Hearty Winter Soup: Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli translates to Pasta and Beans. I haven't had this soup in ages. It was a staple when I was a child but owing to the dictates of the bean-averse in my household I hadn't considered making it myself. Until today. There were two contributing factors. One, I had to do something with the Great Northern Beans I bought last spring. I was planning to make confit but it never got off the ground. Two, my sister fed me some seriously yummy white beans when I was in New York in November and I've had a hankering for white beans ever since.

I consulted three cookbooks before settling on a recipe, ultimately choosing Dean & DeLuca as my guides. I've mentioned this cookbook before. It's a fantastic resource. It has a lot of classics but will also inspire you to try something new, though I have no intention of ever trying the recipe that precedes Pasta e Fagioli: Cabbage Soup with Paprika, Kielbasa, and Raisins. Blechk.

The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook is also good for a little recipe backstory. Of Pasta e Fagioli they say,

"Pasta Fazool, with its bizarre Brooklyn pronunciation, sounds like the ultimate Italian-American dish. And it was a staple for years of Little Italy's checkered-tablecloth restaurants - until the 'upscaling' of the eighties did away with such dishes. Today, of course, a new wave of rustic Italian restaurants in the United States is showing Americans that "pasta fazool" was based on something authentic; pasta e fagioli, or a steaming, satisfying soup of beans and pasta."

What the soup reminds me of most is Ribollita, another rustic Italian soup. Ribollita, which means twice-boiled, could also be called Pane e Fagioli, since it's basically a bean soup with stale bread cooked in. I'm making it sound gross but it's really good. If you want to try that recipe, I recommend going with the recipe in Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray's River Cafe Cookbook, which is sadly out of print, but a version of their recipe is accessible here.

My Pasta e Fagioli was fan-tastic. So perfect for a cold, wintry day. But, at 5pm this evening it was noticeably less dark and dreary. We're on the up and up, people. We have many soups days ahead but fortunately those days are starting to get noticeably longer. And here's that recipe:

Pasta e Fagioli
Print recipe only here

Serves 4 as an entree

INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound (about 1 cup) dried beans - Great Northern or Cannelini
1 T olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Dried herbs: basil, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup water
1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 rind Parmesan (just trim the rind off of whatever size chunk of Parm you have on hand)
1/2 cup dried pasta (2 ounces) - use a small shape like ditali, orzo, elbows, or small shells

METHOD
Pour olive oil into a soup pot and set over medium heat. Add the celery, onion and garlic and saute gently until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add broth, water, tomatoes, herbs, Parmesan rind, and beans and bring to a boil. Simmer gently until beans are cooked and soft, about 1-2 hours.

Remove cheese rind and bay leaf and taste for seasoning, adding salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Add dried pasta to soup. Boil gently until pasta is cooked thru.

Serve, garnished with fresh basil.

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Pinched Chicago-Style Chicken Vesuvio

I'm sure you can find this in other cities, but Chicken Vesuvio is seen as often in a basic Chitown restaurant as an iPhone is seen in the hands of a frantic/frenetic/fractious soccer mom. Disclosure: I use an Android but the alliteration applies accordingly. :)

Anyhoo, in a weekend Google goose chase I came across a  great Chicago blogger: Proud Italian Cook. I was inspired to make her Chicken Vesuvio and  Cauliflower Steaks and both were terrific. My steaks broke up a fair bit (I really only got two slabs out of the entire head) but it was all beautiful and tasty. Here are those recipes:

Chicago-style Chicken Vesuvio
Print recipe only here

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in)
2-4 potatoes (2 large Russets, halved and then quartered or 4 bigger Yukons or Reds, halved)
7-8 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Garlic powder
Oregano
1 1/2 cups white wine (Proud Italian suggests Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

YOU WILL NEED
- Large skillet (I used a 10-inch nonstick only because the chump that rented our house in Colorado stole my 12-inch stainless steel saute pan)
- Roasting pan

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375

Wash and cut potatoes. Peel garlic.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Remove skin from chicken breasts. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.

Add 1-2 T olive oil to the skillet. Brown the potatoes, cooking for about 2-3 minutes, tops. Transfer potatoes to the roasting pan.

Add chicken to skillet, working in batches if necessary. Brown both sides then transfer to the roasting pan.

Add garlic cloves to the skillet and saute until golden. Transfer to the roasting pan.

Add wine and broth to the skillet and deglaze. Scrape/stir to loosen any tasty bits from the pan. Heat through, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Pour over chicken in the roasting pan.

Transfer roasting pan to the preheated oven and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add peas and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Cool a bit if you plan to remove the breast from the bone. Otherwise, taste for seasoning (you can add salt and pepper to the sauce), then serve and enjoy.


