Roasted cauliflower and white bean soup

16 May

I’ve always thought that cauliflower and white beans were meant for each other. If you ask why, however, I cannot answer you. Cauliflower strikes me as a sophisticated vegetable, whose flavor pleases a strictly learned palate. White beans, on the other hand, are my kind of vegetable: clear and direct. What you see is what you get (in terms of flavor). Marrying the two could go either way: happily ever after, or a painful divorce.

So, on a stormy night, I opened my fridge and looked in. Staring at me was a head of cauliflower….passed its prime. Since Francesco is away on business, I decided to try something new. I grabbed the few ingredients and made up a recipe as I went along. This is how the love story unfolded.

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of Cauliflower

1 can of white Cannellini beans

1 shallots

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup of chicken stock

1/2 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

First things first: the head of cauliflower shouldn’t be massive. A nice, medium size will do the trick.

To give the soup a little depth of flavor, I decided to roast the cauliflower before cooking them. Turn on the over to 400F and, at the same time, oil an oven pan. Chop the head of cauliflower into small pieces, wash them thoroughly and place them in the oven pan. Drizzle more extra virgin olive oil, add some salt and pepper to taste and roast them until light brown and tender (about 30 minutes)

Next, open a can of Cannellini beans (my personal favorite) and wash them a couple of times. Set aside.

Next, finely chop 3 cloves of garlic (or less…I love garlic and I tend to go overboard with it) and a shallot. You can use a yellow onion, but I think shallots are sweeter and perfect for this soup. Oil a pot with extra virgin olive oil and add the minced garlic and shallots. Cook them for 4 or 5 minutes or until golden.

While the cauliflower is in the oven, add the beans to the pot (with garlic and shallots) and cook for a couple of minutes. Once the cauliflower is tender and golden brown, add it to the pan with the beans, garlic and shallots. At this point, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Once the ingredients are added to the pot, let them cook for 5 minutes. I added 1 teaspoon of nutmeg to increase the depth of flavor and because, to be honest, nutmeg is my ultimate favorite spice. You can add as much or as little as you wish…or leave it out altogether. I have to say it was a perfect addition.

After the nutmeg comes the liquid. I added 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/2 cup of milk to the pot. You could add butter for a creamier soup. Cook the ingredients and the liquid for 25 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. 

Once the soup is the consistency of your choice, puree it with a hand blender until silky smooth. Add a touch of extra virgin olive oil and serve it hot. Buon Appetito!

Back with a vengeance!

30 Apr

I’m back and I am here to stay. It has been quite a while since my last post and boy, things have changed in my life. I left one job, found two amazing jobs, bought a house, painted every room (thanks to Francesco and my dad) and moved…all in one month. Whew! Of course, there are still boxed everywhere, but the kitchen….arguably the most important room in the house, is all set and ready for some cooking!

The hardest thing to decide was the color of the walls, and not just for the kitchen, but for the master bedroom, for the dining room, the bathroom, because once it’s painted…it’s permanent…at least for a year (that was and still is a deal I made with myself). So, we went from this…

To choosing a sage green color that matches the granite!

We absolutely love our kitchen! We can both cook uninterrupted and have already made a few of our favorite dishes: gnocchi, pizza and even a cheese souffle. We have been hard at work. Now, instead of wishing a bigger, better kitchen, I wish for better cooking skills! That, however, can be fixed.

Although the house is still in a state of disarray (boxes and bags in the entryway, my clothes and shoes in suitcases) and are still missing some key components: i.e. dining table and chairs and a bed for our master bedroom!!!!, the short drive home from work is one of the happiest moments of my day. I get to open the door and run to the kitchen to prepare lunch or dinner. (Maybe now I can try new recipes?)

By the looks of it, even Diego is liking it here.

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Pasta with eggplant and cream

9 Mar

This dish is not for the faint of heart. Or for those who are watching their weight, for that matter. It’s one in my endless list of comfort foods. The real star, obviously, is the eggplant, a universally known vegetable that is, botanically, a fruit. Originally from India, eggplant were first used in kitchens in Asia and later Europe.

