michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
Simplicity As a Worthy Goal
The family and close friends I cook for are a grateful bunch. They lavish me with thanks and praise for the feasts set before them. I have no complaints, and see no need to point out to them the work involved in bringing good food to the table, as they are truly appreciative of my efforts.
I’m thankful for the blessing of cooking for my loved ones. I see cooking as a true adventure, as I’m sure many of you do too. It is also a process. It requires skills, planning and more than a little curiosity. It can be spontaneous and be successful, but to do it every day you must build your skills and ply your craft with purposeful intention.
The volumes written on the education of a cook range from Julia Child’s masterpiece “Mastering The Art of French Cooking” to the casual, best-friend-at-the-kitchen-table style of a Laurie Colwin essay. I enjoy them both, as well as many other influences, and find as the part of my life spent cooking for family and friends continues joyfully onward, I add to my own basic store of knowledge in ways that only experience at the stove and the cutting board can provide.
As an example, I’m keenly aware of what good cooks do to build a complex flavor profile in the recipe they are preparing. Sautéing, reducing, deglazing, blooming spices –all done to deepen the flavor layer by layer. As I became more proficient at doing this, I began using these techniques to make old favorites even better. I’m successful at making noticeable improvements about 80% of the time, I’d say. Other times, not so much is gained.
An extension of this process is my realization I may have been trying too hard! I noticed this when I found an old, tattered and splattered copy of a recipe for manicotti. It was the first recipe I collected and I served it to many a young lady in my teens and early twenties. As I re-read the recipe after 30 years I found out how much I had changed it. It had morphed, little by little, into a completely different dish!
I decided to make it again, as originally written. It was a trip down memory lane to be sure. The Lady I Cook For Now remembered HER first taste of this dish more than 32 years ago, and, thankfully, the evening went much the same as it did back in 1978 (except for the smell of Ben-gay and the sound creaking joints).
What have I learned? Simple is often better, and She still falls for an Amazingly Handsome Guy cooking her meal.
The simplicity factor is not a real revelation for me, and I imagine it is not foreign to you either. I am of the opinion, as are many fellow cooks, that food shouldn’t be tortured into something it wasn’t intended to be. Homemade bread still warm from the oven with fresh sweet butter slathered over the top will never be equaled as a moan-inducing eye roller. Tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, a good extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and little garlic –oh goodness!
So, when I came across a white bean soup recipe in an email newsletter that was very simple and unadorned, I saw it as an opportunity to “go basic”.
This recipe didn’t include any herbs like basil or oregano in the base of the soup. The holy trinity of carrot, celery and onion was there, and a bay leaf. Tomatoes were added, along with a knob of tomato paste. No wine, vinegar or sausage. Just a basic soup recipe that I was SURE would be better the next day. I just finished what little was left over from last night’s dinner. I was right. It’s even better today.
I adapted my recipe to use canned beans and ended up with a wonderful dish that came together quickly and could be served to anyone as a main meal, or as a soup course. Serve freshly made, or wait a day, gently re-heat and really catch the magic.
Cannellini Bean Soup
Olive oil for sautéing
1 large white or yellow onion (regular onion, not sweet onion), small dice
3 medium carrots, peeled, small dice
3 stalks celery, small dice
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes with liquid (un-drained)
1 bay leaf
3 15oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups liquid (1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 water)
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, finely chopped to garnish
Crumbled feta to garnish (optional, but delicious)
Sauté onion, carrot and celery in olive oil on high heat until fully heated, about a minute. Keep the veggies moving so they don’t scorch. Lower heat to medium low and continue to stir often for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the veggies begin to brown at the edges and become soft. (Don’t scrimp on the time here. It is important to get a little color on the veggies as it lends much better flavor in the end. ((There I go again! Developing flavor! “But, Michael”, you say, “I thought this was supposed to be simple?” I know, I know. Just brown the veggies and stay with me here.)))
Add the tomato paste and stir until the paste coats the veggies and begins to create fond on the pan bottom. (Don’t say it.)
Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the bay leaf, the beans and the broth/water combo. Stir to combine and deglaze. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to very low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with chunks of good, creamy feta and a sprinkling of parsley.
Serve with a crusty hunk of warm bread and you’re home free.
Ok, I know what you’re probably thinking. Brown some sausage, add some chopped fresh oregano and garnish with a chiffonade of fresh basil and you’d really have something. And you’d be right, of course. But for just a simple, basic, great-tasting soup, you can’t go wrong here.
Enjoy!
