While by no means a chef, I do find myself in the kitchen a lot, and, wherever I am, that's where I feel most at home chatting, nibbling, sipping. I have had great guides in the kitchen…my mother is a brilliant cook who throws things together at the drop of a hat. 12 people for dinner in two hours? No problem! Nothing much in the fridge? Challenge accepted! She puts Mary Poppins to shame with what she can whip up, no fuss (but quite a lot of mess) and out comes something fabulous. My other kitchen muse was my grandmother who lived for cooking, and as an Italian mother of 6 she had some good training. One of my favorite memories is watching her blow torch creme brulee, hair coiffed and exquisitely dressed, seconded by her dunking arancini, the likes of which I have searched for but never found as perfectly and deliciously executed as hers.
In The Kitchen with Alice Russotti
In my own family my husband is the more ‘serious’ cook - by which I mean he pours over and follows recipes, setting aside an afternoon on the weekend to lovingly labor over something slow cooked and delicious, which he then makes again and again until it's perfected. I on the other hand am a 20 minute cook (maybe more if it's roast chicken… but prep time remains minimal) He is patient. I am not. I cook simply and in an unfussy way and if I say so myself, whether it is a lovely huge piece of halibut made for friends or some sort of veggie stew for dinner (I promise even the rest of my family are quite happy with it…), it works. Simple but delicious.
Recipe: Miso beans, Lemon, and Soft Boiled Egg
Ingredients:
2 cans (giant) white beans
3 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1,5 tbsp. (white) miso paste
2 tbsp. (vegan) butter
2 hands full black kale or swiss chard
1-2 bay leafs
1 organic lemon
Olive oil / chives oil
Some fresh dill
2 organic eggs
(Aleppo) chili flakes
To Made: Crush the garlic and cut the onions in dices.Melt butter in a pot and add the miso paste. Fry the mixture for 2-3 minutes on low heat.Add garlic and shallot.Rinse the beans of one can. Leave the liquid of the other.Add beans to pot and add a splash of water.Simmer on low heat for minimum 30 minutes (the longer the better).Add bay leaf, fresh pepper and some flaky salt.Slice half the lemon in super thin slices and add to the beans.Keep the juice of the second half.Boil water for your eggs and cook them for 5 minutes.Take out and rinse under cold water.Add kale/Swiss chard to the beans and cook for 5 minutes on medium to high heat.Peel the egg and cut in half’s.Place beans on plate and finish with chives oil, pepper, flaky salt, dill and the egg.Sprinkle with chili flakes and serve immediately.Enjoy!
About In The Kitchen With
PORTA offers a uniquely honed edit of homewares from Europe bringing unique character and thoughtful design to your table and home in a way that simultaneously celebrates tradition while embracing contemporary style. Through our travels, interests and obsessions we bring storied traditions and histories to light so they can be engaged with in new ways. Many chefs explore and play with similar interests and ideas through food, and in our seriesIn The Kitchen With…we hope to highlight the joy and creativity that happens from stove to table by inviting chefs to whip up something wonderful on (or accessorized by) PORTA products. Each chef is generously sharing their recipe with us so that we can all recreate the magic at home, and answering a few questions about their love of food and approach to bringing people together around the table.