Week 13 Blog

I've been writing too many meat recipes so this week I'll go somewhat veggie. When I was at Le Cordon Bleu this recipe was one of my favorites. It surprised me with its wholesome flavor and healthy ingredients. I had never heard of the dish before I tried it, which happened quite often due to my inexperience at the time. If I ever have to cook a cheap, healthy and flavorful meal I'll turn to this week's recipe. I present, White Bean Fagioli.

I recently went to Olive Garden and took advantage of their endless soup and salad deal. I was impressed that they offered fagioli as an option. I had to try it since I've only tasted my own recipe. I was disappointed with the lack of flavor and watery consistent, but hey, I wasn't surprised. It was from Olive Garden, the McDonalds of Italian Food. If you have ever tried it and felt that something was missing, I recommend you try the recipe for yourself. The fresh foods used are incomparable to McOlive Garden canned ingredients. 

I left out a few ingredients that were unneeded and mixed weirdly together. Basil and rosemary are too pundgent of flavors, especially with beans and pasta. Rosemary always reminds me of Thanksgiving, which I'm not going for here. I'm aiming for a taste that makes you feel like your enjoying a cool Fall day in the countryside of Italy.

Other than the unneeded herbs, I didn't use much of the vegetable stock. If your dish is dry then you should add the stock.  Please, don't make the mistake of adding salt and pepper to the onions. Salt from the canned beans may overwhelm the recipe. Also if parmesan is used to garnish, it will add a salty flavor to the meal. Seasoning too early could put the entire dish at risk, so I'd stick to the culinary rule of seasoning just before serving.

This is a wonderful recipe that actually calls for too much flavor. Flavor is great, but can be overwhelming when not mixed correctly. Using the adjustments I made will keep the dishes flavor balanced and whole.