Hors D'ouevres!

I know I mentioned I would be writing about PORK next, but I have changed my mind, which is a Bloggers prerogative! It's been ages since I have written and I have missed it. Have you missed me? I am now back in Massachusetts (in the land of high-speed) after 4 1/2 glorious months in Southern Arizona. Life is very different here and I am adjusting. This afternoon I have some time before a meeting for Global Grants (www.globalgrants.net). I feel very positive about this potential new client and will share more later! I may have to do some research on Guatemalan cuisine!

Let's get right into some hors d'ouevres. I have an assortment of easy to put together and somewhat different hors d's. The first are...

PURPLE POTATO CHIPS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a mandolin (Thanks again Robb for the generous gift!) makes making these very easy and keeps slices consistent. I am not yet completely proficient using this wonderful cutting tool and if that is the case for you, too, just go slow with your slices and you will keep your fingers intact. It is not always easy to find purple potatoes, and any color will work (red, white, gold), but the color of these chips is stunning and is what makes this hors d'ouevre so special! Once you have thinly sliced (a good sharp knife also works for slicing) an ample amount of purple potato, spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Spray liberally with Olive Oil cooking spray. Salt liberally with sea salt or coarse kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees until the chips begin to brown on bottom, about 15 minutes. Flip chips over and continue baking until crisp, about another 15-20 minutes. Add more salt if needed. Serve immediately. Thanks for the recipe, too Robb. Easy and delicious...Yum! Yum!

SPINACH BALLS

This is not a very attractive name, but these little cheesey bites are absolutely scrumptuous and very easy to make. They also freeze well, uncooked so fall into my favorite category of "do ahead".  I think they are much nicer made with fresh spinach, rather than frozen, but you can use frozen if you like. Do not cook the frozen spinach, just let a 16 oz. pkg. of frozen spinach drain in a collander and squeeze out all liquid before mixing other ingredients. Here is the basic recipe, which can be doubled and frozen, unbaked, if you want them on hand for last minute entertaining. Let thaw before baking.

Ingredients:

2 cups steamed spinach, big stems removed, squeezed thoroughly after steaming                                    

1 small onion, finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup Queso Fresca (or any cheese you like)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (this one can't be substituted)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I like to use whole grain crumbs* that I make myself and keep in the freezer.)

1 Tbsp. flour (white or whole wheat)

2 Tbsp. pine nuts, optional, but a very nice addition

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop spinach into a small amount of boiling water and steam until just wilted. Drain spinach into a collander to cool and when cool squeeze as much water out as possible. Saute onions and garlic in the butter until translucent (do not brown). Remove from heat. Add cheeses, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. flour, 2 Tbsp. pine nuts if using, and 2 eggs slightly beaten. Mix all ingredients well. Using your hands, form into balls about the size of a golf ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm; at least 2 hours, but longer is OK, which again makes these nice "do-aheads". Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Do not over bake.

*Bread Crumbs. When you get down to the heal I grind in a blender or mini max (My husband just bought me a Ninja which is a fantastic tool!). You can also add parmesan cheese, herbs, a little garlic, salt, crackers (last of the box) to the bread crumb mixture. I like to keep both a plain bread crumb and an herby/cheesy mixture at all times in the freezer. Really comes in handy!

STUFFED FIGS

Goat cheese and proscuitto make these a perfect combination of sweet and savory. I have not made them for awhile so don't have a picture. This hors d'ouevre is also very easy to make and once again, can be made in the morning for a dinner party that evening. Here's how...

Ingredients:

1 package dried figs, I like Calimyrna the best

1 6 oz. log good quality goat cheese

1/2 lb. proscuitto

Preparation:

Remove the stem at top of fig with a sharp knife. Slice the fig in the center to create a pocket for the goat cheese. Do not slice all the way. Cut the proscuitto into strips the size that will easily wrap around each fig. Pack a generous bit of goat cheese in each fig and then wrap with the proscuitto. Place on a decorative serving platter and chill until ready to serve. Take out of the fridge about an hour before serving so they come to room temperature.  These are delicious, as is, uncooked OR you can pop under a hot broiler to get the proscuitto bubbly and the goat cheese melted before serving. This takes only a few minutes. This recipe can also be doubled or tripled.

SMOKED SALMON WRAPPED IN ASPARAGUS

This recipe I adapted from a Boston caterer who served them at a swanky party a few years back. How he made them was to wrap the salmon around the top of a lolly pop stick and then rolled it in chopped chives. To serve, he stuck the end of each "salmon pop" into a cardboard tray punched with holes to hold the "pops" upright. The tray was covered with artifical grass which made them look like trees growing in a field. Very clever and creative. I love the combination of smoked salmon and asparagus so this is how I make this hors d'ouevres.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus, peeled and lightly steamed

1 pound smoked salmon

1 cup of finely chopped chives

Preparation:

Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Peel the asparagus to get off the tough nubs. Drop into small amount of salted (the salt helps retain the vibrant green color) boiling water and steam until tender, but still firm. These don't work if your asparagus is limp. Once done, plunge asparagus into a large bowl filled with water and ice to stop the cooking. Slice the salmon into strips. Wrap a piece of smoked salmon around the top of each asparagus spear and then roll in the chopped chives. Do ahead works well with these, too as they can be kept in fridge for several hours before serving. Bring to room temp before presenting.

LIME MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS

IN AVOCADO CREMA

This hors d'ouevre I found on the interent on another woman's blog while searching for special hors d'ouevres for this year's Easter dinner. I wrote to her and she was kind enough to send it. I am sorry I have lost her name as I would like to give her credit. These were a wonderful prelude to the holiday feasting, along with Caprese Kabobs, Sambuskas and Smoked Salmon deviled eggs made into little chicken faces with pieces of black olive for eyes. Let me know if you would like the complete menu and/or recipes.

The chicken can be cleaned and cut the night before or that morning and marinate all day in the lime sauce (another do-ahead!). The avocado cream or crema (sounds fancier!) can also be made in advance and kept chilled. As long as you press a piece of plastic wrap firmly over the surface, the avocado does not turn brown. This I also learned from her blog. Great tip!

