Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

This recipe is adapted from something I saw in Cooking Light Magazine (March 2011).  Winter is STILL alive and well in Nashville, but I’m growing tired of heavy cold-weather soups. So I was searching for something light and healthy but substantial enough for a main course. With 4-5 modifications (though still keeping the health benefits in tact) I came up with a very satisfying meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sweet onion – chopped
1/2 cup fennel bulb – julienned
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 links sweet Italian turkey sausage
2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup homemade garlic vegetable broth (hopefully you’ve made a batch before and froze some!)
1 (15oz) can Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans – rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups kale leaves – torn (you can substitute escarole or swiss chard if you prefer)
3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Start by getting your Mise en Place together. This is crucial because once the meat is browned, everything moves quickly. Dice your onion (you’ll probably use 1/2 of a medium onion). Julienne your fennel. Be sure to peel off the outer layer which can be pretty tough and bitter. Mince garlic fine if not using pre-minced from a jar. After rinsing your kale, fold leaves lengthwise so that the spine shows. Pull away from spine and tear leaves into one inch pieces. Discard spines. Rinse and drain your canned beans. Okay – everything in place?

Ready to Cook?
Start by browning the sausage. Peel casings off sausage links and break into one inch pieces while stirring and browning. If you have an enamel cast iron pot, you can do this all in one vessel. But if not, use a frying pan or a pan that browns meat well. Turkey sausage doesn’t render a lot of fat so you may need to give it a splash of olive oil while browning. Once meat is browned and almost thoroughly cooked, add olive oil, onion, garlic and fennel and saute until tender, probably 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

Once the veggies are tender, add the chicken and garlic vegetables broths. [By the way, you can make this with just chicken broth, but I promise you - it won't taste as amazing.] Add the beans, cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. About 5 minutes. Then add the kale and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the kale wilts.

Sprinkle the Parmesan shavings on top right before serving. Tip: I pre-shaved extra Parm and have it ready for leftover soup!

The Perfect Bite
Now this is one of my favorite “perfect bite” moments… when you can load your spoon with a little bit of everything. Seriously, scoop up a chunky piece of sausage, a couple of white beans, some leafy kale and some garlicky broth. And be sure to get some Parmesan on there! It’s like they were created to go together. You will hear poetry in your head.

The Perfect Pairing
Pairing wines with soup recipes can be tricky. If you breakdown your soup ingredients and view them as you would a pasta sauce or something of similar status then your task will be less intimidating. If your soup is a tomato base then you’d want a wine with a little less acidity and lighter on the tannin content. If your soup (or stew or chili) is heavy on beans or meat then you could also get away with a wine that has a bit more body and strength. Which is why I chose a 2007 Malbec from Pannotia Vineyards for this soup. With a hint of clove and cinnamon and full tannins, it will play nicely off the sweetness Italian sausage and hold up against the slightly bitter kale.

The Perfect Health
Thanks to Cooking Light Magazine who provided all the health specs for this soup.
Calories:230 Fat: 4.6g Protein: 179g Carbs: 15.5g Fiber: 4.7g Chol: 49mg Iron:1.3mg Sodium: 624mg Calc: 87mg

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Posted in entree, Kale, main course, soup, Sweet Italian Sausage, Vidalia onion, White Beans

Garlic Vegetable Broth

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

I have finally posted this recipe separately because I have used it in so many of my dishes. Now I can just link to it and hopefully make it easier on you.

You can make as much or as little of this broth as you like… I prefer to make the largest batch I can manage so I can freeze small containers worth and have this ready to add to any soup, any time. This recipe is based off of 2.5 quarts. (More recipes to come using this tasty broth!)

2.5 qts vegetable stock preferably from scratch but try to use organic if purchasing cans or boxes of broth (it’s roughly six 14oz cans).
4-5 tablespoons (heaping) coursely diced garlic (roughly 2 bulbs)
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
3 pinches dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pinch salt

Add all ingredients to the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat… cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth. Use immediately for soup or freeze in individual portions. TIP: freezing broth in ice cube trays allows you to use small portions at a time.

