Cappuccino Panna Cotta

Cappuccino Panna Cotta

This recipe is the result of a need for a quick dessert at the last minute.  Other panna cotta recipes take a while to chill, and the goal here was to make it FAST!  So, I heated the milk with the softened gelatin and some espresso powder, then added a can of sweetened condensed milk and some vanilla.  It cooled the milk and gelatin enough that once it went into the refrigerator it was only about two hours until it was ready to serve.  Even better, this dessert is delicious!  A win-win for sure.  Makes six 1/2 cup servings.

1 1/4 cup skim or low-fat milk

1 packet unflavored gelatin

2 teaspoons espresso powder

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate curls or chocolate sauce for serving

Place the milk in a 1-quart glass measuring cup.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let the mixture set for about 5 minutes. then stir in until combined.  Place in the microwave and heat on high until the mixture comes to a full boil, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from the microwave and whisk in the espresso powder, vanilla, and condensed milk until very well combined

Pour into 6-1/2 cup dessert dishes or martini glasses.  Cover each with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until chilled and firm, two hours or more is best.

Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate curls or top with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Simple Meat Sauce for Pasta

Spaghetti with Simple Meat Sauce and Parmesan, accompanied by No-Knead Country Bread

The recipe for this sauce lives in my head, and it changes a bit each time I make it, depending on what kind of tomatoes and meat I have on hand.  So I finally wrote it all down for posterity!  It is simple, which I love, made with ingredients from the pantry and a pound of ground beef.  Comfort food in no time!

1 medium onion, cut into chunks

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

3 cloves of peeled garlic

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small can tomato paste

1 pound ground beef (A variety of meats may be used, including veal, pork, Italian sausage, or turkey with the beef, just use 1 pound total)

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup beef broth

6 cups canned tomato puree

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Salt, to taste

Place the onion, carrot, and garlic in a food processor and process until it becomes a paste. 

Heat the oil in a large, shallow pot over medium heat.  Add the processed vegetables to the pan and cook until soft and translucent and just beginning to brown.  Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook and stir until the tomato paste becomes a copper color.  Break the meat up into the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well cooked and the whole mixture is browned.  Add the wine and cook until it evaporates.  Add the broth, tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce a simmer.  Cover, and cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes, it is better after an hour.  If it is a bit too thin, remove the lid and allow it to reduce to the desired thickness.  Too thick for your taste?  Thin it with a bit of water.  Taste, and adjust the seasonings, adding salt, and even a pinch of sugar, to achieve the perfect balance.

Roasted Garlic Heads

Lovely Heads of roasted garlic

Garlic!  While living in Gilroy, California my appreciation for this member of the onion family exploded, and I have always been a huge fan.  We lived right across the road from a field of garlic grown by Don Christopher, of Christopher Ranch.  In the early spring, as irrigation got under way, the air was filled with the aroma of fresh, green garlic.  That fragrance became much more pungent in late summer as it was harvested, and processed at a nearby plant.  (Some days it was smelled like I had cloves of the stuff up my nose, really!)  The changes in flavor that occur in garlic from exposure to heat are considerable.  Cooking over low to moderate heat mellows and sweetens the flavor, but high heat can cause it to become bitter and inedible.  I love roasting heads of garlic and using the resulting soft paste in all kinds of dishes.  Mixed with olive oil and Parmesan and spread on crostini for toasting in the oven, stirred into a vegetable saute, or added to a sauce, the applications are endless!  Best of all, a number of heads can be roasted at once, some of it refrigerated and the rest frozen, so it is on hand and ready for use whenever inspiration strikes!  Here is the easy method I use to roast garlic. 

4 heads of garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.

Use a serrated knife to cut the tops of the garlic off, exposing the tops of all of the cloves.  Place in a small glass baking dish, cut-side up.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over each head of garlic, allowing it to soak down inside the head.  Wrap the entire dish with aluminum foil, taking care not to let the foil touch the garlic (tent the top of the foil a bit).

Place the garlic in the oven and roast for about an hour, or until all of the cloves are golden, very tender and beginning to protrude from the skin.

Remove from the oven.  Allow to cool. 

To store, squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into a container.  I refrigerate some for use within a few days, a freeze the rest to use later

Feast of Eden's Chicken Noodle Soup

Feast of Eden's Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is a classic!  You can get it in a can, at a deli, or the supermarket, but nothing compares to your own homemade version.  If you have the time to cook a whole chicken in enough water to cover for a few hours, you'll have great chicken and broth to use for this recipe. (Strain the broth before using in the soup to remove any little particles.)  If not, just used cooked chicken and boxed chicken broth. This soup freezes well, so make a lot and put some away for a busy day later.

 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (I sometimes use the chicken fat skimmed from homemade chicken broth instead of butter, so good!)

1 onion, chopped fairly fine

2 large celery ribs, small dice

2 medium carrots, peeled and small diced

3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth (home-made or purchased)

3 cups dry, thin egg noodles

3 cups finely-chopped, cooked chicken

Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup finely-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large stockpot melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots and sweat until tender (do not brown).  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Bring the stock back to a boil, add the noodles and chicken and cook until the noodles are tender.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.

Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Make about 1 gallon.  This soup freezes well.  Chill down any leftovers and freeze in appropriate containers.