Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/410423
ByNancyLindahl Friday was a soggy Hal- loween. Although rain didn't dampen the spirits of the 1,500 or more Down- town trick-or-treaters, it didn't do those costumes any favors. Our view, from the corner of 2nd and Main, looked out on what seemed like an endless parade of bedraggled, brightly col- ored wet kittens being shep- herded across the busy in- tersection in a solid down- pour by heroic Rotarians in sopping orange vests. Rain at last — I couldn't wait to get home and make a pot of soup. Soup after work has to be quick — nothing that depends on long simmer- ing to develop its flavors — so I chose Millie's Quick Minestrone, a great soup that is simple to throw to- gether and table-ready in about an hour and a half. Millie is a card rep, a sales- woman who's traveled the Napa-Sonoma, Sacramento Metro, and Sacramento Val- ley for many years. Her or- ders are impeccably written in her distinctively neat ar- chitect-style handwriting and she swears by this soup recipe, which comes origi- nally from "Mama" Sebas- tiani, in Sonoma. In her notes Millie says this is the quick version be- cause it uses canned kid- ney beans instead of dry red beans. She serves it "with garlic bread and a salad for a nourishing meal", and adds 'If avail- able, several leaves of fresh basil, chopped fine, will give added flavor. Sometimes, I also add ½ cup grated or cubed potatoes. The lon- ger minestrone is cooked, the better will be the fla- vor." I like this recipe be- cause it doesn't use canned stock, it's a one-step prep, the soup is hearty, and the flavor is fresh. Every time I make it, I'm amazed at the flavor that develops with vegetables and water Millie'sQuick Minestrone Ingredients: 111-ouncecanredkidney beans ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon garlic salt 1clove garlic, pressed ¼ teaspoon pepper 1Tablespoon good quality olive oil ¼ cup chopped parsley 1small zucchini, unpeeled and cut into small cubes 2-3stalks celery, chopped 1small carrot, diced 4green onions, chopped 3Tablespoons butter (op- tional) 1can solid pack whole to- matoes, mashed 2½ cups water ½ cup Pinot Noir Blanc, or Chenin Blanc ¼ cup uncooked elbow macaroni (optional) grated Parmesan-Parmigia- no Reggiano fresh basil Directions: Place un-drained beans in a large kettle or 4-quart saucepan; mash about 2/3 of the beans and leave the rest whole. Add salt, garlic salt, garlic, pepper, olive oil and parsley, stirring well. Then add all the veg- etables, butter, tomatoes, and water. Simmer on low 1hour or more then add wine. If desired, macaroni can be added at this point, and chopped basil. Sim- mer 10-15minutes longer. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh grated parmesan, and a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves. If soup seems too thick, add more water and salt to taste. Considered one of the cornerstones of Italian cui- sine, it's rumored Italians eat more minestrone than pasta. Like so many other wonderfully tasty dishes, lamb shanks come to mind, minestrone has its humble origins in cucina povera — the cuisine of the poor. It is said to have powered the Roman army, and in- terestingly did not include the signature tomatoes and potatoes until those ingre- dients from the Americas were introduced in the Mid- dle Ages. No one extols the primacy of minestrone better than Nigel Slater, food writer for the UK Guardian, who on the occasion of a dysfunc- tional oven is deciding on soup for a meal: "So soup it is then. But if it is to make up for my domestic tragedy (really, who has ever heard of a cookery writer without an oven) then it is going to have to be the best soup in the world. By which I mean minestrone — that vast pot of beans and tomatoes, cab- bage and garlic that warms from the inside out. This is the soup that all other soups bow down to in deepest re- spect. The soup we never make at home because its history and lineage, not to mention its ingredient list, are too awesome to contemplate. Yet nothing could be more rewarding. Dole out ladles of this rich, thick, nubbly soup and you feel like the ultimate earth mother." Unlike Millie's Mine- strone, Slater's uses cab- bage, and that brings up an important aspect of the soup — there is no fixed rec- ipe. Summer minestrone might include fresh peas, and substitute a leek for one of the onions. In late summer, you might substitute fresh borlotti beans for canned kidney beans. Winter minestrone might use but- ternut squash or cabbage. Using