Voglio segnalare la manifestazione “Sagra della Ribollita e del Lampredotto e Mercatini di Natale”, organizzata dalla Fratellanza Popolare di San Donnino con la collaborazione dell’Associazione sandonninese Commercianti e Artigiani. La manifestazione si svolgerà nei Weekend 12-13 e 19-20 Dicembre. Sabato 12 e 19, nel pomeriggio, ci saranno i mercatini natalizi nella piazza del paese con la presenza di Babbo Natale e la possibilità, per tutti i bambini, di consegnare la letterina a Babbo Natale, inoltre nella piazza la Fratellanza organizzerà un gazebo per la misurazione della pressione. Alle 19:30, sia di sabato che di domenica (12-13-19-20) , la festa si sposta in Fratellanza (via delle molina 56) per gustare due piatti squisiti della tradizione fiorentina RIBOLLITA e LAMPREDOTTO. Sarà possibile mangiare anche golose pizze in un’ambiente riscaldato. La Fratellanza ricorda che è possibile,consegnare c/o la propria sede, i regali Natalizi che poi i volontari consegneranno la notte del 24 dicembre casa per casa. Per informazioni 055899211 , www.fratellanzasandonnino.it
Fratellanza Popolare San Donnino, Via delle molina 56/b, San Donnino – Campi Bisenzio (FI)

We are so excited to be starting our Lela’s Lunchbox venture! Soups will be available at Nomelie Cupcake Shop located at 19751 Main Street, #R5 Parker, CO!

Soups will be available Fridays & Saturdays in December. Read on for the full menu! 12 oz. bowls are $5 + tax.

*December 4/5
Curried Butternut Squash with Sage Croutons (vegetarian)
&
Ribollita (Tuscan Peasant Soup) with Garlic-Rubbed Croutons (soup is gluten-free)

*December 11/12
Eggplant Parmesan with Oregano Croutons (soup is vegetarian)
&
Lentil with Sausage & Kale with Pecorino Croutons (soup is gluten & dairy-free)

December 18/19
Tomato-Basil with Pesto Croutons (soup is vegetarian & gluten-free)
&
Roasted Root Vegetable with Truffled Croutons (soup is vegetarian, gluten & dairy-free)

Soups will be available beginning at 11:30 AM!

La Fratellanza Popolare di San Donnino, con il nuovo  opuscolo informativo “FraPopNews” (scaricabile cliccando qui e a lato) ci comunica che sta provvedendo in questi giorni all’ampliamento degli ambulatori presenti in Associazione portandoli da 8 a 10. Questo permetterà di ampliare il numero di specializzazioni presenti e la qualità delle prestazioni fornite. Prima in tutto il comprensorio fiorentino, ha stipulato una convenzione con l’Azienda Ospedaliera di Careggi per quel che riguarda le visite chirurgiche. In virtù della convenzione il paziente avrà una ”via preferenziale” per la Chirurgia Generale di Careggi e potrà essere guidato e seguito da vicino dal dott. Bergamini in tutte le fasi, sia diagnostiche, sia terapeutiche, sia del decorso post-operatorio (se un intervento chirurgico è necessario), usufruendo delle risorse e degli spazi operatori di Careggi.
Il paziente, infatti, potrà mettersi in contatto col dott. Bergamini in ogni momento, per richieste e chiarimenti inerenti la prenotazione o la risposta di esami diagnostici particolari effettuati o da effettuarsi a Careggi, la data più probabile dell’eventuale intervento chirurgico (fermo restando ovviamente l’inviolabilità delle liste operatorie limitatamente alle priorità, stabilite solo dal tipo di patologia e dalla data di inserimento), o per riferire novità sul suo quadro clinico o esigenze varie.
Nell’ambito della convenzione, dal 2010, inizieranno campagne di prevenzione mirate e incontri su specifici argomenti organizzati dal Dott. Bergamini. All’interno degli ambulatori verrà installata, in collaborazione col Dott. Crisà, la Tomografia Ottica a Radiazione Coerente (OCT), un nuovo esame, non invasivo, che utilizza un fascio laser per fotografare la retina. L’OCT è particolarmente utile in tutta una serie di patologie degenerative della retina. L’OCT da importanti informazioni anche per un migliore inquadramento delle degenerazione legata all’età e dell’edema maculare, particolarmente quello che insorge a seguito del diabete. L’esame, fino ad oggi, è prenotabile presso le strutture sanitarie pubbliche con tempi di attesa molto lunghi mentre da fine Novembre potrà essere effettuato alla Fratellanza.
Sempre a Novembre inizieranno, presso il poliambulatorio, le visite allergologiche effettuare da due medici del reparto allergologia di Careggi.
Il 19 novembre c’è l’Assemblea dei Soci che precede le votazioni di Dicembre per il nuovo consiglio Direttivo dell’Associazione per il Biennio 2010-2011. Partecipa e di’ la tua..
Il 20 dicembre, presso il Poliambulatorio, si svolgerà la Raccolta del Sangue…. In Toscana la richiesta di sangue è maggiore del sangue raccolto delle associazioni. Diventa donatore, vieni a donare il sangue… Donare sangue è donare la vita!!
A dicembre la Fratellanza propone nei fine settimana 12-13 e 19-20 la “Sagra della Ribollita e del Lampredotto”. L’iniziativa prevede anche appuntamenti in piazza Costituzione col Babbo Natale della Fratellanza dove i bambini potranno spedire le letterine…e il 24…Babbo Natale consegnerà come consuetudine i doni casa per casa.
La Fratellanza organizza CORSI DI FORMAZIONE ADDETTI PRIMO SOCCORSO D.LGS. 626/94 rivolti alle aziende presso la sede dell’Associazione o direttamente nella sede del cliente. Per qualsiasi informazioni rivolgersi alla segreteria del piano terra.
Fratellanza Popolare San Donnino, Via delle Molina 56/b, 50010 San Donnino – Campi Bisenzio (FI)- 055 899211 o www.fratellanzasandonnino.it

