Nigella's Gnocchi Gratin

Winter hasn't arrived to Kentucky yet. Instead, we're having rainy dreary weather, with a slight chill in the air, and it is enough to drive anyone batty. Nothing but rain, rain, rain. Day after day. Car pool line at school in the rain, getting kids on and off the bus in rain, inside recess--day after day. Spending half the day wet. Not ideal. Not ideal at all. We've reached the point where teachers are praying for a snow day. 

All hope was placed on tomorrow since the forecast showed a few inches of snow possible tonight. And yet, as I write this I can see the snow turning to rain midair and I know that the even if the snow makes it to the ground it won't stick. At this point the best we can hope for is black ice.

So we turn to comfort food to get through these rainy dreary days with no hope of snow in sight. Nigella's Gnocchi Gratin is rich and ultimately indulgent. Plump little potato dumplings in a creamy cheesy sauce with a crispy breadcrumb topping will certainly help cure all your woes. Served in my new find, a vintage enamelware casserole pan. I just love rustic look of the worn out edges and the character it adds to the overall dish.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're in the mood to try something different. The flavors of this dish are very reminiscent to a potato au gratin and for good reason. Similar ingredients. Different consistency. You really can't go wrong here. I think everyone is a sucker for those little plump potato dumplings, especially when tossed in a cheesy sauce. This would be wonderful served with a roast of some sort and also just as good served on it's own with a salad. Of course it would be even better served on a snowy day! One can only dream!

Gnochhi Gratin

Adapted from Chatelaine.com

by Nigella Lawson

Serves 4

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper, to taste

454g pkg fresh or frozen gnocchi

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Position oven racks in top third and center of oven. Preheat to 400F.

Whisk mascarpone with milk in a shallow oven safe saucepan (wide enough to hold gnocchi in a single layer) and set over medium. When mixture starts to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes, turn off heat. Add 1/4 cup parmesan and whisk until it melts.

Grind black pepper and nutmeg over cheese mixture. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Cook gnocchi in a medium pot according to pkg. directions, about 2 minutes for fresh or 12 minutes for frozen. Drain gnocchi and stir into cheese mixture until coated. Spread out into an even layer.

Stir remaining parmesan with bread crumbs and sprinkle over gnocchi.

Bake in center of oven until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Adjust heat to broil.  Broil in top third of oven until top turns dark golden, about 2 minutes. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.

 

Theme: January Potluck @ IHCC!

Green Chile Whipped Cream Cheese

Most mornings before work I make an egg scramble using whatever veggies, meat, and/or cheese that is leftover. It is a quick way to get out the door in the morning and it always satisfies me until lunch. Although I love eggs, from time to time I like to switch it up. My absolute favorite breakfast during the weekday is a carb-loaded bagel with some sort of cream cheese.  Even though it slows me down and leaves me peckish before lunch, it is always a delight for my taste buds.

This morning I passed by Panera and decided to grab a few bagels to enjoy with Heidi Swanson's Green Chile Whipped Cream Cheese. Originally her recipe was written using goat cheese, and I certainly like goat cheese, but I happen to have lots of cream cheese leftover from the holidays that needs using up. In truth, you could use goat cheese, ricotta cheese, yogurt cheese, cream cheese, or any other spreadable cheese available to you.

This quick cream cheese falls in line with my new year resolution to keep things simple. A handful of ingredients come together to turn your bagel into a spicy delight.  Often times when you have condiments available they can be used for many other things. I think this cream cheese is a prime example of that. It would be perfect for either filling or dipping veggies, fabulous slathered on a sandwich or burger, and a flavor sensation mixed into your scrambled eggs.We absolutely loved this spread as it was extremely flavorful with a slight kick from the serrano. I highly recommend it and think it is a perfect way to help you wake up and face the day!

Green Chile Whipped Cream Cheese

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

by Heidi Swanson

Makes about 1 cup

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons half & half, cream, milk or other liquid

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, minced

2 medium cloves garlic, smashed & minced

1-1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds 

salt, to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese and half & half. A hand blender makes quick work of this if you have one. It should become light, and easily spreadable.

Combine the olive oil, chile, and garlic, in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow to cook for five minutes or so - it's ok if the garlic takes on a bit of color, but you don't want it to get too dark. Use a slotted spoon or fork to transfer most of the solids to the cream cheese, and stir in. Season with salt to taste. Allow the chile oil to cool a bit. When ready to serve, transfer the cream cheese to a serving bowl, and finish by drizzling with the oil, and remaining garlic and chile solids. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. 

