PIZZA! Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinegar

The first time I made this pizza, I caramelized the onions the day before.  I made the pizza dough and precooked it (3 minutes) it in the morning.  We went skiing for the day and when we came home, with most of the work done, all I had to do was place the toppings on and bake it. Very delicious pizza and hard to beat after a day of skiing. 

Yield: 2  large pizzas

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (I bought shredded mozzarella)

• 2 prepared whole wheat pizza dough, or store bought

• 3 large red onions, sliced

• 2 tbs olive oil

• 4 oz arugula

• 11 oz goat cheese, crumbled

• 1/4 cup reduced balsamic vinegar
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Caramelize onions in olive oil (can do ahead a day or two before)

Prepare pizza dough and pre-cook for 3 minutes before adding toppings.

Place 1 lb of shredded cheese over each pizza followed by the caramelized onions and crumbled goat cheese.

Bake the pizzas in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes. When baked, top the pizzas with arugula and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Rice Soup

My latest favorite soup and I will probably make it al winter long...

Ingredients

10 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 TBSP olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups cooked rice
2 TBSP lime juice

Directions

Boil chicken breast in water for twenty minutes.  Remove from water, and shred the chicken when cooled.

In a very large soup pot, simmer vegetables and bay leaf in olive oil until they begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in chicken and broth.  (I prefer to use the water the chicken was boiled in as part of the 10 cups of broth.) Simmer for 10 minutes. Add rice and lime juice, cook and stir until rice is hot and grains begin to separate, about 1 minute.

Shrimp Cakes

Shrimp Cakes

Absolutely delicious shrimp cakes! Cooked shrimp, formed into patties with cooked sweet potatoes, garlic, red onion, breadcrumbs, jalapeno, cilantro, and spices, then fried.

•    Yield: Makes six large cakes.

INGREDIENTS

•    1 lb tan-skinned sweet potatoes

•    4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

•    4 Tbsp (or more) vegetable oil

•    8 oz peeled, cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped

•    2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

•    2/3 cup finely ground breadcrumbs

•    2 Tbsp finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapeños

•    2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

•    1 1/2 teaspoons spice mix (recipe included below)

•    Flour for dusting (1/2 to 1 cup)

Spice Mix Ingredients:  notes: I did not make this but substituted with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of listed items

•    1/4 cup cumin seeds

•    3 Tbsp whole black peppercorns

•    1 Tbsp coriander seeds

•    2 Tbsp sugar

•    1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

METHOD

Spice Mix Method

Add cumin seeds, peppercorns, and coriander to a heavy medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. Grind spices in a blender or spice grinder (can use a coffee grinder that has been cleaned by grinding raw rice) until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in sugar and salt. Makes about half a cup. You'll only need 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix for one shrimp cakes recipe, so store the remainder for future use.

Shrimp Cakes Method

1 Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake in microwave for about 15 minutes until done. Rub one tablespoon of oil over unpeeled garlic. Cook in microwave a few minutes, until soft. Let the garlic and sweet potatoes cool enough to handle. Peel the garlic. Cut the sweet potato in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Combine the cooked sweet potato and garlic in a bowl and mash until smooth.

2 Add the shrimp, cilantro, breadcrumbs, jalapeño, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Spice Mix. Mix until well blended. Season with salt. Use your hands to form the mixture into six patties, 3-inches in diameter.

3 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly dust the shrimp cakes in flour. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the shrimp cakes until nicely browned, adding more oil as needed, about 2 minutes per side.

Place the shrimp cakes on a baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Tastes great served with lemon, tartar sauce, and coleslaw.

Porcini Mushroom Tarlets

Last summer, friends in the neighborhood got together and brought appetizers and wine to Pat's house. The food, as usual, was delicious.  My favorite was the mushroom tarts that Marilyn brought. She shared the recipe with me--it's from a food magazine--not sure which one.  I've made it several times and we have found that is works well as a main course with a salad.  Now that fall season is here, a warmer kitchen feels good with stove on and I'm keen to getting back to cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
• 10 ounces frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed and chilled.  (I prefer Pepperidge Farm)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 lb medium porcini or cremini mushrooms, trimmed
• extra virgin olive oil for brushing
• snipped chives

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a pie plate, bake the walnuts for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, then let cool and coarsely chop. 