vegetables in sea- son is the essence of mine- strone, the other cardinal ingredients being some type of bean, some type of pasta or rice, tomatoes and a generous handful of freshly grated real parme- san cheese. Minestrone tastes even better the day after it's made. As Slater says, "the flavours seem to deepen and mature during the night. Anyway, it is just the sort of recipe you want to make in plentiful quantity — a squirrel store of good- ness to keep you going for a day or two, or at least until you can get the oven fixed." Store minestrone in your refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. In case you are timid about venturing out into the minestrone world on your own, here is a com- pletely different recipe for minestrone by Erin Clarke from her blog, The Law Stu- dent's Wife. Adapted from Ina Garten's Winter Mine- strone recipe in Foolproof, it features butternut squash and kale, both in season right now. Minestrone Soup WITHBUTTERNUT SQUASH,KALEANDWHITE BEANS(HOWWEEATONA BUDGET) Serves 6-8— 45minutes Ingredients 4ounces bacon, ½-inch- diced (4-5slices) 1Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for toast- ing the bread and serving 3cups (½-inch) diced peeled butternut squash (about 1pound) 2cups (½-inch) diced car- rots (4carrots) 2cups (½-inch) diced celery (3stalks) 1and 1/2 cups chopped yel- low onion (about 1medium) 1and ½ tablespoons minced garlic (4cloves) 1pound kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped 26ounces canned chopped tomatoes 6to 8cups chicken stock 1bay leaf 1and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional as needed (depending upon the saltiness of the stock) 1and 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1teaspoon dried thyme 2cups cooked whole wheat small pasta, such as elbow (about 1cup dry) 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving Baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick diagonal slices Directions: In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium low, cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6minutes. Remove from pan and place in between two pa- per towels set atop a din- ner plate. Blot lightly and set aside. Drain most of the excess fat from the Dutch oven. Add 1Tablespoon olive oil, squash, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables begin to so en, about 8-10minutes. Add the kale in batches as it fits in the pot, stirring so that it cooks down. Once kale has lightly wilted, add the toma- toes, 6cups chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. Once soup has simmered and the vegetables are so , discard the bay leaf. Add the beans, cooked pasta, and reserved bacon and heat through. The soup should be fairly thick, but add ad- ditional chicken stock as needed. Serve hot drizzled with olive oil and topped with Parmesan cheese. To toast baguette: Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 425degrees F. Brush both sides of each baguette slice with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook until golden and toasted, about 6minutes. Serve warm with soup. SWEET BASIL AND THE BEE Rain at last; time for minestrone PHOTO BY NANCY LINDAHL Minnie's quick minestrone recipe gives you soup in a hurry, when cool, wet weather arrives. By Candice Choi TheAssociatedPress NEW YORK Arby's, the chain known for its roast beef sandwiches, is try- ing to stand out in the crowded fast-food in- dustry. It's marketing its meats as being of superior quality and pushing to let customers know they can order sandwiches sans onions or mayo. It launched TV ads this summer featuring close-ups of its meats on a carving board. Ac- tor Ving Rhames pro- vides a voiceover: "We have the meats!" And next week, it's intro- ducing a line of steak sandwiches for the sug- gested price of $5.49. The efforts come after the struggling chain was jettisoned by Wendy's in 2011 and acquired by pri- vate equity firm Roark Capital Group. The year be- fore, Arby's had said sales tumbled 9 percent, follow- ing a 6 percent drop the previous year. Deteriorat- ing franchisee finances led to the closure of many lo- cations. The Atlanta-based chain, which now has U.S. 3,200 locations, no longer has to disclose sales fig- ures as a privately held company. But CEO Paul Brown says it's on a streak of 16 straight quarters of sales growth at established lo- cations. Arby's may nevertheless face challenges position- ing itself as a premium fast-food chain, given ris- ing customer expecta- tions. Its roast beef, for instance, is a