Dark Days Eat Local Challenge - Week 9

This was a week to focus on efficiency and basic goodness.

That's when I turn to traditional Italian peasant food.

I can't get over how gorgeous these beans are and I love the name "Ireland Creek Annie," an English heirloom grown since the 1930s in British Columbia.

Last week was brutally cold here in Iowa, with lows in Des Moines nearing 40 below and subzero temperatures for days on end. We've warmed up to the 20s now, but nothing warms you up like a good soup.

A family favorite as much for its name as for its flavor is Tuscan Crazy Water, from Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It's a delectable broth made from simmered beans, garlic, sage, salt and pepper.

The beans are strained out and kept for another purpose.

But this next part, oh my, it's the coup de grace of the whole dish: croutons made with homemade bread, olive oil, salt and pepper and served in the soup. A drizzle of olive oil and a little parmesan cheese and this simple soup is ready to satisfy. I excavated fresh sage from under more than 8 inches of snow!

Everything was local, except of course, the olive oil, salt and pepper.



With the soup we had a simple salad of local greens (sold in my grocery store), local apples and cheese. The pecans we picked up last fall on a trip through Missouri.

So, what happened to those gorgeous beans?

Another family favorite we like to call "Pumbaa e Fagioli," a version of pasta e fagioli, and Italian bean soup.

When my youngest was about 3, she was dubious about trying this soup. One of her brothers called it "Pumbaa e fagioli," and the rest was history. She's not a big eater to this day, but it surely helped encourage a reluctant appetite all those years ago.

I used the leftover crazy water as a base, adding local carrots, onion and garlic. I made homemade fettuccini with local eggs and flour, though it was difficult to make the pasta thin enough without a pasta machine. Salt, pepper, olive oil and parmesan again were the non-locals in the dish.

Homemade garlic bread finished off the meal.

My food stocks are beginning to dwindle, so I foresee the number of mostly local meals we eat dropping next month. I wish I had kept track of how many quarts I canned/froze of various fruits and veggies to make it easier to put away enough to last through the winter next year. I say my stores are waning, but I still think I could feed my family healthy meals for a month or more before running out of food, so I guess everything is relative!