Roasted Tomato Bisque

The seasons of Northern Nevada have such unique personalities.  I would describe Spring as being flirtatious, fickle and a big tease!  Just when you're about to embrace the warmer weather with those flip flops and shorter sleeves a cold front moves in to chill you again.  Soups are still a perfect meal during the Spring.  Light, yet hardy, and simple to make!  

Keep this recipe handy throughout the year, but especially when your tomato plants are giving you a bounty of tomatoes.  In the Winter switch to canned varieties.

Roasted Tomato Bisque

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

about 2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 28 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes.  (You can roast your own but this is so much easier)

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 cups broth (You can use veggie or chicken)

1 tsp herb de Provence seasoning

salt to taste

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

I will now disclose that I made a giant batch for the restaurant, so these amounts are not exact.  I've found that soups are very "forgiving".  You can pretty much throw the ingredients together and 9 times out of 10 the result will be wonderful.

In a large pot start to cook the onions in the butter until they are soft.  Add the garlic, tomatoes, broth and seasoning, except for the salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

Blend the soup in a blender or a Ninja (I love my new Ninja) and return the mixture to the pan.  Add the half and half and milk.  Turn the heat back on to simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste to see if it needs more salt.  Serve with grated cheese of your choice and some home made croutons!

In the Soup Kitchen and a Flourless Chocolate Cake

As some of you know, my life was hijacked recently.  While I still do a lot of cooking and not much writing, I found myself "volunteering" at my son's new deli/ice creamery.  I guess I should be careful what I wish for!  I always thought it would be fun and cool to work in an ice cream shop.  Enter my son, who now has his own store front by way of acquiring a full fledged sandwich/deli shop.  My volunteering consists of helping out (and I use that term loosely) with the day to day operations.  I make cookies, do dishes, make soup from scratch, do more dishes, help with customers at the counter, do many more dishes!  Yes, at this ripe old age I'm exhausted, but on the up side, I've met some extremely wonderful people.  Better yet, even though we may bump heads, at times, I'm getting to engage in meaningful conversations with my son and share stories of our memories together.  He's slowly finding out that a simple hug from him is all it takes to melt my heart!

I'm extremely proud of him for taking this double business on.  Setting up business is not an easy task, especially when it encompasses Government involvement (inefficiency).   At the end of the day, it can be very rewarding, especially when my son can look in the mirror every morning and say hello to the BOSS!  That's the best part by far!

If you're reading this and you are local, come to try out his delicious sandwiches (the bread rocks) and amazing unique ice cream flavors.  I am self designated "quality control" person for product tasting!  Not great for the waistline, but good for the soul.  Ice cream makes everyone happy, I've had the pleasure to notice.   The other day I had to laugh as I scooped some vanilla into a sugar cone for a little girl.   She could barely see into the display case and as I scooped, she started to sing!   Her dad said she always sings for ice cream...it works for me!

After such a long absence from this blog (almost a month) it's not as if I haven't been cooking or baking.  I managed to make a flour less chocolate cake for my mom's birthday.   It was divine!   As you can tell by the not so appetizing photo above, it was a success, especially topped off with Icecycle Creamery ice cream!   The only change will be to reduce the size of the round pan as it turned out a bit on the flat side!   A flour less chocolate cake is so very decadent.  A small slice will send you to heaven, I promise!

Flourless Chocolate Cake 

4 ounces of good quality bittersweet chocolate

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter (preferably unsalted)

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened) and additional for garnish.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch round cake pan (no larger or the cake will be flat like mine!)  Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper, then butter that, too.  

Break chocolate into small pieces.  Place chocolate and butter into double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, whisking as you go.  Add the eggs and keep whisking until smooth.  Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top and mix in.  Pour the mixture into the pan and bake until the cake forms a thin crust, for about 25 minutes.  Cool the cake for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.  Enjoy.
This was on my "bucket list" also.  I will make it again using a smaller cake pan....definitely squelches your chocolate craving!

Orange Coconut Biscotti

Why did I make these orange coconut biscotti?  Because I can, I wanted to and mostly, because I had a huge bag of coconut in my pantry!  So, I'll add this to my biscotti repertoire.  I prefer a soft cookie like biscotti which is why I rarely second bake them.  It doesn't make sense to me to have to dunk them in order to soften them up to be edible!  But, that's just my opinion....

I also revised a recipe to include a chocolate drizzle on top.  Everything is better with chocolate and besides, it added to the visual appeal.  These would be fantastic with a chocolate or coconut ice cream!

Orange Coconut Biscotti 

1/4 lb (1 stick) softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (I used orange extract in this recipe)

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted for garnish (optional)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and whatever extract flavor you want while mixing well.  Reduce mixer speed and add the coconut, then the flour,  baking powder and salt.  Divide the dough into 3 pieces and form each into a "log" about 12  inches in length.  Place onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until golden.

Remove, cool slightly and gently lift onto a cutting board.  Using a long serrated knife, slice into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces.  Drizzle with melted chocolate in a crisscross pattern.  And there you have it!  Enjoy.  

Keep in a tightly sealed container to insure the softness.

