Monday, September 27, 2010

Mom's Soup!

Tonight was the perfect night for soup and not just any soup, my mom's soup, which is the best. Growing up, Monday nights we always had soup up my grandmother's house even if it were 90 degrees outside, it was always soup on Mondays! My mother learned her soup recipe from my grandma Alda and when I say soup, I'm not talking chicken noodle. What soup is for us, is a delicious homemade broth and some kind of small pasta like tubatini or acini de pepe. At Christmas time, when I was little we used to always have this broth with homemade tortellini. Tonight, my mom put in one of my favorite little pastas, which is Stelle or star shaped pasta. It hit the spot on this cool, rainy night and I wanted to share with you our family soup recipe.

In a large pot combine:
1 lg can plum tomatoes, including the juice
2 chicken breasts with the bone and skin
6 peeled carrots, left whole
3 celery stalks, left whole
1 onion, peeled and dotted with whole cloves all around (our secret)
water to fill the pan

Put on the stove for at least 3 hours. Be sure the broth does not boil, or it will get cloudy. You just want it to simmer. Add a touch of kosher salt at the beginning. After 3 hours, taste the broth to see if it needs more seasoning. When the broth is done, cool to room temp and strain through a fine sieve (you can either break apart chicken and out in the soup or use for chicken salad). Be sure to take out the carrots and add them back to the broth, we leave them whole, but you can cut them if you choose. This broth can be used for not only soup, but also as the base for a sauce or to build a beautiful risotto. Hope you a enjoy.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Clover Food Truck

On Tuesday I had lunch with my friend Erica and we visited Clover Food Truck in Dewey Square. If you haven't checked them out, you are missing out. I had the Tomato sandwich, which had fresh tomato, lettuce, cheddar and mayo on a whole pocket style bread. Erica and I shared some Rosemary Fries and to drink I had the Concord Grape Lemonade. Lunch was delicious and their set up is something to be admired. They have someone outside the truck taking orders using some kind of device that sends the info to the kitchen. This person also handles the payment of the transaction as well. The crew on the truck move pretty fast and seem very organized, getting the food to the customers in a timely manner, which we all appreciate!! I can't wait to be able to go back again, for the chickpea fritters, they looked pretty amazing! Again, of you haven't checked out Clover, go visit them in Dewey Square Tuesday-Thursday or in Kendal Square all week. While you're in Dewy Square visit the farmer's market because it is squash and pumpkin season and there are so many fun varieties of squash out there!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Apple & Sugar Pie my newest love.....


Well my time in Quebec City is coming to an end and I have one thing to say, I have fallen in love with not only this quaint city, but it's delicious treats. There is one dessert in particular I have grown very fond of and it is apple and sugar pie or pomme & sucre tart. It is simply delightful. I feel I have eaten enough of this dessert to possibly make it at home. I believe the filling is a sugar and apple custard baked inside a pie shell. It is typically served with unsweetened whipped cream, which is perfection. At all the restaurants we have visited each one had some kind of sugar pie on the menu. My new project when I go home will be to test some recipes for sugar pie and bring some Quebec back home to my kitchen!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Going to Quebec!




Tomorrow morning I am heading up to Canada to visit Quebec. I am very excited to see the sights and of course taste the food. I will keep you posted on my dining delights and hope to share some fun facts about Quebec's food scene!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Chicken Milanese

Tonight I am putting together Chicken Milanese for Phil and I with some sauted Swiss Chard and roasted Yukon potatoes. I love this type of dinner. Chicken Milanese is delicious in it's simplicity, it is basically chicken cutlets and I like to add some fresh lemon zest and chopped flat leaf parsley to my breadcrumbs to add a little brightness to the dish. I also like making Turkey Milanese or Pork Milanese. Here is my recipe for Chicken Milanese

2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded out to 1/2 inch thick
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumb
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 egg mixed with 2 tbls of water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying the cutlets

Set up three wide bowls for your breading station. You will start with the flour, then egg and then the breadcrumb. In the egg bowl, season egg and water with salt and pepper. Season the flour as well with salt and pepper. Mix together breadcrumb, cheese, parsley, lemon zest in the third bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottom saute pan, heat olive oil, enough to shallow fry the cutlets. Begin breading by dunking cutlet in the flour, shaking any excess off before going into the egg and then finally the breadcrumbs, ensure the entire cutlet is coated. Before placing the cutlet into the pan, test the heat of the oil by tossing in a pinch of breadcrumb. If it falls to the bottom the oil is not ready. If it floats and begins to make music to you it is ready for the chicken. Once the chicken is placed into the pan you will fry it on both sides, about 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. When they are done, place on rack to allow any excess oil to drip off and this will keep them crispy until you serve them. This can be served at room temp or right from the pan and it is even delicious as leftovers right from the fridge. I like to mix a salad of frisee, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and oil to put on top of the cutlet sometimes, pending on what I have in the fridge. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Apple Crisp

Last night I threw together an apple crisp for Phil and I. This is a small batch recipe, I used two individual casserole dishes to bake the crisp. Here is what you'll need....

4 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
2 tbls brown sugar plus 1 tsp for topping
2 tbls white sugar
2 tbls apple cider
2 tbls cornstarch
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbls unsalted butter, melted
pinch salt

In a mixing bowl toss the sliced apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown and white sugar. Ensure all apples are coated. Place into the two casserole dishes. Mix the apple cider and cornstarch together and divide between the two dishes, pouring it over the apples. Mix the oats, the rest of the brown sugar, the melted butter and a pinch of salt together and top each dish with this. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. The tope will get golden and the crisp will bubble. Sometimes I add dried cranberries, golden raisins to this or I mix pears in with the apples. It's a simple apple crisp recipe, that has a delicious outcome.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Apple picking!

Phil and I just finished picking apples! We got some Gala apples, Honeycrisp apples and some Macintosh apples! We also hit the farmstand and picked up some vegetables. We couldn't leave without cider donuts! Delicious!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Apple Picking...

I am crossing my fingers that Hurricane Earl doesn't ruin my apple picking plans for tomorrow! Phil and I planned to get out early tomorrow and drive back to Cider Hill Farms and take part in one of Fall's greatest traditions, apple picking. Fall is one of my favorite seasons not only it is beautiful in color, but the food it brings is always comforting and it gears us up for the winter.

Tomorrow I hope to pick some delicious, crisp apples and make some pies, cakes, salads, chips and all sorts of apple delights with my finds! One of my favorite apple treats is a recipe from my grandma Alda. Who in my eyes, was one of the best home chefs I knew. Even tuna salad tasted better in her kitchen. Sometimes when I am making one of her recipes and I use the word "recipe" liberally because she was a pinch of this kind of cook, I say a small prayer to her. I pray that the recipe will come together and the final dish will in some way taste like hers. Then there are the times when the recipe is just not working and I will shout, "Come on grandma help me out!". I know it might make me look slightly insane, but for me it works and I believe when I cook I have grandma Alda on my shoulder.

I will share her recipe for apple cake when I pick up the apples so be sure to follow!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Too hot to cook?!

On hot days like today I try to stay away from the oven as much as I can! Tonight I threw together a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and basil from the garden, added a few pitted Nicoise olives and some olive oil. I bought some prosciutto from the deli along with some crusty bread and dinner was served!