Cozy Up With A Bowl of Winter Minestrone

January 23, 2012 By Aly M. 2 Comments

Philly got a bit of a present over the weekend in the form of freezing rain and snow galore. With the freezing rain that turns the hills of Manayunk into skid central, it was a weekend in for this gal. The Sous Pug didn’t fare well with the snow as he is now officially completely blind and could only slide down the sidewalks and stand bewildered on the freezing snow banks that he bravely attempted to climb. He pretty much was ready to pack his toys and head back to Florida.The good thing about being a food blogger held captive during a snowfall is that one can play in the pantry for a bit.

One of my new favorites for winter is this comforting Winter Minestrone Soup from Giada de Laurentiis. It was lightening quick to make and perfect to take off that icy chill. The one step you can’t skip is the parmesan rind – it’s definitely one of those secret weapons. I buy them from Whole Foods and keep them in the freezer for soups like this. Grab a bowl of this soul soothing soup and curl up on the couch. It’s a recipe that you will find yourself making again and again.

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Filed Under: Comfort Food, Cooking In Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Cooking in Stilettos, Giada de Laurentiis, Recipes, Soup, Tried and True

Tried and True: Chipotle Tamale Pie

September 7, 2011 By Aly M. Leave a Comment

Recently, I noticed that my DVR decided to record an episode of Simply Delicioso on the Cooking Channel. Ingrid Hoffmann was making a Chipotle Tamale Pie and I made a mental “must try note.” Then, over Labor Day weekend, I picked up the fall issue of Popular Plates Magazine and lo and behold there is Ingrid with the same recipe. When something crosses my path a couple of times, I tend to pay attention and decided there was no time like the present to give this recipe a whirl.

With the latest developments of the Sous Pug (he is having sight problems due to medication side effects), I really wasn’t in the mood to do super complicated recipes but wanted to try something different and this fit the bill. I did a few modifications as I’m still a bit nervous about using ground turkey after the recent ground turkey recall and wanted to amp up the garlic flavor so I decided instead of just olive oil, I would use my pantry staple – mojo de ajo – along with some of the roasted garlic from that. Also, I added extra tomatoes, fire roasted for a bit more zing, and some homemade Adobo seasoning and it was a winning dish.

Try it this fall on one of those nights when you want to do something other than your standard comfort food staples – and make sure to tell us how it turned out!

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Filed Under: Comfort Food, Cooking Channel, Ingrid Hoffmann, Recipe, Sous Pug, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Cooking Channel, Ingrid Hoffmann, Recipe, Sous Pug, Tried and True

Leftover Ham — Make Nigella Lawson’s Cuban Black Bean Soup

April 25, 2011 By Aly M. 3 Comments

If you tried to do Nigella Lawson’s Coca Cola Ham over the holiday and are stompin’ your stilettos wondering what to do with the leftovers, well look no further – Nigella Lawson has the solution – her soul soothing Cuban Black Bean Soup.

This soup is so good that I’m contemplating roasting another ham – but this time without all the burns and drama of trying to get the ham out of the stock. Who needs a holiday to serve something so delish, right?

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Cuban Black Bean Soup

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

1 pound black beans
5 cups water
5 cups rich juices from Ham in Coca Cola (or chicken stock if you don’t have the coca cola stock)
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of Aleppo chili (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
Zest & juice of 1 medium lime
2 cups of cooked ham, diced
Sour Cream for serving

Directions:

Place beans and water in a soup pot; cover and simmer about 45 minutes
Add the coca cola (or chicken) stock and simmer till beans are tender, about an hour.
Take 2 cups of the bean mixture and add to a food processor.
Add the cumin, Aleppo chili, ground coriander, lime zest and juice to the bean mixture and puree until smooth.
Pour the pureed bean mixture into the pot. Dip out about 2 cups of bean mixture and run it through a blender or food processor to puree it; then put it back into the pot.
Add the 2 cups of diced ham.
Simmer about 20 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy.

Gather the Ingredients

The inky black goodness boils and bubbles

Ahhhhh – I love this toy

Time to puree

The finished product.

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Food Network, Leftovers, Nigella Lawson, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Food Network, Leftovers, Nigella Lawson, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True

What’s Cookin’ — Chipotle Spiced Shortribs

September 2, 2010 By Aly M. 1 Comment

Check out a great recipe that is perfect for fall weather – Chipotle Spiced Shortribs over at the latest edition of Western Mass Women Magazine.

WMW ChipotleShortRibs1 300x199 Whats Cookin Chipotle Spiced Shortribs

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Spices, Western Mass Women Magazine, Whats Cookin Tagged With: Comfort Food, Slow Cooker, Western Mass Women Magazine, Whats Cookin, Writing

Soup’s On: Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

February 20, 2010 By Aly M. 4 Comments

One of the challenges I face is when one has leftover rotisserie chicken, what do you do? There’s only so much chicken salad that a gal can make. Well, faced with a partial leftover chicken taking up valuable real estate in my refrigerator, I thought “Soup”. However, I was not in the mood for my normal Southwestern Chicken soup. Sadly, I found myself in a winter recipe rut. My tried & true recipes were not an option and add a case of the winter blahs and I found myself in a winter recipe rut.

Giada de Laurentiis had a recipe for a Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti but since I’m not much of a spaghetti fan (don’t ask – it’s a childhood thing), I looked in the pantry and substituted egg noodles. I also added the zest of one lemon and some garlic and celery and I found a new spin on an old favorite.

