Making Ciabatta

Is that a beautiful loaf or what?

Fall is in the air. Thoughts of root vegetables and comfort food fill my mind. I no longer lust after juicy summer tomatoes but rather crave squash and meat and potatoes and the like. Like bread. Yep. Homemade bread, still warm out of the oven with a slather of butter. Just like that. Nothing more. It doesn't get much better than that. It is so gratifying to bake the bread and then to be able to eat it right out of the oven. Bread I made. When I first made this bread I would just stand over the bread and make ohing sounds. Now that I have had more practice I actually have some self control and can wait for dinner or at least until my husband gets home so we can have some together.

I love Ciabatta. It is the perfect bread. It's hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. It has lots of air bubbles which help to make the bread light and airy. I use it quite often to make crostini but I also love it toasted for breakfast. It tastes good alone or with stuff on it. It also freezes very well. If I buy a loaf I immediately cut it up and put it in a freezer bag and freeze it. That way I can pull out a slice at a time and it always tastes fresh when I want it.

What bothers me is that a nice artisan loaf of bread is getting close to 5 bucks these days. It occurred to me that this bread is really only flour and water. For 5 bucks??? Hum. For years I had a wish that I could make bread myself but after taking a couple of bread classes and buying several bread cookbooks I wasn't much closer to making anything I really wanted to eat.

Then one day I was watching America's Test Kitchen and they were making ciabatta. Fool proof ciabatta. Yea right! I had heard that before. I sat there watching every step very closely. I had recorded the show and proceeded to watch it a couple more times over the next couple of weeks. I finally sat down with a pad of paper and wrote down all the instructions and decided to get in the kitchen and give it a try. They were right, it was fool proof. I had success on my first loaf. But it was not quite good enough for me so I made it again and again and again. I am now happy to say that I think I have perfected this recipe. I can get in the kitchen and whip up a loaf of ciabatta like it's nothing. That being the case I have been making a loaf a week. That's about how long it lasts with two of us in the house.

The one thing about this recipe that you need to know is that you must start the biga (starter)the night before. I will typically do this on either Friday and Saturday night before bed depending on my day the next day. You have to be home for several hours to perform all the steps and get it baked. So plan ahead.

I am sure you can probably go on the America's Test Kitchen web site and pull up the recipe, which I would recommend. I have included the notes I took from the show below. I made a couple of slight changes to the instructions so if you dowload the recipe there will a couple differnet directions. You will need a pizza stone and the bread will be baked on a sheet of parchment paper. In addition I always use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients when I bake. It is important that the ingredients be exact and the only way to accomplish that is to use a scale.

Ingredients:
Biga: 5 oz all purpose flour
1/8 tsp active dry yeast
4 oz water - room temp

Bread:
Biga
10 oz all purpose flour
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
6 oz water - slightly warm
2 oz milk - slightly warm

To make the biga: Add water to mixer bowl with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over water and allow to dissolve. Turn machine on low and add the flour. Work for 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight or at least 8 hours.

To make the bread: In mixer with paddle attachment add water, sprinkle with yeast. Allow to dissolve then add the rest of the ingredients. Turn mixer on low and allow to come together for about 1 minute. Dough should be sticky. Increase speed to medium low for about 4 minutes. At this point it should start to pull away from the side of the bowl. Change to a dough hook and mix on high for about 10 minutes. All of these steps are building the structure of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about 1 hour.

Spray a large rubber spatula with cooking spray. Turn the dough on to itself starting at the outside of the bowl pulling into center. Do this all the way around the bowl about 6 to 8 times taking care not to deflate the dough more than necessary. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes. This process helps to develop the air holes you want in the bread. Repeat this process. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. It is important that the oven be very hot.

Place pizza stone in center of the over and preheat to 450 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the pizza stone and then sprinkle with flour. Turn the dough onto the paper and pull gently to form a large square, taking care not to totally deflate. Do not allow the dough to take in more flour, you want it sticky. Slide parchment paper with dough on to pizza stone and spray with water. Bake 5 minutes then spray with water again. Bake 22 more minutes or until center temp is 250. Total cooking time is about 27 minutes.

Allow to cool for one hour.

A word about dough rising time. The temperate of your kitchen is going to determine how quickly or slowly the dough rises. I have grantie counter tops so if I leave the bowl of dough on the counter the temperature is so cold that the dough does not rise as it should. Therefore, I have to put the bowl on something else to allow it to rise properly. When a recipe gives a time for rising it is only an estimate. You will need to adjust as you watch the dough rise to catch it at exactly the right time. This comes with practice.

