Cargamanto Cranberry Bean & Green Kale Stew

Vegetarian Tuscan Bean Stew
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Rancho Gordo Cargamanto Cranberry Beans
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cup onion, chopped coarse
1 cup carrots, chopped coarse
1 cup celery stalks, chopped coarse
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 1/2 cups gluten free vegetable broth
2 Bay leaves
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
6 loose cups kale, ends trimmed, hard stems removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 sprig fresh rosemary
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions

1. Soak our beans over night (8 hours at least) in large container filled with water.

2. Rinse mushrooms quickly and then soak them in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. remove the mushrooms and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, mince the mushrooms and set both aside for use later.


3. Preheat oven to 250° F. adjust rack to lower middle position.

4. Heat some olive oil in a large Dutch Oven over med. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes (until vegetables are lightly browned and softened). Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining water, bay leaves, soaked beans, mushrooms, vegetable broth and reserved mushroom water and stir. Increase heat to high and simmer stew for a few minutes. Cover the pot and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook for an hour or until the beans are nearly tender (still firm inside). (if it is taking too long to cook, turn the heat up to 275 and check it every 15 minutes)

5. Take the pot out of the oven and add the tomatoes and the kale. Return to oven and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour (or until beans are fully tender).

6. Remove the pot from the oven and throw in the rosemary sprig, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and rosemary sprig, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm.

And A Good Time Was Had By All!

Our annual quilting retreat was a great success. As usual, on the first week in October, our mini-group takes off for the high country and enjoys sewing Monday thru Friday. This would make year seven for most of us.....Kay could not come, but Elly, Irene, Susan, Carol and Me (Kathy) marked another year together staying at Lois and George's getaway home at Tahoe-Donner.  

Units turned into block and then into competed tops.....

Irene's  Log Cabin....

Susan's Christmas top..

 Elly's Liberated Wedding Ring (Freddy Moran).

Kathy got the blocks done, but the layout never made itself into a quilt top.

...Elly brought great echilladas...Susan, her  lasagne, Irene her famous granola. 

Carol cooked Terriyaki on skewers with miso soup, rice and spinach. 

I helped, I think.

It was fabulous!!!

Even though we do get together every week to sew, this is special...sort of a week-long middle-aged slumber party.


Our guys really don't get why we go to all this trouble...but we know.   We enjoyed great meals, munchies and hours of sewing together.  The date is marked on our calendars for next year as always.The stuff of memories!

Meat & Seafood Internal Temperature Cooking Chart- illustrated

I got my illustration on tonight and made you this chart. Use a quality instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your meat and you should be able to cook it perfect!

Mulligatawny Soup

Adapted to be gluten free from another super Cooks Illustrated recipe.

Ingredients:

4 med. cloves garlic- 2 peeled and 2 finely minced
1 piece ginger, peeled & grated so that you have about 1 1/2 Tbsp.
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. butter
2 med. onions, chopped medium coarse
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Bobs Red Mill, all purpose gluten free flour
7 cups gluten free chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped coarse
1 rib celery, chopped course
1 banana, very ripe, peeled.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
fresh plain goats yogurt (or cows yogurt)
fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the 2 peeled whole garlic cloves, 2 tsp. of grated ginger & water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Leave this mixture in the blender jar and set aside for the last step. (you will puree the soup right in the blender with the garlic and ginger)

2. Heat butter in a large stockpot over med. heat until foaming. Add the onions and tomato paste and cook, stirring often until the onions are soft and beginning to brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in the coconut and cook for about a minute. Add the minced garlic, remaining 2 1/2 tsp. ginger, curry powder, cumin, cayenne & gluten free flour; stir until evenly combined for around a minute. Whisking constantly & vigorously, slowly add the gluten free chicken broth.

3. Add the carrots, celery & whole banana. Increase heat and bring to a boil, add the chicken breasts to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for around 20 minutes (until chicken is cooked through). Remove the chicken breasts with tongs and set on a cutting board, cool slightly and cut into bite size pieces.

4. Puree the soup in small batches in the blender (with the garlic and ginger mixture still in the blender). Wash & dry the pot. Return all of the pureed soup to the freshly washed pot, salt and pepper to taste. Add the cut chicken pieces and heat the soup on low until warmed through. don't boil.

5. Ladle into bowls, dollop with yogurt and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with saffron rice.

Truffle Tomolive Aioli for Sole: 10.02.09

2 cups Pio's tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup pitted taggiasche olives in oil
2 tbsp gremolata
1 tsp rinsed capers
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
fresh ground pepper
1 qt poached egg mayonnaise made with blanched lettuce, neutral oil and truffle oil

- process all ingredients but mayonnaise in robot coupe
- add mayonnaise and process until thoroughly blended

Caraway-Brown Butter Crumble for Scallops: 10.02.09

1/4 cup caraway seeds
2 Tbsp fine ground sel gris
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 lb Plugra
3 cups tapioca maltodextrin
1 cup fine ground panko

- grind caraway, salt and celery seed together
- dry-toast this mixture in a hot skillet for 1 minute, shaking often
- cut butter into five or six pieces and add to the caraway mixture in the skillet
- melt butter completely and continue to brown over medium-high heat five minutes
- strain through chinois into robot coupe
- with machine running pour in 2 cups maltodextrin and 1 cup panko
- remove from machine to a work bowl and using hands, incorporate remaining cup of maltodextrin
- chill completely and crumble into random small pieces

Deglaze for Scallops: 10.02.2009

1 1/2 gal water
750ml prosecco
1/2 cup banyuls vinegar
1 cup toasted onion
1 cup toasted garlic
1/2 cup sugar
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 handful thyme
1 handful rosemary
2 bay leaves

- combine all ingredients over medium-high heat and reduce by 1/3. Strain
- for scallops: sear on both sides, then deglaze with 2 oz liquid; reduce, mount with butter and glaze scallops
- remove to towels