Winter Citrus Tart with Rosemary Whipped Cream

I'm keeping it short and simple with this post. Curtis Stone's Winter Citrus Tart with Rosemary Whipped Cream is one of my favorite new desserts! It's a triple threat.

Gorgeous

Delicious

Easy

It's even economical as well. Three ingredients if need be: puff pastry, oranges, and orange marmalade. If you want to be fussy whip some cream or buy some vanilla ice cream.

This is a heavenly dessert. The puff pastry is buttery and flaky and the oranges are sweet and juicy - not to mention they get all caramelized and yummy.

 I love this one so much I plan to keep the ingredients on hand so I can make this whenever the mood strikes. I'm in love!

Winter Citrus Tart with Rosemary Whipped Cream

Adapted from Good Food, Good Life

by Curtis Stone

Serves 6

2 oranges (navel, Cara Cara, or blood oranges), tangerines or tangelos

1 (9x9-inch sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but still very cold

1/3 cup orange marmalade

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.

Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and all the bitter white pith from the oranges. Slice each orange into about 8 thin slices.

 Lay the pastry on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the marmalade over the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the orange slices on top, tuning to coat them with the marmalade as you go.

Bake the tart for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is a dark golden brown and cooked through. Halfway through baking, use a pastry brush to brush any juices from the oranges that have accumulated in the center over the pastry edges.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar (I used a touch more than what was called for in the recipe) and the rosemary until thickened. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

After you remove the tart from the oven, brush any more accumulated juices over the oranges and pastry edges. Lightly dust the top of the tart with powdered sugar. Cut the tart into squares and serve warm with the cream.

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We are celebrating all things lemon and/or citrus related this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and these are my top three lemony delights!

Hands down one of my favorite recipes on my blog, and consequently one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth, is Yotam Ottolenghi's Hummus Kawarma (Lamb) with Lemon Sauce. It is a must make if you're a hummus fan!

If you find yourself in need of some winter comfort food, but you want to try a new take on the traditional recipe, then try Tessa Kiros' Lemonato Beef with Patates Fournou Lemonates (Lemoned Beef with Roast Lemon Potatoes). Surprisingly, the lemon doesn't overtake either dish, but it does help to brighten the flavors.

Finally, when it comes to lemon, this Lemon Meringue Fool by the one and only Domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson, is a winner! Four simple ingredients mixed together quickly and topped with a cookie. Much like Lemon Meringue Pie, without all the work. Total heaven!

Poached Eggs In White Wine #FOODGOALS

One of my philosophies on cooking, and eating, for that matter is simply "to put an egg on it." Got leftovers? Chances are you can reheat them and "put an egg on it." Cooking something and want it to be more satisfying, "put an egg on it." Haven't been to the store and don't have much to eat, bet you can find something to "put an egg on."

Eggs are a staple for me because they are delicious, keep well, and go with so many flavors. They are easily one of my top five foods and for that reason my New Year's #FOODGOALS include lots of eggs. Another one of my #FOODGOALS is to use the very best ingredients I can find and prepare them simply. I've noticed lately that it's the simple recipes we love the most and return to again and again. The ones with the really good ingredients topped with a simple sauce, a colorful salsa, or a flourish of herbs, for instance.

This dish, Heidi's Poached Eggs In White Wine, meets all of my current #FOODGOALS. Plus, it brings to light the question, "why not poach eggs in all sorts of liquids?". Why stop at water, or white wine, or tomato sauce? A fun challenge for this egg lover.

I chose a dry Chardonnay, one that I wouldn't mind drinking on it's own. I combined it with the shallots, water, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and boiled the mixture down a bit. I slid the eggs in and watched them as they started to turn opaque, before putting the lid on. I was most excited about the prospect of a white wine sauce, so once the eggs were cooked through I relished the thought of adding the butter and flour and watching the sauce to come life.  A crisp piece of toast, some sliced avocado, my freshly poached egg, topped by a glorious white wine sauce...now that is a breakfast fit for a queen!

Poached Eggs In White Wine

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

by Heidi Swanson

Serves 2-4

1 cup dry white wine*

1 cup water

2 shallots, minced

1 bay leaf

sprig of thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

2 -4 large eggs, depending on who you're feeding

1 tablespoon butter, room temp

2 teaspoons flour

to serve: toasted bread, avocado, chives, herbs, etc. 

Notes:  I used a Chardonnay wine.  Take care to chose a dry wine and one that isn't too sweet.  You definitely do not want to have a sweet poached egg with a sweet sauce- totally not the goal.

