Cucumber Soup

I absolutely love soup, and ever since we moved to NYC from Florida I've been experimenting with hearty soups during the winter. This year, I haven't felt compelled to making any soup aside from the standard chicken noodle soup when I got sick last month. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but its been such a mild winter I haven't even craved hearty soups at all!

Growing up in Puerto Rico, we didn't eat soup often as the weather was just too warm for it. But when my mother would make soup, this was a often the preferred choice of soup that paired well with the tropical weather in Puerto Rico, as it satisfied the craving for soup, while still being incredibly light. This cucumber soup is wonderful when piping hot, but its also great cold or even room temperature, similar to a gazpacho.

I recently made this it as I was nursing my second cold of the season, but paired it with a grilled cheese sandwich just to give it a more "comfort food" feel. Since its texture, nor ingredients (don't even think about the heavy cream) is nothing like thick, creamy bisque or cream based soup, which makes this cucumber soup guilt free too!


Ingredients:
2-3 large cucumbers
1.5 cups of water per cucumber
1/4 cup of chopped onion
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
1-2 tbsp heavy cream

Peel and chop the cucumber and set aside.  (I always like to keep 1/3 of the cucumber with the peel on to enhance the color, but you can peel if you prefer).

Set aside about 1/4 cup of chopped cucumber to add as a garnish. In a soup pot sautee the onions and garlic until they are fully cooked and lightly transluscent. Add the cucumber and sautee for a few minutes then add the water. Add the salt, pepper and bouillon cube and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 40 minutes.

With a hand immersion blender, blend the soup until smoothe. Add the heavy cream and heat for another 5 minutes. Serve in bowl with some of the un-cooked cucumber you set aside, and pair with your choice of grilled cheese sandwich.

DIY Taco Seasoning

When it comes to quick and easy meals, particularly when I'm in no mood to make too much of  a fuss in the kitchen i usually settle for tacos. I absolutely love tacos. Beef tacos, fish tacos, hard or soft- I don't really discriminate.

They are such an easy go-to meal which is probably why we have tacos for dinner at least once every 2 weeks. I always have tacos in my pantry, and I usually keep corn tortillas in the freezer. The only thing I never use is those taco seasoning packets that come in the taco or tortilla boxes. To be honest, I'm sure most people would have the majority of these seasonings in their cupboard, not like Monosodium Glutamate, as listed on some of those packages. The great thing about making your own seasoning mix, is you can easily adjust the flavors to work with your palate.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Mix all condiments in a bowl, and set aside until you're ready to make your tacos. Feel free to use whatever meat you have on hand. I happened to make Tacos this week with ground beef. As a good rule of thumb, figure the blend above to be enough for 1 lb. of meat.

Chicken "Mozzarella" Sammies

I love sandwiches in many different forms, but I always end up eating them during lunch. Every once in a while I'll do sandwiches for dinner, as seen here. What I end up incorporating into dinner sandwiches, are types of food I'd prepare as an entree for dinner, in order to make them a little heartier than a basic ham and cheese sandwich.

The thing about chicken parmesan that gets to me is the name. I understand that parmesan cheese is typically sprinkled over the mozzarella once its baked, but the real cheese that gives the texture and taste is the mozzarella. I always prefer using the real mozzarella di bufala, the way it melts with the marinara sauce it creates a smoothe yet rich tasting coat to chicken. When paired with the toasted bread and the cool pesto, it makes a delicious sandwhich I would make anytime for a hearty dinner.

Basil Pesto Ingredients:

1 large bunch fresh basil, about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic
1 palm-full of toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese

Combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until its coarsely chopped, . Add the olive oil and the cheese, hold pulse for about 10-15 seconds to fully incorporate the olive oil, but make sure not to over process as we want some texture in the pesto, not too smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Chicken Parm Ingredients:

2-3 Panini loaves
4-6 chicken breast cutlets
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 cups bread crumbs
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 cup marinara sauce
 Sliced Mozzarella

If you can buy chicken breasts that are already flat, around 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Most times they are labeled as thin cutlets. Get 3 medium shallow bowls and place side by side. In the first add the flour, paprika and garlic powder, mix well. In the next one, add the milk, you can also use 2 beaten eggs, but I feel the milk is a little lighter. The third bowl gets the bread crumbs. (I normally start with about 1/2 the breadcrumbs, and refill as needed).  Lightly season each breast with salt and pepper on both sides, then lightly coat with the flour mixture. Then dredge into the milk, and lastly into the bread crumbs. Make sure to shake off any excess between steps.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Once all of the breasts are coated, cook over a thin layer of vegetable oil until golden in color, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Make sure not to over crowd the pan as the cutlets are cooking. Once all the chicken is cooked, place on a baking sheet. Put about 2 tbsp marinara sauce on each chicken and top with mozzarella slices. Feel free to use mozzarella deli slices or if you have on hand fresh mozzarella. Put in oven until the cheese melts.

For sandwich assembly, lather the bread with the basil pesto on both sides of the bread, add chicken. Then I toast the bread by cooking for a few minutes on a cast iron skillet on each side.You want to try to get the bread as flat as possible, so if you have a cooking brick, use that, otherwise, get your heaviest pan and place on top of the bread. Cook until golden and enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs

Whenever I eat out at restaurants, I tend to choose dishes that I don't "feel" I could make easily myself. For example, I rarely ever order chicken as an entree. Not that I don't love chicken, but I feel I can make some pretty great chicken recipes myself, and even premium free-range chicken is relatively cheap compared to other red meats, so I tend to cook it pretty frequently.

One of my go-to meals whenever I do eat out is Braised Short Ribs. I'm not sure what it is about this as a feature-bone in over some mashed potatoes. Regardless of the type of cuisine,the general outcome is more than stellar.

About a year ago, I ended up buying some short ribs, and attempted to do them myself. Let me tell you, not only was my initial attempt a success, but the overall process was so simple, it instantly became a favorite dish to "wow" friends for dinner. The following is a pretty simple recipe, that only really requires about 20 minutes of prep/active cook time, and the end result is more than worth every second of it.

This recipe feeds 4-5 people, but be forewarned, try to buy a little extra as you'll definitely want more!

Ingredients:

5-6 bone-in short ribs (about  4 pounds)

2-3 tbsp flour (enough to coat the ribs)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 1/2 cups tomato paste

2 to 3 cups hearty red wine

2 cups water

1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

2 bay leaves

You want to use a pot that is large enough to accommodate all the meat, and preferably one that is oven-safe, such as a dutch oven or a cast aluminum pot or "caldero". Season each short rib with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with the flour. Coat a pot with olive oil over high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. only if you have an oven-safe pot, otherwise, you can cook over the stove top at a medium low heat for anywhere between 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the short ribs.

If you have chopped all the veggies before, you can puree them and the garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Otherwise, once all your short ribs are browned, turn off the pan while you prep your vegetables.

When the short ribs are brown and have a nice crust on all sides, remove them from the pan and set aside. Drain the fat, coat the bottom of same pan with fresh oil and add the pureed vegetables. Season the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are very dark and a crud has formed on the bottom of the pan, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it browns. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat if things start to burn. Reduce the mixture by half.

Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 cups water or until the water has just about covered the meat. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours, or lower the heat, cover and leave on stove top. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the lid during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When done the meat should be very tender but not falling apart. Serve on large platter and pour the remainder of the braising liquid over.

Not-So "Sloppy" Joe's

I had never tried a Sloppy Joe, up until a couple of years' ago. I think it may have been a combination of growing up abroad and that my mother would automatically refuse to give us anything to eat that had the word "sloppy" in its name. Either way, I was finally convinced to make one by my boyfriend who grew up eating them as a kid. I obviously had no idea what it was supposed to taste like, and pretty much all I knew of them was typical pop culture references on TV or some cooking show; so I resorted to using the dry package. I was eventually able to come up with my own version of this American classic.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup onion

1.5 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

4 Buns (Kaiser Rolls)

Finely chop 1/4 cup of onion. Saute until translucent and add the ground beef, mix well so the onions are evenly distributed with the meat. Add the salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder and mix well. Once the beef has cooked through add the tomato sauce and mix well. At the beginning its going to seem overly liquid, but it will cook down. Once the tomato sauce has reduced in half add the Worcestershire sauce and the sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes until the mixture is a nice and saucy.

I always like to serve on a toasted bun, preferably kaiser rolls, and pair with another comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Feel free to swap out ground beef for ground turkey, the condiments and sauce are what help give this dish a huge boost of flavor.

Roast Chicken

A few months ago I read this article around the time Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook came out. I thought it was pretty funny that when asked what her ideal meal to win over her heart, her answer was: roast chicken, because that its almost impossible to f* up! I totally agree.

