Chris Cosentino’s Boccalone Sausage and Beans

“You are what you eat.” This is a phrase I heard often as a child, and until recently it made little sense to me. When I was very young, it made me nervous because I didn’t want to become a hamburger and fries. And in my teen years, I realized it was my parents’ way of guiding me away from junk food, although I have to admit, they weren’t too successful. But, as I have gotten older and pursued a greater commitment to cooking quality food, I have discovered it means much more than just going to the grocery store and buying the best-looking piece of meat and some fresh vegetables.

Knowing that our bodies are nourished by the nutrients we absorb from the food we eat, shouldn’t we also consider that the food we eat also absorbs nutrients from what it has eaten? We also want to take into account how the animal is raised. Was it raised in a stress-free environment? I know from personal experience that stress increases the toxins in your system and causes tightened muscles. Is that what you want to serve your guests for dinner?

Buying organic is a step in the right direction, but is not the final answer. We need to look for meat that comes from producers who have committed to raising their livestock in a healthful and humane manner. Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto (1550 Church Street, 415-641-4500) has made this commitment and has the only “certified humane” restaurant in the country.

I have long admired his cooking and philosophy regarding where our food is sourced from. I recently had a chance to spend some time with him in his kitchen where we prepared a recipe that he has let me share with you. After talking with Cosentino, I discovered his passion runs very deep for the animals he serves. He is also a mentor to his staff, showing them the complete process from the field to the table. This instills in them a more profound appreciation for the animal they are preparing and serving.

For a long time, Cosentino has also had a passion for making sausages and curing meats. This passion has led to many nights when the kitchen staff has had to dodge and weave through hunks of meat hanging to cure in the kitchen. Cosentino has alleviated this problem by starting up Boccalone, a meat-curing facility in Oakland that supplies both Incanto and a retail shop in the Ferry Building.

Here is the recipe Chris taught me to prepare.

Chris Cosentino’s Boccalone Sausage and Beans
(Serves 4)

Note: This recipe calls for preparing dried beans. You can substitute steps 1 and 2 in the recipe by using four 15-ounce cans of beans, rinsed and drained.

1	pound dried cannellini beans
3	quarts pork stock
2	garlic cloves, crushed
1	onion, peeled
1	carrot, peeled
1	fennel bulb, split
4	canned plum tomatoes, chopped
	Salt

1. Sort through the beans, removing any stones, and rinse under cold running water. Place the beans in a large pot, cover with cold water by at least two inches, and let soak for at least four hours

2. Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the pork stock, whole vegetables, and canned tomatoes. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, continuing to simmer for one hour.

3. Lower the heat so that the beans are barely simmering and cook for an additional one to two hours or until beans are just tender. Note that the fresher the beans, the shorter the cooking time.

4. Remove the beans from the heat and let them cool in their cooking liquid. Remove the whole vegetables. and reserve the beans in their liquid.

Beans with Sausage

5	tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2	pounds Boccalone sausage links
4-5	fresh sage leaves
4	garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
	Salt (about 2 teaspoons) and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage links and crushed garlic cloves, making sure not to crowd the pan or the sausage won’t brown well. Once the sausage is brown, add the sage leaves. As the leaves sizzle, add the reserved beans along with their cooking liquid, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer a few minutes longer, stirring gently, being careful not to break up the beans, until sausage is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Cheers,
Bill

For more of Bill's recipes, visit http://www.northsidesf.com/kitchenlesscook.html
E-mail: bill@yummyletter.com

Home Recipes from GraceAnn Walden

I grew up with a Jewish “grandmother,” Mrs. Tannenbaum. In actuality she was a woman my mother found to babysit me while she worked. Later, I lived at her house all week and went home on the weekends.

I became her little Gracela and when she lit the candles on Friday night, she put a napkin on my head and said prayers. And she kept a kosher home.

My eating life revolved around homemade gefilte fish, boiled chicken, brisket, great chicken soup, and a wonderful Passover Seder, which I didn’t quite understand at the age of four. 

On weekends, my mother cooked spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf, lamb chops, and the occasional French Canadian dish. On Sundays, I went to mass with my mother.

I am proud to be bicultural!

One of my favorite dishes that Grandma made for me was lox, onions and eggs. I’ve had it in a few restaurants, but it must have been the love she added that made hers different.

Lox, Onions and Eggs
(Serves 4)

1/3	pound lox, sliced
4	tablespoons sweet butter, divided
2	medium onions, diced
10	eggs

Cut the lox into ½-inch slices. Place in a bowl and pour over milk to leach out some of the salt.

Melt 2 butter and sauté the onions until just translucent, but not brown, although a little brown is OK.

Whisk together the eggs. Add cooled onions and drained lox.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add egg mixture.

Cook slowly, forming large curds as you use a wooden or nonstick spatula to move the egg around. When it still looks shiny and uncooked, turn off heat and turn around once more.

I serve with whole-wheat toast.

Happy cooking,
GraceAnn

Cookbook Review

Daily News Cook Book
Chicago Daily News,1896

I didn’t see any new books to try this week, so I decided to review an oldie but goodie. This is part of my collection.

Cookbooks more than history books tell us more about the life and times of a population in a specific time period. I simply love reading them. This particular book is subtitled, “seasonal, inexpensive bills of fare for every day of the year.” 

And you thought that was invented in the 1970s in Berkeley.

Here is a wonderful old recipe exactly as written in 1896:

Fish Omelet

Beat up four eggs with a quantity equal in bulk to one egg of the remnants of any cold fish* shredded fine, a saltspoonful of salt [I would say ½ a teaspoon], one-fourth saltspoonful of pepper; a pinch of minced parsley, mix well.

Melt a lump of butter the size of an egg, pour in the egg mixture and cook over a clear fire. As soon as it is cooked through, fold over on to a hot dish and serve quickly. 

Serving suggestions: compote of oranges, wheatlet with sugar and cream, Graham bread and coffee.

* Cooked salmon would work

— GraceAnn

Tools & Toys: Avo Saver

I was skeptical about this patent-pending toy, but it really does keep that pesky second half of the avocado fresh longer by creating a nearly airtight seal. Just place the half with the pit face down on the base (it’s flat with an indention for the pit) and secure it with the adjustable strap. You’ll never have to scrape brown off of your leftover avocado again! Cleans up easily by hand or in the top rack of the dishwasher.

Avo Saver: $3.99 at La Prima

— Susan