take that, February

Kale and Smoked Sausage Soup

Feelin' chilly, chickadees?  Find yourself wearing socks to bed and contemplating wearing more than one scarf at a time?  Well, this divine soup will warm you right up.  It's from Martha Stewart (recipe here).  The recipe makes enough for 4 hungry folks, or one chilly single gal with leftovers for the fridge and freezer.  Take those mittens off for a minute and let's get started!

Chop one onion and saute in a deep soup pot for about 10 minutes in 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.

Add two chopped cloves of garlic and as much crushed red pepper as you like (I used about 1/2 teaspoon).

Cook for just a couple of minutes and then add in about 6 cups of chicken broth/stock.  If you're Ina Garten and live in the Haaamptons and have minions to make homemade chicken stock for you, use that.  If not, join me in using the quick boxed stuff.  I meant to buy low-sodium broth.  Using this broth (combined with the chicken sausage that comes later), I didn't need to add salt to this soup at all.

Add in some potatoes (again as many as you like).  I used these adorable teeny taters, but if you're using a larger potato, use 3 large potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cover and bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for about fifteen minutes until those spuds are tender.  (Le Creuset did not pay me for this product placement...yet.)

Now take a big bunch of kale.  Kale is one of those "superfoods" that is very good for you.  It also happens to be just about the cheapest fella in the produce section.

 (Apparently Hayden wants some more kale in his life.)

 After rinsing your kale, you want to take those tough stems out.  The easiest way to do this is put your knife against the side of the stem, hold the knife in place, and pull the stem upwards.  Chop roughly.

Now let's get our chicken sausage ready.  Oh, this stuff is good.  You want to buy pre-cooked chicken sausage (it's actually the easiest way to find chicken sausage).  I found this delightful roasted red pepper and asiago chicken sausage and used three links of it.

Half the sausage lengthwise and cut in half moons.  Or half circles.  Or Pacman smiley shapes.

 (Hayden got really excited when the chicken sausage made an appearance!)

Now that the potatoes are tender, give the soup a little whir with an immersion blender until just a bit blended (but still with plenty of potato pieces).  If you don't have one of these contraptions, you can take half of the soup and puree it in a food processor or a blender.  If you don't have either one of those, you can just take a potato masher to it.  If you don't have a potato masher, then honey, get thyself to Target.

Add in the chicken sausage and kale and simmer until the kale is tender, about 10 more minutes.

 Whenever I'm cooking with any kind of green, I always add a little bit of freshly grated nutmeg.  It just wakes up the flavors.

And that's it!  The broth is rich and deeply flavored from the sausage, the potatoes are delightfully creamy and the kale adds a great heartiness.

What a way to beat that February cold snap.

Bon appetit!

Lilrevchef

sweet potato supper

Sweet potato, I'm a fan.  You're just so tasty.  My Grandmother likes a good sweet potato, and I was recently at a steak restaurant that served my little steak with a side of baked sweet potato.  So, I've just been loving these fluffy, knobbly little spuds lately.  And word on the street is that they're really good for you (perhaps sans that delicious butter and cinnamon sugar).  Tonight, I was making supper out of my sweet potato.  It was a total invention, but turned out so yummy.

 Mmm.  Fluffy, creamy sweet potato piled high with slightly-bitter balsamic roasted radicchio, nutty gruyere, salty proscuitto and  fresh parsley.  What a tasty combination.  I'm always watching the Food Network, and they speak about creating food that combines as many flavors as possible (sweet, salty, acidic etc) and this hits on all of them.

First, you need to bake your potato.  Give it a good prod with a fork (there are urban legends that potatoes baked without doing this explode.  Let's face it, who really wants to put that to the test?).  

Put your sweet spud on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400ºF/204ºC for about an hour.

 In the meantime, you can prep your radicchio. Some of you may have never heard of this little guy.  It's Italian chicory, with a pungent flavor that adds an earthiness to whatever you put it in.  Give it a rinse and chop into bite-sized pieces (removing the extra bitter white core).

Look at my purty fleur de sel!  I found it at a local specialty store.  It's the exact same stuff I bought for my mom when I was in Geneva.  And yes, fancy salt gets me excited, y'all!