Ingredients:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:

Juice of 1 lime, more if lime is small

1 Tbsp. honey, I used Agave nectar, my new favorite sweetner!

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 green chilies, I used jalapeno as that was what she recommended. Finely chopped

1 tsp. salt

Dip:

1 large avocado

3 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 cup sour cream or nonfat Greek-style yogurt

Salt/Pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro for garnish

Here is my friend Dennis grilling the chicken pieces. Thanks Dennis, truly appreciate the help with this and all the other prepping we did together...after all this blog is called, Cook with Cindy! Our Easter theme this year was "Hippies", hence the head band!!

Preparation:

Clean chicken breasts by removing fat and that nasty white cord that runs along the back of the breast. Cut into 1 inch pieces and set aside. Mix all marinade ingredients together, add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight. For the dip, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap (make sure you press it down over all of surface to keep air out, which prevents browning) and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or longer, for flavors to meld. Thread each chicken piece onto a 6 inch skewer that has been pre-soaked (these are one-bite treats). Preheat broiler or BBQ. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Brush with marinade while cooking. Place cooked chicken on a platter, sprinkle cilantro over, and serve with a bowl of the avocado crema dipping sauce nearby.

GOAT CHEESE TURNOVERS

ON A BED OF ROASTED TOMATO COULIS

WITH BASIL OIL TOPPING

I just made these last week for the first time as a first course for a special 24th anniversary dinner I put together for my good friends Dennis and Diana. Because I had not made them before I didn't realize what a rich starter this was, but they sure were good! Because I made the tomato coulis in advance and froze and made the basil oil earlier in the day these went together fairly easily. If you were doing all steps at once, it would become a much bigger production.

FOR THE TOMATO COULIS

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. very ripe plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Dash of Red Wine Vinegar

Splash (that is bigger than a dash!) of nice, rich red wine

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes on a cookie sheet, add 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, Salt and freshly ground Pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tomatoes are soft and their liquid starts to evaporate. Cool. Put all ingredients including any tomato liquid/juice (garlic, vinegar, red wine along with tomatoes and olive oil) into a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water if the coulis seems too thick. At this point you can put coulis into a sealed container and freeze or set aside until serving.

FOR THE BASIL PUREE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp. Salt/Fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in blender and puree. This can be made up to a day in advance. Not sure about freezing as I did not. Bring to room temp before serving.

FOR THE GOAT CHEESE TURNOVERS

Ingredients:

1 lge. Onion, thinly sliced

5 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. chopped: rosemary, basil, oregano

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 6 oz. log good quality goat cheese

1/2 package (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute onions in 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil until carmelized, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a bowl combine remaining 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, goat cheese, herbs, salt, pepper and onions. Mix thoroughly to a creamy consistency.

Sprinkle a cutting board (or do this right on counter top) lightly with flour. Roll puff pastry (if you don't have a rolling pin, a drinking glass works nicely) to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 9 squares. Place squares on ungreased cookie sheet. Divide goat cheese filling between the 9 squares. Fold over to form a triangle and pinch edges together. As you can see, some of my pinching was not that precise, but it did not matter. Chill for at least 10 minutes before baking; longer is OK.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until puff pasty is golden brown. Reheat tomato coulis in microwave until warmed or heat on top of stove. Put about 4 big tablespoons of the coulis on each plate, place 2 turnovers on top of coulis and then drizzle with basil oil.

I do not have pictures for the next 3 hors d'ouevres, but they are so simple and fabulously yummy that I want to include in this array of different hors d'ouevres. The first two involve more puff pasty.

GORGONZOLA STUFFED OLIVES IN PUFF PASTRY

These were first introduced to me by my brother, Skip. He ordered them at he and his wife Esther's favorite Friday night haunt and realized they would be easy to make at home.

Ingredients:

Large green olives, with no pimento

Gorgonzola or blue cheese

Puff Pastry, thawed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use Queen sized, large green olives. Take out pimento if they are stuffed. Cram in some good quality gorgonzola (or blue cheese). Wrap each olive with a slice of pastry dough and bake on ungreased cookie sheet 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Voila! That simple!

BEEF TENDERLOIN EN CROUTE

This recipe I created for a birthday celebration meal for my brother, Skip, a few years back. Use the best quality tenderloin and a rich, pungent blue cheese.

Ingredients:

Beef tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

Blue Cheese

Puff Pastry, thawed

Salt/Pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously salt and pepper beef. Place a thick slice of blue cheese on top of each 1 inch cube of tenderloin. On a floured surface gently roll out puff pastry. The trick here is that you want the puff pastry to completely cook and brown without overcooking the tenderloin so thinner pastry works better. Wrap in puff pastry to completely enclose. The pastry is pliable. Use your fingers to completely seal the package. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. The steak will be perfectly rare.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS WITH BOURSIN

This recipe came to me from my friend Jimmy. It really looks like you have fussed, which is not the case. You don't even need an ingredient list. Just take a box of white mushrooms. Clean and remove stems. Stuff with about a tsp. of Boursin cheese so cheese puffs out over top of mushroom and bake until bubbly in a 350 degree oven; about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving to avoid tongue burns. These are so good people tend to eat them even when they are way too hot!!

Hope you will enjoy some of my favorite appetizers. If you try them, please let me know what you think!

Until next time, happy cooking and happy eating!!



Odds and Ends-From the Ridiculous to Hopefully Useful!

Based on popular demand (thank you Chickie!), this blog should be about PORK, but I am waiting to write about pork, as I have a new pork recipe I am trying this Sunday. Veprove is Czech roasted pork and will be the main feature of a big Czech dinner I am making for a very special guest coming from Chicago, originally from the Czech Republic. More on that special dinner to come.

