Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012

Posted on December 31, 2011 | 4 comments

Happy New Year to all, and a very special thank you to all of you who actually read my blog, and read my stories. It’s been a great experience having all of you as my audience. A Big Thanks to everyone who’s subscribed  and looking forward to cooking and talking with you in 2012.

Some Memories of 2011 ( in no special order, just as I thought about the past year)

Regis Philbin who will be missed so very much by me every single morning, it’s just not the same without him. I love Kelly but something’s missing.

Steve Jobs , Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Taylor ,Betty Ford, and Andy Rooney you will all be missed. Bin Laden, Qadaffi, and Kim Jong-il you will not be missed.

Charlie Sheen

OWS becomes part of our vernacular ( Occupy Wall Street) and the other 99 percent, and Zucotti Park, I’ve lived in NY for 56 years and never heard of it before!

Homeland, my new favorite show , now if I can only find the time to catch up and finish watching this season.

Hugh Jackman – best show I’ve seen in a long time on Broadway

Same sex marriages in New York, won’t all the states follow?

Kim Kardashian’s 72 day marriage ????

The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

Goodbye to Oprah – I really miss you , Ellen is funny but she’s not you.

Adele

Welcome to the next Queen of England – Kate

The Launch of Cooking with Candi ( a little personal memento)

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What I’m Cooking Tonite – Lentil Soup with Chicken Sausage – more comfort food

Posted on December 29, 2011 | 5 comments

Prep for Lentil Soup with Chicken Sausage

We are in Colorado now for the winter season. It’s  just one of those cozy, stay at home nights. My plan is to start the entire season of “Homeland ” tonite on demand tv. So as you can tell I have my work cut out for me. Lentil Soup was my thought with salad and a nice crusty whole grain bread. I am putting some spicy chicken sausage in it tonite as I want it to have a bit more substance as it is the main meal. Hope you feel like you want to make this hearty delicious soup. Also this will keep in fridge for at leasat 4 – 5 days, and it freezes well. I got my inspiration for this soup from Joy the Baker and my usual recipe without chicken sausage. A few new spices  like turmeric and cumin in it as well. Just an aside a little tidbit on Turmeric, it has long been considered to be one of  nature’s most powerful healers, so use it in the soup!  Making soup is not an exact science so if you don’t have all the spices, no biggie, if you want to use vegetable broth and no meat it’s OK, if you want to use turkey or pork sausage that’s perfectly acceptable. Just keep the liquid ingredients and the lentill proportion as is and you can add or subtract whatever you like. One suggestion is to add some spinach or swiss chard at the end of the cooking. I didn’t this time, but it is a nice touch, add it at the end of cooking, and it will wilt quickly and you can serve.   This will serve between 6 – 8 people nicely . So we will have plenty of leftovers to freeze up for another time.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil + one more after sausage browns ( you may need a bit more, you’ll have to play with it)

1 lb. chicken sausage , out of casing. I am using spicy chicken sausage, if you can’t get you can always add some crushed red pepper flakes for kick.

1 yellow onion chopped ( about a cup) more or less

3 stalks celery diced

3 carrots diced small

3 cloves garlic minced

2 cups uncooked lentils (any kind you can get)

1 tsp. kosher salt ( you will taste for salt and pepper at end)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

* 1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ( you may or may not want to add, depends on how spicy and hot you like it) you can also substitute cayenne powder (use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne)

8 cups chicken broth (also nice to use 1/2 veggie and 1/2 chicken )

1 – 2 cups of water depending on how much you’ll need at the end

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

In a large saucepan ( Le Creuset once again) over medium heat, heat up the  3 tablespoons of olive oil . Add the chicken sausage and cook, breaking up the chicken with the back of a wooden spoon so pieces are smaller and crumbly.( small chunks) Once it’s cooked ( about 8 – 10 minutes ) remove from pan.

See if you need more olive oil and add if you do. ( I did add about 1 more tablespoon)Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent ( 5 – 7 minutes) Stir occasionally. Add the garlic, and spices , cumin, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Cook for a few minutes . Add the sausage back into the pan, Stir to incorporate all . Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup, uncovered , until the lentils are soft. At least an hour, I like it to cook for as long as I can. I added about 2 cups of water towards the end, you’ll have to see for yourself, add a little at a time. Serve soup with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan Cheese, and good crusty bread.

