Zuppa di pasta e fagioli

Hearty and warming. I usually don't like pasta that get all fat and soggy, but in this soup it actually works. The starch from the pasta cooking in the soup makes the broth wonderfully silky, and the soft pasta works well with the beans. This is a quick weekday version, but there's a more involved, slower version that makes the beans much more flavorful.

Number of portions: 6 servings
Serving size: ~550 g
Calories per serving: ~395 kcal (reduced from ~430)

1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2-3 slices bacon (35-50gr), cut into lardons 

5 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small onion (4oz/114g) roughly chopped

¼ tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste

½ tsp fennel seeds

5 fresh plum tomatoes (10oz/285mg) or ½ canned, diced 14oz (398mL) 

2 lb. 5 oz cooked beans like pinto or romano or cannellini 

6 cups water (only 3 cups if using cooked beans)

6 cups light beef broth (1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon)

2 bay leaves

1 piece parmesan cheese rind (30 to 40g)

1 tsp salt, to taste

1 sprig finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/3 cup (43g) grated parmesan, and more for topping

8oz/230g small pasta such as shells or ditalini or orzo

1 bunch (4 to 8oz) mustard leaves, ribs sliced thin, leaves chopped (can subst. kale and/or chard)

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsps. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 to 2 tsps white wine vinegar to drizzle on top

Lots of freshly ground pepper

OPTIONAL - Fresh Croutons

1. Render the lardons in a large soup pot (it makes lots of soup) until lightly brown and crispy. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of fat and add the olive oil. This is to increase heart-healthy practices. If it isn't a concern for you, keep the bacon fat and never mind the rest.
2. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Cook until the onions soften.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they start to release their juices. If using canned tomato, cook until they start to break down.
4. Add the beans, water, broth, bay leaves and parmesan rind and stems cut away from the greens. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the flavors soften and blend, about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Return the soup to a boil and add the kale/chard leaves and the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked. (NOTE: if using mustard greens, they are more delicate and cook more quickly. Wait until pasta is cooked and water level is correct, then add and cook for about 5 minutes.)
6. The soup should be thick and creamy; if too thick, thin with water until you get the consistency you want.
7. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind; add the salt, rosemary, the grated parmesan, parsley and remaining 2 Tbsps. olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste. Top with more olive oil and parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. Optional is a drizzle of white wine vinegar per serving.
8. Optional 'croutons'. These are not true croutons, just a quick and dirty version. Figure for 1 slice per bowl of soup. Double toast some bread until pretty dry (but not completely), butter while hot, and chop up with a knife. Garnish each bowl of soup.

Poires et fromage bleu sur pâtes

Fruit and blue cheese with nuts is a classic light dish so I figured, hey, what would it be like with pasta! Well, let me tell you, I got some pretty positive reactions when I subjected others to it. The pear lightly caramelizes in the buttery good oil, lending a pleasant sweetness to every bite of lightly blue-cheese pasta.

Serves: 3 people @ 4oz of dry pasta per person

¾ pound pasta
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter
4 pears (2 lbs), peeled, cored and cut into ⅓" thick slices
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 oz Cambozola or other light blue cheese, cubed
½ + ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
OPTIONAL ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pinenuts, toasted

1. If using, start by toasting the nuts in a dry pan, and set aside until the last step.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and wait until it begins to froth. 
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil to cook the pasta.
4. Once the butter begins to froth, add the pears and cook until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes; try to only turn them once to avoid breaking them (this is more for show than for taste). Set aside until the last step.
5. To the remaining butter in the pan, add the rosemary and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
6. Add the broth, cheese, ½ cup Parmesan and cream. Stir and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. 
7. Dump the pasta in the sauce and toss until everything is coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Before serving garnish with the pear slices, the nuts and a sprinkle of the the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.

