A few months ago I got an e-mail from my friend Michelle R.  asking me to cook some of my published recipes at a mother and daughter informal lunch in her new home.  After discussing the menu and a convenient date for everyone to attend, the event finally took place a few days ago.  My mother and I got there first and as the other guests started to arrive, Michelle and her mother greeted everyone with some home made Sangria. In attendance where a mix of old and new friends connected to each other one way or another, which made everyone feel right at home. It was very relaxed and a lot of fun!

Her kitchen is a large open space, wonderful for small gathering like this one. I could start to prep and cook and still carry a conversation with the girls.  Everyone helped in the confection of the recipes.  I answered questions about techniques, ingredients, origin of the recipes we were making as well as sharing cooking tips and dining experiences. The menu Michelle chose was Sangria, Crab Cakes, Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloins, Orzo with Spinach and Apple-Almond Tart all from Foodielady.com.  As a surprise amuse bouche, I made my famous White Bean Soup with White Truffle Oil and Pancetta Dust, which my sister in law Marisofi adores.  This recipe is an attempt to replicate a white bean soup I had at a dinner in Jam Restaurant in Condado about 3 years ago. The taste and aromas in this simple soup are irresistible!  I brought with me my demi-tasse coffee cups to serve it as a nice and cute presentation. They all loved it and even had seconds, Je,je!   Of course I gave them my recipe which I share with you here.

It was a memorable afternoon where not only we shared recipes, good food and great company, but also life stories and invaluable wisdom from our mothers.  Once the meal was ready, we headed outside to the dinner table where we enjoyed the fruits of our labor.  The table was beautifully arranged in Holiday decor.  We laughed, we cried, made jokes… it was an affirmation of how important it is to have women friends and how necessary it is to support and comfort each other throughout our lives; the good and the bad.  The female figures in our lives influence our character and decision-making greatly.  Simply put… having girlfriends is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer.  However, this gift of friendship does not come to us for free. Friendships need to be cultivated in order to blossom and gatherings like these fertilize the ground on which the friendship seeds are planted.

In this sense, I have been very fortunate throughout my life, first because I have a wonderful mother, wise grandmothers and pretty cool sister in laws, cousins and aunts, and second, because I have great, loyal, fun, fearless girlfriends form all walks of life which nourish my soul everyday. Some I met in elementary school, others in highschool, through sports, Girl Scouts, college, work, church, family, in-laws, through my children, my husband, other friends or just because we have interests in common, but there is no doubt that all share a special bond and special place in my heart.

Enjoy!

“Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”

White Bean Soup with Truffle Oil and Pancetta Dust

Ingredients

1/2 onion (quartered)

1/2 cubanel pepper- pimiento de cocinar (omit if you can’t find this and add 1 celery stick)

2 garlic cloves

2 cups of good quality vegetable or low sodium chicken broth

2 cups of water

1 , 14 ounce can of cannellini beans (alubias)

2 tsp of fine sea salt

pepper to taste

2 ounces of pancetta, thinly sliced and finely chopped

white truffle oil

Procedure

1.  Place onion, pepper, garlic cloves, broth, water, beans, salt and pepper in a medium sauce pan.  Cover and cook in medium heat for 15 minutes. Check after ten minutes to make sure you have enough liquid so that it doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. If not, add a little of water.

2.  Carefully tilt sauce pan and purée with a hand blender.  If it is too liquid, cook on stove top over medium heat until it reaches desired creamy consistency.

3.  Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, sauté pancetta with a little bit of olive oil just until golden.  Set aside and let cool a little.  Mash with the back of a fork or spoon to create the “pancetta dust”  or small pieces to garnish the soup.

4.  Serve soup in a small cup or demi-tasse cup.  Drizzle with a little white truffle oil and sprinkle with pancetta bits.