Coincidentally, the same day I asked for special requests for this blog, my friend Dennis (whose mother is the one coming on Sunday for dinner!) presented me with a recipe he has not tried yet, but sounds delicious, Roasted Pork Rack with Parsnip Puree and Carmelized Carrots and Rosemary. Yum!  And, later that same day, my friend Robb was talking about his favorite pork recipe, Slow Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle BBQ Sauce. I have eaten this dish and can attest to its wonderfulness! In the meantime, I have been re-working my own Pozole, a luscious Mexican stew made with pork shoulder and hominy. We will have lots of pork to talk about in a few weeks!

IRISH CRUBEENS

No one guessed what those creatures were on the front of the last blog post. They are crubeens otherwise known as pigs feet. I first learned about crubeens a few years back while walking the bog road near our house in Spiddal, outside of Galway, IRE.  I used to bump into a charming, elderly lady walking with her scruffy dog Bailey, both had a spring in their step, a fast smile, and always had time to stop and talk. And of course we talked about food and old Irish favorites.  Nora told me about the old days, when times were very tough, people were desperately poor and food was scarce. Crubeens became a staple.  At first I thought Nora was talking about a type of bean, but she explained that they were the feet of pigs. I asked her when the last time was that she ate crubeens...she cocked her head and with a glint in her eye, said, "Oh my dear, I haven't eaten a crubeen in 70 years!"  "That good", I replied.  Next time I was at Mr. Feeney's, the butcher, I decided to try them. They are still fairly inexpensive (77 cents a pound). Turns out our neighbor, Tim Curran, loves crubeens and his wife refuses to cook them. They do have a bit of a distinctive fragrance (one might say odor) while cooking.  If you get a wild hair (or in this case, foot) and want to cook them, here is how:

Dry-scrub the feet liberally with salt and rinse. Pull off any hairs. Place the pigs feet in a large pot. As you can see, I used 3 and they really did fit, I just propped them up for the photo. Add a couple big sprigs of fresh sage; 2 onions peeled and cut in rough pieces, 2 carrots peeled and cut in chunks, 2 stalks celery cut into large slices, about 1/2 cabbage shredded, black pepper corns, lots of course sea salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your feet, until the meat falls off the bone. I am being a bit facetious as the crubeens never get fork tender, but you should be able to pry the meat from the bone fairly easily. You may have to add more water as they cook down. Serve on a large platter surrounded by the cooked veg. Tim likes to eat crubeens and veg all right off the serving platter, which no one objects to as no one else is eating them. This is a hands-on meal as you pick up the foot and eat it with your hands. I don't really care for crubeens myself, but they are one of Tim's favorites...and the broth does makes an excellent base for pea soup...so all is not lost!  Plus I learned how to make an old Irish staple and now get to please Tim every time I do. I miss Nora and her little dog, Bailey and our talks about the old days in Ireland.

An Irish favorite of mine is Lambs Liver.  I would see this liver at Mr. Feeney's every time I stopped for meat at his butcher shop in Spiddal, but seemed to always pass it up. There was something about the thought of eating a little lambs liver that gave me the creeps. Then one day, I said what the heck, let's try it.

Here is my husband Jerry in front of an immaculately clean and well stocked meat counter. Mr. Feeney is a warm, friendly and genuine man. He knows his meat and is happy to accommodate requests for special cuts or special orders. He even offered to help me find some fresh pigs blood so I could make my own fresh blood pudding, sometimes referred to as sausage, but that one comes next in the "odd" cateogry. IRE now requires the making of commerical blood pudding from dried blood. This makes for a more coarse and slightly drier sausage.

I have yet to make my own blood pudding, but it is still on my 'Bucket List of Food Things To Do'!

Mr. Feeney cuts his lambs liver thin so it cooks very quickly. First, dredge the pieces of lambs liver in flour, salt and pepper. I don't use any other herb or spice so as not to influence the delicate flavor, although I do like the liver served with mushrooms and onions. Place a large pat of butter (about 1 tbsp.) and a couple Tbsp. of olive oil in a saute pan. Saute 2 thinly sliced small onions until they are translucent, but not browned. Add salt/pepper. Next, add thinly sliced mushrooms (about 1 pound) and cook until they are tender. Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan. Add more butter and olive oil if the pan seems a bit dry (mushrooms absorb a lot of oil). Get the pan smoking hot. The oil will prevent the butter from burning. Place the liver in the hot pan and literally sear for 1 minute on each side. You want the liver to be golden brown (no flour spots), but not cooked until gray as it will keep cooking when you take it out of the pan. Do not let the blood juices scare you. They will get re-absorbed. Toss in the cooked mushrooms and onions and serve immediately. Lambs liver is very tender and has the same flavor as lamb, but is a bit milder. It is delicious!

BLACK PUDDING, ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITES!

It seems I am stuck in Ireland on "odd" foods. I don't think that these foods are particularly odd, just different from what we might have every day here in America.  Every butcher and supermarket in Ireland carries black pudding, sometimes called black sausage, blood pudding, or blood sausage, (pork blood mixed with grains-oats, barley, and herbs and spices and stuffed in a large casing) as do many markets here in the U.S. The love of blood sausage is not unique to Ireland. It is enjoyed nearly all over the world: Portugal, Spain, Caribbean, throughout South America, many African countries, etc., all making their own version of this wonderful sausage. To cook:  Cut into thick slices. Remove the casing (easier to do after it is cut). Fry in a pan with butter and oil until very crisp on the outside. The inside stays nice and creamy. Great in the morning with eggs, home fries, and fried tomatoes.

As I said this blog is called Odds and Ends, so here is one more "odd" that I grew up on, and unlike Nora, I love SQUIRREL.  As a kid I thought everyone ate squirrel, but now realize just how fortunate I was to enjoy this delicacy as not every kid got to eat it. My Dad hunted and fished so we ate a lot of game growing up. It has been years since I have cooked it and cannot remember all the details, but after my Dad would gut and skin it, my Mother would par boil with onion and apple. Dad would butcher out the saddle (breast and hind quarter) as the rest was too small to bother eating. Dredge the squirrel in buttered bread crumbs and fry in butter and oil until cooked through and nicely browned. Since it has already been par boiled, what you are trying to achieve is a nice brown crust on the squirrel. Squirrel dries out fairly quickly so you do not want to over-cook. That was how we ate it growing up. I like to make it fricasse-style. After browning, make a roux. This is the basic French thickening agent for many classical French sauces and can be used to thicken soups, stews or just made into a lovely sauce by adding fresh herbs to top vegetables. If you add a cup of your favorite cheese, this base makes a perfect cheese sauce.

