January 2011 Archives

This photo is deceiving (not to mention disturbing as I hate seeing a chip on one of my favorite Vietri bowls...:-(   This looks like a very healthy bowl of greens... but in actuality it's what I had for a snack during the NFC Championship game. 

Kale chips are so easy to make.. and they are light, super crispy and completely addictive! Move over potato chips... I'll take these anytime. Even if you don't like greens.. don't like kale... don't like anything - just try these.  Like potato chips, they are good seasoned with just about any kind of salt or spice.  I like mine with truffle salt or a very good quality sea salt.  You can also use flavored olive or truffle oil... whatever strikes your fancy!  These are also good if you crumble them over popcorn.. or better yet eat the chips instead of popcorn!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale leaves(any kind works), stems removed and ribs cut out
• 1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Wash and dry kale leaves.  Make sure red ribs are removed (they can be kind of chewy).  Toss in olive oil and gently use your hands to lightly rub oil onto leaves.  Lightly sprinkle with salt or seasoning.

Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until crisp.

Inhale!  At least that's what I did.... in fact maybe make two bunches of kale....

Cheers!

Being the friend of a food blogger has it's benefits.... but it sometimes has a price of not being able to dig into the food right away.  Many times I'll be in the middle of serving food and will think "I should really put this recipe on the blog..." I grab the camera and instruct the famished friend to just wait a couple seconds while I snap a photo.  This lack of preparation also means zero uh... "food-styling."  So there won't be any calls from Bon Appetit to use this photo. ... I'm sure of it.

Photos aside, this is very delicious soup.  In Boulder, we have two restaurants on the same city block that both serve outrageously good tomato soup - The Kitchen Cafe and SALT the Bistro. My office used to be right next to them in the heart of a culinary plethora of lunch hot spots.  If you're ever in Boulder, both of these restaurants should be on your "must dine" list.

This recipe was given to me by one of the managers of The Kitchen.  You can also find it on their website along with many other popular recipes.  I love that they are so generous with sharing recipes.  I modified it slightly... but not much as it's probably perfect as written.  It's creamy but has a very strong tomato taste that will make you yearn for summer months.

As with most good tomato soup recipes, they recommend San Marzano Tomatoes.  If you haven't discovered San Marzanos then prepare to elevate anything you prepare with tomatoes.  I won't buy any other canned tomato.  Buy a can at your local grocer and you'll see why.  An open can of San Marzano's will fill your kitchen with an intoxicating tomato fragrance. I use the Bella Terra brand which I find at my local Whole Foods.

San Marzano's grow near the city of San Marzano in the shadows of Mount Vesuvius.  Legends claim that the first tomato seed was given to the King of Naples by the King of Peru in the 1770's.  This is probably not exactly true, but it seems a fitting tale for this royal plum tomato.  The story of origin and how they cultivate and harvest these tomatoes is fascinating. The seeds were planted near Mount Vesuvius and over the years were crossed and cultivated into what we can buy today.  The City of Naples calls for these tomatoes in their world famous Neapolitan style pizza that is considered the undisputed best pizza in the world. When you look for them, be sure you buy the certified organic variety.  There are some impostors on the shelves. Look for a DOP label which guarantees you're buying the real thing. Whenever I am making a tomato sauce of any kind - I reach for a can of these wonderful little immigrants from Italy.

Back to the soup...

You can't have tomato soup without grilled cheese.  At Salt Bistro, they make a tiny grilled cheese "crouton" using goat cheese and place it in the soup.  It's a heavenly bite. Any grilled cheese accompanies this nicely but I would lean towards Gruyere or goat cheese on grilled sourdough bread.

This recipe is definitely an indulgence.  It has butter, cream and with a grilled cheese... you get the picture.  Did I mention the drizzle of olive oil to finish it?  But on these cold winter days I think we all deserve to indulge a little bit.

Creamy San Marzano Tomato Soup

• 1 stick of organic, unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• Sea salt
• 2 (28 oz) cans of certified San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes (undrained)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (plus more if desired)
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

In a large soup pot, melt the butter on low heat. Add the thin slices of onions and coat with the butter. Season generously with sea salt. Make sure the heat is at its lowest setting, cover and allow onions to cook for about 30 minutes until soft and translucent.  Use that low heat so the onions don't brown. You want them soft and sweet.

Add San Marzanos and their juices to the onions. Increase the heat just a touch to allow the mixture to simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 30 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix) and blend in batches.  Slowly pour a portion of the cream into each batch until you've reached a desired creaminess.  Taste as you blend and season with sea salt and pepper.

Serve very hot.  I poured the soup back into the original pot (after I rinsed it out) and heated it a little more before I served it.  Drizzle a little olive oil on the surface.  SALT the Bistro uses a basil oil on theirs..

Enjoy!

It's the first Sunday of 2011. It's been very cold and windy for the last three days. We don't mind the cold, but the high winds make it hard to enjoy being outside.  So we've been housebound for a couple of days... nesting. And it's been a nice relaxing way to start the new year.

I wanted chiles with breakfast but didn't want to make something that was too spicy.  My husband doesn't mind the heat.  In fact, he eats jalapeno peppers several times per week. My taste buds aren't as bomb-proof as his so I need a kinder, gentler pepper.  The mild heat of Anaheim chiles are perfect when you want a little kick of southwestern flavor. They are also easy to find at the grocery store when our local Colorado and New Mexico chiles aren't in season.

You can use stuff these chiles with just about anything.  I love goat cheese for a little extra tangy flavor.  Add crumbled bacon instead of sausage.  Anything is better with bacon! Pine nuts are also a great addition.  The sky is truly the limit... just get creative.  I used the ingredients I had on hand so this variation isn't that adventurous - but you'll love the flavors.

Happy New Year!



Ingredients:

• 6-8 Anaheim chiles, roasted/blackened and skins removed
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Jack or Machego cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup green onions, diced
• 1/2 lb chorizo sausage, browned and drained (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
  
• Salsa, homemade or good quality store-bought
• 1/2 cup Queso Fresco or Jack cheese, shredded
• sprigs of cilantro, for garnish
  

Roast chiles on the grill until skin is blackened.  Place in paper bag and tightly close and allow to steam in bag for 1 hour. This makes it easier to remove the skins. The skins will come off easily in less time but it's better to allow chiles to completely cool before handling.  Once cooled, carefully remove skins.  Cut a slit down one side of each chile but leave at least an inch uncut at both ends and leave stem on.  Use a spoon to gently remove seeds and pith.

Preheat oven to broil (you can also do this in a toaster oven if it's large enough)

Brown the sausage and diced garlic until cooked through and drain the excess fat.

In a bowl mix cream cheese with 1/2 cup machego or jack cheese, egg yolk, diced onions and chorizo sausage.  Blend until well-mixed and softened.

Place chiles in a row on a baking pan. Stuff each chile with cheese mixture.  Close opening of chile and pour a little salsa over it then a layer of shredded cheese. Broil in oven until cheese mixture is bubbly and top is lightly brown.  Cooking time may vary but tends to be around 15 minutes.

Serve as an appetizer or with scrambled eggs on a Sunday morning!