Recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Coffee cake muffin with pecans and cashews.

Topping:

Mix 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 cup finely chopped nuts, 2 Tbsp melted butter

Muffins:

Mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp baking powder in a bowl. Add 1/2 of the topping mixture and stir to blend.

Beat together 3 Tbsp melted cooled butter, 1 cup milk, 1 egg in a separate bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold to blend. Do not overmix.

Spoon into 12 well-greased muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full.

Top with the remaining brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes, until browned and passes the clean toothpick test.

Serve with sustainably-sourced, locally-roasted coffee.

Bon appétit!

Roasted chicken sauteed in olive oil with onion, celery, and red bell pepper. Stir in Dijon mustard and fresh herbs. Season and serve crostini-style.

Roasted red peppers and olive oil on chèvre pesto.

Napoli salumi (Olli Salumeria, VA), red and green bell peppers, and chèvre.

Cannellini beans, kale, and red pepper cooked in bacon fat and olive oil (same method as Tuscan Beans).

Radishes from the Blacksburg farmer's market served with butter and salt.

Roasted red peppers and onions on the grill.

Grilled pizza of roasted red peppers, onions, Olli Napoli Salume, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil and parsley. Dough recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Complete Grilling Cookbook.

Paired with a 2010 Rosso Piceno.

Bok choy stir-fried with garlic, ginger, and Anaheim chili pepper.

Udon noodles tossed with toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, tamari, and chili sauce are fried in peanut oil.

Fried noodle bowl.

Paired with Gabriele Rausse Chardonnay.

This is what I do with late season tomatoes, when they've started to lose optimal flavor and texture. 225F oven for approximately 3 hours, depending on size. Salt and pepper optional.

Roasted tomatoes will keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several days.

One of many versions of Tuscan beans, comprised of Cannellini beans simmered with Italian sausage (Shadowcase Farm, Giles Co.), roasted tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, sage, and therapeutic amounts of olive oil.

 

Paired with 2007 Barbaresco.

Recipe:

Soak 1 cup Cannellini beans in 5 cups water overnight. Drain and rinse, bring to boil in 5 cups unsalted water, simmer for about an hour until tender. Drain and set aside.

Cook a small amount of pork (Pancetta, Prosciutto, Italian sausage are all good choices) in a large saute pan, remove pork, leave fat. Add olive oil and  saute 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic in 3-4 Tbsp of fat over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add chopped fresh sage and rosemary and cook for another minute or so. Add 1/2 cup or so chopped roasted tomatoes (roasted red pepper is also delicious), season with salt and pepper. Saute for another couple of minutes, being careful that the garlic doesn’t get any color.

Add Cannellini beans and pork, another 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, and season again. Stir to combine, and let simmer for several minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Bon appétit!

Perfect with bifteck haché à la Julia Child.