Curly kale (left) and lacinato, or Tuscan, kale

Yesterday at the Holland Farmers’ Market I ran into my friend Lois, who had just bought a big bunch of curly kale. She asked if I had any kale recipes on my blog, and I told her I’ve published one post about kale so far: a recipe for Spaghetti with Braised Kale from Bon Appetit. Even though it calls for lacinato kale (also called Tuscan kale or black kale), which is available from Eater’s Guild at the Holland Farmers’ Market, I think curly kale could be substituted just as easily.

Lois got me thinking about my favorite kale recipes and I’ve come up with two others that I make frequently.

The first is ribollita, a Tuscan soup that means “twice boiled” because it was originally made from leftovers that were reheated with bread. I first heard of ribollita while on a culinary vacation in Tuscany. We made it in the class with Chef Claudio. Now it’s one of our favorite soups and one that Bill can eat if I leave out the bread (or use it conservatively).

Ribollita with croutons (instead of putting bread in the soup)

Here’s the recipe:

Chef Claudio’s Ribollita

*Note: Ideally, this would be best made a day ahead, adding the bread when the soup is reheated. Hence the name ribollita. 

Serves 4

1 red onion (the Chef insists on red over yellow for sweetness)

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish

6 c. chicken or vegetable broth

1 bunch lacinato kale (could substitute with curly kale)

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced Roma tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes blanched, peeled, seeds removed, and diced)

1 (15-ounce) can canellini beans (or 2 cans if you’re not adding bread or grain to the soup)

4 c. day-old Tuscan style bread (or baguette) broken into small pieces*

1/2 c. chopped Italian parsley or 6 leaves fresh basil (torn with fingers)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the onions, carrots, and celery. Put the olive oil in a stock pot, heat gently, and add the chopped vegetables. Cook until soft but not browned.

Add the broth to the stock pot and simmer on medium flame.

Remove the stems from the kale and chop coarsely. Add to the stock pot. Meanwhile, blanch, seed, and dice tomatoes, or simply add canned tomatoes to the stock pot. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer on low heat for about an hour.

Drain canellini beans, then mash with a large spoon. Add to the stock pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the bread bit by bit until the ribollita has the consistency of a stew. Add parsley or basil.

Serve in bowls with a generous swirl of olive oil.

*For wheat allergies, you can simply leave the bread out or substitute it with a grain such as quinoa (but add it during the last 10 minutes so it has time to cook). Another option is to just make croutons for garnish. I made them by cutting up some old Seedy Salt bread from Salt of the Earth in Fennville, Michigan, and browning the chunks in an iron skillet with olive oil.

The other kale recipe I’m posting is a side dish that goes well with a savory roast. Or it could also suffice as a vegetarian entree because it contains beans. This one, called Tuscan Kale with Canellini Beans, is from Recipetips.com.

Even though it says “be sure to use Tuscan kale”, I’ve used curly kale  because that’s what I have readily available in my garden, and it’s just as good. Below is the recipe, which I’ve improvised.

Tuscan Kale with Canellini Beans

(Adapted from Recipetips.com)

Serves 2

1 bunch lacinato kale  (or curly kale)
2 T.  extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, coarsely chopped 
2 cloves garlic (or more), thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can canellini beans
1/2 tsp. salt 
Black pepper to taste 
1/2 lemon

Prepare kale by stripping out the center stem from the leaves. Rinse and chop coarsely.

Heat oil in heavy skillet. Saute onion and garlic 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped kale, 1 cup water*, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until kale is tender, about 30 minutes (will vary depending on how mature the kale is).

Uncover, add beans, and boil until most of liquid has evaporated. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over mixture. Serve with a drizzle with olive oil.

*Note: Another option is to substitute the water with homemade or canned chicken stock.

For another delicious way to prepare kale, check out the recipe for Braised Kale on the blog Spark!Wellness.

River Café Cookbook, The Italian Kitchen – brittisk matlagningsserie om caféet The River Book Café där Ruth Rogers och Rose Gray lagade italiensk mat till engelsmännen.

Matlagningsseriens matprogram i 2 säsonger med totalt 12 avsnitt sänds måndag till torsdag på Kanal 9 i sommar. Tyvärr verkar inga recept läggas upp så det blir till att notera lite..som på en föreläsning..fast om mat… Sen kanske leta upp recept eller prova mig fram.

Femte avsnittet handlade om soppor, 2 toscanska soppor, en från den italienska regionen Emilia-Romagna och en klar buljongsoppa: Pappa pomodoro, Ribollita, klar buljongsoppa och Zuppa estiva verde.

