Prog Chefs Unite!!!

the Polish and Hungarian are my favorites..  well, and a good Andouille

 

yeah I dunno, I've had some hinky sausages at breakfast or on pizza 

Slartibartfast wrote: NaturalScience wrote: I'm doing Alton Brown's "Christmas Soup" this weekend 1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias Vegetable oil, as needed 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound red kidney beans, soaked at least 4 hours and up to overnight 2 quarts chicken broth 1 pound red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 6 ounces fresh kale, approximately 4 handfuls 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper   Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy. Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 8 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. That sounds pretty good but never heard of red bliss potatoes and haven't seen that Alton Brown show yet.  Are we talking small waxy red skinned potatoes?

I think so.  I saw him make the soup, it was on one of those FN Christmas specials.

Anything with kielbasa would meet my other half's unconditional approval... Last year we had kielbasa with lentils for New Year's Eve, in the Italian tradition, and it was a big hit. In Italy we always eat lentils on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (though we use cotechino to go with them, but it's not easy to find here), because each lentil is said to represent a coin.

As for Eric's question about quinoa, I've never tried it, but of course I've heard of it, and now that I am in the US I'll definitely give it a try. It can be found in Italy too, but only in specialised whole foods stores, which tend to be quite pricey. Spelt, on the other hand, called farro in Italian, was the grain eaten by the ancient Romans. A cake made of spelt flour was shared by the bride and groom during the marriage ceremony, and this act was the equivalent of our exchange of rings.

Lentils? Not today...

I've made a Thai green chicken curry today, using fresh coconut and fresh rawit peppers. The remainder of the coconut I used for a coconut pudding, served with fresh mango and lychees.

Nice one, Dean! We're of to the wholesaler's on Tuesday to get our Christmas and New Years diner stuff. One rack of lamb and one sushi lunch will be included, the rest is open for inspiration....

I'm just doing your basic meatloaf and twice baked potatoes tonight. Nothin' too fancy.

E

Of course it is! Last year I bought a book of meatloaf recipes, but I've still got to try any of them. I'll do so very soon, though - it is a dish I have always enjoyed. In Italy meat loaf is called "polpettone" (big meatball), and is usually baked free-form, not in a loaf pan like here. I know Micky loves it, so I'm quite likely to start trying out recipes after the holidays.

oh lentils and sausage, love that with cornbread, butter & honey

The healthy part of the potatoes is guess what ?The skin.