back from the country

Deborah
Getting my hands on fresh shallots is a rare and wonderful treat. Country Gardens farmstand in Bridgehampton has been growing them for years and it is one of the highlights of my summer when I grab up a bunch. After making fresh tomato sauce I wanted to make another dish that would continue to feature the shallots. This farmstand is also famous for their fresh broccoli rabe so I decided to do a simple saute to enhance the fresh flavors of the two summer treats with garlic and olive oil.

Broccoli rabe and shallots make a nice combination.

My cooking plan was loose. I started with olive oil in a saute pan, added some sliced garlic, a dried chili and the sliced shallots. I cooked the mixture down till the shallots began to turn golden.

The broccoli rabe is tender and cooks quickly. I added it to the pan and allowed it to wilt down and simmer for eight minutes or so. For extra flavor I poured in the dregs of a bottle of sparkling Rose wine (about 1/4 cup) and then spooned in a couple of tablespoons of the fresh tomato sauce. Allowing the flavors to mingle for a few minutes in the pan will bring this dish together. I started eating it with a fork right out of the pot, but stopped myself before consumng the entire thing to consider how I would serve it as the main part of a meal. Ususally I gravatate towards pasta but this time I opted to bake a potato and serve the broccoli rabe and shallots on top with a few dollops of goat cheese. 

So satisfying and really tasty! The potato is a great vehicle for getting the sauteed greens to your mouth. I really love this improvisational style of cooking where you don't have a specific plan, just some wonderful ingredients and a hungry point of view.

Amanda

I love your improvisational style of cooking. It always seems to work! Today I did something so simple but was actually quite yummy. Yesterday, I brought leftover brown rice into work for lunch. Nothing in it, just leftover from a Chinese restaurant. I didn't get a chance to eat it. Today, I happened to bring in a perfectly ripe avocado. Not knowing what to eat for lunch today (the avocado was intended to be a snack), I decided to heat up the brown rice and add chopped up avocado and salt. I know, I know. Doesn't sound exactly scrumptious. But guess what? It was pretty good! The avocado melted a little into the hot rice and I was happily satisfied in spite of my hunger pangs. The brown rice filled me up and the fat in the avocado helped! And I felt so incredibly healthy eating this lunch.

I love the Cristalino Rose that Deb used for her dish. This is a Cava - Spain's answer to Champagne. This sparkler is delicious, and about as fine a value that can be found. Typically the Cristalino can be found for about $7.99 per bottle. Cava, like Prosecco, is a great alternative to Champagne. It's perfect for brunches and mimosas. In the shop, we like to recommend it for wedding and baby showers.

Since Deb used this particular Cava for her recipe, I would choose that to sip alongside it. It is not a complex wine, but it has some serious red fruit flavors to it. Makes a perfect accompaniment to appetizers and light dishes like omelets and salads. The Cristalino Rose offers bright strawberry and cherry flavors and is a wonderful summertime sipper.

If you are in a "still wine" frame of mind, I would suggest a new favorite of mine, if you can find it. Chateau Montaud Cotes de Provence Rose - a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. It's $9.99 and is a terrific bargain. The Wine Spectator gave the wine a 90 point rating. If you can source it, it is one to try! And it would be an ideal match for a light, summertime dish like Deb's Broccoli Rabe!

a locavore meal, almost

Deborah

Locavore: one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible

Spent the afternoon with a dear friend who I have not seen in a long time, sustainable food blogger and committed locavore Mary Nelen. Mary, who writes the blog Valley Locavore,  filled me in on what is going on in her community of Northern Massachusetts where a strong DIY food ethic flourishes. She boasted of canning and preserving and shaking hands with farm animal. All very cool and admirable. We decided we would make lunch together during our visit. Mary supplied the broccoli rabe from a farmers market and I rummaged through my fridge at home to pull out some tofu (locally made!) and shitake mushrooms (I have no idea where they came from, oops) and some red quinoa I thought Mary might be interested in.
I also contributed a large handful of fresh herbs that I pulled out of my garden just before leaving the house to meet her (how much fresher can you get?)

The Upper West Side where Mary was staying was in full bloom Spring mode.

Our plan was simple, we would gab away with each other a mile a minute and give barely a fleeting thought to the meal. Kind of like cooking on auto pilot. I made the quinoa while Mary prepped the broccoli rabe.

I guess we could have used a slightly larger pan for the broccoli rabe.

The kitchen we were borrowing was minimally stocked and equipped. I did a quick sautee of the mushrooms and then the tofu which we cut into cubes. We found an onion in reasonable shape, chopped it up, sauteed it with the broccoli rabe and then threw in all the chopped herbs. The tofu and mushrooms went back into the pan and we mixed it all together.

The herbs coming up in my garden now are mint, lemon balm, sorrel, chives and oregano. I roughly chop them all together and add them to almost any dish right at the end of cooking to add freshness and depth.

We cooked the shitake mushrooms and the tofu separately, just enough to get a little brown crust for flavor and texture.

The finished dish: a mound of steamed red quinoa surrounded by the sauteed vegetables and tofu.

It was a simple, tasty, easy and healthy meal, which meant we could drink wine and not feel guilty.  What can I say, talking makes you thirsty. We drank white wine which seemed a good choice. How did we do Amanda?

Amanda
A good friend, delicious, easy lunch, and a nice bottle of wine. Sounds like a pretty great afternoon! Question - you don't blanch the broccoli rabe first? Just toss it right into the pan? I'm always in a quandry about that whenever I prepare it. I never really know when to blanch and when to just sautee. Any recommendations or thoughts on this?


