Tomato Soup

Posted on October 17, 2012 | 1 comment

I have made many tomato soups and this one was very easy. I used one can of crushed plum tomatoes. If you don’t have crushed in the house, you can crush in your food processor. I almost always have parmesan cheese in the house and I loved using the rind, as they have many uses particularly in soups where they can soak and soften. This time I diced it up into small little pieces so the result was like little explosions of flavor. Don’t ever throw away those rinds, they are so perfect used in soups and sauces.  The saffron threads give it that warm wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:

1 small piece of rind (2×3) from either Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, diced up (you can buy packages pre-chopped, keep in the freezer and just take out when you need them)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

* scant 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (if you like the heat)

1 28-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes (San Marzano the best)

2 – 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt (and you’ll probably need a drop more after tasting)

1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (buy a package of saffron threads sold in most supermarkets, and just gently crumble before measuring )

Directions:

In a soup pot, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta and saute over medium heat until it is nicely browned and crispy. (I prefer it very crispy.) Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute until onions are softened, about 6 – 10 minutes.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes and  1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth. Simmer  until the mixture becomes more condensed and aromatic. I did this for 30 minutes.

While this is happening, I placed cheese rinds into microwave for about 15 seconds just to soften. They are easier to dice up once they are warmed. I cut into pretty small dice size pieces.

Turn heat off, and using an immersion blender (they are the best), roughly puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can do this in batches with a regular blender. You will probably want to add some more of the chicken broth at this point. I gradually added as I blended. I used about 2 1/2 cups total chicken broth. Taste for salt at this point, and add accordingly. Bring the soup back to simmering and drop the diced cheese rinds into the soup to soften. Ladle into individual soup bowls, scatter the surface of the soup with the reserved pancetta, and serve. You will want to have a nice crusty bread to serve alongside this delicious soup.

*serves app. 4 people

1 Comment

Posted in soup

Posted on October 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

I am re-posting this great recipe as it is from last October and for those of you looking for a great weeknight staple here you go. Enjoy!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

This is one of  my go to meals when the weather turns a little cold and throughout the winter months.  When I need something to make that’s easy, healthy and comforting. Food for the soul I like to say. I serve this with crusty bread,  and a green salad. It’s very filling and makes a beautiful presentation for 2 or 6. Hope you enjoy, it’s really very easy , just chop up a few vegetables (carrots, onions, and celery, a basic *mirepoix) open a few cans and buy the chicken, don’t be intimidated by ingredients! This recipe inspired from Giada de Laurentis’s chicken stew. I have made a few changes to suit us.

*Basic Mirepoix is a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks, sauces, soups and other foods. Usually comprised of 50% onions, 25% carrots, and 25% celery.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 stalks celery, small…

View original post 489 more words

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Shelly’s Pumpkin Ginger Muffins – I love Pumpkin

Posted on October 14, 2012 | 1 comment

My friend Shelly who is an excellent cook and baker gave this recipe to me back in 2012.  I wanted to try them because I love all things Pumpkin and ’tis the season. I was leaving Colorado for the season and  planned on freezing these delicious beauties so they would be here when we return. Shelly said that she freezes them, then takes them out for breakfast individually by putting the frozen muffin in the microwave  or toaster oven. A little butter and jam don’t hurt either. The list of ingredients may seem daunting. I had to shop for a few of the items, but don’t let this stop you because these are fairly healthy and a perfect brunch/breakfast item, or good for just mid-afternoon tea. They contain fiber and aren’t cloyingly sweet. I love ginger and I love pumpkin. If you don’t like the ginger spice you can cut down or eliminate the crystallized ginger. Wow, pumpkin and ginger. What more can I say? Thanks so much Shelly for your contribution.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups wheat bran

approx. 1/3 cup of crystallized ginger (very small pieces), available in Whole Foods and most supermarkets

2 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 15 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling- be careful)

2/3 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup molasses

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs (room temperature please)

raw sugar to sprinkle on top

Muffin cups (the paper kind are perfect)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees .

Combine flour, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ginger powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir well to combine, then make a well in the center.