Repeat this process once a week and start counting all the money you are going to save!

Sardine Crostini

I have wanted to try sardines for many years now, having read several articles about them, and seen many recipes and television shows about how good they are, and how good they are for you. I was somewhat awe struck with the idea and a bit intimidated.

I had this impression however, that they were going be very salty strong little fishes, I guess maybe I was thinking they tasted more like anchovies, which I love, but they are used sparingly. I managed to purchase a can of sardines at a Spanish market I found last year and the can remained in my pantry until last night. I must have finally been in the mood.....it was a warm spring evening, we were going to open a good bottle of wine, and play cards on the balcony. That always gets my brain working, what we need is good appetizer to go with that. I thought of the can of sardines and enlisted my husband to help. He was all jazzed about trying them.

Get all the components of the dish ready and then assemble.

1 loaf bread, thinly sliced, Ciabatta or baguette style

1 fresh garlic clove

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Sea Salt

1 jar roasted red peppers, well drained, and cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp capers

Very good quality olive oil

1/2 half a white onion

Prepare the sardines. Open the sardines and dump the can upside down on to a plate and separate them. They are very delicate so be careful. They were packed only in olive oil, and there was quite a bit of it, so I got rid of a some of it. Then I took half a lemon and gave them a little dressing. We sampled a tiny bit and found that they needed salt. A sprinkling of good quality salt made all the difference.

Slice the white onion in very thin slices.

Drain the peppers and slice into bite size pieces.

Drain the capers.

Brush the bread with olive oil, and bake in oven only until they start to turn slightly brown. Depending on your oven this might take 5 to 10 minutes. (I have also used my toaster oven for this if I am only making a few.) Immediately upon removing the crostini from the oven take the garlic clove and brush over the toasts. The heat will cause the garlic to melt on the bread.

Next top with all your ingredients, the sardines, capers, peppers. Once they are all assembled drizzle very lightly with a little fresh olive oil.

There are lots of strong flavors going on there. I hope you enjoy them!

Risotto with Artichoke and Lemon

Risotto. Gotta love it.


It can be made so many different ways. Risotto with mushrooms, seafood, broccoli, it is all based around arborio or carnaroli rice. Carnaroli can be found in Italian markets, or ordered on-line, while arborio is readily available in most supermarkets and Trader Joe's. I use the arborio on a regular basis because it is easy to find. It has become a staple in my pantry. The Carnaroli I pick up when I go to the Italian market, which is rare, maybe every few months. I recently bought some to make a special dish from Venice, using fresh shrimp, and had some left over that I used in this dish.

Even though artichokes are in season right now I did not use them. I find that the frozen or jarred are just fine for some dishes. In this case I used the jarred. If made fresh, you must discard all the leaves on the outside of the choke to get to the heart, and it pains me to throw all that out. You can decide for yourself which type you want to use.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion or 1/2 a large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup carnaroli rice
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 32 ounce can chicken broth
1 5 to 6 ounce jar artichoke hearts
Zest of one lemon
1 Tsp Lemon juice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Drain the artichoke hearts well. Set aside.

In small saucepan heat the chicken broth until hot, then reduce the heat but keep hot. It is important that any broth or water added to the dish be very hot.

In a heavy bottomed large saute pan heat the canola oil, add the onion and saute about 7 minutes. The onion should be more than soft but not yet browning. Add the garlic and stir for one minute. Add the rice, stirring for a few minutes to coat well and slightly toast.

Start adding the hot chicken broth one ladle at a time. This process will take about 20 minutes. Add a ladle of broth and stir, almost constantly, allowing all the broth to cook off before adding the next ladle.

Add the salt, pepper and thyme. Stir well. Add the artichokes but stir gently so they do not completely fall apart.

Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. To test for doneness you must taste it. Do not judge by time alone.

If the risotto gets too dry add a little hot water, that will loosen it up. And it is ready to serve.

The majority of the flavor should come from the zest which is why I love this dish so much. The combination of the zest and the artichoke is wonderful. You can hardly detect the other ingredients which is what you want. They are in the background, and add to the overall flavor, without you really knowing they are there.

Hum....what kind of wine should we serve with this dish?

