icookwithb-blog

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Rinse and Strip: how to approach tuscan kale

She slid the kale leaves off the stem as if it were nothing. When I tried, the same thing did not happen: four small pieces of torn kale. But it’s okay, Beatrice has faith in me. 

We were prepping the tuscan kale for Ribollita, a rustic Italian soup. It’s labeled as a ‘poor man’s soup,’ which apparently translated into real english means that it’s cheap to make, but amazing in flavor. 

Care to Cannellini?

I’m going to skip right to the cannellini beans. I honestly could have just eaten the soup thickener that we made: beans cooked in water, olive oil, and sage and then pureed into a divine broth. 

Beatrice always does this to me; she makes every part of the process taste so good that I’m constantly tantalized. Somehow, I have to hold myself back until the end product is finished.

Click the links in this article to find the full recipe.

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Grammy June's Frosty Date Balls

Beatrice said that Italians don’t really bake treats for neighbors during the holiday season—but I do. And I love it. Last year was my first holiday season in the city. And to the Vermont girl who moves to city, note to self: people will either think you are dropping of small poison macaroon balls or simply ignore the knocking on their door for safety reasons.

WARNING: do not accept cookies from strangers.

Okay, maybe I’m being overly dramatic. But I did end up with lots of leftover cellophane bags of macaroons tied with little bows and each adorned with handmade watercolor cards.

This year was different though; I made Grammy June’s Frosty Date Balls. And I only delivered them to actual friends or as thank yous to people who provide me various services….or of course to the dart league at Grass Roots Tavern. They were a big hit. Hello 2015.

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An Italian tradition of little doughnut shaped cookies...

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'Al Cartoccio'...'En Papillote'... little salmon parchment love packets. Into the oven we go.

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PISELLI E PROSCIUTTO

garden peas and prosciutto This is a Roman staple, easy and flavorful, you can omit the prosciutto and make it vegetarian or omit the butter and make it vegan. 1 BOX FROZEN GARDEN PEAS 1 SMALL ONION THINLY SLICED 3 TBSP EXTRA VIRGIN OO 1 TBSP BUTTER 2 SLICE OF PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA or any prosciutto or good Virginia ham ¼ TEASPOON SEA SALT FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE Melt butter and oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Add sliced onions and salt and let wilt. Add frozen peas (do not thaw) and mix until the peas thaw. Add ¼ cup of water and cook for another 10 minutes add julienne prosciutto stir thru your peas are ready when they smell good or when they start wrinkling. If you see that you need more liquid add water but then make sure to adjust the salt. Finish with freshly ground black pepper. serves 4 non greedy eaters as a side

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The Cranberries and Pork Tenderloin. 

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Beatrice recounts her Turkey story...

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It Sings

I could listen to Beatrice all day.

[to the pork tenderloin]

B: ‘I would kind of love to shove a chipotle in it, what do you tink? You know you put anything you want in it really.’

How are we going to cook it B?

B: ‘We are going to tie it and fucking cook it’

B. ‘Roll the rub like dough’

  B. 'You know, this is the kind of recipe that never comes out the same’ (which I’m pretty sure she says for all recipes)

  The way she plays with it [the uncooked pork tenderloin] and pats it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay; and that maybe this doesn’t have to be so intimidating.

…and then random outbursts:

  B: ‘Oh my God, that anise seed is so fucking flavorful, should we take you out? I think we should take you out. Otherwise it’s going to taste like all fucking anise.’

  And then for the side dish of simple peas and onions…

  [to the onions]

  B: ‘Not brown, we just want to make it happy’

  B: ‘Easy peazy’

  ….And now for everything from the pre-dinner lavender margarita, to the spiced pork tenderloin, to the cranberry sauce:

  B: ‘I really love food that sings, you see this, sings…the cranberry sings…

  …Bea, how does it sing?

B: ‘Herbs, veg, love, I really don’t know, but I love that it sings. Your margarita sings—soprano [I brought us lavender margaritas]. You know idk..Your mouth and your nose and your brain…and explosion!’

  Oh, CucinaBea…

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Carry-on Cranberry

I’m on a plane. I somehow got through security; I had five little glass jars (all different sizes) of our CucinaBea cranberry sauce in my carry-on bag. Apparently my eye-balling of 3.4 oz or less jars was pretty accurate. The only bag that got called over for an extra screening was my suitcase carrying the pecan pie; they were obviously salivating early for Thanksgiving dessert. They made me open the carefully packaged box all to take a quick peak and confirm that …’yes, this is indeed a pecan pie.’  After offering them a slice, I was off to my gate. Great success.

