Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [65]
TO FINISH THE BEANS
1 Coat a large, straight-sided sauté pan with olive oil and toss in the pancetta. Cook until brown and crispy, 7 to 8 minutes.
2 Add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until very aromatic.
3 Add the beans and the reserved bean water (if you didn’t remember to save the bean water, use 1 cup chicken stock or water). Cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Bean-a-licious!
So … if you forgot to soak your beans last night, use the “quick soak” method: Put your beans in a pot and cover them with at least 2 inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil (BTB), turn off the heat, and let the pot sit until the water has cooled. Proceed with the recipe as if you had soaked the beans overnight!
Swiss Chard with Pancetta & Baby Turnips
SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES
As a kid I remember my grandmother talking about how much she loved Swiss chard, but the weird thing is, I never saw her eat it—ever. But she always had it in the garden and she attributed her good health, even in her old age, to eating Swiss chard. Coincidentally, her name was Gramma Green!
I find Swiss chard to be one of the most interesting and delicious greens around. Here I use both the stems and the leaves and mix them with turnips. People give turnips a bad rap, but I think it’s just because they haven’t experienced them. I realize I’m combining two ingredients in this dish that people might not think of eating on their own, let alone together, but I’m on a mission to make Swiss chard and turnips popular. And if any dish with chard and turnips can turn you on, I’m betting this one can!
MISE EN PLACE
Kosher salt
1 bunch of baby turnips, tops removed
Extra virgin olive oil
½ cup pancetta, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into ½-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
½ cup chicken or veggie stock
1 Bring a medium pot of super-salty water to a boil. How do you know if it’s super-salty? TASTE IT! Toss in the baby turnips, let the water come back to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the turnips and let cool.
2 When the turnips are cool enough to handle, use a clean kitchen towel to rub the skin off. Cut into quarters and reserve.
3 Coat a large sauté pan lightly with olive oil, add the pancetta, garlic, and red pepper, and bring to medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it—it has fulfilled its garlic destiny!
4 When the pancetta becomes brown and crispy, add the turnips, chard stems, and stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
5 Add the chard leaves and sauté until just wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Gramma Green would love THIS Swiss chard!
SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR
For years polenta reminded me of the Cream of Wheat my mother used to send me off to school with in the morning. It was totally boring. But once I started making polenta for myself I discovered I LOVED it. My special twist? I fat it up with milk, Parm, Fontina cheese, and mascarpone until it’s creamy, decadent, and delicious. Just remember, the kicker here is to season the liquid with plenty of salt in the beginning—it makes all the difference.
MISE EN PLACE
2 cups whole milk
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
1 cup polenta
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano
½ cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
¼ cup mascarpone
½ bunch of fresh sage, finely chopped
1 In a medium saucepan combine the milk, 2 cups water, the bay leaf, and the cayenne. Season generously with salt—you want to take the seasoning to the edge of too salty in this case. To do this you MUST taste as you go! Polenta acts like a “salt eraser,” and if you don’t salt