Chicken Tortilla Soup

I had leftover roast chicken from Sunday's dinner that I used in tonight's soup. Start by sauteing chopped onions in olive oil until soft. Add canned roasted tomatoes, dried ancho chile powder, ground cumin and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken, cook until heated through and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, prepare the condiments for the soup. I like to use tortilla strips (corn tortillas, cut and baked at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes), pieces of lime, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro and crumbled queso fresco (a Mexican cheese).
I put a handful of the tortilla strips in the bottom of the bowl and top with the soup: Then top with the condiments:

Don't you just love the colors in this soup? It's a delicious use for leftover chicken or turkey.

Pumpkin Soup

I bought the cutest little sugar pumpkin at the Farmer's Market yesterday and decided to make a pumpkin soup. Frank & Carrie were down for a few days and joined us for Sunday dinner.

The recipe is the same as the Butternut Squash Soup I posted last October, except that I roasted the pumpkin first. I cut the pumpkin in quarters, put them in a casserole with some water, covered with foil and baked at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Carrie volunteered to be my sous-chef and chopped onions, garlic and thyme:


I sauteed the chopped onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes, then added the chopped garlic and cooked for another minute. I cut the pumpkin into 1 inch cubes, added to the onion, stirred in broth and brought to a boil for about 15 minutes. Pureed the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stirred in chopped thyme and orange peel zest. Simmer for a few minutes and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and swirl 1 tablespoon Roasted Red Pepper Purée into soup in each bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée

Purée coarsely chopped roasted red peppers, extra-virgin olive oil, chopped garlic cloves and dried crushed red pepper in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

I wish I had taken a picture of the finished soup so you could see the yellow color, not orange like you might expect. We followed our soup with roast chicken, pepperonata and smashed baby yukon potatoes.

I love Sunday dinner, especially when shared with family and friends!!

Roasted Asparagus w/Poached Eggs

I got a new cookbook this week, Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home. I had pre-ordered the book about six months ago, so it was a great surprise when it arrived. It is an absolutely beautiful book that I highly recommend. This recipe is pictured on the back cover and the first that I tried. Here is my version:
I'm embarrassed to admit that I had to throw away my first batch of poached eggs! It may be hard to believe, but I have never poached an egg before - definitely a skill I will be working on.

Start by making croutons - trim the crust off some rustic bread and tear into irregular pieces, about 1 inch. Put canola oil, butter and whole, crushed garlic cloves in a large skillet over low heat. Spread the bread in a single layer in the pan. Cook until the croutons are crisp and golden brown on all sides, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Next, poach eggs - bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Prepare an ice bath. Add a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar to the boiling water and reduce to a simmer. With a wooden spoon, stir the water at the edges of the pan in a circular motion to get the water moving, then add the eggs, one at a time, to the center of the pan and simmer gently until the white is set but the yolk is still runny. With a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the ice bath.

Grill the asparagus - drizzle the asparagus with canola oil and salt & pepper. Grill for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side, or until tender. Arrange on a platter.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a simmer. Trim any uneven edges from the poached eggs. Lower the eggs into the simmering water for about 30 seconds, just to reheat. Remove with a slotted spoon and blot the bottoms with paper towels. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and arrange around the asparagus.

Arrange thin slices of prosciutto and the croutons on the platter. Drizzle the salad with olive and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Spinach Soup

This a perfect meal for those nights when you get home late, you don't want to go out to eat, but you're starving to death and want to eat now. You can be at the table enjoying this comforting soup in less than 20 minutes.

Here is my variation of Mama's Spinach and Rice Soup. I started by chopping a couple of shallots and a garlic clove and sauteing in olive oil. I added about 5 cups of baby spinach leaves and seasoned with salt.


And after cooking for about one minute this is what the spinach looked like:

Next, I added chicken broth and when it came to a boil I added some riso. Riso is a pasta that is shaped like rice, you could substitute orzo or long grained rice. Cook until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. I also made cheddar cheese toast under the broiler and sprinkled with ancho chile powder

And here you go:

Chicken Cacciatore

Here's a little bit different spin on Chicken Cacciatore. Makes a quick and easy weekday dinner.

