Two Pot Tuesday-Progress

Up at 5, no kid naps, two pots cooking-so far, so good...

Pasta!

Pasta with asparagus and proscuitto is a family fave. Get your spring veggies and a dose of yum all in one dish!

More meat, less loaf

The food perfectionists at Cook’s Illustrated are onto something with this recipe. A mushroom mixture adds moisture and flavor to classic meatloaf, and traditional ketchup glaze gets a zesty twist.

Of course, when I tested it previously the process was more arduous. And I told them so. I had to pulverize dried mushrooms into what the family lovingly calls porcini dust — the stuff was messy, but magic. I also had to process a portion of the pork with the eggs. Having only stuck meat in a food processor once before, I was hesitant, but when done properly, it does work. (Click here for the slammin' salami sauce video. Great over pasta.)

The result was a deliciously flavored main dish, our resident meatloaf aficionados agree. But, I’m glad the Test Kitchen folks made some changes to help save steps, and time. Gone are the porcini dust and meat processor steps, in are sautéed mushrooms and onions.

Here is the CI version in video form. You can also check out the current Cook's Illustrated issue for the more-meat-less-loaf recipe and plenty of other great tips. Enjoy!

Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

You could say I like to experiment in the kitchen. When just a child, I pulled all the pimentos out of a jar of olives and stuffed each one full of cottage cheese. Do you know how hard that is? Olive openings are pretty tiny and trying to get anything in there by hand is difficult. I tried several methods including fingers, spoons, knives and eventually got it in there with a fork. Well, it was really just a single fork tine, but I did it. It required plenty of practice and patience. Apparently, I had a lot of free time then, more than I seem to have since I got older. (Anyone else suddenly have a taste for bleu cheese olive martinis. Anyone? Too early?)

When I was offered the opportunity to test this seafood paella, my adventurous side took over and I thought, This might be fun, I’ve never made paella before. After peeling and deveining what seemed like all the shrimp in the sea, wrapping and breaking pasta noodles into just the right size pieces and creating a week’s worth of dirty dishes, I ended up with an impressive dish for sure. I’d tweak it for our family’s tastes, but if you want one of those serious dishes for serious company, this could be it.

I’d make sure to allow yourself plenty of time. Oh, and get the fishmonger to peel and devein the shrimp. I would have, except I was tight on time and bought the only fresh shrimp available.

Here’s a helpful Cook’s Illustrated video, they make it look so easy!

You can find the recipe on their site or in the July/August 2012 Cook’s Illustrated issue. I highly recommend serving the aioli along with it, yum! Here are some work in progress photos as well. Enjoy!

Filipino Chicken Adobo

This Filipino Adobo is a dish of chicken braised in a vinegar-based sauce.

When I tested the recipe, the chicken came out so moist and tender I would make it again. The sauce was bold, with a deeper vinegar taste than my family is accustomed. Overall, it flavored the chicken nicely and paired well with the rice, but next time I’d reduce the vinegar to suit our palates.

The recipe is available in this month’s Cook’s Illustrated issue and online. Here is the recipe I tested. 

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Serves 4

Serve this dish with rice.

8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 (13 ½ ounce) can coconut milk

¾ cup cider vinegar  

8 garlic cloves, peeled

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2. Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to 12-inch nonstick skillet; set aside soy sauce.

3. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until chicken skin is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce.

4. Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet. Return chicken to skillet, skin side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up, and continue to cook until chicken registers 175 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

5. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.    

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto - Love it when a dinner comes together!

Want the convenience of store-bought ravioli, but tired of the same old flavor? Kick it up a notch with this Red Pepper Pesto Sauce. It’s got wow flavor, and doesn’t take long to make. I love it when a dinner comes together! Here’s the recipe I tested for Cook’s Illustrated.

If you’re not into red peppers, check out the Jan/Feb issue for these other recipes: Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto; Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto; or try Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Fresh or frozen ravioli may be used in this recipe.