Pappa pomodoro
Pappa pomodoro – en toscansk brödsoppa med tomat & basilika, 10-12 portioner

Hetta upp olivolja i en kastrull och tillsätt cirka tio vitlöksklyftor som är fint skivor och bryn dem. Tillsätt sedan cirka tio blad basilika och fräs på. Tillsätt därefter 1 kilo tomater på burk, sänk värmen och låt koka 25-30 minuter. Krydda med havssalt, mycket svartpeppar så att det syns i soppan, kanske 4 gamla mindre ciabattabröd i grova bitar, tio blad basilika. Ös med skopa på med kokande vatten så att brödbitarna fuktas ordentligt och basilikan täcks. Skulle tydligen behålla färgen bättre då (?). Rör om så att allt blandas. Tillsätt mer olivolja cirka en halv deciliter. Servera soppan ljummen eller rumstempererad med Chianti Classico.

Jag har för mig att det ska bli en ganska tjock soppa, nästan stuvningsliknande.

Ribollita
Ribollita – en toscansk soppa. Ribollita betyder ungefär omkokad, bollita av bollare – att koka.

Häll i olivolja i en kastrull och hetta upp. Tillsätt 2 små finhackade lökar, en finhackad selleristjälk och en tesked hackad vitlök och rör ihop. Sänk värmen. Tillsätt mangold, det vita i mitten på mangoldbladet, skuren i stavar, någon näve finhackade selleriblad, kryddörter, grovhackad myntan, handriven basilika, salt och peppar. Låt smälta ihop till en soffritto vilket tar cirka 30 minuter.

Tillsätt skalade hackade tomater. Förväll mangold, nu det gröna, i saltat kokande vatten i 2 minuter. Tryck ner mangolden under den kokande vattenyta. Häll av durkslag och låt svalna. Förväll spenat på samma sätt men bara i en minut. Totalt gissningsvis 5 dl färsk mangold och spenat. Hacka sedan de avsvalnade bladgrönsakerna i stora bitar och tillsätt i soffritton. Tillsätt cirka 3-4 deciliter färska cannellinibönor, vatten, 1-2 ciabattabröd utan kanter, mynta, mejram, 4 blad basilika, salt, peppar och olivolja. Ställ undan ribollitan ett par timmar så att den står och smakerna utvecklas. Servera soppan rumstempererad.

Den här soppan missade vi att äta i Toscana fast den fanns bland annat på menyn på Enoteca Del Duca – utsedd till bäst restaurang i Provinsen Pisa av Guide book Espresso 2006. Så var det någonstans jag skulle provat den var det där. Då fick man också med tallriken man åt i… Däremot åt vi Zuppa volterano när vi var i Volterra – det blev den istället.. Det fanns så mycket gott att välja på och det gick inte att äta allt jag ville.

Klar buljongsoppa
Klar buljongsoppa - kokad på en hel jättehöna med färska fina grönsaker.

En höna på 3,5 kilo kokas i 2 timmar tillsammans med bland annat morötter, lök, röd lök, bladpersilja (?), selleri och en hel del vatten. Därefter tillsätts skivad sparris, grön?, som får koka med i 30 sekunder. Hönan kan vara seg och så, men det gör inget då den bara används för att smaksätta buljongen.

Crostini rostas, gnids med vitlök, läggs i botten på varje sopptallriken. Därefter läggs en hög av riven parmesan på varje crostini, soppa slevas över och slutligen fångas sparrisskivorna upp garnerar soppan.

Här är matlagning från grunden a och o. Fusk med buljong ger ingen soppa som är värd att äta…

Zuppa estiva verde
Zuppa estiva verde – en grön somrig soppa från norra Italien.

Börja laga en risotto med smör som vanligen används i norra Italien, 2-3  msk grovt hackad rödlök, en kvarts selleristjälk finhackad. Rör om och låt lök och selleri bli lite genomskinligt, ja lite soffritto här med fasta bara i runt 5 minuter. 

Skär 2 skivor rökt pancetta eller i brist på det rökt bacon i fina bitar samt en vitlöksklyfta i bitar. Tillsätt i smöret med grönsakerna och låt pancettan bli lite genomskinlig. Tillsätt därefter carnaroliris som är ett risottoris lämpligt för krämig risotto. Tillsätt cirka 2 skopor buljong som ska absorberas innan nästa skopa tillsätts. Rör om efter varje gång och låt buljongen absorberas innan en ny skopa tillsätts. Efter cirka 30 minuter är risotton klar.

Koka under tiden upp vatten med salt och tillsätt 1 kilo gröna färska ärtor och 1 kilo spenar samt en näve mynta. Tryck ner grönsakerna under ytan och låt koka i en minut. Sila av i durkslag och nu är grönsakerna halvkokta. Kör hälften av grönsakerna i en matberedare med lite lite lite buljong till en puré med grov struktur. Hacka resten av grönsakerna med en mezzaluna om det finns eller vanlig kockkniv. Tillsätt ärtor i risotton samt purén och rör ner snabbt. I med det grövre hackade grönsakerna.

Men här borde det var lite mer buljong också om det ska bli soppa… Missade nog lite… Nu önskar jag mig verkligen den här kokboken trots att den är på engelska..

I alla får den här rätten mig att tänka på risi e bisi, en känd rätt Venetien fast i någon sorts soppvariant…

Etiketter: mat, recept, River Café Cookbook, matprogram, italienskt, soppa, brödsoppa, ribollita, pappa pomodoro.

