Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Posted on September 4, 2013 by poulosc

I’m not one for diets and deprivation, but I’m going to be trying on a wedding dress in a few weeks, I don’t want to have a break down on the pedestal.

I want to be crying because I’m going to marry the man of my dreams in my dream dress, not because I’m a fluffy cake-topper and need to order a size up.

But still, deprived is not a word in my dictionary.

I always try to eat healthy – eating the rainbow, lots of yogurt and veggies and fruits, limiting foods from a package – but if I want a Buttercup Cupcake, I will get it.

So it’s not about giving up. It’s about eating a little smarter.

With dishes like this. A slimmed down broccoli cheddar soup.

The killer in traditional broccoli cheddar soup is the heavy cream and the cheese that’s piled on.

So when I saw this lightened up version in Cooking Light Magazine, I was stoked. Heavier on the veggies, with just a swirl of half and half to keep things creamy. I can’t do low fat cheese, so I stuck with full fat cheddar. And as always, I made a few tweaks to make it mine.

You will need

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3 ribs of celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 a white onion, chopped
1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
1 carton vegetable stock
olive oil
salt
pepper
half and half
grated cheddar

Drizzle a heavy bottomed pot with olive oil and toss in the carrot, celery and onion. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies start to soften a little. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the broccoli.

Give the pot a big stir then add the vegetable stock. You can use chicken stock, but I wanted to keep this vegetarian.

Put a lid on the pot and let the vegetables and the stock cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli is soft.

Use an immersion blender, blender or food processor to puree the soup. Stir in a few tablespoons of half and half to give the soup a bit of a creamy hint.

Ladle big bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

There are so many vegetables in this light and healthy soup that you won’t feel the least bit guilty having a brownie later.

London Broil and Green Beans

Posted on September 3, 2013 by poulosc

Every cook should have one of those recipes in her back pocket that she can just whip out, whip up and impress.

Oh you must have cooked all day!

Actually. It took me about thirty minutes to throw this all together, but of course, I’m not going to tell you that.

This is something my mom always made, that I loved and found somewhat magical. It’s one of those dishes that look and taste and just seem like they took a ton of effort and some secret concoction of seasonings.

Come in close. Closer. Okay. This is just between us.

All it is, is a good bottle of red wine.

Most of life’s great things begin with a good bottle of red wine, n’es-ce pas?

To make this London Broil you will need, 1 pound of London Broil ( for 2 people, adjust accordingly), black pepper, salt and good red wine. London Broil is a fairly cheap cut of meat, so it’s something that can be an everyday dress, but jazzed up with the right shoes and necklace, can be a real showstopper.

Pick a fairly hearty red wine. A chianti or a merlot will work just lovely. As always, pick something you would drink.

Place your hunk of London Broil in a baking dish with fairly deep sides.

Season liberally with salt and pepper, and glug glug glug, pour in the wine, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, plus a little more.

The wine is one trick. Here’s the second. Stick the tray in the fridge for a few hours. Better yet, put it in the fridge in the morning before you go to work and then come home to a wonderful red wine smell that has escaped from your fridge and permeated the kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 400 and bake the London Broil for about 30 minutes. Cooking time will depend on thickness and desired doneness.

The smell of wine will waft down the halls of your building.

This side dish, which pairs so nicely with the London Broil, is brought to you courtesy of my fiance. I believe it’s a variation on something his mom made.

In a frying pan, toss in fresh green beans (washed and trimmed), a diced tomato, 2 cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Sautee the mixture until the beans are cooked, but still crisp.

Plate the London Broil and the green beans, pouring the red wine sauce from the pan liberally over both.

Everything has the taste of a meal that has been lovingly and painstakingly prepared over hours in the kitchen.

Only you and I will know that it’s just the wine talking!

Red Wine Mushroom Ragu

Posted on August 30, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s been a long week. I don’t know why. It hasn’t been particularly busy or stressful, but it just felt never ending.

Maybe it’s the anticipation of hanging with family over the Labor Day Weekend.

Whatever the case, we needed a comforting meal.

When I think comfort food, I always first think pasta. I’m Italian. I can’t help it.

The second thought is usually some kind o warm and earthy sauce.

In this case, it’s a chunky red wine and mushroom ragu.

You will need one pound of mushrooms (I’m using baby portabella, shiitake and oyster mushrooms) olive oil, black pepper, red wine and parmesan cheese.

