Two more recipes for your consideration!

In this the last of my Thanksgiving Double-Takes, I am tackling the green beans. Green beans are usually seen this time of year in an oozy-gooey, over-baked casserole topped with something crunchy that I can never actually identify.

Well I have a confession. I won’t eat that. I won’t watch you eat that, and I certainly am not cooking that and putting that mess on my lovely blog! I won’t do it.

But I do understand tradition. Really, really I do. And I know a whole lot of you require this side dish each and every Thanksgiving. The funny thing is you require it, with out really liking it. Come on admit it, you don’t really like it. Just ‘cuz your Gramma made it a certain way you feel obligated to reproduce it just so. Then you force yourself to choke back a few mouthfuls every year. It’s a tradition, right?

Well not at Sups! house. Not now. Not ever…

I want to talk burrata today. Burrata is a soft Italian cheese. It comes in balls similar to mozzarella, but it has a soft interior that oozes around inside its cheesy casing. It is one of the 7 wonders of my culinary world. It’s an Italian cheese and a specialty of Puglia, a smallish region in the heel of Italy's boot. It is as close to perfection as anything that exists.

Though oddly, it is rather new gastronomically speaking. Being an Italian product, you might assume it was part of some ancient cheese making tradition. But actually it is a modern invention. Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa developed burrata in the 1920s; the source I read says that "[He] had the idea to create a kind of flask of cheese for preserving a mixture of cream and cheese in the center."

Despite it’s might, burrata is not commonly found outside of Puglia, even in Italy. Though it seems, as its popularity here in the United States grows, there has become greater demand for the cheese all over Italy.

Well, this is it! The last TomatoMania for 2009.

It's been a great tomato growing season. I learned so much from Scott Daigre. I hope his guest posts here were helpful for you as well.

But the hightlight of these past many Monday's (for me) was our tomato recipe contest. I so enjoyed cooking the 6 winning entries and posting them here for you. It was a great way to step out of my culinary box, stretch my tongs and try new things. That's what life is all about isn't it? The new and the exciting wrapped around and mingled amongst the comfort and love of things familiar. Because with out one, the other just seems hollow!

Speaking of adventure mingling with comfort. I have the last of the winning recipes for you today. It's certainly adventurous, but has all the comfort of a delicious slow-roasted tomato sauce too.

This is a recipe for Fried Spaghetti with a Roasted Tomato Sauce. It comes to us from the mind of Eric, the soon to be chef behind the amazing blog, Eric Rivera Cooks. I saved it for last because I wanted to end this series with a smile. Anything Eric cooks you know is made with a smile. That man loves life in a way that makes his blog a joy to read. He is smack dab in the middle of culinary school and he is sharing his love for this adventure almost everyday. So go read him and smile.

As far as his recipe goes, I'll let it speak for itself. So click here and read it. I admit to making one rather large change though. Eric fried his spaghetti strands one at a time. I don't have the patience, so I opted to form my cooked noodles into nest shapes before coating them in his flour mixture. It's a nod to one way dried Italian pasta is often sold, sure. But it also makes a great bowl to hold the sauce. I love the way the nest keeps the chunky tomatoes safely nestled inside, but still allows some of the sauce to leak out over the bottom of the bowl. Making for a very pretty presentation.

So that's it for TomatoMania 2009. All that is left is for Scott to bring you a few parting words! Take it away Scott...

Feeling glum?

Well there is no better spirit than rum to lift your "spirits". It can bring a little sunshine to that dark mood of yours.

Now, I have spent quite a bit of time in the Caribbean. So I know a thing or two about rum. First off it's not just for coke. Rum is very versatile. People don't really believe me when I say that, but it's true.

It's made from cane sugar and is the drink of the islands. It comes in many shades, from clear to almost black. Each offering something special. This chromatic diversity is a big part of its versatility, because the color affects flavor. It makes rum work in so many situations.

The color depends on the aging process and how caramelized the cane is during processing. Rum has a complex nose and is usually described as having fruity aromas.  There should be a good balance between alcohol, sugar and spice. The flavors often run the gamut. White rums can be soft and floral. The golden hues bring honey and vanilla to the mouth, with a nice balance of tropical fruit flavors like banana and orange. The very dark rums can taste like roasted toffee. Good rum should be smooth and soft. Like velvet. Which means tropical Technicolor machinations are not the only mix that works. In fact some rums should be sipped and given the same respect as a fine cognac.

The Italian city of Trapani, on Sicily's westernmost tip, has an identity all of its own. That is because geographically speaking it is closer both in distance and topography to Tunis than Naples. In fact it’s closer to several African ports than it is to any part of mainland Italy.

It owes much of its heritage to the sea and its importance to the ancient trade routes. Trapani flourished as the center of Phoenician trading because it was a navigationally necessary port during the middle ages. With out Trapani, links between Tunis, Naples, Anjou and Aragon may have been impossible at that time. These facts helped Sicily’s foods to develop separately and distinctly from the rest of Italy. Its hot, dry, predominately flat landscape seems more reminiscent of North Africa than most parts of Italy, and is another determinate factor in its culinary past.