Sausage and Bean Stew with Squash

1 lb dry white beans (4 cups cooked)
Sprig thyme
4 parsley stalks
1 onion, quartered
2 Tbsps + ¼ cup olive oil
3 to 4 Spicy Italian sausages (about 1lb) (any sausage will do, but add more chilli flakes if the sausages are mild)
2 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
Optional (if you like it super spicy) ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
8oz sweet squash, cubed (if using other squash, only peel if the rind is thick and hard)
1 tsp salt +
¾ cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, cubed
2 oz grated parmesan

1. The night before, soak the beans in lots of fresh water.
2. Next day, drain the soaking water, add fresh and throw in the thyme, parsley and onion. Bring to a boil and cook 30 to 60 minutes (depending on how fresh the dry beans are) or until the beans are soft. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Toss the squash with the 2 Tbsps of oil and sprinkle with some salt. Pop in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until browned, occasionally shaking things up to avoid burning the bottoms. 
6. When the squash and beans are nearly done, in a large saucepan, heat the ¼ cup olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Shallow fry the sausages, rosemary, garlic and the chilli for one minute.
7. Add the squash and fry for a further three minutes or until the sausage has browned.
8. Remove the sausage and cut into quarters. 
9. Put the sausage back in the pan and add the beans, bay leaf and salt.
10. Add the broth and tomato, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Increase the heat for a rapid simmer and uncover to cook another 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and a thick slice fresh buttered crusty bread on the side.
13. Like most stews, this dish is best on the second day once the flavours have blended and the beans soaked up more flavour.

PREFERRED INGREDIENTS: Turban Squash, Cassoulet Beans, Hidatsa Shield Figure Beans

Baked Italian Sausage and Potatoes

This is delicious simple and quick to throw together. Great with bread.

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 tsps fresh rosemary, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 (a little under 1 lb) Italian sausages (sweet or hot), squeezed out of their casings and divided into quarters
3 (a little over 1lb) medium old potatoes, quartered (peel if you feel like it)
1 onion cut into 8ths (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the vinegar, oil, rosemary and garlic.
3. Throw in the potato and sausage and stir until well covered in the marinade.
4. Place mixture into a ceramic or glass gratin dish lined with parchment paper (it sticks terribly to the dish without lining) and bake for 30 minutes, then turning and bake another 15, until sausage and potatoes are cooked through.

Roast Chicken with Savoury Apple Mash

3 to 4 (1lb before coring) quartered and cored apples
2 (1 lb before coring) peeled and quartered onions
½ to 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp rosemary powder
1 generous pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar
4 lbs whole chicken
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Toss the apples, onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme together in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken. Pour in the cider vinegar. 
3. Season chicken well with salt, pepper and rosemary powder and rest it on top of the apple mixture, on its left side. Put the butter as a block on top of the chicken and put in the oven; roast for 15 minutes and turn onto its back; roast another 15 minutes and turn onto its right side; Turn onto its breast and roast 30 minutes; turn onto its back and roast until the skin browns and the internal temperature of the breast is 165°F, about another 10 minutes.
4. Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop out the apple, onion and garlic, leaving the juices behind to serve separately. Either use the coarse setting on a food mill or mash roughly, to push down the skins and herb stems and push up the delicious savoury/sweet apple and onion garlic and drippings blend. Scoop up the top part and discard the skins. Carve the bird, spoon some of the broth over it, and serve with the mashed apple mixture. 

Maple Sautéed Parsnips and Carrots

New Years dinner didn't quite take the form I'd expected. I wanted to make a Pennsylvania Dutch meal with roast pork and potatoes and sauerkraut, but didn't realize that Ben expected the pork to be cooked in the sauerkraut. So he took over and made the dish he posted a little earlier. However, before leaving for our Christmas trek to Lafontaine I'd gotten all I needed for the meal I'd planned, since we were coming back on New Year's Eve. This means I had extra ingredients Ben didn't need for the roast. This is the side-dish I came up with, which turned out pretty good.

