Italian Sausage Soup

It is raining today, and actually feels like fall is coming, so here is a warming soup that is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal. This is another entry in my favorite recipes series. This soup comes from Sara Foster’s cookbook, Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking.

Italian Sausage Soup

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes with their juices
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cups spinach, cabbage, or other greens, washed and trimmed
• 4 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cut open the sausage casings and squeeze the meat into the skillet, discarding the casings. Add the onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is light brown all over and the onion is tender and translucent. Drain the fat from the skillet. Add the stock, tomatoes and beans. Season to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the greens and basil.

A Fall Salad

I came up with this salad last week. It’s lovely for this time of year. Serve with chicken breasts pan-roasted with onions.

To make the salad, toss together:

• mixed greens
• toasted walnuts
• dried cranberries
• apple slices

I didn’t put this in, but if you have some goat cheese, it would probably make a nice addition.

Toss with a simple vinaigrette. I favor one made with sherry vinegar and a bit of grainy mustard.

This was a very nice salad to welcome the cooler fall weather.

A Milder All-Purpose Pesto: Spinach-Walnut Pesto

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I actually made this pesto last fall with the last of the basil, but I froze it in ice cube trays and have found many uses for it since. Since this recipe replaces half the basil with spinach, it has a milder taste and can be used in greater quantities than classic pesto. Because the spinach flavor doesn’t overwhelm, this is a good recipe for sneaking a healthy vegetable in unexpectedly. I like this pesto best as a sauce for fresh tortellini or ravioli, but as we discovered last night, it makes a great pizza sauce, particularly if the pizza also features fresh spinach. (I also added crumbled bacon, fresh mozzarella and tomato to the pizza.)

Spinach-Walnut Pesto

Time to make: ~10 minutes
Yields: 2 cups

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated

Combine everything in a food processor and process until pureed.

This pesto freezes very well. Freeze 1 tablespoon portions in ice cube trays. Once the pesto is frozen, transfer the cubes to a large freezer bag. Then you can just remove and defrost what you need for the dish.

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What’s Cooking in October

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It may be 85 degrees here today, but fall has arrived. With the humidity dissipating, the air has that wonderful fresh crispness I love about fall, and the sky is a clear, scrubbed blue. The garden is looking very sad, indeed, and needs to be dug under after we salvage the last few cantaloupes and basil leaves. I’m more in the mood to be outside and to cook, especially soups, stews and heartier fare.

Visitors to my blog seem to feel the same way. Here is what they have been looking for and what I plan to cook as the days get cooler:

• Now is the time for butternut squash soup. I‘m making some tonight with dumplings, but it’s also so good with chiles or apples.
• Cooler nights call for lasagna, a hearty pasta sauce or roasted chicken and vegetables.
• This is also a great time of year for cornbread; I’ve already made my first batch of the fall (and turned the leftovers into a hearty panzanella).
• If you have any basil left to harvest, you’re probably still making pesto and wondering what to do with it; pasta sauce and pasta salad are two great options.

I don’t think it’s too soon to think about the holidays and all those holiday treats. I’ve collected a few recipes from around the blogosphere that seem like just the thing for the sweets season:

• You can’t have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes; here’s a droolicious one from Tender Crumb.
• Make these Chewy Mint Chocolate Cookies from lily.violet now with the last of the mint.
• These Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars from Cooking with Cristine are bound to be a hit.
• I love these simple Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Fluffy Frosting from Taste and Tell.
• Here’s an unusual twist on a traditional brownie from the Recipe Girl: Pretzel-Toffee Chip Brownies.
• This Lemon Curd Cake at Pastry Studio looks like an elegant dessert for a holiday dinner party.
• Or how could you go wrong with a dessert called Lemon Delicious?
• You’ll probably also be hosting a brunch or two over the holidays — Baked Eggs, Toast and Bacon cups at look like the perfect brunch recipe.
• Follow that up with Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake from Genesis of a Cook.

I guess we’re all set for some cold weather baking. What are you making for fall?

A Simple Asian Menu for Autumn

First, you may notice that I have done some reorganizing. I’m trying out a new theme, which offers a little more screen real estate, a cleaner look and spreading out of the sidebar elements. I hope you like it. I’ve also separated out the meta-categories from tags. Look in the tag cloud for specific ingredients, styles and types of recipes, while the shorter category list groups all recipes together, all reviews and so forth. Check the right sidebar for both.

Last night, I put together a simple dinner of three dishes cooked with different techniques but with similar flavors to create a coherent meal. I thought the flavors combined nicely to compose an autumnal, Asian-inspired menu. None of these dishes requires a full recipe, just knowledge of the appropriate technique. This is my favorite type of menu: simple, improvisational, complete and satisfying.