Photo courtesy Proud Italian Cook

Roast Cauliflower Steaks
Print recipe only here

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
One head cauliflower
1-2 t olive oil
1 T freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch seasoning blend (I used a shake or two of Smoke House Seasoning)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400

Remove the outer leaves and stand the cauliflower up on it's stem/core. Using a large chef's knife, cut 1-inch slabs. Don't freak out if they fall apart!

Drizzle some olive oil on a sheet pan and transfer the slabs to the same, turning to coat both sides. Sprinkle the slabs with salt, pepper, Parm and seasoning if you're using it and then roast for about 20 minutes, flipping the slabs midway thru the baking time. They are finished cooking when golden at the some edges and tender. Serve and enjoy.

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Pinched Chicken Parmigiana

It is nearly impossible to order Chicken Parmigiana in a restaurant and not end up with a fried, cheese-covered nightmare. The name, which translates "from Parma" belies the dish's Southern Italian roots. Northern regions cook with more butter, cream and cheese than their southern countrymen, who favor tomatoes over dairy.

Anyway, last night I was armed with  a package of chicken breasts and an overwhelming desire to eat something I hadn't had in awhile. I don't think I've ever made it for my kids. Chicken Parmigiana is impossible not to love, especially when done this lighter way. Round it out with Steamed Artichokes and a nice big salad and everyone at your table will be very happy.

Chicken Parmigiana
Print recipe only here

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
Essential Tomato Sauce
2 T chopped fresh basil
four skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 egg, beaten
heaping 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1-2 T canola oil
salt and pepper
1/3 cup mozzarella

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375

Prepare tomato sauce. Add 2 T chopped fresh basil (add it right after you add the pureed tomatoes to the pot).

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan, cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper and pound until thin.

Add 1 T canola oil to a cast iron skillet (or whatever you've got) and set over medium high heat.

Combine breadcrumbs, Parm, parsley, salt and pepper.

Set out a roasting dish and ladle some tomato sauce

Coat the chicken in the beaten egg, then dip into the breadcrumbs. Pan fry in the skillet until browned on both sides. Transfer to the roasting dish.

When all the breasts are browned, ladle a bit more tomato sauce on each one, then top with mozzarella.

Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is thoroughly melted and a bit browned.

Serve with extra sauce.

* Photo courtesy Divinia Pe

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Bison Bolognese: Better than the sauce you think it is

Bolognese is not a meat sauce in the way you might think. It's not a tomato sauce with meat added, nor is it saucy. There's a bit of tomato used, really just for color and flavor. It's broth that is used to cook the meat. Bolognese cooks for a long time, allowing everything to reduce and intensify.

Because of the long cooking time it's critical that you use a very heavy pot to cook it in. An enameled cast iron saucepan (Le Creuset) is your best bet. Plan for at least 3 hours for it to simmer. I started prepping for the sauce at 1:30 pm yesterday. By 2pm the simmering had begun, and we had a hearty meal (with our new favorite salad) at 6:30. I did turn it off and covered it between 5 and 6pm since I was out of the house.

I based the recipe on one from the wonderful Angeli Caffe Pizza, Pasta, Panini cookbook, just reducing fats and mushrooms. Angeli Caffe's Bolognese recipe is an inspired variation of Marcella Hazan's. I used bison instead of beef since we love it. The finished sauce won't change a bit if you substitute beef.

Bison Bolognese
Print recipe only here

INGREDIENTS
1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 T olive oil
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 stalk celery, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 pound ground beef or bison
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2-3 sage leaves
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken or beef broth
14.5-ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

1 pound fettucini or pasta of your choosing
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

METHOD
Set porcinis in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Prep all veggies. They need to be totally minced so they will just melt into the sauce. Chop and chop some more.

Set a 3-quart Dutch oven or heavyweight saucepan over a medium high flame and add olive oil. When warm, add carrots, onion and celery and sauté until the veggies are a bit soft and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.

Add ground beef and sausage. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt to draw out the moisture from the meat. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon, stir well and cook until the meat is cooked through

Turn the heat up and add the wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the alcohol is cooked off. Add the parsley, sage and bay leaf. Add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir well. Bring to a simmer.

Remove porcinis from their soaking liquid, reserving liquid, and chop coarsely. Add to sauce.

Turn down to lowest flame possible and simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours*, stirring from time to time. If the sauce dries out add 1/2 cup of water or porcini liquid whenever necessary. At the end, however, no liquid should remain. Taste and add salt as needed.

At dinnertime, cook and drain the pasta and toss with tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Bolognese and Parmesan and mix well. Serve immediately.

* If you cannot maintain a sufficiently low or gentle simmer, pop the sauce into a preheated 250 oven.

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A Guide to Neopolitan Pizza in Chicago

Coalfire. Nella's. Spacca Napoli.

