Soup

The fall weather has inspired me to try some new soups. 


I recently enjoyed a delicious lobster bisque from Costco.  Excellent.


Yesterday I made a tasty Tarragon Broccoli Soup:

1/2 c. diced onions
2 t. olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 c. chicken stock
2 c. chopped broccoli florets
1 small red potato, peeled and diced
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1/2 t. dried tarragon
salt and pepper
1/4 c.  sour cream

Saute onions in oil for 5 minutes over medium heat, until tender.  Add garlic and stir for another 1 minute.
Add stock, broccoli, potato, parsley and tarragon.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer over medium heat  for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender, adding some salt and pepper to taste while cooking.  Remove from heat and add sour cream.
Serves 4


The sour cream makes this soup so nice.  It is a nice cross between brothy and creamy.  Just right.

Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

I came across this very nice casserole.  Perfect for these first cool fall days:

12 oz high fiber elbows
2 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. minced onion
2 c. skim milk
1 c. fat free chicken broth
8 oz. reduced fat shredded sharp cheese
12 oz fresh broccoli florets
1/8 c. parmesan
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Cook pasta and broccoli together in large pot of salted water until pasta is al dente or slightly undercooked.  Spray baking dish with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 375.

In a heavy skillet melt butter, add onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute or until flour is golden and well combined.  Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raising heat to medium high until it comes to a boil.  Cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and broccoli and mix well.  Pour into prepared baking dish.  Top with parmesan and breadcrumbs.  Spray a little cooking spray on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil to get the breadcrumbs golden.



This recipe was identified as "skinny"  It does not seem too skinny to me.  I suppose it could be "fatter" if you used regular cheese and whole milk.  In any event, it is delicious.

Almonds

I like nuts as a snack, particularly during the day at work.

An ounce of almonds (about 23) contains 3.3 grams of fiber, more than any other nut, and 164 calories.  It also has 14 grams of fat, which sounds like a lot, but almonds are supposed to be for reducing triglycerides and cholesterol.

Trivia:  The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm.

Vegetable & Feta Quiche

I made a delicious, very simple quiche last week:

9 in pie crust
3 eggs
1 T. flour
2 c. vegetables (I used generous half cups each of sliced mushrooms, chopped fresh spinach, chopped      scallions and broccoli florets, plus a little red pepper -- lots of combinations would work)
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 c. milk
garlic
salt, pepper

Bake crust for a 5-7 minutes at 450 to set.  Lower oven to 350.  Mix eggs, milk and flour.  Add vegetables and garlic and then cheese.  If this combination of vegetables and cheese does not seem to you to have enough flavor, add more garlic or try a feta with garlic or herbs.  Bake at 350 for at least 50 minutes.  It is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Reheats very easily. I have not made quiche in ages and this reinterested me in this old standby.

A Good Year

I read - alot - mostly novels - and it is interesting how much food and wine factor into many of them.

I recently enjoyed A Good Year by Peter Mayle.  It is a very light, fun summer read about a British banker, Max Skinner, who inherits a house and vineyard in France the very same day he loses his unsatisfactory, stressful job in a London bank.  So off Max goes to a storybook town in Provence.   He is welcomed by the colorful locals and experiences the many of adventures of (very old) home ownership that you have read about before in books like Under the Tuscan Sun. Add a little romance and ever so mild intrigue about the mislabeling of some of his vineyard's wine, and you have a very enjoyable, if a little silly, story.  Throughout, Mayle offers lovely descriptions of the countryside and mouthwatering accounts of the scrumptious food and wine.

The book was apparently made into a movie in 2006, which I have not seen, but my edition of the book featured the very handsome Russell Crowe on the cover.  The Max Skinner character does not require the Russell Crowe of Gladiator or A Beautiful Mind: Crowe's good looks and winning smile could carry the day.

Watermelon Gazpacho

I took the summer off.

