Olivewood Kitchen

Potato Leek Soup

 

         March, in like lion and out like a lamb. This year, like many, has actually proved this to be true. Despite the recent multiple Nor’easters, I think winter has finally left.

      March is such a fickle month with its snow and ice, mud and rain. It just doesn’t know what it wants to be. Being my birth month, I feel a certain kinship towards it. Yes, March is the dregs of winter and most people would rather just skip it all together, but March can also bring the best of two seasons: The end of winter in all it’s glory and the very beginning of spring. You emerge at the end of the month in amazement. Is the winter actually ending? Did we make it?

        The other day I was thinking about what my favourite season is and I realized it was spring. I feel all seasons have something wonderful to offer, but if I were pressed on what my favourite was, I would have to say spring. The pure hope that spring gives, the hope after a long winter when essentially everything dies and comes back to life. Well, how can that not be hopeful… to anybody?

         This soup I feel is the perfect March soup. Potatoes are typically a symbol of winter and leeks a symbol of spring. A soup that can be served hot or cold, to match whatever the weather is doing. It is simple and cozy, perfect to make a batch of on a lazy afternoon.

        This recipe is actually for a classic vichyssoise. As far as i can gather, vichyssoise is just potoato leek soup with cream. (Some add milk, but cream is more traditional) Vichyssoise can be served hot some say, though I have never seen it hot. You want to serve it cold. Vichyssoise is cold, potato leek soup is hot.

        Leeks take a bit of care while prepping and cleaning. They tend to hold on to their grit and you must carefully wash them. The easiest way is to slice the leeks (just the white and light green part) and then put them in a large bowl full of cold water. Separate all the rings of leeks and let them soak after agitating the water a few times. Any sand or grit will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Once they have soaked, scoop up with a slotted spoon leaving the water in the bowl behind. Drain. Leeks are ready to be cooked! So let's get cooking.

         Happy Spring. Enjoy.

 

Potato Leek Soup

 

3 large cleaned leeks, 4 1/2 cups chopped (the light green and white parts)

4 cups sliced peeled Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 medium)

6 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ -1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Crumbled cooked bacon or snipped chives (optional)

 

Clean leeks.

To clean: Chop leeks and add to a large bowl of cold water. Push leeks around and separate pieces. The dirt should fall to the bottom of the bowl. Scoop up leeks with your hands or a slotted spoon and drain in colander.

In a large saucepan or pot, sauté leeks on medium to medium-low heat until leeks are just getting tender. Try not to have the leeks pick up any colour.

Add the six cups of chicken broth and sliced potatoes.

Bring to a boil and simmer potatoes until tender.

The soup is ready to be blended.

The safest way to do this is with an immersion blender. Or you can cool the mixture and working in small batches, blend in a blender.

If you are blending in a blender you want to keep the hole in the blender top open. Place a clean dishtowel over the hole. This will allow the steam to escape and prevent the soup from blowing up in your face. (Seriously) If you are worried about this, let your soup mixture cool completely before blending.

Once blended, you have potato leek soup! (And it’s quite delicious at this point.)

You can stop here or add the blended soup to a clean pot and add ¾-1 cup of heavy cream. (You should definitely add the cream)

Oooh, that’s good.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat and serve or serve cold. If heated, serve with some crumbled bacon. If served cold, serve with snipped chives.

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

        

            Winter in New England, it’s not over until it’s over. With spring less than a week away, a blizzard is upon us. Why couldn’t this have happened two months ago? Oh well… Let’s make the most of it shall we! French onion soup for everyone! Wheeee!

         My love for French onion soup runs deep. I feel romantic about this soup. There are just so many aspects to love, but basically it is simple and delicious. I always try to keep the ingredients on hand in-case we don’t have anything in the fridge for dinner. This isn’t hard since the ingredients are mostly pantry items and I must say that I make this soup often. (Essentially all the time)

         It is perfect for a cozy casual night or a special evening. It’s great for a crowd. It’s covered with bread and melted cheese. Do I really need to do a hard sell on this one? Ok: 1) It is snowing. 2) It’s cold. 3) You only have onions in the house. 4) You want to impress your date with little effort. 5) You love cheese. (Is this enough?) You will love it. Enjoy-

P.S. This is Julia Child’s recipe with some slight changes.

