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Stage 7: Millau to Lavaur. Today, the riders swept through the Languedoc on their way to the southwest of France. As I was researching what to make, I started running into problems: where ARE they?! Think of it as traveling across Texas - from Aspermont to Kermit. Never heard of those places?! No one has. Luckily, I had recently purchased a wonderful book that is much more about French culinary history and geographical-specific cuisine than recipes alone, which enlightened me of the fact they were merely slipping into "Cassoulet Country"...which made me very happy. I started soaking my dried cannelini beans last night and after 4 hours of cooking a trio of pork products today, ended up in pure culinary heaven. Beans: a simple yet majestic foodstuff. Sure, you can open a can, drain them of that funky, murky, pungent, thick water and toss them into a dish when you’re in a rush. But, I’m somewhat of a devotee to traditional, slow-cooking methods. Buying a bag of dry beans and soaking it in salt water overnight, followed by cooking them yourself in a bath of aromatics, turns a simple bean into a luxurious and creamy food item which helps add layers of depth to your final dish. This dish is also, clearly, a celebration of pork. While the best sausage you can find would be the regional-specific, garlic-kissed, Toulouse Sausage, you can also sub in your favorite summer sausage or even kielbasa for its lovely smokiness, which I used in this recipe below. While the recipe calls for a small amount of pork shoulder, you’ll probably notice that while cheap - pork shoulders come in large quantities at the supermarket. Ask your butcher if they can cut you a small portion - mine was happy to, but hey, he’s my sister’s husband! An alternative is to buy the packaged shoulder, cut off what you need, and save the rest for a nice barbecue down the road. Pork Cassoulet 1 lb dried cannellini beans 4 oz salt pork 1.5 lbs toulouse sausage or kielbasa 1.5 lbs pork shoulder cut into rough chunks (1 inch or so) 1 onion 2 carrots Tomato Paste Garlic ⅔ cup white wine 1 large, ripe, or 14.5 oz can of diced tomato 4 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock Bouquet garnis: 2 celery stalks, halved; few thyme sprigs; bay leaf 4 slices of sandwich bread or your favorite large loaf Parsley Soak your beans in a large bowl of salted water overnight (no less than 8 hours). Place salt pork and raw sausage (no need to include already cooked sausage like kielbasa) in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes then transfer the salt pork to a bowl and the sausage to a cutting board to cool slightly. Slice the sausage into bite-sized rounds. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown for about 10 minutes - remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the boiled salt pork. Add the pork shoulder pieces to the dutch oven, browning all over, and adjusting the heat lower to medium, if necessary. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 and dice your onion and carrots into ¼-inch dice, adding them to the browned pork after 10 minutes, stirring frequently for a couple of minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring and roasting for 1 minute, then add 4 cloves of minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Stir in the cooked sausage, tomatoes and salt pork. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and add them to the pot along with the stock which should just cover the beans (they can float on the surface, but if any beans are exposed add some water). Add in the bouquet garnis (fastened with butcher string) and bring to a boil, cover the pot and place in the lower third of the oven for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 350. Discard the bouquet garnis and place the salt pork on a cutting board to cool slightly. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Dice the salt pork and stir back in the pot, and place it, uncovered in the oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, tear the bread into rough pieces, and pulse 4 times in a food processor. Drizzle with some olive oil and pulse a few times more achieving a large crumb texture and transfer to a bowl. Finely chop a handful of parsley leaves and stir into the breadcrumbs, seasoning with salt and pepper. Take a quarter of the breadcrumbs and top the casserole and place back in the oven, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 10 additional minutes. Finally, toss the remaining crumbs evenly atop the cassoulet and place back in the oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Check the topping around 25 minutes - you want a nice deep, golden brown topping. Let rest, uncovered for 10 minutes before serving. ______________________________ Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 6: Castrovillari to Matera. Today was as much about art as it was food. The last time I ventured down this treacherous and questionable path was when I did my last Oscars-themed dinner. I had nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing in mind for Joker. I guess I could’ve done a mock tv-dinner, reflecting back on it now. But, I didn’t like the movie, at.all., and I think I let that cloud my “artistic process”...see for yourself...I mean, it is kind of funny.  