June 10th, Comfort in the Rain

It is a rainy day in Georgia, and a Sunday to boot. Otherwise known as, a homebodies perfect day. There is nothing more to want then comfort food and a nice wine. It is a day to pull out the old records or watch travel and cooking shows on PBS or to read something other then my How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business book; something like Far From the Land or Rewards and Fairies or People Magazine.

There isa flurry of activities that are going on everywhere; my niece is celebrating her 14^th birthday; another is studying for the MCATs; one cousin is graduating from high school, another is holding his twins at their Baptism; the French Open will resume tomorrow and I'll Have Another is headed to greener pasture. But it is quite here. Louie is at my feet, earnestly trying to scratch that itch; the rain hits the tin like a playful love affair and Il Volo is serenading the little gray house via UNC TV.

Now, I will make that comfort food and drink a nice wine. Please, pull up a chair. It is a Mid-westerner's version of a Southern Vegy Plate menu, with a little Pinot Noir. Here is where we hope to end up:

The beans will take the longest to cook. I love dried Northern Beans, because they don't sell dried Midwesterner Beans. Rinse them well:

I do a quick boil on the beans to cut down on cooking time.

Cover beans with water and bring to a boil. At full boil, allow 2 minutes, then turn off, remove from burner, and let sit for 1 hour.

Once the hour is up, I add olive oil, fresh sage, garlic, and salt and pepper to the beans,

Then add enough water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches.

Now for the turnip greens, rinse the heck out of those!

Then, I put a little olive oil, bacon fat, garlic and salt and pepper in the bottom of a pot,

... break apart your rinsed greens and toss them in this mixture. I don't add any water or any more moisture because I don't dry the greens after rinsing them.

I will salt and pepper throughout the cooking, and also add a few red pepper flakes for kicks; or a little kick.

You will want some cornbread with this dish...I am pretty darn sure! A few sliced tomatoes makes everything Southern. But I like the sage and garlic in the beans as a Northern Italy twist on the beans and the variation on the greens ain't bad either.

I hope this brings you comfort on your rainy days.