Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Carrot Ginger Soup – Perfect to Start New Year’s Eve Dinner

December 31, 2013 by Mary 26 Comments

Having to cook “clean” – low fat – for my son has forced me to get creative and explore new territory I might not otherwise have tried, and this Carrot Ginger Soup is one of those dishes.

I made this to start our Christmas dinner and it was so good that I’m making it again today to start our New Year’s Eve dinner tonight. I think it will be perfect. Our kids have all gone back to Manhattan and we are having dear friends and my brother and his wife for an intimate dinner party here in the country.

My brother is bringing caviar and champagne (I’m so excited!) as well as the red wine for dinner. (He is our expert wine pairer for this blog and has even started his own blog, www.wineandfoodpairings.net, so check it out when you have a chance.) Margaret is bringing an appetizer and I want to do a lovely but simple dinner that will allow me to be out of the kitchen and in front of the fire, partying!

So we will start with this clean tasting and delicious soup. I plan to garnishing it with a little chopped cilantro and a few toasted pepita seeds. The original recipe is from the Hay Day Country Market Cookbook and I have made it many times in the past. Prior to this trauma with our son, I would have made this with chicken broth, using 4 tbs. of butter and garnished it with crème fraiche. See how low fat it became with 2 tbs. of butter, 1 tbs. of olive oil, vegetable broth and no crème fraiche? And, no loss of flavor to boot, I think we all should be eating this way! So much better for you.

I also only used 1 ounce of fresh ginger as we wanted it mellow on the spice for Zach. If you want it spicier, use 2 ounces. We are going to splurge on the main course with spice grilled rib steaks, BUT I’m pairing them with steamed snow pea pods with shiitake mushrooms and only the mushrooms will have a bit of butter, and potatoes Anna with only a tablespoon of butter, because I make it in a skillet on the stove top. Christmas cookies for dessert, along with some fresh blackberries and mango sorbet for my gluten-free sister-in-law, will finish off this year.

What do you plan to make?

Happy New Year to you all – wishing you great health, peace, wealth and LOVE!!

GINGER CARROT SOUP – serves 6

1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 – 2 oz. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 lbs. of fresh carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1” pieces
1 cup of dry white wine
5 cups of vegetable stock – homemade or low sodium boxed
½ tsp. salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Toasted and salted pepita seeds for garnish

Warm the olive oil and melt the butter in it. Add the minced ginger and sauté on low heat for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Do not brown. Add the carrots and stir for 1 – 2 minutes. Add the wine and turn heat to medium high. Let the wine come to a simmer, after 1 or 2 minutes add the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, partially covered and cook until the carrots are very soft, about 30 – 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes, longer is even better.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro and a few toasted and salted pepita seeds, if desired.

Chicken Breasts with Carrots and Leeks

September 18, 2013 by Mary Frances 21 Comments

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. It is a great go-to weeknight meal as it is quick, easy and delicious. It is even relatively low fat! The chicken always comes out perfectly done, moist and yummy, and it presents itself as much more gourmet than the time it takes to make. You can also vary the vegetables and herbs or add garlic or lemon. It is fancy enough for a company dinner and super easy on you!

Although my photos show 4 breasts, the recipe is for 2. Or make extras for another meal.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CARROTS AND LEEKS – serves 2

2 chicken breast halves, bone in, skin on, washed and patted dry
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp. olive oil – yes only 1 tsp. is needed
1 carrot – peeled and sliced into very thin julienned strips
1 leek – white part only, cleaned and sliced into thin julienned strips
6 thyme sprigs
2 tbs. dry white wine or dry vermouth
2 tbs. chicken stock
1 tsp. unsalted butter (optional)
2 tsp. chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Trim any extra fat off from the chicken breasts, discard, and salt and pepper both sides.

Heat oil in a non-stick, oven-proof skillet on medium-high to high heat. Place chicken breasts in, skin side down, and brown for 6 minutes. Turn breasts over and scatter the thyme, carrots and leeks all around and under the chicken. Especially make sure the thyme is under the breasts, otherwise it will just burn in the oven and not impart its flavor. Pour in the white wine and chicken broth and place the skillet in the oven for 18 minutes. Check with an instant read thermometer, it should read 155 – 160 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.

When done, remove the breasts to a platter to rest for 5 minutes. Boost the oven up to 425 degrees and put the skillet back in the oven with the vegetables and sauce. Make sure your carrots and leeks are tender. Remove skillet from the oven and swirl in the butter, if you are using. The butter makes the sauce richer, but it is not necessary if you are watching your waistline.

Place the vegetables on top of the chicken and drizzle the sauce over all. Garnish with the chopped parsley. Smile and serve with LOVE! It’s so pretty!

