Cotechino is a large, Italian pork sausage traditionally served to celebrate the New Year. Indigenous to Modena (yes, that Modena – home to the great balsamic vinegar), its thick casing is pierced all over with a knife, after which it's gently braised in a pot of lentils until done. Sound good, right? But wait, there's more.
After the sausage is cooked, it's sliced into round "coins," which are then fried crisp in a pan, and used to garnish the lentils. Everything about this recipe sounds great, so when Michele and I happened upon a nice, fat cotechino in Chris Cosentino's Boccalone, in the San Francisco Ferry Building, I knew the cranberry bean and Swiss chard soup I was making that day was going to have a guest star.
As you'll hear me whine about in the video, a huge rainstorm hit the city right in the middle of the recipe, and I didn’t make the correct adjustments to the camera. I tried to lighten the film, but it still looked horrible, so most of the soup making part of this is not shown. Here's what you missed: I made bean soup, and wilted some Swiss chard in it.
That said, this post is not about the soup, it's about how to use the cotechino. The exact same procedure shown here in all its dimly lit glory, can be used for almost any vegetable or bean soup/stew. I loved it with this simple cranberry bean ragout, but will try it with the traditional lentils next time…even if I have to wait another year. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 cotechino 1 pot of simmering lentils or beans My soup contained: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 chopped onion 1 pound cranberry beans 1 quart chicken broth water as needed 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs small sprig rosemary and thyme 1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and torn salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste View the complete recipe
Cotechino is a large, Italian pork sausage traditionally served to celebrate the New Year. Indigenous to Modena (yes, that Modena – home to the great balsamic vinegar), its thick casing is pierced all over with a knife, after which it's gently braised in a pot of lentils until done. Sound good, right? But wait, there's more.
After the sausage is cooked, it's sliced into round "coins," which are then fried crisp in a pan, and used to garnish the lentils. Everything about this recipe sounds great, so when Michele and I happened upon a nice, fat cotechino in Chris Cosentino's Boccalone, in the San Francisco Ferry Building, I knew the cranberry bean and Swiss chard soup I was making that day was going to have a guest star.
As you'll hear me whine about in the video, a huge rainstorm hit the city right in the middle of the recipe, and I didn’t make the correct adjustments to the camera. I tried to lighten the film, but it still looked horrible, so most of the soup making part of this is not shown. Here's what you missed: I made bean soup, and wilted some Swiss chard in it.
That said, this post is not about the soup, it's about how to use the cotechino. The exact same procedure shown here in all its dimly lit glory, can be used for almost any vegetable or bean soup/stew. I loved it with this simple cranberry bean ragout, but will try it with the traditional lentils next time…even if I have to wait another year. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 cotechino 1 pot of simmering lentils or beans My soup contained: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 chopped onion 1 pound cranberry beans 1 quart chicken broth water as needed 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs small sprig rosemary and thyme 1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and torn salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
I grew up around snow. Actually, I didn't just grow up around it, I grew up in it, on it, and under it. So, when I saw this video from Chef Jason Hill on how to make snow ice cream, I was kind of upset I had never done it. I'm not usually one of these "blame your parents" people, but in this case, I really have no choice. Why didn't we make snow ice cream? Mom?
Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone that's tried this dessert, and what your experiences were. Of course, I don't have to tell you (but will), this is not something we're doing downwind from the old tire factory! You'll need to find pristine, freshly falling snow to attempt this. Enjoy!
I grew up around snow. Actually, I didn't just grow up around it, I grew up in it, on it, and under it. So, when I saw this video from Chef Jason Hill on how to make snow ice cream, I was kind of upset I had never done it. I'm not usually one of these "blame your parents" people, but in this case, I really have no choice. Why didn't we make snow ice cream? Mom?
Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone that's tried this dessert, and what your experiences were. Of course, I don't have to tell you (but will), this is not something we're doing downwind from the old tire factory! You'll need to find pristine, freshly falling snow to attempt this. Enjoy!
There's one thing I learned a long time ago; if you add a little cinnamon to a savory recipe, you are allowed to describe it as "exotic." That's just the way it works. And really, who doesn't need a little more "exotic" in their lives?
As far as the easy part, well, that is a more relative term. There are no difficult techniques here, and after cutting up an eggplant and onion, most of your prep is done. The only step that one would describe as "not easy," would be the shaping of all those little meatballs.
