French Onion Soup

This is my version of a Tyler Florence recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 large onions, sliced (I used a combination of red, white and sweet onions - 1 of each)
4 T butter
1 T EVOO
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1.5 cups red wine
1.5 quarts of beef stock
3 - 5 dashes worcestershire sauce
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 slices of baguette, toasted
1.5 cups shredded gruyere or swiss cheese (I used Sargento's shredded swiss & gruyere cheese)

Directions:

1. Over medium to medium-high heat, saute onions in butter and extra virgin olive oil until lightly carmelized (this will take a good 30 - 40 minutes). Do not season until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes), once they are, season to taste with salt and black pepper. (A little trick to help the carmelization process -- add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar once the liquid released from the onions is almost evaporated)
2. When onions are carmelized, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add balsamic vinegar and deglaze bottom of pan.
3. Add red wine and simmer until reduced by at least 1/3 (about 15 minutes)
4. Add beef stock, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme and return to a boil, then continue simmering for 30 minutes on low heat.
5. Adjust seasoning as needed and ladle into 6 oven-proof bowls or crocks. (Remove bay leaves and thyme stems)
6. Place 1 toasted baguette slice in each bowl and heap 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on top
7. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly

Enjoy!

No-fuss Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatballs Dinner Challenge: Last night I cooked up 2 different Spaghetti & Meatballs recipes, and with the help of my good friend Amy and her family, had a taste test to see which one was preferred. It was a fun thing to do on a Saturday night, and Spaghetti & Meatballs is one of my favorite comfort foods when it is cold and snowy out. One of the recipes was my recipe that I've made for as long as I can remember. The other other was a recipe by Emeril Lagasse (courtesy of the Food Network website). I call it "no-fuss" because it is essentially a 1 pot meal.

I followed Emeril's recipe as written with a few exceptions. First, 80/20 beef AND ground sausage just sounds like a grease-fest to me (no offense intended, Emeril), so I used 93/7 beef. Second, I did add a small splash of red wine to the sauce -- it is genetically impossible for me to make tomato sauce without adding wine. Just can't be done. Lastly, I put a bottle of the Essence seasoning in my grocery cart, but somehow it wasn't in the bags when I got home, so I ended up leaving that out. Other than these few changes, I've followed his recipe below. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about putting raw ground meat into the tomato sauce, but they did cook through and were very tasty.


The final verdict was a draw. Amy and her younger son liked my Spicy, Beefy Spaghetti & Meatballs, and her husband and oldest son preferred Emeril's. Actually, her husband liked Emeril's meatballs, but my sauce better. I didn't vote since I'm partial to my recipe, and that seemed a bit self-serving. So, I am posting both recipes (2 different posts). You can decide which is your favorite. :-)

In the picture below, Emeril's recipe is on the right, and my recipe is on the left.





No-fuss Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt & pepper
12 ounces ground chuck (80/20)
8 ounces ground pork sausage
2 Tablespoons red wine
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup minced green onion, white part only
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Essence Creole Seasoning (also called Bayou Blast)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and partially cover.

4. Place the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together just until combined.

5. Form meatballs by rolling meat mixture into 1 Tablespoon-sized balls. Place meatballs on a plate as they are formed. Note: To prevent the meatballs from sticking to your hands, wet your hands with water first.

6. Add meatballs into the simmering sauce 1 at a time. Allow the sauce to return to a simmer and cook, partially covered. Let the meatballs cook undisturbed for the first 25 minutes before stirring.

7. When the meatballs rise to the top, stir gently. Simmer, partially covered, for an additional hour, stirring occassionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

8. Remove from heat and serve over cooked pasta.

Enjoy!
Adrienne

Adrienne's Spicy, Beefy Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatballs Dinner Challenge: Last night I cooked up 2 different Spaghetti & Meatballs recipes and with the help of my good friend Amy and her family, had a taste test to see which one was preferred. It was a fun thing to do on a Saturday night, and Spaghetti & Meatballs is one of my favorite comfort foods when it is cold and snowy out. One of the recipes was my recipe that I've made for as long as I can remember. The other was a recipe by Emeril Lagasse (courtesy of the Food Network website).

