Category — Recipes

This rich, thick and hearty soup came about thanks to two fellow Boston bloggers, Kelly and Sues.  After reading my tortelloni soup post, they both encouraged me to check out the New England Soup Factory Cookbook, so, I immediately ordered it up via the Minuteman Library Network.  This is my usual M.O. when I’m curious about a cookbook – I vet it via the library and decide if I want to add it to “The Collection” or not.  “The Collection” is getting so large that it’s going to have to move outside the kitchen very soon . . . so there’s no room for stragglers.

This, is a GREAT cookbook – thanks Kelly & Sues!  There are so many good-looking recipes here – seasonal soups (think cool, light soups for summer, root veggie soups for winter), simple childhood favorites like Alphabet soup, creamy chowders, tomato-based soups, and sandwiches and salads to go alongside.  On the first pass-through, I flagged 7 soups that particularly stood out for me, and this one was one of them.  I wasn’t disappointed!

As is my way, I tweaked and doctored.  This recipe turns out a vat of inexpensive, hearty, savory soup that’ll stick to your ribs.  D., at first skeptical, pronounced it “delicious,” which is good, ’cause unless I freeze this, we’ll be eating it all week . . . .

Fava Bean & Barley Soup

To prepare the fava beans:  rinse and pick over the beans and discard any discolored beans or pebbles.  Put the beans in a bowl and cover with water.  Let stand overnight, then drain and rinse.  Alternatively, in a large saucepan, combine the beans with enough water to cover.  Cover the pan, and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and let the beans sit for two hours.  Drain them before adding to the soup.

Heat the oil in a stockpot or large Dutch oven (this just fit in my 7 1/4-quart Dutch oven) over medium high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery.  Saute until the onion is translucent and the celery is softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the beans and the barley and saute for another 2 minutes.  Add the stock and the bay leaves.  Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the favas are thoroughly cooked, adding more stock if the soup is too thick (I probably added another 2 c. part-way through the cooking time).  Add the parsley, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serves 12.  Note – if you’re tasting the soup prior to adding the Worcestershire, etc., it’ll be quite bland . . . those last few ingredients make it all come together in a delicious flash of light, so don’t be discouraged!

What the heck are fava beans?  I love ‘em, and have eaten them for years – again probably because of my Mid-East roots.  If they’re new to you, here are some facts:  Fava beans were enjoyed by the ancient Egyptians and continue to be a prime source of protein in Middle Eastern cuisine. Favas are considered by many to be one of the tastiest beans – they have a firm texture and creamy, meaty taste that holds up well to strong flavors.  Fava beans hold their shape well, so they’re great in soups.  They do have a very tough, inedible skin, so it’s important to get dried favas with the skins already removed.

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This recipe from Gourmet Magazine (RIP, sniff) is easy, fast, and takes advantage of pantry staples.  I used low-sodium soy sauce and didn’t add any of the additional salt, and the results were terrific. 

Serve up some steamed broccoli and a tossed salad (try a citrusy vinaigrette) on the side.  If you have a starch lover in your family add some lightly buttered egg noodles or rice.  It’s only 30 minutes from start to finish, yet it’ll get raves from your crowd.

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One of my goals for this winter was to make more soup, and another constant aim of mine is to cut down on food waste.  The two are compatible – soup’s a great vehicle for combining odds and ends from your fridge and freezer, and that’s just what I did last night.

The key to being able to do this kind of thing on the fly is to have a pantry that’s stocked with some staples.  Those of you who’ve been over here know that I have a lot of food stored in my “pantry” at the base of our basement stairs.  Low-sodium chicken broth, diced tomatoes and canned beans (remember, Eden Organics have no BPA in the liners) are always in residence.  I also always have peeled garlic cloves in my fridge (Trader Joe’s has some good ones that are vacuum packed so they last longer than those you get loose at Whole Foods).  From these ingredients with some additions, you can create myriad quick meals.

I wanted to make something hearty and comforting for D., who’s fighting both a cold and a wicked work schedule.  I’d planned on a funky tofu stir-fry, but for D., tofu stir-fry doesn’t equal hearty or comforting.  He loves the tofu, but not on a cold winter night when he’s feeling hit by a bus.  I got inspired by a post by The Kitchen Witch, and I was off and running . . . .

All the items were things I had on hand – this lends itself to tinkering and modifications, so go crazy!