Although any eggplant could work, choose wisely. I prefer smaller eggplants for a few important reasons: the smaller, the least amount of seeds, the least bitter they are. To get rid of the bitterness, my mom’s trick is to dice the fruit and place it a bowl with water and a pinch of salt.

PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND CREAM

1 or 2 small eggplants

8 fl ounces of heavy whipping cream

1 or 2 cloves of garlic (depending on taste)

500 grams of Pasta (any kind)

salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

After dicing the eggplants, place them aside. In a pan over medium heat, warm up the extra virgin olive oil and add two cloves of garlic. Let the garlic cook for a few minutes until golden. Add the eggplant and cook until soft. In another pot, bring water to a boil.

After about 10 minutes or when the eggplant is soft, add the whipping cream and stir until well mixed. Cook the mixture until the cream is absorbed and the sauce is thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to give it a smoky kick, add a pinch of smoked paprika. It’s a subtle, but delicious addition. (For an earthy flavor, add nutmeg).

Once the pasta water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook until it’s al dente. I like to use farfalle for this dish, but you can use any thick cut pasta, one that is able to handle a chunky sauce. (Fusilli is another favorite of mine). Once the pasta is cooked to perfection, drain it and put it back into the pot. Add the eggplant sauce to the pasta and stir until well mixed.

Plate it and serve it hot. You and your guests will ask for seconds, I promise. Buon Appetito!

The Weekend List 03/05/2012

5 Mar

There is snow in the ground. After a week of mild temperatures and sunny afternoons. There is puffy, soft snow on the ground. My grandpa Pietro taught me how to “smell” snow…or, better, how to tell incoming snow by smelling the air. It always work. Milano’s climate is practically twin with Charlottesville’s: summer is hot and winter is cold. Occasionally, snow covers the landscape. So, according to grandpa, once the air gets crispy, wet, snow is coming. Last night, I felt it: crispy wind, perfect humidity and the scent of snow. It’s undeniable. I woke up this morning and what do you know. Snow happened.

- On a snowy day, there are a few dishes that hit the spot. Ravioli in brodo is definitely one of them. Saveur Magazine has a great recipe. Give it a try when the winter blues hit you.

- Elina Shatkin’s exit interview as a food writer at LA Weekly is a pleasure to read. Granted, food writing is something I have always wanted to explore, but knowing how food writers think, what’s inside their heads, is fascinating. There are so many food bloggers out there that I fear the craft is suffering. Although it may seem easy to write about food, the basic principle remains the same: writing, and Shatkin sums it up perfectly.

8. How do I become a professional food writer?
DO NOT quit your despised but lucrative day job, move across the country and expect to get paid writing work based on your Yelp reviews.

Now, it’s simple: WRITE.

My first question to aspiring writers is always: “Do you write?” You might be surprised — or not — how often the answer is no. If you want to be a writer, on food or anything else, you must spend a lot of time alone with nothing but your thoughts and a computer, a typewriter or a blank piece of paper.

In broad strokes, build a portfolio by writing for low-level websites, blogs and publications. Maybe start your own blog. You will make little or no money doing this, but you will have written stories and made connections that you can use to pitch editors for paid writing work. Keep in mind: Reviewing is only one type of food writing, and it is the subgenre for which you are least likely to get paid.

- Jose Andres can do no wrong. The Spanigh uber chef has added to the Washington D.C. food truck craze with Pepe (Andres is behind the truck’s Spanish twist on sandwiches). As the Washington Post reports, Pepe goodies range from $8 to $11, but there are a few exceptions, like the Pepite de Ternera “a thin, crusty baguette stuffed with seared beef tenderloin, caramelized onion, pepper confit and blue cheese.” Ah, two hours to D.C. is so doable!

The Weekend List 02/27/2012

27 Feb

I have had an interesting week and I have spent it reading all kinds of food writing. The great thing about the realm of writing about food is that it follows its own rules. It can be edgy, funny, narrative, and wrapped up into one killer piece.

