Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:

·       2 cups water

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

·      Between 1/8 and ¼   cup dark brown sugar depending on how sweet you like it

·       1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

·       A ‘pinch’ of cayenne pepper (optional)

·       4 Tablespoons butter

·       ½ cup dark rum

·       ½ cinnamon stick per cup (optional)

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan

Lower to a simmer

Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved

Add nutmeg and butter

When butter is almost melted add the rum.

Stir a few times and remove from the heat.

Stir until the butter is melted.

Pour into cups and add the cinnamon stick

Masala Chai

Ingredients:
·       2 cups water
·       ¾ cup milk
·       1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
·       1 slice fresh ginger (in a pinch use about 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger)
·       3 cloves 
·       1/3 teaspoon fennel seeds
·       5 green cardamom seeds
·       3 seeds black pepper
·       2 teaspoons black tea (or 2 teabags opened)

• Note:   If you prefer a more standard Masala Chai, add a 3^rd teaspoon of black tea and don’t add the green tea

·       1 teaspoon green mint tea (or 1 teabag opened – (Trader Joe’s makes a really good one)
·       2 teaspoon sugar (or more if you like)

• Note:  If you are making this at night and can’t have the caffeine, substitute herbal chamomile tea for the black tea and herbal mint tea for the green mint tea.  Consider substituting honey for the sugar.  It is still delicious

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  While waiting for water to boil:

•  Cut ginger slice in half  
•  Crush cloves, and black pepper with side of knife
•  Crush cardamom with side of knife.  If needed, cut it in half first. 

When water boils add milk and lower heat.

Add ginger

Bring mixture to a simmer and add remaining ingredients except the sugar. Stir well.

Let it simmer for about 1 minute. Then bring it to a full boil letting it rise to top of pot.

Bring it back to a simmer for a about 2 minutes. Add the sugar. Stir well to ensure sugar is dissolved.

Bring it to a full boil again until the mild rises to the top of pot.

Bring it back to a simmer.

Pour it into a teapot and steep for about 4 minutes.

Strain and pour.

Banana Cake with Walnuts and Raisins and Plenty of Spiced Rum Recipe

                

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees                                               Difficulty Rating: Easy

2 mixing bowls – one for electric mixer with a paddle attachment and one to mix dry ingredients

Ingredients for the Cake:

• ·       Baking spray or butter and flour to treat the pan
• ·       4 very ripe large bananas, mushed with a fork (I like to leave some chunks of banana)
• ·       1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
• ·       ¼ cup raisins (I like to use around ½ cup, so do this to taste)
• ·       Zest of one orange (if the orange is small, use 2)
• ·       2 large eggs
• ·       1/3 cup oil (you may probably want to use a light oil like vegetable oil or canola, I use olive oil a for just about everything)
• ·       ½ cup sour cream
• ·       4 Tablespoons Spiced Rum (this is just under ¼ cup)
• ·       ½ cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
• ·       ½ cup granulated white sugar
• ·       2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• ·       1 teaspoon baking soda
• ·       1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• ·       ½ teaspoon salt, Kosher (course) salt or Fleur du Sel
• ·       ¼ - ½ teaspoon cinnamon – cinnamon taste varies, use more if you love it, but try to use a good cinnamon. Penzy has a great Vietnamese Cinnamon.

Ingredients for the Glaze:

• ·       1 cup well packed dark brown sugar
• ·       ½ stick of butter cut into pieces
• ·       3 Tablespoons Spiced Rum

Preparation  for the Cake:

• Treat the cake pan either with baking spray, or spread butter lightly around the pan and dredge with flour, shaking out all excess flour.
• Spread the walnuts and raisins evenly in the bottom of the treated pan.

• Zest the orange

• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt together in the bowl that isn’t part of the electric mixer

• In the bowl of the electric mixture, combine the bananas, granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar on the lowest speed until they are mixed.

 

• Add the oil, eggs, spiced rum, sour cream and orange zest and continue mixing on lowest speed until it is smooth.

• Slowly add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt from the other bowl into the bowl of the electric mixture that is still on the lowest speed.  Mix until combined, but don’t over mix

• Pour into cake pan and tip it until it is even

• Cook for 45 minutes and test it by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it is done.

• Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes and go around the sides with a knife to ensure that it isn’t sticking to the sides.