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Shrimp Scampi and Pasta

Posted on December 26, 2011 | 4 comments
It is Christmas Eve, and so many restaurants are closed for the night. We had some amazing shrimp that Joel was able to procure. *Beautiful Mexican White Shrimp under 10! So what else would you do? Shrimp Scampi,
*under 10 refers to 10 and under to a pound, these can cost a pretty penny so you can definitley substitute a smaller shrimp (under 15, under 20 ) etc. Both Joel and I were raised around shrimp our whole lives and have very particular taste where shrimp is concerned.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. shrimp ( we used under 10’s which are rather large ) you can use smaller ones. Joel prefers Mexican Whites, and you can ask for these ( Ocean Garden is our preferred brand) they come in a 5 lb. box and Joel cleans and deveins for me always. (that’s our deal) He cleans them and I cook them.

5 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup olive oil ( you may want to add more as you go)

3/4 cup dry white wine

*pinch of hot red pepper flakes ( optional) and Susan doesn’t like hot so we added a pinch and put red pepper flakes on the table

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( again use your own discretion)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lb. spaghetti ( we used a thin spaghetti) or angel hair, capelini etc.

1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped

Directions:

Cook Pasta according to directions. Start boiling water for pasta as you start your sauce.

Heat oil in a heavy 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Saute shrimp, turning until just cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. These were large and took a bit longer, they will start to curl and turn a pretty pink color. If you’re really not sure you can always cut into one and if it is translucent put it back till it is opaque in the inside, we don’t want to be serving raw shrimp to anyone. When shrimp is done remove with a slotted spoon to another bowl. Set aside.  Add garlic to oil, if you think you need more oil just put a bit in now, add the red pepper flakes now if you’re using them, wine, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat , stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes or so. Add butter to skillet , stirring until melted, and stir in shrimp. Remove skillet from heat. Drain pasta in a colander, and *reserve 1 cup of pasta water.  Toss pasta well with shrimp mixture  and add parsley in a large bowl, add additional reserved pasta water  if necessary to keep it moist.

* Just a little tip,  before the pasta is finished I scoop out some pasta water with a measuring cup, makes it easier than juggling boiling water while you’re draining it.

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Chiffonade of Greens with Avocado and Red Onion in a Lemon Sherry Vinaigrette

Posted on December 21, 2011 | 5 comments

Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette ingredients

This salad is also from my cooking class with Karen Lee. I loved this salad. It was so delicious. Of course you probably have to love avocados and red onion but if you do, this is just an awesome delicious salad. Very easy, very few ingredients, and very few moving parts. Enjoy!

Feel free to add any protein into this salad. Chicken,  shrimp, tofu, or even some chopped eggs. Recently I have been seeing a lot of  poached or fried egg on top of salad. Yum! this one would be perfect with a fried egg atop! Give it a try.

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 bunch arugula (try to use organic if available; if you don’t have arugula, you can use escarole, endive, frisee or chicory)

1 bunch romaine or red leafy lettuce (you can throw in a little radicchio as well)

*use any combo of your favorite greens

1/2 cup diced red onion (optional)

1 ripe (not too ripe) avocado, diced

*any protein you like

Sherry Lemon Vinaigrette:

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. aged sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. lemon juice (or lime)

pinch cayenne powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

Make the dressing by dissolving the salt in the lemon juice and vinegar. Then add the cayenne and whisk in the olive oil.

Directions:

Clean lettuces and dry. I wrap lettuce in a dry kitchen towel and set aside. However, you can clean and dry lettuce however you want; it is fine. You can even buy pre-washed lettuces .  Peel and dice red onion.* Combine the lettuce, onion and diced avocado in a bowl. Toss with most of the dressing, taste, and then add more dressing, if desired. This is a lovely salad and you can keep it very simple. I ate it with Roast Chicken the other night, and they went together perfectly. I only used arugula but use whatever lettuce you like.

* The only suggestion I have is that if it is the winter and the red onion is particularly strong, you can soak it in a small bowl of water with a little lemon juice and drain and dry, thus removing the very strong oniony flavor. This is usually not an issue in the summer. Or just let it be strong, and just dice it and add it.


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Posted in Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegan, vegetarian

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Comfort Foods – Split Pea Soup – Can be Vegetarian

Posted on December 20, 2011 | 3 comments

I love almost all soups, stews, etc.  I find them so warm and inviting to eat. The flavors are all melded together and it is all usually very healthy ingredients which you are in control of that go into a freshly made soup. As a kid you couldn’t get me to eat Split Pea Soup, as an adult I love it. Maybe it’s the color? the texture? I can’t get Joel to go near it, but he’s allergic to almost anything that looks this green with a lot of references to the Exorcist which I could live without that visual. In any event it’s a warm, cozy soup. Very healthy, and you can leave out the chorizo or add it as you like. Last time out I added it. Very filling, it’s a meal for me with a nice piece of bread.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped yellow onions (  1 small to medium size yellow onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 cup of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt ( you might want to start with 1/2 and increase it as you need)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups coarsley chopped carrots

