Fagioli Soup

This is another recipe that I used my new slow cooker to make.  It is also based on a recipe from Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone.  I love eating soups in winter, and I hope to have more time to experiment with the slow cooker and the soup recipes.  Since this also has pasta it was a good compromise and encouragement for my husband to give it a try as he is not that big on soups.  It is a bit thicker than a regular soup and very satisfying.

Fagioli Soup
1 celery rib, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small can (10 oz) chopped canned tomatoes (you can use fresh too if peeled and seeded)
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 cups water
2 cans white beans (I used cannellini and great northern.)
salt
crushed red pepper
8 ounces spaghetti, broken into pieces or soup pasta

In braise mode or in a pan on the stove, cook the celery and garlic over medium heat until the garlic is golden.  Pour mixture into the slow cooker.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and water and stir together.  Add the white beans, salt to taste and a couple of pinches of red peppers flakes and stir.  Cook on low for 4 hours.   Add the pasta and cook until done, about 20-30 minutes depending on the pasta.  Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Orzo

When you have a lot of vegetables and are not sure what to do with them, try this recipe.  The orzo reminds me of a rice based dish, but in reality it is more like a pasta salad.  You can mix up any kinds of vegetables to get a different taste or feel.  I meant to put kale into this salad, but once the roasted leaves came out of my oven, I devoured them.  If you can resist try them in this salad.  Roasting the vegetables sweetens the vegetables which makes this salad.  If you haven't cooked with orzo before, you should try it.  It cooks up easily and mixes well with any variety of vegetables and dressings.  The inspiration for this salad came from 101 cookbooks author Heidi Swanson.  If you haven't checked out her blog you should.

Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad
Roasted vegetables (I used brussel sprouts, broccoli, leeks, garlic and onions)
olive oil
salt
1 1/4 cups orzo (uncooked)
plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line  1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper (depends on how many vegetables you are roasting).  Cut all the vegetables (about 5-6 cloves of garlic) into similar sized pieces so they will all roast at the same rate.  Toss all the vegetables with olive oil and salt.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Toss once or twice to make sure everything is roasted evenly.

Put water on to boil to cook the orzo.  Add salt.  When boiling add the orzo and cook according to package instructions.  Remove and run under cool water.  Toss with a little olive oil.  For dressing, remove the shell from the roasted garlic and mash it with a little salt and yogurt.  Add more yogurt (about a half cup in total) and add more garlic to taste.

When ready to serve, toss the orzo, roasted vegetables and yogurt (start with half and adjust for taste).  For topping you can use toasted sesame or pumpkin seeds, and/or scallions.

Quiche Lorraine

If you haven't tried Quiche Lorraine, you really should.  My husband is not a big fan of quiches, but they are something that has always struck a cord.  They remind me of Easter Sunday where sometimes the maker knew what they were doing and it turned out well, but the other times the quiche was wet and leaky and just not so good.  (Those were more the mass produced for a large group of people.)  Quiche Lorraine is different though because it isn't a thick quiche, so the flavors of whatever you put in it - in this case crisp bacon and a bit of cheese - really comes through without having to weed through all the eggy batter to figure out what the flavor should be.

Another good memory of Quiche Lorraine was on a visit to Germany.  My parents had an exchange student whose family I was visiting.  They live on the boarder with France.  One of the many delicious meals I ate with the family included a Quiche Lorraine.  It was quickly put together and it helped feed the family gathering we were at one afternoon.

I was reading through Homemade by Clodagh McKenna which is where I stumbled across her version of Quiche Lorraine.  This is based off her recipe.

Quiche Lorraine  (serves about 8)
Pastry:
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling:
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
bacon - I used thick cut bacon, about 5 -6 pieces fried (about a cup), broken or cut into pieces
4 eggs beaten
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Pastry: sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the cold butter until you have a small crumbly texture.  Add the egg and and bring the mixture together to form a dough.  (Add water if the mixture is too dry.)  Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Remove from the refrigerator and roll out the dough into a big round.  Butter a tart pan and place the dough on it.  Chill again until the filling ingredients are ready.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place parchment and dough weights in the center.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pie weights and parchment and return the pie shell to the oven for another 3-5 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.  Sprinkle the cheese onto the bottom of the pie shell.  Sprinkle the bacon bits on top of the cheese.  Combine the eggs, milk and cream and whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the mixture over the bacon and cheese.  Trim the pastry.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  This will allow the pastry to set a bit more as it cools.  Slice and serve.

Sauteed Chicken with Tomato Pan Sauce

Since I could cook, I have been pan frying chicken.  The most basic one I ever did was frozen chicken breast pan fried with a little oil or butter...just enough so it wouldn't stick and then fried until there was a delicious pan sauce.  Since I have learned a bit more since then I have discovered that this is a great way to cook to make an even better sauce to serve with the chicken, but I use more than just chicken to achieve it.  I am particular to adding wine to get all those good cooked on bits up and keep their flavor for the sauce.

This recipe is yet another based on one from the book Keepers by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion.  I have made quite a few things from their book, but I want to try even more.  As I have mentioned before, they are great meals to cook during the week as they come together quickly and most don't have a ton of ingredients.  I love a quick meal which tastes great too, which is my ideal during the week.

Sauteed Chicken with Tomato Pan Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 -1 1/2 pound chicken breast cut into portions or smaller pieces (as you like)
salt and pepper
1 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used cherub sunsweet tomatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons chives, chopped (or fresh basil, oregano, thyme)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter over medium high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Once the butter has melted, add the chicken until it is golden brown (depending on thickness about 4-5 minutes).  Turn the chicken over, reduce heat to medium and cover the pan until the chicken is cooked through (again depending on thickness about 5-7 minutes).  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover while you make the pan sauce.

Pour off all, but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the chicken and return the heat to medium.  Add the onion and cook until fragrant.  Add the wine and scrape any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the diced tomatoes.  Once heated through, remove from heat and add the chives (or fresh chopped basil, oregano, thyme) and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.  Check seasonings and add salt or pepper if needed.  Serve the chicken with the pan sauce over it.

Mushroom Barley Soup

I am sure I have said this before, I love a good soup in winter or just as the weather is turning cold.  It warms you up from the inside and is an easy comfort food.  I used to make a homemade tomato and potato soup with whatever I had on hand.  My husband was not so fond of that soup, so as is usual for me, I wanted to venture out to find some soups that he would enjoy with me.  We both like mushrooms, so that was a good place to start.  I made this soup when he was away on a business trip, but when he returned he tried it, liked it and actually asked for it again later.  It is based on the recipe in Homemade Winter by yvette van boven.

This soup starts with aromatics.

And they smell so good when you begin cooking (hence the name).

This is after adding the mushrooms before they have released their moisture.

Mushroom Barley Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 white or yellow onion

2 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

16-18 ounces mushrooms (I like crimini, but you can use white button or a mix), chopped

1/2 barley (or farro)  (you can make with this rice to be gluten free)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

5 cups vegetable stock

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook until the onion starts to become brown.  Add the garlic and fresh mushrooms.  Stir frequently until the mushrooms release their moisture.  Add the barley (or farro) and turn up the heat so the grain can absorb the liquid.   Stir in tomato paste.  Add the vegetable stock.  Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for about 35 minutes or until the barley (or farro) is tender.