Combine brown sugar, canned pumpkin, buttermilk, canola oil, molasses, vanilla and eggs, and whisk it all together until well combined. Add this mixture into the flour mixture and stir well until moist. Mix in the crystallized ginger.

Coat muffin tins with baking spray. I use a 12 muffin tin. Spoon mixture into cups. I used a large tablespoon and just dropped in. (See picture.) Sprinkle raw sugar on  top of muffins before baking (use as much or as little as you like).

Bake for about 16 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Mine baked for 17 minutes. Let cool down and remove from pan onto wire rack. If you have no wire rack just a baking sheet will do.

Enjoy! These are delicious and pretty nutritious. Serving size should make about 24 muffins.

1 Comment

Posted in Baked Goods, breakfast, muffins

Farro with Roasted Mushrooms

Posted on October 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Farro is one of the oldest grains cultivated by humans. It was originally found in the Middle East, and is now primarily grown in Italy. Farro is delicious and a good source of fiber, as well as protein and iron. It is a perfect source of protein for vegetarians. Farro looks and tastes a bit like brown rice, but it has a more fibrous texture and a nutty taste with hints of oats and barley. It holds its texture better than arborio rice when cooked, which makes it a perfect alternative to risotto. It has a crunchy, nutty complex flavor and is low in gluten. This evening I prepared it like a salad at room temperature. I then added it to my Caesar salad and it was wonderful. It is great on greens or as a side dish. I am going to be making this wonderful grain more and more and I especially can’t wait to make it for my vegetarian daughter.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked farro (I used Italian pearled farro)

Kosher salt

1/2 lb. mushrooms (I used cremini, but a mix of wild or any kind you prefer would be good too)

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* finely chopped or crumbled parmesan – this is totally optional but added a delicious flavor

* a little chopped fresh parsley (I didn’t have any so I didn’t use, but it would be nice)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan,  prepare the farro according to directions on bag.  I bought the italian pearled type and it didn’t call for soaking, but a lot of farro needs to be soaked prior to cooking. I would suggest buying the type that doesn’t unless you have a lot of time.

While the farro is cooking, wipe and trim the mushrooms. I gave them a rough chop but left a lot of larger bite-sized pieces, don’t chop too small.   On a rimmed baking sheet spread the mushrooms out and drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking (you can always add salt at the end). Toss gently to distribute everything, spread the mushrooms out evenly on the baking sheet and put in the oven for about 30 minutes. I like the mushrooms crispy around the edges.

Once the farro is cooked, drain it well, and allow it to cool down. I took the mushrooms off of the baking sheet with a slotted spatula, just to remove a bit of the liquid. When the farro and mushrooms have cooled down to room temperature or barely warm, I combined them in a serving bowl. I then add the lemon juice and I added 2 tablespoons of olive oil, but if that is not enough, you can add more a little bit at a time. There is some oil that gets left on mushrooms and it is enough. If you’d like, add the parmesan and parsley and taste for salt and pepper at this time. I served at room temperature. I also think it would be delicious with some chopped vegetables added, completely up to you. Joel even ate it.

* should serve 4 as a generous side dish

1 Comment

Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, meatless, Salad, sides, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Pumpkin Soup – Happy Fall

Posted on October 10, 2012 | 4 comments

Fall is here, and time to make soups, and hearty meals. Heartwarming and comforting is what comes to mind. This pumpkin soup is all of that–warm,sweet  and savory all at the same time. It contains cream; and I do use heavy cream, you can probably substitute regular milk or skim milk I figure there are 8 servings and only 1/2 cup of cream in the total so it’s not too too terrible. You can also substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth for a vegetarian style soup. It’s a smooth delicious soup, and served with a nice green salad and some crusty bread, it’s awesome! Happy Fall.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken / vegetable stock ( either one)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 cups ( 2 cans) pumpkin puree ( not pie filling – be careful)

1 medium yellow onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ( you can use fresh )

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup maple syrup

5 whole black peppercorns, or a few grinds of the pepper mill

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nice deep soup pot ( Le Creuset) add chopped onion and saute till translucent, add garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. When onion is translucent add stock, pumpkin, thyme, maple syrup and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low flame for at least 30 minutes uncovered.

