Skinny Chicken Parm

Leave it to Martha and her staff to come up with a light chicken Parmesan that could actually satisfy. I have to admit that while I was making this recipe I was thinking there is no way that myself (somewhat of an Italian food junkie) and my husband were going to think that this could even hold a candle to my normally fried, heavily breaded and completely cheesed out version. But alas, it did not disappoint. I am currently detoxing from a week of endless chips and salsa, margaritas and big meals thrice daily. So in an effort to lose the Mexican pounds I gained, I am lightening things up in the kitchen this week. We paired this dinner with a yummy wine brought to us recently by a friend. It was fruity, not heavy, but could stand up to this dinner. Ripassa Valolicella Superiore 2005. I recommend it!

Chicken Parmigiana
Martha Stewart Living, February 2010
serves 6

3 oz. baked whole grain wheat crackers (like Triscuits, about 12)
1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large egg whites
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 0z each) (I used 3 big breasts and pounded them thin for 3 people)
3 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup) (I used Parmesan as I could not see not using it, it's in the name!)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse crackers, parsley, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until finely ground. Season with pepper, and transfer to a plate. Puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt with an immersion blender or in a clean food processor until smooth.
2. Coat a 9-by-13 inch baking dish with oil. Lightly whisk the egg whites and transfer to a shallow dish. Dip each chicken breast in the egg whites to fully coat both sides; let excess drip off. Dredge chicken in crumb mixture, lightly pressing to coat both sides.
3. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish, and flip once to coat in oil. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour tomato sauce over chicken, allowing for some sauce underneath each piece ( I had to use tongs to do this). Top with cheeses and bake until bubbling and top is lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Each serving only has 307 calories, so that is pretty great. I have to say I think I used a heavy hand with the mozzarella, but I will live. I served this with whole wheat spaghetti tossed in just a bit of olive oil. It was delicious!

Enjoy!
xoxo
Erin

On the lighter side.

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite salads, courtesy of Cooking Light. It's fresh, light, flavorful, easy to prepare and colorful. It involves one of my favorite grocery store buys: the rotisserie chicken. The recipe actually calls for turkey (as it was written for using Thanksgiving leftovers). I prefer chicken. Use what you like best!

Asian Chicken Salad
from Cooking Light, November 2001
to see a photo and read the nutrition facts provided (this is Cooking Light after all), click here

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground fresh ginger
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 serrano chile (remove the seeds unless you want a lot of heat)

Salad:
4 cups thinly sliced napa (Chinese) cabbage
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or turkey)
1 cup red bell pepper strips (about 1 small pepper)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Preparation
To prepare the salad dressing, place the first 11 ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

To prepare the salad, combine the cabbage and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and pour the dressing over the salad, tossing to coat.

I love to eat this with white rice (with extra chopped peanuts on top). Mmmm.

Enjoy!
XOXO

Easy does it.

Hey. It's me again. It's been awhile. (Have I really not contributed anything since October? Yikes, I'm a lazy blogger.) I'm back. With baby steps. This may possibly be the easiest recipe you've ever seen - or made - in your life. There are four ingredients (FOUR!) and that includes salt. So does that really mean three ingredients? Try this when you don't feel like going to the store. Try this when you're in the mood for comfort food. Try this every night of the week. Because it's that good!

PS. I swear I will post about something other than pasta. The thing is, I get really excited about pasta.

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
from Smitten Kitchen (adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used salted, therefore needed less salt in the end)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta (or prepare your pasta when your sauce has 10 minutes or so to go).

Serve with any type of pasta you'd like (I used rotini), with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass.

No Sweat Holiday Feast

Feeding a crowd on a day with lots of anticipation and expectations can be a seriously stressful day for any host. When trying to figure out the Christmas dinner menu at my table I tried to keep this in mind. Visions of me standing over a pot stirring, while my guests leisurely sipped champagne and ate canapes swirled in my head. Along with the mathematical feat of using only one oven and timing multiple dishes. My mother (partner in Christmas crime) and I started discussing this meal no later than the week after Thanksgiving. Sounds crazy, but for two women that love to cook and were excited to cook together, it was a joy. We came up with this lovely, easy and delicious dinner that I will absolutely be repeating. The meat was delicious, the sides so great, and this sauce is a knockout. I had some help from my guests with an appetizer and salad and dessert was made the day before. This Christmas I spent some time in the kitchen, but even more time with my guests enjoying the champagne with them.

Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Shallots, Bacon and Port

Adapted from: Bon Appetit December 1997

serves 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds large shallots (about 24) halved lengthwise, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

6 cups beef stock

1 1/2 cups tawny Port

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2- 3 to 3 1/4 pound beef tenderloins (large ends), trimmed (ask your butcher to do this for you)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

7 good bacon slices, chopped (If it is not the thick stuff, use more)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Toss shallots with oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Roast until shallots are deep brown (but not burned) and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Boil stock and port in large saucepan until reduced to 3 3/4 cups, about 30 minutes (this took longer for us). Whisk in tomato paste. (Shallots and stock mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately, chill)

Pat beef dry; sprinkle with thyme salt and pepper (be generous, I used more than listed). In large roasting pan set over medium heat, saute bacon until golden, about 4 minutes. using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all side over medium high heat, about 7 minutes. Transfer pan to oven; roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees for medium rare, about 45 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil. (If you would like to some meat that is more cooked than others for your guests, simply but one roast in first, then add the one after a bit. I put one in 15 minutes before the other so I had some medium and medium well pieces)

Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place roasting pan over high heat. Add stock mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Transfer to medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Mix 3 tablespoons butter and flour in small bowl to form a paste; whisk into broth mixture and simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 3 tablespoons butter; Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut beef into 1/2 inch slices. Spoon sauce over or use a gravy boat for the table to serve.

(For timing of our meal, after we finished the sauce and the meat was resting, we had our salad course. When done with that course, we sliced the meat and placed everything on platters/serving bowls to serve at the table)

Sauteed Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

Eatingwell.com

4 servings (I doubled for 9 and it was all eaten)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb thin french green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup of water

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Heat one teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add green beans and saute until beginning to sear in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes for tender-crisp. Push beans to the side, add remaining 1 teaspoon of oil and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, stir everything together and cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. (Timing wise, I finished this before we sat down and kept it warm in the oven)

Roasted Truffle Fingerling Potatoes

serves 8

2 lbs rinsed fingerling potatoes (also called Russian banana)

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

3 oz. truffle butter (look in your market by the butter, specialty food stores carry it now and Whole Foods)

Optional herb: chive or parsley

Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper to coat and spread into a single layer on baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes until fork tender. Place hot potatoes in serving bowl and toss with truffle butter just before serving. Toss with a handful of chopped herbs of your choice or none at all.

(timing wise I had these finishing to roast in the oven and then tossed with butter in serving dish after the salad course)

This was my longest post to date, but I hope that this meal finds itself on your table in 2010. A quick tip to cooking any meal for company is to work your way back from the time you want to eat. Example for what I did is: Eat at 5:45, means at 5:15 I need to be making the sauce, beans and the potatoes should be in the oven roasting, this means that the meat needs to be in around 4:15, so I will begin searing it at 4. Once you wrap your head around all the timing, it is a piece of cake and a lot less overwhelming. No one likes to see the host sweat, so don't! It will all turn out amazing. I hope this meal finds itself on your table in 2010. Happy New Year to all the F&A fans!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

First Christmas at Home

This was the first Christmas I had hosted at home, so it was a fun learning experience. My wonderful mother helped me along the way and made everything just that much easier. For those of you who know my mother, you know that she has a knack not only for cooking, but decorating and flowers. I have a lot more to learn in the flowers department, but I wanted to share a picture of our Christmas dinner table. It was very fun setting this formal table and I thought I could remind everyone of how to properly do it. Here is a quick guide for you to use for your next formal or even casual affair.

Forks: The small fork (salad fork) goes on the outside left hand side, the large fork (dinner fork) goes inside of that next to the plate. If having more than one course with a fork needed, simply continue to add in from the salad fork towards the plate.

Spoon: Place on the outside right hand side. if having soup, this should be the furthest to the right.

Knife: The dinner knife goes between the spoon and plate on the right hand side. Again, if serving multiple courses requiring a knife, just work your way in.