Yes, I am in agreement regarding your wine choice! I think any light, crisp white would really work fine here. I wouldn't give it too much thought. Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Pinot Grigio - all fine, simple choices. You and Mary had set out to have a fun, easy afternoon together which does not require hemming and hawing over a wine. Just go with something fun for an occasion like this. I find that Prosecco is always a great afternoon libation to enjoy with friends, especially as the warmer weather hits. Prosecco is a staple on my block for afternoon/early evening barbeques. This light, refreshing, frizzante wine from Italy is always a huge hit.

Prosecco is made from a grape by the same name, and hails from the Veneto region of Italy. Very versatile, you can really enjoy it with a wide variety of fare. It's great for brunches, showers, and large get-togethers - it is Italy's answer to Champagne, minus the hefty pricetag. For great examples of this inexpensive sparkler, look to producers Bisol, Riondo, Caposaldo and Zardetto.


Choosing a wine should never cause stress or too much thought. Wine is best when shared with friends. As long as the "indulgers" enjoy it - that is all that matters! But I do recommend keeping a few bottles on hand as Prosecco is a great bottle to open for unexpected guests!

All for some and some for all

Deborah
Cradling a huge bunch of broccoli rabe in my arms I begin to anticipate my favorite dinner. Slow cooked with white kidney beans and a little white wine, laced with Romano cheese and served over pasta, please.




So good, so yummy. My daughter shares this passion with me. We can dive into a huge bowl of these greens with pasta and polish it right off. My husband thinks we are mad and says a polite "no thanks". Broccoli rabe isn't for everyone I suppose. The bitter green takes some getting used to . It is featured in Italian cooking and I for one can't get enough of it. Bitter greens are said to be the secret to longevity for many cultures. I'm thinking of Greeks and Italians, and what is known as the Mediterranean diet. Beans, dark leafy vegetables and wine are all part of what is believed to be the best defence against certain diseases. Well, the jury may still be out on that, but it sounds good to me.
The Chinese know their greens too and broccoli rabe can easily be found in Chinese markets year round. The batch I am about to prepare came from the farmers market at Atlas Park, here in Queens. It's a tiny market with only two produce stands, but at this time of year everything is in abundance and as usual I come home with my bags stuffed.
The broccoli rabe, like spinach and other greens, cooks down very quickly, so if you are feeding a big group be sure to buy a lot. One pound for two people is not excessive, once you trim the stems and chop it up it can cook down to just over a cup. And for this dish, unless I am thinking well in advance (which I am not) I will use canned cannelloni beans.

Amanda, this dish is hearty and robust, with an earthy creaminess from the beans. Think rustic Italian. What do you suggest for a wine?

Broccoli Rabe & White Beans with Fusilli
1 large bunch of Broccoli Rabe, stems trimmed off and leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teas. red pepper flakes
1 shallot minced
1 teas. salt
1 can Cannelloni Beans (white kidney beans) drained and rinsed
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb dry fussili (or penne, if you prefer)
1/4 cup grated Romano (my daughter and I prefer Romano cheese to Parmesan, or when we can afford it Parmigiano-Reggiano, but any of those will do)
3 Tbs. chopped basil
2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Soak chopped Broccoli Rabe leaves in a bowl of cold water to rinse , then drain in a colander and set aside. Heat the Olive oil in a pan and add the garlic, red pepper flakes and shallot. Cook about 7 minutes till the garlic and shallot begin to soften and turn golden. Add the broccoli rabe (it can still be damp from the rinse water) and salt and allow the leaves to wilt down, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and the white wine and stir to combine. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat to allow flavors to blend. The beans should start to break down a bit and the wine will begin to be absorbed. Don't let the pan get too dry. In a separate pot cook the fussili as directed until al dente. I like to add the hot pasta water into the broccoli rabe pan as it is cooking a quarter cup or so at a time to keep the greens moist. You want the sauce to be loose, but not watered down. Add the cooked drained pasta to the greens and add cheese to taste. Add the basil and toss so that the pasta is coated with the sauce. Finish with some good quality olive oil drizzled on top.


This dish traditionally calls for white beans, but pink beans taste pretty great too!

Mange bien!



Amanda
I am a huge fan of Broccoli Rabe! But, as is usually the case, I have just one or two ways I prepare it. Now I can add a third! Two wines, a red and white, from the same producer immediately come to mind. Last May, I was fortunate enough to have an authentic Sicilian food and wine pairing with Guiseppe Tasca d'Almerita, from the estate of the same name. He led us through a "typical" lunch at a Sicilian restaurant in Wyckoff, NJ. This "typical" lunch spanned the course three hours of intense eating and drinking. It was probably the best food/wine experience I have had to date. Tasca d'Almerita is currently one of Sicily's leading wineries. While they have some higher-priced, incredible wines, they also produce some inexpensive gems as well. One of the wines we enjoyed was the 2007 Leone, a white made from a blend of 85% Catarratto and 15% Chardonnay. While Catarratto is only grown in Sicily, it is Italy's most cultivated varietal. This wine is full of depth and elegance. It offers beautiful aromatics, and a rich, round palate. While the Leone offers plenty of fruit, there is also minerality and earthiness to it. The Chardonnay gives a creaminess to the wine which works well with the beans. The Leone retails for about $15.
myself, Giuseppe, and Chuck Russo

For the red, I was thinking Nero d'Avola. It is the most important red grape in Sicily. Tasca d'Almerita makes Lamuri, which is made from this varietal. You mentioned "think Rustic Italian" and I think this wine fits that description. It is incredibly rich with lots of spice, vanilla and coffee aromas. It is medium in body, and should pair particularly well with Mediterranean fare. Nero d'Avola is often compared to Syrah in that it typically produces "bigger" wines with sweet fruit and peppery flavors. The Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri retails for about $17. Both wines present a terrific bang for the buck.