• Turn it over onto a cooling rack and the baking pan should come right off.

• Let it cool partially

Preparation  for the Glaze:

• In a small sauce pan over a low to medium flame, mix all ingredients and stir continuously until it thickens.  It won’t get too thick, but it will thicken a bit.

• Poke some narrow holes in the cake to allow the glaze to seep in.

• Pour the glaze over the cake using a tablespoon trying to soak as much of the cake as possible, including the inside of the middle if you have used a Bundt pan. 

Banana Cake with Walnuts, Raisins and Spiced Rum

Chicken Soup

In this recipe I will show you how to make the delicious hearty Chicken Soup as well as a delicious healing Chicken Broth for those who might not feel well enough to have the hearty soup.

I always make soup in a heavy cast iron pot.  This can go from the stove, to the table, to the refrigerator.  

Mirepoix is a mixture aromatics (onion, carrots and celery (or celeriac)) used as a base in soups, stews and many different dishes. I added garlic for this dish.  It is the French version of the Spanish Sufrito and Italian Suffritto which usually also include diced belle peppers.

Ingredients:                           Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium 
     
   Mirepoix  (Sufrito/Suffritto)

• 5 organic carrots, sliced into slim circles
• 4 stalks of celery, sliced into slim circles
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• Stir the Mirepoix  to be sure it doesn't burn.
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Red pepper flakes (optional and to taste)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• About 8 cups of cold water, you may need more if you are using a bigger pot or your chicken is small.
• 1 1/2 cups white wine.  Not cooking wine and not a wine you wouldn't drink.  You are cooking with it so it has to be good.
• 1 small chicken.  If D'artangen brand is available, I always buy that because my friend, the super-chef Kempe Minifie recommends it.  If it isn't available I buy another brand. 
• White capped mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups medium wide egg noodles

Preparation:
Heat the oil and butter in the cast iron pot.
Add the sliced carrots and celery.  When they begin to soften add the onion and when the onion gets limp, add the garlic and red pepper flakes (optional), salt and pepper.
When the garlic is translucent add the water and wine, and bring it to a full boil.  
Stir the mirepoix often
Add the chicken.  
Bring it back to a boil, 
At this point I cover it and put it in my 'Wonder Bag' away from the stove.  In the Wonder Bag it will cook by itself.  I let it sit for about 2 hours.
OR
Lower the heat, cover and stir occasionally.  You don't want the bottom to burn. Let it cook for about 2 hours.

After about 1 1/2 hours, get a smaller pot and fill to 3/4 with cold water. Bring it to a boil, then add noodles.  Let them cook to al dente, drain and set them aside.  Pour 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth over them to keep them moist and to let the chicken flavor soak in.

To make up for evaporation of the liquid, or for the 1 1/2 cups removed for the noodles, add the same amount of cold water and wine (50% of each) back to the broth.  Let it cook for about 1/2 hour more, then remove the chicken.

Remove the skin and as much fat as possible from the chicken.  Tear the meat into pieces, whatever size makes you happy and add it back to the chicken together with the mushrooms.

Unless all the soup will be eaten in 1 sitting, don't add all the noodles at once because by later that day they will have soaked in the liquid and it won't be a soup anymore. A good idea is to put the noodles on the table and let each person take what they want.  If you are bringing this to a sick patient, put some noodles in the bowl and add the soup.  

They'll be well in no time!

Lemon Orzo Soup Recipe - Avgolemono

I usually go for thick, full meal type of soups, but this one made me rethink that. But this isn't a thin brothy soup.  The combination of the egg yolks and lemon thicken it perfectly.

Note - if you use store-bought broth and you decide not to buy low-sodium broth, at least check the ingredients to ensure that salt is at the bottom of the list. You can add your own salt as you need it, but no soup can be good with a stock made with mostly salt.


Ingredients:                                              Difficulty rating: easy

·      2 Tablespoons of olive oil

·   2 Medium carrots, diced *

·   2 Medium stalks of celery, diced * 

·      1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)

     

·      1 medium leek, the white and like green parts only. *

o  Cut it in half lengthwise and cut the halves into ½ “ pieces

·     1 32 oz. package of organic vegetable broth 

o  Use organic chicken broth if you prefer

·      2 organic eggs

·      2/3 cup orzo or 2/3 cup white basmati rice

·      Juice and zest of 2 lemons **- plus some lemon wedges to serve with soup for people who really like the taste of the lemon (like me)***

·      Kosher salt (to taste)

·      Black pepper (to taste)

* Note - when I'm in a hurry, I don't add the carrots, celery or leek, I just depend on the vegetable broth for the taste.  Sometimes you are just cold and don't want to wait for a delicious way to get warm! Just remember, nothing beats a homemade broth.

** Note - DO NOT use store bought lemon juice.  Use real lemons, the soup depends on that.

*** Note - I like to serve it with wedges of preserved lemons if I have them.

Preparation: 
Add the olive oil into a 3 quart pot over a medium flame. 
If using the Aleppo pepper, add it now.  (When it's a souper cold night this can really warm you up)
Add the leek and stir frequently until it is translucent. 
Pour the broth into a 3 qt. pot. 
Cover and bring it to a boil.

Whisk egg and broth together

Once it boils, turn the heat down so it is no longer at a rapid boil, but to a simmer and add the orzo or rice, and cook until it is al dente (firm to the bite).  The orzo has a faster cooking time than the rice.

Pouring orzo into the broth

While waiting for it to the soup to cook, break the 2 eggs, add add the yolk into a medium bowl.  Whisk them together and slowly add lemon juice, whisking for about 45 seconds to 1 minute - until they look smooth.  This makes the soup a bit thick and silky.

SLOWLY add 1 cup broth of hot broth from the soup to the eggs, a little bit at a time and whisk.
(You don't want egg drop soup, so this should be well whisked).
This should take about 2 minutes, until there is a good froth on the top.

Incorporate this into the soup pot with the rest of the soup slowly.

When the orzo or rice is al dente (a bit firm 'to the teeth', not mushy), 

When the broth comes to a boil, uncover it pour the egg, lemon mixture in a steady stream into the broth.  

Add the lemon zest before turning off the flame.  

If necessary, add more lemon, salt and pepper.  

Put the lemon wedges or preserved lemon on the table so people can add more lemon as they chose.  I always add more lemon, because I prefer the lemony tang, but being mindful of others, I give them the choice.

Tuscan Bean Soup (Ribollita) Vegetarian soup or with an Italian ham.

Ingredients                                                                      Difficulty Rating: Easy               

-  2-3 Tablespoons  Olive Oil 

-  1 ½ Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the bread 

Prosciutto di Parma
Optional

-  If you eat meat, add  2 – 4 slices of prosciutto or capicola or 

     speck (please don’t call capicola ‘gabagul’ like they did 

     where I grew up in New Jersey. “Gabagul” is not an Italian word 
for anything and no Italian person will know what you’re talking 
 about) if you eat meat, if you don’t then leave it out – cut into 1” pieces.

-  2 medium sized shallots or ½ onion, chopped

-  4 minced garlic cloves plus 2 whole peeled garlic cloves for later

-  ¼ teaspoon pepperoncino flakes (dried hot red pepper flakes) – use more or less depending on your taste, if you’re not sure, use less and next time use more if you think you’d like a little more kick

-   2 carrots, thinly sliced

-   2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

San Marzano
 Tomatoes

-  1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans

-  1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes.  I usually try to buy San Marazno tomatoes.  They’re grown in the volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius (Monte Vesuvio) which is where they get their sweet, very low acid taste.  But if you can't find them in your grocery store, this soup will still be delicious with most other Italian diced tomatoes.. 

-  4 cups vegetable broth (if you’re a meat eater you can use chicken broth) – I prefer to use organic, unsalted broth

-   Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano – if you like it, use 2 Tablespoons, if you love it, (like I do) use as much as you want.  

*Hint: Add a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind into the soup if you have one.  Don’t throw those out, keep them. Put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer after you grate your last bit of cheese.  They’re great to throw into soup for extra flavor

-   Kosher salt

Escarole

-   Freshly ground black pepper

-   Escarole, rinse it very well – remember, this really shrinks when you cook it so you can easily use 1 small head of escarole and it won’t take over the soup.  I’ve tried this with Kale and if you like Kale and want to use it, fine, but Kale is so overused now that I’ve grown to hate it. 

-    4 thick slices of a hearty Italian bread, plus more for dunking in the soup.  Pane integrale (whole grain Italian bread, not whole wheat sandwich bread) would be OK with this soup of you prefer it.