Plates: Work backward for each course. Dinner plate on the bottom, salad on top, appetizer plate or soup bowl at the very top if needed. The bread plate is placed diagonal left from the diner plate.

Glasses: All glasses go on the right diagonal from the dinner plate. Starting from the left it should be in this order: water glass, white wine glass, red wine glass.

Dessert flatware: The dessert spoon and cake fork are placed at the top of the setting, above the dinner plate. Spoon on top with the top of the spoon pointed to the left, cake fork on the bottom with the twines pointed to the right.

Not all of the above has to be done. In my opinion, you can set a table however you feel like it. I will say, though, that people are impressed with a formal setting and sometimes that is nice to see.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

Petite Cheescakes, baked good gone easy...

I pretty much lived for the holidays, not just for the presents and family time, but also for these little wrapped cakes of deliciousness. This is quite possibly the easiest baked good I have ever come across. It requires little prep and whoever is enjoying them will be blown away. My mom has been making these for a very long time and I was excited that this year I got to make them in my own home. You can serve them year round and top with whatever you would like. Traditionally, we would top with just a berry or two, but this year I tried topping them with a bit of melted Nutella and it was so good. Just heat the Nutella in the micro until liquefied and drizzle a mound on top. Get creative with your topping! Anything will be delicious and a crowd pleaser.

Petite Cheesecakes

makes 24 individual cakes using a standard muffin tin (you could also use the mini muffin pans and make bite sized ones for a cocktail party, just a thought!)

3- 8oz packages of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

For Topping:

2 cups sour cream

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla

optional: berries, melted nutella, candied flowers, etc. Anything you want!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy using a standing mixer or hand held mixer. Add eggs one at a time allowing each to incorporate on its own. Add vanilla and combine. Pour mixture in paper lined muffin tin, fill each to about 2/3 full. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until they have risen and push back when you press on them.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit until the "sink in." (You will recognize what this is when you see it) Combine all of the topping ingredients above and "frost" with this mixture. I use a heaping tablespoon on each and swirl around with my spoon. Return pans to the oven for 5 minutes.

Cool the pans on a rack, remove the cakes once able to handle and place on the cooling rack. Top each cake with the topping of your choice if desired. Refrigerate until cool and ready to serve.

They can be made in advance and frozen, thawed at room temperature for about 30 minutes, top them after they are thawed.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

Alterna-Burger Night

I have my family in town already for Christmas and have been cooking for a crowd. It has been fun to cook for them and thank goodness I have made recipes that they enjoyed! Last night I made a burger that is fantastic and flavorful. This is not your average burger and it actually looks elegant. It is a ground lamb burger wrapped in prosciutto and cooked on the stove (no one has to dare the 10 degree weather to grill!). I served it with a simple orzo salad with oranges. It was a great meal and I got lots of compliments. So thank you Giada for this lovely recipe and I hope your eves of Christmas are just as successful!

Prosciutto Lamb Burgers

Giada's Kitchen

serves 4 to 6

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (I actually used Italian style and it was great)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of whole milk (I used skim and it was fine)

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese (I used Parmesan and again, it was great)

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (use the oil packed ones)

/34 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound ground lamb (ask your butcher to do this for you, I have yet to see it in the market)

6 large slices of Prosciutto, sliced medium thin (I used two think slices instead)

1/4 cup olive oil

Fresh basil leaves for topping burger

Fresh tomato slices for topping burger

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Stir to combine. Add the lamb to the bowl and gently combine all of the ingredients. (tip: I use a fork to do this or you can use your fingers. The harder you work the meat, the more dense your burger, so be gentle) Divide the mixture into 6 portions and pat each burger into a 1 inch patty. Place the prosciutto slices on a cutting board. Place 1 burger into the center of each slice or prosciutto and wrap the prosciutto around the burger. (My slices were short, so I overlapped them to make one long piece so it would wrap all the way around)

Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat for 2 minutes. Place the lamb burgers in the pan and cook half way until prosciutto is golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. (If you think the process is happening too fast, and the prosciutto is burning, turn down heat). Turn the burgers and cook an additional 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove burgers from the pan and place on serving platter or individual plates. Top each burger with a tomato slice, basil leaf, a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic. Serve immediately.