 

French Onion Soup

serves 6-8

 

1 ½ lbs or about 5 cups     yellow onions, sliced

3 Tablespoons   butter

1 Tablespoons   oil

¼ Teaspoons   sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

2 quarts   beef stock

½ cup   white wine (or dry vermouth)

rounds of toasted baguette or other dense bread

1 to 2 cups grated swiss

salt and pepper to taste

bay leaf (optional)

thyme (optional)

 

Slice bread or baguette. Make sure you use dense bread or the bread will fall apart too easily in the soup.

Dry the bread either by putting it on a baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for thirty minutes or just in a toaster oven. You want to dry the bread more than toast it.

Prep the bread while you are cooking the onions.

When the bread is done, you can rub some garlic on it. (If you feel like it)

Prep onions by cutting in half and peeling.

Thinly slice onions.

Add butter and oil to a heavy bottomed saucepan. (A Dutch oven is perfect.)

Add onions to butter and oil and stir.

Cover the pot and set heat to low.

Cook slowly for about 15 minutes.

Onions should start to give up some moisture now.

Uncover and raise heat to medium.

Stir in sugar.

Cook onions for 30-40 minutes stirring frequently.

Onions should take on a deep golden brown. Make sure you cook the onions so they all have a nice even colour.

Add flour and stir into onions.

Cook flour for about 3 minutes.

Add beef stock and wine.

(Add a bay leaf and some thyme if desired)

Simmer soup for about 30-40 minutes.

Skim off any fat that you want and adjust seasoning.

Set soup aside. When you are ready to fill the bowls, make sure soup is hot.

Turn on broiler.

Set bowls on baking sheet. (please make sure your bowls can go in the oven)

Ladle soup almost to brim.

Top soups with toast.

Then top toast with cheese. It is up to you how much cheese you want.

Put baking sheet under broiler and broil cheese until bubbly and brown.

Serve immediately and enjoy by crackling fire.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

• 

        It’s been a long time since I have been able to post anything.  Time has just flown by. I was pregnant all this year and working full time until my due date.  It really isn’t an excuse not to write, but it is the only excuse I have. In late August I gave birth to a happy and healthy baby girl. Life has been full and wonderful, but certain things have been pushed aside to make room for other things, like this blog and my brain. I am still waiting for my brain to return. It seems to be on permanent vacation, but I can’t wait any longer and it is time to get back to this blog that I have missed so much.
         With that said, I can’t believe that it’s already November. I have a backlog of summer recipes that I was making and wanting to post, but those will just have to wait. It’s time for warm stews, things that are baked, and lovely autumn vegetables.
         I saw some broccoli rabe in the store recently so I thought I would make the traditional dish of orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. This dish is easy (I made it while talking on the phone to my sister-in-law!) and it is wonderful in many ways. Perfect for a post or pre-thanksgiving meal when you want to eat something not related to turkey.
        Broccoli Rabe aka Rapini, is a leafy green vegetable related to the turnip. It doesn’t taste like broccoli, but it has florets that look like broccoli. (Don’t be put off if you see the florets blooming. The flowers are perfectly fine to eat.) It has a slightly bitter taste and an interesting texture. All in all the rapini is a sophisticated vegetable that won’t shirk from its responsibilities in this dish.
         Since there are only a few ingredients, they all have to work with each other and stand up to each other at the same time. All you need is the Orecchiette, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino romano and olive oil. Orecchiette is easy to find now. Long gone are the days of going to a specialty store when you needed a pasta other than spaghetti. Barilla makes an orecchiette that can be found anywhere.
         And final a side note:  I like to take out some of the bitterness of the broccoli rabe by blanching it, but you can skip this step if you want. Enjoy!

 



                        Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
                                                                Serves 4
 
12-16oz                Orecchiette,
1½ lbs                 Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Bunch               Broccoli Rabe, rinsed and chopped
3 Tablespoons   Olive Oil
Pecorino Romano, grated
salt and pepper
 
Fill two large pots with water and bring up to a boil.
One pot will be for your pasta and the other for your broccoli rabe.
Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add sausage and brown.
If you bought sausage with a casing, remove the casing before cooking. I just squeeze the sausage out into the pan.
Be sure to break up the sausage into bite size pieces. You can do this with your spoon while it is browning.
While the sausage is browning go ahead and blanch the broccoli rabe.
When the water boils, add a few pinches of salt and then add the chopped broccoli rabe.
Cook for a minute and then drain.
If your sausage is ready you can add the rabe directly to the sausage pan, if not just run some cool water over it to stop the cooking and set aside until the sausage is ready.
Add once the sausage is browned. 
Cook the orecciette when the other pot boils.
Once the pasta is ready, add to the pan with the browned sausage pan and broccoli rabe.
Combine all ingredients over a low heat to heat through if needed.
Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to scrape any bits of sausage off the bottom.
Season with salt and pepper.
Plate and add a heaping amount of pecorino romano to each plate.
Serve immediately.

