Keeling over for Kielbasa

Awhile back, I had some fresh kielbasa sausages from the Willy St. Co-op in the freezer. They were meant for someone else, but I decided to make them for myself. I used the recipe for Escarole with Italian Sausage and White Beans from Epicurious. (See my swaps and substitutions below the recipe.)

Seared sausages

3 tablespoons olive oil

12 Italian sausages (about 3 pounds), casings removed

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped prosciutto (about 2 ounces)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 large head escarole, chopped (about 10 cups)

3/4 cup dry white wine

4 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained

1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté sausage until cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 6 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl, leaving drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium; add onion to pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add prosciutto and sauté 1 minute. Mix in garlic and crushed red pepper. Add escarole and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 2 minutes. Add beans, stock and sausage and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Partying like it's 2012

Just a few shots from my 35th birthday extravaganza in September, which included a picnic by the lake, dinner at Umami, shopping at reThreads west and dinner at Eno Vino, and dinner and La Brioche cake at A. + H.'s house. Oh, and the boy bought me my very own bocce ball set. I can't wait to try them out. Woot!

B.'s tutu transformed me into a birthday nymph

Delicious cake from La Brioche

Cioppino to Seafood Chowder

This culinary adventure started as cioppino, a seafood stew developed in the 1800s by Portuguese and Italian fishermen who had settled in San Francisco's North Beach region. It consists of seafood, tomatoes, white wine, and toasted bread (sourdough or baguette).

The word is derived from cuippin, which means to chop or chopped in the Ligurian dialect of Genoa, and refers to the tradition of chopping up leftovers from the day's catch to make the stew.

It shares a common history with other dishes from the region, including cacciucco or brodetto from Italy; bouillabaisse, burrida, and bourride from French Provencal; and suquet de peix from Catalan-speaking Spain.

Unfortunately, I used a fish blend from Trader Joe's. I like most things from T.J.'s, but this fish was low-end because the cioppino was contaminated by an over-the-top fishy taste.

So we return to the drawing board to transform a dish into something delicioso. As is the case with most things, adding butter and cream to it salvaged the fishy cioppino. I made a simple roux and kicked up the vegetable contingent.

Ta da! The end result was a gorgeous, rich seafood chowder.