2 Tbsps vegetable oil
1 lb carrots (about 4 large), peeled, cut into 3x¼" sticks
1 lb large parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, cut into 3x¼" sticks
Salt, to taste
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
1 tsp powdered rosemary (or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary)
1½ Tbsps maple syrup

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots (if large and mature, put in carrots alone first and sauté for about 2 minutes before adding parsnips) and parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. 
2. Add butter, rosemary, and maple syrup. Toss over medium heat until heated through and the vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Tuscan Bean Stew

It may be a little premature for me to post this recipe because I've only made it once. When I made it I didn't want to wait to soak the beans and cook them, so I used two cans of white kidney beans instead, and it was delicious. This means I don't know which version is better - with the dry beans or the canned beans or if they're both just as good as the other. Thanks Cook's Illustrated for the base recipe!

Part 1 - the beans

Salt

1 lb dried cannellini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed and picked over (OR two cans canned beans)

Part 2 - the mushrooms
1⁄2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1⁄2 cup water (save to add to the soup)

Part 3 - stage 1 of the soup
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, cut into 1⁄2" pieces
2 carrots, in 1⁄2" pieces
8 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups water
3 cups broth
2 bay leaves

Part 4 - stage 2 of the soup
14oz (398mL) can diced tomatoes
1 medium bunch kale or collard greens (about 1 pound), stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces)
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Part 5 - serving
Ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak, at room temperature, for at least 8 and up to 24 hours. (Soaking the beans in salt water overnight helps them cook up creamy, with tender skins.) Drain and rinse well.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250°F. (Cooking the beans at a near-simmer in a 250°F oven leads to fewer exploded beans in the finished stew.)
3. Pour 1⁄2 cup boiling water in a small bowl and add dried mushrooms. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork and mince. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towels into medium bowl. Set mushrooms and liquid aside.
4. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 4 cups water, broth, bay leaves, soaked beans, and reserved mushrooms and cooking liquid. Increase heat to high and bring stew to simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are almost tender (very centre of beans will still be firm), 45 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Remove pot from oven and stir in tomatoes and greens (the acid in tomatoes can interfere with the beans’ tender texture. Add them toward the end of cooking, after the beans have already softened). Return pot to oven and continue to cook until beans and greens are fully tender, 30 to 40 minutes longer.
6. Remove pot from oven and submerge rosemary sprig in stew. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig; season stew with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and lightly drizzled with olive oil.

Mirabelle and Rosemary Jam

We got some delicious golden plums from some friends who have a fruit-tree plantation at Spence's Bridge, BC, and some fresh rosemary from the garden of a friend in Chilliwack, who is a garden designer and I tried making Mirabelle and Rosemary jam. The result is interesting, but I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I brought it over to Mauri and Kevin's and Mauri Iron-Cheffed with it and made a dessert using puff pastry and vanilla ice-cream drizzled with the stuff and it was quite good, but to me, there's a flavour, almost metallic, to the stuff. Tonight I'll try glazing pork chops with it to see how it does. For the record, the following is how I made it. I think one mistake was to leave the rosemary in the bowl overnight - I likely should have just put it in the pot while I was cooking it to get the flavour.

2.2 lbs. Mirabelle plums, cut in half (do not remove the pits and skins)
3 cups of sugar
the juice of 1 lemon
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Macerate the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice overnight in a covered ceramic bowl.
2. The next day, dump the macerated fruit into a soup pot and add the rosemary and vanilla extract. Cook, covered, over gentle heat, for 30-45 minutes.
3. To test that the jam is ready, keep a plate in the freezer and drip some of the cooked juices onto the plate. If the drips gel to the plate (don't run when you tip the plate sideways, the jam is ready. Otherwise, keep it simmering.
4. Once the jam is ready, strain the fruit through a sieve with a wooden spoon until all that's left are the skins and pits and rosemary stems.
5. Heat the jam on the stove until just starting to simmer, then pour into the hot pots.
6. To get the pots hot, sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water. 
7. Leave 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar when filling it. 
8. Screw lids on until not quite as tight as possible - screw on tight, then loosed by 1/4 turn.
9. Put each jar on a rack in a large pot of boiling water. Jars must not sit directly on the kettle bottom. 
10. Once the pot returns to the boil, begin processing (boiling) time of 10 minutes if using half-pint or smaller jars (235 ml or smaller), 20 minutes for larger. 
11. After the time has elapsed, remove jars to a cloth-covered counter or baking sheet, away from any drafts. Do not move for at least 12 hours — 24 hours is best — so that the jars fully seal and the jam sets.