Toss on a baking sheet with salt and pepper, evoo and a hearty dash of balsamic vinegar.  The sweetness of the balsamic counteracts the bitterness of the radicchio beautifully.  Roast at 400/204 for 15 minutes, until nearly tender and slightly crispy at the edges.  I actually roasted the radicchio after my potato was done baking, because I spent the potato baking time skyping with delightful Jo in Cambridge.

Here's how it will look when it's done.  I know it looks burnt, but it's not!  It's a deep purple already and the balsamic vinegar caramelizes a bit on it.  Yum yum.  If you find that it's still too bitter for your taste, just add a bit more balsamic vinegar.

 Now, for a salty kick, chop up some pancetta.  Since we're going with an Italian veggie, this bacon is a great choice.  It's unsmoked (but quite salty), and you can get it at the butcher nice and thick and just cube it up.  (You can, of course, just use regular bacon.)

    

Saute on medium-high until crispy.    

And then drain on a paper towel.  Feel free to nibble on a couple pieces.  It's a Monday, y'all.  You've earned it!

 Chop up some fresh parsley.

Open that brilliant orange potato and smush it a bit (technical term) so it has room for all the goodies.

Pile it high with roasted radicchio, some large grates of nutty gruyere cheese, crispy pancetta and fragrant parsley.  It doesn't need butter or oil at all...just a final drizzle of balsamic vinegar around your plate to dip each bite in will do ya.

Now that's an elegant baked potato.  Balanced, powerful flavors, vibrant colors and pretty healthy, too.  What a way to begin the week.

(Sadly, there was none left for the precious pup once I was done.)

Bon appetit!

Lilrevchef

chocolate cake for the soul

Pastoral care takes many forms.  Today, this is what it looked like as I met with a teenager in my church, chatted with her about friends, prom dresses and life goals and helped her write Prayers of the People for Sunday.  And we ate this amazing chocolate cake.  And homemade creamy hummus with crunchy grilled bread.

In other news...I start Zumba classes tomorrow.  :)

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef

dominos schmominos

You ain't gettin' this at Dominos, y'all.  This is Rachael Ray's asparagus prosciutto pizza and it's my go-to easy peasy entertaining idea.

I don't have step-by-step instructions with pictures, because I was making it super-quick after work before a friend came over to discuss more churchy stuff.  I used to make this all the time in seminary when gals would come over every Tuesday night.

The leftovers make a delicious lunch: just reheat in the oven to get nice and bubbly and crispy.

Bon appetit!
Lilrevchef

Rachael Ray's Asparagus, Cheese and Prosciutto Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough  (that little dough boy's always great)
• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and halved
• 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (2 cups)  I used smoked Gouda instead, because I love it so and it was half the price!
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips

DIRECTIONS:Preheat the oven to 425°. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil. Place the pizza dough on the pan and stretch to fit (if the dough is resistant, cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate for a few minutes). Spread the ricotta on the dough. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and season with salt and pepper. Nestle the asparagus pieces in the cheese and sprinkle the Gruyère Gouda on top.Bake the pizza until the crust is brown and the cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Scatter the prosciutto over the top (I put the prosciutto on in the last couple minutes of baking so it gets a little crispy) and cut into squares.

rockstar pasta

Bacon and Mushroom Pasta with Rosemary Cream Sauce

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the happy marriage of mushrooms, bacon and pasta.  This ain't your normal spaghetti.  It's probably a bazillion Weight Watchers points, but is just delicious and fabulous.  Elegant, even.  And easy peasy, y'all.

Chop two slices of bacon into small pieces and saute until crisp.

Get rid of some of the extra bacon grease (leaving just a tiny bit in the pan) using the above pictured high-tech kitchen gadget.

 Thinly slice four or five mushrooms.

 You'll also need one sprig of earthy rosemary.

 Also chop 1/4 of a large onion (or half of a teeny one) and two cloves of garlic.

 You're also going to want a healthy pinch of crushed red pepper flake.  This stuff is gold in pasta: it adds a spicy kick and depth without adding strong flavor (like, say, a jalapeno would).

