Bread and Garlic Soup

I think that I have a new favorite recipe for Garlic Soup. Not that you really need a recipe for something so simple...

But I am still going to make note of Ferran Adria's preparation of this classic Spanish soup. It appears in his newish book, The Family Meal. It's an interesting book concept - very simple home recipes by a world-class master chef whose complicated culinary creations made his restaurant, ElBulli, one of the best in the world.

Bread and Garlic Soup (for two)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-4 slices white country style loaf cut into 2 oz slices
-2 garlic cloves
-2 tsp mild paprika
-1 3/4 cups chicken stock
-2 eggs

Fry the bread in olive oil until well browned and remove; coarsely crush garlic and fry in oil until golden; then add paprika; add fried bread and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; simmer for 20 minutes and then process with a hand-held immersion blender; meanwhile, poach the eggs; Serve the soup topped with the egg.

Note: Better to double the recipe; making it for two is not really enough.

Oven-roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese, and Lemon

I'll eat pretty much anything. Sure, there are a handful of things that I avoid... like tinned sprats in mustard sauce.

Soggy, over-steamed brussel sprouts I find equally disgusting. Perhaps more so.

So I took our one bunch of CSA brussel sprouts for the year, plucked them from the stalk, and halved or quartered them depending on the size. Next, I tossed with salt and olive oil and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees F until very lighted browned and not burned. Served with goat cheese dollops and toasted pine nuts on top, and a squeeze of lemon juice, this preparation made the sprouts into a tasty and attractive side dish for meat or a pasta course.

Phyllo Tart with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese; Spinach and Feta Pie with Greek Salad

We always hit Trader Joe's during our "Princeton Run," a weekly or bi-weekly trip to procure foodstuffs from several stores along US1. It is a venture reserved ONLY for first thing on weekend mornings. That's the only time that we can get in and get out easily. Otherwise, the roads and stores are mobbed. What would one expect? Eight million people live in one of the geographically smallest of the states.

At TJs, I generally walk right by the frozen food cases. Who eats that stuff? Deciding to take a gander, I wound up buying a package of Trader Joe's phyllo dough. One package allowed me to create two dinners. One, a simple tart using dried porcini and fresh chanterelles along with some goat cheese and thyme that we had collected from the CSA. For the second, I used one of my long-standing cookbooks - Taverna - to make a spinach and feta pie or spanakopita.

Phyllo is really not that hard to use. Just make sure to keep a piece of wax paper and damp dish towel on top of the stack to prevent it from drying out. But don't let the dough get wet or it becomes a disgusting gloppy mess. I also like to sprinkle a small amount of panko between each layer after brushing with oil to help lift each layer and ensure flakiness when it bakes.

Beet and Cabbage Borscht

Having just made a batch of chicken stock and finding a fridge stocked with beets from the CSA, I opted to make some borscht using an amended recipe by Molly Watson that I found online.

Only problem - It makes enough to serve the Russian Army. Seriously, I was tired of it after two bowls. The recipe made 16!

Borscht

-1 cup cannellini or other other small white beans

-6 large beets (about 2 lbs.)

-2 Tbsp. olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter

-2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

-1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

-1 head green, Savoy, or Napa cabbage2, cored and thinly sliced or shredded

-2 tsp. caraway seeds

-8 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth

-Lemon juice

-Plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

-Fresh chopped dill for garnish (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap the beets in a large sheet of foil, place on a baking sheet, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let the beets sit until cool enough to handle. Peel them (their skins should slip off easily after being roasted) and grate them on the large-hole side of a box grater. Set aside. (Note: I like the ease of peeling roasted beets, but feel free to peel and grate raw beets - they will cook quickly enough in the soup.)

In a large pot over medium-high heat add oil, onions, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cabbage, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and beets. Stir to combine and add the broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, add beans, and cook until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of dill. 

Culinaria Italia

It's always extremely hard to return to the United States after a long visit to the food capital of the world. I'll deal with my grief this time around with a top ten list of the greatest culinary treats of "Abruzzo 2013."

#10. Antipasto Anversano, with salsicce di fegato e miele, Ristorante La Fiaccola, Anversa degli Abruzzi.

#9: Crispy Nuts, the perfect trail snack, from Penny Market, Sulmona.

#8: Vine-ripened tomatoes in late October.

#7: Polenta con Cinghiale (wild boar ragu), Ristorante Il Canestro, Sulmona, Italy.

 

#6: Amaro Abruzzese, available for 13 euro in the Conad.

#5: Breakfast (La Prima Colazione) the Italian way, Via Vella, Sulmona.

#4: The nice cheese and prosciutto man, Wednesday and Saturday, Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona.

#3: Chittara con Zafferano e Tartufo, Ristorante Caldora, Pacentro.

#2 Pasta con Zucca e Zafferano, Ristorante Gino, Sulmona.

#1: Panini di Porchetta from Porchetta Lucchese, Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona.