Friday Finds 7:5:13

Jonah and I are in Chicago for the holiday weekend. Today we’re actually heading to Wisconsin, where Jonah’s playing drums (!!!) with his old Cajun band in a music festival. It should be pretty entertaining. Here’s the Friday finds for this week.

1. Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
A flight of ice cream from Salt & Straw

The famous Portland ice creamery just opened a third location on SE Division, which is awesome and oh so dangerous.

2. Sour Plum Upside-Down Cake

Sour Plum Upside Down Cake from A Cozy Kitchen // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Sour Plum Upside Down Cake from A Cozy Kitchen

This sour plum upside down cake from A Cozy Kitchen sounds absolutely wonderful. And now that plums are coming into season, it is definitely on my list.

3. Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Roasted Tomatoes

I am waiting patiently (or not… whatever…) to make some roasted tomatoes this summer. I had mostly forgotten about them until my dear friend Rosanne told me she was making some. Now they’re all I can think about.

4. Blackberry Mint Lime Fruit Leather

Blackberry Mint Lime Fruit Leathers from In Sock Monkey Slippers // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Blackberry Mint Lime Fruit Leathers from In Sock Monkey Slippers

Doesn’t that title just kill you? Blackberries, AND mint, AND lime? And if you take a look at the recipe over on In Monkey Sock Slippers, it looks pretty dang simple to make. The key is not forgetting about it in the oven after 6 hours.

Stale Bread Soup (Ribollita)

Stale Bread Soup // Serious Crust by Annie FasslerStale Bread Soup // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

I realize that at this point you might be sick and tired of hearing us harp about how great Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal is. But hear me out one more time. Everyone has stale bread. Or at least everyone who has bread at some point and does not eat it all eventually has stale bread lying around. And most of the time it gets thrown away, or responsibly composted. If you are culinarily educated, dear reader, you may already have known of stale bread soup; but as I read Tamar’s book, I was astounded to find out that not only does such a thing exist, but there is a long and ancient tradition of creating soup from leftover bread (Ribollita in Italian).

There are a few things that should be said about stale bread soup. First, it is not a soup in the same way that chicken noodle is a soup; stale bread soup is usually much thicker and feels more like a hearty chili. Second, stale bread soup is more of a general idea and a starting point than a recipe. It is meant to be made with whatever is around, provided you have some stale bread (otherwise, you will be making whatever-is-around soup – which could turn out to be vegetables-in-water “soup” if you don’t have any broth lying around).

The recipe below is adapted slightly from Tamar’s recipe for Ribollita in An Everlasting Meal. In usual Tamar fashion, you will use A LOT of olive oil in this recipe. We have made stale bread soup twice now, so I’ve noted the different things we used.

Stale Bread Soup (Ribollita)

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
Celery, if you have it (I did not)
salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley or rosemary or thyme (if you don’t have fresh, maybe do 1/4 cup dried?)
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
Tomatoes in some form, if you want (3 peeled fresh tomatoes, or I used 1 can diced. Made it once without tomatoes as well)
1 bunch leafy greens (I used kale once and cauliflower greens once; other ideas are swiss chard, collard greens, radish greens, etc)
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked beans (I used a can of black beans both times, Tamar suggests chickpeas or cannellini beans)
2 cups broth from beans or chicken/veggie stock or cans of tomatoes (I used a combo of all three, and you can make up any shortfall with water)
1 piece of Parmesan rind (Do this if you can, because it makes the soup soooo tasty and rich. Also, what else are you going to do with your Parmesan rind?)
2 cups stale bread, crusts removed, torn/cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions

Heat 1/4 inch olive oil (this is just the beginning) in a big-ish soup pot. Cook the onion and garlic (and celery if you have it) until they soften. Add the herbs and chile flakes and a little bit of salt. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.

Chop the greens (and remove from the stems) then add to the pot, and add the water. Cover and cook over low heat until the greens are wilted. Put in all your broths/waters/juices and the beans, plus the Parmesan rind.

(If you have a bunch of Parmesan left, make sure to cut the rind from the rest of the Parmesan. Otherwise, just save the Parmesan rind for when you will next make bread soup. Make sure your Parmesan is big enough that you can keep track of it, because you’re going to take it out later.)

Bring to a simmer, then add the bread and more olive oil (Tamar says to add 1/2 cup, but I was not brave enough and probably added about a 1/4 cup at this point). Cover and cook for 1/2 hour on low, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. The bread will soak up the soup and then liquify into it.  Taste it, add more broth or salt or whatever you want, and then take it off the heat.