-I am a uber fan of Lucky Peach, the brain child of chef David Chang. It’s more than a magazine, it’s a dairy, a novel, a notebook, a song, it’s all these things and more. There isn’t a set label to describe it and I have the feeling Chang wanted it that way. And speaking of rules, Jeff Gordinier writes in The New York Times that although the “strict” rules for creating a magazine are still very relevant, being a literary rebel works, too.

You’re supposed to put a sexy person on the cover of a magazine. You’re supposed to lure readers in with a tempting (yet delicately neurosis-inducing) display of hyperbolic phrases about getting a killer beach body in five minutes and embarking on a dream vacation to Costa Rica and making cocktails that rival the ambrosial nectars of the Greek gods.

I highly recommend picking up the third issue. It’s so worth it.

-As you have probably discovered already, I am a cookbook freak. So you can guess my excitement when I found Eater’s Spring 2012 cookbook preview. The added thrill? April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig: Recipes and Stories. Why this particular book you ask? It’s a funny story. Last winter, I picked up The New Yorker’s food issue and found one of my favorite pieces of food writing: a profile of April Bloomfield, the chef at NYC’s The Spotted Pig. Since then, I have been a huge fan of Bloomfield, rooting for her that same year when she was nominated for  the 2011 James Beard Awards. On April 24, you can find me at the nearest bookstore. Other notables:

* Nobu’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Nobu Matsuhisa

*Pierre Hermé Pastries by Pierre Hermé

*The Southern Italian Farmer’s Table: Authentic Recipes and Local Lore from Tuscany to Sicily by Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino.

-The 2012 James Beard semifinalists have been announced! David Chang, momofuku ssäm Bar, in NYC for Outstanding Chef; Kevin Gillespie, woodfire Grill,  in Atlanta (Top Chef, people!) for Rising Start Chef of the Year. The Best Chef: NYC category is a powerhouse: April Bloomfield, Marco Canora, Scott Conant, Wylie Dufresne and Anita Lo.

-Have you liked The Italian Fork on Facebook?

A flashback in photos

24 Feb

I have been meaning to look through old photos for a while, and what I found brought back incredible memories. I apparently really LOVED gelato. See for yourself.

I used to go over to my grandpa’s house after school and dig through the freezer. There was always something for my brother and I in there: gelato, ice cream cookies, Calippo, and ghiaccioli. On those hot and sticky summer days in Milano, nothing was better than eating my ghiacciolo with my friends in a field of red poppy flowers. My last trip home was traumatic. Those fields are no longer there…poppy flowers, which used to grow so easily around my small town, were nowhere to be found. I guess I was trying to keep those memories intact and relive those fun and innocent days. Thank goodness for these photos…especially the gap in my teeth in the first one and the gelato drop on my nose. Classy!

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Food Reads: “In a War Zone, Finding Solace in Food”

17 Feb

Once in a while, an article speaks to me. It’s not the images, it’s not the famous byline. Rather, it’s the story that captures me and doesn’t let go. I don’t complain since I want to be taken and transported in a different dimension.

[Image]

Tonight, I found that article. I was doing my nightly news routine, checking my favorite sites (once a news junkie, always a news junkie) and stumbled upon Alissa Rubin’s moving tale of finding comfort in food while on assignment in Afghanistan. Recalling T.S. Eliot, Rubin survives with more than just dry soups and flavorless, pre-packaged so-called food, but learns the way of the land. Although daunting, the unfamiliar becomes the norm.

There was so much I did not understand that first winter about how important it is to carry reminders of home when you go to hostile places. The hardest part was never the bombs, it was the lack of the familiar, a sense of the predictable, of even the most mundane pleasure. War zones are stripped down. Usually there are no choices — about what to eat, or much else. The food is mostly cold and functional. The kind you can shove into a pocket or throw under a car seat: protein bars, raisins, a box of potato chips. These are calories, not cuisine.

One more passage…one that touched my heart.

The Parmesan had personal resonance: it was a reminder of the year I lived in Italy and decided to become a foreign correspondent and learned to cook by living in a community of working-class women from Campania. They grew rosemary and sage on their windowsills; as I grated my Parmesan in my Kabul kitchen, I would smell rosemary although none grew there.

