Enjoy the Delicious

As much as I love food, people are always shocked to hear that I don't like sweets.  I am probably the only person around who can actually resist chocolate.  It's probably a blessing in disguise; if I consumed sweets the way I consume savory foods, things would not be good for my waistline.  That being said, every so often I do get a hankering for a chocolate chip and walnut cookie from Balthazar Bakery or a cream filled eclair from Beard Papa.  Either one of these quick treats is something of an occasion and not something I do very often.

It may be the cold air enveloping New York City or the fact that I had such a light dinner, but tonight I needed the sweet, a comforting treat to sate me.  I'm in luck, even though I don't own a sweet tooth, I have a 9 year old son who does.  What's a home with children without brownies in the house?  I always have a couple of boxes of Trader Joe's Ready to Bake Brownies in the freezer.  It's ingenious, premade brownie mix in a bakepan that you just stick in the oven for 25 minutes and presto! No eggs to crack, no bowls to wash, it's ridiculously simple.  Enjoy your brownie with a cup of coffee and trashy reality TV.  Heaven.

When it comes to food, I never like to be caught out.  There are certain things I like to keep stocked in the pantry just in case I need to whip up a simple, no-thought meal.  This week is very busy and I feel a cold coming on so I needed to throw some comfort food together that will yield a couple of days worth of leftovers.

In my kitchen you will usually find a few things that I stock all the time: bags of beans, boxes of stock and liquid concentrate stock, tubs of prepared mirepoix...on days like today I can just rummage around and usually I will find some inspiration for a one pot meal.

Bean and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1 lb of navy or cannellini beans

4 oz. of chopped pancetta

I tub of sliced baby bello mushrooms

1 cup of mirepoix

6 cloves of smashed garlic

2 shallots, chopped

8 sprigs of thyme

1 sprig of rosemary, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red Devil hot sauce

1 lemon, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar only if you have it

Preparation:

Start by preparing the beans. Add the beans to a large pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil.  Cook on low for 10 minutes and then take off the heat, cover and let sit for an hour.  Drain and rinse.

Coat the bottom of a large soup pot generously with olive oil. Once the pan is heated add the pancetta and cook for a couple of minutes and then add the mirepoix, shallots and garlic.  Cook together for about 15 minutes.  Add the stock, herbs, salt and pepper and lemon zest and juice.  I also add the lemon rind to the pot for flavor.

When it comes to adding extras to soup I say it's all about your taste.  I love spicy food and I adore hot sauce.  I specifically like the Red Devil brand hot sauce but Tobasco or any other brand is fine.  I add several shakes of hot sauce and about 3 tablespoons of the vinegar.  Add your beans and cook, covered on low heat for 45 minutes.

Taste the soup and add any extra flavor then add the sliced mushrooms.  Cover again and cook for an additional half hour.

Presentation:

Spoon out into a soup bowl and serve with a huge piece of buttered crusty bread.