This soup uses the caramelized onions posted previously. Once you've made the onions, this soup is easy and quick to make. This makes about 6 servings.
3 to 4 cups Caramelized Onions, drained
6 cups stock (use the cooking liquid from the onions, plus additional water or stock as needed)
1/4 cup dry sherry, vermouth, or white wine
Salt and Pepper
6 thick slices of French bread, toasted
1 cup grated Gruyere or Fontina cheese
Preheat the broiler to high. Place ovenproof bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine the onions, cooking liquid and broth in a pot. Set it over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the hot soup into the bowls, top each one with a slice of toast, and sprinkle generously with cheese. Set the baking sheet under the broiler and broil until the cheese melts and begins to brown and bubble. Serve immediately.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Cioppino
Cioppino is a fish/seafood stew, traditionally made from whatever the fresh catch of the day is. These stews are of Italian origin, but the named dish is said to have been popularized in the San Francisco wharf area restaurants, in which the name was said to have been derived from the heavily Italian-accented cry of the wharf cooks for the fishermen to "chip in" some of their catch to the collective soup pot (this according to the Wikipedia entry).
We created this recipe in an effort to duplicate our favorite dish at the Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco. We've come close, but of course highly recommend theirs! The flavor of fennel is fantastic in this stew.
Base
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, chopped, with the leafy green stems set aside
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 14.5oz cans tomatoes, chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
3 cups soup stock (or water)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste
Seafood
We usually use 1 small fillet of a white fish, chopped into cubes, plus 1/2 lb of shrimp, 1/2 lb of scallops, and maybe some clams or mussels. Pick whatever you can get that you like.
Place the oil, onion, chopped fennel bulb, and garlic in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, and stock (or water). Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. Chop about 1/2 of the green 'leaves' from the fennel bulb and add them to the stew. Add the remaining spices, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes longer, covered, until all of the vegetables are tender. For a thick stew base, puree with an immersion blender. For a thinner base, strain the vegetables out.
Add the seafood, bring to a boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the seafood is cooked (clams or mussels must all open, throw out any that don't). Serve with sourdough bread.
If you've made enough for leftovers, portion out the stew prior to adding seafood. Reserve the rest to be prepared with seafood later.
We created this recipe in an effort to duplicate our favorite dish at the Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco. We've come close, but of course highly recommend theirs! The flavor of fennel is fantastic in this stew.
Base
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, chopped, with the leafy green stems set aside
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 14.5oz cans tomatoes, chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
3 cups soup stock (or water)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste
Seafood
We usually use 1 small fillet of a white fish, chopped into cubes, plus 1/2 lb of shrimp, 1/2 lb of scallops, and maybe some clams or mussels. Pick whatever you can get that you like.
Place the oil, onion, chopped fennel bulb, and garlic in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, and stock (or water). Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes. Chop about 1/2 of the green 'leaves' from the fennel bulb and add them to the stew. Add the remaining spices, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes longer, covered, until all of the vegetables are tender. For a thick stew base, puree with an immersion blender. For a thinner base, strain the vegetables out.
Add the seafood, bring to a boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the seafood is cooked (clams or mussels must all open, throw out any that don't). Serve with sourdough bread.
If you've made enough for leftovers, portion out the stew prior to adding seafood. Reserve the rest to be prepared with seafood later.
Caramelized Onions
This is an easy way to make perfect caramelized onions and is a fun use for a slow cooker. (There's also a stove top recipe posted here.) It is derived from a recipe in the book "Slow Cooker Cooking" by Laura Brody. The onions are delicious by themselves or in almost any dish that calls for onions: pasta, risotto, soups, stews, etc. Keep the juice for cooking; it, along with the onions, makes a great French Onion Soup, which I'll post later.
Onions, peeled and sliced thinly, use enough to fill your slow cooker at least 80% full. The recipe calls for a sweet onion such as Vidalia, Maui, Walla Walla, or others. Any type of onion will work, we are trying different types to see what we like best.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (Olive oil can be substituted; see note about butter below)
Place the onions and butter in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 12 to 14 hours, until the onions are deep brown and very soft. Drain the onions. Save the drained juice and use it as a stock. Some remaining butter will separate when cooled - it doesn't all end up in the onions. You can skim the butter off after it cools and use it in many dishes too. Whatever you don't use right away can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
Onions, peeled and sliced thinly, use enough to fill your slow cooker at least 80% full. The recipe calls for a sweet onion such as Vidalia, Maui, Walla Walla, or others. Any type of onion will work, we are trying different types to see what we like best.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (Olive oil can be substituted; see note about butter below)
Place the onions and butter in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 12 to 14 hours, until the onions are deep brown and very soft. Drain the onions. Save the drained juice and use it as a stock. Some remaining butter will separate when cooled - it doesn't all end up in the onions. You can skim the butter off after it cools and use it in many dishes too. Whatever you don't use right away can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
Slow Cooker Cooking by Laura Brody
I think this cookbook came with a new Crock-Pot that we bought a few years ago (or maybe we bought it at the same time). It has some unique ideas for a slow cooker. Everything we've tried out of the book has been excellent. Our favorite new use for our Crock-Pot is from this book: Caramelized Onions. The book contains many ideas about how you can use the onions.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Two Sauce Lasagna
This meatless lasagna was adapted from a meat based lasagna in the cookbook "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over" by Pam Anderson. There is no ricotta cheese, but 2 different sauces: a Bolognese-style sauce, and a Bechamel-style sauce. Also, the Fontina cheese is a nice change from mozzarella cheese. It is delicious and elegant.
