on the menu - The Seventh Sphinx

White beans, chorizo, and kale. With classic Spanish chorizo this dish is wonderfully flavorful and warming. The peculiar sweetness of kale balances the spicy, smoky chorizo.

Not hard:

2 Tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minimum

chorizo, several inches worth, chopped to whatever size. Medallions are popular/picturesque but I like smaller pieces. Chorizo imported from Spain or in the Spanish style is ideal. Portuguese linguica is an OK substitute, any other substitution will require the addition of herbs and pimentón to supply the flavor.

splash of wine

2 cans cannelini beans, rinsed

8 oz broth, your preference

plenty of shredded kale, probably you will wish you had added more

Saute onions, peppers, garlic in olive oil (a dutch oven is nice for this dish), let them get plenty of color. Add the chorizo, allow fat to render. De-glaze with whatever wine you are drinking (I prefer white with this dish, a Sauvignon Blanc maybe, or Chardonnay, or sherry!). Mix in the beans and add the broth (I like beef broth here). Add the kale (I don’t even bother to mix it in at this point, just leave it on the top) and cover to allow the kale to steam. Once it has wilted, mix in. The longer everything can simmer at this point, the better. Say, 20 minutes. Chorizo is traditionally a dry sausage, and takes time to soften, also the flavors have time to mingle.

You can add more or less broth depending on how soupy you would like the final result, this combination is popular as an actual soup as well. All quantities are flexible.

Serve with toast.

[This recipe is adapted from one from about.com, which I can’t find anymore.]

My sister recently shared her sourdough starter with me and I’ve been thinking of baking projects to use up the portion that gets discarded whenever I feed it. I’ve been meaning to get into baking bread and other yeast-based comestibles for a while now, and so pleased with the results so far. The first project was a multi-grain boule* baked in a Dutch oven, and the second: bagels.

I used a hybrid of this recipe from CHOW and one from Lauren Groveman, featured on an episode of Baking with Julia. I hadn’t realized how straightforward making one’s own bagels is. It’s not easy, exactly, as it takes a fair amount of time, but I had no trouble getting the dough to the proper consistency (which I have not at all found to be the case with breads in general). And these were so, so good. Worlds better than standard grocery store bagels and, freshly baked, basically better than any but those from specialty bakeries making them fresh each morning. Soft, chewy, not at all dry, tasting really properly of bagel (this thanks to the malt syrup, which recommend taking the trouble to get). Good if not better without toasting.

A fair number of steps, but, provided ample flour to prevent sticking at various points, not hard. I especially liked Groveman’s shaping technique, which involved pinching the dough into a neat ball and poking a hole through the center rather than shaping a rope into a circle, better structural integrity this way.

You make the hole disproportionately large when initially shaping to allow for shrinkage. I hadn’t thought about this, and am pleased with this bit of data. That said, I made mine rather too large.

They don’t look so promising for many stages of the process.

Seed & semolina base, egg wash, coating of choice, baking stone, ice water below for steam.

Semolina, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds.

Trying to learn to make more and more of these foods I would normally buy pre-made. Satisfying. The making of breads I find especially meditative and comforting.

Tag: on the menu

on the menu: white beans, chorizo, kale

sourdough bagels