Green Goddess Dressing

        Is it possible…could it be… is it finally spring? I’m crossing my fingers that winter has really ended and we can put it behind us. Like many of you, I have been daydreaming of pea shoots, honeysuckle, walking barefoot on a freshly cut lawn,  picnics, and garden herbs. I love the comfort food of winter, but when spring comes, I am more than ready for some lighter fare.  
         This dressing is perfect for a springtime salad. Like most of Barefoot Contessa’s recipes, it is simple and delicious. And don’t think that the sour cream and mayo will make the dressing heavy, because it is very clean and fresh.
         I did make some small changes: I cut the recipe in half because it was too much dressing for the two of us, I added more lemon juice, and I took out the fixed quantity of salt. Anchovy pastes have varying amounts of salt, so taste the dressing before you add salt. 
         The original recipe is for a salad made out of Bibb (or Boston) lettuce. If you haven’t eaten Bibb, please try and find it. It is a great lettuce that is delicate and tender, yet sturdy enough to hold a thicker dressing. It reminds me of spring because the leaves are vibrant green and supple, like new grass. C'est le printemps… Enjoy.
        
 

 
 
                                   Green Goddess Dressing 
                                         Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
                                                                      serves 3-4
 
 
 
 
½ cup mayonnaise, Hellman’s is preferable
½ cup chopped scallions, white bottoms and ½ of green stalks
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 good size clove
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1 ½   lemons
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
½ cup sour cream
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
 
 
 
Put mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy paste in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Taste the dressing to see if you want to add more acid (lemon juice), or more garlic, etc.
Then add the sour cream and blend until combined.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over Bibb lettuce.
Dress salad right before serving. 

 

 

Pasta with Kale, Cream and Bacon

 

          Well, I still love snow despite that fact that we have had two and half feet dumped on us since the last time I mentioned I love snow. Unfortunately, the snow really hasn’t loved me back this week: getting to work has been a nightmare of pre-dawn shoveling while being stuck in a ditch, employees calling out, deliveries delayed, and a 5am wake up call of a dripping window sill. Dripping because the ice has nowhere to go but inside the walls of our house. Needless to say, my beau is about done with this winter.  But, I still tentatively love snow and the gentle, silent way it floats down and nestles into the limbs of trees.
         It started snowing yesterday when we were out skiing and it was really beautiful. Since there wasn’t a hint of wind, the snow came straight down so slowly that it seemed suspended in the air.  Large flakes drowsily wound their way through the woods coming across our path, resting on our shoulders, our hats, melting on our cheeks.  Everything was still, calm and quiet. The snow acted as an insulator; a buffer from all the human noise.  Our week of problems slowly dissolved into the silence.  I will try to remember that peacefulness when the phone starts ringing at 6:30 on Monday morning.
         In the middle the week I found myself doing the old game of: what do we have in the fridge and what can I make for dinner. Sometimes, all you need to do is look and most likely there is something to cook up for dinner without having to go the grocery store. This is important during these winter storms because the last thing you want to do is enter a grocery store when everyone is in panic weather mode. Since a nor’easter/blizzard comes every other day, it’s been hard to get to the store.
         So, when I peered into fridge, amongst my million jars of pickles, jams, and god only knows what, I had an open container of cream, some kale, bacon, and pecorino. I always have pecorino in the house because I can use it in many ways and it keeps well.  The bacon I had recently bought, but hadn’t tried. It was Applegate natural bacon. Now, awhile back I had a conversion with a gentleman about Applegate’s hotdogs. (I have many in-aisle conversations with strangers. Does this happen to you? I spend half my time in the grocery store being chatted up about whatever product I was about to buy. Once, I was mistakenly identified as a grocery store employee and spent 15 minutes helping someone locate the item they needed) Apparently Applegate’s hot dogs really suck, according to this gentleman. I haven’t had them, so I really can’t say. But, I was thinking of this when I decided to buy their natural bacon. (We don’t use nitrites or unnatural preservatives in our products so I try to not buy them in other cured products.) Anyway, this Applegate bacon is actually really good. It has a nice fat content and tastes great. I highly recommend it if you are watching your preservative intake or if you just want a tasty bacon.
         All in all, I felt like the ingredients had the potential of  a wonderful pasta. It was close to a carbonara and had the whispers of the peas and ham pasta I make and love. How could I go wrong with anything made with cream?
         Well, it was good. It manages to be creamy and rich, but not heavy. The kale adds a delicious brightness and is able to stand up against the cream. I would say it is a perfect winters dish. If you aren’t down with bacon, you can omit it and I am sure it would still be very good.  Don’t forget a topping of grated pecorino! Enjoy-
 