It started with a trip through the grocery store, picking out what looked delicious and fresh with no real destination recipe in mind: salmon fillets, butternut squash, bok choy. Once home and looking over my purchases, the bok choy inspired me to think Asian, and the menu evolved from there. This is when I really feel like I’m cooking — when I’m building on techniques for cooking and flavoring ingredients that I’ve already learned to construct a thematically complete meal. Each item complemented the others nicely, tied together by the Asian-style flavors.

Here is the menu:

• Pan-seared salmon with sesame drizzle
• Stir-fried bok choy
• Simmered butternut squash with Asian flavors

To make the Pan-Seared Salmon with Sesame Drizzle, season salmon steaks or thick fillets with salt and pepper, and pan-sear over medium-high heat in a little canola oil until cooked to your liking. In the meantime, heat ½ tbsp. peanut oil with 1 tbsp. sesame oil over low. Stir in 1 tbsp. soy sauce. Drizzle a little over each piece of salmon before serving.

The Stir-Fried Bok Choy is chopped and stir-fried with a little garlic and ginger in peanut oil. After it turns bright green, add ¼ cup chicken stock and 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce. Let the bok choy steam in the liquid until tender.

I have made the Simmered Butternut Squash with Asian Flavors before — click the link for the recipe.

Carrot & Apple Salad

Even though I made up this salad this week, I think it would be best for fall, when both apples and carrots are in season. But I happened to have an apple on hand, plus some grated carrots, and the dish naturally came together. Perhaps you might recognize that the classic Waldorf Salad is in its pedigree, but I actually prefer this combination. This is a zingy, refreshing salad full of crunch, appropriate with a light lunch or as a dinner starter.

Carrot and Apple Salad

Serves: 2
Time to make: ~15 minutes

Combine:

• 1 apple (preferably sweet), peeled, cored and grated
• ½ cup carrots, grated
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise, or just enough to bind
• ½ tbsp. lemon juice
• salt, pepper and parsley to taste

What’s in Season? Sweet Potatoes

Of course it’s no secret that sweet potatoes are in their prime right now. Why else would they be ubiquitous on the Thanksgiving table? But sweet potatoes should come to visit more often than once a year in a sweet and sticky casserole. They can do anything that potatoes can do, and they can do it with more nutritious value and more glamour, thanks to that bright orange color.

Many people around these parts refer to sweet potatoes as “yams,” but they’re not the same thing at all. Sweet potatoes are the orange tuber we’re all familiar with. Yams are harder to come by, and are usually white or red. Still, yams can stand in for sweet potatoes, as can boniato, pumpkin and winter squash.

One medium sweet potato will serve two easily. Look for smaller sweet potatoes that are deep orange in color. Try to avoid those with worm holes or soft spots, but if you get one, cut away the affected area when peeling; the rest should be fine. Sweet potatoes will keep for up to two weeks in a cool place (not the refrigerator).

Mashed sweet potatoes are a holiday staple (see my simple recipes here). But there are lots of other ways to cook a sweet potato. Here are some suggestions:

• Simmer ‘em: Cube and simmer over low in 1/4 cup stock per 1 pound cubed sweet potatoes with a little butter until just tender, 20-30 minutes
• Braise ‘em: Dice and brown in butter before simmering until tender in 1/4 cup liquid
• Bake ‘em: Prick the skin with a fork and bake at 425 degrees until soft, about 1 hour; great topped with Parmesan, butter or even pesto
• Roast ‘em: Peel, cube and roast; they are particularly nice as part of a medley of roasted root vegetables
• Make “fries”: Cut into wedges, toss with oil and cayenne, and bake at 475 degrees for 20-30 minutes
• Make “hash browns”: Cut into matchsticks and pan-fry over medium-high in oil or butter until browned, about 15 minutes

Sweet potatoes make an unusual addition to many recipes. Why not try them in risotto, as a filling for ravioli or use them to make a vegetable bread (similar to pumpkin bread)? I have one left over from Thanksgiving that I am planning to turn into a filling for burritos; I’ll post the recipe afterward.

So, how are you going to use your leftover sweet potatoes?

Hearty Three-Bean Soup

A Nor’easter is blowing through our area, just in time for Thanksgiving travel. It’s cold, windy and rainy — a perfect night for soup.

As you may have noticed, I make a lot of soups and pasta dishes at home. We go out to eat one to three times a week, and we really enjoy discovering a good restaurant. But I don’t go out for dishes like soup and pasta (unless it’s at one of the two local restaurants that make really good homemade pasta, something I can’t do). I find restaurant soups to be either too rich, full of cream and cheese, or too blandly seasoned, especially at those mid-range restaurants. And an order of pasta is likely to result in a pound of pasta and rich sauce, which I find daunting.

At home, I tend to make hearty but low-calorie soups with lots of veggies and flavor, and pasta dishes that are light on the pasta but are really satisfying. For eating out, I’ll save those dishes I can’t make so easily, or so much better, at home. This soup falls into the hearty category, and it’s perfect for a rainy, wintry night.