Give the mushrooms a rough chop and toss them in a large skillet with some olive oil. Let them brown and cook down and then add a few grinds of black pepper.

Pour in about a half cup of red wine. If you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t use it is the general rule for cooking with wine. You want a nice red that can stand up to the mushroom flavor.

Let the wine reduce. Then top your pasta. Add some parmesan cheese. I used penne because it’s what we had. Any kind would do. Though I suggest staying away from angel hair as it’s a bit flimsy for these hearty flavors.

Roasted Tomato and Poblano Soup

Posted on August 28, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s in the air.

This time, I’m not talking about Fall (It’s a hot sticky humid day here in the city!)

Nope. This time I’m talking about Back to school.

That’s right, it’s the time of year for notebooks, paper, pencils and cool backpacks. (And papers and tests and detention boo!)

I’m not just feeling nostalgic. I’m actually heading back to school myself.

And that has me in the mood for a childhood favorite. Something warm and comforting as I face the terror of first day and making sure to pick out the right outfit and not sitting in the front row.

What’s more reminiscent of school days than tomato soup and a grilled cheese?

My parents will tell you that I pretty much subsisted only on grilled cheese during the first years of my life. I liked other foods. I wasn’t a picky eater. I just had a favorite and wanted as much of it as I could get.

There’s nothing like some Kraft singles melted between two pieces of white bread and dunked into a steaming bowl of Campbell’s tomato soup.

But I’m an adult now. So I wanted a more grown up version.

So here’s my take – roasted tomato and poblano soup.

It has the smoky flavor of a tortilla soup but the classic tomato bursts of the bowls we lived on as kids.

This is also a super fast and easy recipe, which makes it perfect for those nights shuttling between school and football practice and play rehearsals.

You will need:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 pint cherry heirloom tomatoes (you can also use yellow tomatoes or just 2 pints of regular cherry tomatoes. I like the complexity of flavor the heirlooms give)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, halved
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil and lay the veggies and the garlic on the cookie sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Pop the veggies under the broiler for about 15 to 20 minutes until the skins of the peppers and the tomatoes start to blister. This will give the soup a smoky taste.

Now, you have two options. You can dump everything in a blender or a food processor, add some water or broth and whir it up. Or, you can dump the vegetables in a pot, add some water and hit the mixture with an immersion blender.

The immersion blender’s my favorite kitchen gadget so I went with the latter.

Either way, blend until smooth. If you used a blender, pour the mix into a pot to warm it up and let the falvors bubble together.

Even if you didn’t have to face a pop quiz and an oral presentation today, this soup will calm you after a long day.

I don’t know what Shawarma is, but I wanna try it!

Posted on August 27, 2013 by jacky grace

We’ve been on a comic book/ action movie kick lately and last night was a Thor night.

I was trying to figure what to make for dinner that would be fitting when watching the story of the god, and bam! It hit me like Thor’s hammer! (Only not really, because I wouldn’t be conscious to write this post if Thor’s hammer hit me.)

Shawarma!

If you’ve seen Avengers, you know the scene at the end where they’ve just saved the planet and are all sitting around eating shawarma.

Tony Stark, after almost dying, gets up and rambles on “Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I wanna try it.”

And so, off for shawarma they go.

Shawarma is seasoned meat, chicken, beef or lamb, that is seasoned and then cooked on a rotating spit. The term also refers to the sandwich or wrap made with that meat.

Now, I don’t have a spit in the apartment, so this was made in the oven. But with the seasoning mix, you still get the flavor.

SO let’s start with the spices. I’m usually not one for a spice concoction, but trust me, you need it if you want this to have that Middle Eastern flavor.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon each of smoked paprika, ground ginger, and coriander and one teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and all spice.

This spice rub is good for 1 pound of meat. If you’re making more, adjust accordingly.

I decided to make chicken shawarma pita sandwiches. This is a great weeknight dinner because the chicken cooks in about 20 minutes, during which time you can chop up the toppings for the pita pockets. This is a build your own dinner night, which we tend to do a lot, so I’m going to share our topping bar, but feel free to adjust to your tastes.

To get started, preheat the oven to 350.

Place your washed and dried chicken in a foil-lined baking dish. You can use breasts, but I used 1 pound of these tenderloins. They’re thinner so they cook faster. Which means we can get to Thor battling Loki faster.

