In A Nutshell

This soup is satisfying and hearty; the accoutrements give it an extra bit of pizzaz therefore I highly recommend going the extra mile. For a vegetarian option you can use vegetable broth and leave out the bacon substituting 3 T vegetable or olive oil instead, but the bacon fat does significantly boost the flavor. Duh Adapted from Fine Cooking Annual vol.1 For the avocado cream: 1 large avocado 3 T lime juice (fresh, please) 1/4 c sour cream or table crema 1/2 t kosher salt 1 green onion, chopped 1/2 t honey 1 cup cilantro Mix all the ingredients in a mini food processor until smooth. For the soup: 1 lb dried black beans  6 slices bacon, chopped 6 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 large celery stalk, chopped 1 medium carrot, diced 4 cups chicken broth 3 cups of water 2 bay leaves 2 t kosher salt 14 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes Put the dried beans in a large pot with water and bring to a boil; turn off the heat and let the beans soak overnight (or at least se...

  This soup is delicious but I have never particularly enjoyed the sight of a green soup—hence the attempt to draw your eye to the croutons and my cute napkin. I had a hankering for a soup like this but every recipe I looked at involved something I didn't want; for example, a roux with  lots of flour (which IMHO gives it that pseudo-homemade taste that you find in Panera soups or the like), lots  of heavy cream, carrots (why?!!!). I decided to use one small potato as a thickener and only a small amount of cream rather than the 2 cups called for in several recipes I saw. If I’m going to consume 2 cups of cream (and believe me, I’m not unwilling), it’s certainly not going to be with broccoli!  The croutons, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, are pure deliciousness; I like to make my own from stale baguettes or bread that no one wants to eat anymore. There's not really a recipe- I cut the stale bread into cubes and sauté them in a decent amount of EVOO, sprin...

My mom found this recipe in its original form on a blog called  Apple of My Eye ; we have extensively changed it because it was a very lean, low-fat recipe and in need of some serious flavor boost. I have made it many times and tweak it every time. I love it! It's homey, comforting and makes you feel like you're a visitor in Aunt Bee's kitchen. You can use leftover roasted chicken, grilled chicken or you can poach some chicken breasts; it is also good with no chicken at all as a side dish or a vegetarian main course. 1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks 1/2 head broccoli, cut into chunks Preheat the oven to 425º; lay out the veggies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (you may need 2) and drizzle with EVOO. Salt and pepper them and roast for about 20-25 minutes until nicely browned. 2 T butter 2 T flour 1/2 t garlic salt 1 t onion powder 1 1/3 cup milk (I prefer to use whole milk) 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 cups shredded cheddar 2 slices bacon, co...

Another delicious recipe from Food & Wine magazine; I modified and simplified this slightly. 1 1/2 lbs haricots verts or regular green beans, trimmed and halved 1 1/2 lbs small fingerling or new potatoes 1 cup chickpeas 1 large garlic clove 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 oz. finely grated Grana Padano (about 3/4 cup) 1 oz. finely grated Pecorino Romano 1/2 cup plus 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 large bunch basil leaves 4 T lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Fill a large bowl with ice; bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the basil for about 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the ice water- remove and pat dry. Add the green beans to the water and boil for about 4-6 minutes, depending upon how thick your green beans are. Transfer to the ice water to cool- remove and pat dry. Add the potatoes to the water and boil until tender (the recipe says 10-12 minutes but mine took about 20 plus minutes); drain and let cool completely. Meanwhile, in a food pr...

This is from Barefoot Contessa Parties ; it's really the best Caesar salad ever. You can sub in kale on occasion for a change of pace. The dressing is so lemony and delicious that you'll never want to buy a bottle from the store again! For the dressing : 1 organic egg yolk, at room temp. 2 t Dijon mustard 2 garlic cloves, pressed 8 anchovy fillets (optional- I leave this out) 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 t kosher salt freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 cups olive oil (do not use extra-virgin olive oil or it will separate) 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan In a food processor, place the egg yolk, mustard, garlic lemon juice, salt and pepper and process until smooth (ish). With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the tube and process until thick. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse a few times. For the salad : chopped romaine lettuce roasted cherry tomatoes (drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper and roast at 450º for 20 minutes) cooked choppe...

January is a terrible time if you enjoy looking at cooking magazines... it's all kale and quinoa... poached and boiled... penance on a plate; so I'm offering a stick-to-the-ribs soup with carbs and cream and all that good stuff our bodies crave during the coldest month of the year. Very slightly adapted from Food Network. Leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian. 5 slices bacon, cut into little pieces 2 T butter 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 1/2 lbs mixed mushrooms (I used white button and shitake) 2 medium potatoes, diced 2 T flour 1/2 cup dry sherry 4 -6 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1/2 cup heavy cream chopped parsley for garnish Cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp; remove to a paper-towel lined bowl and pour off all but about 1 T of the fat. Saute the onions in the bacon fat along with 2 T butter until they are very soft, about 8-10 minutes. This will make your kitchen smell like food heaven. Add the garlic an...

