Hearty Winter Pea Soup

This is a perfect winter soup. It is hearty and comforting. The grainy liquid retains the sweetness of the peas, the surprise warmth of the allspice and the richness of the sweet Italian sausage. It is a snap to make and keeps for several days in the fridge. I make a batch of this on Sunday and we will have another dinner of soup later in the week. It always tastes even better the second time around. Just put the pot of soup on the stove to reheat and warm some crusty bread in the oven.

Recipe

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1-12 ounce bag of dried split green peas

1 onion

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

Remove the sausage from the casing. Crumble into a heavy bottom soup pot. Brown the sausage over medium heat. Once the sausage is browned, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Place the sausage in the refrigerator. Drain all of the fat from the soup pot.

Peel the onion, carrots, and garlic. Cut the onion, carrots and celery into chunks. Put them into the work bowl of a food processor along with the garlic. Process until finely chopped. Pour the oil into the bottom of the soup pot and warm over medium heat. Scrape the vegetables into the pot and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the ground allspice and stir. Add the split peas and stir. Pour in the stock and water. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer for one and a half hours. The peas will be tender and the soup will be sludgy when done. Add more water as needed during the cooking process. Sometimes the peas thicken before the soup is done.

Add the cooked sausage. Heat till bubbling. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately or cool in an ice bath for serving later. Will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. Serve with hot, crusty bread. Serves 6-8

Tips

This can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and soy sausage in place of the sweet Italian sausage. Dried peas, just like dried beans, are a good source of protein and fiber.

Brandied Cranberries

This is an essential recipe in my kitchen from Thanksgiving through Christmas.
It is quick, delicious and only has three ingredients. First, I serve the tart, sweet cranberries with Thanksgiving turkey. Then, I use the leftovers gently warmed to top grilled pork tenderloin. I always make sure to save some to put over vanilla ice cream. The brandied goodness mingled with sweet vanilla is sure to get you in a holiday mood.

Recipe

12 ounces cranberries-picked over and washed

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup brandy-be sure to use a good quality brandy.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the cranberries in a 9" by 13" glass baking dish. Sprinkle the cranberries with the sugar. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the cranberries for half an hour. Remove from the oven and gently turn the cranberries over scraping the bottom of the dish. The goal is to lift the sugar from the bottom of the dish over the cranberries without breaking them. Cover the pan with the foil and return to the oven for another half hour. Total baking time is one hour.


Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Gently fold in the brandy. Try not to break the cranberries. You want them to look like jewels. When the cranberries are cool, place in an airtight jar.

Tips

The cranberries will keep in an airtight jar for a month or longer. I give these to several friends as a holiday gift. My friend Nancy loves serving these with her Christmas Day roast beef feast. Write a note with the gift with serving ideas: relish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, warmed sauce for pork, duck or chicken and festive topping for vanilla ice cream.

Sesame Wontons with Smoked Salmon and Wasabi

This appetizer is a favorite of mine for spring and summer entertaining. I served it for the first time at a New Year's Eve Party and got rave reviews. Everyone asked for the recipe. I have been making it multiple times a year ever since. The source for the recipe was the December 2004 issue of Bon Appetite. The wontons provide just the right crunch accompanied by the spicy wasabi and cooling salmon.

Wonton Recipe

1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 egg white

8 wonton wrappers

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 1/4 cup of the sesame oil and the egg white in a small bowl until blended. Place the wonton wrappers in a single layer on a cutting board. Brush the wonton wrappers with half of the oil and egg mixture. Sprinkle with half of the sesame seeds.



Fold the wonton wrappers in half diagonally. Brush with the remaining oil and egg mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the sesame seeds. Next, cut each triangle in half resulting in two triangles.

Carefully, place the triangles on a baking sheet. Bake the triangles until golden. Approximately, 13 minutes. Cool. Then, place the wontons in an air tight container such as a cookie tin.



Wasabi Dressing Recipe



2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar



2 tablespoons chopped chives



1 1/4 teaspoons wasabi paste



1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger



Whisk the vinegar, chives, wasabi, ginger, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. You will need 6 ounces of thinly sliced smoked salmon for the recipe. To assemble: place one slice of salmon on a wonton, drizzle with a little of the wasabi dressing, fold over the salmon and top with another drizzle of dressing. Tip: If radish sprouts are in season, I garnish each salmon slice with some radish sprouts. Pea shoots also make a pretty and tasty garnish. Makes 16 appetizers.


