Ok, this was last year, but it was one of the best things we created. There was also a certain detailer on this site who was at our place during this event.
Cioppino, which is essentially a seafood stew.
Littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, cod, scallops, lots of fresh herbs, dry white wine, tomatoes. All of the fish elements end up going in at different times, so they all cook properly.
I make pizza a lot. Like, from scratch, make the dough and everything. This is a pic of a couple pies I made for my friends and I to wash down the bourbon before the annual ETID Xmas show
Couple of soups I was proud of that came out great…
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
2 whole Carrots, Diced
2 stalks Celery, Diced
1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced (optional)
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
Chicken Base (optional but I love extra intense chicken flavor)
Either homemade egg noodles or frozen variety (in the picture below I used the dryed kind and ended being a bit too much.
3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.
Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached.
Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.
Increase heat and add egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings to your taste.
Lasagna Soup
1/2 pound of pasta (I used rotini)
1 tablespoon oil
12-16 ounces ground Italian Sausage (I used Wegmans Poultry)
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flake (omit if you don’t want the heat)
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
4 cups chicken broth/stock
1- 28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese 2 and 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
In a large stock pot, heat the oil on medium heat and cook the Italian Sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks with a wooden spoon). Remove sausage from pan and set aside, draining any excess fat.
Add the onion to the stockpot and sauté until translucent. Then add in the garlic, and stir for a minute or two.
Stir in the red pepper flake and allow to cook for a minute.
Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, uncooked pasta, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. The pasta will cook as the soup simmers.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the Italian Sausage back in and allow the soup to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Pre-heat your broiler on high. Make the cheese topping by combining cottage or ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
To serve, spoon about 1-2 cups of soup in oven safe bowls. Spread some of the cheese mixture over the top and broil for a few minutes, or until the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
Updated - - -
Fresh, I wanted to use fresh rosemary too but wife is finicky about it.
I love fresh herbs, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil and Parsley being at the top.
Last night I sautéed some onions, broccoli, green peppers with some minced garlic and olive oil. Added some pasta sauce, poured that concoction over some penne, then put some parm and motz over and baked it for a few minutes. Real low-cal dish, lol, but it turned out really good, and was really easy
If you haven’t already, try the Belize shrimp from Wegman’s. They’re totally worth the extra couple of bucks. I’ve been hitting up Penzey’s for dry spices the last year or so.(I have a floor to ceiling spice cabinet) Great prices and the quality is top notch.
I’m not sure if you have an herb garden going in your yard or not yet, but I’ve found that oregano and thyme hold up amazingly well under the snow. I try to keep it buried, and dig some out when ever I need it. The oregano doesn’t usually die off until march.
I don’t usually take many photos of the finished meal. It’s always in progress. I’m awful with portions for recipes, I just kind of make it up as I go.
Last week Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken thighs, onion, carrots, canned peas, red bell pepper and mushrooms. Brown the chicken, sweat the veg, make a roux, chicken stock and some cream or half and half, place in the flaky pie crust of your choice, and bake.
The weekend before we went out to the cottage, and since dragging stuff across the ice and doing dishes with no water sucks, we had cucumber sandwiches with smoked salmon, and pickled vegetables.
… and a few weeks before that I made pork t-bones.
Herbs de provence, sear on both sides in butter and olive oil, bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, rest.
Deglaze the pan with some white wine, add some cream or half and half to make a pan sauce.
Served with some roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts tossed with herbed olive oil, and roasted potatoes.