Nutritional info per serving:
110 calories
6 g total fat (1 g sat)11 g carbohydrates
5 g protein
0 g fiber
150 mg sodium

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Posted in garlic, soup, vegetable garlic broth

Roasted Pork Tenderloin in a Mustard Horseradish Sauce

Posted on February 23, 2011 | Leave a comment


Pork loin is such a great cut of meat. It’s versatile, inexpensive and easily impressive. And as far as pork goes, it is probably the healthiest way to enjoy some pig.  :) Simply by seasoning and searing the outside and roasting in a dutch oven you will have the juiciest, tastiest slices of meat you can imagine. I learned from Chef John’s video that if pork loin is cooked properly, you can cut it with your fork. If you follow this recipe your fork will glide though your meat like buddah (butter).

Most pork loins come 2 to a package… and because of their versatility you can make both pieces and use them to create amazing leftovers through the week.

I discovered this recipe HERE (scroll half way down).  With the exception of a couple of tweaks, it’s pretty much all his recipe. I love that Chef John shows the whole process on video. I suggest watching the whole thing. He makes it all pretty effortless.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 portions)
1-2 pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (smooth, not course)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon fresh chives – chopped finely
1-2 tablespoons cold butter

Preparation
Pre-heat oven 375 degrees.

Trim any of the silver tissue that might be on the tenderloin, though most come pre-trimmed now. There will be a little fat, but be sure to leave that alone. Your pork needs it to melt in the pan to brown it properly.

Ready To Cook?
Using a pan that can go from stove top to oven, pre-heat your oil on a medium burner. Sprinkle both sides of the tenderloin generously with the salt and pepper. Once your oil is ready – it should glisten – you want the meat to sizzle the SECOND it hits the oil or it won’t brown. Place your pork tenderloins in the pan. Leave them alone for 3-4 minutes. No seriously, LEAVE THEM ALONE! It’s tempting to pick up and peek to see if they’re browning every 20 seconds, but then of course, they won’t brown. Once ready, turn your meat over and the second side is going to brown in the oven. NOTE: The browning process is key to getting juicy meat. Don’t think you can skip this process. Unless of course, you’re a fan of shoe leather.

Cook in the 375 degree over for about 20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer – your pork tenderloin should be at an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Be sure to let your meat rest, uncut, for at least 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 150-155 degrees while resting.

While the meat is resting comfortably on the cutting board, you can make your sauce. I do encourage you, once again, to watch Chef John’s video for this… he really takes the mystery out of making what might “sound” like a complicated sauce. But basically, you start by de-glazing the pan (while it’s still hot) that you cooked your pork in by pouring in the chicken stock and scraping up all the delicious little bits stuck to the bottom. Then add the horseradish, mustard and cayenne pepper. Whisk until fully blended and then pour in the cream. Bring to a simmering boil – you’ll see bubbles surfacing around the edges of the pan. Then remove from the heat and stir in the cold butter. I’m not sure how the science of this works, magic possibly, but this creates a very silky sauce.

Drizzle over sliced meat and sprinkle with chopped chives. Yes, you may name your first born after me.

The Perfect Bite
My perfect first bite is when the meat is warm and I swirl it through the horseradishy mustardy sauce. Then I like to add a little of whatever else is on my plate – a crunchy bite of asparagus, garlicy mashed potatoes… this is a meat that’s meant to play well with others.

The Perfect Pairing
Try the Twisted Oak Winery Viognier 2005 for its super-silky finish, plus it has a taste of allspice and white raisins. It’s a $20 bottle but since you’re making such an inexpensive dish… feel free to indulge here!

The Perfect Health
The spicy root of horseradish can be used as a natural treatment against rheumatic disorders and respiratory disorders, especially the superior respiratory ways. It is so beneficial because it is laden with a high amount of vitamin C and B complex, nutritive minerals (potassium, calcium, iron), natural antibiotics, enzymes etc. Read more HERE.

