I'll try to be better.

I'll be better about sharing links like these:

Don't Eat It, Steve
You remember that guy? That guy in college who would eat ANYTHING for $20? The guy who would sit at the very end of those long dormotory cafeteria tables and pile away anything you dared him to? (BTW, biggest regret of my college career: Passing up a free trip to Milan. Duhh. Second Biggest: never living in the dorms) But I've seen the movies. Anyway, evidently that guy has grown up and found himself a blog. Basically the grossest and most questionably edible items on the planet, from "prison wine" to fried bugs, to breast milk. And he downs them. This blog hurts my insides to read, because I am laughing and wanting to throw up all at the same time.

French Laundry at Home
I find it sad that my favorite cookbook in the world has never been used in my kitchen as a blueprint for actual, you know, cooking. When the recipie for goddamn boiled veggies is too complicated (you have to make your own chlorophyl first) something is wrong. Nonetheless, it's an incredible book about a once-in-a-lifetime resturant, and this brave soul has decided to cook Every. Single. Recipe.

Tastespotting
A slideshow of random images culled from food blog posts. This will make you drool.

In a similar vein, I promise hearafter to post photos as soon as possible after they were taken...

Like when I buy beautiful pottery at the fair...

And then make onion and pancetta soup...

I forget what this was. Something at the Taste of Cincinnati, I think. With strawberries and rice.

Okay, one more pic:

Bean Soup.

Emily took this one way back. I feel comfortable posting it because I actually just did make this soup a week ago, despite it being eight zillion degrees outside.

And, because it's been forever since I've posted a recipe....

Bean Soup

The following bean soup is the one I grew up with. I am lucky to have great parents who are still alive, but there were very few recipes I remember from my pasty-white childhood that, frankly, are worth remembering. And those that ARE worth remembering, unfortunately, never seem to have a recipe. So I've asked and cajoled my mom, and tweaked and expermented, and this is the best I can do:

16 oz (dry) great northern beans, soaked overnight
3 lbs smoked pork hocks (suggestion: go to Kroger and buy two packages of Cumberland Gap Smoked pork hocks - These have plenty of meat on them!)
3 ribs celery, washed and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 T vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 t Liquid Smoke (optional)

I usually par-cook the beans. After rinsing and draining your soaked beans, place them in a ginormous stockpot and cover them with water by about two inches, and bring the water to a boil. Boil the beans for 20 minutes... until they are fairly soft but not yet falling apart. Drain the beans into a colander, cover and set aside.

Now place the mirepoix in the pot, along with a little bit of vegetable oil. Cook the Veggies on medium-low heat until they are soft. Add the ham hocks and garlic and beans and the bay to the pot.

Add water. As much of it as your pot will hold, or until the contents of your pot is covered by at least three inches. Bring to a boil.

Boil, boil, boil. For half an hour, stirring constantly.

Now, at some point you are going to want to remove the hocks from the pot, and"harvest" as much cooked meat as possible. Wait until the water starts to smell "HammY" and go ahead. But you might want to let the hocks sit for a while, naturally.

After peeling the meet away, go ahead and add the boney parts back to the soup for the remainder of the cooking.

Be patient with the soup. It wont really look like bean soup for, like, 90% ofthis operation. But suddenly, at the end, the beans will cook and wilt and the bean starch will miracoulsly thicken the water. It WILL happen, I promise. Add the liquid smoke at the end.

Serve with cornbread.

Anyway. Thanks as always for being patient. I'll fix the comment spam thing. soon.

Posted by Jeff at 12:30 aM:: Permalink :: (Comments Closed)

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