1 pound dried split green peas

8 – 10 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock ( for the vegetarians out there)

*sliced chorizo (you buy it whole , so slice up as much or as little as you’d like) this is totally optional, you can keep this soup totally vegetarian if you’d like

Directions:

In a large stockpot ( Le Creuset again) on medium heat , saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, 1/2 lb. of the split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, the simmer for about an hour. Skim off any foam while it is cooking.  After the hour, add the additional 1/2 lb. of split peas and continue to simmer , usually another hour for all the peas to be soft. Stir frequently as the solids can settle at bottom and burn. Taste for Salt and Pepper.  I then let soup cool down a little, and take the Immersion blender to it, not a complete puree. I know the consistency I like, so I would suggest cooling down soup then removing maybe 1/2 of soup to another pot, and using the immersion blender or a regular blender , blend it, again not completely. Add it to the rest of the soup, heat it up till it reaches a nice simmer. It was after I blended it partially that I added sliced Chorizo to the soup. A very nice addition.  If you add the chorizo just heat it up for about 20 minutes or so, the chorizo is usually pre cooked, it’s just to get the flavors going. Serve Hot with a nice crusty bread.

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Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup – the new Salad Dressing you’ve been looking for

Posted on December 18, 2011 | 2 comments

photo (5) photo (11) photo (8)photo (11)photo (5)I got this dressing from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook and it is very easy and very tasty.  Everyone is always looking for new dressing for their salad. The reason I was attracted to this one was because I had never used maple syrup in a salad dressing before. How bad can it be if it has maple syrup in it??? It’s delicious. This recipe was originally posted in 2011 when I discovered the recipe and has gone on to be an absolute staple in our house. Make it your new “go to ” salad dressing and you won’t be sorry. Using all staples that we all should have in our pantry.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon and probably heap those teaspoons)

2 teaspoons real Vermont Maple Syrup

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Canola or Vegetable oil

1/2 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oils, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I probably add about 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and if it needs more I add a bit, and then a few turns of the pepper mill.

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Chicken with lots of garlic

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

This recipe was originally from the Barefoot Contessa’s 40 Cloves of Garlic. I have to say 40 cloves was way too much garlic for just me and Joel, and I couldn’t bear taking the garlic out of 40 cloves. I actually felt it was too much garlic for even 4 people!  I made adjustments to the original recipe, and scaled it down a bit for just two people. I used about 20 cloves–still one helluva a lot of garlic–probably enough for 4.  The flavor was very garlicky, but integral to the flavor of the chicken.  You really need to love garlic to eat this dish. It is very French, indeed.  I had the butcher cut the breasts in 1/2 because they were unusually large. I served it with rice pilaf and a salad. Really delicious. A bit of an effort due to so much garlic. This is worth the effort, though. It was tres elegante for just the two of us but it would be a really nice dish for company. I removed some of the whole cloves from the sauce before serving. A few errant cloves on your plate are okay and even pretty tasty, I might add.

Ingredients:

2 whole heads garlic (you’ll need about 20 cloves) I started out with 2 heads so I could pick 20 nice size garlic cloves

4 chicken thighs, bone and skin on

2 chicken breasts (if very large, ask butcher to cut in 1/2)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 tablespoons cognac (brandy) divided  (2 and then another 1 at end)

1  1/2  cups dry white wine

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon all- purpose flour

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Drain the garlic, allow it to cool for a few minutes and then peel and set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large dutch oven pot (once again, Le Creuset is perfect.) Cook over medium high heat, but don’t let olive oil start smoking, you’ll want it hot enough to form a nice crust on chicken. In batches, saute the chicken in the olive oil/butter, skin side down (and don’t touch it) for about  5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or spatula, because a fork can pierce the skin. If the oil is smoking too much and burning chicken, turn down the heat. When each batch is done, transfer to a plate and continue to saute the rest of the chicken. Remove all the chicken to plate. Now add all of the garlic back to the pot on a lower heat. Saute for about 5 to 10 minutes, until garlic browns, but not burns, up. Scrape up any brown bits as you go. Add 2 tablespoons of cognac and the wine, return to a slow boil, and scrape up bottom of pan (de-glaze). Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. After the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour and then put into pot with the rest of the sauce. If it is still not thick enough, add a little more flour. I find that 2 tablespoons is too much flour–but you may need to add more to reach the appropriate thickness. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 – 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. I didn’t need any more because my chicken was sufficiently seasoned already. Plate the chicken, pour the sauce on top, add a few pieces of garlic and serve hot over orzo or rice.  A salad or vegetable is also perfect.