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Posted in asparagus, entree, horseradish, main course, meat, mustard, pork

Petite Butter Crust Galette filled with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Posted on February 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

These tasty little dessert galettes will amaze and impress your friends. They’re like having your own personal little chocolate pie… and who doesn’t want that? The laborious handmade buttery crust will give them that wow factor I’m always looking for… but feel free to try a pre-made crust if that’s too time consuming or intimidating. Be sure to include the egg and vanilla creamer wash and they will still be pretty delicious.

Ingredients:
Butter Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Filling
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Himalayan pink salt for dusting (Kosher sea salt is fine if you can’t find this)

Egg Wash
1 med egg yolk
2 tablespoons of non-dairy vanilla creamer

Preparation:
Crust
1 – Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.
2 – Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
3 – Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
4 – Remove crust disks from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a large circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Using a 3 inch round cookie or dough cutter, cut out as many circles as you can get from the surface. Remove leftovers and gently kneed together and roll out again. Repeat until almost all the dough is used  Set is 3″ rounds, two inches apart on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and cover with a wet paper town to keep moist.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla creamer. Set aside.

Filling
1 – Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, then remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, and hazelnut extract in a bowl. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined.
2 – Soon the filing into the center of the dough round and swirl with the back of the spoon until you have an even layer, leaving 1/4-1/3 inch of dough showing.
3 – Pinch edges of exposed dough up until you form 5-6 points, creating a “bowl” for the chocolate.
4 – Use a pastry brush to wash over pie crust with the egg wash. Be sure to get the top edges.
5 – Take a small pinch of the Himalayan pink salt and spring over the chocolate.

Ready to Cook?
Place cookie sheets on a middle rack in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Ovens vary, so check your galettes at about 15 minutes to see how they are doing. The edges of the crust should golden brown. Wait 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

The Perfect Bite
As with any baked good – the perfect bite is always best right our of the oven. But caution… wait at least 5 minutes or you will scald the roof of your mouth. I may or may not know this first hand.

The Perfect Pairing
This may be the first mixed drink I have recommended. But I have a couple of reasons for suggesting pairing this dessert with a Presbyterian. Mainly, because these little galettes are a bit of religious experience. But also, the rich dark chocolate, sprinkled with the Himalayan pink salt has an earthy sweetness that takes you buy surprise. As does the Presbyterian with its mix of ginger ale and bourbon… earthy sweetness in a highball.  A red wine would be good, but predictable. Try these two together and thank me later.

The Perfect Health
Hallelujah! Dark chocolate may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries. Read more HERE.  Plus, my friend Tracy Utley claims it cures the common cold. And I, for one, believe her. She’s a mom of 4 boys, after all.

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Posted in baking, chocolate, dessert, pie crust

Mint Chocolate Salted Cookies

Posted on February 14, 2011 | 1 Comment


These mint chocolate cookies come with a surprise little bite. A little salt in the batter gives them an unexpected savory “wow factor”. I took them to a party last night and kept hearing throughout the room… “Oh my gosh! Have you tried these cookies? And that’s what I was going for…

Ingredients
(makes 2 1/2 dozen)
1 cup Unsalted Butter
¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-½ teaspoon mint extract
2 whole eggs
1-¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-¾ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher sea salt – generous
1 cup Turbinado sugar for dusting cookies

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy (use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer). Add the vanilla and mint extracts and then add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly with each addition. Combine the cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and gradually stir into the creamed mixture.

The dough is rather stick so I find it easiest to use an ice cream scooper to scrape about a walnut-size ball of dough from the bowl. Roll dough into a smooth ball and then roll in Turbinado sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hand. Space about two inches apart.

Ready To Cook?
Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and the tops are cracked, but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Perfect Bite
Um, it’s a delicious cookie. Every bite is perfect. Warm from the oven of course.