 
 
 
 
 

                       

                   Pasta with Kale, Cream and Bacon
                                                 serves 4-6
 
 
 
 
8oz bacon, diced
1lb long pasta ( I used thin spaghetti)
7 or so cups kale, chopped
1 cup dry white wine, or more as needed
1 ½ cup heavy cream, or more as needed
1 small onion, minced
pinch or two nutmeg, grated or ground
butter
pecorino, grated
salt and pepper to taste
 

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil and cook pasta while you are making the sauce.
Add bacon to a large fry pan and cook until crisp on med heat.
While bacon is cooking mince the onion.
Once bacon is crisp, remove from pan and set aside.
Turn heat to low and add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan of the bacon fat. 
(If you feel that your bacon was very fatty you can pour off some of the extra rendered fat.)
Add onions to pan and sauté until soft.
(If you are making a vegetarian version, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons of butter.)
While the onions are sautéing, prepare the kale.
Chop kale into bite sized pieces.
Add kale to the sautéed onions and then add the wine.  (You can turn the heat up)
Sauté kale until it is wilted and tender.
It will seem like there is a lot of kale at first, but the kale will cook down in volume.
You may need to add more wine if the wine evaporates. Just keep adding wine until the kale is cooked down.
Once the kale is sautéed add the reserved bacon to the pan.
Turn the heat to low and add cream and nutmeg.
Let the sauce come together for several minutes, you may need to add more cream.
Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to you liking.
Add the pasta to pan and while using tongs, toss the pasta so it is coated with the sauce.
Serve immediately.
Divide among plates and serve with a generous amount of grated pecorino on top.
 

Italian Wedding Soup

 

         Spring is finally here! Hooray! The flowers are finally blooming and it looks like winter is retreating. We planted some of our garden with fingers crossed that we won’t have a frost again. While the weather was fantastic this weekend, it still gets cold at night. We haven’t given up any of our blankets and I am still wearing my grandfather’s cashmere sweater every night. (I have worn this sweater every night since October. My beau is a little sick of it) So, to help chase the chill away I have been making some soups for dinner.
          One soup that I have been making often is my take on Italian wedding soup. I use turkey for the meatballs and added kale as the green. I also put in some beans to make it a bit heartier. The broth is light and the kale makes the dish very fresh. It’s a perfect spring meal for cool nights. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 
                                     Italian Wedding Soup
                                                       Serves 4-6
 
1-1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ cup grated pecorino (or parmesan), plus extra for topping soup
1 small onion, diced
olive oil
3 cups kale, chopped into bite size pieces
6 cups chicken stock
1 can cannellini beans, 15oz
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, herbs and cheese into a large bowl.
Mix together with your hands.
Roll out small balls, about the half the size of a meatball.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté onion in a stock pot with some olive oil.
When onions are soft add the stock.
Bring the stock up to a simmer and add the meatballs before serving.
Then add beans and kale.
You want the beans to heat through and the kale to wilt.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve topped with grated or shaved pecorino (or parmesan) if desired.
 
 
 
 

 

Pasta after the Hurricane

            Sandy has come and left. We spent the weekend cleaning, throwing out spoiled food, fixing windows, picking up sticks and branches, and thinking about all the other people without power and without homes. In a turn of cruel fate, the temperature has dropped and we are waiting for a Nor’Easter to come in. 
          During this  week, sitting in the darkness, I realized how vulnerable we are. We are so reliant on running water, power, access to food, and gasoline. We take these things for granted in our day to day lives. Right now we are under gas rationing  and I have never seen that before. Some people live in countries that you have to ration everything,  all the time. People starve everyday in this country and all over the world. Most countries don’t have water that is clean enough to drink. Here in New York we would rather give up clean water for natural gas. Do I believe that we should spoil water for energy? No. Could I carry on my life without electricity? No. What is the answer to all of this? I have no idea, but something has to give.
          I thought about all this while cleaning out the gardens. Thinking about needs vs wants, desperation, humanity, and survival. The garden has pretty much died back at this point. We have had a frost and many cold nights, but there are still plants hanging on beating the odds. One of them is the parsley. Not only has it endured harsh conditions, it has flourished. It has grown heartier and healthier in the bad weather.  It’s a survivor. Inspired by this small plant, I wanted to make something from my depleted pantry that highlighted it. This is a classic Italian recipe so I can’t take credit. It’s simple, delicious and easy to make in the dark by candlelight. 
          So to all of the survivors out there.. I am thinking of you.

