Garlic and Wine Soup

I had the loveliest morning today.  I stopped at Joe: The Art of Coffee for an Americano and a coconut cream doughnut.  Instead of walking down the street, munching, I stopped in Union Square to sit on a bench and enjoy my impromptu breakfast.  Small, but bold, birds hopped within a foot of my hand and the morning sun came through the yellow and green leaves.  I thought about autumn.  This season makes me feel contemplative, relaxed, and sleepy (in a good way) - it's, hands-down, my absolute favorite season.  At the risk of sounding corny, my heart just felt so full, sitting there, and I couldn't believe my good fortune in being able to sit in the park and enjoy the morning.  It was, in every way, perfect.

The changing of the seasons is always the best time for food and drink, I think.  By the end of summer, I'm rather grumpy about the heat, declaring that I won't make a single thing for dinner that requires heat and pining for the day when I can roast and braise and fry.  Not to mention exchanging my Vinho Verde and Hefeweizen for Pinot Noir and porter.  Well, the day has come.

It began with the Cauliflower Macaroni and was followed by Garlic and Wine Soup.  Jonny and Amy over at We Are Never Full posted the recipe for this soup ages ago; I bookmarked it back in November 2009 and I've only now gotten around to making it.  And, goodness, I wish I had made it sooner!  It is the perfect way to herald in the new season with its creamy richness and earthiness.

Amy and Jonny, in their blog post, recommend pairing this with a rustic red wine, which I think would be lovely and much welcome in the winter.  However, I went with WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and drank a Sauvignon Blanc with dinner (the same one I used in the recipe...which is why you should always cook with a wine good enough to drink on its own).  I found the bright citrus notes very refreshing with this soup - it cut right through the richness.

This soup truly celebrates a new season.  And don't be afraid of all the garlic; when simmered for a long period of time, it turns sweet, mellow, and fragrant.  My last piece of advice is that you avoid the mistake I made: don't wait for two years to make this soup.  Make it this week.

Eat, drink, and don't worry about your breath.


SOUPE A L'AIL ET AU VIN (Garlic and Wine Soup)
Adapted - only slightly - from We Are Never Full
Serves 2

4-5 heads garlic (50-60 cloves)
4 oz pancetta, cubed
3 tablespoons plain flour
5 cups warm low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 egg yolks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 cup Cantal cheese (Gruyere or Emmentaler would work too), grated
4-6 slices toasted country bread

1. Separate each clove of garlic from the head and crush lightly with the side of a knife.  Do not remove the skin.

2. Reserve one clove.  Peel it and chop it finely.  Keep for later use.

3. Gently render the cubed pancetta over medium heat in a large stockpot, until pieces are golden brown.

4. Add flour and stir into the fat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Gradually add warm stock to the roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

6. Bring to a boil and add the garlic.  Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the white wine with the egg yolks in a 1-quart measuring jug (or a large bowl).  Also, place bread on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Add grated cheese and broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.

8. After 45 minutes, strain soup through a sieve to remove garlic, skins, and pancetta.  Return soup to pot.

9. Add several ladle-fulls of the simmering liquid to the eggs and wine to gently heat (temper) the yolks.

10. Then, add the egg yolk mixture back to the stock post and stir well.

11. Reheat soup until it shows a few bubbles.  Do not allow to boil.

12. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

13. Mash the reserved garlic clove with chopped parsley (make a persillade).

14. Ladle soup into bowls.  Add bread slice on top, ladle soup over the bread, and sprinkle the whole thing with the persillade.  Enjoy!


NOTE: I actually forgot the parsley on my grocery list.  Which is why you see no persillade in my photo. It worked okay but I'd recommend the persillade, if not for flavor then at least for looks.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: Who are we kidding?  Bug wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole.  She had "Kid Dinner" and then we enjoyed this for "Adult Dinner" after she had gone to bed.

Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower Macaroni

I'm just going to say this now because I know it'll come through anyway as I keep talking: Jamie Oliver's recipes are, hands-down, the most frustrating that I follow.  With measurements like "a full wineglass of dry white wine", "a knob of butter", and a "glug of olive oil", don't expect a lot of guidance from him.  He's loosey-goosey, to say the least.