Drizzle the chicken with vegetable oil and the spice mixture and bake for about 20-25 minutes. When it’s done, the chicken will take on an orangey reddish color from the spices. Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, small enough for pita stuffing.

Then, it’s just a matter of laying out your spread. We used whole wheat pita pockets, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and yogurt lemon sauce (squeeze the juice of one lemon into a small container of Greek yogurt, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt).

Cut the pita in half, open up the pocket and stuff away.

Hey, saving the world works up an appetite!

Ok. Watching the super heroes save the world works up an appetite. Sort of.

Adrenaline. Or something.

Right?

Caprese CousCous Stuffed Tomatoes

Posted on August 23, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s in the air.

You can smell it.

You can feel it.

Fall is coming.

There’s that hint of a chill when the sun goes down that has me grasping at summer.

And to me, summer is a bowl of peaches and some ripe juicy Jersey tomatoes. While I would be satisfied with peaches for dinner, I know my fiance would not.

So I turned to Giada DeLaurentiis’s cookbook and found a lovely recipe for tomatoes stuffed with rice.

I used my creative license and switched out the rice for couscous and so was born Caprese Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes!

One of the best things at an Italian restaurant in the summer is a caprese salad with ripe, bright red tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

I took that concept and, instead of layering it nicely on a plate, decided to stuff it into a tomato.

For this recipe you will need

Tomatoes (I did 2 per person plus one extra as a lunch for someone the next day)
Couscous (I used the quick cook kind because, well, who wants to use long cook couscous?)
Basil
Mozzarella
Black pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions and set aside in a bowl.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes.

Run your knife carefully along the edge of the tomatoes and then use a spoon to scoop out the insides. Be careful not to pierce through the bottom.

Squeeze the seeds and pulpy bits into the couscous. You can chop up some of the insides as well, but don’t do too much.

Tear some basil leaves and add to the couscous and tomatoes. Drizzle with some olive oil and add a grind of black pepper. Mix well.

Stuff the mixture into each of the tomatoes. I overfilled a little bit. Place the tomatoes in a foil lined baking dish. Look no clean up!

Top each tomato with a slice of mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until the cheese melts over the top.

And there is a caprese salad that is a meal by itself!

Mangia.

Stracciatella Soup

Posted on August 20, 2013 by jacky grace

We just came back from a long weekend with both families.

That’s right, the Greek and Italians and Armenians wen away together and everyone came back alive!

The only problem is, I came back with more of me than I left with. Family gatherings always mean lots and lots of eating (and drinking). So I need to detox a little today.

When a light day is needed, I always turn to this easy and delicious soup.

Stracciatella is basically an Italian egg drop soup. It’s a few simple ingredients that, together, make a deliciously warming and filling dinner after a night or two of overindulging. It’s also a great meal when you are feeling a little under the weather.

You will need

Chicken broth
4 eggs
Spinach
Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of chicken broth to a slow boil.

I used a box of low sodium broth. You can use as much broth as you need to fill as many bowls of soup as you plan on making.

While the broth comes to a bubble, crack four eggs in a bowl, add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese to the eggs. I used 4 eggs figuring 2 eggs per person. Adjust the number according to your needs.

Whisk the eggs and pepper and cheese until they are smooth.

When the broth is boiling, use a wooden spoon and stir the broth so the liquid is swirling.

As you stir, pour the beaten egg mixture into the broth, slowly.

The egg mix will catch in the broth whirlpool and the eggs will start to set in yellow, noodle-like strands. It only takes about a minute.

Once the eggs are set, toss in the baby spinach and stir until it wilts.

Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.

Dish up into big bowls and enjoy on the couch in your pj pants.

Cavatelli and Broccoli – the right way

Posted on August 13, 2013 by jacky grace

If you’re going to make cavatelli and broccoli the right way, you first need to learn to say it the right way.

Your eye scans the menu and your immediate response is oh! Ca-va-tell-ee! I haven’t had that in ages.

But say it with me now. Ga-va-deal.

What rules of pronunciation dictate that the ca becomes a ga?

I don’t know. But that’s the way my family says it. That’s the way I grew up saying it.

So I kind of cringe when I hear ca-va-tell-ee. Much the same way I cringe when I hear sauce instead of gravy or ca-know-lee instead of ga-nawl.

Is it the region of Italy we’re from? Is it the town in which we settled upon arrival to the States?

Shrug.

