Zuppa di Fragole - Strawberry Soup

Ingredients:

1 quart strawberries – ripe.

lemon juice - 1 Tablespoon ( 1 ½ Tablespoons if you are not using Limoncello)

zest from ½ lemon

Optional – 2 teaspoons high quality aged Balsamic Vinegar

Optional – 3 ripe peaches (optional, it's a good change for the soup)

1 Tablespoon Limoncello (optional

1 small carton of lemon sherbet or homemade Granita di Limone (optional)

¼ - 1/3 cup simple syrup (see recipe below)

Ingredients for Simple Syrup

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup boiling water

Preparation for Simple Syrup:

Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and whisk gently on very low flame.  When the sugar dilutes totally, it should start to get a little thicker.  Shut off heat and let it cool to room temperature before using. Let it cool to at least room temperature.

Preparation for Strawberries

Wash strawberries

Trim the ends, remove the green

Cut the berries – depending on the size.  If they are small, cut them in half, otherwise slice them into pieces about ¼” wide.

Put them into a glass or ceramic bowl

Pour in ¼ cup simple syrup and toss

Add lemon and lemon zest

Toss again

Add Balsamic vinegar and Limoncello (optional)

If it’s too tart, add a little more simple syrup.  Don’t overdo it! Remember, ripe strawberries are already sweet.

If you're adding peaches, do it now.

Toss and cover with plastic wrap or lid

Put into refrigerator and let it macerate, blending the flavors

The next day the strawberries will become more like soup, and all the flavors will be blended.  You can do this a day or 2 ahead of time.

 

Option 1 - If you are serving the strawberry soup in separate bowls, use a small ice cream scoop and scoop sherbet into the center of each bowl.  Pour a teaspoon of Limoncello over each scoop and serve.

Option 2 - If you are serving the strawberry soup in one bowl, use a small ice cream scoop and scoop a ball of sherbet for each person into the bowl.  Pour a teaspoon of Limoncello over each scoop and serve.

Option 3 – Do the same as Option 1 or 2 without the Limoncello.

 

 

 

 

Moon Milk - Say Good-Might Moon

 Ingredients:                                                                      Difficulty Rating:  Easy                                                             

1 cup milk (whole milk, 2% or fat free milk, almond milk or milk of your choice)

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ inch cinnamon stick.  If you don’t have a cinnamon stick use a scant ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

½ inch ginger root.  If you don’t have ginger root you can either use Penzys Sliced China Ginger Root or ½ ginger powder.  If you use Penzys Sliced China Ginger Root try it first with 1 piece, it’s strong. 

2-3 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

2 black peppercorns.  If your pepper isn’t very strong, use 3.  Don’t crush them.

A few scrapes of fresh nutmeg

1 teaspoon honey or to taste

Preparation: 

Put milk in a saucepan at low heat.  While it is heating add all the ingredients 

except the honey.

Add the honey to the teapot or French press or to individual cups.   

When the milk looks like it’s about to simmer, shut off the heat. 

If you are using a French Press, pour everything into it an stir well.   After you’ve stirred it well, put the top on, but do not push the press down on the plunger until it steeps for about 5 miutes.

If you are using a strainer, stir everything, cover the pot and let it stand so the flavors marry.  After at least 5 minutes, remove the cover, stir again and  pour it through the strainer into a teapot.

To double the recipe, double all ingredients

 Enjoy.  Oh, it’s best served in your pajamas.

 

 

Arroz Con Leche - Rice Pudding Spanish Style

 

Inspired by Recipe by Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

This makes about 8 servings                   Difficulty Rating - easy, but it takes lots of stirring

Ingredients                    

• 1 cup short grained rice.  I used medium grain rice because I didn't have short grained rice in the house and it was delicious.  But if you can find Arroz Bomba, or that is what you should use.  Note: This is for Arroz con Leche from Spain, the type of rice may differ depending on the country.
• 8 cups milk - I use 2% 
• 3/4 cup sugar - Note: Most recipes I have seen from Spain, and all recipes I have seen from Central/South America call for more sugar, about 1 cup, but I tried it with one cup and it was too sweet for me.  Make your own choice.
• 2 Vanilla beans or 1 vanilla bean and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder. I like Penzy's Vietnamese Cinnamon
  
• 8 slices of lemon peel

Instructions

Place a large frying pan a medium heat and add milk, vanilla bean (and vanilla extract if using), cinnnamon sticks and sugar.  Stir so it is all mixed together.

When this begins to simmer lightly, add rice stir to combine.  It is important to continue stirring so the milk doesn't form a film.  However, it did form a film many times as I was cooking since I don't have the patience to stir every second.  The film disappeared as I stirred

10 minutes after adding the rice to the pan, lower to a LOW heat, and add the sugar to the pan, and stir.

4.      Continue to stir for another 20 minutes or until you can run run the spatula through the pan, and it makes a little path so you can see the bottom of the pan. 

5.      Remove the rice pudding from the burner and let rest for about 8 minutes

6.      Spoon the rice pudding into small bowls

7.      Sprinkle with some cinnamon powder and garnish with a mint leaf

fresh lemon peels

Mardely adding the vanilla bean to the pudding mixture

Mardely chosing which mint to use for our arroz con leche/rice pudding

Mardely clipping mint from our garden

Thai Iced Coffee - Gafea Yen กาแฟเย็น

Serves 2 or 3 depending on the size of the glass

 Ingredient:

To make 1 glass, half this recipe, to make 4 or 5, double the recipe

 

·        5 Tbsp Thai coffee (Oliang powder mix) If you can't get Thai Coffee Powder (Oliang) try it with strong coffee like espresso

·        1 1/2 cup boiling water

·        31/2  Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

·        3 tsp sugar

·        Pinch of salt

·        Fill the glasses with ice

·        About 5  Tbsp evaporated milk

Preparation:

Place dry coffee into
the Coffee into the press or strainer.  Pour boiling water into your coffee press (you can use a jar and a strainer). Stir it well.  Let it steep for about 5 minutes  Note:  Most Thai people use the cloth strainer, I prefer to use the press. It's easier to keep clean and it lasts forever.

Add sweetened condensed milk
sugar, pinch of salt into a glass
mixing cup

While you wait, get a glass mixing cup (glass so you can see through it and ensure that the condensed milk is totally mixed).

Mix together the sweetened condensed milk, sugar, pinch of salt.

Add hot coffee to the mixing cup.

Add the hot coffee to the mixing glass and stir until everything is dissolved.

When you are ready for your treat, fill the drinking glasses with ice, almost to the top and pour in your coffee leaving just enough room on the top to add some evaporated milk to taste.

Cauliflower Latkes - Gluten free, low carb, delicious

 

A food processor is used in this recipe.  You don’t have a food processor, you can use the shredding side of a grater.  It takes a little longer, but it's easy

 
Ingredients:                                                                        Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium

·       1 medium head cauliflower 

·       1 small to medium onion depending on your taste

·       2 eggs beaten

·       1/2 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

·       1/2 cup almond flour (more may be needed)

·       oil – a light oil that doesn't burn as quickly as olive oil.  I use Grapeseed Oil

·       Sour cream - optional dollop of sour cream for each pancake

Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas with an Italian Twist

One of the zillion things I love about living in New York is cooking hearty meals on cold nights with the windows opened just a crack.

Well, I'm no longer living in my beloved City, but fortunately here in Tallahassee we do get some cold nights.  I take advantage of them by making soup.  Delicious, hearty soup.  The kind you can eat as a meal.

Last night's soup was a combination of southern food - collard greens and black eyed peas with Italian soup standards - lentils, roasted garlic and a topper of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and, a nice hearty bread.

Ingredients:
4 gloves of garlic, peeled, and left whole
1 small to medium onion, diced or
   Penzy's Air Dried Shallots, which I love
Dried red pepper flakes (pepperoncino) to taste, optional
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
A good sized bunch of fresh organic collard greens
1 1/2 cups of black eyed peas (I used frozen)
3/4 cup dried green lentils
 About 3 quarts of organic vegetable broth
   you might want to consider using unsalted stock so
   you can control the amount of salt you are using
Black Pepper to taste

I use extra garlic to spread on the bread

Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste
And your favorite bread for dunking

Preparation for Roasted Garlic:

Preheat oven to 400, or toaster oven to 350.
Remove 4 good sized cloves from a head of garlic and peel them.
Place on aluminum foil
Add the onions or shallots, some Kosher salt, and pepperoncino.  Sprinkle olive oil over the garlic and other ingredients. .
Loosely wrap them in the aluminum foil and place in the
oven (on a baking sheet) for about 20-25 minutes.
When they're done, they'll be soft when they are
pressed with a fork.  Mash the garlic with a fork so so it can be blended into the soup.


Preparation for the Soup:

Wash the greens well

The stems

While the garlic is roasting clean the collard greens well.  There may be dirt in there.  I fill my sink with cold water and give them a good bath.


The stems on collard greens are thick and I like to get rid of them.
Tear the leaves away from the stems and either use them as a mulch, recycle them as organics or throw them away.
After the stems are removed, tear the leaves into medium size pieces.

The lentils should be cooked for a while first.  Put them in the frying or sauce pan with about 2 cups of broth.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once it boils uncover and lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is gone.

Add everything from the roasted garlic packet, mashing the garlic.  Mix it with the lentils and saute it for a few minutes.  Add the black eyed peas. mix it all together and saute for about 5 minutes.

Add 2 more cups of broth, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the greens.  It will look like the pan may overflow with greens, but they'll cook down quickly.  Mix it around so everything is combined.  Add more broth if needed.

If you are using a frying pan, put everything into a sauce pan and add about 2 more cups of broth.  Add salt and pepper if needed.
Bring it to a boil, lower to a simmer and add about 2 - 3 more cups of broth.  Let it cook for another 40 minutes or until the greens are soft.

Ladle into bowls, and grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over the soup, to taste.  Take your bread and start dunking!

Beyond Beef Meatloaf - Are we headed to a replicator? I hope so!

OK, OK, OK. It's not meat and it's not perfect and it still needs work.  However, we are headed toward plant based foods to take the place of animal meat someday.  Just like on Star Trek!
"Computer, aged t-bone please" or "Computer, pizza with mozzarella di bufala and pepperoni please". Yes, we have a long way to go for that, and we have enough in the world to fix before we even head on that path, but it is coming.

If you have a favorite brand of plant based meat, substitute it for Beyond Meat.  This is what was available at Whole Foods, so this is what I used.

Ingredients:                                                                           Difficulty Rating: Easy

1 pound Beyond Beef
4 cloves roasted garlic (recipe included)
1 egg - room temperature
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (use gluten free if needed)
1/4 cup diced onion or 1/8 cup Penzy air dried
shallots (I prefer the shallots)
Kosher salt
Ketchup (I can't remember the last time I had
Ketchup in my house, but hey, it worked)
Frozen roasted corn
less than 1 teaspoon Olive oil

Preparation for Roasted Garlic:

Preheat oven to 400, or toaster oven to 350.
Remove 4 good sized cloves from a head of garlic and peel them.
Place on aluminum foil
Sprinkle olive oil and kosher salt over the garlic.
Loosely wrap them in the aluminum foil and place in the
oven (on a baking sheet) for about 20-25 minutes.
When they're done, they'll be soft when they are
pressed with a fork.  Press them.

Preparation for meat loaf:
Turn oven down to 325
Put the Beyond Beef in a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg and mix it together.
Add the bread crumbs, roasted garlic, shallots (or onions)
Add some  Kosher salt - a teaspoon or to taste.
Mush it together, but don't overdo it.
Place it in a baking dish and form it into a loaf.
Spread ketchup over the top.
Place in oven for about 20 minutes
Spread frozen corn around the Beyond Beef loaf and put back in oven for about 15 minutes.
When the corn is hot, remove from the oven

Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.  Eat it now, or when it cools, refrigerate it and have it later.
Yum!

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!