Add in another 1/2 cup olive oil (Tamar, are you crazy!?!? I probably added 3 tablespoons here) and take out the Parmesan rind. You can grate Parmesan on top and add some pepper to serve.

This soup is perfect for a windy, rainy, cold, or dark winter/fall night.

Restaurant Review: La Bête, Seattle, WA

Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

This year, my father was lucky enough to have my older sister Emily, my cousin Lia, and me and Jonah in town for Father’s Day. I imagine that, if I have children one day, I will feel lucky to have them around as they get older and venture off into the world. And it’s nice to know that, even as they wander farther from home, they can come back and celebrate milestones with you. This Mother’s Day and Father’s Day were oddly emotional for me, so maybe I’m being too sappy. But I think as I get older, and think about having children of my own one day (a far off day, mind you), I think of my parents differently and appreciate them in whole new ways. I feel pretty lucky in that both of my parents (all four of them, actually, if we include my “step-people”) are strong and brilliant in their own ways. They have been through some incredible trials and have come through those trials even stronger and wiser. I have learned incredible lessons from both of them, and hope to be like them when I grow up.

Anyway, that was an emotional and sappy opening to a post which is really about an amazing meal. It was one of those moments where I feel a lot of joy – to be enjoying incredible food with wonderful people in a beautiful setting. It can’t get much better than that, can it?

For Father’s Day, Darla (one of my “step-people”) made reservations at La Bête, a Seattle eatery I had been hearing about for quite some time. I knew it was one of her and my dad’s favorite spots, so I was excited to learn that’s where we’d be eating. As soon as we walked in and sat down, I knew I was going to like it. The decor was funky and soothing at the same time – gray walls, old tables and chairs, neat art, old silver, beautiful light… Our waiter was very friendly (turns out his parents ran an Eastern European restaurant my dad loved back in the day) and helpful.

Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Restaurant Review: La Bête // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

First off, we ordered some house made juices (by juicebox) to share. With flavors like beet & lemon & ginger, kale & cucumber, and carrot & orange & turmeric, these brightly colored drinks were a welcome sight, and a nice way to tickle the taste buds before we started the meal.

To share with the table, we ordered a few “starters,” as we were all pretty dang hungry when we arrived. First up we ordered a chicken liver mousse paté, which came with a lovely salad with grapes and walnuts, as well as some really crispy toasts. The liver was really creamy, but not too smooth, which I kind of like in my liver paté. It was wonderfully seasoned, and disappeared quickly at a table of liver lovers. Next up was the ricotta terrine, which seemed as though it had been lightly seared on the sides, and served under a heap of thinly sliced (and perfectly ripe) honeydew, red onion, and a slew of herbs. The bites were perfection – the cooling mint, creamy ricotta, biting red onion, and juicy sweet melon made a perfect combination. Lastly, we shared a plate of the pistachio coffeecake with rhubarb compote. The coffeecake came on a beautiful little plate, and was still warm when it arrived. Have you ever put a warm pastry in your mouth and the steam is filled with the essence of the spices used to flavor it? These bites were full of cardamom steam, a perfect compliment to the pistachio. The dollops of rhubarb compote and creme fraîche didn’t hurt either.

My cousin Lia and I shared the spring salad and the Spaetzle with apple, chicken, cabbage, and an egg. Both were lovely and unique. The spaetzle wasn’t creamy like I’ve had before – rather the little dumplings were tossed with bits of fruitiness and earthiness, with a yolk running over it all. The star of the salad was the puréed charred eggplant that had been smeared on the plate beneath the veggies, and acted as a kind of dressing. Other big hits at the table were the breakfast sandwich and the waffles with fruit.

Writing it all out, I remember now how wonderful it was, and how being with my family, enjoying new flavors while sitting in a beautiful setting is really one of my favorite things in the whole world. Thanks, La Bête, for offering such a peaceful place and fantastic menu, the perfect atmosphere for us to enjoy while enjoying each other’s company.

Friday Finds 6:28:13

1. Chocolate Chip, Apricot, and Espresso Cookies

Friday Finds: Chocolate apricot espresso cookies by Orangette // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Chocolate apricot espresso cookies from Orangette

I made these chocolate chip cookies with apricot and espresso from Orangette while in Seattle. They were warm and rich and oh so lovely. I definitely recommend for a cooler than usual summer day.

2. Homemade Ice Cream

Friday Finds: Ice Cream Recipes from Food52 // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Ice Cream Recipes from Food52

I can’t wait for it to get hot enough that all I want to do is make ice cream. It has to be pretty warm for me to not want to use my oven, but I have faith that it will happen. I need it to, so I can try some of these amazing looking flavors.

