Fall has arrived!

Typically I am a big fan of fall weather. I love being able to put on a light sweater and enjoy a crisp breeze on a nice fall day but I am not ready for fall at all.  Fall means only one thing, winter is right around the corner!  Being that it was a little on the cooler side, I'm not sure if we even made it to 60 degrees today I thought soup would be appropriate.

Menu
Pancetta and Vegetable Soup
Heirloom Caprese Salad
Fresh Italian Bread

Ingredients

1/2 lb of Pancetta, diced
1/2 large Spanish onion, diced (approximately 1.5 cups)
3 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium carrots, diced (approximately 2 cups)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Fresh Ground Pepper
14 oz can of Cannelloni Beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
Approximately 3 cups of Swiss Card, chopped
2.5 large vegetable bouillon cubes
10 cups of water
Parmesan Reggiano Cheese

Directions

In a Dutch Oven heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced pancetta. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes and then add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Season with fresh ground pepper.  Cook until vegetables begin to soften.

Add 10 cups of water and 2.5 large vegetable bouillion cubes.  Bring to a light bowl and continue to stir to break up the bouillion cubes.  Reduce to a simmer and add the cannelloni beans and diced tomatoes. Simmer on low for 30-40 minutes.  Add Swiss Chard, place the top on the Dutch oven and continue to cook on low for about 15 minutes, stirring occassionally.  Once the Swiss Chard has wilted, the soup is ready however you can continue to keep on low for a bit until you are ready to eat.  Just don't cook too long or your vegetables will get mushy.  Note: I did not add any additional salt as the pancetta provided some additional salt to the soup. You can always add some if you think it needs it but I would only add a small amount.

When you are ready to serve, grate a little fresh Parmesan Reggiano into each bowl.  Serve with some sliced French or Italian bread and a salad.  I sliced some fresh heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, topped them with some fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil.

3 B Chili ... Beans, Bison, and Beef

Yesterday was the first Bears home opener which means only one thing; chili was cooking on the stove. Chris's request for chili during football season has been a common theme for years. When we lived in the city we frequently had people over for chili, drinks and to watch football. The one thing that would drive Chris crazy was I would always switch up the way I made it. This was partially due to the fact that I never wrote the recipe down. So a couple of years ago I finally wrote down my "best batch of chili" recipe and much to my surprise, I was actually able to find it yesterday morning. But wouldn't you know, I decided not to follow it completely. So here is my new recipe. My theory on chili is that the flavor in meat is the key to the entire recipe.

Ingredients

Latern Pepper

1 1/4 cups Spanish Onion, diced
1 Latern pepper, seeded and diced
1lb ground bison
1lb grass fed ground beef
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons ground ancho chile
1/2 tablespoon ground guajillo chile
4 oz diced green chiles
14oz can of each of the following, light red kidney beans, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans

Mexican Tomato Sauce

7 3/4 oz El Pato Salsa Chile Fresco (Mexican Tomato sauce)
8 oz Tomato sauce
28 oz Dei Fratelli Seasoned Diced Tomato
28 oz Dei Fratelli Whole Tomato packed in puree
2 teaspoons sugar in the raw
1 tablespoon honey
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon canola oil
Kosher salt
Cracked ground pepper

1. In a Dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil, add onion, garlic, latern pepper, can of green chiles and ground bison and ground beef. Begin browning beef. Make sure to break up the beef so the spices get evenly distributed. Add ground cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and Montreal steak seasoning. Mix well, continue browning beef and drain grease. Salt and Pepper.

2. Drain and rinse all three cans of beans. Add beans to Dutch oven. Add both cans of tomato sauce and the can of diced tomatoes. When adding the whole tomatoes hand squeeze the tomatoes as you are adding, pour in puree. Add ground ancho chile and ground chile. Stir well.

3. Continue cooking and stir occasionally. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar in the raw. Reduce temperature to low and place top on Dutch oven. Continue to simmer and add 1 tablespoon of honey. Cook on low for at least 2 hours.

You can also cook this in a crock pot.  To do so, follow step 1 then transfer the meat to the crock pot and add the remaining ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for at least 4 hours.  The longer the chili cooks on the low the more the flavors have a chance to combine.
Garnish with grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onion.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Peaches and Pluots

Menu
Grilled Ribeye
Truffled Wild Mushrooms over Whipped White Beans
Spring Greens with Grilled Peaches and Pluots, Bleu Cheese and Balsamic Glaze

My husband bought enormous ribeyes to grill for dinner.  Thankfully the thunderstorms cleared so that we could grill our meal. As you know we have a ton of fresh fruit that I need to incorporate this week so tonight I added peaches and pluots to our salad.

Spring Greens with Grilled Peaches and Pluots

I used the salad I made on Father's Day as a base and then added a few twists to come up with this version.  In a serving bowl, drizzle spring greens with a little grapeseed oil and add the balsamic glaze.  To make the balsamic glaze simply add 1/2 balsamic vinegar to a pan and cook on medium-low heat until the vinegar boils. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer until it thickens. Let the glaze cool before adding it to the salad. Add pieces of grilled peaches and pluots.  Be sure you let the fruit cool before adding it to the salad otherwise you will wilt the lettuce. To grill the fruit sprinkle slices with a little brown sugar, grill on direct heat for approximately 2 minutes. Add chunks of Bleu Cheese.  I highly recommend getting the Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, it is divine. Toss ingredients together.

Truffled Wild Mushrooms over Whipped White Beans
I got this recipe a few years ago from one of the flyers at Whole Foods. It is so good.  It's actually a vegan recipe for anyone interested. Clearly we are not vegan since we ate this with a big ribeye.  We have had this as a side dish a number of times but its also a great main dish with a nice salad.  It's a great substitute for a side of mashed potatoes! Last night I had cremini mushrooms on-hand so I used those rather than going to buy some wild mushrooms.  This recipe was apparently in the Vegetarian Times if you would like to see the nutritional information.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 medium leek, white and pale green parts chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 lb. wild mushrooms, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. truffle oil

Directions

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in beans, broth, garlic and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer bean mixture to food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Return to skillet, cover and keep warm.
2. Heat remaining 1 tsp. oil in medium skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 8 minutes, or until soft and brown. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.
3. Spoon whipped bean mixture into shallow bowls. Top with equal portions of mushrooms. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 tsp. truffle oil, and serve.

I am not sure who my husband thought he was feeding when he purchased the steaks. They were delicious but boy were they insanely big. Needless to say I have leftovers.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears