using one variety of greens, or if all of your greens are tender, add them all at once - they will wilt significantly - stir, cover, turn the heat to low, and steam for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid and add the beans.  Stir to coat everything in the sausage juices.

Add the stock and Parmesan rinds and water and turn the heat to high.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or slightly over, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by a few cups.  Add the fennel fronds, remove the Parm rinds and taste to correct seasoning.  Ladle into bowls and serve with black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  YUM.

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpea Soup)

A strange side affect of not having a car is this: I don't buy groceries.  Or I only buy them in really small quantities.  I realize people who live in big cities are probably scoffing at this thought, but Columbus is a city seemingly designed by and for car-lovers.  I seem to remember reading a few years ago that the cars per capita in Central Ohio is more than one car per person.  (I probably just made that up, because I couldn't find anything on Google to support it, but nonetheless.)  I don't really enjoy grocery shopping.  I like to hit the farmer's markets, of course, and then Costco or Target to buy things in bulk.  I like to buy 150 pounds of cat litter at a time.  It hasn't yet occurred to me how I might get 150 pounds of cat litter home without a vehicle.  At this week's Farmer's market, I found myself zooming through in a panic to be sure I didn't miss the bus back home (only runs every 50 minutes on Saturdays, and I was on a deadline); I also had to measure everything for weight for reason specified above.  I'm not sure if I can walk with a 24 inch wide Tuscan pumpkin.

This has us eating out a lot, and has me peeking in my pantry more than I'm used to, to see what I might dig out instead of walking 2 miles to my nearest grocery.  (UDF does not count)

This soup is rich and satisfying without being too filling.  It's the perfect thing for the Autumny summer we're having right now (it's going to be almost 90 later in the week).  I was inspired to make this after seeing a picture of something similar months ago, and it's been in the back of my head ever since.  This would be the perfect time to get out the homemade chicken stock, as these simple ingredients need to be the best.  If you don't want to make your own, buy some from a reputable purveyor: in Columbus, North Market Poultry and Game has a great chicken stock.  I used a combination of chicken and Parmesan stock, but you don't have to.  I happened to have some parm stock in the freezer.

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes and Sage) - serves 2

6 ounces papperdelle, cooked 1 minute less than directed on package
olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed through press
4 sun dried tomatoes, chopped very finely
1 14 can of whole tomatoes (I'm particularly fond of the fire-roasted variety), tomatoes squeeze and chopped into a large dice
1 19 ounce can chick peas
3 cups good quality chicken stock
1 cup Parmesan stock
10 sage leaves, slivered
freshly cracked black pepper
salt
good quality extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese

I realize some of you will scoff at me for this, but here's the thing.  I was reading Marcella Hazan a few months ago, and she instructed peeling the chick peas.  Now I have to peel them.  I just squeeze them out of their skins.  Of course, you don't have to take this time-consuming task.  Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium low heat and add the garlic; sprinkle with a little salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic begins to soften.  Add the dried and canned tomatoes, the chick peas, and then add the stocks.  Bring to a boil and season with a little salt and pepper.  Add the sage.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, then add the cooked papperdelle to the mixture and cook for another minute or two.  Using tongs, place half of the noodles in a bowl and ladle over the stock and chick peas.  Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over, then grate some Parmesan over just before serving.

Football Chili - Second Edition - Three Meats, Three Beans

Oh no!  I packaged all the leftovers, vacuumed them up and put them in the freezer and then realized I hadn't taken a picture.  Well, this year's version looked a lot like last year's, but was a little different.  And meaty.  Very meaty.

For this year's chili, I wanted a meaty, smoky flavor - not too spicy, but full of complex spices.  I like my chili spicy, and although this year's was slightly spicy, I decided to allow the eater to spice at one's own discretion (which meant no added spice for Husband, and about 20 dashes of smoked chipotle Tabasco for me). 

I have been cleaning out my kitchen freezer recently, just to make some room for the remaining things I'll be freezing during the rest of the growing season, and I came across two large, meaty ham hocks from King Family Pork which Chef gave me a few months ago.  These were huge.  They were so meaty that they were really almost shanks.  I had a pound of fresh kidney beans, and the results just seemed inevitable.  I put the hamhocks in a large stock pot with about a liter of water, and cooked them over low heat for about an hour (they were still frozen, and I wanted the water to be flavored before adding the beans) and then added the beans.  It took about an hour for the beans to soften at "low," so I'd imagine that if you used dried beans, it could easily take 2 hours.  Of course, you can skip this step, but I really thought it added a nice rich smokiness to the finished product - ham hocks are ridiculously cheap, so there's really no reason to skip out.  You could put the hocks and beans in a slow cooker for a few hours and not even stir or anything. 

If you are living in the Columbus area, please seek out Weiland's smoked brisket.  It is so delicious and added its smokiness to the chili, all the while melting into meaty shreds.  It added an interesting texture.

Again, I flavored this chili with a blend of spices; this year I really bumped up my non-spicy spices, such as the chocolate, cinnamon, cumin and smoked paprika.  I think the chocolate and cinnamon add a nice, ineffable richness. 

When I thought I was almost finished with the chili, I realized that what I had was way too meaty - this might seem to be an oxymoron to some of my readers, but nonetheless, I added two more cans of beans - white kidney beans and those lovely Italian butter beans from Carfagna's.  Those huge beans offered a nice surprise and also another textural component, beyond the typical kidney beans.