Now, up until today, I didn't have a written recipe for my meatballs or sauce, so when I've given this recipe to people, it usually consists of measurements like "handfuls" or "until it looks like enough" (this drives my sister crazy, not that that is my intention), so I tried to keep track of the amounts of ingredients I used for this challenge, but they are approximate. I followed Emeril's recipe as written, with the exception of the Essence Seasoning -- I swear I bought it when I was at the store, but it wasn't in the bags when I got home. So, I left that out. Other than than, I followed his recipe as presented (oh yeah, I also added a spalsh of wine to his sauce -- you can't make sauce without wine, it just isn't done). In the picture below, my recipe is on the left, and Emeril's is on the right. They look very similar in the picture, but my sauce is smoother and darker in color, and Emeril's is chunkier. The final verdict was a draw -- Amy and her youngest son liked my spicy, beefy meatballs better, and her husband and oldest son liked Emeril's recipe better. Actually, her husband liked Emeril's meatballs, but my sauce better. I didn't vote, since I am partial to my recipe. So, I am posting both recipes (2 different posts). You can decide which is your favorite. :-)

Adrienne's Spicy, Beefy Spaghetti & Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef (I usually use 93/7 or 95/5 beef)

2 large shallots, minced

3 - 4 cloves of garlic, grated (depends on how big your garlic cloves are)

2 - 3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley (I just tear off a handful and chop it up)

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (a couple of generous handfuls is fine)

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons red wine

kosher salt (to taste -- probably about a teaspoon)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste -- about 15 grinds on the pepper mill)

garlic salt (a couple shakes)

onion powder (a shake or two)

To make the meatballs:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and line a baking sheet with foil (makes clean up so much easier) and place a baking rack on the foil-lined baking sheet (allows the grease to drip down as they cook and the meatballs will not be sitting in the grease).

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until all ingredients are well combined. I wear gloves when I do this for 2 reasons -- 1. it's more sanitary (who wants raw beef under their fingernails -- eww!) and 2. it is easier to roll the meatballs -- the meat doesn't stick to the gloves like it sticks to your hands.

Roll into meatballs (I make pretty big meat balls -- they are larger than golf balls and end up being about 2 inches in diameter) and place on the baking rack. It is important to make sure all your meatballs are the same size so they cook evenly. If you make your meatballs as big as mine, you'll get about 16 meatballs out of this recipe.

Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30 minutes. They won't be completely cooked through at this point, but that's okay because you're going to add them to the sauce to finish cooking.

While the meatballs are cooking, start the sauce. You can start the sauce first - this gives it more time to simmer and and thicken up, plus gives it a richer flavor, so that is usually what I do.

Ingredients for Marinara Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped (I like to use sweet onions, but whatever you prefer)

4 - 6 cloves of garlic, grated (depends on the size of your garlic cloves)

2 - 3 Tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

2 28-ounce cans of tomato sauce

1 14-ounce can of beef broth (I use reduced sodium beef broth)

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste

a generous splash of red wine (I use a slow 3-count pour)

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons of Dell'Alpe Italian Seasoning for Pizza (or your favorite blend of Italian seasoning)

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil at medium-high heat and saute the onions until translucent, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to the onions as they saute (to taste).

2. Add garlic to onions and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir constantly so the garlic doesn't burn -- you don't want to brown it.

3. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, red wine, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to the pot and stir until combined. Let come to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer. Stir occassionaly to make sure the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

4. Once the meatballs have finished baking, remove from the oven and immediately add to the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for at least an additional 30 - 40 minutes so that the meatballs cook through. If you like a thicker sauce, you can extend the cooking time and simmer the sauce uncovered (but it will make a mess of your stove).

5. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce as needed and serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

This recipe makes 4 - 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Adrienne

Stuffed Mushrooms a la France

I got this recipe many years ago from one of my co-workers who was a vegetarian and a really good cook. Neither of us are still at the hospital where we once worked, but I still make his recipe from time to time -- it's a great appetizer, and very quick and easy to make. Depending on the size of your mushroom caps (and how many mushroom-lovers are in your crowd), plan on 2 - 3 mushroom caps per person. You can also make this ahead and then just pop them in the oven to bake when your guests arrive.

The measurements below do not have to be precise -- honestly, I don't even measure when I make this anymore. If I end up with extra stuffing at the end, I just put it in the bottom of the baking dish and cook it with the mushrooms -- it is delicious all by itself. This recipe will yield 3 - 4 servings, depending on the size of your mushroom caps.