It’s probably just my family.

But I digress.

Cavatelli and broccoli.

The right way.

Okay before I can tell you how to make it, I have to let you in on the little inside joke about making it the right way.

My Grandma Grace (my mom’s mom) is one of four sisters. She had brothers too, a big Catholic Italian family, but it’s the sisters that are important in this story.

I grew up with a very Italian grandma and three very Italian great-aunts.

My mom grew up with a very Italian mother and three very Italian aunts.

When I say very Italian what I mean is very loud, very bossy, very opinionated, very loving, and did I mention very loud?

One louder than the other.

I laugh when my Auntie Anna calls me and says “Jacky, it’s your Auntie Anna.” Oh trust me, Auntie Anna. I know it’s you. I would know that voice anywhere.

These aren’t your average hard-headed and head-strong Italian women. These are Romano women. They are a breed unto themselves.

When my great grandmother was told she could no longer go to Florida by herself, she shrugged and said, fine, then I’ll die.

And guess what, despite her good health, she did.

She willed herself to die. Stubborn woman.

The Romano women are the strongest most independent women I have met in my life and I am grateful to count them as family and as role models.

They taught my mom, and later me, how to run a household, how to stand on your own two feet, how to hold your ground, how to support yourself, and how to curse.

They also taught us how to cook. It’s their recipes that I turn to most often.

So the cavatelli.

My mom always cooked for the whole family for Christmas. Aunts, Uncles, Great-Aunts, Great-Uncles, Grandparents, they all piled into our house.

And our house shook with their voices.

And I usually hid upstairs in my room. (Only child, remember?)

Christmas dinner starts at 2 O’clock with antipasti, moves onto pasta around 4 O’clock, continues with Turkey and the trimmings around 6 O’clock and concludes with coffee and dessert some time around 8 O’clock. There is copious amounts of wine necessary in between.

After the marathon of eating, and the even more intense marathon of cooking required to turn out the spread, everyone would contentedly sit back and thank my mom for the meal.

With one exception.

My Aunt Josie was the oldest of my grandma’s siblings. She never married. She worked as a waitress and had a big old house in Orange that everyone at one time or other lived in and that she later rented out to boarders.

She was a pip.

(When we went through her house when she sold it to downsize, there was a sign in one of the drawers that said “Keep the F* out. This means you.” My mom laminated and has it in her office now.)

She looked at my mom one Christmas, after my mom had slaved away over four courses of delicious food, and said, next time, if you want to make the cavatelli the right way…

The right way!

My mom and I will always and forever tease each other and ask the other if she is making the recipe the right way.

Recently I asked her, what is the right way?

She didn’t know.

I called my Grandma. Grandma, what’s the right way to make cavatelli?

Well, this is how I make it, was her response.

Meaning, well, my way is the right way.

I don’t think any of us know the right way to make it anymore, since Aunt Josie left us a few years ago. Maybe she’s making it the right way for St. Anthony. Maybe if we pray to St. Anthony we will find the right way to make it.

(For you non-Italians, Anthony is the Saint you pray to when you lose something. Don’t believe me? Next time you lose something, say “”St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around. Something’s been lost and cannot be found.” I lost the bracelet my boyfriend gave me for our one year anniversary (twice, once in Port Authority and once in Duane Reade) and after praying to St. Anthony, I got it back (twice).

But I don’t want to bother him about the recipe.

Instead, I’ll make it Grandma’s way and I’ll call it the right way.

This is a fantastic recipe for those nights when you think take out is the only option. It’s super fast and pretty much fool proof. And because it can be served hot or cold, it’s also a great recipe to make ahead if you know it’s going to be one of those weeks where you’ll be lucky to get out the door with two matching shoes. You can also dish this out into Tupperware for a grab and go lunch.

For cavatelli and broccoli you will need:

Cavatelli
Broccoli
Olive Oil
Garlic

See, four ingredients. Super easy. You can add parmesan cheese at the end if you want, but that’s entirely up to you.

Also, this is a one pot meal since you’re going to cook the broccoli and the cavatelli in the same water.

So bring a pot of water to a boil.

Chop the broccoli into bit-size florets and drop into the water once it is boiling.

You don’t want to overcook the broccoli here. You want it to still be crisp. Give it 30 seconds to a minute tops, then scoop out of the water and into a big bowl.

Set aside the broccoli and add the cavatelli to the boiling water.