Football Chili, Second Edition - makes about 8 quarts of chili

For the kidney beans - 2 days before, if using dried

2 smoked ham hocks
1 pound fresh kidney beans or half a pound of dried

Soak the beans overnight, if using dried beans.  Place the ham hocks in a slower cooker or stock pot and add water to just barely cover.  Heat for about 1 hour over low heat, then add the beans and cook until soft, testing after about 1 hour.  Drain off most of the cooking liquid  - leave about a cup - and place the hocks and beans in a container until ready to use.

Spice Blend

3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Combine and set aside

For the Chili

olive oil
2 pounds ground chuck
Onion powder
Cumin
salt
pepper
2 medium onions, or 6 large shallots (I forgot to buy onions this week, so used all shallots), small dice
1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and sliced thinly
Spice Blend
Prepared kidney beans
1 can white beans in their liquid
1 can butter beans in their liquid
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato puree
1 pound smoked brisket, optional, sliced into 1/2" slices and then cut again into 1 1/2" by 1/2" batons

Brown the chuck in a large saute pan with a little olive oil, season it with a little sprinkle of onion powder and cumin, salt and pepper, and stir until it is just cooked, then drain off the fat and set aside. 

In a large stock pot, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, then add the onions.  Sweat for about 5 minutes while you get on with peeling the garlic.  When the onions are translucent, slice in the garlic.  Cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the drained ground beef and stir in the spice blend.  Add the kidney beans - along with the ham hocks - and the canned beans, and the tomatoes and tomato puree.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to about medium.  Cook for an hour, stirring whenever you think about it, and then remove the ham hocks.  Place the hocks in a bowl and allow to cool slightly, until you can handle them.  Carefully remove as much meat as possible - the dark, sweet, meat from a hamhock is among the best on the pic - and place it back into the chili.  You should be able to shred the pork into small bits, but if you have to, cut any larger bits against the grain.

Add in the brisket, turn the heat down to medium low, and cook the chili, uncovered, for another hour or two, until it has reached a thick consistency.  Of course, the longer it cooks, the richer and more complicated the flavor will be.  Taste and correct seasonings. When you can't stand the delicious smell anymore, ladle the chili into nice big bowls and top as desired - cheese, onions, sour cream and Tabasco are a few thoughts - and serve nice and hot.  A little cornbread or a few Fritos never hurt, either.

FoodSaver & Freezing Tips, Part Two::Vegetable Stocks

Today's lesson is what to do with all of those leftover vegetable trimmings.  I had tossed everything into a bowl and was about to tip out my blanching water down the drain, when I realized I had the perfect base for vegetable stock.  I also had a lot of Parmesan rinds in the freezer.  I made vegetable stock as well as sweet corn stock, both of which are incredibly easy and only take a few active minutes, and then a lot of simmering.  Parmesan makes a really great stock, especially if you are looking for a rich substitute for meat stock.  Because it contains large quantities of (naturally occurring) MSG, it provides a lot of "meaty" body and flavor.  You can purchase Parmesan rinds at Whole Foods, or you can just save them in the freezer as you get to the end of your grating Parmesan.  You could probably use the leftover rinds of any kind of hard grating cheese, or you can leave it out altogether.  Dried porcini mushrooms are available in any gourmet store, but they are probably least expensive at Trader Joe's.  I think they're around $4 a pack - compared to $12 and more at specialty stores.

One of the great tricks I've learned for freezing liquids is using silicone baking utensils.  They are nice because they can be washed in the dishwasher, and it is really easy to pop out the frozen blocks, unlike traditional ice cube trays.  It also makes measuring a breeze - the packaging materials will state the volume of each cup - most muffin cups are 2/3 cup, mini loaf pans are - if my memory serves - about 1 1/3 cups, etc.  You can find them at Target for around $9 a piece - muffin pan (pictured above, with parm & veg stock), mini loaf pans (pictured at top of post, with sweet corn stock), etc.  I also bought these pretty cool ice cube trays at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day, which make perfectly square cubes - cool for freezing stock or for making cocktails look extra purdy (cubes pictured below).  Be sure to store your silicone trays in a clean, dry place - everything sticks to them - dust, cat hair, lint, etc.

There aren't really measurements for making stock, I hope this doesn't cause stress.  I use an 8 quart All Clad stock pot for stock making, and usually start with it full to about 3 inches from the top.

Basic Vegetable Stock, with Parmesan

Vegetable trimmings.  I probably started with a pound of trimmings
1/2 pound Parmesan rinds
2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
leftover water from blanching veggies, plus more - I had about 2 cups of water from this batch (which involved steaming only), and added about 5 quarts of water?

Bring everything to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 4-6 hours.  Strain the stock into a bowl and then refrigerate overnight, just in case there is fat leftover from the Parm.  I froze the stock in silicon muffin pans and mini-loaf pans, and then vacuum sealed the frozen disks and blocks, so that I have the stock in various amounts.  Ice cube trays also work nicely.

Sweet Corn Stock

Corn cobs with the kernels cut off
Leftover water from blanching corn - this time I didn't add water, as I already had a lot of it, probably about 6 quarts.

"Milk" the cobs into the pot of water by scraping them with the back of a knife, and place the cobs into the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4-6 hours, then remove the corn cobs.  Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and freeze.  There is so much residual sugar in this stock that it is sticky, seriously.  I froze this as above - in silicon muffin pans.