HUNGRY GERALD

Here in New Mexico every supermarket sells packets of dried Mexican oregano. You can probably get it in Latino groceries everywhere or order online here. Buy it. It is great stuff, much more powerful than the usual dried oregano you’ve been using in Italian sauces. HG uses it combined with chopped raw onion on sides of white beans and on all chili (red or green) stews. Also very good on ratatouille. Along with middle eastern za’atar, it’s HG’s go to dried herb.

HG’s organic farmer neighbor, Gary G., provides HG and BSK with giant heads of escarole (hard to fit in the frig) at three bucks a bunch. This calls for one of the great comfort dishes — white bean and escarole soup. It all starts with a sofrito of olive oil, chopped onion, browned pancetta, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary and abundant red pepper flakes. Coarsely chopped escarole is softened in the pungent melange. Chicken broth, chopped canned Italian tomatoes are added. A couple of cans of rinsed cannelloni beans go into the pot at the end (Goya is the best brand but Whole Foods 365 is good). Google a recipe to find more exact proportions if you can’t figure it out.

Serve with a dash of good, virgin olive oil or more pepper flakes for fans of the incendiary. The two Frankies of the wonderful Frankies Spuntino restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan say the dish is good hot or cold. They often start off their busy cooking days with a cold dish of the soup splashed with plenty of olive oil. HG thinks this tops Cheerios.