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled

Salt and pepper

1 (20- to 28-ounce) package cheese ravioli

1 (17-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dried

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

½ cup raw shelled pistachios, toasted

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add garlic cloves to water and cook for 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to bowl and rinse under cold water to stop cooking, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

2. Add ravioli and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot.

3. While ravioli are cooking, peel and mince garlic. Pulse garlic, red peppers, basil, cheese, and pistachios in food processor until finely ground, 20 to 30 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. With motor running, slowly add oil until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add 1 cup pesto to ravioli and gently toss to combine, adding 1 tablespoon cooking water at a time as needed to adjust consistency. Serve passing remaining pesto separately.

Take this Pork and…Stuff it!

Longing for grill season with its easy breezy meals and consistently warmer temps? Me too. If you’re looking for a new way to prepare the ‘other’ white meat, here it is.

This grilled pork tenderloin stuffed to keep in moisture and punch up the flavor is worth trying. When I tested the recipe, it called for Artichoke Stuffing. Our family found the pork tender and flavorful, and the stuffing bright with a little tang. Try it for yourself or check out the 2011 Cook’s Illustrated Summer Grilling issue for more tips and an Apple-Cranberry Filling.

 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Artichoke Stuffing

From Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4 to 6



Note: It’s important to make sure that the artichokes and porcini 
mushrooms are thoroughly patted dry before processing. 



½ cup dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed 


3 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry (3/4 cup) 


1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)


¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse 


¼ cup parsley leaves


2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted


2 garlic cloves, minced


1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice


Kosher salt and ground black pepper


2 tablespoons dark brown sugar


1 cup loosely packed baby spinach


2 (1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound) pork tenderloins, silver skin removed 


2 tablespoons olive oil



1. Microwave ½ cup water and porcinis in covered bowl until steaming, about 
1 minute. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms 
through fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, discard liquid, and pat 
mushrooms dry. Pulse artichokes, Parmesan, tomatoes, parsley, pine nuts, 
garlic, lemon zest, and juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 5 to 10 
pulses; season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine sugar, 1 tablespoon 
salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl.



2. Cut each tenderloin in half horizontally, stopping ½-inch away from edge so 
halves remain attached. Open up tenderloins, cover with plastic wrap and 
pound to ¼-inch thickness. Trim any ragged edges to create rough rectangle 
about 10 inches by 6 inches. 



3. With long side of pork facing you, lay ½ cup spinach over bottom half of 
pork followed by half of artichoke mixture, leaving 1/2-inch border around 
edges. Roll away from you into tight cylinder, taking care not to squeeze 
stuffing out ends. Position tenderloin seam-side down. Evenly space 5 pieces 
twine underneath and tie. Repeat with remaining tenderloin, spinach, and 
stuffing. 



4a. For Charcoal Grill: Light large chimney starter filled with 
charcoal (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour in 
even layer over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and heat grill 
until hot, about 5 minutes.



4b. For Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill 
until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other 
burner(s).



5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Coat pork with oil, then rub entire surface with 
brown sugar mixture. Place pork on cool side of grill, cover, and cook until 
center of stuffing registers 140 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pork once 
halfway through cooking. 



6. Transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 20 minutes. 
Remove twine, slice pork into ½-inch-thick slices, and serve.

Beware the Turbroccicken

We were having one of those days. The kind of day where everything’s just slightly off – no matter how much or how hard you work. After having a day like that all we wanted was to settle in and try to relax. 

Then came dinner. There was a plan, but the best laid plans... So I started gathering ingredients only to find a key component missing from our cupboard. Okay, time to improvise. Then the next box of anything I checked expired last year. And so it went. I scrambled for substitutes while my kid wanted help with a new game and my husband walked in after his long day.

Great, it’s already time to eat and dinner’s not even started. We talked briefly about what to do. Our weary words and choices reflected our tiring day.

Let this serve as a warning – do not attempt this at the end of your next long day. You really don’t want to end up with Turkey stuffing, cream of mushroom soup, chicken and broccoli – or what we fondly refer to now as Turbroccicken. Think an odd mix of poultry flavors in a creamy stew of stuffing and undercooked broccoli. And yes, it tastes pretty much how it sounds. Not good. We ate what we could and let the kid have cereal. You can bet we will not make that again. 