Stuffed Mushrooms a la France

Ingredients:

8 - 10 large gourmet mushrooms
6 Tablespoons bread crumbs (unseasoned)
6 Tablespoons minced yellow onion (I use shallots instead -- I like the milder flavor)
3 Tablespoons minced green onion
4 - 6 Tablespoons half & half or heavy cream (I usually use heavy cream)
8 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (I use flat leaf parsley)
1 teaspoon tarragon (I usually substitute fresh or dried thyme, whichever I happen to have. I'm not a big tarragon fan)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon oil (I use olive oil, but you can use any kind of oil you like)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I usually use shredded parmesan cheese, but both are good)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit

2. Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Mince the stems and reserve. (If there are some small mushrooms in the package, like there usually are, I also clean and mince them up.)

3. Add oil and butter to a non-stick saute pan and saute the yellow onion (or shallots, whichever you use) for 3 - 4 minutes.

4. Add green onion and mushroom stems, season with salt and pepper to taste, and saute for 2 - 3 minutes more, then turn off heat.

5. Add remaining ingredients (except for shredded Swiss cheese) to the onion-mushroom mixture (I just add it all to the saute pan, but you can do this in a bowl if you prefer) and stir well to thoroughly combine. You want the mixture to be moistened, but not dripping extra liquid, so adjust bread crumbs or cream amounts as needed to get the right consistency (like a thick paste).

6. Place the mushroom caps in a baking dish and fill with stuffing (I usually heap it on pretty good, about 1 heaping Tablespoon per mushroom cap). If you have leftover stuffing, just put in in the baking dish around the mushrooms.

7. Top stuffed mushrooms with shredded Swiss cheese and bake at 425 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!
Adrienne

Cheesy, Creamy Polenta

Cheesy, Creamy Polenta

This is a recipe I made in one of my cooking classes I took at Northshore Cookery a couple of years ago, and has become a favorite. Unfortunately, the school has since closed. I prefer to use the white corn meal over the yellow corn meal -- I think the flavor and texture of the white corn meal is more delicate, but to each his/her own. I'll post a picture the next time I make up a batch.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock (I usually use chicken stock, but any will work)
3/4 cup white or yellow corn meal (I use white corn meal)
3 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (I usually use closer to half a cup -- I like it cheesy!)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a heavy 3-quart non-stick saucepan, bring 2 cups of the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix the corn meal with the remaining cup of broth. Stir well and slowly add the corn meal miture to the bubbling broth, stirring constantly to prevent clumping. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in butter and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!
Adrienne

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I love to bake quick breads, and this summer, my uncle had an overabundance of zucchini, so I started looking for recipes for zucchini bread. I wish I had my grandmother's recipe -- hers was so good. This one isn't exactly like grandma's, but it is darn good. I've modified a Paula Deen recipe (trying to make it semi-healthy). The recipe below is the one I made with various substitutions to try to lower the fat content and to adjust for personal taste (like omitting the pecans -- I hate biting into chunks of nuts in otherwise soft foods). The recipe indicates 15 minutes of prep time, but that can't possible include the grating time for the zucchini. It felt like we spent hours grating zucchini. I used a rotary grater (like the kind often used to grate parmesan cheese directly onto your dish at an Italian restaurant), but about halfway through, my hand was giving out and we switched to the mini food processor to chop it up, and that worked just fine too. I did not peel the zucchini, but if you have an aversion to peels, or seeing little green flecks in your food, you can peel it first.

This recipe yields 2 9x5 inch loaves, or 5 mini loaves.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup honey (or you can omit the honey and increase the granulated sugar to 2 cups)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce (or you can omit the applesauce and increase the vegetable oil to 1 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini (original recipe called for 2 cups)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used the mini sized chips and since I didn't add nuts, I used the whole package)
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cup chopped pecans (optional -- I did not use them)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9x5-inch loaf pans or (5) mini loaf pans (usually 5x3-inch).

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon & nutmeg

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and honey and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, applesauce, vanilla, zucchini, pecans (if using), chocolate chips and orange zest. Make sure everything is well mixed. Stir in sifted dry ingredients until just combined. (Don't overmix -- just mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened and no large lumps remain, some small lumps are okay). Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes (mine took closer to a full hour) or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling racks for about 5 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling. (I used glass pans for the large loaves and removed them from the pans to finish cooling. I used the disposable aluminum mini loaf pans and did not remove those from the pans for cooling).

The loaves freeze well -- I had one mini loaf that was in the freezer for 6 months and was still delicious when thawed. This recipe would also make delicious muffins.