In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat combine the wine, water, shallots, bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Boil for five minutes. Dial back the heat a bit, before carefully cracking eggs into the skillet (you can crack each egg into a separate small bowl, and then transfer, if you're not comfortable going direct to the skillet). Cover and simmer for another five minutes (mine were a little overcooked at 5 minutes so I'd go with 3 or 4 minutes, especially if you want an over easy poached egg) or so - until the eggs whites are opaque, and the yolks are set to your liking. Once poached, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon from the skillet and set aside. Cook the liquid in the pan down a bit more, until you have about 1/2 cup of liquid left, then strain the liquid into a small saucepan. Whisk the butter and flour into a paste, then add this to the strained sauce, stirring until smooth, taste and add a bit of salt if needed.

Serve each egg on a piece of toast over a bit of smashed avocado, drizzled with a bit of sauce, and sprinkled with chives.

White Bean and Chorizo Soup w/ Crostini

Happy New Year! Resolutions and goals are all the talk right now, and like I do every year, I've made one of my own.

Now this resolution has been a long time coming. If you know me personally then you'll understand, and if not, well let me just say I'm a little unorganized. I've always been a fly-by-the-seat-kinda girl and you know what? It worked well for me, all my life, until I had kids. After kids, well let's just say I've been in denial, about 15 years of denial to be exact. During this time I've refused to write anything down, insisting that I can simply remember every appointment, after school activity, and obligation for everyone in my household simply because I used to be able to back in the day. You can imagine how well this worked out for me!

So, after years of missing appointments and various deadlines, I've decided it is time to GET ORGANIZED! To help myself with this task I bought myself one of those fancy planners that all of my friends carry, and will therefore submit to being an adult who has to consult her planner, prior to making plans. Ugh!

Now while this planner is somewhat of a chore to me, the one thing I do like about it is the meal planning section.  Meal planning is something that I do like to do.

My current meal planning goal is to use up foods in my freezer and pantry.  So this week I have planned a menu that helps me to clear things out.  Lucky for me, there are a lot of special and unique things that I had been saving, so this menu plan was quite fun!

Spanish chorizo is hard to find around my parts, so when I was lucky enough to find some, I held on to it for way too long (I like to procrastinate too). Lucky for me it kept well and came in handy for making a recipe that had been on my to-do list forever, Curtis Stone's White Bean and Chorizo Soup.

A simple glance might have you thinking this is a tomato-based soup, but it is not! The soup gets its reddish color based solely on the chorizo itself - now how's that for flavor! The combination of the chorizo and the white beans is quite hearty and satisfying. We found this soup to be great right after it was made, but even better the next day! Perfect with a side of crusty bread for dunking.


Wishing everyone luck with their new year's resolutions!

White Bean & Chorizo Soup w/ Crostini

Adapted from Curtis Stone's Website

Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces smoked Spanish chorizo links, 

(casings removed, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4" half moons)

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carots, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds

2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch thick round slices

2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)

 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large sprigs of fresh thyme

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

3/4 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper, to taste

Two (15-oz.) cans small white beans, drained and rinsed

demi baguette, cut on diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices

extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5minutes, or until tender. Add the carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in the broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 

Stir in the beans and simmer gently for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove and discard the thyme and rosemary stems.

Meanwhile, brush the baguette slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Toast in a toaster oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with crostini.

Every Sunday @ Kahakai Kitchen

Theme: December Potluck!

Heidi Swanson's Deviled Eggs

My love for deviled eggs runs deep. So deep, in fact, that several friends and I have a few inside jokes.

The first is my mission to bring the Deviled Egg back as a popular standby for potlucks. I mean why in the world did the deviled egg go out of favor at parties? I will never understand! My guess is that everyone got too busy pinning newfangled appetizers off Pinterest and forgot these three things: deviled eggs are always the first things to go at a party (have you seen the way people run to the deviled egg platter), they are easy, and they are cheap! Why, people? Why? Bring the deviled eggs back. Do yourself, and everyone else, a favor!

So say it with me...what are you gonna bring to the party? 

That's right.  Deviled Eggs!

 Now in regard to the second. Once, at a work potluck, I had some of the worst, and I do mean downright terrible deviled eggs I've ever had in my life. These eggs were so bad, they were quite literally one of the worse things I've ever put in my mouth! Now, it's important for you to know that even though I love to cook, I am by no means a food snob. There have only been like two times in my life where I've spit anything out of my mouth.

So I'm in line at the work potluck and I pick up a deviled egg. It looks status quo, but this person had fooled me, and everyone else, big time. That yolk mixture...well, it was about 95% mustard (and I love mustard), but I just wasn't expecting that and I shoved about half of the egg in my mouth. It tasted like a very bad practical joke and about that time I see other people running for the garbage can. Seems we all felt the same way! So from time to time, when we need a good laugh, we text pictures of deviled eggs to one another.

