Artichoke Soup with Camembert Crostini

I discovered this soup recipe out of necessity.  Since we will be moving to Michigan for the summer, I must (have to!) clean out my freezer before we leave.  So I've been slowing working through what is in there and making dinner/lunch based on "what do I have."  Well, I had half of a bag of frozen artichoke hearts in there that I didn't know what to do with.  Frozen artichoke hearts are not my favorite food, which is likely why they are still in my freezer :)  Anyway, I had to find some creative way to fix them.

So I pulled out my favorite soup cookbook and sure enough, there were a couple of artichoke soup recipes in there, but I thought this one sounded the best.  And actually, it was really good!

Artichoke Soup with Camembert Crostini
Serves 6
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 small russet potato, peeled and finely diced (Do you know how hard it is to find a "small" russet potato?!)
8 oz frozen artichoke hearts
2 cup chicken broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the Crostini
12 thin baguette slices
2 oz Camembert cheese at room temperature

NOTE:  Try Brie, St. André or a soft goat cheese in place of the Camembert.  Serve extra crostini and a bottle of Pino Gris at the table for a light spring dinner.


In a large sauce pan, warm the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and the garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minuts.  Add the white wine and potato and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the artichoke heats and broth an bring to a boil.  reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potato is very tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender or food processor.  Return to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper.

To make the crostini, preheat the broiler to high.  Top each baguette slice with a thin slice of Camembert.  Place on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese melts slightly, 1-2 minutes.

Serve, topping each bowl with 2 crostini.

NOTE:  Since I didn't have a baguette on hand, but I did have a good loaf of homemade bread, I used the bread instead and topped it with Brie cheese, again, because that was what I had.  It turned out just fine :)

Buon Appetito!

Black Bean & Tomato Salad

This is one yummy salad!  It comes together very quickly with pantry staples and fresh seasonal vegetables.  My kind of salad...I'm pretty sure even the kids will like this one :)

Black Bean and Tomato Salad
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2 diced
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained
1/2 cup small diced red onion (I omit this)
2 small jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

Dressing
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1-2 ripe Haas avocado, seeded, peeled and 1/2 inch diced

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeño peppers and lime zest in a large bowl.

In separate medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black peper, garlic and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables.  Toss well.  I sometimes add chopped fresh cilantro at this point.

Just before serving, prepare avocados and fold gently into the salad.  Check seasoning and serve at room temperature.

NOTE:  If this salad sits awhile, it tends to put out a lot of liquid.  If this happens, simply drain the salad in a colander.  Also, if you anticipate leftovers with this salad, it's best to top each individual serving with the avocado.  This salad will keep overnight in the fridge, but not if the avocados are already in it.  It makes a great light meal on its own, but is also delicious served alongside any grilled meat~~chicken, steak, tuna, salmon, etc.

I served this healthy salad with steak tacos...Y.U.M.M.Y!

Buon Appetito!

Tuna Niçoise Salad

This is one of the best, easiest and tastiest salads I've ever made.  The key is using the best possible ingredients available.  For this dish, I use only good Italian tuna in olive oil.  Period. You can buy it in cans, and there are some very good brands out there.  Here are a few of my favorites:

But without a doubt the best Italian tuna is Tonnino Ventrescas in olive oil and it comes in a jar.  Ventresca is the center part of the belly of the bonito tuna, the mildest and most tender.  It's difficult to find in most grocery stores but you can buy it from Amazon (which is what I do).  Here is a direct link:

Tonnino Ventrescas Tuna in olive oil

It seems a little expensive, but out of this 6.7 ounce jar, you can get two, maybe three really good salads by simply adding a few vegetables.  I think it is totally worth it.

Anyway, here is my version of Tuna Niçoise Salad.  These amounts are for one salad so adjust accordingly.

4 small new potatoes, either yellow, gold or red, sliced in half and steamed
Handful of frozen green beans, steamed
4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 black olives, halved
3 oz Italian tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
Handful of your favorite salad greens

Steam the potatoes and when they are almost done, add the frozen green beans for the last couple of minutes.  Drain well and set aside.