This could easily be made into a vegetarian soup by using vegetable broth and leaving out the bacon bits topping. The recipe was ever so slightly adapted from Food Network magazine. 2 butternut squash (about 4 lbs total) 2 T EVOO 2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces 4 carrots, chopped 1 red onion, chopped 2 Fresno chiles, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 t cumin 2 t chili powder 1 T vegeta or chicken bouillon 8 cups chicken broth Toppings : pomegranate seeds toasted, salted pumpkin seeds bacon bits (or pancetta) chopped green onion sour cream with lime zest Preheat the oven to 400º; poke holes in the squash with a fork and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes until you can pierce the squash easily. Let cool. Discard the seeds and string stuff and scoop out the flesh. Heat the EVOO in a large pot and add the carrots, onion, chiles and garlic; saute over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add the tortilla pieces and cook for 3 or 4 m...

(with a couple of teeny tiny little anchovies)... I would not describe myself as an anchovy fan, frankly they gross me out a little. But... I think they really add a depth of flavor to foods; in this pasta, you would never guess that there are a couple of little anchovies in there.  If you want to do a vegetarian version, leave out the anchovies but bump up the garlic to intensify the flavor. Not the greatest picture but the pasta was absolutely delicious (surprisingly so given the few ingredients). Adapted from Bon Appetit. 2 T butter 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 large garlic cloves, sliced hearty pinch of crushed red pepper (optional yet recommended) 2 anchovies 2 lbs garden tomatoes 8 oz. spaghetti mixed chopped herbs of your choice (I used chives and parsley) While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the butter, EVOO, anchovies, CRP and garlic. Cook over medium high heat until the anchovies have broken down (the house will smell delicious at this point!); add the tomat...

This is a fresh spring pasta that can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the pancetta. It comes from Bon Appetit magazine. 12 oz. fettuccine 4 oz. pancetta, chopped 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1" pieces 2 cups green peas (I used frozen and let them thaw) 1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving 1/3 cup heavy cream 3 T EVOO 3 T lemon juice 1 T grated lemon zest chopped parsley crushed red pepper Cook pasta according to package directions, saving 1/2 cup pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, cook pancetta in a large skillet until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon onto a paper-towel lined bowl to drain. Add the olive oil, garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper to the skillet and saute the asparagus in that mixture for about 5 minutes; add about 1/4 cup water to the pan over high heat and cover to allow the asparagus to steam for a couple of minutes. Add the peas and green onions when the water ha...

This salad was soooooooooo good--it makes eating broccoli fun! I think that roasting the broccoli brings out the best flavor rather than blanching. The recipe comes from the Neeley's (you know, that couple that has a show on the Food Channel) with some modifications. I know I'm stating the obvious here, but you can leave out the bacon if you have a vegetarian in your midst whose mission it is to ruin all the fun by making you leave out the bacon..... 8 cups broccoli florets plus some EVOO for drizzling 1 T honey 1 1/2 T red wine vinegar 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 t salt freshly ground pepper 2 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil 2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1/4 c slivered, toasted almonds 2 T dried cranberries Preheat oven to 425º; put the broccoli on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with some EVOO--not too much and not too little. Season with kosher salt and pepper and roast on the top rack for 25 minute...

Another adaptation from Rachel Ray; the pesto is absolutely delicious and would make a vibrant topping for grilled chicken or fish or you could tweak it a bit to turn it into a marinade or dressing. The original recipe called for one pound of pasta but I think the flavors of the pesto and zucchini would shine more with a little less pasta. You can leave the chicken out if you want a vegetarian dish. For the Pesto : 1 small bunch cilantro 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1 lemon, zested and juiced 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 5 T extra-virgin olive oil In a food processor, pulse everything but the olive oil until chopped fine. Add the EVOO and pulse until combined. For the Pasta : 12 oz. egg tagliatelle or pappardelle 2 zucchini, julienned (you can do this with a mandoline or by hand- or just sliced thin) 4 green onions, chopped (white and green parts) 3 cloves of garlic, chopped ...

The peanut dressing is absolutely fantastic; it also makes a terrific dipping sauce for chicken but I suggest you reduce the amount of lime juice and water to make it thicker. Peanut Dressing : 1/2 cup peanut butter (natural, creamy) 1/8 cup soy sauce 1/8 cup toasted sesame oil 1 1/2 T unseasoned rice vinegar 1 T finely chopped garlic 1 T grated fresh gingerroot 1 t Asian chile paste (oelek sambal) 1/2 T hoisin sauce 3 oz. water 4 T freshly squeezed lime juice Mix everything together in a mini food processor or a blender until smooth. If this is too thick, you can add a little more lime juice and/or water; you don't want it to be too thick and gluey.  I found it to be just right but it might depend on what kind of peanut butter you are using. For the salad : 8 oz. vermicelli, cooked according to package directions and rinsed with cold water 2 carrots, shredded 4 cups baby spinach 4 scallions, sliced 2 leftover grilled chicken breasts, sliced (optional) 4 rad...