Success or Mess Soups – Grand Finale

Six Scratch Soups in Six Weeks? Yeah, that’s what I’m blogging about. Here’s what I learned.

Plans:

The plan was to cook one soup each weekend for six weeks. That way I had the opportunity to work in the kitchen while my husband occupied our active toddler.

Realities:

Things didn’t work out quite the way I planned. Weekends go by too fast, and time was even tighter since we had so much home construction and clean up the past couple months. Sometimes I had to dig deep to get the soup on the table.

Lessons:

Stick with the plan – make homemade soups that require time and focus when you actually have time. Say, some weekend you’re not struggling with plastic barriers between you and the stove, scrambling to paint, or moving your kitchen and dining room back into place.

Get help – whether you’ve got kids, pets or work, ask for help when you need it. Trust me, you’ll enjoy cooking more and burn a lot fewer meals (or shallots) this way.

Just go with it – sometimes you’re grand plans for a homemade Sunday supper just won’t fly. If it gets bad: take a deep breath, call for carryout and make your fabulous meal another night. You’d be surprised how many times you can pull off a scratch soup on a weeknight. There are plenty of quick-cook options to get you through and the bonus is you might find tearing and chopping a bunch of veggies at the end of a long workday truly cathartic.

Enjoy the video recap and whatever you cook tonight!

Success or Mess Soups – Italian Wedding Soup

It’s finally here – the end of the road for our Six Scratch Soups in Six Weeks experiment! And this was one of the best. I used a combination of ground chicken, chicken sausage and more to make the meatballs. Add in yummy veggies, the cutest little Dittalini tube pasta and top it with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan, and you’ve got one delicious soup.

Tune in again soon when I post the final results of our Soup experiment!

The chicken idea comes from the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe seen here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/italian-wedding-soup-recipe/index.html
Here’s my take on this delicious soup.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

3/4 pound ground chicken

1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

10 cups homemade chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Franken-soup (Leek and Asparagus Soup) Results

Well, I did have a big green mess in my kitchen, but it was mostly due to the fact that I do not own an immersion blender. One is not required for the soup, but after making it, I would recommend it. This soup is much better when it has a smoother texture. So, not only did I use a blender to mix the soup up in batches once (a second bowl, blending a couple cups at a time and back into the pan), I actually did it twice. After tasting it and feeling that it needed just a little more blending time to give it that silky taste and really hit the mark.

The soup had great flavor combination of asparagus, leeks and spinach to name a few ingredients. My family really loved the crunchy leek topping – think crispy onions, but not from a can. It lent a nice light crunch and a bit of an onion and salt taste that blended very well with the smooth veggie soup.

If you’re wondering, the soup color was a very light mint green, much like the unnatural color in the recipe photo I mentioned in a previous post.

This is a make again recipe. If you love asparagus soup or just want to try a great new soup this fall, give it a try. Let me know if you have the same mess I had, or if you might let me borrow your immersion blender next time. Enjoy!

Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma Leek and Asparagus Soup recipe

Ingredients:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

4 to 6 medium leeks, white and light green portions, cleaned, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into slices1/4" thick (reserve 1 cup for fried leek garnish)

1/2  tsp dried thyme

6 cups chicken broth

1 medium russet potato, cleaned, peeled and cut into large diced chunks

1 1/2 to 2 lbs asparagus, tough ends trimmed, spears coarsely chopped

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups half and half

Kosher salt, 1/4 tsp, plus more to taste

Black pepper

Directions:

1.    In a big soup pot melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Cook the reserved cup of leeks and 1/4 tsp salt and sauté until the leeks are crisp, about 8 minutes. (I walked away at 6 minutes and they still looked light green, returned around the 10 min. mark and some were going black, so watch these and take them off around 8 mins.) Transfer the fried leeks to a paper towel-lined plate.

2.    Use the same pot and melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil over medium heat and add the rest of the leeks and the thyme to the pot.

3.    Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 10 mins.

4.    Add the broth and potato, increase heat to medium-high, cover and bring to a boil.

5.    Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the potato is tender, about 12 mins.