To make the roux: Get 4 Tbsp. butter bubbling in a frying pan, add 4 Tspb. flour, and cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. This step is important. If you don't cook the flour and butter long enough, your sauce ends up tasting like flour. Add 1 cup milk and cook until thickened. Add 1/2 cup cream and cook while stirring constantly about another 3 minutes. Add more milk or cream if it is too thick and this will depend on your purpose for the roux. In the case of the squirrel I don't like it too thick and lighten it with a little white wine and add fresh tarragon. Cook the squirrel in this sauce until it is tender, about 1 hour. Season with salt, pepper, and more fresh tarragon.

Next, let's talk about Ends. I love to work with left overs and my goal is to try to transform whatever we ate the previous day into a completely different meal. Sometimes this is as easy as taking last nights sauted vegetable, mixing with eggs and cheese in the morning and making an omelet.  Another delicious omelet idea is to use left-over spaghetti and mix spaghetti into eggs for a fabulous Italian omelet. This omelet is difficult to flip. Cook on one side and then stick under the broiler to cook the top. Cut into thick wedges, frittata-style.

Another left-over idea is to use last nights rice to stuff peppers. Add sauteed onions, mushrooms, garlic or other savory vegetables to the rice and stuff into the peppers. If you have left-over meat (cut-up chicken, sausage, pork or beef) that also can be added to the rice. I like to use red, orange or yellow peppers (partly because they are so colorful and partly because I like them better than green bell peppers).  Cut peppers in half. Clean the peppers by removing the seeds and white membrance. Place cut side down on a baking sheet in a small amount of water in a hot (375 degree) over for about 20 minutes so peppers soften. Stuff with your left-over ingredients and bake until hot. Everything is already cooked so this shouldn't take more than 1/2 hour at 350 degrees to re-heat. Last night I added a left-over cut-up grilled chicken breat, and left-over verde sauce (made with tomatillo's...recipe for this sauce coming soon as it is easy to make, versatile and delicious!) and topped with fresh Mexican Queso Blanca (white cheese). The verde sauce moistened the rice and gave a bright flaver to the stuffed peppers. Served with grilled asparagus we had a whole new meal from left-overs.

The black you see in this photo is wild rice (not really rice at all, but a grain). When I make a big pot of brown rice, I use 1/4 cup wild rice to 3/4 cup brown rice. The wild rice changes the flavor and adds a good crunch. Any type of rice can be blended to make your own combo. Adding lentils when you cook brown rice is another way to change it up. Just be aware that not all rice/beans cook at the same speed.

LEFT-OVER GRILLED STEAK APPETIZER

I cook my steak fairly rare (OK, for those who know me, very rare!) so if there are left-overs, the rare steak can stand up to re-heating without getting over-done. Cut the cooked rare steak into thin strips and use as bruchetta. Slice thin round of Italian bread, spray with PAM or cooking spray and just lightly broil. Spread prepared basil pesto on small slices of Italian bread, place a strip of steak to fit, and top with parmesan or provolone cheese. OR, spread the grilled bread with mayonaise, place the steak on to fit and top with blue cheese. Pop under the broiler until the cheese is melted. This makes a nice impromptu appetizer.

MASHED POTATOES REDUX

PANCAKES. Mashed potatoes are versatile when it comes to left-overs. One of the easiest ways to use them is to make a mashed potato pancake. Take your left-over mashed potatoes and mix with 1 egg and enough flour to form a cake-like patty. At this point you can either fry the small cakes in a frying pan with butter and olive oil on both sides until golden brown, OR, you can roll each cake into bread crumbs for a richer cake and fry on both sides until golden, OR you can add any combination of herbs, spices, garlic, scallion, etc. to re-flavor the potato. These savory cakes are good for breakfast (with an egg on top easy-over), lunch (served on top of a salad), or dinner (as a side dish)!

FISH CAKES. Do the same as above, but add chopped raw fish (I think cod works the best). The amount depends on how much potato you have, but a good rule are equal parts. 1 cup potato to 1 cup fish equals 4 cakes. Coat each cake with bread crumbs and fry on both sides. Top with a sauce made with 4 Tbsp. mayonaise, 2 Tbsp. sour cream (Fat free Greek-style yogurt is a great substitute), 1/2 tsp. capers, 1/2 tsp. dried dill, black pepper. I also like to garnish with roasted red pepper.

NEXT UP ON COOK WITH CINDY...PORK!

Risotto Time!

We recently had visitors from Boston and upon their arrival the 2 men volunteered to help in the kitchen while the ladies enjoyed sipping wine and watching their spouses cook. It was my friend Jerry's first time making risotto and he did a beautiful job. I am going to share with you the whole menu, which started with a Roasted Tomato Dill Soup with Boursin Cream, then moved into the star of the night: Shrimp Risotto served with a beautiful salad, which Eddie made with Romaine lettuce, Lemon Plums and a Blueberry Vinaigrette. For dessert we had Balsamic Strawberries with mint and Sweet Ricotta Quenelles.


Let's start with the Roasted Tomato Dill Soup with Boursin cream which I made ahead of time. A friend had just given me tons of fresh, plump, juicy tomatoes so I decided to create a soup. I chose to make a complete vegetarian soup, but you could also make this with chicken stock.

ROASTED TOMATO DILL SOUP WITH BOURSIN CREAM

Ingredients:
10 large tomatoes
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil
1 cup water
7 Tbsp. chopped fresh Dill, more for garnish
1 tsp. dried Dill
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp.black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
Preparation:
Peel and slice carrot. Slice celery, chop 2 cloves garlic. Place in soup pot with 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil. Cook until veg are softened.