Baked Pears with Lemon Zest and Anise

This recipe literally came to me as I was making it. I had two pears in the kitchen I needed to use and realized I had not had a baked pear in a long time. I don't make dessert very often these days but the thought of a special dessert on a Sunday night seemed like a nice thing to do. Lets see, what to put in them? I was going to look for a recipe and then decided to just through a couple things on the pears and be done with it. I knew that cinnamon was a given, and I needed something sweet, without being too sweet or high in sugar grams, so I used the agave syrup I had on hand. (I'm telling you the more I use that stuff the more I like it.) I had a big bowl of lemons on the table and thought that zest always wakes up a dish or makes it more interesting so I would try some lemon zest. Then I opened the drawer where I keep all my spices and found some anise seed, which I never use, but thought oh what the heck! Lets try something different. The pears came out so good, I was shocked. Sometimes I surprise myself! I will put this recipe in my collection and make it again.

2 whole pears

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon organic agave syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp anise seed

Cut each pear in half, remove seeds and stem ends. You may peel the pears if you like or leave the peel on. I leave it on because I want the vitamins and fiber. Place in a gratin pan, or other ceramic dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the pears. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes baste the pears with the sauce.

After the pears have finished baking pour the sauce into a small saucepan and reduce on high heat for about 7 minutes. It will get thick and syrupy. While reducing use a spoon to skim off any foam and the anise seed.

Plate the pears and pour the reduced sauce over.

I took this picture of the pear half plated for the blog post. What you don't see is that once I had the photo I put 2 pear halves in a bowl and topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. So you can serve this two ways, the pretty small portion when you have company, or the big portion with ice cream when you are alone in front of the TV.

Yogurt parfait

Yogurt Parfait? Seriously? This is what I have been reduced to writing about?

My friends are always asking how to eat healthy. I hear them talk about the big fat bagel with all the cream cheese on it. Or those breakfast burritos you get at work in the cafeteria. You can't eat that stuff everyday. Incorporating a breakfast like this a couple of times a week is a great start. When I say I have yogurt for breakfast I get this reaction like eeeew! Hey wait a minute. Continue reading.

It's quick, it's good for you, and it can be thrown together in a minute. You will get the protein in the yogurt, as well as some low fat calcium that is especially important for the women. The fruit is a great source of vitamin C, it has natural sugar for the body, and if you eat the blueberries you also get the antioxidants, in addition to fiber the fruit provides. The granola is whole grain with some nuts, usually walnuts, another food high in antioxidants. Seriously, this is some healthy food. I make this a little extra special by using a nice looking cup or bowl so it looks beautiful, and it adds to the brief moment of joy. And I do mean brief! Giving it a special name like parfait also helps.

I buy the Fage Greek yogurt. It is the only yogurt I can find that only has 8 grams of sugar. I have read every label on every brand of yogurt out there and they all contain excessive amounts of sugar. It makes me crazy, but that seems to be what the people want. I mean lets face it, sugar makes things taste good. That's what I want too, but I can't have it. If you have no issues with sugar then have it and be happy. Damn you! But I can't consume that much sugar anymore, my body cannot handle it.

So back to the point. I use one container of yogurt and I add some vanilla or cinnamon to it, give it good stir right in the container. Sometimes I might even add a little Splenda or some organic agave syrup, which is my fav. Then it is simply a process of making layers of yogurt, fruit and granola. I use a glass because I can see through it, and it looks so pretty when it is prepared. Start with 1/3 of the yogurt, then some fruit, then more yogurt, then some fruit, the last of the yogurt, some more fruit and then hit the top with the granola. 

I like to use berries, any kind, I love them all, but usually blueberries and strawberries, and raspberries. You can use fresh pineapple or papaya or banana, or any combination you wish. (Speaking of banana's, have you ever tried mashing a banana into your oatmeal?)

 

And don't even get me started on granola. That's another thing that contains tons of needless sugar. I make my own when I can and that adds even more enjoyment out of eating this.

If you want to boost it up a notch, add some flax seed or chia seeds and some walnuts.

This breakfast satisfies me. I feel good about eating it, it tastes delish, and I am satisfied so I don't snack.

It you can't sit in the morning and enjoy this in a beautiful container put it in a paper coffee cup and take it to go. Once you get to the office you can dig in. It's so much better than going to the cafeteria for that breakfast burrito!

Grilled Squid

I have to admit that grilled squid is not a food item that has been on my to do list. I mean, it's not like I have been reading cookbooks and dreaming of cooking a big ol' squid one day. But what are you supposed to do when stuff just arrives at your door? The truth is my stepson, Eric, went fishing and he caught a slew of big calamari or squid, we don't really know what they are. All we know is that they are really really good!