 
                                          Pasta with Anchovies and Parsley
                                                       Serves two
 
This recipe can be made however you like. I love anchovies,so I used quite a bit. Play around with it, you can’t really mess it up.
 
 
 
Pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes
Anchovies
parsley, handful  chopped
parmesan, grated
 
Heat up water for the pasta.
Cook 1/ 2 box of pasta while making sauce. Longer pasta works for this, but you can use whatever you have.  
Add olive oil to a pan, add garlic and anchovies (as much as you like).
Sauté garlic and break down anchovies.
Add  a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
Add the cooked pasta to the olive oil mixture in the pan. Toss and add more oil if desired.
Add chopped parsley and toss.
Serve with grated parmesan.
Salt and pepper to taste.
 

 

Sunday Survival Soup

 

    
    Not to sound like a broken record, but we are having some cold weather right now. I mean, below zero degree weather. It’s serious. Your hands might fall off if they are exposed to the air. Cars could be reluctant to start, pipes threaten to burst, and unopened wine bottles cannot be forgotten in a cars because they will freeze and then become opened by the ice pushing the cork out (don’t ask). But, I think it’s all very exciting. How low can the temperature go? Zero, negative 5, negative 10, will it be negative 15?  The snow outside is so cold that it crunches when you walk on it. I like that tight, almost squeaking sound when you press your foot down. It’s the same sound my ski boots make walking on snow.  
    My two cats and dog are taking this weather in stride. They try to stay outside for as long as they can stand it. But, when they do come in, they are staying as close to me as possible. I would like to think it was out of love, but I know they are just using me for my body heat. I don’t mind. They give me a little heat too.
     In the midst of this extreme weather, one needs something hearty to keep their energy up. To chase the chill away, soup became the obvious choice for me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make this soup, but I tied together what I had in the pantry, fridge, and freezer to make it. I had some sausages, beans, and a frozen package of spinach that was lurking behind a bag of frozen chilies. It came together in the end. The soup is almost like a stew. It’s thick, colourful, and flavourful. Hearty and healthy. It can also be easily made into a vegetarian soup by omitting the sausage and using vegetable broth. The leftovers are also perfect for lunch.
    So, take some shelter from the cold and make some sustenance. Enjoy!
 

 

 
                                  Sunday Survival Soup

 
1 Package of Sweet Sausage links, about 8 links
1 Large Onion, chopped
4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
2 Large Carrots, Chopped
3 Celery Stalks, Chopped
6 cups of Chicken Stock
1 28 oz Can of Whole Cherry Tomatoes
1 Can of Roman Beans, or 15 oz
1 Can of Cannellini Beans, or 15oz
1 Package of Chopped Frozen Spinach, defrosted
1 Bay leave
1 Teaspoon of Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

 
To get some of the fat off the sausages, I pre- cook them before adding them to a soup. First: Simmer sausages in enough water to cover them for 20 mins. Leave the sausages in the hot water until you are ready to slice them.
While sausages are simmering, chop the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot, like a dutch oven.
Add onions, garlic, and a couple of pinches of salt.
Sauté onions on medium-low until they are soft. This takes about 5-7 minutes.
Add the celery and carrots and sauté them for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, the cherry tomatoes with their liquid, the herbs, and the frozen spinach.
Turn the heat to high.
Remove the sausages from the pot.  A good amount of fat should have been cooked off. There might be oil trapped under the casing. To remove the oil, pierce the casing.
Slice the sausages into rounds and add to soup.
Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer for  about 50 mins  partially  covered.
After 30 minutes of cooking, drain and rinse the beans and then add them to the soup.Cook for an additional 20 mins. 
(You can use any red bean if you can't find roman beans.) 
The soup should be thick and fragrant. If you think the soup is too thick, you can always add more chicken stock.