One of my favourites - Butter Roasted Chicken

I love roasts, and in particular roast chicken. I think my favourite part is the crispy, golden skin. Roasted with butter, it becomes crispy/sticky, and the taste of herbs infused in the flesh is complemented by a lovely gravy that naturally form, in which the onion and potatoes cook. There are loads of variations possible with the herbs and, even, with the veg.

1 chicken, about 3 pounds

a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme and a few Bay leaves

(other herbs could be tarragon, lavender, parsley etc)

1 generous pinch salt and pepper

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter
2 onions, thickly sliced
4-5 potatoes, thickly sliced

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Separate the onion rings and toss them along with the potatoes in the bottom of a roasting pan.
3. Stuff the chicken with the herbs and truss it. Season all over with salt and pepper. Set the chicken in the roasting pan on its left leg, and set the butter on top.
4. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the bird onto its right leg for 15 minutes. Turn on its back for 15 minutes. Finally, set it upright and continue cooking until done, about 1/2 an hour more or until the juices run clear. Remember to baste the bird constantly as it roasts. It is done when the juices at the leg run clear and the breast should read 165-170F.

Roasted Tomato Soup

This is a really good soup at ambient temperature, making it great for picnics. I tested it at a dinner party, indoors and at room temperature, and the reaction after the first spoonful was very positive, so it goes on the picnic list! It's from England's Channel 4 Web site so I had to change the measurements from metric to Imperial. Imagine! Oh, and I chopped everything by hand instead of a blender and it turned out great!

Makes 4 bowls of soup.

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, quartered (I mixed in cherry tomatoes - more intense flavour)

1/2 lb. red onion, cut into thick wedges

4 garlic cloves

3 fresh rosemary sprigs

2 red peppers, quartered and deseeded

4 Tbsps. olive oil

1 cup chicken stock (veg for vegetarian)

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 dashes of Tabasco

4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

A few sprigs of fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Put the tomatoes, onions, garlic, rosemary and peppers into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 45 minutes or until tender and beginning to char.
2. Let the roasted vegetables cool enough to handle comfortably and chop super fine.
3. Tip into a large pan, then add the stock, wine vinegar, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and heat gently, or skip this step and serve at ambient temperature. Divide among 4 bowls and finish with some freshly ground black pepper and a few parsley sprigs.

Herbed Chicken Saute

Yes, another wonderful recipe from Laura Calder. The first time I made this I used parsley with some dill, and Ben didn't seem to like it as much, but I did. I figured it was probably that the herbs were subtle flavours, and my Ben tends to like stronger flavours (although he has an amazing palate). The second time I made it was with tarragon and parsley, and Ben, Susan and Diyan loved it. It was also a confirmation that following through with each step is very important. I think the first time I made it I didn't brown the chicken at a high enough temperature (the time was the same, but the result was different). Browning is where loads of flavour comes from, so why skip this step?

The one thing was the cooking time - the last 15 minutes may be a bit too long. I checked about half-way through with a thermometer and immediately pulled it off the heat because it was way over.

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter or vegetable oil
1 chicken (about 3 pounds) cut into eight
salt and pepper to season
½ cup dry white wine
4 Tbsps chopped, fresh herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, chives, dill, tarragon, chervil or coriander)
Half a lemon, for seasoning

1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and brown well on all sides, 5 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Remove the chicken. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the good bits from the bottom. Put the chicken back in the pan, cover, and cook gently for 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in the herbs, cover, and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, 15 minutes more, or until white meat reaches 165F and dark meat 180F. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and allow to rest while boiling the pan juices down, if necessary. Check the seasoning, adding a squirt of lemon if you like. Serve.