Core the tomatoes. Cut into thick slices (about 3/8"). Place slices in single layer on a cookie sheet. Brush both sides with 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil. Sprinkle the teaspoon of salt evenly over tomato slices. Broil until you get a nice char on both sides of the tomato. Tomatoes have a high moisture content so be patient. Place the tomatoes in the soup pot with the sauteed vegetables.

Roasted tomatoes added to the soup pot.

Pour 1 cup water into the soup. Add 7 Tbsp. fresh dill and 1 tsp. of dried dill. Add 2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil (just pour off the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes). Add 1/2 tsp. black pepper and 1/4 tsp. red pepper and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Cool completely and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt/pepper if it needs it. Put back into the soup pot and reheat with 1 Tbsp. butter.

Add more water (or chicken stock if that's what you're using) if you want a thinner soup. I kept it thick. This is a soup with a very rich tomato and dill flavor. Just for fun I garnished with Boursin cream (Equal parts Boursin cheese spread and Plain yogurt mixed well so the consistency can be made into a design). I decided to use different Chinese symbols for each serving:  Friendship, God, Peace, Joy, Luck, etc. You can find these translations on the internet and just copy onto your bowls of soup. This is the symbol for God.

To make the design either use a pastry bag or make a pastry bag by cutting a small corner off a plastic baggie or do what I did by using an old plastic honey bear bottle. Or you can just do a drizzle of the Boursin cream or a dollop with fresh dill as garnish. I took this picture before I garnished and decided to place the chopped dill on the edge of the plate rather than on the soup so as not to interfere with the design. I do like to play with my food!

Next course...


SHRIMP RISOTTO
The first trick to making risotto is to stir it constantly. The second trick is to make sure the stock you add (one ladle full at a time)  is hot. And keep stirring until the stock you just added is completely absorbed. That's what takes a bit of time and why Jerry stopped smiling half way through the procedure! By cooking slowly and stirring constantly the starch in the arborio rice is released and makes a creamy, velvety dish. Properly cooked risotto should form a mound when served, not slide all over the plate, and not a thick sticky lump. ANYONE can cook Risotto. There is no mystique if you follow these few guidelines.

Jerry starts out all smiles!

For the Shrimp:
Use 6 large shrimp per person--real wild shrimp is best, but not always easy to find.
Devein the shrimp--you really cannot skip this step. Make a slice in the shrimp where you see the dark line (yep, that is poop), and peel it out. Rinse shrimp.
Get 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and 1 Tbsp. butter hot and bubbly in a heavy frying pan. Toss in the cleaned shrimp and cook until just barley pink. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup Basil (use the chiffonade method to cut) or Fresh Parsley. Set aside while you cook the rice.

For the Risotto:


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice (short grained rice)                                            
1 qt. Chicken Stock (home-made is best; see previous blog for recipe)
1/2 cup White Wine
1 medium shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp. unsalted Butter
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup light cream
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Basil or Parsley
Course ground kosher salt to taste

Preparation:
Heat the chicken stock to a simmer and then lower heat so it stays warm.
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the Olive Oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot and saute for 3-4 minutes or until slightly translucent.
Add the rice to the pot and stir briskly with a wooden spoon or heat proof rubber spatula so the grains get completely coated with the Oil and melted Butter. Saute for another minute or so until there is a nutty aroma, but do not burn the rice!
Add the wine and cook while stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed.
Add a ladle of chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and keep repeating the process. This is where you must stir constantly to get the desired texture.
Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice. You will start to see the rice take on a creamy texture as the natural starches are released.
Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender, but still firm to the bite. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can continue adding hot water one ladle at a time.
Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and season to taste with Kosher salt. Risotto should be served right away as it will get stickier as it sits. But you still have time to quickly reheat the shrimp and add to each serving around the risotto making sure the butter/oil gets divided evenly. Jerry, you did a fantastic job with the risotto!

Eddies turn...


LEMON PLUM SALAD-BLUEBERRY VINAIGRETTE

I had never heard of lemon plums and discovered them this spring at my local Safeway market. They are beautiful to look at and have a delicious, sweet, slightly lemony flavor. As they ripen they get more red and their flavors tastes more like a regular plum. The Blueberry Vinaigrette is a nice counterpoint to the sweet fruit and I got the idea by chatting with a woman in the grocery store when I first came across the plums.






Ingredients for the Blueberry Vinaigrette:
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup vinegars (I used equal portions of balsamic, champagne and wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp. (or more) water
2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar (this has become my new honey. I love it!)
1/2 tsp. salt
Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a bit more water until you get the correct 'dressing' consistency.  Keep at room temperature until ready to use. Do not refrigerate.

                            Thank you for making the salad Ed!

                                                                                                           




To make the salad, chop Romaine, slice the lemon plums, and drizzle with the Blueberry Vinaigrette. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries.


























The last course...


STRAWBERRIES IN BALSAMIC 
WITH SWEET RICOTTA QUENELLES
Traditionally "quenelles" are made with poached fish or meat. The first I ever had was in a French restaurant in Boston and they were Creamy Lobster Quenelles. Unbelievably rich and delicious.  The shape is like a small football or oval-shaped dumpling. To form the quenelle scoop your ingredient in a tablespoon and take a second tablespoon and pass the ingredient back and forth between the two spoons until you get it into the shape of a little football. Also, a quick note on this recipe. When I announced to my husband that I wanted to try marinating strawberries in balsamic vinegar he thought I was nuts, but it really turned out good and he even liked it!

For the Balsamic marinade:                            
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. sugar
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
Juice from 1/2 orange
Zest from 1/2 orange
Whole mint leaves

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients and crush (or muddle) the mint leaves. Slice 2 cups of strawberries and place in the marinade for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure that all the berry slices are benefiting from the marinade.

To serve:
Remove strawberries from the marinade and place in serving bowls. Do not add the mint. Pour a couple spoonfuls of the marinade in each serving. Garnish with a fresh mint leaf and the Sweet Ricotta Quenelles with orange zest on the ricotta cheese.

To make the Sweet Ricotto Cheese:
Mix 1 cup Ricotta cheese with juice of 1/2 orange. Add 2 tbsp. Agave nectar. Form into the quenelle (sorry for the blurry picture above...I was rushing to serve dessert!) and finally  top with a little orange zest.