That's the order in which you should try Neopolitan pizza in Chicago.

I've been waiting for months for Nella's to open. It's walking distance from where we live and I was anxious to see if they would impress. Nella's finally opened on Friday and we were there the following night.

Nella herself was the pizza maker at Spacca Napoli and the pizzas at her new establishment on Clark, just north of Fullerton, have very similar crust but a much deeper flavor. My only complaint about Spacca Napoli's pizzas were that they tasted like a pizza that lacked any taste of a pizza. Too bland. But their gelato! Salads! Antipasti! It's a decent place to dine, but they need some improvements to the main dish.

So Nella did that at her place, but she also added a bar and some big TVs so it's a bit noisier. Still, it's a nice family spot. She does have a giant cooking-school style mirror above the open pizzaiolo station, so if your seat is oriented toward the back you can watch a pizza being built. My children were also encouraged to go back and have a look at the cooks themselves, which is always nice. Earning other kid friendly points, the young children at the table next to us had bunny ears on their pizzas.

Anyway, at Nella's we had a few pizza Margheritas and a Diavolo (spicy pepperoni). I started with an arugula/Parmesan salad that arrived perfectly dressed with lemon, salt and olive oil. We'll try the gelato on another visit.

Still, Coalfire makes the best pizza, hands down. And when going out for pizza what I want is REALLY GOOD PIZZA. Maybe someday they'll serve lovely salads, salumi and gelati but for now, we'll continue to make it our family pizza joint.

Coalfire
1321 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60642-6447
(312) 226-2625

Nella's Pizza Napolitana (soon to be renamed Francesca's Pizzeria Napoletana)
2423 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-327-3400

Spacca Napoli
1769 W Sunnyside Ave
Chicago, IL 60640-5312
(773) 878-2420

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Salad Dressing vs. Cruet

Let's get something straight, right from the start. By SALAD DRESSING I mean something you make yourself by combining oil, acid and desired flavors, not something you buy at the store.

I make salad dressing - a few different kinds: caesar, a spicy garlic one I serve on baby spinach, and my house standard. When I was a kid, we only used oil and vinegar, self-service. I always knew our cruet tradition was a result of the years my dad spent in Rome. But it wasn't a tradition I continued in my own kitchen. And while I enjoyed the break from dressing this summer (and noted the profusion of cruet caddies across Italy) I'm sticking to my dressing- making custom. But I have a new favorite, inspired by our balsamic-laced late evening Italian dinners. And this is it:

Balsamico
5 T extra virgin olive oil
2-3 T balsamic vinegar (I like Colavita for a supermarket standard)
2-3 super-thin slices red onion, chopped a bit
pinch kosher salt
pinch sugar
Few turns ground pepper

Mix together and toss with a few big handfuls of your favorite lettuces and wedges of a nice ripe tomato. Serve immediately.

I mentioned the Colavita, which I really do find to be a good, flavorful value vinegar. I dropped some dough on a fine balsamic this summer, but have yet to crack the seal. Any of you ever scope the balsamic under lock and key at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor? If you have a favorite balsamic I'd love to hear about it.

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Pizza by any other name?

What I don't get, among other things like carburetors, engineering and electricity, is how one gets the word NEAPOLITAN from NAPLES. It's so confusing to me that on occasion I've been stumped when trying to recall the city of origin for my favorite pizza.

Is the root of problem that the city has different names - the whole Naples/Napoli thing? Napoletana is an obvious relation to Napoli, if we could just agree to call the city Napoli and not Naples. Pizza Napoletana...I like it. It isn't even hard to say! Or, if we've got to keep the Naples thing, why not Napolese? Like Calabrese from Calabria? I'm adding the name-translating phenom to my list: carburetors, engineering, electricity, and mankind's penchant for translating names. I get that there's a certain laughability to mispronouncing names in foreign tongues (gringos dropping Neeka-hwa-hwa comes to mind) but, really, does Nicker-ah-gwa sound better? Just because we CAN translate a name doesn't mean that it's helpful. Especially when one is attempting to book a train ticket to Vienna and cannot remember the Austrian name for the city.

ANYWAY, I just love this thin crust, quickly cooked goodness. My all time favorite spot is Coalfire here in Chitown. Pictured above is the pizza Margherita, named after an Italian Queen whose grave we saw in Rome. It's the only pizza we order at Coalfire, and yes, it's that good. Drop everything and get one of these soon. I've been checking in weekly regarding the opening plans for a neighborhood pizzeria, said to be called Nella's Pizzeria. Nella was the pizza maker at Spacca Napoli for awhile, and while Coalfire puts SN's pizza to shame, the latter brings down the house with their salads, salumi and gelato. Oh, the gelato! The cappuccino flavor is unrivaled.

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