I served this with a orzo salad that I put together with the following. You can portion it out to however many people you are having and how hungry they are. I used 2 cups of Orzo for a hungry crowd of 5. Just toss all the following together and let sit until ready to serve. It is better if it sits for at least an hour.

Orzo: cook until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water until room temperature.

Orange segments: I cut the rind completely off the orange then cut the segments out of their rind so there is just orange.

Red Onion: sliced thin and roughly chopped

Flat Leaf Parsley: chopped

Celery: Chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette: minced garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, 1 part red wine vinegar, 2 parts olive oil whisked together

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

Banh Mi Baby One More Time

This recipe is a revelation. Seriously, I would usually never consider a meatball sub for dinner and here I was enjoying every minute of devouring this amazing sandwich tonight. This is a French-Vietnamese style sandwich, usually served on the streets, made gourmet and fabulous. The flavors are out of this world and you can do a lot of the work in advance. I will absolutely make this again and would serve to any company. It can be made to your taste (as you can see I like when you can play with recipes) and it would even be delicious if you served it as a salad for those of you out there trying to avoid baguettes. If you are that person, I am not sure that we can be friends.

Pork Meatball Banh Mi

Bon Appetit January 2010

Makes 4 Sandwiches

Pickled Vegetables

2 cups coarsely grated carrots

2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon (I could not find this in my market and subbed in zucchini)

1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

Directions: Toss ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing occasionally

Hot Chili Mayo

2/3 cup Mayonnaise

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (like sriracha, but any hot sauce you like will do)

Directions: Combine all three ingredients in a small and season with salt. *Do Ahead: Can be made one day in advance, cover and chill

Meatballs

1 lb ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped basil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce (can find in the Asian food section of your market)

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions: Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Using moistened hands and a scant tablespoons for each, roll meat mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet. *Do ahead: Can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and chill

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs. Saute until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering the heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. (I took one out after they all felt firm and broke it open to make sure it was done) Transfer meatballs to another baking sheet and place in oven. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Assembly

4 10-inch long individual baguettes, or 4 10-inch long sliced pieces of a long baguette

thinly sliced jalapeno chilis (I removed the seeds, because it would be crazy hot with them!)

16 large fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions: Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally, but not through the other side completely. Pull out enough bread from each bread half to leave 1/2 inch thick shell. Spread hot chili mayo all over the sandwich. Arrange jalapeno slices, then cilantro in bottom halves. Fill each with 1/4 of the meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on Baguette tops.

Enjoy!!!

xoxo

Erin

Bella Italian Wedding Soup

As the blizzard outside my window rages on, I continue to try to cook heart warming meals inside. This girl likes comfort in the cold and much of what I am cooking these days reflects that. This is one of my new favorite soup recipes from the Queen herself, Ina Garten. Many of you know her as the Barefoot Contessa. I use her recipes often and they always come out perfectly. This is another chicken soup made better by including flavorful meatballs and healthful spinach. The only thing I would do differently is make the meatballs smaller. Make sure that they are bite size when making them. Adjust cooking time as needed. I also added a few dashes of hot sauce to the meatball mixture. Hope this helps you stay warm!

Italian Wedding Soup

Barefoot Contessa 2008

serves 6-8

For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

Is there anything better than Bacon?

Bacon is by far America's most loved ingredient. At least the America I know. Whether eating a crispy piece with your eggs in the morning, enjoying it on your BLT for lunch or finding a hint of it in your gourmet dinner out, bacon is everywhere and I love it. Here is a soup with just a bit of bacon. It is almost vegetarian, except for the Chicken stock and bacon. So I guess not really vegetarian at all, but close enough for me. This is a hearty vegetable soup that can fill up anyone, including your skeptical man (ie: my husband). And even though it has bacon in it, it is very healthful and low in calories. There is rosemary in this as well, and I don't even get me started on how much I am loving that herb right now... And my new trick that I incorporated into this soup is to add in a parmigiano rind while simmering. It brings a richness to the soup and that great flavor of the cheese.