 Saute the onions with the bacon until tender, then add the mushrooms, garlic and rosemary and cook for about five minutes on medium heat.  This is a good time to cook your pasta (I just used spaghetti).  You want to cook it very al dente (because you're going to cook it a couple more minutes in the sauce at the end).

 Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream.  I know, you're thinking that after all the sweets of Christmas, heavy cream is the enemy.  If you prefer using milk, go for it.  I'm just going to go for a little jog tomorrow night after work (and eat all of this creamy, fabulous pasta I want!).

Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce and simmer a few minutes, until thickened.  Then add 1/3 cup of parmesan (yum yum yum).  Remove the rosemary sprig.  Drain the pasta and cook it a few minutes in that glorious sauce.  Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

 "Please, just a wee taste??"

This is one amazing pasta, y'all.  Creamy, with a kick from the crushed red pepper, a saltiness from the bacon and a deep rosemary undertone.  You'll love it.

Bon appetit,
lilrevchef

Bubble & Squeak

I realize I sorta plopped my dinner on a plate, but it tastes divine, I promise.

I'm back!  I know it's been a long while, but life's been blissfully busy these days and I've cooked plenty of yummy things, and I want to share one of my favorites:  Bubble and squeak!  Funny name, delicious food.  I learned how to make it in Belfast, from the wonderful Mo Blake.  The name comes from the delightful melted cheese on top (the bubble) and a bit of bacon in it (the squeak).  Consider it a shepherd's pie taken to a whole new level.  It's the perfect thing to warm you up on a chilly night.  Let's get started...

Take 4 small russet potatoes (or Irish ones for you people in that land of spectacular spuds).  Chop them into about inch-sized pieces.

(Hayden gets spooked when I chop things — gallant little guy, I know.  He goes in the other room and only comes back once I'm done.  Funny fellow.)

Fill a pan with water and add the potatoes and bring to a boil.  I also threw in a couple whole cloves of garlic.  Apparently all of the potatoes pieces cook evenly when brought to a boil together (as opposed to just adding them to already boiling water).  If you can understand why that is, I'll give you a golden potato, 'cause this gal has no idea why.

Chop some carrots into small pieces.  It's easiest to do this by chopping a carrot in half, then in half lengthwise and it's easy to cut into little squares.

Chop up three slices of bacon and saute in a dutch oven or large saucepan in a tablespoon of olive oil, until crisp.  Add in one small onion, chopped, and cook until tender.

Grab a few mushrooms and clean them with a damp paper towel.  It's not a good idea to rinse them off, because they're little sponges ("Hey, I'm a funghi!").  Wouldn't you rather they soak up yummy bacon-y, winey (coming later) flavor than just tap water?  Thought so.  Roughly chop those funghis.

Thinly chop half a head of cabbage (I know, lots of chopping, but it just shows how fresh it all is!).  Savoy is the best to use, with it's yummy crinkly texture, but in a pinch you can just use regular cabbage like I did.

Add the cabbage to the bacon amazingness and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often to get a bit of caramelization on it and soften it.  Then add the mushrooms lower the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes.

Then add a splash of dry red wine.  I realize that this picture looks like I took it after having drank a bottle of wine, but I hadn't!  It was just hard to take a pic and pour in vino at the same time.  Scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  They add depth to the flavor.

By now your spuds are most certainly tender.  Drain them and return 'em to the hot pot so all the liquid can evaporate.

Add about 4 tablespoons of butter and mash them up.

Add a couple of splashes of milk and plenty of salt and pepper and stir together.

Here's what your veggie-bacon layer will look like.  Mmm.

Top with the mashed potatoes.

And top that with some cheese (gotta get that bubble going).  I used havarti because it's what I had.  Would you believe that folks from my lovely church have not only given me all sorts of home staples and a real Christmas tree, but they've given me cheese, y'all!  I usually use white cheddar, but that nutty havarti was perfection.  Broil in the oven for a few minutes (keep an eye on it, goes fast!) until brown and bubbly on top.

Top with a little parsley for freshness and color and enjoy!

Hope this brings you some warmth this winter, y'all!  What are you eating to keep cozy these days?

Bon appetit!

lilrevchef