I read the intro and am liking what Bittman wrote. He's promoting reducing meat and dairy intake and increasing vegetables in recipes, something that I've been doing for years already. And here it is, a cookbook that already does it for me. Plus all the recipes are already tested. Score!
For my 1st try from the book, I choose Cassoulet. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, doing the slow-cooked version, which means that I used dried beans and simmer them for an hour with the sausages.
Some modification that I made - intentionally or otherwise:
- I used 2 chicken sausages and 1 pork sausage.
- The recipe said to use 2 zucchini or 1 head of cabbage. I used both. Why not :).
- I used dry thyme and parsley instead of fresh.
- I forgot bay leaves and cayenne pepper. Glad I forgot cayenne pepper as it has enough kick from the 2 spicy sausages.
Tasting impressions:
So good! The beans were tender and sweet and I love all the veggie in there. I've been bringing it to lunch the last 2 days and looked forward to eating it (okay, maybe I'm also feeling bored at work this week). It's the perfect lunch for the winter!
You can find the recipe here on Bittman's website.
Ok.. Me want your SPOONS!! I'm loving them...a this sounds good, we are still experiencing cold weather here, even though today was high 70s! Hurarrryyy! So soup and stews and anything conforting is on my radar to make.
ReplyDeleteI love that book, and even before reading, was one the UP the veggies and DOWN the meat path. What I learned most from this book is the whole grain aspect. I sub barley for white rice and try to incorporate more beans into my dishes. Your Cassoulet looks delicious. I'm with out on improvising for some ingredients :o)
ReplyDeleteFunny how the brain works. I meant to say, I'm with YOU on improvising, ha ha. I think it's time for weekend to start. Speaking of which, Marie and I are baking the Genoise together this week. Sooooooo looking forward to that :o)
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