When I came across this recipe for Tuscan White Bean & Escarole Soup with Tuna in the July issue of Food & Wine Magazine I was a little perplexed. Canned tuna in olive oil in a soup – seriously, Justin Chapple? While initially wary, once I noticed the über-healthy and delicious list of ingredients, I decided to take a chance. Thankfully my hunch paid off! This healthy dish is a study in deliciousness and I’ve also discovered a wonderful wine to pair with it.
Beautiful fresh escarole!
When making this recipe, be sure to use tuna packed in olive oil (I like solid albacore) which gives the soup nice body and flavor – resist the urge to substitute tuna packed in water! As suggested, garnish the soup with a delicious dusting of freshly grated Parmesan and also serve it with toasted or grilled slices of crusty French bread rubbed with a garlic clove which really makes the flavors “pop.” As for a wine pairing, we sampled a couple bottles and a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile was too acidic and did nothing to enhance the flavor of the soup. The 2009 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Sec on the other hand, a 100% Chenin Blanc from France’s Loire Valley, complemented the dish very nicely! The wine’s slight sweetness took the edge off the acidity and it’s flavors of apple, fig and almond really hit all the right notes.
I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did and have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a recipe or dish which expanded your culinary horizons? Please let us know in the comment section below!
Cheers,
“Tuscan White Bean & Escarole Soup with Tuna”
Justin Chapple, July Issue of Food & Wine Magazine
Serves 4
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
10 oz. escarole, chopped
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
6 cups chicken stock
One 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. tuna in olive oil, drained
Salt and pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese and crusty bread for serving
Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole and rosemary and cook until the escarole is wilted, 3 minutes. Add the stock, beans and tuna and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve the soup with shredded Parmesan and crusty bread.
Many countries around the globe have culinary traditions designed to bring good luck in the New Year. In Spain, revelers consume one grape for every stroke of the clock at midnight; in Italy it’s customary to eat sausages and green lentils after midnight; in Cuba, roast pork is said to bring good fortune, and in the Southern United States black-eyed... Read More
The post A Southern Style New Year featuring Chef Stephen Stryjewski’s Hoppin’ John! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Many countries around the globe have culinary traditions designed to bring good luck in the New Year. In Spain, revelers consume one grape for every stroke of the clock at midnight; in Italy it’s customary to eat sausages and green lentils after midnight; in Cuba, roast pork is said to bring good fortune, and in the Southern United States black-eyed peas are believed to bring good luck especially in the form of Hoppin’ John, a West-African inspired stew of black eyed peas and rice flavored with pork. The beans are said to represent coins while the pork is a symbol of optimism since pigs forage forward through the earth in search of food and never look back!
Since we’re pretty big fans of Southern cuisine at Chez Miskew we decided to make Hoppin’ John. Steve took the lead and found and prepared this fabulous recipe from Chef Stephen Stryjewski published in Garden & Gun Magazine (gotta love a man in the kitchen!). Stryjewski is a CIA graduate who’s been a driving force behind the reawakening of the New Orlean’s food scene. In 2011 he received the James Beard Foundation’s award for “Best Chef: South” and is presently Chef and co-owner (along with partner and Executive Chef Donald Link) of New Orleans’ award-winning restaurant Cochon. In 2014 Stryjewski’s achieved another culinary coup, his latest endeavor Pêche Seafood Grill won the James Beard Foundation’s coveted “Best New Restaurant” designation, the first New Orleans establishment ever to receive this honor.
Despite Stryjewski’s lofty pedigree this recipe is pretty down to earth and easy to make and the results are definitely worth every ounce of effort! The tasty black-eyes peas soften as they absorb the delicious flavor of the Tasso ham, vegetables, and herbs. Tasso is a spicy and flavorful smoked ham seasoned with cayenne pepper, garlic, sugar, salt and paprika that’s a specialty of Louisiana cuisine. In the event you can’t find Tasso ham, you can purchase it through D’Artagnan by clicking here or ham hocks or shanks will also work nicely.
The end result is a hearty dish of earthy, savory peas and long grain rice studded with salty bits of ham and bacon. It’s perfect for bringing good luck in the New Year or as a hearty, delicious meal any other day this Winter. As for wine, an earthy Pinot Noir from either Burgundy or the New World will pair nicely with this dish (to view a selection of these wines from The Wine Atelier, please click here).
I hope you enjoy this delicious Hoppin’ John as much as we did! What’s your favorite New Year’s dish? Please let me know in the comment section below – I read all comments and would love to hear from you!