Tagliatelle with Wild Boar and Mushroom Sauce

As promised, I'm posting a recipe for this rustic Italian sauce.  I can't believe it, but it's been 10 years since we first went to Italy.  That first trip, and another trip the following year has profoundly influenced what and how I cook.  I learned an incredible amount and developed an eagerness to use mostly fresh ingredients, that is, what's available seasonally.  

How can you not be inspired by a setting so gorgeous!  Endless rolling hills dotted with stone villas, grapevines and a garden in almost every backyard.  This is an area where you hear hunter's in the valley searching for wild boar.  (probably not a good place to take a stroll in the early morning hours!)  I can still see the overflowing basket of freshly picked assorted mushrooms in our caretaker's home as we waited to "check-in" to our humble stone cottage which sat at the edge of the Chianti hills.

Hubby in the homeland overlooking Chianti countryside

One of our first excursions was to a town called Castellina in Chianti.  After exploring the ancient Etruscan tombs and the town, we happened upon a tiny trattoria.   After all these years, I remember choosing either the wild hare with pasta or the wild boar, also with pasta.  I was hooked and vowed to do my best to replicate this dish and the Tuscan eating experience!   Now that I found a regular wild boar "connection" or supplier, I'm able to make this.   Fresh pasta is a MUST, so refer to the last posting for instructions.

Wild Boar Sauce for Pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground wild boar

1/2 cup yellow onion, cut up not quite a dice

1 shredded carrot

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large portabello mushroom, sliced and chopped

1-2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cups white wine

handful of chopped fresh parsley

basil, I used the squeeze product, 1 inch ribbon.   I was lacking fresh!

salt and pepper

In a large pot, add the oil and boar meat.  Cook on medium heat while breaking it into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon.  As it browns, add the onion,  carrot, mushroom and garlic, stirring as it cooks.  Mix in the tomato paste and add the wine.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer (low).  Add the basil and parsley, salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 30 more minutes.  If the sauce looks too thick add some water to loosen.  Serve over fresh pasta and you have a truly Tuscan experience!  Mangia!

Valentine's Day 2015 and a Lesson on Pasta Making

One of the reasons I began writing my blog was to preserve memories as well as recipes.  I wanted a "place" I could visit to fetch those recipes and relive those precious memories.  As Valentine's day approached my mind went into warp speed trying to come up with the right feast to serve hubby and myself.  In the years gone by we had everything from gnocchi, seared scallops, fillet mignon to a limoncello lavender cocktail!  One thing was certain, we didn't want to go out to dinner with a zillion other people.  So, how to make this night special?

The day began with a brisk walk to the creek and back.  We had a premonition that today would be a "pig out" day!

Then, my first Valentine ever came to visit and delivered some luscious dark chocolates!  Dad, you really know your daughter well and I love you for that.  My mom surprised my hubby with a box of cookies.  You see, I'm still a "spoiled" little girl since I've been getting a valentine from dad longer than I can remember and I have the cards to prove it.

Later in the day we drove over to my son's deli/ice creamery to have lunch, of course.  The Cuban sandwich was amazing, but the hugs given to him and his beautiful bride were better.

Back at home, I started the prep for dinner.  Time to make the home made pasta.  I'll give you the recipe I use the most because, for me, it's the easiest.  You'll need a food processor, so fetch it from that deep dark cupboard where you may have buried it years ago.  Also, if you are lucky enough to have the pasta attachment for a kitchen aid mixer (thanks mom) pasta making is a cinch!   Okay, so the first time out it's frustrating, but with every try, it gets better.  Here goes.

Pasta

3 cups flour

4 eggs

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp oil

Put the four into the food processor.  Put the eggs into a bowl along with the salt and oil.  Beat well, start the processor and begin to pour the eggs in.  The dough will turn yellowish and look a bit like cornmeal or small pebbles.  To test it, pinch the dough with your fingers. (Make sure you turn off the processor first!)  If it clumps together turn it out onto a breadboard sprinkled with flour.  Knead until it forms a smooth ball.  Place it into a bowl, cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.

When the time is up, remove to the breadboard.  Cut into manageable pieces and roll with a rolling pin just enough so you can fit into the pasta roller on lowest setting.  Now comes the fun part.  Keep sending that piece of dough through the roller and increase the setting every time until you get a long thin piece of pasta which resembles lasagna noodles.  I usually put all the rolled out pieces onto a floured cookie sheet.

Then you need to change the roller to a fettuccine noodle attachment.  If you don't have these rollers you can always hand roll and cut!  (Not in my lifetime!)  As I send the long wide noodles through the fettuccine roller, I  cup my hands underneath to catch the noodle nests and then place them back onto the cookie sheet.  You can sprinkle a bit of flour on each nest and loosen with your fingers so they won't clump together.

To cook, boil some salted water and ease them in.  This recipe makes a bunch.  I usually cut it in half which serves 4-6 healthy portions.  Cooking fresh pasta will be done in a fraction of the time (usually 3-4 minutes as they rise to the top).

For this batch of noodles I picked something from my "food to try bucket list" ......drum roll, please!

Tagliatelle with Wild Boar and Mushroom Sauce inspired by a trip to Tuscany!  Stay tuned for the next post!