The Perfect Pairing
Oh just do it – dunk it in milk and call it a day.

The Perfect Health
Well, it IS a cookie. And it IS made with a full cup of butter. So let’s just say… enjoy these in moderation. :)

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Posted in chocolate, cookies, dessert, mint

Vegetarian Spring Rolls w/Peanut Sauce

Posted on February 7, 2011 | 8 Comments

Once again I am trying to duplicate something from my favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Phooket. But I love Spring Rolls, especially because they’re fresh and healthy and dipped in a sauce made from peanut butter and Asian spices! Um hello… speaking my language here.

I stumbled across the rice paper wrappers at Nashville’s downtown International Market. So I thought I’d give it a shot. After some online research (Have you checked out TasteSpotting?) I set out to wrap some veggie Spring Rolls.

Let me emphasize here how important it is to establish your mise en place. This process goes quickly once you start rolling the rice paper… so, as always, I suggest reading through the entire recipe before beginning. Once all your veggies and herbs are chopped and ready, make your peanut sauce… since spring rolls are best eaten immediately after being assembled. And you don’t want them sitting around getting soggy while making your sauce.

Ingredients
Carrots
Yellow bell peppers
Green onions
Cilantro leaves
Avocado strips
Bean sprouts
Cucumber
Avocado
(all veg sliced julienne in the slimmest cut you can manage. Quantities vary based on how think you want your rolls to be. I suggest 1.5-2″ around.)
Rice paper wrappers
Fresh basil, mint and cilantro leaves – chiffonade cut

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbs. rice vinegar
1/2 c. Tamari soy sauce
1-2 tbs. Siracha chili sauce (really however much or little you want)
1/2 c. peanut butter
juice of one lime
2 tbs. sesame oil

Preparation
Julienne all of your veggies in long 2-3″ strips
Roll herb leaves together and slice into a chiffonade and set aside.
Get a fry pan or deep plate that’s at least 12″ across. Fill with warm (not hot) water. You will use this to soak your rice paper wrappers.


Ready to Cook (or rather, assemble)?
For the Peanut Sauce:
Put all sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. It should be creamy but not too runny. Be sure to taste and adjust accordingly. I like it spicier, you may like it more nutty.
For Spring Rolls:
Soak your rice paper sheets in the pan of warm water for roughly 15 seconds.
Begin layering your veggies and sprinkling the chiffonade of herbs across the veg. Once all your ingredients are stacked lengthwise, fold “burrito style” – i.e., Fold in the top and bottom of the roll, and then fold over one side, and roll tightly towards the other. The wrapper will stick to itself well and hold everything together. If your wrapper is drying and does not seem  to seal tightly, dip your finger in water and paint over all the seams.  Place seam-side down on plate. You can serve these whole (below) or cut in two (above)… which ever you prefer.

The Perfect Bite
Just drizzle a little peanut sauce into the roll and enjoy! TIP: if you spoon the sauce onto the cut roll verses dipping straight into the sauce, your roll will stay together better.

The Perfect Pairing
Yalumba makes an amazing little viognier… which is a white varietal that is similar to chardonnay, but not nearly as oak-y.  Richer in musk and spice it’s a perfect balance for the crisp fresh vegetables in the spring rolls and is smooth enough to ease the heat of the peanut sauce.

The Perfect Health
These little beauties are so healthy! Not only are they packed with nutrients from the vegetables and herbs, but they’re a mere 63 calories per roll (95 calories if you add shrimp). Of course there’s 50 calories per tablespoon of peanut sauce… but it’s so rich it only takes a little. So enjoy!

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Posted in appetizer, Asian, avocado, basil, fresh vegetables, peanut butter, rice paper

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Posted on January 25, 2011 | 5 Comments

…or cookies. They’re technically cookies but they look like, and have the texture of, biscuits. Plus, if I call them biscuits then I can have one for breakfast with less guilt. So yes, browned butter chocolate chip biscuits is what I’m officially calling them.