Preparation

Enamel Coated Cast Iron 
Dutch Oven

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

-   - Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot.  I usually use a good size black Cast Iron Dutch oven or an Enamel coated Dutch Oven

- Add the onion first and when it starts to soften add the garlic.  If you add them at the same time there’s a good chance the garlic will burn.  Stir it

As soon as the garlic starts to become translucent add the meat if you’re going to use it.  I don’t eat meat, so I skip that part. 

- Add the carrots and the celery and stir for about 5 minutes or until it becomes al dente (not mushy).

*Hint – sometimes I cheat and  put the carrots and celery into the microwave with just a touch of water or broth, just to get them to the point of al dente..  Then I add them to the pot, together with the tiny bit of liquid.  It’s faster and I get impatient stirring, even for 5 minutes.

- Add the Cannellini beans to pick up all the flavor in the pot.  Stir them gently for 1 minute.

- Add the diced tomatoes, and the broth.  Stir

- Add the Parmigiano rind now if you have one. Stir

- Simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, about 20 minutes.

- Remove the Parmigiano rind.

- While the soup is cooking, it’s time to make bruschetta.  (Bruschetta (pronounce Bru-sketa) is really just toasted Italian bread.  Most of us think of it as toasted Italian bread topped with a tomato mixture, but really bruschetta is really just the toast, the rest are toppings.)

Bruschetta

Pop-up toaster

- For a pop up toaster:

          Put the bread in and toast lightly
          Drizzle just a little of the bread with some extra virgin olive oil on both                sides (make sure it’s over a plate or it gets really messy.
          Rub both sides of the bread with the whole garlic clove

     -  For a toaster oven or broiler:

          Drizzle just a little of the bread with some extra virgin olive oil on both                sides  (make sure it’s over a plate or it gets really messy).

Toaster Oven

          Rub both sides of the bread with the whole garlic clove
          Remove it from the toaster over when it’s slightly golden on both                  sides

Or toast it any way you'd like

-  After simmering the soup for about 20 minutes, add the escarole – you can tear it into   
    pieces first if you’d like

-  Let it simmer in the soup for about 5 – 7 minutes

-  Put the soup into bowls and add a piece of the bruschetta on the top. 

To make it extra special sprinkle some Parmigiano and drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top of the bread. 

Be sure to make some extra bruschetta for dunking!

Black Bean Burgers - Vegan and Gluten Free, but Don't be Frightened, They're DELICIOUS!

Ingredients                                                                                      Difficulty Rating: Easy

2 - 3 carrots, depending on size

1 medium red onion

Bunch of cilantro (depending on taste)

Roasted red pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cans Black beans

2 Tablespoons potato starch

1 teaspoon vegan mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Food processor
Flat griddle - oil and preheat
Ice cream scoop (optional)

Preparation

Rinse the beans well leaving  none of the liquid from the can on the beans

Shred the carrots with the top shredding blade of the food processor.





Remove the shredding blade and put in the large S-shaped blade on the bottom of
the food processor


Add the carrots back into the food processor. Rinse and add the cilantro, red peppers, onion , potato starch, lime juice and mayonnaise.  Pulse several times - you DON'T want a puree, so make sure that you don't use the 'on' button on the food processor, it must be pulsed with short quick pulses.  Do this about 10 or 12 times.

Then add the black beans.  Pulse again until everything is mixed together, but it shouldn't be a smooth consistency.  It should be the consistency of chopped meat.

Taste it.  If it needs salt and/or pepper, add it now.  If you think it needs more cilantro or lime, add it now.

The griddle and the oil should be very hot, but not smokey.
I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the bean mixture to keep everything a uniform size, but it's not necessary.  You can use a regular cooking spoon.

Scoop you the bean mixture, one scoop at a time
and add them gently to the hot griddle leaving some space between each one.



After you've got them all on the griddle, put oil on the back side of a spatula and gently tap them down until they look like a burger.  Don't push them down, but gently tap them with the oiled side of the spatula. Cook for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side.  You don't want them too soft on the inside.

Serve topped with guacamole and/or hot sauce or whatever topping you feel like creating. Serve them with or without buns (yes, there are glutton free hamburger buns). Serve them on top of greens.  BE CREATIVE and have fun!!!