blogfromafar

Back at home and a little sick for cucina Italiana,
Gary whipped up this riff of a dish on a slow Sunday
afternoon. It’s a dish that waits for you while it cooks,
sort of like a loyal pet that misses you if you don’t pay
attention to it, but always forgives and welcomes you
with unconditional love when you return.

He started by quick “soaking” the cannellini beans by
bringing to a boil for 5 minutes and letting them sit
until cool. Later that same day, he added chopped
onions, and big chunks of celery and carrots (definitely
not a Tuscan style) for flavor, along with som hunks of
bacon and salt and pepper. Cooked until tender.
Meanwhile, he took out some chicken thighs, patted
them dry, dredged in a little flour, salt and pepper, then
browned in olive oil and butter. He added chopped
carrots, celery and onion, then cooked on the stove
until done. Finally he added artichokes and semi-dried tomatoes
and cooked at 200 degrees for an hour. Served as shown.

Although this veers off the course of much of the
cuisine we were served in Tuscany (courses were
usually served separately, not mixed together in a
bowl), the overall effect was grandiose. Full of protein
to satisfy, flavor to interest, and yummy beans to
provide comfort food satisfaction. Try it! Yours will be
different, but just as good!

To give you a
running start, this week’s coupon features 25% off our
whole artichoke hearts, Tuscan white bean appetizer and
semi-dried tomatoes. Either come in the store and ask for the
“Gary’s Ingredients” discount, or click here to shop online!

It’s a bittersweet ride back from Tuscany to the Rome airport. Heading home. Tuscan cypress turn to Roman umbrella pines, the rolling hills called “poggia” flatten as you turn to the sea. To soften the blow, we took a detour south towards Lago Bolsena and Montefiascone, home of Est! Est! Est! wine. As the story goes, a bishop was traveling to Rome and sent his servant ahead to find the local inns with the best wines along the route. When he found them, he marked the word Est! (“Here it is!”) in chalk above the door. When he came to Montefiascone, he liked the local white wine so much he wrote it thrice: Est! Est! Est! above the door.

By the time we got to Montefiascone we were weary from the drive, the rain, and the sense of impending responsibility for things undone in Dallas. We followed the “Centro” signs up the hill to the historic center, parked on a steep slope outside the city walls, and slipped and slid up the cobblestones to the center of town. (more…)