I pulled several of my cookbooks and read all I could about squid and what to do with it, and what not to do with it. I will tell you there are some very strange recipes out there. The more I read the more I started to understand how to handle it, how tough it can get, how using really simple good ingredients could make for a delicious dish. I decided to keep it as simple as possible however I really was not sure if it was going to come out edible or not. Just in case it was a total disaster I decided to make some pasta with it, that way we could fill up on the pasta if the squid did not work out.

It turns out I had nothing to worry about. The end result was so surprisingly delicious we can't wait to make it again. Thank goodness Eric brought us enough for several meals. Thanks Eric!!!!

You must start with clean fresh fish. If you buy it the fishmonger will clean it for you. I was concerned that it would be tough so I pounded mine between two sheets of plastic wrap. If you do this be very careful as it does break down and will fall apart if overworked. I then marinated it for 20 to 30 minutes. Don't let it sit any longer than 30 minutes. The lemon can make the fish break down if I sits on there too long. Put the squid in a dish or platter for marinating.

The marinade and sauce:

• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup very good quality olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
• Fresh cracked pepper

Now that the fish is all prepared, use 2/3 of the marinade to cover the fish. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare the grill. You want a very hot grill and you want to cook the fish very quickly. Cook the fish 1 1/2 minutes per side. No longer. It overcooks very quickly and will get tough. Take it off the heat and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes. The residual heat will continue to cook the fish slightly.

Use the remaining 1/3 of the marinade to drizzle over the cooked fish. Serve.

It is tender, and it tastes of the sea, no salt is needed, and the lemon is wonderful. Because this is so simple you can see why the quality of the olive oil is very important.

Watch your dining partners eyes roll back in his head and be sure to pour the wine. Cheers!

Asparagus Frittata

Isn't this pic beautiful? As it should be, nicely brown, the white part in the middle is the cheese, all melty and gooey.


With the prices of food going up I have been more aware recently of just how much we spend on our food budget. Times are tough, therefore I am more aware of what I purchase. It's amazing what you really can do without if you need to. I am practicing restraint and when I buy an ingredient I want to use it for more than one meal. This requires a little planning ahead, which can be challenging, but it sure helps with the grocery bill.


Recently I had some organic whipping cream left from the night I made pasta for my husbands good friend Ray. ( He loves the pasta so much we nicknamed it Ray's pasta!) I needed to use it up so I made the pumpkin gratin. Additionally I purchased some Gruyere cheese to use in this frittata and also used it in a pumpkin gratin. The asparagus bunch I bought was divided between the soba noodles and the frittata. This is just an example of how I am trying to keep our costs to a minimum but still put some good food on the table. I hate buying something and then not using it or having to through it out.


So here are the ingredients for the frittata:

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
Small bunch asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
Salt and Pepper
2 tsp butter, 1 to saute the onions, 1 to coat the gratin dish
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
6 eggs
1/2 c milk

In a saucepan, with some olive oil and butter, slowly saute the onion until soft and lightly brown. Be sure to season them with salt and pepper. This usually takes about 20 minutes. (When you get home from work start the onions, then go change your cloths, open the mail, and pour yourself a glass of wine. The onions will be done.) Set aside. In the same saucepan cook the asparagus in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, for 3 minutes until slightly done. Remember, when added to the eggs they will be cooking more in the oven so don't over cook them here.


Lightly butter a gratin dish. Lay the onions on the bottom. Add the asparagus. Grate 1 cup of gruyere cheese and add that to the gratin dish.


In a small bowl whip 6 eggs, add 1/2 cup of milk and some salt. Pour over the other ingredients in the gratin dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. The top should be slightly brown and the middle should not wiggle indicating the eggs are done.


I serve this with a green salad, but then I serve everything with a salad. Getting into the habit of having a salad almost every night is one of the best things we have ever done for ourselves. It's so easy to do, you can buy lettuce in a bag now, and I always make my own vinaigrette. I can change it up depending on the vinegar and oil I use, plus it takes me about 30 seconds to make, and that way I know what's in it and what we putting into our bodies. I also play around with different lettuces, there are do many varieties readily available and most are delish. I usually always combine a few different varieties to make it more interesting.

This frittata served two for dinner and I had one serving leftover for lunch the next day. You know how much I love that!

Soba Noodles with Salmon

It's interesting how one's life can change so quickly. I remember only a few months ago I was going to the farmers market, spending hours cooking every day, making things like peach jam, getting lost in the glory of food. All that has changed. Now I want it fast. I don't have the time nor the energy for hours of cooking. I need it to almost cook itself. I don't want a lot of clean up either, I don't have the energy to do dishes at night, I am just too tired. What the heck? I liked it better before! But alas, one must come to terms with reality and make the adjustment, no matter how painful.