Thank you Luce Ristorante e Enoteca and owner and chef Joe Buonincontri! Last night’s Tuscan Wine Dinner featuring the Wines of Vias Imports was one of the best wine dinners we’ve attended in a long time. Nice work! The food was great and the wines paired beautifully with your classic Tuscan dishes, like the Ribollita — served in trenchers no less!

Chapeau bas, Joe!

We’re looking forward to the next event:

Italian Wine Seminar Guided Tasting
Friday, July 17
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Taste 5 Italian wines in a guided tasting with light antipasti, including tasting notes, tips on wine tasting, and an overview of Italian wine today.

A GREAT WAY TO MEET NEW ITALIAN WINE FRIENDS!

$25 per person (inclusive)

Participants will receive a 25% discount at dinner that evening.

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca
11255 Huebner Rd # 200
San Antonio TX 78230
210-561-9700

To reserve, please send an email by clicking here or by calling (210) 561-9700.

Nascosto tra i vicoletti davanti Santa Croce, questa piacevolissima trattoria ad un’occhiata fugace non risulta appariscente, ma se ci si avvicina, si dà uno sguardo al menù e si aspira il profumo di carne alla brace che si spande tutto intorno, le cose cominciano a farsi interessanti. Scelta vasta e stuzzicante, e prezzi assolutamente competitivi vi prendono per la gola (e il portafogli) e vi fanno entrare in questo accogliente locale. Anche l’occhio vuole la sua parte: l’interno è accogliente come ci si aspetta da una vera trattoria cu strade poco battute dai turisti stranieri, con tavoli rustici e panche di legno. Assolutamente approvata l’idea di presentare le portate su piatti di legno e piattini decorati che fanno tanto ”casa”. Il menù, come accenato, è molto ricco di specialità locali: crostini toscani, taglieri di insaccati tipici, l’immancabile ribollita, carne alla brace, fiorentina,… Non dimenticate, a fine pasto (e se la capacità del vostro stomaco ve lo permette), di farvi portare cantuccini e vin santo!

Insomma, i prezzi molto abbordabili permettono di spizzicare un po’ tutto e alla fine vedrete che ne uscirete soddisfatti e satolli! Un posto assolutamente in cui fermarsi per rifocillarsi tra una scultura e un po’ di shopping.

Via Isola delle Stinche, 1/r
Firenze

Tel. 055 289573

www.trattoriapallottino.com

We had spent a satisfying morning sight seeing in Florence.  Crossing the Arno river we stopped in a nearly empty local trattoria to have some lunch.  We were seated at a table for four and began to peruse the menu.  Suddenly the floodgates were opened and every working stiff within a five mile radius descended on this tiny restaurant.  The wait staff hustled everyone to seats, took our orders and to our delight seated a lone diner at our table.  He was compact and sprightly with iron grey hair, a pointed goatee and a dazzling smile.  In no time we were engaged in conversation, albeit halting and aided with napkin drawings.  He was a sculptor, and worked in a studio a few blocks away.  He deffinitely looked the part!  He told us that he comes to this restaurant every Friday for lunch because they have the best fish.  I wished I had known that before I ordered!   It being an election year in Italy the conversation made it’s way to politics.  Let me just say that I am completely baffled by Italian politics. I have enough problems with American politics, let alone adding some 30 opposing parties to the mix!  Our new friend proudly declared that he was a communist.  “I have been a communist for forty years, and I will never change.  In Florence there are many communists, and they will never change either.  In other places people change, but never in Florence!”  All this was said with the firmest of convictions and brightest of smiles.  When I asked if he planned to vote in the upcoming election, he shook his head, chuckled and looked at me as an indulgent parent would look at a naive child.  “No, of course not.  I never vote! In forty years, I have never voted!”   These are the moments that keep me coming back to Italy.  Never have I met a more charming communist.

I fried oatmeal today. I almost didn’t tell you that because it is such a brilliant idea I wasn’t sure I wanted to share it. That said, the idea was not original. It was my oatmeal version of the ribollita at Osteria Mozza, which is a version of the ribollita at Da Delfina, by which I am not referring to the popular San Francisco restaurant and pizzeria, but to the restaurant outside Florence that inspired that restaurant’s name. Which is all just to say that there are really no new ideas, or if there are, I’m not the one inventing them.

So back to the oatmeal. I make oatmeal often, and this idea came out of that fact in the way that Kenny Shopsin refers to as “Blue Chip Stamps.” (Those of you too young to remember the consumer seduction of these can click here for a primer.) Every once in awhile, Kenny says, although you are not doing it for the stamps, repetition has its payoff in the form of a good idea.

Ribollita soup is a classic Tuscan vegetable and bean soup thickened by stale bread. At Da Delfina, and more to the point at Osteria Mozza, it is fried vegetable soup—the “fried,” counter-intuitively, referring not to the vegetables, but to the soup.

it's an entire slab of the burned bits that you'd normally have scrape off the pan.