3. Homegrown Garlic!

Friday Finds: Homegrown garlic! // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Homegrown garlic!

Jonah harvested our first head of garlic, and it just makes me so excited! Jonah gets any and all garden credit. He took the initiative, drove me to the garden store, and did most of the digging around in the dirt. And man oh man, have I been reaping the rewards! Fava beans? Broccoli? Kale? Lettuce? Garlic scapes? And now garlic? Yahoo!

4. Bollywood Theater

Friday Finds: Bollywood Theater // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Bollywood Theater

Bollywood Theater, probably my favorite Indian restaurant in all of Portland is opening a second location near my office (and it’s crazy reasonably priced!). So… that’s a dangerous thing.

5. Corn

Friday Finds: Mexican Street Corn Salad by Love and Lemons // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Mexican Street Corn Salad by Love and Lemons

Corn is back, and with it, lots of corn filled recipes: My roommate Carmelle has the most amazing cornbread recipe that we made for commune dinner this week, I made risotto with fava beans and corn (recipe coming soon), and this tried and true corn salad. Next up? This Mexican street corn salad looks crazy good.

Fresh Pasta with Pancetta, Leeks, & Breadcrumbs with Porcini Powder

Fresh Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Leeks, and Pancetta // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Fresh Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Leeks, and Pancetta // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Fresh Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Leeks, and Pancetta // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Fresh Pasta with Breadcrumbs, Leeks, and Pancetta // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

Porcini powder. Porcini powder? Yes. From the farmers market. I was told it was wonderful, and was given a little bag as a gift. But what to do with the stuff, that’s the question. I’m not sure I made the right choice… This pasta dish had so much going on in it that the porcini flavor was hiding. It was hiding behind the sourdough breadcrumbs and butter it had been sprinkled into, and under the pancetta it had been tossed with, and between the fresh pasta noodles it had been swirled around with.

All that being said, this dish was dang good, if I do say so myself. There were a few elements, and it took a few pans to get it all prepped. So no, this is not one of those magical one pot meals. Certainly not.

My dear friend Elsa was staying with us, and my friend Dylan came over for dinner, as well as Elsa’s friend Sarah, so we had help in manning all the pans. Tamar Adler said in The Everlasting Meal that there is value in, when a guest asks “is there anything I can do to help?” being able to say, “yes.” I have found that to be very true.

Think of this recipe as a guideline. Or a lightly painted upon canvas. You can remove, add, flavor, sprinkle, drizzle anything you like. I must say, though, that I used a different pasta recipe this time, and I liked it much better than the one I had been using. There’s something to be said for trying something new.

Fresh Pasta with Pancetta, Leeks, & Breadcrumbs with Porcini Powder

Ingredients

Fresh Pasta

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Toppings

Olive oil
1 large or 2 small leek(s), sliced and rinsed
1 small white onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Pancetta – the amount is up to you. I like the pancetta that is thin, almost like prosciutto, though that isn’t what we used here. I think if we’d used the thinner kind, it would’ve clung to the noodles better.
Fresh breadcrumbs
Butter
Porcini powder
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Fresh Pasta

To make the pasta, pulse the flour alone in a food processor a few times. In a bowl, beat the eggs and then add them to flour, and process until the dough forms a ball. If your dough is dry and looks like little pea sized pieces of dough, you can add water 1/2 tsp at a time. If it sticks to the bowl of the processor, add flour 1 Tbl at a time. When the dough has formed a ball, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and set it aside for up to 2 hours to relax (at least 15 minutes). Then roll out the pasta as you usually do and cut it as you normally would.

Toppings

In a pan over medium (or medium low), cook your pancetta, then set aside on a plate with a paper towel on it. Once the pancetta is removed, you can use that same pan to sautée the leeks, onion, and garlic, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. You may want to add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan to help keep things from sticking. But then again, maybe you won’t.

In another pan, melt some butter, then add the breadcrumbs and as much porcini powder as you feel like adding. Toast the breadcrumbs on low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

As things are moving along, get out a big pot, fill it with water and a healthy serving of salt, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta (I like to cook fresh pasta in batches, as it makes it less likely to stick together). If you’re cooking fresh pasta, it really only needs to cook for a few minutes. I like to remove it when all the noodles are floating. Do you have a better method? I’d like to know it. If you’re cooking your pasta in batches, you can remove it with tongs into a colander to keep the water boiling on your stovetop.

Strain the pasta, put it in a bowl, and toss with all the various bits and pieces. Enjoy with a glass of buttery, nutty white wine and friends, around a table, on a sunny evening.