made up of various beef pieces, rather than a single muscle cut that many see as being of higher quality. Brown sat down with The Associated Press to talk about Arby's changes. Here are excerpts from the interview: Q : Why do you think some fast-food chains are struggling to boost sales? A : We're seeing a lot of innovation in this space. We can get food now that we couldn't get even five years ago in a fast environment. That's waking people up to what you can get for a good price. And I think that's creating challenges for some companies that have been in a more tra- ditional place. Q : Arby's has been around since 1964. What makes it better suited to innovate than other chains? A : Part of it is our pro- duction, the fact that we are already set up to do a lot of different com- binations in a made-to- order environment. A lot of fast-food chains are set up around a fixed set of products. Their whole kitchen is set up to do one thing over and over. That's hard to change. A lso you have peo- ple who define them- selves as burgers or define themselves as chicken or they define themselves as pizza, and that can be limiting. Q : You're position- ing Arby's as serving more premium fast food. How much more do peo- ple spend on average at Arby's? A : Our average check is in the mid-$8, so $8.30. The traditional (fast-food) chains will be in the high $6 to $7 range. Q : Isn't the rising price of beef hurting your profit margins? A : Certainly it's put- ting some challenges on the margin. We're be- ing very, very conserva- tive on raising prices. What's helped us is that we're seeing huge sales growth. So they're almost canceling each other out right now. We're look- ing at opportunities to do more in chicken. Q : Customization seems like the big trend in fast food. How important is that to Ar- by's? A : It is the direction of the industry. You can customize your way to being healthy. We're not going the way of "build your own as you go." But we give the ability to say without onions, with- out mayonnaise or whole wheat instead of a regu- lar bun. Q : How often do peo- ple request a custom- ized order? A : It's less than 1 per- cent. We don't be- lieve enough people know you can, which is one of the reasons we're working on our marketing to make that a lot clearer. Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candi- cechoi. FAST FOOD Arby's CEO on customized orders, quality meats By Candice Choi The Associated Press NEW YORK It turns out people go to Red Lobster for the seafood. The struggling chain on Monday announced an- other revamped menu that removes dishes including Spicy Tortilla Soup and a Wood-Grilled Pork Chop, while tacking on more dishes featuring lobster. The non-seafood dishes had been added by the chain's previous owner, Darden Restaurants Inc., in hopes of attracting people who don't like seafood as sales declined. But the new management thinks that was a mistake. "At the end of the day, we believe that seafood is really why people come to Red Lobster," said Salli Setta, Red Lobster's president, in a phone interview. The revamped menu is 85 percent seafood, up from 75 percent. Red Lobster says the menu will be easier to navigate and features more photos of the food. Four of the five new dishes include lobster, and it's increas- ing the amount of shrimp in the popular "Ultimate Feast" platter by 50 per- cent. The price of the dish, which also includes lobster and crab, will go up by a dollar to $26.99. The reversal comes after Red Lobster was sold off to investment firm Golden Gate Capital by Darden this summer. Darden, which is based in Orlando, Florida, and owns Olive Garden, had failed to turn around the chain's declining sales and blamed a variety of factors such as the growing avail- ability of shrimp at other restaurants and price-sen- sitive customers. For its last fiscal year, Darden had said Red Lob- ster's sales declined 6 per- cent at established loca- tions, following a 2.2 per- cent decline the previous year. Red Lobster, which is still operating out of Darden's offices until it moves into its new home, no longer has to disclose its sales figures because it is privately held. Whether its new menu will win back customers re- mains to be seen, with peo- ple increasingly heading to chains like Chipotle where they feel they can get high- quality food without paying as much. RESTAURANT Red Lobster going back into its shell FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, November 5, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS C5