Roast chicken has to be one of my favorite comfort meals. I feel a lot of people are skeptical to dealing with a whole chicken, but in all honestly, its a cinch! The hardest part of it, is the cutting, which is really not that bad. Another reason some people veer away from making a whole chicken is they aren't sure when its done. My solution? Just buy a meat thermometer, and as long as you hit 165, you're good to go! Another way to be pretty sure, is to poke it with a knife, and if clear juices pour out vs. the pink juices, it's pretty much done.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Lemon
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
Salt & Pepper
1 beer




Pre-heat oven at 350 F. Make sure to remove any giblets from the cavity of the chicken before you start seasoning and place in center of the pan, breast down. Take 1/2 the tspn of butter and cut into little pieces. Lift the skin of the chicken and place little bits of the butter under the skin with 1/2 of the minced garlic and rub around. *This keeps the chicken moist and helps the browning of the skin. Salt and Pepper to taste, drizzle some olive oil over and squeeze 1/2 the lemon over. Flip so the breast is on top and repeat with remaining butter, garlic and lemon. Salt and pepper this side as well and loosely sprinkle with the thyme and rosemary. Also drizzle some olive oil on top. Cut the squeezed lemons into quarters and place in the cavity of the chicken. Open the beer, can or bottle and pour around the chicken, pour the last 1/4 into the cavity of the chicken. Place in oven and cook for around 1 hour and 15-30 minutes (may vary depending on the size of the chicken as well as your oven).

You should always check on the chicken every 20 minutes or so and baste it. (With a cooking brush, dip into the liquids and brush over the chicken). This helps to keep it moist as well as enhance the coloring and crunchy texture on the skin. Once it's done, let sit for 10 minutes before you start carving it out.

 This chicken was extremely juicy, but if you like to have a little sauce to go over it, use the left over juices in the roasting pan, place in a saucepan, and add a 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch and whisk well over low heat. Nothing beats a great home-made pan gravy!

Scalloped Potatoes

I love potatoes, pretty much in any form. But I really have always loved the combination of textures that scalloped potatoes offer. They are a mix of creamy and buttery, sometimes a little cheesy, but always finished with that crunchy layer on top.

As much as I love scalloped potatoes, I don't make them very often, at least not during the work week. (Who really wants to spend all that time peeling the potatoes, to then finely slice them?) This week I finally got around to making a batch for my cooking class, since we had already done roasted and mashed potatoes before.

What I do find when comparing my version of these potatoes to other recipes is that I tend to favor a little "lighter version". Instead of doing a typical béchamel sauce and pouring that over the potatoes, I slightly cook the potatoes with some milk and a dab of butter prior to placing in the baking pan. Then I sprinkle a little cheese over each layer. Because potatoes have so much starch in them, I simply eliminate the flour in the béchamel mixture, and when the potatoes cook with the milk, they release natural starches that naturally thicken the milk and butter as they slightly cook.

 
Ingredients: 
6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
3 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 cups milk
3 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
6 sprigs of Thyme
4 oz. shredded gruyere cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use non-stick spray in the inside of a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the potatoes about 1/8 inch thick . I don't have a mandoline, but you can definitely use one. I like to slice 2 potatoes a time and place in 3 individual piles to have same sized layers.

In a large saute pan, add 1 of the 3 piles of potatoes, 1 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup of milk. Salt and pepper to taste as well. Slowly start cooking the potatoes in the milk and mix constantly. When the milk starts bubbling up add 1 tbsp of the creme fraiche and 2 sprigs of the thyme. Keep cooking until the mixture thickens slightly and pour into baking dish, spreading out the potatoes evenly. Sprinkle some cheese over the top. Repeat with other 2 bunches of sliced potatoes. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, and the top layer has a rich golden color. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. (Feel free to use more cheese between layers and on the top!)

Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

Mac & Cheese, has to be one of my all time favorite comfort foods. I've had a so many versions, as well as at restaurants. I've had full blown debates over which boxed version is best Kraft vs. Velveeta? (Velveeta is still Kraft, so its a win-win for them), as well as tons of variations, lobster mac & cheese, baked, with varied cheeses. But one of my absolute favorites is truffle mac and cheese.

I had tried making a similar recipe a few months ago, but instead of using truffle butter at the beginning, I would add truffle oil towards the end. Trust me, this is the way to go! The truffle butter really infuses its flavors throughout the entire dish, and your home.

Sauce:

6 tbs truffle butter

1/2 cup flour

3 1/4 cup milk

1 sharp white cheddar shredded

1 Gruyere package shredded
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Optional Mushrooms for filling:

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3 tbs. butter,
(Saute the mushrooms in melted butter for 5-8 minutes, set aside)

For starters, you want to bring a large pot to boil, and cook your pasta, I love the larger macaroni such as Pipa Rigate use 1- 16 oz package, and cook until slightly under "al dente". You don't want to over cook your pasta, since we are continuing the cooking process in the oven. Drain and set aside.