And now, sitting here on this plane and looking out my window, I’m thinking about how crazy amazing we are as humans. How am I flying right now?! How am I looking out over all these crazy miniature city lights; it’s dark out, but there are random patterns of glowing twinkles. And I’m doing what?!...I’m flying in the air while simultaneously typing on a computer, as the guy next to me watches a movie on his ‘smart pad;’ and all this, while drinking a glass of wine?! How did we get this far along?! I love it!

But you know what? The juxtaposition of home cooking excites me just as much. This is something ancient, yet something we can still do and connect with (and require). And this simple realization and appreciation is nothing more than­—amazing. And how have we evolved in cooking terms? I’d say pretty far—but also not far at all, which I love. I can connect with cooking in a tangible way that I cannot with the process involved in getting me up here in this plane at 35,000 feet. I do love flying though, especially with homemade cranberry sauce.

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Finding Bea

I want to give a little background as to how I met Bea. The first encounter was at brunch time, on a Saturday in June. I had just arrived. Susan who used to live in the Lower East Side for years wanted to bring me to her favorite place to eat: Il Posto Accanto & Il Bagatto.

Italian—the kind that speaks with a very thick accent. Beatrice. Chef genius, emanating from the simple and unpretentious appreciation of fresh ingredients along with a patience for process. A Bellini in June is made with Rhubarb because it is in season. A Bloody Mary is made with homemade tomato purée, fresh horseradish and robust Italian kisses. And then there is the food. From here I could go on for a while. But I’m going to stop myself short. Because it’s not about the food or drinks. It goes deeper than that.

Of course I had numerous Il Posto nights while there during my summer in NYC, but then I left. I went back to school in Florida. Years later, I came back to live in the NYC, where I am now. Janet, a new and now close friend who has lived in the city for over 15 years said one day that she wanted to share with me her favorite restaurant in the city and her 'home away from home.' I arrived to the address she gave me, and there it was again: Il Posto Accanto/Il Bagatto. Something clicked. This is what it’s all about. 

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Cucina Bea: Rabbit and Rabe

Bea is crazy. It's our first session, and why start out with something super basic when you can start with Rabbit, right? Ask Bea. 

Bea had the Rabbit all cut up and nicely laid out on her counter of cutting board when I arrived. She had purchased it from her guy at the Union Square Green Market that morning.

According to Bea, 'You can tell it's good meat when it doesn't shrink when you cook it.' This rabbit Bea bought was not going to shrink. It was fresh, never had been frozen, and was from the same guy she always bought from. 

This was exciting, I love Rabbit (well at least the one and only time I had it, I enjoyed it). Bea was surprised when I mentioned that I liked rabbit the week prior, 'you mean you don't think it's like eating Bugs Bunny like most other Americans do?!' 

'Well no, I guess I don't. I feel fine about it actually.' Apparently that separates me from the average.

As daunting as the idea of cooking rabbit at our first cooking session was, the way Bea had us prepare the meat was incredibly simple. 'Less is more,' says Bea often. Simple recipes using quality ingredients; that's what it's all about according to Bea and her Italian roots. Maybe Bea is not that crazy? We'll see.

We enjoyed the rabbit with a side of broccoli rabe and it was delightful! A decadent feast for two. Recipe to follow.

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Now icookwithb

I learn by doing. Not by listening, not by watching, not by reading—but by doing. Of course listening, watching and reading is a part of it, but for me, most important, is that I'm physically doing it, and then reflecting on what I just did.

So let's talk about cooking. Recipes are pretty much a lost cause on me. I strive to be more like my sister, the 'Queen of Prep.' She reads the recipe thoroughly (probably multiple times), and has all ingredients out, measured, and put neatly in separate little dishes before even gesturing at the gas on the stove. But guess what, I am the 'Queen of Chaos.'

Perhaps my haphazard habits stem from my desire to get things going. “Better get the onions and garlic sautéing while I chop the rest of these veggies.” Next comes the rush to get the other ingredients together so I can toss them into the overcooked onions and soon to be burnt garlic, all while hurriedly misreading the directions (if I am attempting to use a recipe at all). 

Maybe I'm just hungry, or maybe it’s just that I love allowing flavors and dish concepts to evolve freely and without constraint—to lead by taste and intuition.

Regardless, I think I have recently been blessed. Because now: icookwithb! B is short for Bea, which is short for, Beatrice Tosti di Valminuta, 'Queen of Cucina' chef and  owner of Il Posto Accanto (and what was Il Bagatto as well). She cooks from the heart and dominates any kitchen and space with her years of experience that are paired with her loud italian accent, personality and size. 

So I cook with B now and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes, and what I learn. I'll keep you posted.

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Pasta Brainstorm. 

With Bea, brainstorming ideas for our project tastes really good.