Eating little lamb meatballs is fun, but it does take a while to portion them out. Happily, I've included a top-secret restaurant trick for making lots of small meatballs very quickly, by using your hand as a sort of extruding device. Spoiler alert: it's pretty vulgar (but highly efficient). By the way, this lamb meatballs recipe video was done as part of a special feature my friends over at The Daily Meal are doing. Once a week they have something called "Recipe SWAT Team," where they tackle a new ingredient with one goal in mind: creating easy and delicious dishes.
This week it was "Recipe SWAT Team: Meatballs," and I was asked to throw on my bullet-proof vest, grow a mustache to look more like a cop, and bust through the door both barrels blazing. You can check out the entire feature here, and see some other great meatball recipes.
I hope you give this delicious lamb and eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients: For the sauce: 1 eggplant, cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup minced onion red pepper flakes to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup marinara sauce 1½ cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chiffonade For meatballs: 1 large egg 1½ tablespoons plain Greek yogurt 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs 1½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 4 cloves finely minced garlic ¼ cup finely minced onions 1 pound ground lamb View the complete recipe
There's one thing I learned a long time ago; if you add a little cinnamon to a savory recipe, you are allowed to describe it as "exotic." That's just the way it works. And really, who doesn't need a little more "exotic" in their lives?
As far as the easy part, well, that is a more relative term. There are no difficult techniques here, and after cutting up an eggplant and onion, most of your prep is done. The only step that one would describe as "not easy," would be the shaping of all those little meatballs.
Eating little lamb meatballs is fun, but it does take a while to portion them out. Happily, I've included a top-secret restaurant trick for making lots of small meatballs very quickly, by using your hand as a sort of extruding device. Spoiler alert: it's pretty vulgar (but highly efficient).
By the way, this lamb meatballs recipe video was done as part of a special feature my friends over at The Daily Meal are doing. Once a week they have something called "Recipe SWAT Team," where they tackle a new ingredient with one goal in mind: creating easy and delicious dishes.
This week it was "Recipe SWAT Team: Meatballs," and I was asked to throw on my bullet-proof vest, grow a mustache to look more like a cop, and bust through the door both barrels blazing. You can check out the entire feature here, and see some other great meatball recipes.
I hope you give this delicious lamb and eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients: For the sauce: 1 eggplant, cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup minced onion red pepper flakes to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup marinara sauce 1½ cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chiffonade For meatballs: 1 large egg 1½ tablespoons plain Greek yogurt 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs 1½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 4 cloves finely minced garlic ¼ cup finely minced onions 1 pound ground lamb
If you watch any food television at all, you've undoubtedly seen the "sous vide" (French for "under vacuum") technique many, many times. What was once a very unique procedure is now about as rare as a hung-over line cook.
Not so long ago, only a handful of pros using state-of-the-art sous vide set-ups, costing thousands of dollars, got to play this game. Today, there are many options for home sous vide kits, most costing hundreds of dollars, but what about the home cook who just wants to try this once and a while, and doesn’t want to invest that kind of money and space?
How about a simple, almost foolproof, stovetop sous vide method that requires no special equipment? Too good to be true? Well, I'm happy to report it's so very true, and produced what Michele and I agreed was the best duck breast we've ever had.
The principles behind this sous vide duck breast's succulence is quite simple. Put the meat in a watertight, vacuum-sealed bag, and place it in a water bath held at a temperature exactly equal to the ideal desired internal temperature. After a certain amount of time, the meat reaches that temperature and stays there.
That's it. Not only is there no real danger of overcooking the meat, but it cooks so gently, in a vacuum, that virtually no moisture is lost. The only real difference with our stovetop sous vide and the professional set-up, is the vacuum part.
We're going very low tech here; simply pressing or sucking the air from a ziplock bag. It's not a perfect vacuum, but as you'll see, it doesn’t have to be. As long as your package sinks below the surface, and no water gets in, you're good to go.
After an hour in the 135 degree F. water, my duck breasts were picture perfect inside. I crisped-up the skin, drizzled over some sweet and sour peach sauce, and ate in stunned silence. I could not believe how amazing the texture was. I won't even waste time trying to find the adjectives, as most of the ones I need haven't been invented yet.
I've only done this with one other meat (a NY Strip steak, also very impressive) so I can’t give you any info on other recipes/times/temperatures just yet. I will, however, post the quick and easy peach sauce seen in this clip soon. Anyway, I really hope you give this spectacular sous vide duck a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 large duck breasts, boneless, skin-on salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Cotechino is a large, Italian pork sausage traditionally served to celebrate the New Year. Indigenous to Modena (yes, that Modena – home to the great balsamic vinegar), its thick casing is pierced all over with a knife, after which it's gently braised in a pot of lentils until done. Sound good, right? But wait, there's more.