A couple months ago Emma and I took a cooking class at Crate, a local cookware shop and cooking school.  The class was focused on fish and was taught by chefs from Penn Avenue Fish, a local fish shop and delicious restaurant.  They grilled three delicious fish with different marinades or glazes, all of which we got to enjoy.  They also made an excellent Watermelon Gazpacho.  I will modestly say that I make an excellent Gazpacho myself, using V-8 and tomato juice and inspired by The Moosewood Cookbook.  But I have not had too many good sweet versions, so I was pleased to discover this:

Seedless watermelon, skinned and diced
2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 green peppers, diced
2 red peppers, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1/2 purple onion, diced
2 c. lemon juice
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. wine vinegar
black pepper
salt
Sriracha

The ingredients here makes a lot of soup; you may want to cut it down.

Mash watermelon very well.  I failed to do that and there were a few rather too large pieces.  Add cucumber, peppers, celery and onion.  Add the lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar.  Then add salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste.  It tastes best if you can let it set for a few hours for the flavors to mix.

Also, it absorbs the liquid so in a couple days you really don't have soup, but more of a thick vegetable and watermelon mix in a little broth, which is still quite delicious.  You can really taste the lemon juice and the olive oil.  They are a perfect foil to the sweet of the watermelon juice.

While you are waiting for the basil...

For the gardeners out there, while you are waiting for your fresh basil, try this delicious Spinach Pesto:

10  oz  spinach
  2  T   pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 c    parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast if you want to make it vegan)
1/4 c    extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t     granulated garlic
salt

Place all ingredients in blender and pulse until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Add water or olive oil if necessary to reach desired consistency.


We used it on pasta and also on broiled chicken.  Would be great on pizza dough, with or without more cheese and other toppings.

Recipe compliments of Penzeys Spices, Early Summer 2011 catalog

Blue cheese and greek yogurt

My friend Rebecca told me about a dressing she recently enjoyed featuring two of my favorite taste sensations:  blue cheese and greek yogurt.

Now Rebecca must be a very confident cook because when she sent me the "recipe", it consisted simply of five ingredients:  low fat plain greek yogurt, blue cheese, red wine vinegar, finely sliced scallions and sugar, and basically no instruction.

I am not such a confident cook, so I measure everything (or almost).  I used:

7 oz        low fat plain greek yogurt
6 oz        blue cheese (I love blue cheese, this amount could be too much for some palates)
2 T         red wine vinegar (plus more to try to thin it out)
1 t          sugar
2            finely sliced scallions.

You just mix it all up.  It is so thick, I kept adding vinegar, but it would not thin out.  This is definitely a spooning dressing, not a pouring one.  I think it works better with heartier greens rather than fine ones.  It could also be used as a vegetable dip, in fact my friend, Carol, thought it was better that way than as a salad dressing.

But the richness of these two flavors, the yogurt and the cheese, is just delicious.

Not Your Mother's Vinegar and Oil

Easy and delicious:

1/2 c.  extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 c. vinegar (any kind; I used red wine)
   1 t.  salt (or less)
   2 t.  sugar (or less)
   2     cloves garlic (crushed)

Combine and shake.

Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is very hip right now.  A couple years ago it was hard to find in a regular supermarket and only a couple brands were available, admittedly authentic Greek brands, but only a couple, and often the only "flavor" was plain.  Now it is everywhere: mass marketed by Dannon and Yoplait, and so many flavors (I like chocolate).  It is so thick and rich.  I think the even plain tastes sweet.  Yum.

Please stay tuned for a few dressings featuring this fabulous ingedient.

Balsamic Garlic Rosemary bread dipping oil

We recently tried a new bread dipping oil, Balsamic and Roasted Garlic Dipping Oil, from CDKitchen.com (#50862):

25 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus
1 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place unpeeled garlic cloves in baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. 

Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer garlic cloves to blender. Add vinegar and rosemary and puree herb mixture until smooth. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1 cup olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Dipping oil can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature and whisk before using.)

This oil is very tasty - a strong, but not overwhelming garlic flavor and just enough rosemary to make the taste and scent quite interesting.  It is fun to make and the roasting garlic makes the house smell terrific.  My friend Renee and her family tried the oil with bread, like mine did, but she said her son also liked dipping cucumbers.  But, I have to warn you, no matter how good this tastes, it is not an attractive dish,  The balsamic "takes over" and colors the oil a very dark brown.  Using the blender makes a very thick mix -- of this very dark liquid.  Use your imagination.  But no matter how unappetizing this recipe may look, it tastes delicious.    

chocolate chip cookies

A change of pace from salad dressings and bread dipping oil:  dessert.

A couple weeks ago I made chocolate chip cookies from a recipe taken from www.crepesofwrath.net (recipe below).  Almost identical to the traditional toll house recipe found on the back of every bag of chocolate chips, the only difference is a substitution of one-quarter cup of olive oil for the two sticks of butter, a little more salt and a splash of milk.  The cookies were well received by my daughter Emma and her friend, Andrew.

So, I did a little experiment at the office on Monday.  I made two batches of chocolate chip cookies:  one made according to the toll house recipe (Group A) and the other made with olive oil (Group B).  I asked my colleagues to tell me which of the two versions they preferred and which one they thought was made with olive oil.

15 people in my department responded and overwhelmingly they preferred Group A (14 of 15).  Only one person misidentified which one had butter vs. olive oil

The comments were most interesting.  Consistently Group A was described as crisper and Group B "more chewy".   A couple people commented that they liked the look of Group A more than Group B. Group A were plain and flat, while Group B was "puffier" and smooth.  I was surprised at this reaction, but several folks said that Group A looked more like what they thought of as a home-made chocolate chip cookie.  One person said Group A smelled sweeter.  Someone else said that although she preferred Group A and she thought B had an oily residue (yuck), she thought Group B might lend itself better to mass production.  Good to know in case this law thing does not work out and I need to find a new career.

There was some discussion on the relative calories in the two versions.  I really wish I understood the science of food more (actually, I wish I knew anything).  Clearly the oil has fewer calories than the butter (one-quarter cup olive oil has about 480 calories versus 800 for two sticks of butter), and it has no cholesterol vs 31 grams cholesterol per tablespoon butter and the olive oil has more monounsaturated fats, etc.  But, remember, a cookie is still a cookie.  These are not diet foods.  But they taste damn good.

Many, many thanks to all who participated.


Olive Oil Chocolate Cookies

2 1/4  c. flour
1 1/2  t. salt
1        t. baking soda
1/4     c. extra virgin olive oil
1        t. vanilla extract
3/4     c. granulated sugar
3/4     c. packed brown sugar (altho I always uses less brown and more regular sugar -- I like the
                        lighter color -- just so it totals 1 1/2 cups)
2        eggs
1        T.  milk (or more)
1        c. chocolate chips (I always use more)

Preheat oven to 375

Combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Combine sugars, vanilla and olive oil.  Beat eggs in one at a time.  Gradually add flour mixture, then add one tablespoon of milk to make the dough a bit firmer, maybe add another tablespoon if you need it or feel the dough is too sticky.
Roll dough into balls and place on greased or lined cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and set.  These overbake quickly, so pay attention.
Allow to cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to another surface to cool completely.

The last on Hoelzel

When I told my friend Barb about the whole Palata oil thing and how that is no longer available, etc. (subject of my February 9, 2011 post), she asked if I had inquired about the composition of Palata.  I had not.

