In wintertime and early spring in Puglia, locals combine their winter stores of dried fava beans with peppery wild chicory into a satisfying, hearty dish. Dried fava beans are typically cooked until they can be mashed into a smooth puree and then topped with sautéed chicory dressed simply with olive oil and salt. Wild chicory isn’t commonplace in American markets, but we still embraced the dish’s humble roots by using more readily available escarole, which is a member of the chicory family: It's easy to find, quick cooking, and offers a similar pleasant bitterness. To amp up flavor and add brightness to the dish, we added chili flakes and lemon zest to the greens, which balanced out the bitter notes. With the greens settled, we turned our attention to creating a smooth, silky puree from the fava beans. Potato is a traditional addition to this dish, as it lends a smooth, unctuous texture; we found that adding just one potato to the pot with the beans was enough to achieve the consistency we were after. Rather than mash the cooked fava beans and potato with a potato masher, we passed them through a food mill or potato ricer to ensure a silky smooth texture. Finally, we finished the dish with shaved Pecorino for a salty bite that enhanced the complex, earthy flavors of the fava beans.
What makes these potatoes Venetian is simply the frequency with which I have seen them prepared in this manner in the homes of Giardini. The shape of the cut potatoes sometimes varies (thick disks are quite popular) but I much prefer the dice shape. The consistent features are the melted onions and the unctuous syrupy stock sauce. I wouldn’t worry too much about the type of potato, either. With waxy varieties, the dice holds its shape much better and the slightly yellow hue is a little more attractive. But floury spuds disintegrate a tad more, so the sauce has more viscosity, giving a fuller, deeper flavor. I love them both ways.
Crispy on the outside, soft and speckled with flavorful goodness on the inside. There really isn’t anything to dislike about the stuffing muffin. Try em out on your Thanksgiving guests this year and prepare for the compliments to roll into the new year. :)
A little sweet potato kneaded into yeasted dough makes rolls extra soft and sweet. Down South, we like our bread so tender that it’s sometimes on the edge of underbaked. I affectionately call thoses quishy rolls. These orange-tinted rounds can—and should—be baked all the way through. They’ll end up as supple as any squishy ones.
Oh. My. God. Did I just create the best Thanksgiving dressing ever? Why yes, yes I did. You’re welcome. I got all the flavors of classic dressing (that’s stuffing to you Northerners)—onion, celery, sage—and suspended them in a creamy one-pan cornbread. With this recipe, I’ve saved you the step of baking a whole loaf of cornbread just to crumble into a side dish. Anything I can do to make your home cooking easier and tastier, I’ll do. This just saved you a whole lotta time on Thanksgiving and it’s gonna get you a whole lotta praise.
We first had this in Sydney in a funny little tapas bar we used to go to called Capitan Torres. When we were in Spain we discovered that it was a staple of most traditional tapas bars. We liked the fact that you could use a plain cultivated mushroom and turn it into something with so much flavor.
The recipe for Farro with Vinegar-Glazed Sweet Potato and Apples from the editors of Food & Wine’s book Potluck, brings together the flavors of autumn. Every element of this salad can be made ahead of time and pulled out when ready to eat. Farro or wheat berries are cooked with fennel, onion and garlic in stock until al dente. While the farro simmers, roast sweet potatoes and apples in the oven until tender and then toss them with a bit of sherry vinegar. When you’re ready to eat, mix the farro with dried cherries, cashews, a bit of parsley, and the roasted squash and apples. Serve with a shaving of pecorino cheese and commence!
Twenty years ago, no one in the States thought of throwing watermelon into anything other than a fruit salad. But in the past two decades, Americans have come to accept it underneath salty cheeses, amplified by spicy chilies, or grilled alongside shrimp. I’m going a step further to recommend you throw some anchovy into the mix. This snack is healthy, addictive, and startlingly refreshing. Spoon it into the endive spears for a more formal presentation, or serve the spears piled high next to a bowl of the relish to evoke chips and dip.
We can’t think of anything more versatile and delicious than these tomatoes. Eat them by themselves, over rice, tossed with pasta, as a friend for fish, underneath steak, baked with eggs, and spooned next to squash.
You can’t deny yourself a good potato – fact! Especially if it is a potato salad that has the added goodness of nuts, lentils and greens. You simply can’t go wrong.