Wait… browned butter? What exactly is that?

Because I didn’t take photos while browning my butter I’ve found this great site that shows you exactly how. But making browned butter is fairly simple… you basically melt butter in a small sauce pan and continue it on a medium to low flame until it builds a froth on top.  You’ll begin to see light browning spots in the froth and it will take on an earthy, nutty aroma. You have to watch it so it doesn’t burn… but the perfect browning happens right before it’s about to burn. The browner the butter, the better the flavor. Chill in the fridge until it becomes solid. You want it to be soft, but not melted. If it cools too hard, let it come back to room temperature before using. This will become your new secret ingredient that brings that “wow” factor to whatever you’re making.

Ingredients
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup browned butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 pound) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan (or two) with parchment paper.

Beat the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined on medium speed. Add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

The batter will be soft and fairly sticky. This is when I pull a large sheet of saran wrap out and put the dough in the center and roll it into a long tube-like shape, roughly 2″ in diameter. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until it becomes more firm.

Ready to Cook?
Remove dough from the fridge and unwrap. Slice into 3/4″ dials, leave whole or  divide in two for smaller biscuits. Place on baking sheet leaving 2 inches in between each biscuit. (I divided the dials in 2 with the biscuits pictured above and below). Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The Perfect Bite
Of course, hot out of the oven is the best bite for any baked good and it’s the same for these. But please, let it cool enough so as not to burn your palate for good!

The Perfect Pairing
Most people, including my roommate who jumped right into the kitchen as soon as these were done, prefer a cold glass of milk. But I’m a coffee and biscuit fan myself. But it’s all a personal preference when it comes to desserts. Heck, have a glass of Merlot with your browned butter chocolate chip biscuit if you want. This is America after all.

The Perfect Health
Butter, browned or not, should be consumed in moderation. I would recommend not using butter substitutes, I mean, do we really know what’s in that stuff? But butter, real butter, tastes better and is a “real food”. But moderation is key, regardless of what Paula Deen says.

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Posted in browned butter, chocolate, cookies, dessert

Savory Galettes

Posted on January 23, 2011 | 4 Comments

:: disclaimer :: these photos were taken w/my iPhone & not my regular camera. Hope to re-take photos soon.

The beauty of the galette is that it can come in any shape, size and flavor. It’s simply a free-form rustic tart and can be either sweet or savory, or both. My favorite, not pictured here because my friends ate it before I could snap a photo, is fresh fig and goat cheese drizzled with dark honey.

These galettes are made with a “cheater” crust – store bought rolled up in a box. But it worked in a pinch. But use whatever your favorite pie crust recipe is and I’m sure they’ll be delicious and even more rustic looking. Or cheat as I did… whatever works best for you.

On a side note: I just won an ebay auction scoring a 1967 edition of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. That deserves a blog entry all its own.. but I looked up galettes according to Julia and she made them as small individual appetizer tarts! About 2″ in diameter and often a chunk of (French) cheese served as the base, topped with ham, or an egg or both. Then wrapping the crust around and baking – things of perfection, I’m sure.

So there’s a few extra ideas for you. Listed below are the recipes for the two galettes pictured above. If you try your own version please come back and post it on this blog so we can all benefit from your culinary genius!

Each galette serves 3-6 people depending on whether you are serving it as an entree, a side or an appetizer. TIP:  You’ll notice that both galettes call for homemade ricotta. Please, please, please do me a favor and don’t buy that pasty store-bought stuff. Click on the link provided and you’ll see just how very easy it is to make your own. And once you do – you’ll never eat store-bought again – I promise! Try making the ricotta a day or two before and it won’t feel like such a big job all in one day.  One batch of ricotta should be enough to make roughly three galettes.

