Creamy Italian Bean Soup

I was skimming through my Nancy Silverton's cook book A Twist of the Wrist to find a fun recipe and stumbled upon this super easy yet delicious bean soup. I combined 3 cans of Canellini beans and 1 can on Pinto (not drained) with fresh thyme, basil leaves, 5 cloves minced garlic, 3 tsp kosher salt and 2 cups water. Brought that to a boil and then simmered for 5 minutes. I removed 1 1/2 cups of the beans and pureed the soup, then added the whole beans back in with 2 cups of shredded Napa cabbage. Cooked that for another 5 minutes and divided into bowls. I drizzled some extra virgin on top and grated some fresh Parmesan as well. Then finished it with some torn fresh Prosciutto and served!

I also threw together a salad of arugula with gorgonzola cheese and avocado in a balsamic vinaigrette, and served the soup with some fresh multigrain bread.

Seared Scallops & Risotto

I have been wanting to try the diver scallops from McCalls Meat and Fish for months and finally broke my wallet to buy some. I decided to make farro risotto, which is the same method as regular risotto but I used farro instead, as it is a healthier alternative. When the risotto was almost finished I added in some shitake mushrooms, minced beets and beet greens. At the very end I added some fresh grated Parmesan and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, I seared the scallops in bacon fat and olive oil to a nice medium. I also baked some sweet potatoes that I brushed with honey, brown sugar, whole grain mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper. I served those on the side for a sweet bite.

The scallops were perfectly juicy and salty like the ocean. The risotto was rich and creamy and the potatoes were crispy, sweet and spicy.

MNF - Monday Night Fish

Ok Ok - I know one is supposed to gorge on nachos and hot wings whilst watching Monday Night Football, but isn't MNFish just a little more nfl-chic?

I threw together a pretty loverly dish of Dover sole, sauteed shitakes and beet greens in a white wine garlic sauce. I sauteed the shrooms in butter and oil and then added garlic, white wine, chicken stock and thyme. Threw in the beet greens and the fish and simmered for 5 minutes.
Super easy, delicious and nutritious. A perfect way to watch the Titans annihilate the Jaguars...even with MJD on my fantasy team.
(Sorry for all the football references.)

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Saturday means brunch - and this time it was homemade. I bought some smoked salmon and other fixins and began my masterpiece. I placed the items in this order: toasted fresh-baked multigrain bread, smoked salmon, fresh arugula, poached egg, homemade hollandaise and chives from our garden.

On the side I made some cast iron breakfast potatoes with onions, garlic and lipstick peppers. What are lipstick peppers? The best-named, intensely rich bell pepper.

The hollandaise ended up "breaking" at the last minute, so it doesn't look very appetizing, i know, but it sure was delicious. We dined with fresh brewed coffee.

The meal at 8:01

My first post! Thanks so much for having me, girls. My kitchen and I feel honored. Here's a little photo by way of introduction: that's me trying to imitate a tomato, which was the inspiration for dinner that night.

Last week I began to lament the fact that the end of the tomato season is upon us (here on the east coast anyway), and so I wanted to take advantage while I still could. At the farmers' market, I picked up some colorful heirlooms, fennel, and basil. At Whole Foods I picked up some pre-made pizza dough because I was feeling lazy.

I decided to make a pizza with marinated heirloom tomatoes, pecorino, pancetta, and basil, as well as a side dish of roasted tomatoes with white beans and fennel. There was also an arugula salad for good measure.

First I chopped the tomatoes and put them in a bowl with some nice olive oil, salt, and pepper and let them marinate for about an hour while I rolled out the dough.

Once the dough was ready, I simply smothered it with the tomato mixture and all its juiciness, then added the cheese and chopped pancetta, which cooked right in the oven. Here's a trick that you may already know: if, like me, you don't have a pizza stone, you can use an upside down sheet pan instead. Anyway, I cooked the pizza for ten or twelve minutes at 500, then topped it with fresh oregano and basil.

The beans were super easy too. First you slow-cook the fennel in olive oil and salt for about ten minutes, then you just fold everything else in - tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, herbs, etc. - and let it finish in the oven. The beans go in at the very end; follow the recipe here.

And voila! The meal at 8:01.

Happy cooking!