There is a lot of debate surrounding pasta water. To salt or not to salt?

I’ve seen Scott Conant rip chefs to shreds on Chopped when they don’t salt the water.

So I am going to quietly and quickly say that I don’t salt my water, but it’s because my grandma doesn’t either.

Scott, you can’t yell at my grandma. And you can’t yell at me because I am making this dish her way.

While the cavatelli cooks (follow the instructions on the packet for time), dice up two or three cloves of garlic. We’re not cooking the garlic, so you want as small a dice as possible.

When the cavatelli is cooked, drain and pour the hot pasta over the broccoli.

Drizzle with olive oil to coat and then add the garlic. A few grinds of black pepper can be added, too, if you wish.

Toss to combine. The pasta will warm the olive oil and the garlic and form a sauce that will coat the crisp broccoli and the tender cavatelli.

If you want a burst of freshness, you can squeeze half a lemon over the warm pasta. Or, you can sprinkle over a handful of parmesan. Or you can get crazy and do both.

Serve hot, immediately. Or refrigerate for a cold dish later.

Much as we joke about there being a right way to make the dish, the truth is that the beauty of cooking is that you can take your family’s recipes and make them your own. Adjust seasonings to suit your tastes. Add a twist that’s uniquely yours.

If anyone gives you trouble, you just channel Frank Sinatra and say, Hey, I did it my way!

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Posted on August 9, 2013 by jacky grace

If you ask my dad, he’ll tell you that pasta should come one way – topped with gravy and a meatball.

He doesn’t go for vegetables or shrimp or cream sauces. Gravy. End of story.

Thankfully, my fiance is less picky than my dad.

This is one of our favorite gravy alternatives for pasta.

Roasted butternut squash pureed into a rich and creamy pasta topper.

You will need a medium squash, two cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can also add some heavy cream for some richness and creaminess.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds.

Drizzle olive oil over the cut side and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the squash, cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast the squash until it is tender, about thirty minutes or so. Flip the squash over and roast for an additional ten minutes, cut side up.

Really important. Let the squash cool completely! This is not the time to be a hero. It’s hot. Really hot.

When it is completely cooled, scoop out the insides and drop the squash chunks into a large pot.

Add a little olive oil and two cloves of garlic, chopped.

Cook over medium for a few minutes to cook the garlic a bit. The add enough water to the pot to cover the bottom.

Cover and let the steam soften the squash some more.

Using a potato masher if you want a workout or an immersion blender if you’re less of a masochist, blend the sauce until it is smooth. You can also dump the mixture into a blender or food processor.

Toss your favorite pasta in the sauce. I used penne.

You get a rich creamy sauce coating the pasta with notes of sweetness and spice from the garlic and pepper.

It’s still summer, but this dish is fall in a bowl.

Escarole and Cannelini Bean Soup

Posted on August 7, 2013 by jacky grace

It’s kind of gray and drizzly outside today.

There’s 85% humidity.

But that doesn’t matter. Sitting on the couch in the apartment and looking outside at the clouds and the raindrops on the window, I feel a little chilly.

It’s totally in my head. Well aware of that. But still, I feel that chill that rainy days can bring.

And I feel like the only answer is a bowl of soup. And let’s be honest, what’s easier or more itty bitty city kitchen friendly than a one pot meal like soup?

One of the easiest soups I know how to make is the classic escarole and cannelini bean.

I’m a huge fan of escarole. I love it sauteed in olive oil and garlic as a side dish, so I played with that idea and turned the side of greens into the main attraction in this soup.

In a large pot drizzle some olive oil. Toss in half a white onion, diced and two cloves of garlic, diced. To that, throw in a head of escarole that you’ve washed and cut up into manageable pieces. The escarole will take over the pot, but it’s like spinach – it will wilt down a lot.

Cook the escarole, onions and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally to rotate the escarole in the pot. Add a mess of black pepper and some salt.

When the escarole is wilted, add a can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained, and stir.

Add enough water to the pot to cover the escarole and the beans. You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth, too, but I like to keep it simple and use water so that the flavors in the soup really come through. That’s why I used a mess of black pepper. The onions, garlic and the pepper are seasoning the soup.

Let the soup simmer, covered, for fifteen minutes. Dish up in bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

It may not be cold out, but this will chase away the rainy day blues.

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Category Archives: Weeknight, One or 2 Pot Wonders