Tips


The wonton crisps can be made the day before and stored in an air tight container. Another way I serve them is topped with a dollop of chicken or shrimp salad and garnished with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.

Strawberries with Creme Anglaise

I eagerly anticipate the arrival of local strawberries. They are fragrant, flavorful and pack a juicy, strawberry bite. Yum! I was overjoyed when I picked up my farm box last week to find a big bag of the ruby colored beauties. Immediately, I had visions of strawberries in a thick sauce of custardy lusciousness. Time to go home and stir up a batch of creme anglaise. I have tried many recipes for creme anglaise, but this is my favorite. It comes from "Joy of Cooking." I have made a slight change by adding some vanilla bean to the recipe.

Recipe

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture is slightly thickened.

Add the 2 cups of milk to a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

Now, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Add the milk a little bit at a time whisking constantly. If the hot milk is added too quickly, it will scramble the eggs.

Return the egg, sugar and milk mixture to the saucepan. Rinse out the mixing bowl with hot water and dry. Place the saucepan with the milk mixture over low heat. Stir the sauce constantly with a wooden spoon. Make sure to cover the entire surface of the bottom of the pan with the spoon. Do not stir too briskly. Stir gently. You do not want to damage the egg bonds. Do not let the sauce boil. The sauce is cooked when it is slightly thickened and has reached a temperature of 170 degrees. Another way to test if the sauce has thickened is to run your finger along the back of the spoon. If it holds a line in the sauce, it is done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the sauce for a minute or two to complete the cooking process.

Place a fine mesh sieve over the mixing bowl and strain the sauce. Let the mixture cool in the bowl for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean. The sauce can be served warm or cool. If you are going to serve the sauce chilled, let the sauce cool completely before covering and placing in the fridge. If it covered before it is completely cooled, condensation will form on the wrap and water down the sauce. This will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Serves 8.

Tips

You will know that the sauce is almost done when you feel the spoon slip across the bottom of the pan as you stir. If the sauce is overcooked, it will curdle. This sauce is delicious over any kind of fresh berries. It can also be served over bread pudding. When I serve it over bread pudding, I add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cognac along with the vanilla.

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

I first saw this recipe in the February 2007 issue of Bon Appetit. Over the years, I have tweaked the recipe adding more lemon juice and arugula. This is a quick, easy and budget friendly spring dinner. The chicken is hot, crunchy and juicy. The arugula salad is the perfect counterpoint of cool and spicy with a zing of lemon. Arugula is in season during the spring and summer months with a reappearance in the fall. Be sure to buy it locally while it is in season through your CSA program or at a farmer's market.

Recipe

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs

4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

3 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 cups packed baby arugula (about 3 ounces)

Using a meat mallet, flatten the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/2 inch.

Whisk the eggs in a flat dish such as a pie plate. Mix the panko, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, salt and pepper on a plate. Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs and turn to coat.

Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to cover the whole breast. *Tip-Use one hand to dip the chicken in the egg mixture and one hand to dredge the chicken.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until golden brown. This will take about 5 minutes per side. If your pan is not large enough to hold both breasts, saute 2 breasts at a time. You may need to add a little more oil to the pan. Do not crowd the chicken breasts or they will not brown properly. Transfer the chicken to plates. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the lemon juice.

Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 1/3 of the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mound the arugula salad atop the chicken breasts. Garnish the plates with the rest of the chopped parsley. Serves 4.

Tips

Wash arugula under cold running water. Dry in a salad spinner. Always taste a little arugula before you prepare it, as it can range from mild to extremely peppery. Arugula grown in late summer or during a dry season will have a stronger flavor. Adjust the amount of arugula you wish to use according to your palate.

Pasta with Morel Mushroom Sauce

Morel mushrooms are highly prized by mushrooms lovers. They have a deep earthy, nutty flavor and a unique honeycomb texture that grabs onto flavorful sauces. Morels are hollow and dome shaped and can be found in a variety of colors from yellow to tan to gray to black. The season for morels generally runs from March through the beginning of June. Morels are quite pricey because they have to be gathered by hand from the forest floor. If you have not tried morels before, I urge you to splurge and try them. You will never forget that first taste!

