satisfying hunger and putting your heart in a bowl: harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

November 9th, 2012

harvest minestrone  soup with autumn vegetables and farro 

 satisfying hunger and putting your heart in a bowl:
harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

In her book, The Gastonomical Me, M.F.K. Fisher explained that she wrote about food (rather than other topics) not only because she was “hungry” but also because:

 [O]ur three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. [W]hen I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it … and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.

Nowhere are Ms. Fisher’s words more poignant or demonstrative than when it comes to a bowl of hot soup. Nutritious, filling, and restorative, soup provides warmth to our body and comforts our soul.

Recently on the news I saw one easterner give a fellow easterner (a victim of Hurricane Sandy) something hot to eat. As she handed her the food, she placed her other hand on the recipient’s arm. It was a moving moment. I thought of Ms. Fisher’s words about the co-mingled needs for food, security and love and this week’s simple pleasure was born: harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro. 

Child looking into kitchen pot

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harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

November 9th, 2012

 harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro   

 harvest minestrone with autumn vegetables and farro

serves 4
330 calories (per 4 ounce serving)

what you need:

soup
1 tablespoon olive oil 
½ cup lardons (or diced pancetta)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, diced 
½ cup diced carrots (various colors) 
½ cup diced parsnips
½ cup diced onions 
½ teaspoon piment d’espelette
½ cup diced winter squash (butternut or kabocha) 

12 Crimini mushrooms, quartered 
1 can whole San Marzano tomatoes, chopped and drained
6 cups quality chicken stock (or bottled water)
1 bouquet garni (fresh Italian parsley, 1 bay leaf, fresh thyme sprigs) 
½ cup Perlato (pearled) farro
2 cups chopped Tuscan kale
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly black ground pepper (to taste)

garnish
minced fresh Italian parsley (as needed)
grated parmesan cheese (as needed) Read the rest of this entry »

corned beef and cabbage reinvented: sou-fassum, Lou Fassum, and Saint Patrick’s Day

March 16th, 2011

corned beef and cabbage reinvented:
sou-fassum, Lou Fassum, and Saint Patrick’s Day

chef Morgan's french take on Saint Patrick's day


Sou-fassum is a farce, a chou farci à la Niçoise (a stuffed cabbage the way they prepare it in and around Nice) to be exact. Sou-fassum, a speciality in the south of France, is blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with a combination of swiss chard, rice, ground pork, bacon (more pork), onions, and tomatoes. The farce is then cooked in cheesecloth which is wrapped around the cabbage and the entire package forms a ball known as a fassumier.  Thefassumier is then cooked in a stock pot-au-feu for about three and one-half hours.

The first time I hadsou-fassum was at the Michelin-starred restaurant “Lou Fassum” located in Grasse (Grasse is about twenty to thirty minutes West of Nice and known for its perfume and summertime Jasmine festival). The only thing that could match the breathtaking view and first-rate service of this amazing restaurant is the superb food created at the hands of Emmanuel Ruz.  The dish was delicious.  As I ate it (sharing it with no one) I kept thinking of how the preparation naturally lent itself to the corned beef and cabbage tradition of Saint Patrick’s Day.  This should be done to corned beef.  After all, why do we have to have the same brisket (many times stringy) year after year served with the same (soggy and greasy) side of cabbage?  Well, we do not and this year it is time for something new.

This week’s simple pleasure reinvents the sou-fassum classic by adapting it to this fun holiday.  It is a little healthier in that it has less fat than traditionally is used and I use farro instead of white rice.  A classic sou-fassum includes concassé tomatoes and the forcemeat is layered with additional cabbage leaves; however, I eliminated both to simplify the dish.

Chef Morgan's french take on Saint Patrick's day

A few ingredient and production notes. First, the recipe calls for minimal salt because I know many of you do not have time to make stock and will use store purchased stock which tends to be salty. However, you will have to season to taste, the stock is your variable so I cannot tell you exactly how much seasoning to add.  Second, if you buy the brisket and it is already marinaded in pickling spices, then put the pickling marinate in your pot-au-feu and you can eliminate making a sachet.  Third, you can ask your butcher to grind the brisket for you; however, ground brisket can produce dry results.  I find that cutting the brisket into large dice and minimally pulsing the meat in the food processor is actually better. Fourth, you can cut the recipe in half and use one half a pound of brisket  if you are only serving 4 people (although the leftovers are just as tasty and they can be a great addition to a tomato sauce).

As written, this is a simple dish to make: blanche, sweat, mix, stuff, simmer, forget about it for 3 to  3 1/2 hours, and serve.  It is fun to make (it is a hobo pack in cheesecloth for goodness sake !) and a great break from the normal routine. Your Saint Patrick’s Day sou-fassum may not involve a Leprechaun, but you will have created your own pot of gold.

Je vous souhaite un bon appétit !

LM


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