With an immersion blender, ( if no immersion blender a regular blender or food processor will do, but then you need to do in batches of 1 cup at a time and let it cool down a bit)

Blend till well combined, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Taste for salt, the peppercorns get ground up and taste wonderful but you may want to add more pepper. Stir in heavy cream and stir well. Pour into soup bowls and enjoy!

You may want to sprinkle some fried onion rings on top. If I am pressed for time I take the onion rings right from the container ( French’s ) makes the best type and add to the soup for a little more flavor and crunch. Not too much just a taste. Of course a great crusty bread with butter and a delicious hard cheese needs nothing else but the soup.

4 Comments

Posted in soup

Tagged , , ,

Posted on October 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

Come on send me your recipes! There is still plenty of time but I have to start cooking the recipes!!!!! and judging!!!!!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

I know that Thanksgiving is still a little far off, but I am always on the lookout for new Thanksgiving recipes, so I thought I would open it up to subscribers only. If you’re not already a subscriber, that can be easily taken care of! Just click “subscribe” on cookingwithcandi.com (it’s free). Once you’re signed up, enter to win a fun surprise CWC prize by submitting a Thanksgiving recipe entry. You can post the recipe directly on the site, or you can choose to email me. I will try the recipes, choose a winner and contact him or her to send the prize and I will, of course, post the winning recipe on the Thanksgiving blog. The deadline is November 5. You have plenty of time to plan and cook, so no rush and have fun with it! Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from all of you.

View original post

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake – I love Pumpkin

Posted on October 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s pumpkin time again! and I am clearly obsessed  with pumpkins. This is a pretty easy  to make bundt cake. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any time. You can make it ahead of time and freeze for another, or make two. While you’re making the mess anyway, you might as well bake two, and freeze one. Got this one from Gourmet Magazine. Just saying while I’m not a big raw cookie dough person I am a very big batter person and this batter was pretty delicious right out of the bowl!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan (or spray with Pam) I buttered this time

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can; not pie filling)

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs (room temp. is always best for baking)

Icing:

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well shaken buttermilk

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

You will need a 10-inch nonstick bundt pan (3 quart)

Directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter/spray bundt pan generously then dust with flour and knockout excess flour.

Whisk together flour ( 2 1/4 cups) , baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter ( 1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 – 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat another minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 45 – 50 minutes. Cool cake on a rack for about 30 minutes, then invert cake , mine slid right out onto rack. I completely cooled cake for a few hours before I iced it. You can ice while cake is still warm however. I would let it sit for at least 1 hour before I iced though. It came out perfectly. Icing will get hard on the cake and be very white, it’s a beautiful presentation.

Icing:

While the cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.

Cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container, I would ice it when I planned on serving it.

Leave a comment

Posted in Baked Goods, breads/cakes, Cake, dessert

Tagged ,

Very Nutty Pasta – Vegetarian (can be Vegan) – Foriana Sauce

Posted on October 7, 2012 | 1 comment

This pasta dish is a sweet, salty, nutty, think out of the box kind of pasta.  I made it alongside chicken for dinner and it is a most delicious side dish which is completely vegetarian and if you leave out the parmesan it can also be completely vegan. It is perfect as a main vegetarian dish, too. Did it all in the food processor, cooked the pasta and tossed the nuts in some olive oil with raisins. The nuts have a lot of substance and add a lot of flavor to the spaghetti. Something a little different  and a rather adventurous pasta for sure. This recipe could probably yield enough for 2 boxes of pasta depending on how much sauce you like. I made 3/4 of a pound of pasta and didn’t use all the Foriana sauce. Original recipe is from Food52 Blog.  It can also be made with anchovies if you’re so inclined. (I would add about 5 and chop them up but I left them out this time.) If you are going to keep nut mixture in fridge without pasta I would put a thin layer of olive oil over it. It would keep like this in refrigerator for at least a week. When you’re ready to use it, bring it to room temperature, and heat it up well. You may need to add a little more olive oil to the pasta later; you’ll have to check the consistency. Think Nut Pesto.

