The weather has turned cold here in LA and we decided to make a winter meal. We had just purchased a new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller and chose a soup recipe: Heirloom Bean and Escarole Soup. I went to Handy Market in Burbank to purchase some bar-b-que ribs (only available on Sat.) and they sold smoked ham hocks. They are required for the soup. We couldn’t find escarole at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market so we substituted Tuscan Black Kale. The soup is very hearty and delicious, perfect for cold weather!
Our friend Barbara Lanning, from Santa Fe, was in Los Angeles and took quite ill and had to be hospitalized. Her son Richard flew out from Philly to be with her. He is staying at our house. He joined us for dinner.
We also made one of my favorite vegetable dishes: Grandmother's Cauliflower with Cheese. It is from Madhur Jaffrey's memoir: Climbing the Mango Trees. It is absolutely delicious. If you don't like cauliflower this is the dish you should make! You can get the recipe from our blog of: Dec 6, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.
With the Cauliflower we served: Sun-dried Tomato and Breyani Rice from Spice and all things nice.
We had Ice Cream and sauces for dessert with Cookies from Mozza2go.
It was good to spend time with Richard and wish his mom a speedy recovery.
Heirloom bean and escarole soup
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From Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2cups diced (about 1/2-inch) carrots
3 - 4 cups diced (about 1/2-inch) leeks
2 cups diced (about 1/4-inch) onions
1 ½ teaspoons finely minced garlic Kosher salt
smoked ham hock (about 1 pound)
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 heads (about 12 ounces each) tuscan kale
7 cups cooked white beans
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
This is a big rustic soup, the kind you'd find in the Italian countryside, and a great example of why bean soups are my favorite. You've got the protein-rich beans, the healthful greens and aromatic vegetables, and a delicious broth given depth from a ham hock and deft seasoning with some red wine vinegar. If you have good stock on hand, it's very quick and easy.
Heirloom beans are now widely available and easily found in stores and via the internet. My favorites come from Steve Sando's Rancho Gordo, in nearby Napa. He grows some of the best beans in the world, and he also tracks down other great products such as dried corn, dried chiles, spices, and herbs.
Heat the canola oil in an 8- to 10-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a parchment lid and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the parchment lid.
We added 2 bunches of tuscan kale that we had deveined and shredded and cooked wilted.
Add the ham hock and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the ham hock is tender. Remove from the heat, remove the ham hock, and let cool enough so you can handle it.
Pull away and discard the skin and fat from the ham hock. Shred the
meat and return it to the soup. Add the beans and season the soup with salt, pepper, and the red wine vinegar. At this point, the soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese
SERVES 6 (MAKES 10 CUPS)
Traditional slow-cooked beans
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1 pound (about 2 ½ cups) dried borolotti beans or cannellini beans.
1 medium leek, trimmed, split lengthwise and rinsed
½ large carrot, peeled
1 sachet: 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme springs, 10 black peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled. Lay out on 7 inch square cheesecloth.
8 cups water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
The key to cooking beans well is to cook them gently. If you boil them, they begin to fall apart efore they’re cooked through. The rule is the gentler the better. I’m a huge fan of using slow cookers for beans. The newer models have much better temperature controls and so can cook legumes perfectly every time.
Put the beans in a large bowl, add enough cold water to pour in the them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight.
Drain the beans. Put them in a large sauce pan, add the leek, onion, and sachet, and pour in the water. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 50 minutes to an hour. The beans should be tender but not falling apart. Remove from the heat.
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