Short Rib Farrotto with Carrots and Parsnips

I like Farro. Chris likes Short Ribs. Perfect recipe. And how! Time intensive? Yes. But it was a rainy day so lets just say I got a lot of cooking done. This recipe is from Food & Wine. I had a $20 coupon for Robert's Food Center (Thank you Maureen!) Yesterday I did my shopping and there will be meat showing up alot.

The dinner, while not a quick fix, was a meal that is very filling. Spoiler alert- We will be having this again tomorrow night!

Of course I left out the garlic but the broth was something special. I had beef broth in the freezer for the last time I made short ribs. When I took it out of the freezer to thaw I knew this would be good!

Short Rib Farrotto with Carrots and Parsnips from Food & Wine-

Ingredients-
1 quart low-sodium beef broth
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds well-trimmed boneless grass-fed beef short ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Fine sea salt
Pepper
2 thyme sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 cipollini onions (3/4 pound), peeled and quartered
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large parsnip, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) unpearled farro
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving


Method-
In a medium saucepan, combine the beef broth with 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
   
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add half of the short ribs to the casserole, spreading the pieces out, and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a plate. Repeat with the remaining short ribs.
   
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the casserole. Add the thyme sprigs, garlic, onions, carrot and parsnip and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the farro and the browned short ribs. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, stirring and scraping the bottom of the casserole, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the warm broth, cover partially and cook over moderately low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat this process twice, adding 1 cup of warm broth each time and cooking for about 15 minutes between additions, stirring occasionally.
   
Increase the heat to high. Add the remaining 1 cup of warm broth, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring constantly, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more. Cook the farrotto until creamy and the farro is al dente, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the casserole from the heat and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the butter, chopped thyme and the 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano. Season the farrotto with salt and pepper and serve hot, passing additional Parmigiano at the table.

The farrotto can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Gently reheat, adding broth or water as necessary.

And today I had an observer....

Panko Coated Chicken Schnitzel

What a nice meal. The flavors from the sauce were a perfect blend. The chicken was easy to prepare. The cutlets were moist and with the crispy coating. Loved it!  I found the recipe on the Food and Wine site. The recipe is from Thomas Keller of the French Laundry.

Panko Coated Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients-
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each), butterflied and pounded 1/4-inch-thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method-
Set the flour, eggs and panko in three separate shallow bowls. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip in the eggs and coat thoroughly with the panko, pressing lightly to adhere.

In each of 2 large skillets, heat 1/4 cup of canola oil. Add the chicken and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, then transfer

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and cook over moderately high heat until browned and nutty, about 4 minutes. Stir in the capers, lemon juice and parsley; spoon over the chicken and serve.

Spinach and Ricotta Pappardelle

A recipe by Lidia! You know it's going to be good. Deconstruct ravioli. This was delicious. I used a store-bought Pappardelle, Al Dente's Pappardelle. We loved this pasta. And the sauce was the perfect consistency and the flavors were spot on. The recipe is from Food & Wine.

Spinach and Ricotta Pappardelle, from Food & Wine.

Ingredients-
12 ounces pappardelle pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped sage
Two 5-ounce bags baby spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method-
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pappardelle pasta until al dente. Drain the pappardelle thoroughly, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the scallions and sage and cook over high heat until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach in large handfuls and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the pasta, butter and ricotta and toss. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and the Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately low heat, tossing, until the sauce is thick and creamy, adding more of the pasta water as needed. Transfer the pappardelle to bowls and serve right away, with grated Parmigiano. 

Happy Birthday!

You know if you see a meal like this mid week on this blog, meat and homemade noodles, it has to be a special occasion. Well, today is my husband's birthday! And because of the special day we had Braised Short Ribs over Homemade Papapdelle Noodles. Oh my! Perfect for a cold, really cold day like today. I prepared the meat on Sunday and just had to heat it up tonight. The pasta was made on Saturday and was frozen until it was dropped in the boiling water. Delicious! Happy Birthday Chris!

The Short Rib recipe was from Food & Wine, a Tom Colicchio recipe. Click here for the recipe. The pasta was my favorite recipe from Tide and Thyme. Click here for this perfect pasta recipe!

Now what did I get Chris for his birthday? A couple of weeks ago we saw our favorite band, The Smithereens. I purchased a drum head that was signed by the band before the show. At the end of the show the drummer, Dennis Diken, hands Chris his drum stick! My brain was already working. A shadowbox! Chris loved it. And a special shout out to Ralph for hanging the shadowbox.

And here is a video of one of my favorite songs from the show we were at.
Thank you Fredrick Matt for posting the video. Enjoy!