So why do I keep buying his cookbooks?  Well, for a couple reasons: 1) they're styled and designed beautifully and 2) I love his unique combination of flavors.  And the secret third reason is that he is one of the hot men of the cooking world.  With that, I happily bought a copy of his newest book MEALS IN MINUTES.

The book is laid out in a completely different way, and I haven't quite got used to it yet.  Oliver put together menus.  For instance, it's not just a recipe for Cauliflower Macaroni; instead, it's a menu of "Cauliflower Macaroni, Belgian Endive Salad with Insane Dressing, Lovely Stewed Fruit."  Then the instructions assume that you'll be making all three together: a step for the macaroni is followed by one for the fruit, then we're back to the macaroni; the salad follows behind.  For this recipe, I made the macaroni and the salad but I didn't make the fruit; I found it easy to just skip the fruit-related instructions and move forward with the rest.

That said, I had A LOT of other problems.  Oliver calls for "8 slices pancetta".  But it was like an itch I couldn't scratch: "HOW THICK?!?!"  When I buy pancetta at Eataly, they tend to slice it thin.  When I order it from Fresh Direct, they give me a choice of "standard" or "thick".  Which is it, Jamie?!  I went with Fresh Direct's standard slices, which are approximately 1/8" thick.

Another thing that I just didn't get was that, in both the macaroni and salad recipes, Oliver specifies that the garlic should be unpeeled.  But never does he say that the peel should be removed later.  So, with that in mind, he means that we just blend it in?  That we have peels floating around in the macaroni?  I couldn't get on board with that.  Could you?  I made the call and peeled them.  And I want you to have that confidence too: if it sounds "off" in a recipe, make your own decision.

That's one thing that can be said for Oliver's cookbooks: they encourage improvisation.  Or thrust it upon you.

Okay, I'm done ranting.  So let's get on with it.  See below for my adaptation of Jamie's recipes.

CAULIFLOWER MACARONI
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's MEALS IN MINUTES
Serves 8

8 slices pancetta (about 1/8"thick)
1 large head of cauliflower
1 pound dried macaroni (or similar shaped pasta)
9 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese
4 thick slices of country bread
a few springs of fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup crème fraîche
Parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Fill a pasta pot with water and boil on high heat.  If you choose to grate the Cheddar cheese using a food processor, put the coarse grater attachment into the machine.

2. Lay the pancetta in a 9 x 13 roasting pan (I used a Pyrex dish).  Put into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes until slightly golden and turning up at the edges.

3. Trim off the tough base of the cauliflower stalk and quarter the head.  Put in the pasta pot with the pasta, on high heat.  The water should be just a few inches over the cauliflower and pasta; drain some water, if needed.  Season water with about a tablespoon of sea salt, drizzle over about a tablespoon of olive oil, then stir and cook following the instructions on the pasta package, with the pot lid askew.

4. Grate the Cheddar in the food processor and tip into a bowl (or you can grate coursely with a hand grater).  Fit the standard blade attachment, then get your pancetta out of the oven and blitz in the processor with the bread, rosemary leaves, and drizzle of olive oil (approx 1 tbsp) until you have a coarse breadcrumb consistency.

5. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.  Add the macaroni to the same roasting pan you cooked the pancetta in and add about 1 1/2 c. of the reserved pasta water.  Add finely chopped garlic cloves and mix in the crème fraîche and grated Cheddar, gently breaking up the cauliflower with tongs or a potato masher.  Taste for seasoning.  The pasta sauce should be loose and creamy; if not, add another splash of pasta water.

6. Spread the pasta out evenly in the dish and scatter over the breadcrumbs.  Put in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and the pasta is bubbly.

NOTE: See the photo below?  That's all our leftovers.  Jamie says this dish is for 6 servings but, with the salad, I think it's closer to 8 servings.