Oh, and for the record, she has my dream job.

Holiday Cookie Exchange: Vanilla Meringues

23 Jan

Well, yes, it’s been a while since these meringues graced the shuffle board table at Emily’s house for the annual Holiday Cookie Exchange, but I was so proud of this accomplishment, I wanted to share it. It first started when I received my monthly copy of Bon Appetit magazine with succulent peppermint meringues on the cover. I usually not one for tricky recipes, but those little buggers looks adorable. I had to give it a try!


What did I tell you? Impossible to resist. Now, I had never made anything remotely similar to meringues before, but I have always found them like little pockets of candy heaven…sweet, sugary and perfectly able to melt in one’s mouth.

For this project, I needed to go shopping (and that’s never a bad thing). I started out scouting Micheal’s in search of the appropriate equipment: pastry bags, pastry tips and anything else that would make this task easy breezy. I settled on Decorating Tip No. 12 and, in true Chiara fashion, I bought one too many of everything. (But the good thing is, I will be making meringues until the end of time).

The recipe called for peppermint flavored meringues, but I am a big fan of minty candy, so I decided to use vanilla extract instead.

Here is the recipe, adopted from Bon Appetit, December 2011. (Makes about 30)

3 large egg whites at room temperature

1/8 tsp. Kosher salt

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. of vanilla extract

12 drops of red food coloring

Preheat the over at 250 F. In a mixer, beat egg whites and salt until a nice, consistent foam forms.

Gradually add the sugar in 3 additions. Whip and whip and whip and whip and whip again, until the peaks are well-formed. Just like this.

Add powdered sugar and the food red coloring. At first it looked like something out of a Halloween movie, but once the mixture is formed, the food coloring melts beautifully creating luscious strikes of bright pink.

Prepare the pastry bag. Add the decorating tip and spoon meringues into the bag until half full. On a baking sheet aligned with parchment paper, pipe 1″ rounds about 1″ apart. Bake the meringues until they are completely dry, about 2 hours or so. Let them cool for about 1 hour and enjoy.

My free-hand piping work leaves something to be desired, but as my first attempt, I can be satisfied. At least, they tasted great! And the vanilla added a new dimension. What I thought was an insurmountable project, something way out of comfort zone, turned out to be a pleasurable, and quite sugary adventure. More of this, please! (And I cannot be responsible for the incredible sugar high. Ehhhhh!) :)

New Year’s resolutions (eat more vegetables)

14 Jan

I never know where the time goes. It’s already January and I have yet to start on my New Year’s resolutions. (Blame it on the short vacation, beautiful weather, copious amounts of food and beverages). But January it is and the resolutions better start soon. Here they are: (in no particular order)

-Eat more vegetables. I always tend to dance around veggies while preparing dinner. Coming home from work tired and deprived of imagination, I go for boring rather than creativity: potatoes, potatoes and potatoes (and Brussels sprouts).

- Write more posts. This shouldn’t really be on the list, but with the little time I have to devote to the blog, I am going to make it my mission to populate this baby with tons of delicious recipes and posts.

- Therefore, cook more creative dishes. This really means that I need to experiment with ingredients, find perfect combinations (like truffle and butter), try new things (never cooked with collard greens),

- Invent recipes. When I cook, I always try to think of other ways to incorporate a certain ingredient or how to transform a tired recipe into something new, fresh and fun. Wish me luck! Well…actually, wish Francesco luck because he will be the one trying my creations!

So, let’s get started! May 2012 bring all of you happiness, love and success.

- Chiara


Buon Natale!

24 Dec

It’s finally my favorite time of the year! Family, food, food and family. We woke up this morning to a happy kitten, a cold but sunny morning … a perfect time for vanilla pancakes. Every Christmas in Milano we would meet at my parents’ house. Tables were set up for about 20 people. Pounds of steamy polenta with chiodini mushrooms decorated our plates and Pandoro with mascarpone cream filled our tummies with festive sugary treats. Ah, the memories!

I wish you a very yummy Christmas. Buon Natale!

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