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Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe adapted Giada de Laurentiis, Food Network

Ingredients

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1–2 lemons) [I used one lemon and the zest]
1 dried bay leaf
1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional [I just added some extra parmesan]
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 rib of celery, sliced into moons
1 garlic clove, grated
1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook’s Note [I used 2 cups of egg noodles]
2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt

Directions

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and celery and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

*Cook’s Note: You can use any short pasta from your pantry as a substitute for spaghetti.

Gather the ingredients

That bay leaf looks lonely among the chicken broth, garlic and lemon zest/juice, no?

No thumbs were butchered when slicing the veggies *phew*

Warm Comfort At Last – SO Good!

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Food Network, Giada de Laurentiis, Leftovers, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Food Network, Giada de Laurentiis, Leftovers, Recipe, Soup, Tried & True

Arctic Chill Means Beef Stew Is On The Menu

January 13, 2010 By Aly M. Leave a Comment

One thing about being up north means more excuses to break in the new All Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker that I found under the Christmas Tree. I do have to say that I love this slow cooker – I can brown everything in ONE POT and clean up is a breeze. Not to mention it looks phenomenal on my countertop if I do say so myself. See, isn’t it beautiful.

I digress, I know. Beef Stew just calls for chilly weather and I have to say over the past month, Philly has apparently angered Mother Nature so much that she has blanketed the city in waves of white snow a couple of times along with the northeast including New Jersey (perhaps she is also annoyed by the MTV show “Jersey Shore” and Philly got hit by default? – just a thought.) What it has done is sent this gal to the kitchen to try and make her own “Tried and True” version of Beef Stew. I found a recipe for “Slow Cooker Beef Stew” but I have to warn you, I changed it up quite a bit. The end result was a beef stew that has a bit of bite and warms you to the core on a cold winter’s day.

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BEEF STEW

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of beef stew meat cut into 1” cubes
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup of whole button or baby bella mushrooms
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 sprig of Rosemary
1/4 tsp. of allspice
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper; dredge the beef in the flour mixture and brown the beef cubes. Put remaining flour to the side.
After the beef is brown, put into slow cooker (or in my case, leave in the pot as I browned it on the stovetop). Stir in garlic, remaining flour mixture, bay leaf, paprika, tomato paste, allspice, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, onion, mushrooms, beef broth, potatoes, carrots and celery.
Cover and cook on Low setting for 10–12 hours or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Cooking In Stilettos, Recipe, Soup, Tried and True Tagged With: Comfort Food, Cooking in Stilettos, Recipe, Soup, Tried & True

One Pot Meal: Nigella Lawson’s Cornbread Topped Chili Con Carne

January 10, 2010 By Aly M. Leave a Comment

One of my fridge staples is Genuardi’s homemade chili. On those nights when I’m running crazy late, it has saved my butt. Making chili from scratch has not been a priority on the radar. However, during a burst of culinary creativity (and a repeat of Nigella Lawson episodes on the DVR), Nigella Lawson’s Cornbread Topped Chili Con Carne seemed like the perfect one pot meal. One confession – I did use cornbread mix instead of her homemade cornbread topping. I topped the cornbread mixture with shredded cheddar and I have to say this recipe was out of this world. Only one change I think I would make is to use ground cardamom instead of the pods because biting into those pods isn’t always a pleasant experience. Also, like any FoodNetwork.com recipe, please make sure to read the reviews and comments. I read that often the cinnamon in Nigella’s cornbread topping did not work out well. (Again, I’m thankful I improvised with a box mix). Do not – stress DO NOT skip the secret ingredient – you will thank me later….

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Cornbread Topped Chili Con Carne

Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson & FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

Chili

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried or crushed chili flakes
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 cardamom pods, bruised
2 red peppers, seeded and finely diced
3 pounds 4 ounces ground beef
7 cups canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cocoa (DO NOT LEAVE OUT!!!)
3 1/2 cups canned red kidney beans

Cornbread:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (See reviews / Might want to reduce)
3 cups buttermilk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated Cheddar
Guacamole, recipe follows

Serving suggestion:

2 cups sour cream
Ground paprika, for dusting
3 3/4 cups grated Cheddar
Special equipment: Very large pan

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large pan and fry the onion and garlic until it begins to soften. Add the chili, coriander, cumin, and crushed cardamom pods and stir well.

Add the peppers then break up the ground beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns. Add the chopped tomatoes, ketchup, tomato puree, and water stirring to make a rich red sauce. When the chili starts to boil sprinkle over the cocoa and stir it in. Add the beans and simmer partially covered for 1 1/2 hours. At this point you can cool and freeze the chili, or just keep it in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pour the chili into a large, wide dish or keep in the pan you cooked it in if it is ovenproof.

Combine the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey, and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients mixing to make a vivid yellow batter.

Pour the cornmeal topping over the chili con carne, or blob it over to cover the top as evenly as possible.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the cornbread and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread topping is risen and golden and the chili underneath is bubbling. How long this takes depends on the how cold or hot the chili was when it went into the oven. Since it’s such a huge vat, you may find it easiest to reheat it on the stove in its pan first.

Let the chili stand for about 5 minutes once out of the oven before cutting the cornbread top into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chili underneath.

Guacamole:

4 ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Mash the avocados with the scallions and add the juice of up to 2 limes, to taste. Stir in most of the cilantro and turn into 2 bowls, sprinkling each with the remaining cilantro.

Divide the sour cream into another 2 bowls, and dust with a little paprika and, into another pair of bowls add the grated Cheddar so that people can take clumps and add the tangy cheese to their plates of guacamole and sour cream splodged chili.

Gather Your Ingredients….