“It’s a revelation!” I said to my friends when it came to the counter at the Osteria, where we were having dinner last Friday night: a thick square of what looked like wet, burnt bread floating in a pool of glistening, golden olive oil. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life,” one of my friends said. Throughout our meal, the three of us couldn’t stop thinking about things we’d like to try to fry when we got back to our respective stoves. So this morning, when I found myself with a lump of dried out, cooked steal-cut oatmeal, it seemed like the obvious thing to do. I’d made the long-cooking kind of oatmeal, patiently going about my business, stirring from time to time, as the steal-cut grains worked to absorb the concoction of water, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. And then, cruelly, just as those grains were cooked to toothsome perfection (finally!), I got a phone call. I turned off the heat, put a lid on the oatmeal, and 20 minutes later, my breakfast had transformed into a sad, gluey lump. Ordinarily I would have added some water or milk, turned the heat on low, and reheated the oats to an acceptable compromise. But what with the fried soup now firmly planted in my subconscious, I got a better idea. I patted the oatmeal into a puck, sprinkled one side with raw sugar, and fried it up in butter. It was a whole grain reawakening.

Oatmeal, frying.

To fry oatmeal, first, start with cooked oatmeal. Pat each serving into a patty about 3/4-inch thick and as wide as the diameter of a softball. Sprinkle one side with turbinado sugar (or white sugar if that’s all you have). Melt some butter in a skillet and let it get really hot; it can brown, but don’t let it burn. Carefully lay the patty sugared-side down and cook it until you think it’s a beautiful, rich color of brown, and crispy. You have to trust your gut here because if you try to look, the thing will fall apart. The good  news is that it’s so gummy, you can piece it back together pretty easily–plus this isn’t an art contest, it’s food, and it doesn’t really matter if it falls apart a bit or has a big crack like the San Andreas fault down the middle. Once it’s done, flip it over and cook it on the other side. Crisp is the operative word here, the thing that’s going to make the difference between regular mushy oatmeal and fried oatmeal.

Serve each patty on a plate—ideally one with some color if you have it and here’s why: because you are now going to poor a shallow pool of half-and-half around the rim where the olive oil would be if this were ribollita, and this will have a considerably more beautiful effect on a plate that isn’t white. (Sadly, I only have white plates.) Serve it warm, and enjoy the prize of my labors. Better than a new lamp!

Fried, sugared oatmeal, floating in cold cream.

My brother Joe’s yummy Ribollita soup recipe is below. Perfect for the cold winter weather!

Ribollita is a famous Tuscan soup whose name literally means “reboiled”. Like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans and inexpensive vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, spinach and onions. If you can’t find cannellini beans, use Great Northern beans.

Ribollita (Tuscan Bean Soup)

Recipe for 6: This soup gets better with age. Make extra.

Ingredients and equipment:

·          1 cup dried cannellini beans, covered with water and soaked overnight.

                      or

·          2 cans of cannellini beans

·          4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

·          1 onion, thinly sliced

·          1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced in half lengthwise, rinsed and cleaned and thinly sliced (rinse well because leeks have a lot of sand and grit in them)

·          1 carrot, ¼-inch dice (trim at top and bottom but don’t peel, the skin is good for you)

·          1 celery stalk, ¼-inch dice (trim at top and bottom)

·          Sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leaf wrapped with kitchen twine

·          2 bunches cavolo nero (black cabbage) or other kale or greens (swiss chard, escarole), roughly chopped. Chop off the thick stems and discard.

·          Small can of tomato paste (6 ounces)

·          3 cups water

·          6 slices rustic bread (day-old is OK)

·          Freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Note: This soup is all about what’s in your pantry and refrigerator. Use vegetables that are in your refrigerator or sitting on your counter top: ideas are potatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach and chopped tomatoes. This is also a completely vegetarian dish except for the cheese.

Note: There is a BIG difference between Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and   generic Parmesan cheese (i.e., the stuff in the green can). Choose what your wallet can afford.  Parmigiano-Reggiano is an Italian government protected name that refers to cheese produced in a very certain and approved way in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna.

Directions:

If using dried beans, drain beans from the overnight soaking liquid and place the pre-soaked cannellini beans in a medium stockpot. Cover the beans with clear water twice the depth of the beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and let the beans simmer until tender, about 1 hour, drain. If using canned beans, drain beans into a colander and rinse well.

In a large heavy-bottom pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, leeks, carrot, celery, sliced garlic, and herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the black cabbage (or Kale) and cook until the cabbage has softened and everything has blended, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove the sprigs of rosemary and thyme and the bay leaf. Add the tomato paste, and stir until the tomato paste is well distributed throughout the vegetable mixture and begins to take on a “rust” color.

Add the prepared beans to the vegetable mixture and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes.

Here’s where the “recooked” term comes in. Let the soup sit for several hours or overnight. Rewarm (or recook) to a gentle simmer.

When the soup is close to the temperature you like, toast or grill the bread until both sides are browned. Cut a garlic clove in half, and rub the toasted bread with the cut end of the garlic. Discard the garlic. This is called “bruschetta”.

Serve the soup hot with the garlic bruschetta on the side. Garnish with a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste. Dip the bruschetta in the soup and enjoy.

Ribollita gets better for a week. Reheat the leftovers the next day and enjoy an even better soup. You can even continue to add more cooked vegetables every day and stretch the soup out for a week. Each day the soup will be something different as you “recook” it every day.

Hint: While simmering the soup, add a Parmesan cheese rind to the soup. Remove before serving. The cheese rind adds extra flavor to the soup and some saltiness.

On Life
I very much enjoy Jeanne Moos’ segments on CNN. Her quirky, yet personal approach to issues and stories bring many smiles. A humorous look at events is helpful in life. I recently saw this timely quote that supports her work.