ENDIVE SALAD WITH "INSANE DRESSING"
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's MEALS IN MINUTES
Serves 6

2 heads red endive, or 1 large radicchio
2 large heads Belgian endive
a small bunch of fresh basil (about 12 leaves)
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 anchovies, drained from jar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons natural yogurt (such as Fage)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Trim the bases of the endives and thickly slice them; scatter in a salad bowl or over a platter.  Tear 3-4 basil leaves and scatter over the endives.

2. Put the remaining basil leaves into a blender or food processor.  Crush in the garlic clove, then add a pinch of salt and pepper, the anchovies, mustard, yogurt, vinegar, and olive oil.  Add a tablespoon of water and whiz until smooth.

3. Taste the dressing for acidity; add more olive oil if you want to mellow it out a bit.  Pour the dressing into a jug or glass for serving.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: This macaroni dish is perfect for kids.  I mean, you can't go wrong with crunchy breadcrumbs and nearly a pound of Cheddar cheese.  That said, Bug still managed to eat around all the bits of cauliflower.  Of course.  And I substituted the salad with the tried-and-true apple slices.

Fantasy Football Draft Night

I have been a long-time, regular competitor in two fantasy football leagues: one for the last 12 years and another for the last 10.  My team name changes each year and it often has something to do with food or wine - a couple of years ago, I was "Vino Vixens".  This year?  I'm "Pinot She Daaaan't!"  Clever, if I do say so myself!

Adam, Brian, and me - I think I just picked a WINNER!

Highlighters and spreadsheets are de rigeur.

Draft Night is always an event, but even more so this year since Andrea and Brian (aka the Soul Twin and My Other Husband) live just across the river from us now.  My Other Husband, of course, is a player in one of my leagues...and the Soul Twin...well, the Soul Twin came over to drink rosé and heckle us, of course.  And dance to James Brown while we were trash-talking...

Adam and My Other Husband

What?  You didn't think I'd drink a beer while drafting, did you?

So I made BLTs.  I wanted to enjoy the heirloom tomatoes at the market while they're still around, and I figured that we could eat while we were drafting, if needed.  But it was also important to me to punch up the flavor so I created my own Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise that I thought was just incredible.

BLTs WITH LEMON-GARLIC MAYONNAISE
Serves 4


Ingredients:


Lemon- Garlic Mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about 1/8 tsp each)

BLTs

• 8 slices brioche (I like the counterbalance of the sweet bread with the salty bacon, but any bread of your choice will do)
• 3 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced (ideally, different colors)
• 8 slices of bacon
• 4 large leaves of romaine lettuce

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with foil.  Lay bacon flat on the sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until browned and crisp (doing it in the oven keeps the bacon flat).


While bacon is cooking, heat a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add olive oil and garlic to the pan.  Keeping a close eye on the garlic to avoid burning, saute garlic for about 2 minutes until softened but not browned.  Set pan aside.


When bacon is done, set aside to cool.  Once cooled, halve each slice crosswide, making 16 half-strips of bacon.


In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic (and the oil from the pan), salt and pepper.  Stir.  Taste for seasoning.  Set aside.


Spread 8 slices of bread with the mayonnaise.  Place 4 half-slices of bacon on top of the mayonnaise.  Add tomato slices, then lettuce.  Put the top slice of bread on.  (NOTE: the point of constructing the sandwich like this is that the tomato is the wettest part so you want it in the middle.  That way, your bread won't get soggy as fast.)

Lastly, a note on the mayonnaise: this recipe creates A LOT of mayonnaise.  In fact, you could halve it and quite easily have enough for your BLTs.  But I made extra because you can use this for so many meals.  Here are some ideas:

1. Loosen the mayo with a tablespoon or so of olive oil to make more of a sauce.  Add on top of grilled fish.
2. Boil some new potatoes.  Add some finely chopped rosemary to the mayo and dollop on top of the potatoes as a side dish to eggs for breakfast or roast chicken for dinner.
3. Steam broccoli and use this mayo as a dipping sauce.

The possibilities are endless.  So halve it for the BLTs if you'd like...but I'm predicting you'll want to keep using this for a few days afterward.

So the sandwiches were a success.  But what about the draft?  Well, we'll have to see.  Bring it on!