Easy Lemon Vinaigrette
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh, snipped chives
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Juice the lemon into a small bowl.  Add the mustard and mix well.  Drizzle in the olive oil mixing continuously until well mixed and emulsified.  Season to taste with S & P; stir in chives.

Salad
Plate greens.  Top with potatoes, tomatoes, olives, green beans and tuna.  Drizzle with lemon vinaigrette, top with freshly grated black pepper and serve.

Buon Appetito!

Luscious Leg of Lamb

To me, Easter means lamb.  I know lamb is not for everyone; but I do love its luscious, succulent, tender meat and although I don't eat it very often, Easter is one of those holidays when I'll pull out all the stops and cook a leg of lamb...usually a very different preparation from year to year.

This year I decided to smoke it.

I don't have many photographs for this dish, actually just a before and an after, but I'll try to make the recipe clear and concise.  But you do need a smoker for this one.

Luscious Leg of Lamb
(A spinach and goat cheese stuffing might taste good even in a tennis ball, but the combo is always a sure bet inside a tender leg of lamb :)
Adapted from Smoke & Spice
Luscious Paste
10 garlic cloves roasted (I roasted one whole head of garlic)
2 teaspoons coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt (I used kosher)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
5-pound to 5 1/2 pound boned, butterflied leg of lamb

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 pounds spinach, cooked, drained well and chopped
8 ounces mild goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)

Steps:
The night before you plan to barbecue, mix the roasted garlic and salt together.  Add the olive oil in a thin stream until a thick paste forms.  Rub the paste very lightly over the lamb.  Place the lamb in a plastic bag or cover it in plastic wrap (which is what I did), place it on a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200F to 220F.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

To make the filling, warm the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened.  Add the pine nuts and continue to cook for another minute or two.  Spoon the mixture into a bowl.  Add the spinach, cheese, parsley, currants and the anchovy paste if using (I did) and blend well.  Spread the filling evenly over the lamb.  Roll up the meat snugly from one of the long sides, totally enclosing the filling.  Tie as needed with kitchen twine to secure.  Warm a heavy skillet over high heat, add a little extra virgin olive oil and sear the lamb quickly on all sides.

Transfer the lamb to the smoker.  Cook for 35-40 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145F, rare to medium rare.  For the 4.8lb lamb that I cooked, I cooked it for 2 hours, 45 minutes and it was perfect!

Remove the lamb from the smoker and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Slice the lamb and serve it warm.

I served it with a spinach salad, roasted asparagus and a homemade cherry pie for dessert!

Buon appetito!

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives & Capers

Yes, another lemon recipe :)  I'm still picking lemons from my Meyer lemon tree so I'm going to keep finding was to use them.  There are only about six lemons left on the tree, so the bararge of lemon recipes will be over soon.  Maybe good news for y'all, but bad new for me :/

This is a very tasty, quick and easy weeknight dinner.  It's a classic combination of flavors~~lemons, olives, chicken, butter and capers.   I made a few tweaks to the original recipe that I found on Epicurious.com, but the basic recipe is the same.  Try this one, I think even kids will like it!

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives and Capers

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used boneless, skinless thighs...to me, more flavor :)

All purpose flour

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sliced, pitted, good quality Sicilian olives or other brine cured green olives

2 tablespoons rinsed, drained capers

1-2 cups good quality chicken stock or canned, low sodium chicken broth

1/2 stick butter, cut into 4 pieces (I used 1/2 this amount)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

For roasted lemons:
Preheat oven to 325F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange lemon slices in single layer on prepared sheet.  Brush lemon slices with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt.  Roast until slightly dry and beginning to brown around the edges, about 20-25 minutes.  Lemons can be made one day ahead.  Transfer to container; cover and chill.

For the chicken:
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess.  Heat five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in heavy, large skillet over high heat.  Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about five minutes on each side.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Stir in olives and capers and sauté for about 30 seconds.  Add stock and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet.  Return chicken to pan, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove lid, turn chicken over and reduce liquid for about five minutes.  Add butter, roasted lemon slices, parsley and simmer until butter melts and chicken is cooked through.  Plate and garnish with additional chopped parsley if desired.