Bit o’ Everything Tortelloni Soup

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot.  Add the leeks and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the carrots, kale, garlic and beans and toss to combine.  After the kale has begun to wilt, add the tomatoes and the broth and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until the carrots and the kale are just tender.  Add the tortelloni and cook for another 5 minutes or until tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4, and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish (I was “paged” several times by L. during the course of prepping this, so this is a generous estimate!).

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Regular readers here know that for the past year, I’ve been dealing with some bad foot pain.  I am so happy to report, however, that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Things have improved so much that this weekend I got back into the kitchen for an afternoon of cooking for friends.  On the way home from the market on Saturday morning, my car packed with ingredients, I thought to myself “this is what really makes me happy.”  I love the creative effort involved in planning a cohesive menu and spending time cooking up tasty food for friends.

This weekend’s menu featured Italian comfort foods, or as D. said, “3 of [his] favorite things: chocolate, wine and beef.” 

For munchies, we started out with Robioloa cheese and cranberry pepper jelly on 34 Degrees Natural Crispbread.  I also put out an artichoke heart and Parmesan dip that I got at Sevan Bakery, along with some grissini (long, skinny Italian bread sticks) and some pitted green olives with lemon and garlic from Whole Foods.

For dinner, we had short ribs with tagliatelle, which was rich and flavorful and worth the effort.  I didn’t make any adjustments at all to this Giada recipe (but for skimming off some of the fat several times during the cooking) and it came out deliciously – the wine and bittersweet chocolate add great depth of flavor.  

These ribs are a 3+ hour endeavor, though, so this recipe’s definitely a weekend special-event deal.  And although the recipe as written calls for 3 hours of cook-time, mine was closer to 4 – I had some really thick short-ribs.  If you decide to tackle these, I’d leave yourself more time because there is NO downside to having your sauce ready while you assemble the rest of your meal – it’ll just get that much more flavorful as it waits. 

 This fresh salad with red leaf lettuce, radishes, toasted pine nuts and a citrus vinaigrette provided a nice counterpoint to the very rich main dish.  I found the recipe in my new Gourmet Today cookbook, but lucky for you, it’s online at Epicurious as well.

I had intended to steam up some broccoli to serve with a little extra-virgin olive oil, Parmesan and red pepper flakes, but that got lost in the shuffle of dinner being overdue. 

I also served up some Scali (not homemade, from Formaggio) to mop up sauce, etc.

For dessert, there were assorted amaretti and chocolate-covered butter cookies for the kids and this easy, unexpected and delicious recipe for dried figs with walnuts and mascarpone cheese.  I’d make a couple adjustments to this recipe, however.  First, if your dried figs are large, I’d halve them.  Although they do get more tender in the wine and balsamic syrup, they’re still rather chewy and it’ll be easier going with halves.  Next, I think that toasting the walnuts prior to assembling the mix in your baking dish is overkill – the walnuts toast up nicely in the oven.  Third, these were good cold, but I think that serving them warm as called for in the recipe would send them to over-the-top deliciousness.  The mascarpone is such a nice creamy complement to the sweet and tangy syrupy figs and toasty nuts.  It’s a little party in your mouth and a relatively light way to end a rich meal.

Bon appetit!

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On Tuesday afternoon I was casting about the ‘net for something original to make.  I’d planned on making an old standby, but that seemed boring to me and I wanted to jazz things up.  My only requirements were that the recipe used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and that it was fast.  I was also, for some reason, in the mood for potatoes, which is unusual.

Epicurious is great for times like these.  I plugged in “chicken and potatoes” and checked off the “Quick” box and voila!  Up came this curious recipe for “Chinese Chicken Curry.”  The list of ingredients was so random, I just had to try it.  I, of course, tweaked the recipe based on what I had on hand and my tastes (i.e., the 6 tablespoons of oil called for in the original seemed excessive to me) and came up with a flavorful, if unclassifiable meal. 

So what’s with the name of the recipe?  D. did not love this dish.  He is “not a fan of the home curry,” and when I asked D. what he’d call it, and if I should blog about it, and he said “if you’re going to blog about it, then you must call it the Freaky Chinese-Indian Curry.”  Sometimes, I actually listen to my husband and do what he wants.

I’m guessing, but I think that D.’s thought was that the dish is sorta Indian because as a rule, we don’t see a lot of potatoes in Chinese cookery.  And the curries we eat are from our favorite Indian places.  But that’s more because the Chinese food around here is primarily from places other than Northern China – where they do use potatoes in their cooking.  And the Chinese do do curry as well. 

Nevertheless, whatever its genealogy, this is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, healthy and interesting meal that will perk up your taste buds on a cold January weeknight.  Enjoy!