Think of what would happen to us in America if there were no humorists; life would be one long Congressional Record (Thomas Masson)

The world would be a better place if people adopted the closing to Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac as a personal mantra. I’ve mentioned this quote before, but it keeps coming up in my mind: “Be well, do good works, and keep in touch.”

For the stimulating thinking through pictures, I added the Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind to my personal favorites.

Much of the country is receiving a cold blast of winter. And to think I attended (in its entirety) the coldest NFL game on record to date.

Speaking of the cold, people citing this cold snap and other recent short-term weather events to go against global warming are just as pathetic as those using short-term weather events of summer to promote the issue. Sorry, let’s make that pathetic and ignorant.

Looking for a good soup this weekend? Ribollita (Tuscan Bread Soup) is our favorite. Hearty and yummy!

Between the winter blast, my one trip to New Orleans, and the devastation from Katina, the images in this poem touched me this week.

On Politics & Government
An open message to our national Senate and House of Representatives elected to serve the country: To congressional Democrats, one thing: Don’t bully, listen. To congressional Republicans, one thing: Don’t whine, find common ground.

Instead of seeking re-election in 2010, Ohio Senator George Voinovich (R) will retire. In my view, we Ohioans will lose a good senator; one who is more moderate than many of his Republican colleagues and one will has gone against the party (and even the president) on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the odds are will give us a more-partisan replacement.

On the topic of Congress, the Library of Congress’s legislative page (Thomas) is awesome!

For those who don’t like lawyers, hope you read this George Will column about litigation.

People like Bernie Madoff aren’t worth much space on this page. One question though: How and the heck did the SEC ignore the flaming arrows pointing at the guy?

Has anyone noticed the number of “Bs” in the news? Bernie (Madoff), Barack, Biden, Bailouts, Banks, Bush, Blagojevich, Burris, BCS, Bin Laden, Bill (Clinton), Bernanke … but no Boris Badenov. Sure would be great if someone could pull a rabbit out of their hat …. Presto!

On Sports
I enjoy seeing a great player have a career with one team.

The greatest championship run ever?  Try topping Kenyon College winning the D-III swimming and diving championship every year since 1980. That’s 29 straight and counting!

It Takes All Kinds

• Bank Robber with Ski Mask Waits in Line
• Shopaholic Smothered to Death by Own Purchases

From Things to Ponder gadget
If quitters never win, and winners never quit, than who is the fool who said, “Quit while you’re ahead”?

Uno dei classici della vita da fuori sede è avere a disposizione una più che discreta quantità di conserve; e quando dico conserve intendo: fagioli. Sono qui da due settimane e mezza, e, mettendoci davvero tanto impegno, ne ho consumati solo la metà.

Per dieci giorni, ogni giorno, a pranzo, ho mangiato fagioli, fagioli, fagioli, e a volte, per cambiare, pasta e fagioli. Ora si capisce che, se, in un fine settimana allungato di un giorno come quello scorso, vai a Firenze, ospite del ragazzo della sorella della tua ragazza, e costui ti fa attraversare la città in bicicletta per portarti in questa trattoria dove si mangia la rinomata ribollita – pietanza di cui ignoravo l’essenza –, e ti accomodi, ordini la ribollita, il cameriere si complimenta per la scelta, il ragazzo della sorella della tua ragazza ti fa un cenno di approvazione per aver riposto in lui fiducia, sgranocchi un po’ di pane dolce nell’attesa (breve) che il cameriere torni con i piatti, e infine arriva (il cameriere), posa il piatto, ci metti un filo d’olio, rimesti col cucchiaio, e dal verde scuro del cavolo nero fuoriescono fagioli cannellini, come minimo la cosa ti perplecte (latinismo) e inizi a pentirti di non aver ordinato la pappa al pomodoro come le ragazze. A me è successo proprio così.

Poi, però, dopo il primo cucchiaio, mi sono reso conto di essere entrato in una nuova dimensione del fagiolo, e ho preso seduta stante consapevolezza del fatto che il cambiamento lo si può ottenere per vie perverse, paradossali, banali; che il cambiamento, come del resto più o meno tutte le cose del mondo, non è una questione di cosa, ma di come (verità di cui ho avuto ulteriore conferma, quando una cuginetta, tornato qui, per consentirmi di variare un po’ la dieta, mi ha regalato due scatolette di Spuntì – un prodotto talmente fin de siècle che ha per slogan sulla confezione: UNA MERENDA STRAMITICA! – che stavano per scadere e lei non avrebbe consumato mai, ed io me le sono spazzolate coi taralli quella sera stessa; poi ho avuto mal di stomaco – ok, qui anche il come aveva la sua parte, ma sorvoliamo).

Il punto è che è da quando sono arrivato qui che ho capito che avevo bisogno di cambiare. Dopo aver assaggiato la ribollita ho capito anche come.

Un blog, agli sgoccioli del 2008, non è certo una cosa nuova. Facebook, per un po’, mi è sembrato una bella novità: finché eravamo quattro gatti e c’era ancora Scrabulous per giocare con Isahermosa nelle ore vuote dell’inverno scorso, mi piaceva pure. Poi in estate c’è stato il boom: facebook ovunque, centinaia di amici e decine di notifiche al giorno; gruppi improbabili, aggiornamenti di stato in cui si parla di sé in terza persona (come il Presidente del Consiglio che parla del Presidente del Consiglio; come gli egocentrici; come i pazzi), cause sceme da sostenere, inviti e richieste ignorabili, test demenziali, giochini inspiegabilmente assuefacenti, Pet Society!

