• Risotto Alla Vodka

    January 15, 2024 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Caro Chambers.

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 c. olive oil
    • 4 shallots, thinly sliced
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
    • 6 oz. tomato paste
    • 1/3 c. vodka
    • 2 c. half and half (can use fat free)
    • 5 c. chicken or vegetable broth
    • 2 c. Arborio rice
    • Salt, to taste
    • 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/3 c. basil, chiffonade

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350F.
    2. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low to medium heat and then add the shallots and pinch of salt; cook until shallots are soft and lightly golden brown, about 7 minutes. Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. If the pan gets too dry, add a splash of oil.
    3. Add the tomato paste and stir it in until it starts to stick to the Dutch oven, about 1 to 2 minutes; then deglaze the Dutch oven with the vodka and scrape up all of the stuck bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. When the vodka has evaporated after 1 minute, stir in the half and half, 3 c. of the broth, and the rice.
    4. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
    5. After 40 minutes, remove Dutch oven from the oven, stir in 1 c. of remaining broth along with the Parmesan cheese, and stir to combine. Add more broth until you reach your perfect risotto consistency.
    6. Serve topped with basil.

    Risotto Alla Vodka:

  • Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Caper Sauce

    January 15, 2024 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Keto Cooking with Christian.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 portions fresh salmon 
    • 1 TBSP fresh dill chopped
    • Olive oil
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    Sauce:

    • 1/3 c. sour cream
    • 2 TBSP mayonnaise
    • 1 TBSP fresh dill, chopped
    • 1 TBSP capers, chopped
    • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
    • Zest and juice and of 1/2 lemon
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:

    • Sauce: Whisk all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit at room temperature while you make the salmon.
    • Salmon: Preheat oven to 400F. Place the salmon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush each piece with olive oil.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dill over the tops. Bake for 10 minutes. Increase the temperature to 450F and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
    • Serve with a healthy dollop of the sauce over the top of the salmon, and garnish with some dill and capers.

    Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Caper Sauce:

  • Roasted Tomato Soup

    January 15, 2024 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Abby Thome.

    Ingredients:

    • 13 vine ripe tomatoes, halved
    • 3 garlic bulbs, tops cut off
    • 2 white onions, quartered
    • 1 red pepper, quartered
    • 4 or more thyme sprigs
    • Olive oil
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
    • 2 c. vegetable or chicken broth
    • 2 TBSP pesto
    • 1/2 c. heavy cream
    • Parmesan cheese, shredded
    • Basil, chiffonade

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 425F.
    2. Roast Veggies: On a 9×13 baking sheet, place tomatoes skin side down and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then flip the tomatoes over. Nestle the garlic bulbs, onions, red pepper, and thyme in and around the tomatoes. Drizzle with more olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
    3. Blend Soup: Remove thyme sprigs and dispose. Add half of the tomatoes, onions, and red pepper to blender; then squeeze out the garlic cloves from the roasted bulbs into the blender; add 1 c. of broth to the blender and blend until smooth. Add soup to a Dutch oven and repeat in the blender with the remaining ingredients. (Alternatively, add all roasted veggies and broth to the Dutch oven and use an immersion blender).
    4. Once all the soup is in the Dutch oven, add the pesto and stir in the cream, and bring to a simmer.
    5. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and basil.

    Roasted Tomato Soup:

  • Instant Pot Mexican Rice

    December 6, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 c. long grain white rice, rinsed
    • 1/4 c. vegetable oil
    • 1 tsp. garlic, minced
    • 1 onion, finely diced
    • 1/4 c. tomato sauce
    • 2 tsp. granulated tomato bouillon
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1 carrot, diced
    • 1 1/2 c. water
    • 1/3 c. frozen peas, optional
    • Juice of 1 lime

    Directions:

    1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain well.
    2. Turn Instant Pot to saute. Once hot, add oil to the bottom of the pot.
    3. Add rice and saute, stirring often, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
    4. Add garlic, onion, tomato sauce, salt, tomato bullion and carrots and stir to combine.
    5. Add water and stir well, making sure the bullion is dissolved.
    6. Turn Instant Pot off. Secure lid and turn valve to sealed position.
    7. Turn on to Manual or High Pressure, and cook for 4 minutes.
    8. When timer beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
    9. Remove lid and add peas, if using, and lime juice. Gently fluff the rice with a fork (don’t stir it).
    10. Place IP lid over the bowl and allow rice to rest for a few more minutes before serving.

    Instant Pot Mexican Rice:

  • Burrata Pesto Salad

    December 6, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe from Little Ms Magnolia. Serve as an appetizer or side salad.