Ingredients
Galette #1
1 roll of store-bought pie crust
1 cup homemade ricotta
1 large egg
1 half small sweet onion – finely diced
1.5 cup baby spinach leaves (washed w/stems removed)
3/4 cup smoked sockeye salmon (or whatever your favorite smoked salmon is)
1/4 pine nuts
pinch of fine sea salt
pinch of ground pepper
egg whites

Galette #2
1 roll of store-bought pie crust
1 cup homemade ricotta
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese – divided
1 large egg
1 tsp of garlic paste or very finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon of pesto
1/2 cup of red bell pepper – julienne
1/2 zucchini slices (roughly 8-10 dials)
1 sheet of prosciutto – sliced into strips lengthwise
pinch of fine sea salt
pinch of ground pepper

Preparation
Galette #1
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray. Parchment paper is best because it will help to transfer the galette to a plate later.

Roll out a pie crust onto your work board and use your rolling pin to stretch and smooth it out. This should give you an extra inch of pie crust. Place the crust onto the cookie tin.

In either a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, blend together the ricotta, the egg and diced onion.  Add the salt and pepper. Don’t over-beat… it should look like cottage cheese when you’re done.

Place 1/2 of your spinach leaves in a single layer, forming  circle in the center of your pie crust. You should leave at least 2″ of crust edge showing.  Spoon your blended ricotta and egg mixture on top of the spinach leaves. Spread around with a spatula making an even layer, not exceeding the spinach leaves (as in, still leave 2″ of pie crust available).  Now put another single layer of your remaining spinach leaves on top of the mixture. Then your final layer is the Smoked salmon and pine nuts. Peel salmon into small thin strips and scatter evenly on top of the spinach leaves. Scatter pine nuts across the top.

Gently fold the 2″ crust up and over the layered smoked salmon. It will not cover the whole thing and will leave roughly a 3-4″ whole in the center uncovered (see photo above).  The finished shape will be rustic and rarely the same. Sometimes they’re very round, sometimes more triangle or square. It doesn’t matter… I think the more non-uniform the better.

Brush the outside of the pastry with the egg whites. You can also use melted butter if you prefer.

Galette #2
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray. Parchment paper is best because it will help to transfer the galette to a plate later.

Roll out a pie crust onto your work board and use your rolling pin to stretch and smooth it out. This should give you an extra inch of pie crust. Place the crust onto the cookie tin.

In either a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, blend together the ricotta, the egg, garlic, pesto and 1/2 of your Parmesan cheese. Add the salt and pepper. Don’t over-beat… it should look like cottage cheese when you’re done.

Spoon your blended ricotta, pesto and egg mixture forming a circle in the center of your pie crust. You should leave at least 2″ of crust edge showing. Spread around with a spatula making an even layer. Now put a single layer of of the prosciutto strips on top of the mixture. Then scatter the red bell pepper strips as the next layer. You can be neat or haphazard it’s up to you. Then layer your thin zucchini slices, starting from the outside and working your way to the middle in a circular pattern. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Gently fold the 2″ crust up and over the layered zucchini. As mentioned before, it will not cover the whole thing and will leave roughly a 3-4″ whole in the center uncovered (see photo above). It’s okay of the hole is larger, as long as there’s a good lip of crust to keep in the ingredients.

Brush the outside of the pastry with the egg whites or use melted butter if you prefer.

Ready to Cook?
Place galette in a 375 degree preheated oven, on the middle rack for 25 minutes or until your pie crust is golden brown. On galette #1 the pine nuts should be lightly toasted. If they blacken, your oven rack it too high. On galette #2 the zucchini should be lightly browned and caramelized. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, but serve warm.

The Perfect Bite
Cut the galette in triangles and eat just like a pizza. Take a nice big bite to be sure and get a taste of all the ingredients!

The Perfect Pairing
Serve by itself or with a lightly dressed side salad. If serving as brunch they go great with mimosas. To make mimosas simply mix 1-2-1 pulp-free orange juice with a sparkling wine such as Barefoot Pinot Grigio Champagne.

