Homemade sourdough, this time with 30% whole wheat, where the dough sat in the fridge for 6 days getting good and sour.
And, building upon this tangy, crackling foundation, some carciofi alla romana and local, organic navy beans pressure-cooked with guanciale, mirepoix, herbs, and smoked duck broth, and finished with truffle and olive oils.
I’ve been loving the shellfish lately, especially given their highly sustainable status, and big bowls of this (here steamed with sake, garlic, lemon thyme, and fresh yuzu; the liquid from this bowl went on to become the crab sauce from here) have been one of the defining culinary features of these last few months for me.
Also, from my trip to Boston for a bachelor dinner, an extra-special treat post-dinner: this bottle of 1870 Madeira given a few years earlier to the groom by a grateful Portuguese patient.
These are a few of my favorite things, especially for helping one make it through the late-stage spasmodic paroxysms of winter with some dignity and sanity intact.
My, my. Busy, aren’t we?
You can keep everything else, I’ll just take the bowl of mussels and the bread. Oh, and the wine.
i want it all… artichoke looks amazing. the bread is very beautiful… the mussels? i’ll fight heather for them…
Oh how I want that bread RIGHT now. And yes, I’d love a glass of that wine while you’re at it.
Hope you’re not too buried in snow. But I know you can handle it, being the hearty east coaster that you are.
I’m not greedy; I just want the bread. Homemade sourdough, proofed in the basket. Now that’s good work. Looks beautiful. I bet it tastes even better.
Hey, beans and toast! Oi!
Blanche: Not busy, just behind.
Claudia: You can take her- she’s a pushover.
Brittany: We only got an inch- too far North and West to get the full force (for a change.)
Brooke: It’s so damn good. Maybe I’ll send you both some of the starter.
CC: I know, right? There’s something about white beans and artichokes.
“navy beans pressure-cooked with guanciale, mirepoix, herbs, and smoked duck broth…” That’s a bean stew on steroids!! Brilliant!