Another time I served this dessert in colored wine glasses and did not garnish with mint or zest...equally yummy!

When I served this dessert to my friend, Diana, she thought it was not sweet enough. I don't like too much sweet so for me it is just right. My idea of a perfect dessert is a glass of Port and a cheese tray. But to solve this problem, her husband suggested sprinkling the whole thing with Turbinado Sugar--that's the course raw pale brown cane sugar. Great suggestion Dennis! I believe the fun of cooking is experimenting and trying new and unusual combinations.

WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU'D LIKE 
TO READ ABOUT FOR THE NEXT BLOG! 

I HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS, 

BUT WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Send me an email 

cindy@cookwithcindy.com

I Love Lamb!

It seems like ages since I have talked about food...doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about food or cooking up a storm! I had my first-ever catering job last week cooking for 40 at my monthly woman's club meeting. I made an Abbundanza Italiano! which was yummy, but a bit more work than I anticipated since my kitchen is not set up for big scale cooking, but it was fun, challenging, and extremely satisfying. OK, it was a pro-bono job, but I think it may create some real paying jobs in the future. I will share the complete menu and recipes with you in an upcoming blog.

I have also been very busy with my grant writing business, www.globalgrants.com. I thoroughly enjoy writing grants for wonderful and worthy causes, but it is time consuming and when on deadline that is my primary focus. So, now on to some cooking...

BONELESS STUFFED LEG OF LAMB
It's important to start by cleaning your leg. If the lamb is wrapped in netting, remove the netting. Then spread the leg out flat on a cutting board with the inside of the leg up. With your sharpest knife remove all silver skin (that's the filmy white/silvery layer that runs along the inside of the leg). Slip the point of your knife under the edge of the silver skin to get it started and then peel it off, using your knife to encourage it along. Sometimes once you get it started you can almost pull it off. This skin is very tough and although it takes patience to remove, it is well worth it. Also remove any cords and other ugly stuff and trim the fat if it is very thick, but don't take it all off. The fat gives it beautiful flavor and helps keep it moist.

I'm going to give you two different boneless recipes. The first recipe is roasted without marinating the lamb and the second calls for a marinade. I'm also offering two different roasting methods. With the first, you brown the lamb before going into the oven and keep the oven heat high during the entire cooking process. The second method calls for starting at a high heat and then reducing for the rest of the cooking time. There is no one correct answer. Try both ways to see which you like better. And the third recipe I will share is one I do when we're in Ireland with a full bone-in leg of lamb.

Once you've cooked a few lamb legs, you don't really need to follow a recipe at all. Just keep in mind the types of flavors that go well with lamb: garlic, rosemary, red wine, sweet onion, mint (the real thing, not the jelly), a small amount of sage, thyme, orange or lemon juice and/or zest; prosciutto, dried fruit, such as prunes or raisins may sound unlikely, but paired with the right herbs and spices are delicious; Parmesan, feta-especially feta made from sheep's milk--my favorite. When using veggies in the stuffing, I have used spinach and also swiss chard and like them both. Adding mushroom to either, especially the wild kind also works well. Be creative. Try new things. Have fun with it!

BONELESS LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH SPINACH, FETA CHEESE, PINE NUTS

Ingredients:

• 6 lb. boneless leg of lamb
• Salt/Pepper for rubbing on the meat
• 1 (10oz.) bag fresh spinach leaves
• 8 oz. feta cheese (or more); made either with sheep or goats milk
• 2 Tbsp. pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Kitchen string
• 1 cup all-purpose White Flour
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme or1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. fennel seed
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• Several long springs of rosemary

Preparation:
Silver skin and other undesirables are now removed from your leg of lamb. Cut shallow slits (about 1/2") into the meat to help it lie flat. Cover the meat with a layer of plastic wrap and pound the meat until the thickness is a bit more uniform and the lamb is about 1" to 1 1/2" thickness everywhere. Don't worry about being precise; just try to get it as even as possible so when stuffed and rolled it will cook more evenly. Use a meat mallet, rolling pin (marble rolling pins work great as they weigh a ton!), heavy skillet or any heavy object will do the job. The goal is to make the shape of the meat into an even rectangle so it is easier to roll. Beat your meat firmly, but not brutally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Rub the inside of the leg with 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
2. Sprinkle leg of lamb liberally on both sides with salt (I use freshly ground kosher sea salt) and freshly ground pepper.
3. Spread the finely chopped garlic on the inside of the leg.
4. Lay the spinach leaves over the garlic on the inside of the leg.
5. Then crumble the feta cheese over the spinach.
6. Add the pine nuts.
7. Roll the roast from the long side into a firm cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen string at 2 inch interval's. Some stuffing may pop out at ends, but just push it back in with your finger.
8. In a flat dish, mix together well the flour, 1 tbsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seed, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
9. Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast iron skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and sear all sides of the leg including the ends to a deep golden brown color. Lay the leg of lamb into the skillet (don't overcrowd the meat) or roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer at the thickest part. Place the springs of rosemary around and on top of the leg. These may need to be changed out before your leg is done as they burn easily and you don't want to infuse your lamb with burned rosemary flavor.  Roast to your desired degree of doneness. I like it rare which is about 10-12 minutes a pound (for boneless lamb) or 1 hour for a 6 lb. leg. Rare is an inside temp of 130 degrees. Medium rare is 140. There is also lots of controversy around what constitutes the correct temp for rare vs. medium. Your meat thermometer will be a big factor, so once again, experiment until you get it done the way you like it. You can always put the roast back in if too rare, but if overdone you have no options. The meat will continue to cook after taking out of the oven so the most important thing is NOT to overcook your lamb.
10. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest 15 minutes before cutting. This step is a must, otherwise you will lose the good juices from the meat if cut right away; they will just bleed out all over the cutting board, and once out you cannot return them. Cut off the string.
11. I like to cut in fairly thick slices (1/2 to 3/8"); arrange on a platter on a bed of chopped kale or if you are roasting with veggies, place them around your thick slices of lamb.