Tuscan Peasant Soup with Rosemary & Pancetta

Serves 6-8

5 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 1/4 cups, about 6 oz. small diced Pancetta (regular bacon is totally fine)

4 cups large diced Savoy Cabbage (about 1/2 head, you can also use Napa cabbage)

2 medium onions, diced

4 medium carrots, diced

kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary, plus 1 tsp.

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained

8 cups chicken stock

Optional: Rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 15 1/2 oz cans, small white beans rinsed and drained (ie: Navy Beans)

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Pepper

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil in a 4 to 5 qt. dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, stirring often. Remove pot from heat. Remove pancetta from pot with slotted spoon and drain on paper lined plate. Pour off all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pot.

2. Return the pot to medium high heat and add the cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until limp and browned around the edges. Remove the pot form the heat and transfer cabbage to another plate.

3. Put the pot back over medium heat and add 2 Tbs. of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and vegetables start to brown around the edges. Add the garlic, 1 Tbs. of rosemary and the coriander. Cook, stirring until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stir together and cook an additional 3 minutes.

4. Return the cabbage to the pan and add the chicken stock and parmigiano rind, if using. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes to infuse the broth. Add the beans and return the pot to a simmer, cook for another 2 minutes. Remove pot from the heat, remove the cheese rind and discard. Stir in the remaining rosemary and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. Taste the soup, add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup hot, garnished with pancetta and grated cheese.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin

One Juicy Bird

I have been working on my roast chicken now for awhile and have yet to really feel that I have mastered it. Roast chicken is one of those dishes to me that screams "home cooked." I know my mom made a delicious roast chicken, so I am sure that is where it comes from. There is just something about that crisp skin, juicy meat and beautiful pan sauce that I love. I think I am getting much closer to the perfect bird and this recipe really helped. I served this with a fall salad and dinner was complete.

Roast Chicken

Food & Wine: December 2009

serves 6

One 6 lb Roasting Chicken (I used a 3.5 and it was almost about the same cooking time, all other ingredients were the same)

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

6 rosemary sprigs

3 lemons, 2 quartered, 1 juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine, plus an additional 1/2 cup

1/4 cup of honey

salt and pepper

1 3/4 cups chicken stock, plus 1 additional cup

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Set the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and stuff the cavity with the garlic, rosemary and the 2 quartered lemons. Tie the legs together. Rub the oil over the chicken, pour the wine and lemon juice over the chicken, drizzle the honey all over the chicken and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

2. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, uncovered. Add 1 cup of broth to the pan, cover with foil and reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees. Roast for 40 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock to the roasting pan. Cover and roast for 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in an inner thigh registers 165 degrees. (If using a smaller bird, it won't take the full 50 minutes)

3. Transfer chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Place the empty roasting pan on stove with 1-2 burners on med-high. Once pan is hot, add the 1/2 cup of wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom. Add the 1 cup of stock and let reduce for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Strain sauce into hot serving bowl and ladle over chicken when serving.

I hope that you find success with this recipe as well. Here's to comfort food!

PS: You can use the rest of the chicken and bones to make a lovely stock as well. Nothing goes to waste!

xoxo

Erin

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

I made this side dish last night and it was amazing. I had bought cauliflower at the market and would just figure out something interesting to do with it using what was in my pantry. I found this recipe on epicurious and it was so good. Great flavors and I loved the flavors that came out by roasting the cauliflower. I did not have cilantro in my fridge (I know, shocking), but next time I won't forget to have it on hand for sprinkling as instructed. My husband grilled some steaks and I made a salad, but the cauliflower was the star of the meal! I halfed this recipe and used just one cauliflower, it yielded about 3-4 servings.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Adapted from Bon Appetit, 2004, A.O.C., Santa Monica, CA

Yields 6 side dish servings

4 lbs cauliflower florets (about 12 cups)

1 large onion, peeled, quartered

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon Hungarian Hot Paprika (I used regular paprika and some red pepper flakes)

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place florets in a roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower. In a bowl, whisk together all of the remaining ingredients, except the cilantro. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread in single layer and sprinkle with pepper. Roast in oven for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mound vegetables in large bowl and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Erin