Discover Walla Walla

On summer evening here at the farm, Annie and I sit on the porch. Ceiling fans turn slowly overhead. The dogs gather at our feet and go to sleep. Hawks cruise the pastures searching for unwary field mice. A Golden Eagle soars on unseen thermals. Deer eat the saplings we planted along the riverbank. And the Blue Mountains turn deep blue as the light fades from the sky.

Now, I love to cook almost as much as I love to sit on the porch. So I'm big on porch-friendly foods. To my way of thinking, porch-friendly food is anything that I can serve in a bowl. Juggling more than a bowl when you've got to contend with your wine glass, a bird book, and binoculars is just too much.

Here's a dish I learned from watching Jamie at Home on the Food Network. Over time, I've modified it to suit me-all the basic food groups contained in one pot and easily served in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Folks who come out to sit on the porch rave about it.

I hope you'll give it a try.

I prepare this dish in a 3 ½ to 4 quart cast iron pot or Dutch oven. This recipe will serve 6 hungry people. 

Ingredients

1 large loaf sourdough or Italian bread
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large Napa cabbage
1 large bunch collards, turnip greens, or mustard greens
2 cups chicken stock
1 pound Hot Italian sausage
2 small cans Cannellini beans, drained
2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped rosemary
8 oz. Fontina cheese, grated
8 oz. good quality parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat your oven to 400°

Cut the bread into 4 or 5-inch rounds (with the crust on) about an inch thick. You'll need 10 to 12 rounds. Place the rounds on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on a bit of salt. And bake in the oven until toasted. About 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Rub the toast with the garlic to flavor it and discard the garlic. Set the toast aside. Leave the oven on at 400°.

Cut the Savoy cabbage and greens into bite-sized pieces. Place in your pot. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in a big bowl and wipe out your pot.

Break the sausage into bite-sized pieces, put in your pot, add a bit of olive oil, and brown the sausage over medium high heat. Set aside in another bowl and wipe out your pot.

Okay, now you're ready to "assemble" the soup. Rub your pot generously with olive oil. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, add about half of the cabbage/greens to layer the bottom of the pot (reserving the stock you cooked the greens in). Sprinkle on about half of the sausage. Add one can of the beans in a layer. Sprinkle on one tablespoon of the rosemary. Cover with a layer of the bread. Sprinkle on about half of the Fontina. Then half of the parmesan.

Now repeat the layering from the previous paragraph-greens, sausage, beans, rosemary, bread, Fontina and parmesan.

Add just enough of the reserved chicken stock to soak what's in the pot (so chicken stock moistens the cheese on top of the "soup" but doesn't cover it).

Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes (until bubbling and browned on top).

Serve hot in big bowls with a drizzle of olive oil...and take your bowl out on the porch to eat. Mighty good...