Bolognese-style sauce
3 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk
1 broccoli head, diced
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, broccoli, and celery and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and stirring frequently, until mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes. Add vermouth and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add milk and cook until almost evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary, until reduced to a thick but not gloppy sauce, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
Parmesan White Sauce
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable stock
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine milk, stock, and garlic in a medium sauce pan. Heat slowly over low heat until steamy hot.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour until well blended. Pour in hot milk all at once; whisk vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to bubble and thicken. Stir in Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly on sauce's surface to prevent a 'skin' from forming.
Lasagne
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 8oz packages oven ready Lasagne noodles (I use wheat noodles)
8 oz. Fontina cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts hot tap water in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Add noodles and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain noodles and stack loosely. (Noodles may stick together as they dry but will pull apart easily.) Wipe baking dish dry.
Count the noodles, and plan ahead for the layering (below) to make sure you don't run out of noodles or sauce when you reach the top layer.
Smear 1/4 cup white sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, then 2/3 cup white sauce, 1 cup Bolognese sauce, 1/2 cup Fontina, and 2 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat the noodle/sauces/cheese layering 2-3 times (depends on how many noodles you have and how much sauce you have), then make a final layer with remaining noodles, white sauce, and cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake until very hot throughout, about 30 minutes. Leaving pan on rack, remove foil and turn oven to broil. Watching carefully, broil lasagna until the top cheese and sauce are spotty brown. Remove from oven and let stand to set, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cut into portions and serve.
Bolognese-style sauce
3 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk
1 broccoli head, diced
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, broccoli, and celery and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and stirring frequently, until mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes. Add vermouth and simmer until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add milk and cook until almost evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary, until reduced to a thick but not gloppy sauce, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
Parmesan White Sauce
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable stock
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Combine milk, stock, and garlic in a medium sauce pan. Heat slowly over low heat until steamy hot.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour until well blended. Pour in hot milk all at once; whisk vigorously until sauce is smooth and starts to bubble and thicken. Stir in Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place plastic wrap directly on sauce's surface to prevent a 'skin' from forming.
Lasagne
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 8oz packages oven ready Lasagne noodles (I use wheat noodles)
8 oz. Fontina cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts hot tap water in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Add noodles and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain noodles and stack loosely. (Noodles may stick together as they dry but will pull apart easily.) Wipe baking dish dry.
Count the noodles, and plan ahead for the layering (below) to make sure you don't run out of noodles or sauce when you reach the top layer.
Smear 1/4 cup white sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, then 2/3 cup white sauce, 1 cup Bolognese sauce, 1/2 cup Fontina, and 2 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat the noodle/sauces/cheese layering 2-3 times (depends on how many noodles you have and how much sauce you have), then make a final layer with remaining noodles, white sauce, and cheeses. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake until very hot throughout, about 30 minutes. Leaving pan on rack, remove foil and turn oven to broil. Watching carefully, broil lasagna until the top cheese and sauce are spotty brown. Remove from oven and let stand to set, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cut into portions and serve.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Artichokes with Herbes de Provence Mayonnaise
My friend Diane mentioned one day that she uses Herbes de Provence with mayonnaise to make a dip for artichokes. I experimented a little and came up with this recipe.
Dip
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 clove garlic, crushed
Mix together, chill for at least an hour. If you like horseradish, try adding a little to the dip also. A little lemon juice can be a nice addition, depending on how much lemon juice is in the mayonnaise already.
Artichokes
2-4 fresh artichokes
If the artichokes have stems, keep them on but peel the green skin off with a vegetable peeler. Peel it back until the light colored meat is exposed. Steam the whole artichokes with the stem for 45 minutes to an hour, until the base of the artichoke is soft (test with a fork).
Serve hot with the chilled dip.
Dip
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 clove garlic, crushed
Mix together, chill for at least an hour. If you like horseradish, try adding a little to the dip also. A little lemon juice can be a nice addition, depending on how much lemon juice is in the mayonnaise already.
Artichokes
2-4 fresh artichokes
If the artichokes have stems, keep them on but peel the green skin off with a vegetable peeler. Peel it back until the light colored meat is exposed. Steam the whole artichokes with the stem for 45 minutes to an hour, until the base of the artichoke is soft (test with a fork).
Serve hot with the chilled dip.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Eduardo's Guacamole
The best. Lots of cilantro is the key to this guacamole. This recipe makes a 'party size' amount. Scale it up or down as needed.
5 ripe avocados
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 serrano pepper, minced (adjust amount to taste)
1 cup cilantro, minced
juice of 1 small meyer lemon (or lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients with a potato masher, until avocados are mashed to the desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips and Corona(s).
5 ripe avocados
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 serrano pepper, minced (adjust amount to taste)
1 cup cilantro, minced
juice of 1 small meyer lemon (or lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients with a potato masher, until avocados are mashed to the desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips and Corona(s).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)