Stovetop Chicken and Dumplings

Wow! I think that would sum up this dinner. Food and Wine supplied the recipe. When Chris walked, he said it smelled delicious in here. Chicken and dumplings. How could you go wrong. And I had all the ingredients, well, I had to pick up the shallot and the wine but that was not too bad.

The dumplings were so light. I could have gone back for seconds, but I didn't. The broth was from the freezer along with the chicken meat. You have to try this recipe. Click here to try it, you won't be disappointed.

And don't you love when a recipe calls for wine? I do!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Cutlets

Wow, what a great way to start the week. I saw this recipe on What's Cookin' Italian Style. This was perfect. The chicken was so moist and the sauce was delicious. Click here for recipe and check out the blog, lots of good recipes there.

The side dish was End of Summer Eggplant Bake. The lemon ricotta made the dish nice and light.

Beef Tenderloin "Dogs", Zucchini and Burrata Salad And Pie!

Love long weekends! I was able to do extra stuff knowing Monday I can sleep in. What did I do? Well, I made a pie but I will fill you in on that later in the post.

For dinner, I splurged. No, really this was a big splurge. I made Beef Tenderloin "Dogs" with Corn Relish. I had "pinned" this a while back. Being a holiday weekend and having gotten paid yesterday I went for it. The recipe is from Food & Wine. What an amazingly delicious dinner this was. The meat was so tender it actually worked eating it in a hot dog roll. And that corn relish was pretty good too!

The side dish a dish that will be probably be put on the best of list. Zucchini with Nicoise Olives and Burrata. Again from Food & Wine. I was sold on this when I saw the word Burrata. What an amazing thing Burrata is. The zucchini was cooked to just tender and then cooled, perfect for prepping ahead of time. Loved, loved, loved this!

Now on to dessert. A Mixed Fruit Pie. Peaches, White Peaches, Italian Plums and Blueberries. The crust was my usual Pate Brise.  I sliced up the peaches and plums then mixed the fruit, including the blueberries, with 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch, 2 tbsp. Sugar, 1/2 tsp. Lemon juice. I rolled out the crust and put the filling in the crust. I used a smaller pie dish so I had the extra crust for the lattice top. This was so very good. The fruit was perfectly ripe, may be a little over ripe. Some Vanilla Greek Frozen Yogurt added to the dish and wow is the only word that comes to mind.

Meat Pie and Double Nutty Farro Salad

I was so glad I had that half of a Meat Pie in the freezer. What a wonderful treat. Next year I have to make at least one more to freeze.

The Double Nutty Farro Salad was very good. The recipe was from Food and Wine.
I made a couple of changes as I did not have all the ingredients. 

Ingredients-

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup mixed chopped nuts, such as walnuts and almonds

3 cups cooked farro

Kosher salt

Pepper

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Chopped Parsley, Basil and Thyme

Method-

In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the nuts and toast over low heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the farro and 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the farro is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the farro to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped herbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper.

And at work today we had a 3 layer chocolate cake! 

Short Rib Stew

Mondays are not so bad when you have something like this for dinner. The recipe is from Food and Wine.  I did make some changes in the original recipe. Instead of boneless short ribs I used the short ribs with the bone, this helped make the stock as amazing as it was. The stock was so good that Chris suggested we make a soup from the leftovers. The meat was tender and 4 short ribs only cost $8.00. I did not have potatoes, I was sure I did and I did not use mushrooms. I had zucchini so I used that instead.

My version of Short Rib Stew, adapted from Food and Wine.

Ingredients-

4 beef short ribs, on the bone
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice
2 pound zucchini, cut into 1 inch dice
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
8 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method-
In a large bowl, toss the short ribs with the flour. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Working in batches, cook the short ribs over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch.

Discard the oil.

Return the meat and any juices to the casserole. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the meat is tender, 2 hours.

Skim any fat from the stew. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onion, zucchini, thyme and sage. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs & Farro Salad with Fried Cauliflower and Prosciutto

I had "pinned" this recipe a while back and am so glad I finally made it. These little meatballs were so good. It was like an inside out cheese burger. And the cheese that oozed out and crisped up on the baking dish was not to be wasted.  This is on the "must be made again" list!

Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs from Around the Table: Loving Food in RI and Beyond

 Ingredients-

1 lbs 93% (or your fav) ground beef

1/4 cup whole wheat Italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Salt & pepper to taste

3 low fat mozzarella sticks (each cut into 4 pieces)

Olive oil to drizzle

Method-

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Add all ingredients except mozzarella to the bowl and mix well (don't over mix) 

Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. Roll each meatball in between your hands and lay on a sheet pan. Take each mozzarella piece and stick one in the center of each meatball and cover with remaining meat so cheese is no longer showing. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown (cheese should be melted out of meatballs.)

And this salad received rave reviews. I have loved roasted cauliflower until now. Fried cauliflower has stolen my heart. Wow. Who wouldn't like something fried and then salted. Yum!