Michael
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greeksoups/r/Fassolatha.htm?nl=1
The family and close friends I cook for are a grateful bunch. They lavish me with thanks and praise for the feasts set before them. I have no complaints, and see no need to point out to them the work involved in bringing good food to the table, as they are truly appreciative of my efforts.
I’m thankful for the blessing of cooking for my loved ones. I see cooking as a true adventure, as I’m sure many of you do too. It is also a process. It requires skills, planning and more than a little curiosity. It can be spontaneous and be successful, but to do it every day you must build your skills and ply your craft with purposeful intention.
The volumes written on the education of a cook range from Julia Child’s masterpiece “Mastering The Art of French Cooking” to the casual, best-friend-at-the-kitchen-table style of a Laurie Colwin essay. I enjoy them both, as well as many other influences, and find as the part of my life spent cooking for family and friends continues joyfully onward, I add to my own basic store of knowledge in ways that only experience at the stove and the cutting board can provide.
As an example, I’m keenly aware of what good cooks do to build a complex flavor profile in the recipe they are preparing. Sautéing, reducing, deglazing, blooming spices –all done to deepen the flavor layer by layer. As I became more proficient at doing this, I began using these techniques to make old favorites even better. I’m successful at making noticeable improvements about 80% of the time, I’d say. Other times, not so much is gained.
An extension of this process is my realization I may have been trying too hard! I noticed this when I found an old, tattered and splattered copy of a recipe for manicotti. It was the first recipe I collected and I served it to many a young lady in my teens and early twenties. As I re-read the recipe after 30 years I found out how much I had changed it. It had morphed, little by little, into a completely different dish!
I decided to make it again, as originally written. It was a trip down memory lane to be sure. The Lady I Cook For Now remembered HER first taste of this dish more than 32 years ago, and, thankfully, the evening went much the same as it did back in 1978 (except for the smell of Ben-gay and the sound creaking joints).
What have I learned? Simple is often better, and She still falls for an Amazingly Handsome Guy cooking her meal.
The simplicity factor is not a real revelation for me, and I imagine it is not foreign to you either. I am of the opinion, as are many fellow cooks, that food shouldn’t be tortured into something it wasn’t intended to be. Homemade bread still warm from the oven with fresh sweet butter slathered over the top will never be equaled as a moan-inducing eye roller. Tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, a good extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and little garlic –oh goodness!
So, when I came across a white bean soup recipe in an email newsletter that was very simple and unadorned, I saw it as an opportunity to “go basic”.
This recipe didn’t include any herbs like basil or oregano in the base of the soup. The holy trinity of carrot, celery and onion was there, and a bay leaf. Tomatoes were added, along with a knob of tomato paste. No wine, vinegar or sausage. Just a basic soup recipe that I was SURE would be better the next day. I just finished what little was left over from last night’s dinner. I was right. It’s even better today.
I adapted my recipe to use canned beans and ended up with a wonderful dish that came together quickly and could be served to anyone as a main meal, or as a soup course. Serve freshly made, or wait a day, gently re-heat and really catch the magic.
Cannellini Bean Soup
Olive oil for sautéing
1 large white or yellow onion (regular onion, not sweet onion), small dice
3 medium carrots, peeled, small dice
3 stalks celery, small dice
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes with liquid (un-drained)
1 bay leaf
3 15oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups liquid (1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 water)
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, finely chopped to garnish
Crumbled feta to garnish (optional, but delicious)
Sauté onion, carrot and celery in olive oil on high heat until fully heated, about a minute. Keep the veggies moving so they don’t scorch. Lower heat to medium low and continue to stir often for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the veggies begin to brown at the edges and become soft. (Don’t scrimp on the time here. It is important to get a little color on the veggies as it lends much better flavor in the end. ((There I go again! Developing flavor! “But, Michael”, you say, “I thought this was supposed to be simple?” I know, I know. Just brown the veggies and stay with me here.)))
Add the tomato paste and stir until the paste coats the veggies and begins to create fond on the pan bottom. (Don’t say it.)
Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the bay leaf, the beans and the broth/water combo. Stir to combine and deglaze. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to very low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with chunks of good, creamy feta and a sprinkling of parsley.
Serve with a crusty hunk of warm bread and you’re home free.
Ok, I know what you’re probably thinking. Brown some sausage, add some chopped fresh oregano and garnish with a chiffonade of fresh basil and you’d really have something. And you’d be right, of course. But for just a simple, basic, great-tasting soup, you can’t go wrong here.
Enjoy!
Michael
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greeksoups/r/Fassolatha.htm?nl=1