blue_dolphin

There's not a lot about food in these two documentaries but wine is certainly food-related so I figure I can mention them here. Neither are new but I didn't find a previous mention of them in the movie threads here. I just watched and enjoyed the wine documentaries "Somm" (2012) and "Somm: Into the Bottle" (2015), both are currently $0.99 rentals on Amazon and iTunes in the US. "Somm" follows four young sommeliers as they study for and take the notoriously difficult Master Sommelier exam. There's a bit of a reality-TV aspect to it but I found it interesting to see the process and the depth and breadth of wine minutiae the candidates are expected to learn. I watched this one when it first came out and re-watched it again before watching "Somm: Into the Bottle" but it's not necessary to watch them in any order. The later film is my favorite of these two. It consists of 10 chapters, each of which uses a single bottle of wine as an avenue to explore an aspect of wine making or wine culture. Several of the characters from "Somm" appear here, generally as talking heads adding commentary to one of the stories. This one has its focus on the wine and winemakers rather than the sommeliers. Several of the chapters are worthy of a full-length documentary of their own, others not so much. It would be fun to plan a viewing party around "Somm: Into the Bottle," serving a relevant wine (not likely the very rare and extremely expensive vintages featured) to sip during the chapters and pausing for tasting discussion between the chapters. Edited to add: detailed review and chapter breakdown of "Somm: Into the Bottle" over at this link on Wine Folly

Multigrain toast spread with goat cheese and topped with blueberry chutney. Cara cara orange wedges. Black coffee in an old mug that used to be one of my dad's favorites

Marcella Hazen's White Bean Soup with Parsley and Garlic made with Rancho Gordo Marcella Beans This recipe is from Marcella Hazen's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It is a very bean-y soup - as written, it calls for just one cup of broth for 6 cups of cooked, drained beans. I added more broth and may go back and add even more to the leftovers. Or I may follow Marcella's suggestion of simmering to reduce the amount of liquid and serving the beans as a side dish. I couldn't resist making Marcella's soup with her namesake beans. It comes together in just a few minutes and the simplicity really lets the flavor of the beans shine. I only added a squeeze of lemon juice my bowl for a little more brightness.

When you figure it out, please do share!

@Thanks for the Crepes, I understand the challenge, for sure. I usually cook a whole pound of beans at a time, sometimes half a pound. I scoop some out to eat within a few days or include in other recipes. Some usually goes into a bean dip/hummus-type thing which gets portioned into refrig or freezer containers. The remainder gets frozen in zip-lock bags. I like to have portions of white, black, brown/other and garbanzo beans at the ready so I keep an eye on what's in the freezer in order to decide what to cook up next. I don't have a lot of freezer space but I don't eat much meat either so I prefer this route over using canned beans.

They do cook very quickly and I've overcooked them before. This time, I gave them an overnight soak - rare for me, brought them to a boil on the stove (I always add salt after they are boiling) and then transferred the covered pot into the oven, set at 250F for a gentle simmer. They were done when I checked them after ~ 30 - 40 minutes. Almost too done as they are a little fragile but OK.

Toasted ciabatta, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and topped with Rancho Gordo Marcella beans tossed with pesto. Thinly sliced pecorino Romano. Washed down with a glass of pinot gris. Could be dinner....

In the category of "First Meal of the Day," this was consumed a little after 10 AM: Black Forest ham and sharp cheddar on toasted sourdough, returned to the toaster oven long enough to make the cheese melty. Raw carrots, spicy dill pickles and slaw.

I was almost as surprised at that outcome as I was seeing tears well up in Padma's eyes when she told Sheldon to go. He brought so much joy to the table, I'm sorry that he won't be in the finale. A little preview showed Brooke screwing up by forgetting to order the pork belly she needed for her main dish. Shirley ordered pork belly as a back up and apparently doesn't need it as she tells Brooke she can have it. Sometime later, Shirley seems to change her mind and says no. Drama much?

I agree. I was impressed that Diana Henry has commented and responded to questions. Nice.

That looks really good, @Anna N. Now I have to go rummage around for the recipe I got from a friend for lotus root kofta with Kashmiri masala. Mmmmmm - most delicious vegetarian meatballs ever!

Sorry for the OT breakfast convo! Back on topic with my breakfast, inspired by @shain's post from yesterday. I cooked up some Rancho Gordo Marcella beans, tossed them with tomato chutney and put them on toast.

Anyone else following this year's Piglet, the cookbook "tournament" over on Food52? Some of the pairings can get a bit silly, particularly in later rounds. For example, looking at the brackets, one of the first round pairings is Dorie Greenspan's Cookies against Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Fish and Rice. I can't imagine trying to write that review! That said, I usually find the reviews (and often the comments) entertaining, even if I don't share the reviewer's perspective.

I don't know. I haven't actually been inside. But it appears that it is possible to order directly through their website without going through a consultant. Perhaps I should sign up for the event and report back.

Alas, no Thermomix at my house. But about 5 miles from here there is a Thermomix storefront where they apparently host cooking classes and "Lunch & Learn" events. Maybe I should pop over and see if they would whizz me up some Hollandaise.

Beautiful breakfast, @Anna N! What method did you use for your hollandaise. I've tried a number of "fool-proof" recipes but so far have not found a "blue_dolphin-proof" method !

My dad also entertained us with the one meatball song every time we had spaghetti and one of us requested one meatball - which we always did, just to hear the song !

Gabrielle Hamilton's celery toasts Thin slices of multigrain toast, buttered and topped with Cambazola and celery salad. I was mixing up a cheese ball to bring to a party tomorrow and had the scallions and Cambazola out on the counter when I realized that it was getting late and I should eat something so I went with what was in front of me!

@ElainaA, my first pick with that salmon dinner would be a Pinot Noir. Edited to add that because of the beets, I'd go with a younger, fruitier version so the earthiness doesn't get out of control. Or a crisp German Riesling.

There are a few queries on reddit, using the same photos, one is 3 yrs old: And another more recent: Nothing terribly conclusive in the responses.

While looking for something else in the freezer, I found a small packet of IP pork shoulder AND a couple of whole wheat hot dog buns so I shredded the pork, added some sauce, made some slaw and.... lunch! And enough left for tomorrow.

So, here's the Top Chef convo. I believe the episodes are available online. This was in episode 11. Brooke's dish was braised pork shoulder and tenderloin with smoked island sweets, braised radishes and egg yolk. During service: Brock: How did you cook the pork? Brooke: Sous vide with a quick sear on the outside Brock: By cooking it sous vide, you end up ruining that natural texture of the tenderloin, which is so soft. At judges table with the chefs Brock: Using a sous vide bath to poach a pork tenderloin was kind of a crutch. I didn't think it was necessary. Colicchio: It's a small piece of meat and it goes very quickly and I think by sous viding it you lose the juiciness of it - it looks rare but the juice is gone

I liked it a lot. I thought the citrus added a nice bright flavor. I'll make it again, for sure. Nice change from the black bean and corn salsa/salad that I usually make.

Someone asked about this item recently in this post which elicited the feedback that it was for straining canned tuna.

The other day, someone at Rancho Gordo posted a link to this white bean and orange salsa on Facebook. I had small white alubia blanca beans already cooked and nice cara cara oranges from the farmers market. Everything but the cilantro. I took care of that this AM with a quick shopping trip, mixed it all up and I'm calling it lunch: