Cream of Broccoli Soup

I know you're thinking "Another soup? Come'on Arica switch it up". 

But with this weather...

I can't help but want to cook soup, soup and more soup. I'm sure glad I decided on soup for dinner this week because this recipe is a first for me and boy is it YUMMY! 

Ingredients
Makes 4 Servings

3 garlic cloves
1/2 yellow onion
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 tbs tarragon
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup of cream
pinch of salt 
3 broccoli crowns, cut into small florets (1 set aside separated) 
3 carrots, peeled and chopped

Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large pot to medium heat. Add in the onion, garlic, tarragon and potato and 2/3 of the broccoli, cook until onions are translucent. Next add in the broth, cover and cook on med/high for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to puree. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper then puree the soup. After the soup is smooth add in the cream, carrots and the rest of the broccoli, cover and cook on med/low for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Serve with cheddar cheese and chives. Enjoy!!! 


CROCKPOT IT!!!!
Place all of the ingredients (except the cream, carrots & 1/3 of broccoli) in a crockpot on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6. Puree the soup then add in the cream, carrots and 1/3 of broccoli. Cover and continue to cook on med/low for another 15 minutes or until carrots are tender. 

Zucchini & Fennel Soup

I really enjoy making soup, it makes the a great leftover meal plus you can easily freeze it and save it for another day and it still tastes great. This Zucchini and Fennel Soup recipe is quite delicious and very easy to make on the stove on in a crockpot.  I hope you enjoy it! 

This picture doesn't do this soup any justice so don't judge this book by it's cover.

Ingredients
Makes 4 Servings

2 tbs butter
3 garlic cloves
1/2 red onion
3 large zucchini, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped (fronds set aside for garnish)
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of water
1 tsp thyme 
S&P

1/4 cup milk (optional)- add in before pureeing 

Crockpot Instructions
Place all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4. One the vegetables are super tender use an immersion blender of stand blender to puree. Serve warm with fronds for garnish. 

Stove-Top Instructions
Place the butter, onion and garlic in a large pot and turn heat to medium. Once the butter has melted and the onion and garlic are fragrant add in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes. 
One the vegetables are super tender use an immersion blender of stand blender to puree. Serve warm with fronds for garnish. 

Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce

It's fall and that means it's pumpkin time. This little beauty is a Lady Godiva pumpkin, the meat is not super pumpkiny but the seeds are amazing! The seeds are naked, which means no shell and they plump when you bake them. I had it laying around and decided it was time to cut it open and make something yummy. I was craving gnocchi and wanted something different so I decided to make a pumpkin sauce. You can use any kind of pumpkin for this recipe and it will taste delicious. I had to add a little pumpkin pie spice to the sauce because this specific  pumpkin has a mellow pumpkin taste. It is super easy so give it a try and enjoy. 

Pumpkin Sauce
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 cups of pumpkin
1 tbs butter
1 bay leaf
S&P
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp allspice
1/4 cup milk

Heat oil in a small pot and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add in the broth, pumpkin and bay leaf, cover and cook on medium/high for 15 minutes or until super soft. Add in the butter and seasonings, remove the bay leaf and the mixture. Puree the pumpkin until super fine and smooth. I typically press the mixture continuously through a mesh colander over a pot to keep all little clumps out of the sauce. Once you place the pumpkin back in a pot heat it to medium heat and add in the milk. Taste the sauce at this point and add any more seasoning that you want. Cover and keep warm on low while you finish the gnocchi. 

Gnocchi
Makes 4 servings

1 lb of Yukon potatoes
1 1/4 cups of flour + 1/4 cup more 
1 egg


Lightly flour a smooth surface on your counter top for working. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes with the skin on until soft. Once the potatoes are soft remove them from the water and let them cool. 

While the potatoes are cooling, make a mound out of the flour on a lightly floured surface, making a well for the egg. Bring a large pot of water to a light boil. Peel the potatoes and then press them through a potato ricer and place next to the flour.

Crack an egg into the flour well and scramble with a fork then slowly mixing in a bit of flour at a time. Continue doing this until it becomes tough to mix then use your hands to combine the potatoes in with the mixture (this is where things get a little messy). Keep mixing and kneading the dough with your hands until the ball of dough is smooth but not sticky, continue to add in flour as needed. 

To prepare the gnocchi split the ball of dough into four pieces and each piece into a snake like tubes. Cut the tubes into 3/4 inch pieces. Make sure to place the cut gnocchi onto a floured surface to keep from sticking then carefully place a few at a time into the boiling pot of water. The gnocchi are ready when they float. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place into a serving dish. Mix in the pesto and serve warm.

Spicy Thai Eggplant Stir-fry

This year I decided to sign up for a new CSA program from Humble Bee Hill Farms. I've been super happy with the vegetables we have received thus far, everything has been delicious and fresh. The past few CSA boxes have had some of the most amazing variety of eggplants and hot peppers. 

The first dish that popped into my head after seeing all of the eggplant an peppers was a Thai dish that is sweet and spicy. This recipe is quite easy and can be easily altered for all of my carnivorous friends. You can also turn up the heat as much as you would like, i'm a wuss when it comes to spice so I went for a medium heat. Go ahead and give this one a try, it is super yummy. And as always let me know your thoughts and suggestions.

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

3 small red chili peppers, split in halves lengthwise

2 cloves of garlic, diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 tbs soy sauce or fish sauce
2 tbs brown or palm sugar

5-6 small eggplants of any variety, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced in long strips

2 tbs chopped basil (Thai basil if you have it)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok to medium heat then add in the peppers, garlic and onion. Cook until fragrant then add the soy sauce and sugar until sugar dissolves. 

(At this point if you would like add chicken to the dish do so now until it has started to brown.)

Next add in the rest of the ingredients cook on high heat until eggplant starts to soften. Meanwhile, prep the tofu and make the sauce. 

Sauce

1/2 water
1 tbs cornstarch 

Mix water and cornstarch until dissolves, mix well and pour onto the vegetables. Increase heat to medium/high for 2 minutes then low to keep warm. At this point taste the vegetables and add in any more salt, pepper, soy sauce etc that you feel necessary. 

Tofu (optional)

1 package of extra firm tofu, dried and diced

1 tbs olive oil

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, add in the tofu and cook until light brown on each side. Add into the vegetables when you add in the sauce.

                                                      

                                                     Serve as is or over rice. Enjoy!!!

Crepes Florentine with Mushroom Gravy

Savory crepes are by far one of my favorite things to cook and eat. It's a little hard to type instruction on these bad boys so it has taken me a while to get the post up, my apologies for holing out on y'all! This recipe in particular was inspired by a dish I learned in my cooking classes in Italy. 

Original Dish I Made in Italy at Giglio Cooking School

Put on your apron, pick up a skillet and get ready to make some crepes, you'll be surprised at how easy they really are. Don't get discouraged when you get started, the first crepe is usually a bust so set it aside and try again... practice makes perfect! 

Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

2 tbs butter (set aside for later)

Whisk together eggs, milk and flour in a small bowl and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

Filling 

1 cup sauteed spinach, chopped

1 cup ricotta

1/8 tsp nutmeg

sprinkle salt

Mix together the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Gravy 

2 tbs flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tbs parsley, chopped

1/3 cup pecorino romano, shredded

Whisk  the flour into the milk until smooth. Place the mixture along with the broth and parsley into a skillet, bring to a light boil then reduce to a simmer, careful not to burn the milk. Once the sauce starts to thicken add in the cheese and turn heat to low to let the sauce thicken. While the sauce is cooking, make your crepes. If the gravy gets too thick add a little more broth and stir well. If the gravy is too thin just whisk in another tbs of flour in 2 tbs of broth and add. 

Next Steps 

Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Place 1/2 tbs of butter into the skillet and swirl it around until the pan is coated. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the batter into the hot pan. As soon as the batter hits the pan starts to swirl the pan so the batter is spreading very thinly into a circle. Check out this great video for making crepes. 

Cook the crepe for 2 minutes then carefully use a spatula to pick up the edges then flip and cook for another minutes. Place the crepes on a plate and continue until the batter is gone. 

Heat the oven to 200. Place a dollop of the filling on 1/4 of the crepe and fold half, then half again to make a triangle. Repeat until the crepes are finished and top with gravy and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes to warm.