MARINATED BONELESS LEG OF LAMB ROAST
Ingredients:
MARINADE:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Blend marinade ingredients in a blender, just a few pulses until well mixed.
LAMB:
6 lb. boneless leg of lamb, cleaned as above and rolled and tied
Marinade

Preparation:

1. Place lamb and marinade into a plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Wrap again with another bag to prevent leakage and place in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight. Turn the bag every so often to make sure lamb gets coated evenly with marinade. When ready to roast, take the lamb out of the fridge and let set out for about an hour to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Remove the lamb from its marinade bag. Pat dry the marinade off the lamb with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper. Place rolled lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Add about 1/2 cup water in bottom of pan.
4. Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast for an additional 40-50 minutes, which should give you a rare roast. The shape of the lamb can also impact cooking time. The fatter or thicker the chunk, the longer it will take to cook.
5. Cut away the kitchen twine. Let meat rest 15 minutes. Carve into 1/2-3/8" slices. Drizzle pan drippings over the carved meat.

IRISH LAMB
My husband and I own a guest house in Ireland so we spend time there each year doing the annual "fix-up", painting, cleaning, gardening, etc., in addition to touring and having fun. I do a lot of cooking in Ireland and Irish lamb is wonderful. There really is nothing like a young, grass-fed all natural Irish lamb. I love going to the butcher shop, selecting our lamb and having the butcher cut it on the spot.

Obviously, this is a happy butcher!  When I get my lamb home, I simply rub it all over with olive oil, add generous freshly ground salt and pepper, drizzle a little red wine (about 1/2 cup), add 4-5 cloves chopped garlic, and lay on sprigs of rosemary, top with more rosemary and put into a hot oven (425 degrees) uncovered for 15 minutes. Then, cover the leg loosely with foil and return to a 350 degree oven and continue roasting for another hour, depending on the size of the leg. Take the foil off and return to the oven for the last 15 minutes of roasting to make sure it is nicely browned. I don't have a meat thermometer in Ireland, so use the 15 minutes per pound rule. This was a BIG leg so it cooked a bit longer. If some of the lamb near the bone is very rare, I cut it off next day and make lamb balls for spaghetti.

To make lamb balls, finely chop the rare lamb, add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, 1 minced garlic clove,  2 Tbsp. finely diced onion,1 tsp. of Italian seasoning, salt/pepper, 1 egg until you get a good meatball consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of red wine. If too moist, add more bread crumbs. Roll into balls and fry. Drop the balls into red sauce and let simmer for about an hour. This gives the red sauce a rich beautifully meaty flavor.


And this is a happy cook!   
When in Ireland we try to go to the Farmer's Market on Sunday in Galway. This market is filled with fruits, veggies, home-made pates, cheeses, fresh flowers, meats, fish off the boat, fabulous spices from all over, coffees, as well as crafty things, clothing and even incense!                                  

When I am roasting a bone-in leg I like to add root veg to the roasting pan: potatoes, carrots, onion, whole cloves of garlic.

This is my husband on the right admiring the beauty of fresh carrots!







NEXT TIME 
WE'LL TALK RISOTTO!

Roasted Chicken-Parisian style!

I am not sure what about this roast chicken is Parisian, except when I roast a whole chicken, I hear Julia Child's voice in my head. I think she loved roasting chickens as much as I do...maybe more?!?  I like to use lots of herbs, butter, olive oil, garlic, onions, other veggies for the roasting pan...and of course, LOVE!

First, select a nice, big bird around 6 to 6 1/2 lbs. Remove the bag of giblets, heart, neck, etc. (Save for soup stock). This is an important step. I forgot to do this once, which did not hurt the end result, but was a little embarasing when I served it with its innards-in-a-bag still inside. Sprinkle the entire bird liberally, inside and out (my Mom taught me this) with salt. Don't use expensive sea salt, just plain old table salt is OK as you're going to wash it all away anyway. Rub the bird vigorously inside and out and pluck any stray feathers especially from the legs and thighs where they tend to stick. Once you have scrubbed your bird well, put her under running water and rinse thoroughly inside and out. Run your finger along either side of the bottom rib bone to remove any old blood and flush thoroughly with water. Pull out any gunky stuff and remove some of the excess fat around the neck (or where the neck used to be). Pat dry with a paper towel. Now on to the recipe...

ROAST CHICKEN PARISIAN STYLE
Ingredients:
 6-6 1/2 lb. whole chicken
6 Tbsp. butter, softened (I know this sounds like a lot of butter, but it's what makes this bird great!)
Boquet Garni*
4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled, cut into wedges
Salt/Pepper
Olive oil for drizzling over top
Optional veggies for the roasting pan: peeled and cubed butternut squash; thick cut sliced carrots or parsnips; peeled, diced celeriac**, fennel or new potatoes-whole with skins.
The vegetable choices are nearly limitless if you stick to root-type veg they all will be delicious.

*Bouquet Garni, which literally means Garnished Bouquet in French (maybe this is also why I call this Parisian Chicken) is just a bunch of fresh herbs tied together with string. I like to grow herbs so pull together whatever I have handy. My Boquet Garni usually consists of Thyme, Parsley, Sage, Chives, Rosemary, but can include whatever herb you like. If you research Bouquet Garni, most recipes are very precise and call for 3 sprigs of this and 2 sprigs of that. Really not necessary; just grab whatever flavors you like and tie together with kitchen string. This is where I get into a little trouble as I cook by gut and instinct, not necessarily by exact measurement. I can assure you, the FUN of cooking is experimenting and you don't really have to be that precise.

** Celeriac. I confess, I have a love affair with this root vegetable. Maybe because it is so hard to find it seems exotic; maybe because it is so ugly you have to love it, but the flavor is celery on steroids, but soft and round at the same time. It is a wonderful addition to roast chicken, peeled and cubed.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Now that your chicken is scrubbed and dry you are ready to begin.
Place your bird on a rack (or if you don't have a rack, lay a few whole carrot sticks in the bottom of the pan and set the chicken on top) in a roasting pan deep enough to hold as many veggies as you plan to roast with the chicken. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper inside and out of your bird. Tuck the wings under the bird so the tips don't burn. Bend them backwards until they stay under the carcass.
Make the Bouquet Garni and put it inside the cavity of your bird. Also add 2 of the smashed and chopped cloves of garlic, and about 1/3 of the sliced onion inside the bird.

Mash the remaining 2 cloves of garlic with 4 Tbsp. of butter.

Carefully insert your index and middle finger under the skin of the bird at the top of the breast and separate the skin from the bird creating an envelope to place the garlic butter under the skin so it is held between the skin and the meat; half on each side. Be sure to spread it completely (top to bottom) under the skin and be gentle so as not to tear the skin.

Tie the legs with kitchen string to help close the opening of the bird. You don't have to be fancy about this, just make sure the legs are held together. As you may see in the picture above, I was out of kitchen string, so used chives to tie the legs; a little tricky as they break fairly easily, but braid a few strands together to make them stronger and it makes a chive rope that you can use to tie the legs.

Slather the last 2 Tbsp. of softened butter over the bird and sprinkle liberally with salt (this time use a good, course ground sea salt) and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Add to the roasting pan, surrounding the chicken, whatever chopped vegetables you choose and the rest of the onion (carrots, potatoes, and the onion are a nice simple choice and my favorite) and put into the hot oven uncovered and roast for 1 hour.

Baste very 20 minutes or so. If the skin of the bird is getting too well done, make a foil tent and continue roasting at 425 for another 20 minutes.

One way to tell if your bird is done is to move the legs. If they move freely and smoothly, you're probably done. Another way to tell is to run a knife between the leg and thigh. If the juices run clear (opposed to bloody), you're done.

Let rest for 20 minutes before carving, otherwise you will lose the juices of the bird as they won't have time to reabsorb and the chicken will be dry.

BON APPETIT!

Once you've feasted on your Roast Chicken Parisian style, possibly with new potatoes, baby carrots and steamed peas you are ready to tear apart what's left of the bird and make chicken stock.

I invite you to contact me if you have questions about roasting your own bird or if you want more details or suggestions on making your own beautiful roast chicken. Please contact me at: http://globalgrants.net/contact.html. I would love to hear from you!

CINDY'S CHICKEN STOCK

First, cut off whatever is left of good meat on the chicken, both breast and thighs, for another meal or use for chicken salad or chicken croquettes. Save some chicken pieces if you are making chicken soup. Once the carcass is fairly clean of meat, pull the bones apart and put in a large saucepan. Crack the whole bird in half so legs, ribs and all other bones fit in pot and can easily be covered with water.

MIREPOIX

Most stocks start with a mirepoix (pronounced meer pwah) which is a traditional French mix of carrots, onions and celery. This is the back bone of most stocks, chicken included. I generally use 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped; 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly sliced; and 3 stalks of celery, sliced in chunks.  That is where the mirepoix ends.

I also add 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, about 1 Tbsp. of salt; 1 tsp. of black pepper and 2 qts.of water to your chicken bones. Bring to boil and then turn heat way down and slow simmer for about 2 hours. Turn off heat and let sit covered for another hour. Strain through collander into a big bowl. I set the collander with bones and veg aside and when cool my husband likes to dive into it and eat whatever is left on the bones along with the carrots and celery.

You may have heard of Double Chicken Stock. That is when you make a chicken stock (as above) and then re-do the whole thing, but instead of using water to boil the bones, use the chicken stock you have just made. It makes the stock super-rich. Get creative and add whatever herbs and spices appeal to you. There are no mistakes in the kitchen!

Having home-made chicken stock in the freezer makes me feel secure, happy, and well-balanced. I know that may sound weird, but you can do so much with stock that it is nice to have around at all times.

TUSCAN CHICKEN SOUP

I think I would be remiss if I didn't give you at least one suggestion for using your new beautiful chicken stock so here is a hearty robust soup I like to make any time of the year, but especially good on a cool fall night, served with garlic bread and a simple green salad. This is another recipe I created that can be changed in so many ways...add roasted red pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts...whatever Tuscan treasure comes to mind!

Ingredients:

2 qts. chicken stock (which you just made!)

3 leeks***, white only, about 1 1/2 cups sliced thin

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

4 potatoes, peeled, sliced thin

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

5 sweet Italian sausage, out of casing

1 big bunch Kale-chopped with biggest spines removed

Salt/Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnish

***To clean leeks, wash, wash, wash. Leeks collect dirt in between their many layers so sometimes you have to almost pull them apart to clean them.

Preparation:

In a heavy saute or fry pan saute leeks in 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil on low heat until soft, but not brown.

Add freshly ground sea salt and pepper.

Add minced garlic and cook for another 4-5 minutes, but don't let garlic brown.

Remove leeks and garlic, set aside, but leave oil in pan.

Turn heat to medium-high and add sausauge removed from skin (to remove sausage from skin, hold one end of sausage and press or squeeze out like a tube of tooth paste until all the filling is removed--sometimes it is easier to start in the middle, screw up the whole sausage and work both ways to get out the filling), to the pan. Crumble with a wooden spoon or my favorite utensil, a heat-proof rubber spatula so sausage is in bite-sized chunks. Cook until it is browned.

Add leeks/garlics back into sausage mixture and turn off heat.

Bring 2 qts. chicken stock to slow boil in a large stock pot and add sliced potatoes. Let cook for about 10 minutes.

Add leeks, garlic, sausage and cook for another 15 minutes.

Add chopped kale and cook until wilted--about another 15 minutes if you are serving right away. Otherwise, add Kale and turn off heat. Cool and re-heat for next day serving.

I like to serve this soup with freshly grated parmesan on the side. You can also offer hot dried pepper, fresh basil or whatever comes to your mind.

This soup is delicious served second day. It also freezes well.

Next time I want to talk about LAMB!...how to prepare a rolled, boneless leg...one of my all-time favorites, especially as Easter is approaching! Until then, happy cooking and hope you are enjoying my food-talk.