I developed this recipe for a dear friend's birthday celebration. She is crazy about morels and I wanted to create something where the morels are the star. Due to the simplicity of the recipe, use the finest ingredients you can afford:organic butter and cream and imported Italian pasta.

Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound morels, cut in half if large

1 tablespoon cognac

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound dried fettuccine

1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the minced shallots and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful to cook the shallots gently so that they don't scorch. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Increase the heat to medium and add the morels and saute until they are softened. This should take about 10 minutes. The time may vary according to the size of the mushrooms. Season the morels with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cognac and stir briefly over the heat to remove the raw alcohol flavor. Once the mushrooms are done, remove the contents of the skillet to a plate.*The mushrooms are removed from the pan before the cream is added because they can turn the cream sauce gray.

Meanwhile, make sure your pasta water is boiling and that it is seasoned with a handful of salt. *Always taste your pasta water to make sure that it is salty enough. It should taste as salty as broth. Cook the pasta until al dente. If you are using a fine imported Italian egg pasta, it will only take a few minutes to cook the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the cream to the skillet and reduce slightly. This will take around two minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the pan. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Add the thyme and half the parsley. Toss the pasta to coat it with the sauce. Plate the pasta on warmed plates and garnish with the rest of the parsley. Serves 4.

Tips

If you must wash the mushrooms, run water over them rapidly or give them a quick swish in a sink of cold water. Dry thoroughly on some towels and cook immediately. A prolonged soak in water removes their flavor. The stems are tough, so be sure to give them a good trim. If you need to store your mushrooms for a day or two, place them in a brown paper bag in your fridge. *Morel mushrooms should never be eaten raw. They contain trace amounts of toxins that are removed by thorough cooking.

Lamb and Eggplant Shepherd's Pie

This is the perfect mid-April Sunday night supper. The weather can still be cold and blustery and we long for something warm, fragrant and comforting. This Greek influenced shepherd's pie made with tender bites of lamb, buttery eggplant, diced tomatoes, cinnamon and oregano infused broth topped off with garlic and kasseri cheese mashed potatoes is sure to do the trick.

Recipe

one 1 1/2 pound eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 pounds trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cups chopped vidalia or other sweet onions

1 cup dry white wine

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

2 1/2 cups organic beef broth

8 minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Scatter the eggplant evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Let the eggplant stand for 1 hour. Toss occasionally. Rinse the eggplant in a colander and pat dry on some cotton dish towels. *This process removes the bitter taste and pulls out some of the water content.

Next, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and saute until tender, about 12 minutes. Remove to a medium size bowl.

Next, sprinkle the lamb generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Dust the lamb with flour to coat and toss. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in the same pot and brown half the lamb over medium-high heat. Remove the browned lamb to a medium sized bowl and repeat with the rest of the lamb adding more olive oil as necessary.

Next, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to the same pot. Add onions and cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. The bottom of the pot should appear dark when scraped with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine to the pot. Increase the heat and boil until the wine evaporates, scraping up the browned bits. This should take an average of 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the juice, broth, garlic, oregano and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Add lamb and any accumulated juices. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Uncover and simmer for another 45 minutes. The lamb should be tender and the broth should be thickened slightly. Stir in the eggplant and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2 inch glass dish.*This part of the dish can be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to top it with the potato mixture and bake.

Potato Topping Recipe

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tablespoons butter

2 whole, peeled garlic cloves

1/2 cup milk

5 to 6 ounces grated kasseri cheese

Cook the potatoes and garlic in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain the potatoes and garlic and pass them through a food mill. Put the potatoes over low heat and add the butter and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add the milk to the potatoes adding until the potatoes reach the desired consistency. You may need more or less than 1/2 cup.

Stir in the cheese and check the seasonings one more time. Drop the potatoes over the lamb filling by heaping tablespoonfuls. Gently smooth the potatoes with a rubber spatula to cover the lamb filling.

Bake the pie in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden. *Tip-place the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch any drips. Serves 6.

Tips

When picking out an eggplant make sure the skin color is vivid, shiny and free of any scars or bruises. The stem and cap of the eggplant should be free of any discoloration. To test the eggplant for ripeness, gently press the skin with the pad of your thumb. If it springs back, the eggplant is ripe; if an indentation remains, it is not. Eggplants are very perishable, so they will only keep in the fridge for a few days. Never cut up an eggplant before you store it, it will lead to rapid decay.