Carrot & Apple Curry Soup

When I think of fall food I think of squash, apples and pumpkins; specifically soups, stews and curries. This soup was inspired by fall goodies that I picked up down in Apple Hill. Apple Hill is an amazing area in El Dorado Hills, CA where there are over dozens of small farms and ranches with produce stands and specialty shops for tourists and locals alike. I scored all kinds of goodies on this trip like apple butter, local honey, a Lady Godiva pumpkin, spaghetti squash and some basic veggies like celery, potatoes and carrots. 

I am calling in a favor on this recipe... I want to know what you think I should change. I love the way this soup turned out on my first try but I think it is missing a little something. I am open to comments and flavor suggestions from those who decide to re-create this dish. My only suggestion is to keep it savory, not sweet. I look forward to seeing your comments below.

I decided to break out the crockpot for this recipe but you can easily do this on the stove-top if you choose. If you are using a crockpot, place all of the ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours,otherwise follow the stove-top instructions below.

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 apples, peeled and chopped
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp all spice
1-2 tbs curry powder
S&P
4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tbs red curry paste- set aside

Place 1 tbs of olive oil in a large pot and bring to a medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant then add in the rest of the ingredients except the curry paste and coconut milk. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk the curry paste into the coconut milk until smooth  then add it into the pot with the rest of the fixins, cover and cook for 5-10 more minutes on low until vegetables are very soft. Use an immersion blender or a stand blender to puree the soup. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and green onions. 

Enjoy! 

Steamed Mussels

  This is another recipe inspired by my culinary adventures Italy. While visiting Cinque Terre I indulged in some of the most amazing mussels and have been craving them ever since. I had stuffed mussels, steamed mussels and pasta with mussels, all which I intend to re-create at some point soon but for now here is the easiest recipe of them all. Steamed mussels make a great side dish, appetizer or main course. Not only are mussels in-expense but they are quick and easy and take very little prep work.

 Mussels from Overland Meat Company

When you purchase your mussels, make sure to immediately unwrap them at home so they can breathe. The mussels should be stored in a cool area where they can breathe. If the mussels you purchased are farm-raised, it's not necessary to soak mussels in water at home. If they are not farm raised, soak them in cold water for 20 minutes before cleaning.

As you clean and debeard the mussels, check to make sure their shells are tightly closed. Discard any mussel that is chipped or broken. If any mussels are open, tap them gently against the counter if they don't close up within a few minutes throw them out.

Ingredients
Makes 4 servings

2 pounds of mussels, cleaned and debearded 
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves, chopped

Place the butter, oil, parsley and garlic in to a large pot. Next carefully place the mussels into the pot and pour the wine over the top. Cover the pot and turn the stove to med/high. 

 **Do not remove the lid for 3-5 minutes and most importatntly do not pre-heat your pot. 

The mussels should only take 3-5 minutes to open. Once the pot starts steaming give it another minute or two before removing the lid to see if all of the mussels have opened. If the mussels have not all opened give them a gentle stir and cover for another 2 minutes. 

Remove the mussels from the pots and serve with the liquid and some sliced bread for dipping. 

Tagliatelle with Oyster Mushrooms & Arugula

This recipe was inspired by the most amazing mushrooms at the South Lake Tahoe farmers market from a local sustainable organic mushroom farmer -  Simply Manna. I bought the most beautiful package of oyster mushrooms and couldn't wait to get home and plan a pasta dish around these shrooms.

I have been making pasta like crazy since I've been back from Italy. It's much easier than you think and even easier if you have a pasta press. All you need is flour, egg and salt. The rule of thumb is 1 egg for every 100 grams of flour and a pinch of salt. If you don't have the time or the tools to make pasta just use any kind of thick fettuccine noodle for this one.

Ingredients
Makes 2-3 Servings
Tagliatelle or fettuccine noodles (fresh or packaged)- See Recipe Below
2 tbs butter
2 cups oyster mushrooms, cut into large pieces
2 cups of arugula
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup of finely shredded pecorino cheese

If you are making fresh pasta, prepare the pasta according to instructions below.

In a large saute pan melt the butter on medium low. Add in the mushrooms and cook slowly, making sure the mushrooms have a little space between each other. 

While the mushrooms are cooking cook the noodles. 

When the mushrooms start to soften add in the pasta, the arugula and the olive oil a little at a time. Use only as much or a little olive oil as you need. Reduce heat to low, stir then cover and cook until the arugula wilts. 

Season with cracked pepper and a hint of salt and top with pecorino romano. 



Tagliatelle Pasta
1 egg
1/4 cup semolina flour
3/4 cup 00 or white flour (plus more for dusting)
pinch of salt

Place the flour on a smooth surface and create a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the well and slowly beat the egg. Once the egg is scrambled, start slowly adding in a little flour at a time with and continue to mix with a fork. Keep mixing until you can't use the fork and start kneading the dough with your hands. Continue to knead for 8-10 minutes. If the dough is sticky add in a little flour at a time until you have an elastic ball. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. 

Once the pasta has set for 30 minutes split the ball into two pieces and run it through a pasta press until you get to the 2nd or 3rd thinnest setting then feed it through the pasta slicer. Place the cut pasta flat onto a floured surface and sprinkle with more flour so the noodles don't stick. 

Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil and cook the pasta. The pasta only takes a few minutes, remove the pasta with a strainer when it floats to the top.

Pork Loin in Sea Salt

This morning I stopped by our local butcher Overland Meat Co. to pick up something yummy for lunch. I was only cooking for one so I decided to grab a nice piece of pork loin and re-create a dish I learned while in Italy. I have been thinking about making this dish for the past few weeks and I'm so glad I did, it was the perfect light dish and very easy. It does take some time to marinate and to bake but I'm sure you can find something to do around the house while you are waiting or just relax and enjoy the day.

 The images here have only one piece of pork but the recipe is for two.

At first I was very concerned when my cooking teacher told be how much salt we would be putting on the pork she knew what she was doing so I didn't say a word and just followed instruction  It is amazing how it flavors the dish without making it too salty. You can find a lot of dishes in Italian restaurants like this especially fish dishes, it makes for a beautiful presentation at the table. I look forward to trying this with fish but for now here is a yummy pork dish for you to try out. 

Ingredients 

Makes 2-4 servings

2 thick pork loin chops 

1 cup of dry white wine

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 small red onion, minced

2 tbs black peppercorns

2-3 cups of sea salt (or more)

Place the pork loins into a shallow dish and cover with wine, garlic, onion and peppercorns. Cover the dish a refrigerate for at least 1 hour, flipping halfway through. 

Preheat the oven to 300. Drizzle a little olive oil onto a  baking dish or pan then a little sea salt. Remove the pork from the bowl and place into the pan then cover with more sea salt. Make sure the pork is totally covered in salt and drizzle 4-5 tablespoons of the wine from the marinade onto the pork. Place in the oven and bake at 300 for 45 minutes (or more if your pork is thick).

Remove from the oven, crack the salt crust. Dust as much salt from the pork as you can and diagonally cut the pork into thin pieces. Serve on a plate with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy! 

Crostini Toscani (Pâté)

I became totally hooked on pâté when I was in Italy and just couldn't get enough of it! This recipe is a traditional Tuscan recipe and boy is it tasty. The one ingredient you might be confused about is the anchovy, but don't fret, you can't even taste it. The anchovy just brings a little more flavor. 

This is a great appetizer or party snack. So give it a go and let me know your thoughts!

Ingredients
Makes 2 cups 

3 tbs butter

2 cups chicken livers
2 tbs capers
4 anchovies (flat canned)
4 sage leaves, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine

1-2 baguettes, sliced

Melt the butter in a large pan then add in the capers, bay leaf and sage. Cook on medium/low for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Next add in the anchovies and chicken liver and bring to a medium heat. Cook until the chicken liver is halfway cooked then add in the wine and increase the heat to medium/high until the liver is cooked through. Remove from heat, cover and let is set for a few more minutes so it can cool down. (The mixture should still have a little wine in the pan.) 

Place the pan of ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you would like it cold, just set it it the fridge until you are ready otherwise leave it out and prep your bread. 

Grill or toast the sliced baguette and place the pâté on the toast and serve. 

Buon Appetito! 

**Don't add any salt until the dish is cooked and you feel that it needs it. I didn't add any to my dish.