Cut boneless chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken, cook until lightly browned and cooked through; set aside. Add hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, into the saucepan (adding more olive oil if necessary) and cook for about 2 minutes. Add finely sliced onion and finely sliced fennel, cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for about 3 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic and cook for another minute. Add white wine and cook until it evaporates. Add sliced, roasted red and yellow peppers and a large can of San Marzano tomatoes; cook, uncovered until the tomatoes have broken down, the vegetables have softened, and the mixture comes together as a sauce, about 20 minutes. Add chopped basil, chopped parsley and the cooked chicken. Mix together, being sure to coat the chicken well with the sauce. Serve immediately with generous portions of the sauce poured over the chicken.

Cooking Show "Sizzle"

The cooking show has been edited down from 15 hours of film to 44 minutes (which equals a 1 hour show) and is currently out to market!! I had no idea it would ever go this far and I have to tell you it has been a blast. The whole process has been so much fun - the planning, the filming, seeing the editing process and working with Peter (creator and director) and his film crew.

Here is a short two minute promo - called a "Sizzle". Let us know what you think.

(A note to my non-geek family and friends - you know who you are - click on the arrow to view the video.)

Zucchini Blossom and Mushroom Omelet

Start by preparing the vegetables. Clean and trim a leek, using only the white and pale green parts, and slice into 1/4-inch pieces. Cut zucchini blossoms into lengthwise strips, reserving several whole flowers for the outside of the omelets. Trim and thinly slice cremini or button mushrooms. In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat and add leeks, mushrooms and season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced zucchini blossoms and transfer mixture to a plate.

Beat 2 eggs with a little milk, fresh chopped chervil and salt & pepper. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beaten eggs and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, lifting the edges to let uncooked egg run underneath and shaking skillet occasionally to loosen omelet, until almost set, about 1 to 2 minutes. Fill with some of the vegetable mixture, then roll and slide onto a plate.

Return the skillet to heat. Add 2 whole zucchini blossoms and cook until wilted. Put blossoms on top of omelet, drizzle with high-quality aged balsamic vinegar and serve immediately. Repeat to make more omelets.

A delicious Sunday supper! We also had sliced heirloom tomatoes, topped with bay shrimp, capers and a red wine vinaigrette.

Lemon Cucumber & Verbena Salad

One of our favorite vendors at the Farmer's Market had lemon cucumbers today. Lemon cucumbers do not have a lemon flavor, they get their name because of their color and size. When I saw the herb guy had lemon verbena I decided to pick some up and add it to the cucumbers to give them a lemony taste. First I made a salad dressing with lemon olive oil, champagne vinegar, chopped lemon verbena and salt & pepper. Next I peeled the cucumbers (they have a prickly skin) and chopped them into a large dice. Tossed fresh baby spinach (also from the Market) with the cucumbers, leftover diced chicken breast with the lemony dressing and served over sliced heirloom tomatoes.

We love our straight from the Farmer's Market Saturday lunches -doesn't get much fresher than this!

Steak with a Port and Mushroom Ragout

Melt some butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced shallots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms (wild mushrooms if you have them, otherwise button mushrooms will be delicious too) and stir until they begin to soften, about another 5 minutes. Add tawny port and beef broth and boil until the liquid is syrupy, about 10 minutes.
Melt a little butter and olive oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Season steaks (I used rib-eye) with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates. Bring mushrooms to simmer. Add whipping cream and chopped, fresh tarragon and boil until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mushrooms over steaks. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve.

Catalina Vacation Days 15 - 25 (Yes, 25 days!!)

Day 15:
We left Newport this morning and headed back to Howland's Landing on Catalina Island. Besides Testa Dura and Poseidon, there were only two other boats here. We could swim right from our boat to a beautiful snorkel spot - water is down to a chilly (ha!) 74 degrees. Felt a little ambitious this afternoon so made some frozen yogurt and biscotti.

Lemon-Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Pour fresh lemon juice into a small bowl and sprinkle a package of unflavored powdered gelatin over the juice. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, whisk more fresh lemon juice with sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, about one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon gelatin.

In a medium bowl, mix plain whole-milk yogurt with lemon zest. Stir in the lemon juice mixture and whisk in heavy cream. Set the yogurt base in an ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix fresh blueberries with sugar and a little water. Simmer until saucy about 4 minutes and let cool.