Since this is one of my absolutely favorite, no-fuss, gourmet-looking and gourmet-tasting chicken dinners, I’ve selected it to submit to the Delicious Chicken Recipe Contest at Plated.com.

Amazing tomato chicken braise

June 5, 2013 by Mary Frances 26 Comments

I made the most amazing dinner Monday night, if I might say so myself.

Back when I really started cooking, my youngest son (who inscribed the cookbook in the About section) would say to me, “Mom, repeat after me, ‘Yes, I really am a good cook.'” However, I often didn’t, and still don’t now, know what I’m going to cook on any given night — meaning I don’t use recipes and I haven’t necessarily bought things that make sense for one. I usually make up something that I am in the mood for on the subway ride home. I think you have to cook something that you like, something that gets you excited, because that’s part of imparting your love into the dish. Fortunately, my family is usually okay with this.

So on Monday, I had a whole chicken and was tired of making roast chicken. I also had 6 plum tomatoes that needed to be used and was in the mood for a tomato chicken stew over some light pasta. I thought it would be good.

My husband said, “Stew? It’s too hot for stew. I could eat roast chicken again.” Not me. So then I said, “Call it a braise. I have an idea and I think you’ll like it.” (He had seconds. And it was in the 70s and rainy on Monday.)

I started making it, determined to change his mind and make something he would love.

It was fantastic!! Light and packed with flavor and very clean tasting. Actually there is very little oil or fat in this dish. I must say that I also used my Le Creuset Dutch oven to cook this in and I do think that makes a difference. It is such a great pot and no one pays me to say that.

I hope you will give this a go, in whatever pot you have. You will not be disappointed.

FRESH TOMATO CHICKEN BRAISE – serves 4

1 tbs. olive oil
1 whole chicken, washed and thoroughly dried, backbone cut out (save for stock) and cut into 6 – 8 pieces, depending on if you want to cut the breasts in half
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
5 – 7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 carrot, scraped and chopped into 1/4” pieces
4 anchovy fillets, drained, patted dry and chopped
2 tbs. water
6 plum tomatoes
4 sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 large sprig of fresh oregano
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 lb. thin fettucine
Pecorino Romano cheese for grating – optional

Trim all the fat from the chicken. Wash and dry your pieces thoroughly. Salt and pepper both sides to taste. Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a Dutch oven and place in chicken, skin side down. Brown on each side for 5 – 6 minutes, using a metal spatula to turn the chicken over, so you don’t lose the skin. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a deep plate or pie plate, as juices will collect.

Add the onion, garlic, anchovies and carrot to the Dutch oven. Add 2 tbs. water and lower heat to low and cover, to sweat the vegetables and make them sweet. Scape up the bits from the bottom of the pan and stir. After about 5 – 7 minutes, they should have succumbed and become tender and rich.

Add your browned chicken back in and blanket with the chopped plum tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Cover and on low heat, cook for 7 minutes, stir and turn chicken over, cover and cook for another 7 minutes until done. Remove from heat, covered and let sit for 5 – 7 minutes. Temperature on an instant read thermometer should read 155 – 160 degrees.

Meanwhile, cook dried fettucine in salted boiling water 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.

Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the sauce. Pass the Pecorino Romano cheese and grater if you like. I did, my husband didn’t.

This dish was so very flavorful and clean tasting – rich and buttery tasting, yet no butter and very little olive oil or chicken fat to speak of – just delicious, full bodied, clean tasting richness. I know that doesn’t make sense – just trust me – this was very good! The fresh tomatoes were ripe and bright, anchovies always add a burst of flavor and the carrot sweetened it all. Not to mention the herbs were just cut from my garden upstate the day before. We are very lucky to have that, I know.

I served this with baby bok choy from Ethel’s garden, sautéed with a little olive oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper. Just delicious!

Whether you make this dish or your own concoction, make it with LOVE and it will taste amazing! Truly!

Now I digress. Very early this morning I had a dream about my youngest son. He was back to being three years old and had a large, terrible wound on his back with a scab, and it was in the shape of a heart! He didn’t mind it, unless you touched it. It was almost as if he didn’t know it was there, he was such a trouper. But I was so concerned for him. I felt so sorry. I wanted to keep sleeping and stay in the dream to make sure he was okay and not in pain. He seemed to know how he got it – some sort of scuffle with another kid – like he knew what he doing and was okay with the wound. Very weird.

Any dream interpreters out there?