From Food and Wine we have Farro Salad with Fried Cauliflower and Prosciutto. I added Roasted Golden Beets, leftover green beans and Goat Cheese to our salad.

Ingredients-
1 pound farro, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, halved crosswise
1 small onion, halved
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
1 bay leaf
Canola oil, for frying
2 large heads of cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds each), cut into 1-inch florets
1/2 pound prosciutto, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method-
In a large saucepan, combine the farro, carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf. Add enough cold water to cover the farro by 1 inch and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the
farro is tender but chewy, 15 minutes; drain. Spread the farro on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Discard the carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 1 inch of canola oil over moderately high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°. Fry the cauliflower in batches until golden, 5 minutes per batch; drain.

In a bowl, mix the farro, cauliflower, prosciutto, olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Minute Steak Stacks with Herbed Butter

 

Minute Steak Stacks with Herbed Butter was adapted from a recipe I found on the Food and Wine site. Their recipe called for an Anchovy and Herb butter. I am not an anchovy fan, and I don't think Chris is so I used a butter made up of parsley, marjoram and pepper. I toasted Italian bread and brushed the bread with some of the herbed butter. I cooked the steaks in a hot pan with canola oil, sauteing less than a minute per side and stacked them with slices of the herbed butter in between each slice of steak. It was good. It was very good. The seasoning in the butter was spot on. No leftovers... always a sign of a good dinner.

Side dishes were leftover baked macaroni, waste not want not, and frozen green beans. The leftover green beans will reappear in a salad next week... Stay tuned!

Pasta with Spicy Winter Squash

Tonight's recipe is from Food and Wine. It is a Mario Batali recipe. I made a couple of changes to the original recipe. First being the pasta. I do not understand why our grocery store has become so generic in its pasta selection over the last few months. The other changes were of course leaving out the garlic. And adding wine. When I went to add the squash it seemed like it would be a good thing to add some white wine. Yes it was a very good thing.

This recipe resulted in very generous portions for the two of us and enough to put in a casserole dish for the freezer.

Ingredients -
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pounds pasta
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Method -
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and crushed red pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of white wine. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the squash mixture in the skillet, then stir in 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and toss gently to combine. Add the 3/4 cup of cheese, season with salt and pepper and stir gently; add a little more pasta water if necessary. Serve the pasta right away, passing more cheese at the table.

Skillet Pork Chops with Warm Escarole Caesar

Hey it was 40 degrees out today! I went grocery shopping without a coat on! Yeah I was nervous the whole time thinking, "This is how you get sick!"

For dinner tonight we had Skillet Pork Chops with Warm Escarole Caesar. The recipe is from Food and Wine. Did I see someone eating escarole! The pork chops were cooked perfectly. The escarole and radishes were a perfect side. I did use less anchovies then the recipe called for but that was just a personal preference.

Barley Soup and Black-Pepper Breadsticks

For Christmas, Chris gave me a copy of Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking. I love Lidia. Her cookbooks always fun to read and filled with recipes that I want to try. The first recipe I tried from this book was Barley Soup.

Perfect for this time of year when it is just so darn cold. I made the whole recipe and have a couple of portion tucked away in the freezer.

And a sneak preview- We are eating at Becco on Saturday!!!!

From Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking, Barley Soup

(serves 8 or more)
Ingredients -
2 smoked ham hocks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups peeled, cubed russet potatoes
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 pound split peas. rinsed
3 cups barley, rinsed
12 ounces baby spinach
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Method -
Put the ham hock in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes to remove some saltiness. Drain and rinse.
In a large soup pot, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, and saute until they being to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, carrots, and celery, and saute until everything is coated with oil. Add 8 quarts of water, the split peas and the ham hocks, and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer, uncovered until the peas have broken down, about 45 minutes.
Add the barley, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. The split peas should be broken down and have made the soup thick and creamy at this point. Add the spinach, corn and salt and simmer until the spinach is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

With the soup we had Black-Pepper Breadsticks. I found the recipe on the Food and Wine site. They tasted just like Frezels, little black pepper crackers my mom made. I am not sure I have the spelling correct on that. I will have to check with my sister.

From Food and Wine, Black-Pepper Breadsticks

Ingredients -
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
4 teaspoons kosher or Maldon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Method -
Preheat the oven to 350° and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast and 2 tablespoons of the flour and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour along with the shortening, salt and pepper and knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and divide it into fourths. Cut each quarter into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 9-by-1/2-inch rope. Using a knife, trim the breadsticks to 8 inches; arrange on the baking sheets and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and firm, shifting the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the breadsticks to racks and let cool before serving.

