December 05

Josep Carreras i Coll's Birthday

One of the most popular singing groups in the the 1990s and early 2000s wasn't a gansta rap group or a some subteen bimbos, it was a group of three middle-aged opera singers known as The Three Tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras. The trio began their collaboration with a performance at the ancient Baths of Caracalla, in Rome, Italy, on July 7, 1990 – the eve of the 1990 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup Final). Because Pavarotti and Domingo were much better known, in the "Seinfeld" TV episode titled "The Doll," José is repeatedly referred to as "the other guy."
When "the other guy" was six, he saw Mario Lanza in the film The Great Caruso (1951) and became an opera fan. He gave his first public performance on the Spanish National Radio at age of eight. Jose made his formal; opera debut at the age 18 as Flavio in "Norma." .His career exploded and Jose soon became one of the world's leading tenors and was sought out by leading international opera houses.
In the mid 1980s. Jose ventured into musicals and and recorded West Side Story (1985) and South Pacific (1986) – both with Kiri Te Kanawa. He collapsed collapsed in Paris while a recording in "Manon Lescaut" with Kiri Te Kanawa. He was diagnosed with leukemia and was given a poor chance of survival. Jose underwent a year of radiation and chemotherapy, and then had autologus bone marrow transplant. The treatments proved successful, and, in appreciation oh his near miraculous recover, Jose established the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation (Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia) in Barcelona.
Jose returned to the stage. However, he eventually gave up the strenuous opera performances schedule and switched to concerts and recitals which made his induction into The Three Tenors a healthy move. After The Three Tenors performance at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Jose went on a worldwide concert tour in tribute to his first singing hero, Mario Lanza.
So to celebrate "the other guy's" birthday, we suggest making Pasta e Fagioli al Tenore (Tenor's Pasta and Beans) even though it is an Italian specialty (we couldn't find a Spanish recipe dedicated to tenors), and watch a DVD of Jose as Jason in Medea (1989).

Pasta e Fagioli al Tenore
(Tenor's Pasta and Beans)

Ingredients

1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1/4 lb bacon or pancetta, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped very fine
4 cups chicken broth
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (low sodium)
2 (19 oz) cans cannellini beans, well drained, divided
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, well drained

1 (1 oz) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped, liquid drained
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp dried ground thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried basil
1&1/2 cups (12 oz) ditalini or other tubular pasta
1 cup cooked orzo
1 carrot, shredded
Parmigiano and chopped basil for garnish

Instructions

1.   Place a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the sausage links with a small amount of water, covered,
      until the sausage has browned, about 10 minutes.
2.   Remove sausages to a plate and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, chop into pieces and grind in a
      food processor.
3.   Brown ground beef in the same pot as was used for the sausage. Drain fat and set meat aside.
4.   Fry bacon/pancetta in the pot, cooking until browned but not crisp. The pancetta may need a little olive oil to
      keep it from sticking/burning. Drain on paper towels and return to pot along with the sausage and ground beef.
      Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
5.   Add the onions, celery, and garlic to the meat mixture. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6.   Add the chicken broth and simmer for about 10 minutes.
7.   Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend tomato sauce and 1 cup cannellini beans until smooth.
      Pour the mixture into the pot and add remaining cannellini beans, kidney beans, canned tomatoes, and herbs.
      Simmer for 5 minutes.
8    Add the ditalini pasta and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
9.   Add the cooked orzo and shredded carrot; simmer for an additional 10 minutes or so.
10. Add more water or broth if necessary to produce a soupier consistency. Serve with grated Parmigiano and
      chopped basil.