SobaAddict70

Okay, you got me! Care to share the recipe? Thanks Dan 1 1/2 cups cooked beans (1) 1 cup bean cooking liquid extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, skinned and diced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 bay leaf handful of fresh oregano, chopped 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and chopped kosher salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 slices sourdough bread, cut into cubes 3 T. unsalted butter 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 1 T. chopped parsley freshly grated Parmesan cheese For the croutons: Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add bread cubes and parsley. Stir. Toss cubes until golden brown, taking care not to burn the garlic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Warm olive oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, bay leaf and oregano. Lower heat and cook, gently stirring until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Add broccoli rabe along with the bean cooking liquid. When greens have wilted, add the cooked beans and simmer, adding more cooking liquid as necessary. Cook until the greens are done, roughly 15 minutes. Check seasoning. Stir in parsley. Divide portions amongst soup bowls. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top, sprinkle with croutons and grated cheese and serve immediately. (1) — I used cellini beans and borlotti beans from Rancho Gordo but any dried beans will do. Place 1 cup beans in a heavy bottomed oven-proof pot or Dutch oven along with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, then place in a pre-heated 350 F oven and cook for 90 minutes. If you add aromatics to the water like I did, be prepared to extend the cooking time to almost 3 hours. Beans should be tender or close to it. If you think they need more time, add a pinch of salt and extend oven-cooking time by another 30 minutes. You can cook the beans a couple of days ahead of time if you like. That way the prep time won’t seem so onerous.

bacon is great with [most] anything. those lamb ribs...oh.... Heirloom tomato and stone fruit salad (white peaches, plums) Peperonata and poached farm egg on sourdough toast

Okay, I'll bite. I'm always one to toot my own horn. Broccoli rabe and heirloom beans with sourdough-garlic croutons and cheese One of my better creations since starting my seasonal cooking experiment. Most of what I cook isn't "wow" food by any means. It doesn't strive to be. On the other hand, I think the pictures speak for themselves.

More tomato love... Not bad for my first time doing slow-roasted tomatoes. Next time I'll have to triple my recipe and use cherry toms instead.

Pork chops....drool. You know, if I trusted myself more I'd cook meat more often. Watermelon and red onion salad with ricotta salata You can sub in feta for the ricotta salata with very little taste difference. Nigella Lawson has a variation with olives in it but I like mine relatively unadorned. For those of you who have issues with onion, the red onion is sliced thinly so the dressing and the watermelon help alleviate any harshness. Fettucine with cremini mushrooms and garlic in cream sauce Takes about 15 minutes, tops. 20 if you're kitchen-challenged. Butter, garlic, mushrooms, cream, salt, pepper, pasta, cheese, parsley. Can't get simpler than that.

6 and a half minutes sounds like an awfully long time. Also I've never heard of mozzarella in ricotta gnocchi. That could account for the length of time it took for the gnocchi to float.

Hi Kim. It's "NOLA-style" because I used a roux as a thickening agent (blond roux to be exact) and celery/onion/garlic as the aromatics. Last night... Sautéed beet greens and garlic, heirloom tomatoes, ricotta salata and poached farm egg with Tuscan olive oil This is a variation of something I do regularly. The vegetable used doesn't matter (its usually roasted but one can't really roast beet greens because of their delicacy), some kind of cheese and a poached egg. I attempted to make a minestra with beets. Oops. I probably should've used golden beets or white beets instead. Didn't turn out so well -- in fact, it was an unmitigated disaster so no photo. Thank god for leftovers.

Trout baked in corn husks; coconut and almond rice pilaf; spicy roasted peach and tomato salsa; heirloom tomatoes The pilaf wasn't supposed to have that dark a color. I think I may have fried the spices a touch too long. Turned out okay though so not a complete loss...

You could try gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic). Very easy -- sprinkle salt atop peeled deveined shrimp, let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. heat olive oil in a skillet, lightly brown some chopped garlic, add shrimp. cook until shrimp turn bright pink, remove from heat, add some chopped parsley and serve immediately. great with toast points.

actually there's a restaurant called "Bark" in Park Slope that has a vegetarian hot dog so yes, it's possible. from what I've heard tofu isn't one of the ingredients.

Thanks Percyn. Jenni -- pasta with herbed breadcrumbs is one of my favorite dishes. So simple, so good. Heirloom tomato bruschetta I was at my local greengrocer and picked up what I thought was a loaf of semolina sourdough. After I got home I noticed the loaf contained fennel and raisins. It's ok, those didn't affect the taste much. I had been planning on using some of the bread for pappa al pomodoro but that's out now. Figure it'll make for some interesting French toast this weekend. Oyster stew, New Orleans style. I think I must've gained about 5 lbs. after tonight's dinner. Recipes will be posted on the blog tomorrow.

hm, it seems I've been collecting vegetarian cookbooks over the years without realizing my purchasing habits Chez Panisse Vegetables [and the less well-known Chez Panisse Fruits] both by AW Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison Roger Verge's Cooking with Fruit Grains, Rice and Beans by Kevin Graham India: The Vegetarian Table by Yamuna Devi those are a few of the ones on my shelf I chose VCforE over the Schneider book but it looks like I might get the latter for my birthday. Funny how that works out.

btw I really dig the new forum software. mini-tomato dinner ("mini" because there were only 2 courses as opposed to 3 or 4 which is what there would've been if I were cooking for a crowd) Savory corn pudding, heirloom tomato salad Fettucine with Sungold and Yellow Pear heirloom toms, garlic and herbs White peaches for dessert. Recipes on the blog.