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Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon (Mark Bittman, The New York Times)

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

Seared Spiced Rubbed Salmon

This recipe came out of my cooking class with Karen Lee on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was a lovely day spent in her warm inviting kitchen. Karen’s classes always make for a day well-spent. (More information for Karen Lee Cooking Class (foodnow@rcn.com) or cookingwithcandi.com

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillet, skin removed (organic or wild but the organic king farm-raised is great, when it is available and the wild salmon is best from April through September)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin or 1 tablespoon fennel seed ( we used cumin)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

zest of 1 orange (you can substitute lemon or lime)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice, reduced to 2 – 3 tablespoons *see recipe below

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Dunk salmon in a bowl of cold water for a second. Then let drain on paper towels. Rinse and dry salmon.

Rub down the salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil. 

Mix together the salt and the cayenne pepper and rub onto both sides of the salmon then rub in the fennel seed or ground cumin, rosemary and orange zest. Press mixture onto both sides of the fillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place in a well seasoned iron skillet or steel fish skillet over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (you may need a bit more.)

Using a fish spatula, slide the salmon into the skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes. Place the spatula under the salmon and jiggle to loosen. If it resists, then leave it for another minute or so. Continue to saute until the salmon gets very dark and well-seared. Flip the salmon and sear on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

Place the salmon on a shallow roasting pan and roast in oven for an additional 1-3 minutes. (How long you roast will depend on how thick your fillet is and how you like your salmon cooked.) After fish comes out of oven, using a pastry brush, brush with the reduced orange juice.

(When sauteing the salmon, you may want to lower the heat to avoid burning the spices.)

*to reduce orange juice just put in a small saucepan and boil it down (a slow boil as opposed to a rolling boil,) until orange juice is reduced.

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Don’t Let the Apples Go Bad Cake

Posted on December 15, 2011 | 1 comment

Apples are the kind of fruit we eat all year round. They are always in the fridge and if they don’t get eaten, I  feel guilty that they’re just sitting there and going to go bad.  I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided since we were leaving for Colorado and I was not ditching perfectly good apples, I would make it and freeze it for when we come back.  (The cake would freeze well…the apples, not so much.) You’ll need a tube pan. You don’t need an electric mixer, so it’s pretty easy on the special equipment. Use those leftover apples–dont’ let them go bad. No butter in this recipe, lots of sugar though.  My house smelled divine.

I also love this recipe for the Jewish Holidays which are just around the corner…..just saying. I’m not ready to start posting for the Holidays yet but this makes a lovely dessert.

*you can see in photos that I use a melon baller to get the pits out of the middle of the apple. I prefer this technique over the corer thingys which never really work. The melon baller works perfectly: first cut apple in half, then scoop out just the pits.

www.smittenkitchen

Ingredients:

6 apples (I used what I had in the house: a combo of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp. Good old Macintosh will work, too.)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange juice (try to use fresh but if not, Tropicana will do)

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped (this is optional; I didn’t use them this time out)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside (I sprayed with a baking spray. There’s no need to add any butter here.)

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. This mixture will be rather thick.  Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to get it all out of the bowl.

Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared tube pan. Spread 1/2 the apples over this. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Use your eye to halve  batter and apples (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly halved.) Bake for about 90 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. I would check cake after 1 hour 20 minutes. I baked for the full 90 minutes; it’s a rather thick cake.

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Cooking Class with Karen Lee

Posted on December 13, 2011 | 3 comments

Ginger Sesame Grilled Salmon

Poached Pears and Cherries
Ginger Sesame Grilled Salmon
Parchment Salmon in Saffron Sauce

We are nearing the end of our stay in NY for the fall so I squeezed in one more cooking class with Karen Lee and I am so happy that I did. I had to be on the Upper West Side by 9 a.m. and left Roslyn only to sit in bumper to bumper traffic for 90 minutes to the midtown tunnel. So, I obviously didn’t arrive at the class until closer to 10. It was raining again and it’s such a good thing to do on a rainy day, but such a bad thing for the traffic situation. Once I walked in, any stress I had due to traffic left my body. It’s such a warm, “hamish” atmosphere, yet totally professional. Karen is a real dynamo, and very talented; she knows a lot about cooking, products, and food in general. If the opportunity ever arises, I highly recommend her classes. We cooked from 10 – 2:30 and ate our way through the morning into the afternoon. When I looked at the clock at 1:40, I didn’t know where the time went but it was well spent for sure. We made 3 kinds of salmon, 2 beautiful salads, and a poached pear dessert. (I will elaborate on the recipes.) I learned a few new techniques, a few new facts, and made a few new friends. What a great day!

Check out Karen Lee’s website at: www.karenleecooking.com  

Prep for Salmon in Parchment PaperSalmon in Parchment Paper

142 West End Avenue, NYC             212.787.2227

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