Pour the lemon yogurt into an ice cream maker and freeze.

Scoop alternating spoonfuls of the yogurt and blueberry sauce into a plastic container and freeze until firm, about four hours.


I previously posted a recipe for Biscotti (click here)

But here are a couple of pictures of the process. Forming the logs before baking:
After the first baking:
After slicing and the second bake:
Day 16:
A couple of months ago I bought some veal shanks and promised Frank & Carrie I would make them Osso Bucco, but somehow the timing never worked out. Even though it's not exactly a summer dish we decided to make the veal tonight. I started out with good intentions of taking pictures, but only got this one beginning shot (look at the size of those bones and imagine all that yummy marrow):
Here's the recipe - Dredge the veal shanks in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and butter in a large oven-proof pan. Sear the veal shanks until all sides are a rich brown color. Remove the shanks from the pan. In the same pan, saute chopped onion, celery, carrots, lemon zest and bay leaves until they soften and start to get a little brown color. Put the veal back in the pan. Pour in some dry red wine and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half. Add beef broth and canned tomatoes. Cover the pan and braise in a 375 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cover and cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and the veal tender and nearly falling off the bone. Make a gremolata by mashing together pine nuts, anchovy, garlic, orange zest and parsley. Scatter the gremolata over the Osso Bucco before serving (I'm embarrassed to say that I almost always forget this last step!)
Day 17:
Our good friend (and director of the cooking show) Peter and his girlfriend Lynne came out to visit. We picked them up in the dinghy at Two Harbors and couldn't get back to the boat fast enough so we could jump in the water. We kayaked to Emerald Bay, snorkeled and swam with leopard sharks. Peter brought a copy of the final cut of the cooking show so we could watch and comment on together. The changes Leander (the editor) made were great and we're all really happy with the show - now it's time to go out and sell it!

Thanks so much for coming out to visit. We had a great weekend and really enjoyed your company.

Day 18:

After more kayaking, swimming & snorkeling we had to take Peter & Lynne back to Two Harbors so they could catch the express boat. We made a stop and the Harbor Reef Bar first and look who we run in to -- Lee & Nancy:

and Joe & Jeri:

Joe, me, Lynne, Frankie, Carrie, Peter, John & Jeri:

Day 19:

Frank & Carrie left this morning. We were supposed to head home too, but convinced ourselves we should stay another couple of days so we could go to the Ventura Marina BBQ at CAT Harbor. Last night we invited Frank & Carrie for dinner and while I was chopping veggies for a lasagne I cut my finger pretty good. This morning it was looking pretty ugly so we went ashore and had the lifeguard/paramedics take a look. They said I should have had stitches last night but now it was too late, so they treated and bandaged my finger and sent me to Doug's for a drink. Don't know what made me think to order a Bloody Mary! We walked to the other side of the island to meet up with the Ventura gang. We visited and played Mexican dominoes for awhile, but my finger was hurting so we headed back to the boat for a nice quiet evening.

Day 20:

Staff & Jane, Matt & Nook, Joe & Jeri and Jeff moved from CAT Harbor and joined us at Howland's this morning. They came over at Happy Hour to watch the cooking show. When the show was over they presented me with roses, a crown (aluminum foil adorned with pennies) and a pendant (a string with a quarter and masking tape) in honor of the film premier. Crazy (but wonderful!) friends:


Days 21 to 25:
We still couldn't bring ourselves to leave and decided to stay a few more days. We stayed at Howland's one more night and then moved back down to White's. Bonnie & Curtis also came in and anchored Once Upon A Tide:

We dinghied into Avalon so I could have a doctor look at my finger. I swear the doctor could not have been more than fifteen years old - an Iranian Doogie Howser! But he was very nice kid, treated and re-bandaged my finger and now we feel better about staying another couple of days.

Isn't this a cool sand sculpture. I didn't think there was that much sand on Avalon's beach:

We went into Avalon one more time to watch Janie & Bonnie go parasailing:

Bye, we're headed back to Ventura in the morning:

What a great vacation. I can't believe we were able to stretch it out for 25 days. Perfect weather, fun family visits and great friends. Life is good.

P.S. I forgot to report that John was the cribbage champion on this trip. He kicked my bootie!