Another email was very promptly answered by Conway Foods with the information that Palata was comprised of 68% soybean oil, 20% corn oil and 12% olive oil.  What?  So that means the primary ingredient in Hoelzel is actually supermarket vegetable oil.  No wonder it is so difficult to replicate.  Despite the listed recipe ingredients - listed in the Three Rivers Cookbook, on the internet, and in the recipe from the chef himself -- there is hardly any olive oil in it at all.   I naively thought perhaps it had to do with the nationality of the olive oil used.  I certainly assumed there was more than a splash of olive oil.  Wrong!

So much for the accuracy of published recipes, or the assumption that fine dining establishments use fine ingredients.

I think this will be my last posting on Hoelzel dressing.  I also think I am not going to try to replicate the Duquesne Club recipe.  It tastes pretty good using olive oil.

Hazelnut Oil-Mustard Vinaigrette

A simple, tasty vinaigrette using hazelnut oil:

2 T country dijon or other grainy mustard
several scallions, finely chopped
1 T sherry vinegar
1 T cider vinegar
6 T roasted hazelnut oil
salt and pepper

Mix mustard, vinegars and scallions. Whisk in oil and add salt and pepper.

Great with bread and on salad. The hazelnut oil seems very light but, not surprisingly, adds a nice, nutty aroma and taste.  I thought it was a little too mustardy, but others thought it was just right.

Follow up

On January 4, I posted about making The Duquesne Club's Hoelzel dressing using Spanish, Italian and Greek olive oils.

I wrote to Keith Coughenour, Executive Chef at the Duquesne Club inquiring about what kind of olive oil the Club used.  Chef Coughenor responded that they use product called Palata from Conway Foods, which he said is a combination of olive, soy and vegetable oil.  He said this is a very mild oil, "almost neutral, thus allowing the vinegars to enhance and to a degree contrast the sweetness of the crabmeat." He noted that they use Heinz tarragon and cider vinegars.  He emphasized using fresh ground pepper.

He also kindly provided the recipe used by the Duquesne Club, as set forth below.  I know, the last ingredient listed belies the foregoing, but, what can I tell you, this is direct from the chef.  And please read what follows the recipe for the "rest of the story":

Hoelzel Dressing

Yields 1 quart

1 c.   tarragon vinegar
1 c.   cider vinegar
1 T.  kosher salt
1 T.  coarse ground black peppercorn
2 c.   olive oil

Combine well.  Refrigerate.


Although I assumed it was only available commercially, I started looking for Palata.  It wasn't showing up on any internet search, nor on the Conway Foods website.  So I wrote to Conway Foods to see if I had the right product name, etc.  Conway advised that due to low demand they have discontinued Palata and that the final shipments of the product were made in December, 2010.  I hope the Duquesne Club made a very large order.  Some of the diners may soon notice a subtle change in their favorite appetizer.  Perhaps I should make available my consulting services on the subject.

Bravo Cucina bread dipping oil

My daughters and I really like the bread dipping oil served at Bravo Cucina Italiano, a restaurant chain in the Pittsburgh area.   There a several "copy cat" recipes on the internet, but I think those recipes are much too light on the tomato taste that is characteristic of the Bravo oil.  After a couple tries, I think this tastes a lot like Bravo's, or even if it isn't, it is pretty damn good:

1/2 c. olive oil
   2 t.  sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 t.  dried basil
1/2 t.  dried thyme
1/2 t.  dried rosemary
1/4 t.  very finely minced garlic or garlic powder
salt (very little)
pepper

Whisk sun-dried tomato paste and oil in a bowl.  Add basil, thyme and rosemary crushing them very finely with your fingers.  Whisk.  Add garlic and salt and pepper.  If possible, let it all blend for a couple hours before using.  Delicious.

Lip Balm

I was on a soft food diet for several days after dental surgery, so with bananas in the house I whipped up a batch of "Lip Rejuvenation Formula" from The Passionate Olive, 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil.  The recipe calls for one-half ripe banana and 2 tablespoons olive oil, but that is way too much olive oil.  Just mash the banana and oil together to make a paste, put it on your lips and leave on for 20 minutes.  Rinse off and your lips really are smoother.  One banana makes a hell of a lot of paste, so invite all your chapped lipped friends over for this one.