Certo, gran bella cosa aver ritrovato un compagno di classe delle elementari e un paio di cugini che non vedevo da qualche anno, e interessanti alcune iniziative che dai gruppi hanno mosso i primi passi per andare oltre il network, ma il problema è che facebook è come lo Spuntì: una cremina spalmabile su grosse fette di giornata, a base di micro-storie di scarsa qualità che non mi interessano, e nel leggere le quali ho esagerato; e mi è venuto mal di pancia.

Dopo la ribollita, di fagioli ne ho ancora uno stipo pieno, e ho iniziato a sperimentare senza limiti. E ho disattivato l’account di facebook. Ora avrò del tempo più libero per fare meglio quello che mi piace fare, ed ignorerò quello che altri mi invitano a guardare; non più scadenti applicazioni, ma una vera tazza di tè, da sorseggiare, la sera, sul divano.

E allora, se un fastidioso senso di inconcludente apatia si insinua nelle tue giornate ed inizia a turbare la tua vita, fa’ come me: spegni facebook, accendi un blog.

Se avete voglia di fare un pranzo semplice, ma con eleganza, non potete far altro che fermarvi al “Ristoro dei Perditempo”, così come abbiamo fatto noi.

Situato in Borgo San Iacopo, vicinissimo al Ponte Vecchio, affaciato sull’Arno, Luca e Stefano vi aspettano sempre sorridenti.

The last straggling survivor from the Week 9 box was this lovely crinkly head of Savoy cabbage. (Well, that’s not counting the napa cabbage, of course, but we all know how I feel about that.) I kept putting off cooking it because what I really wanted to make, what I kept fantasizing about until I would catch myself drooling at odd times, was a wonderful dish called ribollita, which is a Tuscan bread soup. I first had this soup courtesy of my mom’s boyfriend, who is an amazing chef, especially of Italian and French cuisine, and I immediately fell in love. That was many years ago, and he gave me the recipe, but I’d never made it on my own. And now, sadly, wheat and I are seriously estranged for health reasons. And I knew that my dense little slices of gluten-free bread were in no way going to make the pillowy bread stew of my Tuscan dreams.

So you know what? I decided to go for it. I got one of my two favorite kinds of bread – potato rosemary – because if you’re going to go down, do it in a blaze of (rosemary-scented) glory. And I prepared the soup, using the whole head of cabbage because the cabbage is one of the best parts. And if I fell immediately asleep with the spoon still in my hand from wheat-induced fatigue (which I truly did) at least my dreams were sweet ones, full of savory warm goodness. What’s “comfort food” in Italian? I’m pretty sure it’s ribollita.

Ribollita (Tuscan Bread Soup)

1 1/4 C. cannellini beans (I used canned – otherwise cook separately until tender)
4 T. EV olive oil
8 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice (I used tempeh bacon)
1/2 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice (I skipped b/c I didn’t want to buy a whole thing of celery)
3 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cut into 1-inch dice (I used the whole head)
1 leek, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 T. tomato paste
4 C. stock*
4 C. water*
6 thin slices coarse-textured white bread (I used potato-rosemary bread – yum!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fruit EV olive oil
1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Place half the cooked beans in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, adding water or broth if necessary. Set beans and bean puree aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is light golden, 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, cabbage, leek, potatoes, onion and tomato paste. Add stock and water to cover by 1 inch. (*I ended up needing more stock and water than recipe calls for because I used more beans, cabbage, etc. I used about 6 cups of each, total.) Simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 1 hour.

Add the beans and bean puree and simmer 5 minutes. Add the bread and stir together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool one hour or overnight.

To serve, bring to a boil. Serve immediately, drizzled with fruity, high quality olive oil and sprinkled with cheese. (These toppings are not optional toppings – they really complete the soup in an essential way.)

Serves 6 to 8.

I tried to eat this accompanied by a salad of lovely red-leaf lettuce, but I fell asleep before I could get to the salad course!

Lots of kale, chard, and stale bread? It’s time for ribollita!

When I was in Florence I wasn’t able to partake of authentic ribolitta because chicken broth is usually used. My friend Molly is an omnivore, however, so she was stoked when she finally got to eat it in Italy. When we got back to the states she made a big batch of vegan ribollita for a potluck I had. So, my lovely little Mollface, this one’s for you!

Vegan Dumpster Ribollita

ingredients:

• celery
• potatoes
• squash
• water/broth
• kale and/or chard
• cannellini beans (white kidney beans)*
• tomato paste*
• stale bread*
• s&p
• garlic powder

Saute celery, potatoes, and squash in olive oil or margarine or whatever you have.

Add water/broth to cover. I used a little mushroom broth that we had left over from when Lynn-evere broke her jaw, and the rest was just water. Add s&p and garlic powder to taste. Rosemary or a bay leaf would also be really good to add.

Bring to a boil and add kale/chard. Cover.

Once wilted, lower heat to a simmer and add beans and tomato paste (about 3 Tbsp).

When the tomato paste is thoroughly mixed in add big chunks of stale bread and stir.

* = not dumpstered

After weeks of hot winds, fires, and relentless sunshine (in L.A. there can be such a thing) it is cold enough today to turn the heater on. This is in addition to the extra layers of clothing and the warm slippers.

