December 2007, Volume 2 Issue 10
Welcome to the December Foodletter!
My fifth-grade teacher was a remarkable man. In addition to teaching all the usual stuff, he tried to give us skills that we could use to become truly responsible adults.
One of his lessons (and an on-going theme that year) was the difference between a reason and an excuse.
If one of us showed up for class with our homework not done, he'd ask why. Out would come the story: my dog ate it, Mum sent me to bed early, blah, blah, blah. Then he'd turn to the class and say, "Is that a reason or an excuse?" and we got to vote (as I recall, we were a pretty merciless bunch).
If we agreed that it was a reason, the student would be off the hook. If it was just an excuse, well...
I've never forgotten that lesson and whenever I'm about to trot out an explanation, I can hear Mr. Walker's voice, in the manner of a talent-show emcee, asking, "Is that a REASON or an EXCUUUUUUUSE?"
All of which is a long-winded way to say, "Sorry for the total lack of a Foodletter last month."
Everything's back to normal, and I promise to do better from here on in.
There are exciting changes in store over at Pannifer's Food and Such. I hope you will check in to see how things develop!
And I'd like to wish you all a Happy and Hopeful New Year!
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Alan's Recipes of the Month
White Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 lb Cannellini or Great Northern white beans
1 med Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
8 lg Garlic Cloves, peeled
1-1/2 c Freshly Grated, Best-Quality Parmesan Cheese
1 T Fresh, Ground Black Pepper
1 t Salt
¼ c Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Method
Rinse the beans under cool water and then place them in a heavy-bottomed pot with enough cold water to cover by one inch. Place the pot over high heat until the beans come to a boil. Remove the pot and leave to sit for an hour.
After the hour, drain the beans and rinse under cool water. Return the beans to the pot and cover with water, as above. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, drain the beans, rinse under cool water and return them to the pot. Then cover the beans with fresh, cold water and return them to the medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and simmer gently until the beans are very tender. (Add extra water if necessary to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
Use a food processor or blender to puree the bean mixture. Pass the puree through a strainer, if you wish. Whisk in the cheese, salt and pepper.
Serve hot with a drizzle of good quality, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil on top.
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1 lb Cannellini or Great Northern white beans
1 med Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
8 lg Garlic Cloves, peeled
1-1/2 c Freshly Grated, Best-Quality Parmesan Cheese
1 T Fresh, Ground Black Pepper
1 t Salt
¼ c Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Method
Rinse the beans under cool water and then place them in a heavy-bottomed pot with enough cold water to cover by one inch. Place the pot over high heat until the beans come to a boil. Remove the pot and leave to sit for an hour.
After the hour, drain the beans and rinse under cool water. Return the beans to the pot and cover with water, as above. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, drain the beans, rinse under cool water and return them to the pot. Then cover the beans with fresh, cold water and return them to the medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and simmer gently until the beans are very tender. (Add extra water if necessary to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
Use a food processor or blender to puree the bean mixture. Pass the puree through a strainer, if you wish. Whisk in the cheese, salt and pepper.
Serve hot with a drizzle of good quality, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil on top.
Serves 4-6.
Sausage Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
4 Hot Italian Sausages, meat removed from the casings
1 lb Ground Beef
2 T Tomato Paste
1 t Salt
¾ c Fresh Bread Crumbs (remove the crusts from 2-3 slices of good bread and
puree in a food processor or hand chop with a knife)
½ c Milk
½ c Marsala Wine
3 lg Eggs
½ lb Fresh Mushrooms
1 T All-Purpose Flour
1 c Chicken Stock
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the sausage meat, ground beef, tomato paste and ½ teaspoon of salt together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Combine the breadcrumbs, milk and Marsala in a small pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture forms a sticky mass (about three minutes). Scrape into a bowl and let cool.
Add the breadcrumb mixture and the eggs to the meat and mix well. Press the mixture into a 9” x 5” loaf pan. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour. (Best to place the pan on a baking sheet just in case the juices spill over the sides.)
While the meatloaf is baking, puree the mushrooms in a food processor. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until all of the moisture is evaporated. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Stir in the stock and cook until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, pour any juices from the loaf pan into the gravy. Turn the meatloaf out onto a platter and cut into thick slices. Serve with the gravy, mashed potatoes and broccoli.
Serves 6.
Last Minute Chocolate Cake
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Start with:
4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 oz Unsalted Butter
¾ c Brewed, Strong Black Coffee
Heat these slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to combine. Let cool.
Then mix these together:
2 T Grand Marnier (or other Orange Liqueur)
¾ c Sugar
1 lg Egg
1 t Vanilla Extract
… and add to the chocolate mixture.
Then whisk these together:
1 c All-Purpose Flour
½ t Baking Soda
¼ t Salt
… and whisk these into the chocolate mixture.
Butter and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Let cool and serve with good quality ice cream.
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Start with:
4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 oz Unsalted Butter
¾ c Brewed, Strong Black Coffee
Heat these slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to combine. Let cool.
Then mix these together:
2 T Grand Marnier (or other Orange Liqueur)
¾ c Sugar
1 lg Egg
1 t Vanilla Extract
… and add to the chocolate mixture.
Then whisk these together:
1 c All-Purpose Flour
½ t Baking Soda
¼ t Salt
… and whisk these into the chocolate mixture.
Butter and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Let cool and serve with good quality ice cream.
