The Ash Creek Papers

Early full disclosure:  I’m not a huge fan of soups.  Yes, I can selectively love them, particularly at the hands of skilled practitioners of making: French onion soup, New England clam chowder, minestrone  & matzoh ball soup (and I admit that I will give a flyer to anything that has sausage and/or clams in it).  But here’s the thing… I only enjoy soup the “night of.”  Meaning?  I ain’t interested in left-overs, or previously-made-frozen-then-reheated soup.

So, here’ the deal.  Once warm weather sets in, dinner descends to: on-the-grill or salads.  You know what I’m talking about… juicy cheeseburgers & hot dogs, marinated flank steaks, thick cut porterhouse steaks w/veggie kebobs, baby back ribs, barbequed chicken & swordfish steaks… or cold salads with special-ingredients-that sound-interesting-but-never-deliver-the-satisfaction. 

Where are the wonderful casseroles, stews and dishes prepared in Dutch ovens and slow cookers? Where are those supreme dishes of cooler weather, dishes that make enough for two nights and maybe more?  And can be enjoyed with even greater relish on day two?

Aye, there is the rub.  So, I was hunting for an alternative to the grill without traversing on that sad path to cold salads.  And, lo!  I found a soup!  A soup of all things!  And me, a soup naysayer!  But there you are!  Life’s pleasures sometimes come from unexpected quarters!  This recipe is easy (I mean real easy) and delicious!  And, YES!  Slow cooker!

For wine I wanted a flavorful White that didn’t exhibit an obvious citrus or oaky layer of flavors. Fresh, with pleasant fruit with some minerality to provide complexity.  I chose a beautiful Godello from the northwest corner of Spain.  Other wine ideas?  Greco di Tufo or a Côte du Rhône Blanc.  Or alternatively a Rosé or a lighter styled Red like a Beaujolais Villages.

Casar Godello ‘18  (Bierzo,  Spain) 
Made from 100% Godello grapes from the middle plots of the Valtuille de Arriba vineyards. 
The nose is divine, great intensity. Aromas of exotic fruits, passion fruit, splash of citrus, as well as white stone fruits. On palate the fruit concentration and freshness are tangible, great structure on the wine which can be attributed to aging the wine on its lees. A fresh, alive, and fruity entrance into a wonderful body and texture that is wrapped up by magnificent acidity. The mark of a truly great white wine. Mineral and citric sensations, with plenty of length. 90pts Wine Spectator; 90pts Wine Enthusiast; 90pts Peñin

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Ingredients 
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
6 cups unsalted chicken stock
1½ cups chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
12 oz dried great northern beans
3 cups of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 1” pieces
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup of shaved Parmesan cheese
1 personal sized watermelon

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Put chicken stock, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf & great northern beans into a slow cooker cover and set to LOW for 8 hours.

3.  Discard the thyme sprigs & bay leaf. To the slow cooker, add the kale, salt, tomato paste and sausage. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and serve with shaved parmesan cheese.  

n.b. The original recipe called for “hot” Italian sausage.  I chose “sweet”.  Next, the recipe called for taking the sausages out of the casings to fashion mini-meatballs to use. Not happening!  I cut the sausages into sections that seemed “mini  meatball sized” appropriate.  And, final comment… the watermelon is included in the “ingredient” list because I love watermelon, but it  has nothing to do with this recipe!  But you knew that all along!  Didn’t you?

I rarely pay attention to “side dishes”, but a recent feed from My Recipes caught my attention: “25 side dishes for hot dogs”. But before we proceed, let me alert you that coming from New Haven, CT as I do, there are two “core foods” that are woven into our DNA.  First, Apizza produced at one of the sacred triumvirates: Pepe’s, Sally’s or Modern.  Second, hot dogs from Jimmies of Savin Rock.  The hot dogs were (and are) sourced from New Haven firms.  When I was a kid, it was Roesslers (now out of business).  The tradition is carried on quite successfully by Hummels. 

I was looking to throw a few Hummels on the grill, and the idea that there was a side dish that would complete the repast intrigued me.  Particularly if it fell outside the traditional deli-salads, or typical add-ons… mustard, relish, kraut, chili & cheese.  This recipe is a pure win!  In Mexico the dish is also known as esquites, it’s fresh, flavorful, bright & light!  And so good with my grilled Hummels!

Having settled on a “casual” menu, I opted to return  my 1966 Château Latour to the cellar in favor of a modest French country wine from Saint-Pourçain.  I had never heard of this wine appellation before.  It is located in central France in the Allier Department, which sits to the west of Saône-et-Loire.  The wine is a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir… a blend that is also produced in Côte Chalonnaise Burgundy where it is known as Passe-Tout-Grains.  La Ficelle  is a decidedly fresh and light bodied red that I served chilled.  Hot dogs, street corn salad & a chilled glass or two of  La Ficelle… a warm summer evening doesn’t get better!

La Ficelle de Saint-Pourçain ’18 (Saint-Pourçain, France)
Thirty years ago the pioneering Cave Co-opérative at Saint-Pourçain had the fun idea (perhaps inspired by Mouton-Rothschild) of asking a different comic artist to illustrate their red wine bottle every vintage. The common theme throughout the series has been the ‘La Ficelle’ reference, which denotes the section of knotted string that was dipped into your bottle by a waiter to determine how much you should be charged for that evening’s consumption! Young, fresh wine with lovely ruby red and violet colour. Delightful fruit on the nose, showing blackcurrant and cherry, with spicy, peppery overtones.  Soft on palate, no hard edges on the perfectly dry & clean finish.

STREET CORN SALAD

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in halves
½ black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Combine cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk in olive oil to blend well.

3. Stir together shucked corn, radishes, tomatoes & black beans in a medium bowl.  Gently stir in dressing and toss.

4. Spoon mixture onto a serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

n.b. There is one nuisance element to this recipe.  Fresh corn kernels.  I grilled corn the day before, and then shucked the corn from the fridge  the following day. What about using frozen corn brought to room temp?  It might be a good  alternative, but I think I’d miss the taste of grilled corn.  On recommendation from the recipe, I substituted Feta cheese for Cotija.

p.s. I made the salad for the second time on Sunday and served it with grilled scallops w/bacon.