Line a medium baking sheet with parchment. Unfold the puff pastry and cut out anywhere from 4-8 (seems to make more than is indicated in the recipe) 4-inch rounds, about 1/8 thick. Transfer the rounds to the prepared being sheet and prick all over with a fork. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and set a baking sheet on top.  Bake the pastry for about 25 minutes or until it is cooked and browned; remove the pastry from the over.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add onions and cook, stirring over moderately high heat for 4 minutes; reduce the temp to low, stir frequently, until mushrooms are soft and golden, about 50 minutes; let cool. In a food processor, coarsely puree walnuts and onions and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan of boiling water, blanche the mushrooms until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and slice 1/4 inch thick.

Heat oven to 400º. Spread the pastry rounds with the puree and arrange the mushrooms overlapping on top. Brush with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.  Garnish with chives and serve.

Make ahead 1 day: onion & mushroom puree, and pastry rounds wrapped in plastic.

Lemon Sorbet

So refreshing on a hot summer night!  Serve it with a shot a vodka poured over the sorbet like they used to do at The New Yorker--delicous.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest *

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer without stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cool completely. This is called a simple syrup, and may be made ahead in larger quantities to have on hand for making Fresh Lemon Sorbet. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

When cool, add the lemon juice and zest; stir to combine. Turn the machine on. Pour the lemon mixture into the freezer bowl, and mix until the mixture thickens, about 25 to 30 minutes. The sorbet will have a soft texture similar to a freshly scooped Italian ice. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.
Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Merzullo su cipolle caramellate e pomodoro COD WITH TOMATO & CAMALERIZED RED ONION

Summer is winding down and evening temperatures are perfect for outdoor dining. Friends shared the evening together with a wonderful assortment of food and drink.

When sharing dinner with friends, I find it desirable to minimize time in the kitchen so I can enjoy time with friends.  For this recipe, there are a few "prep aheads" that allow me to accomplish that.  When I made this entree, it was for 10 of us, so the more I could in advance, the better.

The first thing I did was to caramelize the onions in the morning, which with cutting and cooking, took 30 minutes.  While the cooking was going on, I also did the task of peeling, seeding and slicing the tomatoes and then added, the salt and oil and placed them in the refrigerator.  The last task was to cut the fresh cod into pieces, drizzle with oil and sprinkle fresh rosemary on top--cover and refrigerate. This advance prep allowed me to spend only 10 minutes cooking the fish when it was time to prepare the main course.

I must also mention that friends brought appetizers, salad and dessert, all of which were delicious. This shared approach is nice in that no one does all the work and I think it makes it easier and more enjoyable for friends to get together for dinner.

RECIPE
Cod with tomato & caramelized red onion
4 Servings

4 (6-8 oz.) pieces of cod, about 1- inch thick
7 TBSP. of extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBSP. finely chopped fresh rosemary plus 4 small springs for garnish
1 pound of red onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP. sugar
Fine sea salt
1 1/4 pounds tomatoes (I used Roma)
Freshly ground black pepper

Fish Prep
On a large plate, drizzle fish with 1 TBSP. olive oil and sprinkle with chopped rosemary; gently turn fish to coat both sides, then cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Onions
In a non-stick skillet, heat 3 TBSP. olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking, add onions, bay leaf, sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is sweet and tender, about 25 minutes.

Tomatoes
Place tomatoes in boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Remove from water, transfer to a bowl, then peel, seed and slice into 1/2-inch wide strips. In a bowl, toss tomato pieces with 1TBSP olive oil and a generous pinch of salt, set aside.

Divide onions and tomatoes among 4 plates. In skillet, heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium-high heat until simmering.  Season fish with salt and pepper and add to pan; cook 4 minutes, turn over and continue cooling until opaque and just cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Arrange fish over onions and tomatoes and garnish with rosemary springs.