I hope you enjoy!
Adrienne

Beef Braciole

"What is this?" you ask? Well, aside from my dad's "newest favorite" of my concoctions, it is the Italian version of a roullade (thinly sliced meat with a stuffing, rolled up and then braised). It is pronounced brah-zhol (long 'o'). You can use any kind of thinly sliced beef -- I like top round. Have the butcher trim the fat and slice it about 1/4 inch thick for you and it will be ready to go when you get home. I've adapted a Rachel Ray recipe for this. It makes 4 servings. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 slices very thinly sliced beef (1/4 inch)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 slices prosciutto di Parma

1-1/2 cups plain bread crumbs (doesn't have to be exact)

1/2 cup of milk

2/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese (about 3 handfuls -- again, doesn't have to be measured exactly)

1 shallot, minced (or 1 small onion if you prefer)

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (a couple of handfuls)

1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach (or you could use arugula instead of spinach)

plain round toothpicks

For the Sauce: (I love extra sauce, so I always double these amounts)

2 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, grated (I use a microplane so you don't have big chunks)

2 Tablespoons of butter

12 cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced (baby portabellas)

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup beef broth

1 rounded Tablespoon tomato paste

Directions:

Season the meat to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top each slice of beef with 1-1/2 slices of prosciutto di Parma. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, milk, parmesan cheese, shallot, parsley and spinach. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Place 1/4 of the bread crumb mixture on each slice of beef and spread it out into a thin layer (do not spread it to the edges -- leave about 1/2 inch around the stuffing or it will squish out when you roll the beef). Roll the beef tightly and fasten with toothpicks. I have found it is neater (and easier) if you fold over the long sides and then start rolling -- the stuffing won't squish out if you do this.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat to the pan and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the butter and let it get foamy. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute just until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the flour to the pan (sprinkle it around) and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk the wine into the mushroom-flour mixture and scrape up any pan drippings. Reduce the wine for about 1 minute and then whick in the beef broth and tomato paste. Let come to a bubble and return meat and any juices back to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Place lid on pan but leave ajar about 1 inch. Simmer meat for about 15 - 20 minutes. To serve, remove toothpicks and transfer rolls to a platter and pour gravy down over the beef rolls and serve.

I like to serve it with cheesy, creamy polenta (to soak up the yummy gravy) or wild mushroom risotto (pictured above, left), and make a nice spinach salad with the leftover baby spinach. A nice glass of Sangiovese or Chianti goes well too! Enjoy!! Adrienne

Wild Mushroom Risotto

I love risotto, and it is so easy to make. Don't let anyone scare you off by telling you its complicated, or difficult. All it takes is a little patience and a lot of stirring. :-) You can use any combination of mushrooms you like -- I usually use a mix of white button mushrooms and cremini, oyster and shitake mushrooms (half white button mushrooms, half a mix of the others). You can also rehydrate porcini mushrooms and add those if you like. If you do, be sure to reserve the soaking liquid (you'll need to strain it to remove the grit -- you'll probably have about 1/2 cup). Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and chopped (I usually just slice them -- looks prettier, I think)
4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups Arborio rice
3 Tablespoons of diced shallots
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (I like to grate it using a microplane -- that way you don't bite into a chunck of garlic)
5 - 6 cups of hot chicken stock
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I like to use flat leaf parsley)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Saute the mushrooms in 2 T of melted butter over high heat (I also add about 1 T of olive oil too -- keeps the butter from burning). First heat the butter (and oil, if you use it) over high heat until melted and foamy. Add half the shallots and garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and cook until mushrooms release their liquid and turn golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the fresh thyme and fresh rosemary and continue cooking until the wine evaporates. Remove from heat.

Heat 2 T butter and the olive oil (use high heat) in a large dutch oven or heavy pot until foamy. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently until all the rice grains are coated and fragrant (about 1 - 2 minutes). You don't want to brown the rice -- just warm it to soften the outside husk so it can absorb the liquid. Add the remaining half of the shallots and garlic and cook for about 1 minute (stir frquently). If you're using porcini mushrooms and have reserved the soaking liquid, add it now (or you can use 1/2 cup of mushroom stock if you like). Stir frequently until all the liquid is absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 cups of hot chicken stock, 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the broth is almost completely absorbed (don't let it get dry or you could burn the rice). Continue adding stock in 1/2 cup increments and cooking until almost completely absorbed before adding more broth. Cook until the rice is al dente (18 minutes or so). Fold in the sauteed mushrooms, fresh parsley and grated parmesan and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately. Makes about 8 side servings or 4 main course servings.

Enjoy! Adrienne