click on the sausage to see the video.

This January issue of Outside magazine has a feature on winter comfort food, and they also put together a video with me cooking a recipe. I have included the recipe here after the break for those who cant find it online.

Boccalone sausage and beans

Serves 4

Note; This recipe calls for preparing dried beans. You can substitute steps 1 and 2 in the recipe by using 4 15-ounce cans of beans, rinsed and drained.

Beans
1 lb dried cannellini beans
3 qts pork stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 whole carrot peeled

1 whole fennel bulb split

4 each canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 whole peeled onion
Salt

Beans with sausage
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Boccalone sausage links

4-5 fresh sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt (about 2 teaspoons) and freshly ground black pepper

1. Sort through the beans, removing any stones. Rinse the beans under cold running water. Place beans in a large pot and cover by at least a couple of inches with cold water. Let soak for at least 4 hours.

2. Drain the beans. Add 3 quarts of pork stock to the beans in the pot. Add the whole vegetables, and canned tomatoes. Cover, bring to a simmer on medium heat, and simmer beans for one hour. Lower the heat so that the beans are barely simmering. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours, or until beans are just tender. Note that the fresher the beans the shorter the cooking time, the older the beans the longer. Remove from heat and let cool in cooking liquid. Remove the whole vegetables.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, links and crushed garlic cloves. Do crowd the pan, or the sausage won’t brown well, once the sausage is brown add the sage leaves let sizzle then add the reserved beans in there cooking liquid, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer a few minutes longer, stirring gently, until sausage is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Be careful not to break up the beans.

I have received a lot of questions about how to butcher a beef heart. I recently made a video to answer these questions. After the break you will find a recipe for beef heart tartare.

Beef Heart Tartare Puttanesca Style

Serves 8 as appetizer

1 Kip heart (approximately 2-3 lbs.), trimmed of sinew & gristle and cut into a small ¼ inch dice

2 each Cayenne Chili or Serranos sliced into very thin rings

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoon small dice red onions

2 teaspoons rinsed salted capers (preferable small ones)

2 Tablespoon Pitted San Remo olives

1 teaspoon finely wrasped lemon zest

15 each cherry tomatoes cut into quarters (must be ripe)

4 teaspoons Julienne fresh basil

4 teaspoons Julienne fresh mint

Splash of extra-virgin olive oil

To taste Maldon sea salt

To taste Coarse ground black pepper

Garlic chips (see recipe below)

2 each Baked Foccacia crackers per person (see recipe below)

In mixing bowl, combine the heart with the capers, red onion, olives lemon zest, and tomatoes gently mix being careful not to break up the tomatoes, add the vinegar, oil and herbs mixing well. Season with the salt and fresh ground black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You’re looking for a nice balance of meat, to garnish and heat. Place on a plate off to the right side to make room for the crackers. Finish with extra virgin olive oil and garlic chips, then place 2 crackers next to the tartare and serve.

Garlic Chips

1/4 cup of thinly sliced garlic, 10 cloves of garlic

3 cups pure olive oil

Kosher salt

In a small non-reactive heat the olive oil up to 350 degrees using a candy thermometer to keep track. Put the sliced garlic in and fry until golden brown then remove using a slotted spoon and put onto a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Then season with salt and ground pepper then place on new dry paper towels until ready to use.

Foccacia Crackers

2 each 5” by 5” piece of foccacia (if unavailable use grilled sliced baguette)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Take the foccacia pieces and slice as thin as possible being sure to keep fully intact squares. Once all is sliced place on a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool and serve 2 per person with the tartare.

These pre formed eggs are a tasty treat that have been used for years but not normally seen in the US markets. I first had these eggs while on a trip to Asia and it was served to me in a rich heart warming soup. After the turkey slaughter I had a bunch so I made this soup with cauliflower mushrooms, pasta and spinach it was an instant hit.

When most of you are eating turkey left overs I am using turkey lungs in a really tasty way. They are a readily available cut found in Italian markets know as pulmones. The US is the only country who deems lungs unfit for human consumption which went into affect in 1972. I dont know why they did it, rumor is that they felt they couldn’t inspect them properly. I think they taste great so here is what i did with them, ask your local rancher for some.

In the November issue of Outside magazine there is a story based on nutrition and recovery for athletes. I was asked to give a few recipes and there is a video to boot. Take a look its a solid recipe for Cornish Game hen Fra diavolo with dandelion greens and fennel super simple and nutritional.

There are so many stories that could be told from that day at the ranch: the sheer beauty of the ranch, the history and stories from The Ralphs, and The Rickerts. Even the morning I spent in the slaughter house helping the Rickerts process cattle, I just got the cow hide back from that day, its been tanned and turned into a carpet. Ultimately I am honored to have a story of this quality and caliber, Thanks Tom for expressing that day so well and Emily for going to bat for my beliefs.