Chinese Curry Chicken (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Heat the oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and stir-fry until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, curry powder, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, turmeric and chili powder and stir until combined.  Mix in the potatoes, 1 c. of the broth, and the vermouth.  Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to get tender.  Add the chicken, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more.  Meanwhile, combine 1/4 c. of the broth with the cornstarch, shake or whisk to combine and make smooth.  Add this to the pan and stir, bringing the mixture to a boil for 2 minutes.  The sauce will thicken slightly.

Serves 4.

We ate this served over steamed broccoli (again, not Chinese) and it was very tasty.  It would be great atop rice (use brown for added fiber and nutrients), as it’s very saucy.  You could easily substitute tofu and vegetable broth for the chicken (I think the pre-fried tofu puffs you can get at Asian markets would be particularly tasty) to make this a vegan meal.

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Ahhh, there is nothing better than the feeling of arriving home after a long journey in the economy section of a packed jet, is there?  We arrived home on Saturday to a foot of snow in Boston.  But we arrived on-time and without any major hassles with security, so we were psyched.

Madrid was awesome, despite the rain which persisted all. week. long.  It was dismal, but we managed to squeeze out a lot of fun and make some great memories.  Not the least of which was meeting and loving up my new niece, Baby A., and visiting with my sister and brother-in-law.  And the food – sigh.  When we asked L. what she liked most about our vacation in Madrid, she said “I liked all the ham and the roasted chickens.”  Guess what?  Mama liked ‘em too.  And mama also enjoyed herself a box of marzipan, churros y chocolate, Spanish tortilla, myriad pinchos (anchovies & manchego, anyone??), chorizo, fried eggs atop fried potatoes with various amenities (roasted peppers and jamon Iberico, slightly stinky cheese), a wide variety of croquettes, empanadas . . . oh, the list goes on and on.  I need to peruse the La Tienda site more thoroughly, and order myself up some authentic tastes of Spain more often, I think.

I also read some food-related books on my week off.  I polished off The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee.  It’s a super book that traces the history of fortune cookies along with America’s passion for Chinese food.  Lots of cocktail party trivia in there, for you.  I also started Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell – it’s good, but she might be a bit too much of a whiner for me.  It is, however, a book that any lover of food who happens to be a food blogger must read, so I will soldier on and let you know what I think in the end.   [Read more →]

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Remember this Kale, Kielbasa & Tortellini Soup from the other day?  It is sooooo delicious leftover, people, that I am almost tempted to recommend that you make it day-before and then refrigerate it ’til ready to reheat and serve.  The flavors came together so well in the overnight, and now, on the second day, it’s outstanding.  So if you’re trying it and thinking “Meh?  It’s OK . . .” seal it away in the fridge and try again tomorrow. 

Oh, and I’ve been eating the leftovers without any tortellini . . . it’s plenty hearty and tasty, and let’s just say I’m gettin’ enough carbs and fat elsewhere, these days before Christmas!

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One last cookie recipe for you this season – the grand-daddy of them all. This is the most praised cookie in my battalion of cookie recipes.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that people fall all over themselves for these rugelach.  Lifetime rugelach-lovers have confided in me that these are better than any they’ve ever tasted before . . . . so if you want to make some friends (maybe influence some people?) this season, whip up a batch or two of these and be generous.  And read to the end for a shortcut that might make these less daunting to bake.  

Rugelach

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 c. granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board or countertop and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, combine 6 T. of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins and the walnuts.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle (a nice way to get a neat circle is to place a 9-inch pie plate upside-down over the dough as a stencil, scoring the dough around the edge with a small knife). Spread the dough with 2 T. apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 c. of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges, cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine 3 T. granulated sugar and 1 t. cinnamon in a small bowl.  Remove the cookies from the fridge, brush each cookie with the egg wash, and sprinkle each cookie with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Yield:  approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Note:  the possibilities for fillings are endless.  I usually make at least 2 batches of these, half with apricot and half with seedless raspberry preserves.  You can use a chocolate spread, like Nutella, or chocolate and raspberry together.  I’ve heard of people using fig jam, some just use cinnamon-sugar and nuts.  Think of what flavors appeal to you and go from there – the dough is neutral and will showcase whatever’s inside.

Next – these are a lot of work: mixing, rolling, filling, chilling, yada yada yada.  If you want to make “lazy-man’s rugelach,” you can roll the dough into a rectangle instead of a circle, insert your fillings, roll it up into a log and cut slices.  Then chill them and brush them as you would traditional, crescent-shaped rugelach.

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