This experience was all the more reason for me to practice and perfect deviled eggs in my kitchen. I've always been keen to try about every deviled egg recipe I see, so I wanted to tackle Heidi's version for my Christmas dinner.  I was intrigued by her use of Greek yogurt and olive oil in the yolk mixture and found that I did enjoy it, but couldn't help but miss the standard addition of mayo, mustard, and pickle juice. After adding a touch of each I found the mixture to be quite delicious - nearly perfect, and ultimately cream, if I do say so myself! 

Heidi garnishes her eggs with dill, chives, and chervil, but I can never find chervil so I just stuck with the chives and the dill.  Chives and dill are the ultimate complement to eggs and go a long way in making the platter beautiful. I hesitated to put sliced almonds on my deviled eggs, but was pleasantly surprised as I loved the added crunch and texture. Overall I think the sliced almonds would be a fun addition that most people would enjoy, giving that you served them straight away so the texture was preserved. An overall great recipe!

 

Deviled Eggs

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves about 12

1 dozen eggs

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. mayo, as desired*

1 tbsp. mustard, as desired*

1 tsp. pickle juice, if desired*

1 teaspoon extra virgin oil

salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons chervil*

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Notes: I couldn't find fresh chervil so I left it out.

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by half an inch or so.  Bring to a gentle boil, then turn off the heat and cover.  Let the pot sit for ten minutes.  In the meantime, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the eggs are done cooking, use a slotted spoon to place them into the ice bath. When the eggs are cool, remove them and crack and peel.

Cut each egg in half and use a spoon to carefully scoop the yolks into a bowl. Set the empty white aside. Mash and fluff the yolks with a fork. Add the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Continue to mix and mash until the yolk mixture is as smooth and creamy as possible. This takes a bit of time, but the result is worth it- the yolks become creamy, light and airy. (*My yolk mixture was a little too thick and when I tasted the filling I found it was a bit too tangy from the yogurt, so I opted to add some mayo, mustard, and pickle juice to loosen things up.  I added about a heaping tablespoon of mayo and mustard  and a teaspoon or so of pickle juice, to taste. Be sure to taste your yolk mixture and tweak it if need be).

Add the and chives, chervil*, and dill to the creamed yolks, reserving a bit of each for the garnish.  Mix well to incorporate. Fill the whites with the yolk mixture, using a spoon of piping bag. Garnish each egg with the reserved herbs, almonds, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Simply Entertaining w/ Heidi Swanson @ IHCC

Cinnamon & Sugar Zeppole

We are exactly one week from Christmas and I'm already in a sugar coma.  It's like I can't even fathom eating one more cookie, chocolate, or piece of fudge. On Friday morning at work we had donuts, danishes, sweet breads, cookies, chocolates, peanut butter balls, coconut balls, and fudge and I just couldn't even. I couldn't even take one bite!  Now this is very unlike me because I am known for my sweet tooth. This may very well have been the one and only time I passed on all of it.

Then I looked at this week's theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs and it was you guessed it....Sweet Treats. I contemplated cheating by making a fruit smoothie, a fruit salad, or maybe even a fruity cocktail. I even considered making hot chocolate for the kids. Anything I thought. Anything to keep from eating more sugar. Then I came across Giada's Zeppole recipe, which is something I've always wanted to try. I can handle that, I thought.  Plus as a bonus, I had everything on hand (you probably do too), and didn't have to venture out in the freezing weather.  Zeppole it was!

Zeppole, otherwise known as little round Italian donuts, require very little ingredients. Butter, flour, sugar, eggs, water, salt, cinnamon and oil for frying.  As I mentioned above, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. They come together easily enough and are relatively easy to fry. Mine, because I forgot to add water to my dough (whoops), were a little unruly when they hit the oil.  They didn't turn into cute little rounds of dough. They were definitely misshapen, but the taste was still on point.

We ate these zeppole while trimming the tree (yes, I'm a little behind on decorating) and they were the perfect treat. Little fluffy rounds of dough with a very light coating of cinnamon and sugar. Much  like a donut, but definitely not as sweet. With very little sugar in the dough, and just a light touch of cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over them, they were a welcome break to all the heavy sugar laden food that December is known for. Definitely worth a try. Just remember to add the water!

Cinnamon & Sugar Zeppole

Adapted from Food Network

by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4-6

1 vanilla bean

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 stick butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

 1 cup water

1 cup all purpose flour

4 eggs 

canola oil, for frying

Cut open the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl.  Add 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speeds, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator. 

Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches.  Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Using a small ice cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches.  Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.