Chicken Stock

April 24, 2013 by Mary Frances 21 Comments

Last night at a business cocktail event I was talking to my friend Lani about cooking. She told me how she had made the same recipe a second time, but it didn’t turn out as well as it had the first time. When she remarked this to the friend who had given her the recipe, the friend asked if she had been in a good mood when she made it. She said, “You know what, I wasn’t.”

You see – she wasn’t making it with LOVE! You must be in happy place when cooking and your food will always taste better!

Well, it’s better to be in a happy, loving place all the time anyway, right?

It is also always best to make your own chicken stock. It’s really very, very easy and you feel so professional and accomplished when you do it. At least I do! If you make it yourself, you know exactly what’s in it AND you control the salt. And when you make it with LOVE, it’s happy chicken stock! When finished, it keeps easily in the freezer. Dividing it into several different sized containers – 1, 2 and 4 cup increments – works well.

TIP: And here’s a tip from my oldest son. Even if you just need a ¼ cup or so, thaw the frozen broth in the microwave for a minute or two, just so you can dump it out of the container in one piece on a cutting board and then carefully cut off what you need. Put the rest back into the container and back into the freezer! Pretty cool, eh?

So here’s the scoop, including some new things I learned at a cooking class I took at the International Culinary Institute (ICE) last fall. Chop your big bones, like legs and thighs, to get more flavor out of the marrow. Add in extra wings and wing tips if you have them as they have the most gelatin, as well as – are you ready for this? – chicken feet!!! This last one I haven’t been able to do yet. Somehow I’m having trouble with the thought and visual of seeing red chicken feet bobbing around in my broth, but hey, who knows?

My recipe:

MARY’S CHICKEN STOCK

One whole carcass of a roasted chicken, large bones chopped in half, including any juices, herbs or cheese rinds left – see my Roast Chicken recipe

Extra wing tips, if you have them

One whole carrot, skin scraped, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into thirds

One whole parsnip, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into thirds

One whole celery stalk with leaves, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into thirds

One whole medium onion, peeled and cut into quarters and each quarter studded with one clove

One bay leaf

Fennel stalks and fennel fronds from one fennel bulb (optional)

A handful of fresh Italian parsley

Coarse sea salt to taste

12 whole black peppercorns

Throw everything into a stock pot, cover with cold water to 1 ½” from the top of the pot, and bring nearly to a boil. Skim off any foam that gathers at the top and remove. Turn heat down to low, to simmer, with the pot lid just slightly ajar. Check and stir periodically and simmer for 4 hours, at least. More time is even better to achieve a dark, rich broth.

Let cool and strain all through a cheesecloth lined, fine mesh strainer and divide into containers. Refrigerate, if using within a week or freeze to use whenever.

A stock like this insures you’ll make your best risotto ever!

St. Patty’s Day!

March 18, 2013 by Mary Frances 6 Comments

How was it for you? I hope you all enjoyed the celebration and showed your Irish LOVE!

When I was growing up, my very best friend, Beth, was 100% Irish. And here I was, 100% Polish. While everyone was wearing some green with their school uniforms, my mother wouldn’t let me. No siree. I was not Irish. I should be proud to be Polish and wear red on St. Patty’s Day!

Yeah, she made me wear red.

But, for dinner, she gave in and always made corned beef and cabbage. So I kept up the tradition and made it for lunch yesterday while we were still with Zach and Agata in the country.

So now Agata (who is from Poland), looks at my platter and says, “It looks like Polish food.”

No wonder my mother made it!

Corned beef and cabbage on a plate with a hroshradish cream sauce from Mar 17, 2013.

I made this nifty horseradish cream sauce (mayo and sour cream) with a little lemon zest that was really nice and cut the salt from the beef.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

March 16, 2013 by Mary Frances 28 Comments

I have so much to write to you about. I’m really back logged. There is no lack of food or stories to share with you, just time to write and post them. And then there are some recipes that I really want to get to you now because they are cold weather dishes that are so yummy and while we still have it, before Spring descends upon us, I think you should have them available. But now I want to tell you about our lunch today. Our son Zach, with help from his lovely girlfriend, Agata, made it. Just look at this photo of chunky tomato soup and a two cheese (sharp cheddar and provolone) grilled cheese sandwich. This was so yummy!!! And this was something he wanted to make completely by himself with not a comment or an ounce of help from me. Of course I had to blow it and offer my two cents here and there and I was shooed out of the kitchen – he wanted no part of my advice as well as he should. He doesn’t need me, sad as I think it is, he is more than capable in the kitchen and for that I am so grateful. He never looked at a recipe. I did, before we went to the grocery store together. But he had his own ideas – damn good ones at that!

His tomato soup had onions, celery, (3 stalks), carrots, thyme, red pepper flakes and homemade chicken stock.

It was divine.