Pork, paired with milk lends a sweetness that I find appealing. Wonderful in meatballs also.

They're chiles. Can't remember the variety off the top of my head, but they're quite spicy.

Here in NYC, autumn means pumpkin squash peppers tomatoes apples Concord grapes cauliflower lamb mushrooms pears sweet potatoes brussels sprouts shell and string beans (various kinds) I'd say this is my favorite time of year, foodwise.

The remainder of my haul from this weekend's market. I'd say I've used about 1/4 of this quantity already. Penne with uncooked tomato sauce (tomatoes, shallot, scallion, bush basil, salt, pepper, olive oil) and kielbasa with roasted fingerlings and tomatoes to name a couple of preparations. I'm thinking of doing a mini tomato dinner either tonight (Monday) or Tuesday. The way I figure, since I can't afford to go to Blue Hill Stone Barns at the moment, the next best thing is to do it at home. I figure three courses is plenty. Based on what's in my pantry, the menu looks like this: Heirloom tomato salad, corn flan Fettucine with heirloom grape tomatoes, garlic, bush basil and sage I might get some fish from Citarella, pan roast it and pair it with tomatoes and mint. Have to see what looks good. Just thought of dessert -- watermelon and white peach salad with caramelized Sungold cherry tomatoes. Candied tomatoes are a nice idea but if I'm cooking for one, not practical. I can't wait.

A little of both. My kitchen is roughly the size of your average bathroom in a Manhattan apartment. Space is at a premium so I have to economize when possible. To the extent that I can use bowls, I do -- even the ironing board serves as a counter. Ditto for the board.

a few more pix. obscenities of a different kind. Kreuz sausage and BBQ brisket open face sandwich, coleslaw Lobster roll in a brioche bun, yuca chips Closeup of the lobster roll. A bit too much mayonnaise to my taste but it was damn good. Pulled pork sandwich Not exactly a sandwich in the traditional sense (because there isn't any bread) BUT this was to die for: suckling pig confit at Eleven Madison Park. thin crisp pork skin, luscious tender meat with just a trace of five-spice powder. who needs bread? (garnishes for those of you curious: braised cippolini onion, potato foam, baby leek, plum chutney)

ditto. you'll pay for quality -- the Katz's pastrami sandwich clocks in at $14 BUT it's ambrosia. the bread is irrelevant; it's all about the meat. and what glorious pastrami it is. if you don't care for that style of sandwich, bring your own bread and have at it.

Poach in sweet wine or cider and stuff them with ice cream. Too avant-garde for you or is that okay?

Indian food. sometimes garam masala. occasionally I'll use just a tiny bit as a substitute for saffron -- not so much the flavor but the color. Me too, mostly for color. Turmeric is to yellow what beets are to red. Daisy17, did you mean "from Turkey" and not "for turkey? ← I really like the combination of turmeric and chopped tomatoes. Maybe I should do a demo one of these days.

Most: produce. when you buy most of your food from farmer's markets, sometimes you go overboard. going from memory I have: corn, beets, French breakfast radishes, watermelon radishes, cippolini onion, regular onion, chard, black cabbage, garlic, shallots, parsley, basil, tarragon, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in the fridge. most of those will get used up by this weekend. it's not uncommon for me to have two or more things of the same type in the crisper. least: I'd have to say meat products. I swear I'm turning into a vegetarian. okay, 75/25 as far as vegetables to meat is concerned.

Indian food. sometimes garam masala. occasionally I'll use just a tiny bit as a substitute for saffron -- not so much the flavor but the color.

SLIGHTLY off-topic (because the toms pictured below are heirloom plum tomatoes mixed in with run-of-the-mill grape tomatoes from a corner supermarket): I love tomato confit. So simple, so easy and the results are worth waiting for. Quarter, slice or halve tomatoes depending on size, generously salt and place in a Pyrex or glass baking dish. Cover with your best olive oil. A good rule of thumb is that the oil should come 1/3 up the tomatoes. Add torn basil or parsley, or if you wish, slivered shallots or small pearl onions. Roast at 350 F for 1 hour or until tomatoes are partially caramelized yet still hold their shape. Serve over pasta or egg noodles, maybe a small salad and a glass of wine. This is a quick version. Then there's a more relaxed version where I roast the toms at a lower heat setting, like around 250 F for anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. The aroma is indescribable, the flavor doubly so.