Finally the weather cooperates with my favorite convergence at the Farmers’ Market: fresh cranberry beans and cavolo nero. I have my friends at McGrath Farms to thank for introducing me to the former, and the irrepressible and sadly deceased Dee Dee Throgmartin to thank for the later.

Learning to like kale and drop it into soups and vegetable braises was a culinary rite of passage when I first came to Cali and realized that veggies didn’t really come from cans. Ten years ago, when Dee Dee started bringing her bunches of cavolo nero grown from seeds she got from Italy to market, I immediately fell in love with them. With their pebbly texture and richly colored dark green leaves, they look fantastic. They taste even better, whether lightly sautéed in olive oil and garlic, or cooked for hours into a mysterious luscious mass, ala Suzanne Goin.

Now cavolo nero abounds at many a Cali farmer’s table, as have the wealth of recipes supporting their use. I use it for a kale, pancetta and crispy garlic dish I make to serve alongside caramelized cippolini onions for Thanksgiving. I throw it into everything from vegetable soup to frittatas. Sometimes I braise it with garlic and red pepper flakes, and serve it with poached eggs and grilled bread rubbed with fresh garlic.

But my favorite dish is Ribollita, and today is just the day for it. Ribollita can be made a variety of ways, with a variety of bitter greens and with canned cranberry (borlotti) or cannelini beans, but it is all the richer for the fresh ones that are making their brief appearance alongside the kale this year. (Last year the beans didn’t make it into the late fall and I had to rely instead on dried borlottis from Bob’s Red Mill Farms-still good of course, but not the same).

To me the magic of this dish is its simplicity and the sensuality of its preparation. First I roughly chop the vegetables for the mirepoix, and while that is cooking, I shell the fresh beans. The shells of borlotti beans have a distinct cranberry and cream mottled coloring that looks like marbleized Italian paper. So do the beans themselves, though that changes with cooking. Coaxing the plump beans, huddling together in a row, out of their hiding place can be an exercise in patience, but I enjoy the process while breathing in the aroma of the mirepoix on the stove and the mineral-y smell of the kale waiting patiently for its turn under the knife.

Like many simple dishes, the success of this soup relies on assembling the freshest ingredients you can find. There are two exceptions of this rule. Use canned tomatoes, but make them the best – San Marzano or Muir Glen fire-roasted are my picks. Then make sure you have a slightly stale ciabatta on hand. If you are like me and love buying those fragrant loaves but can only allow yourself a few pieces of toast before succumbing to carbo-phobia, this is a good way not to waste the rest of the loaf.

Finally, plan to spend an afternoon attending to this soup in a leisurely way. While the sweet, nutty perfume wafts through the house, read a book or call a friend, Maybe cozy up with a good movie. Then a few hours later, scoop some into a big bowl and eat to your heart’s content –it is rich with minerals and antioxidants. Nothing else required, unless you feel like a glass of good red wine.

Leftovers have sustained me all week long as a lunch I actually look forward to. It only gets better the longer it lasts, about a week to 10 days.

Assemble:

• About 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• a big handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• one small celery root, peeled and chopped, or 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 -2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 -3 bunches cavolo nero, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 lb fresh cranberry beans, or 2 15-oz. cans borlotti or cannelini beans, drained
• 1 stale loaf ciabatta bread minus the pieces you’ve already eaten for breakfast

1. Pour a thick layer of olive oil into a soup pot and heat over medium-high heat.
2. Add parsley, celery root, garlic, carrots, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring every so often, until onion is transparent and slightly browned, 15–20 minutes.
3. Crush tomatoes and add to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until thickened, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Add cavolo nero, and fresh water to cover.
5. Cover the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until cavolo nero is tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Slice the loaf lengthwise, and tear bread away from the crust into pieces that are about 1″. then add to pot with a few tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, and more salt and pepper to taste.
7. Simmer stirring occasionally until thick, about 30 minutes more .
8. Serve drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, if you like.

• If you are cooking with canned beans, you can puree an extra can of drained beans with 1/2cup of water in a food processor and add to the soup after step 5
• Add red pepper flakes to taste to the mirepoix in step 2.
• Add a parmesan rind to the pot at step 5
• Leave out step 6. Serve with slices of ciabatta toast rubbed with the open end of a garlic clove that has been sliced in half
• Chop some pancetta into cubes, “blanch” in boiling water for a minute or two, and add to the mirepoix in step 2

There’s nothing more comforting than cooking up a pot-full of hearty soup and enjoying a bowl (or two) in my pajamas. I’m not sure which I enjoy most – cooking the soup or devouring the hearty bowl – but soup making is definitely my ritual when it starts to get chilly outside. Unfortunately, I have yet to venture out to very elaborate recipes (I don’t even own an immersion blender) so, at this time, my meager soup repertoire include those that only require me to chop and, well, open cans. That is probably why Ribolitta is my favorite soup to cook and eat.

But unlike the traditional recipe that requires the baking of the soup (thus the name which means to “re-cook”), I just simmer mine and enjoy it right out the pot. So I guess my version is technically not a Ribollita – perhaps it’s closer to Minestrone – but the flavors of the warm broth, nutty Parmesan rinds, robust cannellini beans and loads of seasonal vegetables are delicious enough to take me back to the streets Florence.