Happy New Year,
“Hoppin’ John”
From Dec 2011/Jan 2012 Garden & Gun Magazine
INGREDIENTS (Stage 1)
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
¾ lb. Tasso ham, diced
1 onion, halved
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
PREPARATION
In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine ingredients with 6
cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to
2 ½ hours. Drain the black-eyed peas and ham, saving cooking liquid separately. Remove and discard the onion pieces,
garlic, and bay leaves.
INGREDIENTS (Stage 2)
½ lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ tsp. fresh thyme
1 cup Cajun Grain rice (or a good-quality long grain rice)
6 green onions, sliced
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
PREPARATION
Wipe out the pot and return to stove over moderately high heat. Add bacon and render until golden (8 to 10 minutes), then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasion-ally, cooking until onions look translucent (8 to 12 minutes). Add the thyme and 2 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in the rice, cover, and simmer until the
rice is tender, about 17
to 22 minutes.
Stir in the green onions, parsley, and black-eyed peas and ham, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. The Hoppin’ John should be lushly moist but not soupy. Serves 6.
Many years ago I dated a guy who was obsessed with health. For him, every waking moment was focused on exercising and eating right and he eschewed any possible enjoyment in food. To him it was solely “fuel for the body” and while I tried to respect his regimented point of view, when he started judging people who ate bacon... Read More
The post Fall Indulgence: Browned Butter & Bacon Ice Cream! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
Many years ago I dated a guy who was obsessed with his health. Every waking moment was focused on exercising and eating right to the point of eschewing any iota of enjoyment in food, viewing it solely as “fuel for the body.” I tried to respect his regimented point of view but when he started judging people who ate bacon (myself included) because it had no redeeming nutritional value, I knew we were definitely doomed!
For me, food is about much more than “fuel for the body” and enjoying it is all about balance. The majority of the time we should eat healthy in the interest of taking care of our bodies and managing our weight, but there are also times to splurge in the interest of satisfying our souls. We can probably all name those special dishes we’re nostalgic for having enjoyed them in our youth when lovingly prepared by a parent or grandparent; or those we associate with our own or another beloved culture; or dishes discovered during personal travels which have brought us much joy. Depriving ourselves of food we love seems to inevitably lead to binging, so why not allow ourselves to indulge that craving every so often so it doesn’t spiral out of control?
This recipe for Browned Butter & Bacon Ice Cream is just such an indulgence, combining two of my favorite things, butter and bacon, into one delicious confection. Will I make this recipe more than once this season? In the interest of fitting into my clothes and maintaining my cholesterol level, probably not but if you’re in a “comfort food” kind of mood, it sure hits the spot and also makes an excellent dessert choice paired with last week’s Fall-inspired recipe for Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions.
After my boyfriend and I broke up one of the first questions I would ask any date was, “Do you eat bacon?” and now I’m happily married to a man who shares my porcine passion. To me, bacon and other cherished dishes are one of life’s great pleasures that definitely aren’t worth missing but in doing so, balance is key.
Cheers,
“Browned Butter & Bacon Ice Cream”
Bacon
5 strips of good bacon
7 1/2 teaspoons of light brown sugar
Ice Cream
3 Tablespoons salted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 3/4 cups half-and-half, divided in half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons dark rum
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the candied bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the strips of bacon on baking sheet lined with either aluminum foil or a Silpat.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of light brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.
Bake for 12-16 minutes. Halfway through baking, turn the bacon strips over and dredge them through the syrupy dark molten sugar on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until the bacon is the color of rich mahogany. Remove bacon from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Once bacon is cooled and crisp, finely chop into little pieces.
For the ice cream: melt the butter in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until lightly browned, careful not to let it burn (if the butter burns, definitely start over). Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half and cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Keep the rest of the half-and-half in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and then gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the warm brown sugar mixture, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes to prevent the eggs from cooking (a process known as “tempering”). Then pour the egg and brown sugar mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until the custard thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, stirring constantly. Once desired consistency is reached, stir in rum and vanilla extract.
Put remaining chilled half-and-half into a large bowl, place a sieve or strainer over it and strain the custard mixture into it to remove any bits of cooked egg (even if you don’t see them they’re there so don’t eliminate this step!). Chill the mixture for at last 5 hours and then pour into an ice cream mixture and churn according to your machine’s directions. Add the chopped bacon during the last moments or fold in after you’ve removed the mixture from the machine. Reserve a few pieces of the bacon for garnish if you wish.
The post Fall Indulgence: Browned Butter & Bacon Ice Cream! appeared first on The Glamorous Gourmet.
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