The Perfect Health
Did you know that smoked salmon is recommended By The American Heart Association? Smoked salmon is also high in Vitamin E, which is also a great antioxidant. Vitamin E can reduce or lower the risk of heart disease and has also been shown to play a protective role against cancer as well. Read more HERE.

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Posted in breakfast, pesto, pie crust, pork, red roasted bell peppers, ricotta, smoked salmon, spinach, Vidalia onion, zucchini

2010 in review

Posted on January 2, 2011 | 2 Comments

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 8,800 times in 2010. That’s about 21 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 11 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 36 posts. There were 24 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 34mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was August 10th with 658 views. The most popular post that day was Big Daddy’s (& Little Debbie’s) Spicy Beef Patties.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were tastespotting.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, debbiebarnett.wordpress.com, and foodista.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for soup, how to reheat naan bread, pasta, unagi burger, and caribbean stuffed peppers.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Big Daddy’s (& Little Debbie’s) Spicy Beef Patties September 2009
9 comments

2

Garden Vegetable Pasta Bake (w/Italian Sausage) July 2010
4 comments

3

Blueberry Rosemary Scones September 2010
7 comments

4

Curry Hummus & Naan Bread April 2009
15 comments

5

La Bella Burger July 2009
3 comments

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Posted in review

Crystallized Ginger Molasses Cookies

Posted on October 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

I’m so excited about these cookies.  I haven’t had them in years and have never made them before… so after some research and a few friends sending me their Mom’s favorite recipe and Aunt Sue’s Fail Proof Tips… I came up with what I think is the perfect Ginger Molasses Cookie. It’s perfect, because I like it. Because it made me exclaim, “Oh. My. Gosh!” when I took my first bite.

What makes them special and gives them that “wow” factor… is using the crystallized ginger (which I found at an Asian market), and grinding fresh cloves and nutmeg (versus using pre-ground spices from a jar). The freshness was unbelievable and I love getting a surprise little bite now and then of the spices.

They’re perfect because they’re perfect for me. It’s a rainy day and I’m under the weather and this is exactly what I needed.

You decide for you.

Ingredients
1 cup dark brown sugar
2.5 oz. vegetable oil (I use Smart Balance)
3.5 oz. molasses
1 large egg
2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon stick (use a plane or zester)
1 tsp freshly ground cloves (use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (use a plane or zester)
1/2 tsp  ginger powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup roughly chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup granulated white sugar, for rolling cookies in

Ready To Cook?
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), blend together on medium speed, the sugar, oil, molasses, spices, and salt for about 3 minutes.

*Grinding fresh spices will take these cookie from good to fabulous. It’s worth the extra time – I promise you!

Add in egg and mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes.

Add in baking soda and flour 1/2 a cup at a time. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is incorporated. Add the chopped ginger and mix until blended.

Roll the dough into about 1 inch balls, and drop into sugar. If dough is stiff, flatten each ball on the cookie sheet. I found it flattened fine on its own. Dough will be VERY sticky – so I use prep gloves powdered with flour.

Put into preheated oven for 13 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely. Makes 16 regular-sized cookies, or 8 jumbo-sized ones.

The Perfect Bite
Of course, the perfect bite is when they’re hot fresh and gooey out of the oven! These cookies should stay soft but if they start to get hard, put a piece of sandwich bread in with the cookies (in a Zip Lock or Tupperware) for about 24 hours. The bread will come out like a crouton and your cookies will be soft again. Magic!

The Perfect Pairing
A glass of cold milk or a cup of steamy coffee is be the perfect thing to sip with these sweet and tangy treats.

The Perfect Health
Ginger has been used as a natural remedy for many ailments for centuries. Now, science is catching up and researchers around the world are finding that ginger works wonders in the treatment of everything from cancer to migraines. Here are ten health benefits of this powerful herb.

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Posted in baking, cloves, cookies, dessert, ginger, molasses