6.    Add the asparagus, cover and cook until the asparagus is bright green and tender, about 6 mins.

7.    Stir in the spinach and cook until hot, about 4 mins.

8.    Using an immersion blender, or a very large stand blender, puree the soup until smooth.

9.    Add the half and half, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

10. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the fried leeks (I kid you not, these really punch up the soup), and serve immediately.

Success or Mess Scratch Soup – Hearty Chicken Soup

This is one of the best chicken soups I’ve tasted. It started with a really great pregnancy resource (The Pregnancy Cookbook – you can learn more about the author and find a book link here http://www.hopericciotti.com/). Of course, I made changes to it over the years to fit my family’s tastes. But, it remains a great go-to soup and it’s perfect when you crave a warm bowl of home cooking.

Hearty Chicken Soup with Greens

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Onion, peeled and chopped or diced

5 Cloves of Garlic, minced or thinly sliced

5 Carrots, peeled and chopped

5 Celery ribs, chopped

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Bunch Kale or Collards, rinsed, stems removed, and leaves chopped (you can also use other greens such as dandelion or spinach)

4 Yukon Gold or similar Potatoes, cleaned and chopped about 1/2- to 1-inch pieces

10 Cups Chicken stock

Meat from 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, chopped or pulled how you like (keep in mind that if you pull in small strips, it can cook apart even more when reheated)

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Egg Noodles or other pasta noodles, prepared and set aside

We like to keep the egg noodles or other pasta on the side and add when serving. It keeps the noodles from getting too soggy when you chill and reheat the soup. And there should be enough for leftovers depending on your family’s size.

Directions:

1.    Heat oil over medium in a large soup pot.

2.    Add the onions and sauté about 7 minutes.

3.    Stir in the garlic and let it get fragrant for about a minute.

4.    Add the celery, carrots and salt. Stir, cover and cook about 10 minutes.

5.    Add the greens and potatoes, and stir to mix. Cover and cook about 7 minutes.

6.    Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

7.    Add chicken, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer with the lid off another 7-10 minutes.

8.    Stir in cooked noodles and simmer a couple minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy!

By the way, our house is coming along. At least the barriers, equipment and crews are gone. We just finished another big part of the project this week. It will be a welcome sight when everything is back in its place and we can relax again – well, as much as we ever do. It’s been a lot of hard work and we’re nearing the home stretch. :)

Success or Mess Scratch Soup Week #1 – Cream of Mushroom Soup

The first week I made Cream of Mushroom Soup. I used to eat this a lot as a kid, and still love it! It’s great with crusty bread or oyster crackers. I noticed a recipe on the side of a chicken stock box that inspired me to make my own.

While I didn’t have to call in the troops, it did take a while to cook. I also had some pumpkin bread while it simmered, and I added whipped cream and loved every indulgent bite. Oh, yes I did!

The simmering time can be shortened a little, but the flavors really do best when they have a chance to blend. It’s even better the second night, so plan for leftovers.

We enjoyed this hot and hearty dish during the week, but I’d make sure the house isn’t Grand Central next time I make it. Not because it takes so much preparation and effort, but because it’s just easier to keep an eye on the stove that way. Let’s just say chopping, slicing and stirring between phone calls, doorbells and play-doh pick-up can have you running in circles.

So, clear the decks and enjoy my recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup that’ll warm you right up.

Ingredients:

5 – 6 cups of chicken stock

12 – 16 oz white button mushrooms (cleaned and sliced thin)

1 small onion diced

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup heavy cream

Dash of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Sauté butter, onions and mushrooms over medium heat about 20 minutes or until onions and mushrooms get soft. They should reduce in size and add liquid to the pot.

2. Add the flour slowly and stir until incorporated, about a minute.

3. Add thyme, salt and pepper and stir another minute.

4. Add a cup of stock at a time, to five cups, and bring to a simmer. Simmer about an hour (you can get away with a 30 minute simmer here, but the extra time intensifies the flavors) and add additional stock, up to a cup, as needed.

5. Reduce heat and slowly add cream and nutmeg. Let simmer another 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

Serve with crusty bread or crackers and enjoy!