It's all because of "THE JOB". Working full time does not allow for much time left over to shop or prepare meals. I hate it. I remember meandering along rows of fresh produce, lost in my own thoughts, imagining all the things I could do with this vegetable or that fruit. Dreaming about the pleasure of not only picking out the item, but taking it home and gazing at it's beauty sitting on my kitchen counter. The excitement of beginning to cook the meal, to put everything together and somehow make it all come out so beautifully in harmony, the gratification of the finished dish, and pleasure of the first bite. How I miss all that. But I know I will have it again some day, so for now, I need to get my head out of the clouds and find something the eat.

All my energy is now applied to making the quickest meal possible. After working a couple of months it become clear how poorly we were eating. I found it hard to even make it to the market so sometimes it was whatever I could scrap together, and sometimes it was truly pathetic. We also started eating more take out, which is not good. That brought me to this point, where I can come up with quick recipes that I, or my husband, can whip up in a few minutes, and that still had some semblance of a healthy balanced meal.


Ta Da! I give you Soba noodles with Salmon. It's fast, it's healthy and it's easy. It's filling, you get a healthy carb, a vegetable, and some protein, all in one bowl.



Most of my posts in the near future will be in this vain. IF I can get them posted. I am sorry, I have been negligent in the blogging duties, but now you understand. Thanks for your empathy.


Ingredients:
Soba Noodles
Olive oil
Canola oil
Garlic, minced
Ginger, minced
Sambal
Teriyaki sauce
Asparagus
Salmon
Sesame seeds


Cook the salmon and asparagus.



Method 1. Coat the salmon and asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. and throw it on the grill for a couple minutes. We made this recently and my husband handled the grilling while made I did the slicing and dicing, the sauce and put it all together.



Method 2. Coat the salmon and asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes.

While this is cooking boil the noodles. This only takes a few minutes. Drain them.



To make the sauce coat the pan with some canola oil, add the garlic and ginger and cook slowly for one minute. You do want this to burn. Add the teriaki sauce. I also add a little bit of sambal because I like a slight under current of heat, without it being too hot to eat. I always have a jar of this in my refrig, but if you don't use it, don't add it to the recipe.


To assemble, add the cooked noodles to the pan with the sauce and coat well. Next add the asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces. Plate the noodles, then top it with the cooked salmon and some sesame seeds.

Done, fast and easy. The thing I like about this basic recipe is that I can alter it depending on my mood or what I happen to have in the kitchen.


You could also use:
Chicken or shrimp
Cilantro
Peanuts
Scallions
Broccoli
Red bell peppers
Mushrooms
Sesame seed oil
Noodles, any type you have. I've used whole wheat linguine for this dish but my fav is the soba noodle as they are quick to cook and light. I don't feel stuffed after eating them as you might with some heavy pasta.



Make a little extra so that you can take it to work the next day for lunch.


You can make any combination of flavor you want to create the final dish. My fav is the salmon and asparagus but I have made it with many other things and it is just as good. I like using the salmon because, 1) it doesn't take that much so it is less expensive and 2) I don't get enough fish in my diet and this is a simple way of getting it. Plus my dog loves it! Ah ha, the truth come out!

Multigrain blueberry pancakes

I buy an all natural muti grain baking and pancake mix. It is simply grains, no additives. It contains very little sugar, only 2 grams per serving, but 4 grams of protein and some fiber. I always feel guilty when I eat pancakes and therefore I don't eat them very often. But with these I don't feel quite as guilty. They are actually more in the healthy column, as long as I don't pour a load of maple syrup over them. I try to use fresh fruit, and sometimes I put on a small amount of all natural peanut butter. All natural peanut butter has no added sugar, its just nuts, and high in protein.

There are recipes that usually come with the mix but I just make up my own.

Multigrain pancake mix
1 egg
1 fresh Orange
Cinnamon
Fresh blueberry's
Milk
Canola Oil and butter

I use one heaping tablespoon of mix for each pancake. If I want to make 6 pancakes I use 6 heaping tablespoons. Put that into a bowl. Add an egg.

Use a grater and zest the orange. Zest only the orange part, try not to get the white. Add that to the bowl. Cut the orange in half and juice the orange into the bowl. The zest and juice of an orange adds some wonderful flavor to the otherwise bland mix.