Eat, drink, and GET READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!

Pea Shoot Pesto

I've mentioned pea shoot pesto here before in the briefest of passing and, for that, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry because it is one of my absolute favorite things to eat in early summer.  I tripped upon a recipe in the New York Times back in May 2009 for the pesto; it sounded delicious but I dismissed it pretty quick.  I mean, where am I going to get pea shoots?

I shouldn't have dismissed it so quickly, of course.  The next time I was at Union Square, I found a stand with pea shoots.  I approached the purveyors and mentioned the article in the Times for pea shoot pesto.  Being the smart folks they are, they had a copy of the recipe and were able to tell me the exact amount of shoots I needed.

In 2010, pea shoot pesto was a regular feature at my table.

Here we are in 2011 and pea shoots are at the Union Square Greenmarket again.  Greener Pastures are the folks to talk to - you'll know them by the yellow school bus behind their stand.  They're known for their wheatgrass juice but I know them as my connection for pea shoots.

And wondering what the fuss is about with pea shoot pesto?  Sometimes I find that basil pesto can be overwhelming and overly rich.  Especially when paired with tomatoes - basil pesto can overpower the fantastic flavor of tomatoes in season.  Pea shoot pesto has a brightness and delicacy to it that I like infinitely better than its basil sister.  And pea shoot pesto is every bit as easy to make:

PEA SHOOT PESTO
from The New York Times


1/4 c. grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. pine nuts
3 c. pea shoots
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves


In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast pine nuts, tossing occasionally until golden, about 3 minutes.


In a food processor or blender combine pea shoots, pine nuts, cilantro, Parmesan, garlic and salt.  Pulse until roughly chopped.  With motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil; blend until well combined.  Scrape pesto into a bowl.  Taste for seasoning.

There have been a few times when I've forgotten to buy cilantro so I omitted it from the recipe; I have to admit that I didn't miss it much.  So feel free to leave it out if you're cilantro-adverse.  Likewise, last time I made this, I used fresh green garlic (instead of the dried kind you get at the supermarket) and it was incredible.  I'd recommend it always in this recipe, but it's in season for a pretty short window so you'll likely have to forge ahead with regular garlic.

The NYT recipe pairs the pesto with pork chops, which sounds really amazing.  However, like a kid who eats all the cookie dough before making cookies, I've never gotten that far with this recipe.  I love to serve it on grilled bread (you know me and the grilled bread recipes!) with a few slivers of shaved Parmesan on top.  I also loved it with a slice of prosciutto over the pesto, and you can see in the (rather dark) photo above that I also topped it with a fried egg. Add a salad, a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, and you have a light spring or summer meal.


Eat, drink, and experiment with pestos.

Recipe Review: Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup

I have folders where I keep all the recipes I tear from magazines (organized by category):

Lately I've been trying to go through them and make the dishes that have been sitting too long.  Tonight, it was Rachael Ray's Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup, which I have had in my folder since...wait for it...2007!  It was time to either make it or get rid of it.  So here's how mine turned out:

The verdict?  I probably won't make it again.  The roasted garlic combined with the roasted squash and the caramelized onion just made for a soup that was waaaay too cloying for my taste - it was really sweet, guys.  It would have been a total wash had it not been for the tartness of the yogurt to balance out the sweet.  If you make this, the yogurt is a necessity. 


I did make some changes to the recipe.  First, before serving, while the soup was on the heat, I added a tablespoon of heavy cream.  I wanted to loosen it up and smooth it out a bit.  I also had some leftover pancetta breadcrumbs from this ah-mazing recipe a couple nights ago and added that as well.


It was also a weird choice for Super Bowl dinner - I'm not quite sure what I was thinking - but it was fine.  


Ugh. Can't you sense my ambivalence about this one?  A lot of effort but not enough ROI (the marketer in me...Return on Investment).  As stated earlier, I won't make this again - there are just too many stellar, mind-blowing recipes out there to settle for blah.


Eat, drink, and weed the collection (that's librarian talk for de-cluttering...)