Read Saveur: The New Comfort Food for Free Online Page B

stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve soup drizzled with olive oil.
    COOKING NOTE Ribollita can be made with any type of kale, but cavolo nero, a Tuscan variety that grows through the lean winter months, maintains its body and crinkly texture particularly well. In the United States, cavolo nero is also known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, and lacinato kale.

Smoked Pork and Sauerkraut Stew

    Bigos
    The extravagant pork and sauerkraut stew called bigos may be our favorite from Poland’s wide repertoire of hearty pork dishes. Thick with smoked pork shoulder, pork butt, bacon, and kielbasa, this version is based on one made by Stella Bobak, whose family owns the Chicago supermarket Bobak’s, a venerable emporium of Polish products and pork in every imaginable cut and cure.
¼ oz. dried porcini mushrooms
    ¼ lb. smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
    2 oz. fatback, cut into
½ -inch cubes
    ½ lb. boneless pork butt, cut into 1-inch pieces
    ½ lb. smoked kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
    1 / 3 lb. smoked pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
    6 whole allspice
    2 bay leaves
    2 large yellow onions, chopped
    6 tbsp. tomato paste
    1 tbsp. flour
    4 lbs. sauerkraut, roughly chopped and rinsed
    ½ cup red wine
    6 cups beef or veal stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
    Serves 8
    1. Put the dried mushrooms and 1½ cups water into a bowl and let soften for 1 hour. Drain and reserve water.
    2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Cook the bacon and fatback in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon and fatback to a plate. Add the pork butt, kielbasa, and pork shoulder to the pot and increase heat to medium-high; cook, turning meat occasionally, until the meat is browned, 12–14 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.
    3. Add the allspice, bay leaves, and onions to the pot and cook, scraping up browned bits, until softened, 8–10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until browned, 8–10 minutes. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauerkraut to the pot and cook for about 12 minutes. Add the mushroom water; the bacon and fatback; the pork butt, kielbasa, and pork shoulder; the wine; and the stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with foil and a tight-fitting lid and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour. Divide the stew between bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Ricotta and Roasted Pepper Frittata

    Frittata con Ricotta e Peperoni
    Main-course frittatas like this one are popular in the southern Italian region of Calabria, where traditional sheep farming is an enduring way of life and freshly made sheep’s milk ricotta is an everyday pleasure. Calabrians sometimes add sliced cured sausage to this ricotta frittata on Easter, to celebrate the end of the Lenten fast.
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
    2 tbsp. roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
    1½ tsp. kosher salt
    1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
    8 eggs, beaten Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
    1 small new potato, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
    1 medium red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and cut into ¼ -inch strips
    ¾ cup ricotta cheese
    Serves 4–6
    1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together
¼ cup of the Pecorino, the parsley, ½ tsp. salt, oregano, and eggs and season with black pepper. Set the egg mixture aside.
    2. Heat the oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining salt and the onions and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, about 20 minutes.
    3. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir to distribute the onions and potatoes evenly. Scatter