What's for Dinner? (12.09.10)

[As seen on Facebook]
Well, it's not like we haven't been cooking - we do have to eat, after all. It's just that it's not been particularly inspired; more than a chicken breast in a foil pouch with Zesty Italian dressing, but less than braising short ribs in Cabernet reduction. Kinda like Thursday - I wanted to cook, but the last real trip to the grocery store was a hazy memory, so no inspiration there. We plug the holes with trips to the vegetable market and the tiny neighborhood store, but there wasn't going to be a magic rack of lamb in the fridge. So, praise to the remnants of the vegetable drawer and a stocked freezer and pantry! As a couple of slices of diced bacon render in a large pan, I defrosted a quart of mushroom stock from the freezer, along with a frozen turkey kielbasa. As the stock came to a simmer, in went a couple diced yellow potatoes for five minutes or so; once the ersatz sausage was defrosted, it got diced and browned in the bacon fat (actual bacon removed). Sausage out, drained and dried potato cubes in to brown as well. Just before those finish up, a couple cloves of minced garlic go in, just long enough to get aromatic, then deglaze the whole shebang with a ladle-full of the mushroom stock. Once all the good brown bits are loosened from the bottom of the pan, in with a can of white beans (cannellini in this case), a can of diced tomatoes, and the rest of the stock. Just 'cause we have 'em, why not a few handfuls of green beans, cut into one inch pieces. Some thyme, a couple bay leaves, dried oregano, coriander, salt and pepper and simmer away until the green beans are tender and everything else is heated through. I wanted to thicken up the sauce a bit, so I added a handful of breadcrumbs and stirred until they homogenized; this would be good soupier, too. A last taste for seasoning (a little more salt, a splash of cider vinegar), a couple hunks of yesterday's crusty bread, bacon sprinkled on top, and dinner is on the table. I think maybe 5 minutes more than Ms. Ray's meal plans, but still quick start to finish - and delicious!


Wine with Dinner: 2006 Novy Syrah Garys' Vineyard - It's fun having a wine cellar, so you can revisit a wine you last had 2 years ago, and find out that it's really much better. What made this work was the pure California fruit flavors that were not over-ripe or jammy, combined with ample acidity that made it work so well with the rich flavors of the dinner.