    Ingredients:

    • Baguette
    • Olive oil
    • Garlic salt
    • Salt and pepper
    • 10 oz. cherry/grape tomatoes, sliced in half
    • Arugula
    • Burrata
    • Fresh pesto
    • Coarse sea salt
    • Balsamic glaze

    Directions:

    1. Baguette slices/dippers: Preheat oven to 400F. Slice a baguette into thin pieces. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until desired crispiness. Remove from oven and set aside.
    2. Roasted Tomatoes: In a bowl add halved tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On a baking sheet add the tomatoes and roast in the 400F oven for 20 minutes; then remove from the oven and let cool.
    3. Assembly: On a platter, lay out however much arugula you want. Gently pat the burrata dry, and then break open the burrata into pieces and place on top of the arugula. Then add the cooled roasted tomatoes on top of the burrata; then drizzle with fresh pesto; then drizzle with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, coarse sea salt, and balsamic glaze.
    4. Serve: Burrata salad with the dippers.

    Burrata Pesto Salad:

  • Ciabatta

    December 6, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Brian Lagerstrom.

    Ingredients:

    Biga

    • 175 g. or 3/4 c. warm water (86F)
    • 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
    • 225 g. or 1 1/2 c. AP flour (11.7% protein)

    Autolyse

    • 180 g. or 3/4 c. warm water (86F)
    • 250 g. or 2 c. AP flour (11.7% protein)

    Final Mix:

    • 40 g. or 2 3/4 TBSP warm water (86F)
    • 5 g. or 2 tsp. instant yeast
    • 10 g. 1 3/4 tsp. salt
    • All of the biga you mixed earlier

    Directions:

    1. Biga: Add water, yeast, and flour into a high sided container and mix until no dry clumps of flour remains. Let ferment at room temp for 6-24 hours.
    2. Autolyse: Into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix your autolyse (water and flour) on low until combined. Cover with towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
    3. Final Mix: For your final mix, add warm water, yeast, salt, and biga to your autolyse and mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase speed to high and mix for 5 more minutes. When dough is mixed enough it should clear the bowl and begin to get shiny.
    4. Fermenting and Shaping: Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 30 min. Do strength building folds #1 and then hand cup the dough a few times (mimicking an electric mixer kneading motion). Cover again and let sit at room temp for another 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes perform strength building folds #2; then cover and allow to ferment at room temp for 1 hour. Dough should be gassy and alive at this point.
    5. Liberally flour work surface and dough well. Use dough card to release dough from bowl as completely as possible before transferring dough to work surface. Gently pat into a square slab. Prepare a piece of parchment that’s larger than your slab of ciabatta dough by liberally flouring it. Cut dough into two equal rectangles and gently transfer to floured parchment. Cover and proof at room temp for 30 min.
    6. Baking: Place baking stone/steel in the middle of the oven and place a cast iron or other pan in the rack below the stone/steel and preheat oven to 500F.  Boil water in a saucepan or tea kettle ready for when you place the ciabatta in the oven. Slide ciabatta onto baking stone/steel (with parchment paper) and pour boiling water into cast iron pan in the oven.
    7. Cover loaves with a foil pan (approx. 16”x12”x3”) and bake for 12 min. Remove foil and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes until crust is a deep golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

    Ciabatta:

  • Baguette

    December 6, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Brian Lagerstrom.

    Ingredients:

    Poolish

    • 150 g. (2/3 c.) room temperature water
    • Pinch of instant yeast
    • 150 g. (1 c.) bread flour

    Dough

    • Ripe poolish (recipe above)
    • 240 g. (1 c.) water (90F)
    • 3 g. (3/4 tsp.) instant yeast
    • 400 g. (2 3/4 c.) bread flour
    • 11 g. (2 1/4 tsp.) salt
    • 10 g. (2 1/2 tsp) diastatic malt powder

    Directions:

    1. Poolish:  Stir together water, yeast, and flour. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
    2. Dough: Add poolish, water, yeast, flour, salt, and malt powder to a stand mixer with a bread hook and mix on low for 3 minutes. Once the dough is combined, increase speed to high (speed 4 on my KitchenAid) and mix for another 6 minutes.
    3. Ferment and Strength Building: Transfer to a bowl, cover, and ferment at room temperature for 30 minutes. Perform strength building fold #1 and then cover and rest for 30 minutes. Do strength building fold #2 and then cover and rest for a final 60 minutes.
    4. Shape:  Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces (about 230 g. each). Preshape each piece by placing each piece on your work surface and tuck the sides up to resemble a ball and then roll each piece on your work surface in the palm of your hand until you have a uniform ball. Cover with a towel and rest for 15 minutes.
    5. After 15 minutes, seem side up press the dough down to degass any large air pockets.  Then fold the top of the dough down, about an inch at a time, toward you, which seals in the tension.  Do this 4 – 5 times until the dough is in a blunt cigar shape, and then use your fingertips and thumbs to roll the dough out into a longer tube shape, about 9-10 inches.  You can continue to use your fingertips and thumbs to roll the ends of the dough into a tidy taper.
    6. Move the baguettes to an upside down baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a foil pan (approx. 16”x12”x3”) and let rise at room temp for 45-70 min.
    7. Bake:  Preheat oven with baking steel/stone to 465F. 
    8. Transfer the baguettes (with parchment paper) onto a preheated pizza steel/stone. Spray with water, cover with the foil lid and bake for 12 mins. Remove lid and bake for 12-15 more min. until crusty and golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

    Baguette:

  • Simple Skillet Pasta

    November 12, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Ingredients:

    • 3 TBSP olive oil
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1/2 – 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, to taste
    • 1 tsp. oregano or Italian seasoning
    • 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 tsp. sugar, add more to taste
    • 3 1/2 c. water
    • 16 oz. penne
    • 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
    • Burrata
    • Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

    Directions:

    1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes; then add the crushed red pepper and oregano or Italian seasoning. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and sugar. Bring to gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
    2. Stir in water and penne, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to vigorous simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring often, until pasta is nearly al dente, about 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, tossing gently, until pasta is al dente and sauce is thickened, 4 to 7 minutes; if sauce becomes too thick, add extra water as needed. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste and top with burrata.
    3. Top individual portions with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

    Simple Skillet Pasta:

  • Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

    November 12, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Sammy Montogoms.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 TBSP olive oil
    • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
    • 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
    • 1 onion, roughly chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
    • 2 TBSP tomato paste
    • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    • 3/4 tsp. oregano
    • 2 1/4 tsp. cumin
    • 3 tsp. smoked paprika
    • 2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
    • 7 1/2 c. chicken broth
    • 1 c. tomato sauce
    • 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed or 2 c. fresh or frozen, divided
    • 1/2 c. heavy cream
    • 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • Serve topped with cheese, green onion, cilantro, avocado, jalapenos, sour cream, and/or tortilla chips

    Directions:

    1. Begin by roughly chopping the carrots, red pepper, and onion.
    2. To a large pot, add the olive oil and set to medium heat. Add chopped carrots, red pepper, and onion and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring often.
    3. Reduce heat to low and add the whole garlic cloves. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes and then add the tomato paste. Cook until the tomato paste becomes a darker red color, about 3 minutes.
    4. Add the salt through tomato sauce and 1/2 of the corn. Bring to a light boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies become soft.
    5. Once the veggies are soft, turn off the heat and use an immersion blender and blend the soup until smooth.
    6. Add the heavy cream, and taste to see if it needs any additional seasonings.
    7. Shred the chicken and then add the shredded chicken, the remaining corn, and fresh lime juice to the soup and stir one last time.
    8. Top soup with desired toppings.

    Creamy Tortilla Soup:

  • Shakshuka

    October 25, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe from Amanda Arafat and Honeycomb Kitchen.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 TBSP olive oil
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp. cumin
    • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
    • 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
    • 1/4 tsp. cayenne
    • 2 tsp. tomato paste
    • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
    • 4 medium-large tomatoes, diced
    • 4-5 eggs
    • 1/4 block feta, crumbled
    • Parsley, roughly chopped
    • Mint, roughly chopped

    Directions:

    1. In a large skillet heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
    2. Add cumin through tomato paste and saute for 2 minutes; then add the remaining 1 TBSP olive oil.
    3. Next, add the diced bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes, stirring to combine with the garlic and onion; then add the diced tomatoes and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir the tomatoes occasionally until the mix reaches a vigorous simmer, and at that point cover the pan and lower the heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and periodically using a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes, creating a saucier texture.
    4. After 15 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat and uncover. Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes to improve the texture of the sauce. Return the skillet to medium heat, uncovered, and simmer for 5 minutes.
    5. After simmering, remove the skillet from the heat and create 4-5 divots of the surface of the sauce, making sure they are large enough for an egg to nestle into. Working with one egg at a time, crack the eggs first into a cup and then use the cup to gently drop the eggs into the divots. Cover the skillet, and return to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, just until the egg whites are set. Remove from heat.
    6. Garnish with feta, parsley, and chopped mint.

    Shakshuka:

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