This dish is packed with flavor!  And please...eat the lemons!  They are delicious :)

Buon Appetito!

Unique Potato & Lemon Dish

I'm not trying to turn this into a food blog...really, I'm not :)  It's just that there isn't much happening in my garden right now and I still love to cook!

Although this may seem an unusual dish, it's really quite delicious.  It's a unique way to use lemons, which I still have, and red potatoes .  And please, do eat the lemons (including the very tender rind) along with the potatoes for the best flavor.  It's really a great combination.

Red Potato Slices Roasted with Lemon & Olives

2 lb medium or large red potatoes (about 5 medium) scrubbed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, more for the pan
1 lemon, very thinly sliced (discard the ends and seeds)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup pitted, oil cured black olives

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425F.  Generously oil a large baking dish (a 9 x 13 inch works well or use an oval gratin dish).  In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, lemon slices, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Toss well.  

Spread the potato mixture in the baking dish making sure the potatoes are evenly layered.  It's OK if it's rustic looking :)

Roast, turning the potatoes with a spatula every 20 minutes or so until most of the potatoes are crisp and golden and the lemon skins are shriveled and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Scatter the olives over the potatoes for the last 3-5 minutes of cooking.  Serve hot.  It's really very tasty!

Buon appetito!

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

Baking is not my first love.  Cooking is.  And there is a difference.  Baking is chemistry and cooking is alchemy :)  Since I never did well in the sciences in school, I gravitate toward cooking where the preparation of dishes need not be too exact.  In baking, it's a different story.  But I do like to bake when I find a recipe that really excites me.  And this one did.  My friend Linda passed it on to me and I made a few of these for Christmas presents this year.  This is one D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S cake!  Seriously.  It comes from the book In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories About the Food You Love, by Melissa Clark.  I didn't have blood oranges but good navel oranges work just as well.  I do hope you try this one.  Actually, next time I make it, I'm going to use lemons in place of the oranges.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

3 blood oranges
1 cup sugar
Buttermilk or plain yogurt
3 large egs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used light olive oil)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  I used a decorative Bundt pan and it looked real pretty.

Grate the zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with the sugar.  Using your fingers, rub the ingredients together until the orange zest is evenly distributed in the sugar.

Supreme an orange:  Cut off the bottom and top so the fruit is exposed and the orange can stand upright on a cutting board.  Cut away the peel and pith following the curve of the fruit with your knife.  Cut the orange segments out of their connective membranes and let them fall into a bowl.  Repeat with another orange.  Break up the segments with your fingers.  Halve the remaining orange and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup.  You'll have about 1/4 cup or so.  

Add the buttermilk or yogurt to the juice until you have 2/3 cup of liquid together.  Pour the mixture into the bowl with the sugar and whisk well.  Whisk in the eggs.  

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ones.  Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil a little at a time.  Fold in the orange segments.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for about 50-55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 5 minutes then unmold and cool to room temperature, right side up.

Serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar or Honey-Orange Compote*, if desired.


*Honey-Orange Compote - supreme 3 more oranges.  Drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons honey.  Let sit for 5 mintes, then stir gently.

Buon Appetito!

New Year Noodle Soup

Ok...the only thing I have to say is...Make This Soup Now.   Seriously.  This is one of the best soups I have ever eaten.  It's hearty, tasty, healthy, nutritious and really pretty easy,  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly as written and my husband loved (loved) it too!

I saw this recipe on the 101cookbooks.com website a while back and thought it looked good.  So I bookmarked it.  Then thegdkitchen blogged about it and I went back and looked at the recipe again and thought, "OK, I think I'll make this soup for New Year's Day."  And I am so glad I did.  It is delicious!  I'm not even going to retype the recipe.  If you want to make it (and I hope you do!), here is the link to it on 101cookbooks.com.

I usually annotate recipes in my books or ones that I've downloaded so I can keep track of whether I liked them or not.  And on this one I simply wrote:  Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

And to be honest, I ate most of it with a fork!

Buon Appetito!