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pine nuts

10 cloves of garlic (nice size cloves)

3 teaspoons dried oregano

1/3 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup golden raisins

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 lb. spaghetti (I used linguine fini but anything will do just fine)

Parmesan cheese for sprinkling, if you like

Directions:

Place the walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a fine chop. Add the oregano and pulse a few more times until combined together.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, add the nut mixture, along with the raisins, and salt and pepper to taste (you will need a fair amount). Cook for about 5 minutes, being sure not to burn. Set aside.

I cooked pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water in the event I needed to add liquid to my sauce. After cooking pasta according to directions on box ( al dente), I put pasta back in pot and started to add nut mixture to pasta; I also added a little pasta water till I got the consistency I wanted, tasted for salt and pepper and plated it up. I added Parmesan at the table as well as red pepper flakes. It was a very comforting, different pasta meal. The anchovies would certainly give it more bite but I  decided to keep it vegetarian.

1 Comment

Posted in vegan, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Cookie Dough with Nutella and Peanut Butter

Posted on October 5, 2012 | 1 comment

Fall is in the air , there is that little bit of crispness in the morning and for some unknown reason I feel like baking cookies.  This is a great cookie dough which is easy to prepare and contains  Nutella and Peanut Butter, so really how bad can this be? anything with Nutella and Peanut butter has to be good in my book. As I said I was in  a bit of a mood for baking cookies and made this recipe, baked up some of the dough and left the rest in freezer. Luckily I am not a cookie dough eater because this dough is pretty good. You can make this dough and leave it in the freezer for when you’re ready to use it.  Original recipe is from The Pioneer Woman. I left out the M&M’s but will add when I make for the kids. This is just simply a great little cookie. Perfect Halloween cookie, and the beauty of this is that whenever I feel the urge to bake up some cookies, I take out the dough and slice off what I need and return the dough to freezer! I love it! 🙂 Make them as small or large as you like. M&M’s make them more festive. Should store in freezer for a few months. (wrapped tightly)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup ( 2 sticks ) Salted Butter, softened at room temperature

1 1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar ( I used light brown sugar)

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

2 whole eggs (room temperature)

1 tablespoon Vanilla

2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons Nutella

*1/2 cups very finely chopped Pecans

*3/4 cups M&M’s roughly chopped or mini M&M’s which would not require chopping

Directions:

Combine flour, instant coffee, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir together and set aside.

Cream together the butter with the sugars, scraping the bowl once down while mixing. Add eggs, mixing in one at a time, and add vanilla. Add peanut butter and Nutella and mix. Add in dry ingredients in stages, mixing gently after each addition. Scrape the bowl once and mix again. (Don’t overmix)

Add chopped pecans and M&M’s if you’re using them and mix gently with spatula (rubber) to combine.

Spoon dough on a long piece ( or 2 shorter pieces) of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Carefully roll the dough inside the wrap, pressing gently to get it to form into a firm cylinder. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours or place into the freezer for 20 – 30 minutes.

To bake the cookies:

when you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Slice off as many cookies as you’d like and lay the slices on a baking sheet, I love the silicone mats. Thicker slices will need to be placed further apart. The cookies will bake up flat. Bake for 10 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. I sliced off rather thin slices and only baked for about 7 minutes, you’ll have to check depending on how thick you slice dough. These are just such nice cookies to serve made delicious by the chocolate/peanut butter flavor. How awesome to  have the dough in your freezer to slice off whenever you’re in the mood for a home baked cookie?

Enjoy!

1 Comment

Posted in Baked Goods, cookies, dessert

Tagged , ,

CWC Contest – win a prize for your recipe

Posted on October 1, 2012 | 3 comments

I know that Thanksgiving is still a little far off, but I am always on the lookout for new Thanksgiving recipes, so I thought I would open it up to subscribers only. If you’re not already a subscriber, that can be easily taken care of! Just click “subscribe” on cookingwithcandi.com (it’s free). Once you’re signed up, enter to win a fun surprise CWC prize by submitting a Thanksgiving recipe entry. You can post the recipe directly on the site, or you can choose to email me. I will try the recipes, choose a winner and contact him or her to send the prize and I will, of course, post the winning recipe on the Thanksgiving blog. The deadline is November 5. You have plenty of time to plan and cook, so no rush and have fun with it! Good Luck! I look forward to hearing from all of you.

3 Comments

Posted in contest, Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Holiday/ Thanksgiving Recipes