SIXTY-SEVEN : ESCAROLE & CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

NOVEMBER 26 2011

Why am I so bad at dried beans? I leapt out of bed at 8am realizing I was supposed to soak the damn beans for 8 hours before starting the soup (which then had to simmer for 2 hours). But I only had 4-1/2 hours before the Civil War & soup eating started. Dang, dang, dang. I let them soak in hot water for about 2 hours, then put them in a pot to simmer for about an hour before starting the soup.

The soup itself is pretty basic. Saute the holy trinity of carrot, onion and celery until softened. Add the beans along with veggie broth and a bay leaf then simmer 2 hours (or in my case, however long it takes for the beans to be done). So where does the escarole come into this equation? Well, that is the pain in the ass part of this recipe; the escarole has to be cooked separately then added to the soup. 

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SIXTY-SIX : ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

NOVEMBER 20 2011

If it seems like my posts are coming fast and furious these days, it's because they are. Last week I thought I would make a fun little list of the recipes I have left to complete before The Sunday Sauce Event at the end of the year - and when I was done, I got pretty darn worried. Even taking out the ones I am saving for TSSE, I realized I need to step up my game.

I also discovered that my math skills apparently suck during the lazy days of summer because, per my current count, there are 94 recipes total, not 89 as previously stated (how did I miss 5 whole recipes!). So I kicked my butt into gear and since then have crossed 4 recipes off that list, including the butternut squash soup we had tonight.

 

Here we have another super simple recipe.

SIXTY-FIVE : EGGPLANT MARINARA W/ MOZZARELLA SANDWICH

NOVEMBER 19 2011

It's probably so predictable that once I spend most of the afternoon baking a big dish of eggplant marinara from page 137, I will then take the leftovers and make the eggplant marinara sandwiches on page 58. Duh! Especially since there were only two of us taking on 6 huge servings so we had tons of leftovers.

Per my amazing plan, after watching multiple hours of football (the Beavs actually won!), I refueled us with a couple big, hot, delicious sandwiches. So easy too! Just chop up a cup of marinara per sandwich and warm it in a skillet. Once it's "too hot to the touch", it's heaped onto the ciabatta rolls and the whole hot mess is covered with a thick topping of fresh mozzarella. That's it. Eat it!

SIXTY-FOUR : EGGPLANT MARINARA

NOVEMBER 18 2011

I know what you're thinking... "didn't you already make eggplant marinara?" It's true, I did. But that was the shortcut version for losers who can't plan 8 hours in advance for dinner. THIS is the REAL DEAL. Thankfully, I already had the 3 cups of tomato sauce waiting in the freezer, so dinner tonight only took a completely reasonable 4 hours.

thank you, Past Day, for making me this sauce

Not much changes, really, from the shortcut version except this one bakes for an entirely rational 3-1/2 hours instead of one sad, paltry hour. Plus the sauce is the full recipe instead of a quickie made by poor planners who are willing to accept a sub-par meal.

SIXTY-THREE : ORECCHIETTE WITH PISTACHIOS

NOVEMBER 16 2011

Thankfully the Frankies aren't totally against dried pasta so I didn't have to spend all evening making tiny little hat shaped orecchiette. Instead, this is a meal that you can actually make in 15 minutes. (for reals!).

thank you trader joes for selling shelled pistachios

In the 12 minutes it takes the pasta to cook, you can easily prep everything else for this dish. So, ready? Drop the pasta! Now pulse the pistachios in a food processor until roughly chopped; stir together with chopped mint, minced garlic, pecorino romano, lots of olive oil and salt. Set the "pesto" aside and slice some green onions. Next, oh wait, that's it!

SIXTY-TWO : SOPRESSATA WITH PROVOLONE SANDWICH

NOVEMBER 11 2011

FANTASTIC!!

Not much to say except... BEST. SANDWICH. EVER.

SIXTY-ONE : BRUSSELS SPROUTS

NOVEMBER 11 2011 (11/11/11!)

So it's 7am on my day off and I'm out of bed and roasting brussels sprouts. Pooches looks at me from his crate wondering what on earth I am doing. Well, doggy, for your information, daylight savings has my inner clock all f'ed up so I can't sleep and I'm starving and I've got brussels sprout hash on the brain. So that's what I'm doing! But then again, I also did an Exercise TV workout while the sprouts were roasting, stuck my immersion blender in my cup of morning joe cause I wanted it frothy (bad idea.. coffee everywhere) and asked for a raise at work... so maybe the full moon is making me a little nutzo.

Anyway... back to the sprouts.

SIXTY : BAKED CLAMS

NOVEMBER 10 2011

Well, now I know. Clams are a pain in the ass to shuck! I consider myself a pretty darn good oyster shucker, so thought these little guys would be a cinch. But that was not the case. The shells don't have much strength so start crumbling as soon as any force is applied. Then, once I got the thing open, I basically mutilated the clam itself trying to unattach it from the other side. I still feel pretty bad about my total butchery. Luckily, they will be covered up with seasoned breadcrumbs so no one will know (except all of you because there is photo evidence).

come on, mother shucker!

FIFTY-EIGHT & FIFTY-NINE : BRAISED PORK SHANK W/ GIGANTE BEANS

NOVEMBER 4 2011


FIFTY-EIGHT : BRAISED PORK SHANK WITH GIGANTE BEANS & ROSEMARY
FIFTY-NINE : GIGANTE BEANS

So far we have had such a lovely fall with crisp sunny days and very little rain (despite all the warnings that this is another La Nina year). It's making me feel a little better about summer being over and winter around the corner. Another thing helping me cope with the changing seasons is braised pork shanks! Talk about warm, comforting food. These babies are just what I need to survive the dark, dreary nights.

I will admit that not everything came together perfectly. I foolishly did not fully read the supporting Gigante Beans recipe so did not realize until there was about 2 hours to go that they were supposed to soak for 6 hours then simmer for 2 hours. Eep! Let's hope my trusty pressure cooker can save the day!