The Passionate Olive, 100 Things to Do with Olive Oil by Carol Firenze is a fun, if silly, book.  Among the 101 uses are cooking, of course, massage, health tips, beauty treatments (for you and your pet), first aid, head lice (and hairball) treatments, making your own baby wipes -- to name just a few.

But not to worry, I will share selected ideas with my readers as we go along.

Poppyseed

I have been under the weather of late. Bronchitis and then dental surgery.

A while back we tried a Poppy Seed dressing:

1 T poppy seed
1 T honey
4 T olive oil
juice of one lime
salt and pepper

Whisk to mix

The poppy seed gave it a sweet and nutty taste which was nicely offset by the lime. If I make it again, I will use less poppy seed (one tablespoon is a lot of poppy seed). Emma liked this dressing very much.

Hoelzel Dressing

Last week my friend Dan challenged me to replicate the Duquesne Club's Hoelzel Dressing. He said he has had it made by others and, "it was not the same".

There are several Hoelzel recipes on the internet, similar but not the same as the version I used that came directly from the Duquesne Club and which appears in the Three Rivers Cookbook I.

The recipe is very simple: two parts olive oil to one part tarragon vinegar, salt and pepper. With such a simple formula, I wondered about Dan's comment. But then it occurred to me that with such a simple recipe, even a minor change in any of the ingredients could yield a very different result. So, this weekend I made three batches of Hoelzel: one with Italian olive oil (Partanna brand), one with Greek (Salonika) and one with Spanish (Zoe). For the vinegar, in all cases I used Roland brand White Wine Vinegar with Tarragon Sprig, and fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

Up to this point I have been using Italian (first Bertolli and then Colavita brands) and recently Zoe. But I had not been looking for differences among them. Now that I was, the Greek oil was definitely more green in color than the other two, but that was the only apparent difference. I was thinking that perhaps I had just made three dressings that would taste very much the same. I was wrong.

My daughter Rebecca had four college friends visiting, kids I had never met before and I am sure they came away thinking what an odd mother Rebecca has. But they were good sports about it and at least feigned some interest, or at least curiosity (about Rebecca's weird mom, perhaps??)

With no lump crab meat handy, we tried the three variations with bread and I think the consensus was more or less the following: All three varieties were very tart, but very good. The Greek variety had the most flavor; the Spanish the least. I think the Italian variety was the favorite, although I was partial to the Greek. Sorry, Spain.

A note to all my distant followers: The Duquesne Club is a very well known, exclusive city club in downtown Pittsburgh. Part of the history of Pittsburgh business and industry. Beautiful building and dining rooms, very old, very wood, very white male (although there are women members and minority members, too). Outstanding food; exquisite service. The dressing was developed in the 1940's and is named after member, John Hoelzel, who suggested it. It is traditionally served over lump crabmeat as an appetizer and I believe also available as a salad dressing.

I have written to the Executive Chef, Keith Coughenour, to try to identify the type of oil used. Of course, I suppose it is possible that a particular type of tarragon vinegar is the difference, but I doubt it. I will follow up with his reply.

Walnut Oil

For Christmas I treated myself to a can of walnut oil (hazelnut oil, too, but haven't tried that yet.)

On Christmas Day we tried a simple vinagrette from the La Tourangelle website (www.latourangelle.com):

Tarragon Walnut Vinagrette

Mix 1/4 c. shallots (we used scallions)
3 T. white wine vinegar
4 T. chopped fresh tarragon (we used 2 T. dried)
1 t. dijon mustard
7 T. walnut oil
salt and pepper


This was a dressing much better on salad than with bread, although Rebecca thought the tarragon taste was too much. I thought it was very good. The walnut oil has a wonderful scent, and although the tarragon scent and taste were very strong, you could still taste the nutty flavor of the oil.