Three-Bean Soup

Serves: 4
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ minced onion
• 2 tbsp. minced celery
• 2 tbsp. minced carrots
• salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste
• ½ pound Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup canned three-bean mixture
• 1 bunch chopped kale or other greens
• grated Parmesan to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium. Saute the onion, celery and carrots until soft. Season with salt, pepper and whatever else you like. Add the potatoes and stir around a bit. Add the stock, tomatoes and beans. Raise the heat and let come to a bubble. Add the kale. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the greens are well-cooked. Garnish with grated Parmesan.

Notes: I used a seasoning mix that included paprika, sage and cayenne. I added a little more after each additional ingredient to build up the flavor. I used a mixture of “salad” beans — kidney, pinto and garbanzo — but any beans will work.

Thanksgiving Menu

It is that time when thoughts turn to what to eat on the major feasting day of the year. So I thought I’d share with you my planned Thanksgiving menu. For the most part, it’s pretty traditional — with one exception that I’m sure you’ll notice immediately.

So let me explain. Every year, I have two Thanksgivings: one with my in-laws, where I don’t have much say over the menu on the day itself; and one on that weekend, when we gather with my mom, stepfather and all the brothers and stepbrothers who are around at my mom’s timeshare in the mountains. But a timeshare kitchen is not really conducive to cooking turkey, so we always try to think of creative alternatives, usually seafood. This year, I decided on salmon because a) it’s fast and easy; and b) it’s just as American as turkey. In fact, I remember reading that salmon were once so plentiful that the Native Americans used them as stepping stones when crossing rivers. Whether that is a myth or not, it is conceivable that salmon was on the table at the first Thanksgiving.

Last year, our weekend Thanksgiving was poorly timed and ended up being grilled on a painfully small hibachi by the glow of a teensy flashlight, so this year my mom insisted on pre-planning. So I have timed our traditional Thanksgiving feast to the minute, and here it is:

1. Bread — to be supplied by local bakery, which can do a much better job than I
2. New York-Style Cheesecake

Because dessert must come first, we will start this either the day before or the morning of to give it plenty of time to bake, cool and chill. The recipe is from The New Best Recipe and is guaranteed to add 1 pound to each thigh.

3. Cranberry Sauce

This comes second because it can set while the rest of dinner is being cooked. Recipe from The New Best Recipe again, to minimize the number of cookbooks I have to tote up there.

4. Appetizers for munching on when watching football and making the rest of dinner:
   • Cheese Straws (recipe from The New Best Recipe)
   • Salami and mustard
   • Hot dogs in a blanket — my husband’s “original” recipe for wrapping tiny hot dogs in puff pastry
5. Salad — to be supplied and made by Mom, but which certainly can be made ahead
6. Green Bean Casserole

This is a really delicious-looking update of the classic, recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, the November 2006 issue. The sauce can be made first and then then the whole thing will bake while preparing the…

7. Mashed Sweet Potatoes

For 8 side-dish servings, peel and cube 4 large sweet potatoes. Simmer over medium-low with ¼ cup heavy cream and 4 tbsp. butter until tender, 40-50 minutes. Mash with 2 tsp. brown sugar, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.

8. Roasted Salmon with Butter

For 8 plentiful servings, buy a 3-pound salmon fillet. Dot with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, rotating once halfway through cooking time. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Mmm-mmm Mushroom Soup

First of all, I’m not even going to review last night’s Top Chef. I thought it was a really boring episode altogether. The challenges were boring, the food was boring and the results were boring. Even the great cheating “scandal” was boring. I understand why they couldn’t kick anyone off, but that doesn’t make for entertaining television. (And why was a camp for fat kids named Camp Glucose? Doesn’t glucose mean sugar? Doesn’t that seem kind of cruel?)

So, let’s talk instead about an easy, warming, cold-weather soup. This recipe uses whatever mushrooms you like, although it’s better if you mix in some different types of wild mushrooms. When I made it last night, I used dried shiitakes, portobellos and button.

Mixed Mushroom Soup

Serves: 2
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 1 ounce dried mushrooms (any kind)
• 1 tbsp. butter
• ½ lb. mixed mushrooms, sliced
• salt, pepper and dried herbs to taste
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 tbsp. shallot, minced
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• up to 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp. sherry
• parsley for garnish

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Meanwhile, heat the butter over medium. Add the fresh mushrooms and let cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Slice and add the dried mushrooms to the mixture, reserving the mushroom soaking liquid. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs of your choosing. Add the leek, shallot and garlic, and let cook 1 minute. Combine the mushroom soaking liquid with enough stock to make 2 cups and add it to the pot, with the sherry. Bring just to a boil. Garnish with parsley and serve.