While your pasta is cooking you can get started on your cheese sauce. For the sauce we start with a basic roux. First we want to start by melting the truffle butter. Once its melted, we add the flour and mix until all flour has dissolved. Then we add the milk while on medium heat, and mix well into the flour mixture, we don't want any clumps of the roux. Keep mixing until the milk starts to thicken, bringing it to a light boil. (This same process is known as making a basic bechamel sauce too!) As soon as it gets to this point, take off the heat and mix in both shredded cheeses. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well, so all cheese has melted fully and creates a creamy texture.

Mix in the pasta and mix well. Pour in either individual oven proof serving dishes, or in a large baking dish. If desired, you can add the mixture of the sauteed mushrooms, and mix into the pasta mixture. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the pasta if desired and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the pasta is creamy and bubbly.

Milanesas

One of my favorite things about having lived in Miami for so many years was the amount of Latin American markets everywhere. Even our basic supermarket was stocked with great Goya products as well as specialty meat cuts such as chorizo,(sausages) from different countries, and my all time favorite: Milanesas.

My love affair with Milanesas started years ago in Argentina. They are similar to what a southerner would call a "chicken fried steak". In reality its a pretty name for a piece of meat, or chicken that is pounded flat, breaded and lightly fried. Whats amazing about milanesas is that they pretty much can go with anything. Typically they are served with fries or a salad or on a sandwich... the list could go on for days as they go with almost anything. You can also put toppings like ham,cheese and tomato sauce (a la napolitana) or a fried egg (a caballo). Today I've chosen to go with a basic milanesa, served with some cheese filled ravioli.

Ingredients:

Beef round bottom round steak (4)

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Onion Powder, to taste

In separate bowls:
Flour
Milk

Bread crumbs

Start with placing one steak at a time between 2 large cuts of saran wrap. (If you have large Ziploc bags would work great too.) Pound the steaks with a meat tenderizer using the flat side until they are about 1/3" to 1/4" thick. Lightly salt, pepper and add a sprinkle of the onion powder to all steaks.

 In 3 separate large shallow bowls add flour in one, milk in the other and breadcrumbs in the third. Once the steaks are seasoned dip into the flour mixture and get rid of the excess flour. Dredge into the milk and then into the breadcrumbs. Repeat with all the individual steaks. Pan fry in a shallow pan with vegetable oil until golden on both sides. Remove and strain excess oil on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Comfort Food Classics: Pasta Bolognese

Comfort Food. Everybody loves them and everyone has their own favorites. One of my boyfriends favorites is Pasta Bolognese. I feel like every other time we eat at an Italian Restaurant, he's all over it. My own variation of it has all the components of a traditional meat sauce as well some very basic classic techniques. Sautee of a Mirepoix, and a very basic Wine Reduction are the one's we'll tackle today.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Celery
1/4 Cup Carrots
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
3/4- 1lb. Ground Beef
1/4 Cup Red Wine
1 Large Can/Box of Tomato Sauce

1 Bay Leaf



Mirepoix Mixture-Sauteeing

 We start off with a basic mirepoix. Simply said it’s a mixture of Onion, Garlic, Celery and Onion all chopped to equal sizes, usually 1/4" squares, the Garlic is finely chopped. In most recipes when I use a mirepoix I use equal parts (with exception of the garlic!). Once the mixture has been sautéed in the olive oil, add the red pepper flakes. Cook through until the mixture starts leaving a little browning on the bottom of the pot. Add the ground beef and make sure to cook thoroughly salt and pepper to taste as well as the Garlic and Onion Powder, mix well into the beef mixture.

Please make sure not to use cooking wine, but a Red Wine you would actually drink and mix into the pot. Cook until it’s been reduced down (almost entirely evaporated), which essentially cooks out all the alcohol content from the wine, but leaves another layer of flavor. Finish off by adding the tomato sauce to it and let her simmer for at least 30 minutes. Keep tasting the mixture so it’s to your palate. (Add salt, pepper or even red pepper to your own taste!).

In a separate pot, add 4-6 cups of water, add some olive oil and a good amount of salt. Bring to a boil and add a packet of your favorite pasta. Cook until al dente, which is really just cooked thru but still has a bite to it. Drain and mix with the Bolognese sauce. Add freshly grated cheese of choice, I prefer Pecorino Romano, but feel free to use whatever you have at home.