Recipes by Dirk Bogarde: Minestrone; Quiche Lorraine

Dirk Bogarde's Minestrone

1 cup kidney (red or white) beans
1/2 cup diced salt pork (or Italian garlic sausage cut in 1/4-inch rounds)
1 clove garlic
1 large yellow onion
2 1/2 quarts beef stock (or canned beef broth)
3 large peeled carrots
2 large branches celery
1 small head of cabbage
4 sprigs of chicory
4 peeled plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh green beans
1 cup fresh peas
1 1/2 cups small pasta (elbow macaroni)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Soak beans overnight in cold water, drain, simmer gently 1 1/2 hours in salted water. Drain. Saute salt pork (or sausage) in bottom of 8-quart stock pot until brown. Pour off most of the fat. Add minced garlic, chopped onion, diced carrot, and celery to pork (or sausage). Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring. Add beef stock, simmer uncovered 3/4 of an hour. Add cabbage cut in eighths, chicory, tomatoes and sliced green beans. Simmer slowly about 1 hour longer. Add peas and pasta to stock pot. Simmer slowly until peas and pasta are tender, adding more liquid as needed. Season to taste. Just before serving, stir in olive oil and parsley. Serve in soup bowls with grated Parmesan (or Romano) cheese. Serves 8.

Dirk Bogarde's Quiche Lorraine

Pastry for 9-inch pie
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup crisp bacon broken into bits (or chopped lean ham sauteed slowly in tablespoon butter)
3 eggs plus 1 extra yolk
2 cups light cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 pound grated Gruyere (or Swiss cheese)

Line deep 9-inch pie pan with pastry (homemade or prepared mix); prick bottom with fork. Partially bake shell about 8 minutes (or until shell begins to brown) in preheated 425 degree oven. Cool. Saute onions in butter until soft. place in bottom of partially baked pie shell with bacon bits (or cooked ham). Beat whole eggs with extra egg yolk until light, blend in cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over onion-bacon mixture in shell. Top with grated cheese and grated nutmeg. Pop into preheated 375 degree oven. Bake about 40 minutes until the filling is puffy and golden (and a silver knife inserted in center comes out clean.) Serve hot or at room temperature with chilled white wine. Serves 4 as main dish.