Chicken Cutlets and a Thanksgiving Sneak Preview

If you are reading this and will be eating at my sister's house on Thanksgiving - SPOILER ALERT!!!

Tonight I did a test run with what I will be bringing to dinner. Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Apples and Leeks from Food and Wine. Just need to adjust the seasonings a bit but it should be a perfect side dish!

And we had Chicken Cutlets that I had in the freezer.

Ratatouille with Goat Cheese

A summer staple in our house is Ratatouille. This recipe is from Food and Wine. Of course the the Goat Cheese was a nice addition.

Ratatouille with Goat Cheese, a variation of Food and Wine recipe

Ingredients -
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed shredded basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled aged goat cheese

Method -
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant to a plate.

Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the casserole along with the zucchini and yellow squash and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetables to the eggplant.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the casserole, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, two-thirds of the basil and the reserved vegetables and cook over moderate heat until the tomatoes have broken down and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil along with the lemon zest and juice. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Golden Semolina Quinoa Spinach Cakes and Leon Salad

Not bad for a Monday! Alright I did make the Quinoa Spinach Cakes and prepped the salad fixings yesterday but this was such a good dinner for the start of the week.

The Golden Semolina Quinoa Spinach Cakes recipe can be found on the Food and Wine site. They were a little time consuming and I was hesitant to fry them but we don't eat that much fried food. Delicious. The frying was a plus. I was not sure about the recipe as I was making it but I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Now the salad was also a hit. The Leon Salad. A take on a salad from La Scala in LA. The recipe can be found on the Saveur site. The marinated salami and provolone, well I should not even have to tell you. What a great addition to the salad. I added a green I had not used, nor seen in the store before yesterday - Baby Kale! Who knew? The recipe called for mint and I was not happy with the selection at the store so I grabbed the Baby Kale. I liked the texture and the taste paired with the romaine, radicchio and parsley.

And some other bits of news... 

My blog was featured on Briciole, Pasta Please: il riepilogo/the roundup.

Check it out there are some amazing pasta dishes.

And I have planted this summer's deck garden. 

I got the last white eggplant at the garden center!

I am sure my Dad is smiling!

Oven-Fried Chicken By The Bucket

Yum. There is Nothing better then fried chicken. Actually I have never made "fried" chicken. And I actually just found out that Chris likes fried chicken.
Do you want to try this? Click here for the Food and Wine recipe.
I used the Salt and Pepper Kettle Chips.

Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Herbs and Parmesan Broth

Doesn't the title sound delicious. The recipe for this soup is from Food and Wine. It was a nice soup but as I was heating it up it looked shall we say "boring." Well I had the leftover orzo and peas from the other night's dinner. Yep that was added to the pot. Nice move. It gave some body, and pasta!

Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Herbs and Parmesan Broth, from Food and Wine

Ingredients -
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 leeks, white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 fennel bulb—halved, cored and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
6 cups water
One 3-inch square Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method -
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, leeks and fennel and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the water and the cheese rind and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Discard the cheese rind and bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and basil and season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve.

Julia's Favorite Roasted Chicken

I have never made a Julia Child recipe before tonight. From Food and Wine, Julia Child's Favorite Roasted Chicken. Whole Chicken was on sale at Whole Foods this week so I got it for $1.99 a pound. I even made the sauce from the pan drippings! 

I made Accordion Potatoes from this month's Food and Wine. Yummy! The other side dish was Roasted White Asparagus topped with toasted Panko bread crumbs that were seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon rind.



Julia's Favorite Roasted Chicken, from Food and Wine

Ingredients -
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely diced carrots
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1 teaspoon thyme, savory or mixed herbs, or 2 fresh thyme or savory sprigs
One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley stems
Celery leaves
Six 1/8-inch-thick lemon slices
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth


Method -
Preheat the oven to 425°. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion and celery and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the herbs.

Wash the chicken rapidly inside and out with hot water and pat thoroughly dry. For easier carving, cut out and discard the wishbone. Pull the neck skin up over the breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems and celery leaves and the lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the butter, then truss it. Alternatively, tie the ends of the drumsticks together and tuck the wings under the body.

Choose a flameproof roasting pan that is about 1 inch larger than the chicken. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast up on a rack in the pan. (Thoroughly wash all surfaces and utensils that have been in contact with the raw chicken.)

Roast the chicken in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes**, as follows:
At 15 minutes: Brush the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.
At 45 minutes: Brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.
At 60 minutes: Baste with the pan juices.
Test for doneness: The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets; their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting and testing every 7 to 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°**

Spear the chicken through the shoulders; lift to drain; if the last of the juices run clear yellow, the chicken is done. Let rest on a carving board for 15 minutes; discard the string.

Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until lightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a fragrant spoonful.

** Our chicken took about an extra half hour for it to be cooked through.