However, let’s get back to today’s footage that aired on Flo Sports, which I purchased so I could watch the race and get beautiful scenery of Italy. That’s one thing I love about these major road races. It’s almost like a mini-travel documentary and you can learn alot about the different regions of the countries the riders are traversing through. Not to mention: it’s like I’m eating there, too. The race websites also provide some good nuggets on their pages, which is how I start developing meal ideas for my Instagram #culinaryridealong entries. Today was breathtaking as the riders came upon towns which were magnificently carved into towering limestone mountains. Additionally, Matera is home to famous caves which people once used as their homes. So, I attempted to mimic that scenery of the rolling hills with some very tender meatballs which were cooked in a reduced tomato sauce, employing reduced balsamic vinegar to provide the dolce in my agrodolce sauce. That was a first for me, and definitely not the last time. I then slammed the meatballs against some oven-roasted romanesco topped with seasoned breadcrumbs that, along with the almonds dotting the meatballs, represented the limestone. The tasty charred bits of the romanesco represent the caves within the hills of Matera. I was happy with my “installation” and think I did a pretty cool job with the representation. The food was comfortingly flavorful and nearly as impactful as the beautifully jarring images of the day. Calabrian Meatballs in Balsamic Tomato Sauce Adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris Bread Milk Extra-virgin olive oil Onion Garlic clove Passata or tomato purée 1 lb meatloaf mix 2 eggs Parsley Pecorino Cheese Balsamic vinegar Blanched, sliced almonds Rip the end of a loaf of bread into pieces and place in a large bowl with a ¼ cup of milk, stir to combine and let the bread soak up the milk. Heat a ¼ cup of evoo in a large pot over medium heat. Mince the onion and add to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Saute for a few minutes, then add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add 2 cups of passata, season with salt and pepper and adjust heat to simmer. While the sauce simmers, add the meat to the bowl with the soaking bread, along with the lightly beaten eggs. Rip a handful of parsley leaves, chop and add to the bowl along with ½ cup of grated cheese, some kosher salt and black pepper. Gently mix with your hands, incorporating everything but not over-working the meat. Then form small meatballs and set aside. Preheat a large skillet, with 4 tbsp evoo, over medium-hight heat. Add in half of the balls and brown all over. If the balls start flattening, losing their ball shape, use a cooking spoon and gently push the balls toward the side of the pan to gently adjust the shape of the meatball. When the meatballs are browned, add them to the sauce to finish cooking and to soak up some of the sauce, for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, pour in ⅓ cup of vinegar and reduce by boiling down rapidly to about half the original amount. Then, pour the reduced balsamic vinegar over the meatballs and sauce in the pot, stirring gently to incorporate. Cover the pot, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with a garnish of cheese and almonds. Oven-roasted Romanesco 1 or 2 heads of romanesco (roughly 1 lb each) Extra-virgin olive oil Bread Garlic Parsley Pecorino cheese (Parmesan or Grana Padono will work too) Preheat the oven to 420. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the romanosco on the prepared pan. Generously drizzle olive oil over the romanesco rubbing into the florets with your hands or a brush. Place in the oven and roast for an hour, or slightly longer, until roast-charred to your liking. Meanwhile, using the end of a bread loaf (or a regular piece), tear it into bite-size pieces and pulse in a mini-food processor until you reach coarse crumbs. In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of evoo and a minced clove of garlic for a minute over medium heat. Add in the bread crumbs along with some chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Stir frequently monitoring the crumbs until toasted. Set aside to cool, then stir in ¼ cup of grated cheese. When the romanesco is done, drizzle with more evoo and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture pressing into the florets. Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

The braised trio of meats come out similar to short ribs, but less fatty.

Tasty, charred, and braised bratwurst along with some sautéed onions in a mustard-slathered bun. Turn up the heat and keep braising the onions, uncovered, until the beer is nearly evaporated.

There’s the overnight soak, then slow braise until they relent and absorb the flavorful broth they are Stir to combine and raise the heat to medium. 

Turn up the heat and keep braising the onions, uncovered, until the beer has nearly evaporated.

the author of the recipe suggested the dish would be best served with a baguette for sopping up the braising Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a braiser, or large skillet, set over medium-high heat.

Bitterballen Typically, bitterballen involves a slow braise of meat.

Braise the stew for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.

In no particular order, I get very excited about braises, pasta, and chicken & rice.

It is amazing how a slow and steady braise of ham hocks and root vegetables can transform 3 quarts of

to brown the chicken), beans...and more beans thanks to summer green beans, and stock, as well as a braise