Add a bit of cinnamon. I add more than a bit because I like it that way. You can also add a little fresh nutmeg if you are so inclined.


Add some fresh blueberrys. Now you want to mix very gently and add milk until you get it to the consistency you want for pancakes.


I use a big giant non stick skillet because I can make several at one time. Heat it with a little canola oil and a small amount of butter. I like the flavor of the combo.

If I don't have blueberrys make other flavors. You can add vanilla. You could make them plain and cut fresh strawberries over the top. You could add an egg, or top them with peanut butter and syrup. Yes together. It's delish. Whatever flavor you decide, just make them for a nice Sunday morning breakfast. They are special. Perhaps with some pressed coffee?

Minestrone Soup with Sausage and Tortellini

It's flavorful and filling. It's a meal in a pot.

It's been raining a lot in California and that's when I pull out the warming winter recipes. I recently made a big pot of minestrone soup but instead of all keeping it all veggies I added some sausage and cheese tortellini.



What you are going to need:

• Olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 to 3 medium size medium zucchini, diced
• 1 1/2 cups green beans, sliced
• 5 cups beef stock
• 4 cups water (approx)
• 1 35 oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground
• Outer rind of Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 6 ounces dried cheese tortellini
• Freshly grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese

Directions: in a large soup pot, saute the whole sausage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook them only until slightly underdone as they will cook more in the soup. Remove from the pan and set aside. Once they are fully cooled slice them.

In the same pot add the chopped onion. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the sliced carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and green beans cooking 2 to 3 minutes between each addition.


Add the beef stock, water, canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. A word about the water. Add enough to make it a fairly thin soup because later when you add the tortellini they will suck up a lot of the broth. Add the cheese rind to the center of the pot, cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours on a slow simmer.


15 minutes before serving add the sliced sausage back in, then the beans and the tortellini. Again if the soup gets too thick add a little more water. Heat this for 15 minutes or until the tortellini is done.

Serve in large bowls with freshly grated cheese on top. A nice hunk of bread with this soup and you have a very hearty meal.


I have learned after making this soup many times that adding the pasta early will make for a mushy soup as the pasta will fall apart.


Hint: When ever I have rind left from Parmesan, or other hard rind cheeses, I save it. I keep it in a Ziploc bag and use it for soups and stews or pot roasts. It adds a wonderful flavor and it is usually something that is thrown away.

This soup is very satisfying. The men in your life will love it.

Oh those potatoes!

Do these look fantastic or what?

These potatoes are outrageous! Seriously. Once you have them you will want them again. You will think about them.....daydream......you might even have a dream or two. BUT let me break the news to you, these are potatoes you have every once in awhile, not every day. They contain cream, butter, and gooey cheese. I usually serve them at Christmas with a Prime Rib roast. Every person who has had them falls in love.

The basic idea is that, using a baking dish, you are making layers. I use a mandolin to cut the potatoes so they are thin and evenly sliced. The thinness of the potatoes make for more layers, which is a good thing, and they cook faster.

The recipe:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
• 1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 to 2 cups Gruyere cheese

The amount of cheese is really a personal thing. Adding one cup gives the dish a great flavor but if you want it to be over the top adding two cups make is extra gooey and cheesy. I mean, if you are going to bother to make this and eat it, make the way you want it. Especially if you only have it once a year.

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a saute pan heat the oil and add the onions. Cook on med heat until translucent. Add the butter and cook a few minutes longer until slightly caramelized being careful not to burn. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cream. Cook a few minutes just until the cream starts to get thick and reduce. Set aside.

Grate the cheese and slice the potatoes.

Now you are ready to assemble.

I would suggest using a little cooking spray in your baking dish to make sure they don't stick terribly. Start with the potatoes and layer around the pan until they are almost half way up the dish. Pour the onion cream mixture over the layered potatoes, then half of the grated cheese. Now make another layer of potatoes until the dish is full, then top with the second half of the cheese.

Bake for 60 minutes. This dish is somewhat forgiving. You could make this ahead of time and then reheat it. I've cooked them with other things in the oven, like Prime Rib, set at a higher temp and they come out fine. As the picture above shows they can get a little crispy on top so you want to be careful the cheese does not burn. If they are getting too brown you could cover them with foil and continue to cook.

Options: you could also add a little freshly chopped rosemary, or perhaps chopped ham.

Give them a try. I hope they will become a special dish in your home. Perhaps for a special birthday or with a ham for Easter. Or with a big hunk of beef at Christmas. Enjoy!