Feel Better Broth (AKA Cold Potion #9)

Cold and flu season has officially arrived in my neighborhood. This warming broth will make everything better. You don’t even have to peel or finely chop the veggies, just drop them in. You don’t even have to measure.

If you want you can add the chicken back into the broth along with some noodles for a hearty soup. You could also lightly beat an egg and whisk it into a mug full of the hot broth for a hit of protein, but I’m a big fan of sipping on a mug of plain old broth when I’m ill.

Ingredients:

64 ounces good chicken broth

5 cups water

2 pounds bone-in chicken

2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole

1 big onion, quartered

2 stalks of celery, cut into big chunks

2 chubby carrots, chopped into big pieces

1 big chunk of fresh ginger (oh, about an inch long), cut into 2 or 3 pieces

2 thin dried red chili peppers (I’m using Japones, which are a 7 on a 1-10 heat scale, but use what you like)

6 whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon kosher salt (more or less to taste)

1 cluster of fresh parsley, tied with kitchen twine

Directions:

Pour the broth and water into a big stock pot. Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally and skim off any foam that forms on top.

Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool. Take the meat off the bones (discarding bones and skin) and save for another use. Pour the broth through a strainer and discard the solids. Serve the broth hot.

Baked acorn squash with butter, maple syrup and thyme

I needed to do acorn squash the way my mom made it for my dad back in the day. Simply baked, coated with butter, maple syrup, salt and just a wee bit of thyme. This will be one of your favorite comfort foods this fall and winter.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash the squash and cut it in half lengthwise (through the tip and stem). Also, slice off a tiny slice of the bottom of each half so they don’t wobble on your baking sheet, but don’t cut through to the inside of the squash.

Scoop out the seeds and any loose fibers (save those seeds-you can roast them with canola oil and salt just like pumpkin seeds).

Pour 1 teaspoon of canola oil in the cavity of each squash half. Fold a paper towel in half and rub the oil all over the inside and outside of the squash half. This helps to keep the moisture in the squash.

Place the squash halves (cavity up) on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, or until a fork goes into the middle and comes out easily. Remove from the oven and place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of each half. Use a fork to run that butter knob all over the cut surfaces. Drizzle the syrup evenly over the squash, sprinkle with thyme leaves and sea salt.

I like to tell people that haven’t eaten squash this way that the skin is edible, but it tastes much more creamy and luscious if they use a spoon to just scoop out the flesh.

Nicoise Salad Sandwich

Tuna salad sandwiches AGAIN?? Yup, but this is the fancier, better tasting version of a tuna salad sandwich that you never knew you wanted. A creamy spread, flavorful tuna, hard cooked egg, olives, green beans…..this sandwich has all the tastes you could ever want. Go ahead, make this in advance (they are easy and quick) and be a rock star in the work or school cafeteria tomorrow!

Ingredients (serves 2):

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons good mayonnaise (I like the olive oil kind for this)

Splash white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon anchovy paste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon capers, drained

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Filling:

2 ciabatta buns

2 (5 ½ ounce) cans tuna in oil, lightly drained

1 radish, thinly sliced

1 hard cooked egg, thinly sliced

5 or 6 good black olives (like Nicoise or even Kalamata) pitted and lightly crushed

2 thin slices of red onion

6 pickled green beans

2 leaves Romaine lettuce

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Stir the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside. Split the buns in half and toast if you like. Slather some of the dressing on both the tops and bottoms of the buns.

Put half the tuna (1 can per sandwich) on the bottom portions of the buns, followed by half of the radish slices, hard cooked egg slices, olives, onion, green beans and romaine lettuce. Finish with a few dashes of sea salt and/or black pepper.  Close the buns and serve at room temperature.

Buttermilk Pie

Oh my goodness. I do love this pie. It is pure and simple good food. I really don’t know how to describe this—the pie is not quite like a custard pie, not quite like a cream pie. It is rich tasting and light at the same time. It is not overly sweet and has a nice tang from the buttermilk. It almost tastes like what I would imagine a butterscotch custard pie would be like. Don’t even get me started on the bruleed topping that you get to crunch through to get to the creamy center!

Ingredients (makes 1 pie):

Topping:

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pie:

1 (9-inch) pie shell, unbaked

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients and set aside. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Mix in the flour and salt and combine thoroughly. Add in the eggs one at a time. Then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the pie and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before slicing. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the fridge.

5 Pepper Vegetable Enchiladas

Five peppers may seem like a little much, but each one brings something special to the party. Green peppers are sweet and crisp, roasted reds are rich and sweet, green chiles are clean tasting, red chili powder and chipotle powder pack a little deep heat. I like the balance of the peppers with the sweetness of the carrots and corn in this dish. Note: depending on how much filling you put in each enchilada, you may have some filling leftover, which is great on top of some lettuce or with tortilla chips.

Ingredients (serves 4 with 2 enchiladas per person):

Filling:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup shredded carrots

½ cup chopped green peppers

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1 (11 ounce) can corn, drained

½ cup chopped ripe olives

1 (4 ounce) can green chiles

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with the juice

2 teaspoons dark red chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

Salt to taste

2 cups tightly packed fresh spinach

Assembly:

2 cups enchilada sauce

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian refried beans

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled

Garnish:

Sour cream, cilantro or parsley and sliced avocados to garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, green peppers and mushrooms and sauté about 5 minutes. Add in the roasted red peppers, corn, ripe olives, green chiles, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has reduced by about half (about 15 minutes). Remove the filling from the heat and add in the spinach. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Spread one cup of the enchilada sauce evenly over the bottom of a large baking dish (you may want to use two baking dishes if you don’t want things too crowded-up to you). Layout your tortillas and spread some of the refried beans on each one. Add some of the filling and top with some Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the queso fresco cheese over the top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the enchiladas from the oven and serve two to a plate. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro/parsley and sliced avocados. 

Golden Tomato Rarebit

Creamy, melted, silky cheese and tomatoes on toast. Is this fondue on a plate? Welsh rarebit with tomatoes? An open faced grilled cheese? Whatever you want to call this, it is just wonderful for a lazy supper.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 (10 ¾ ounce) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1/3 cup beer or ale

Dash Worcestershire sauce

2 cups grated shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Dash dry mustard powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash cayenne pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk

Dash paprika for garnish

8 pieces bread, toasted

Directions:

Pour the soup, beer and Worcestershire into a saucepan and heat and bring to a good simmer. Slowly whisk in the cheese in handfuls, whisking each handful until it is melted before adding the next. Add in the salt, pepper, mustard powder and cayenne. Pour a little of the warm cheese mixture into the eggs/milk to temper them and then add the eggs/milk into the saucepan of cheese sauce. Bring to a boil, whisking for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens and remove from heat. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Place 2 pieces of toast on each plate and spoon the cheese sauce over the toast.   Sprinkle on paprika and serve hot.

Cheeseburger Soup

This is such a great soup on a fall evening. It's especially great if you love a good cheeseburger. This is hearty, quick to put together and a great anecdote to a chilly evening. 

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon grill seasoning (I used Montreal steak seasoning)

½ teaspoon dry mustard

3 cups chicken broth

1 large russet potato, diced

4 ounces American cheese, diced (like Velveeta Light®)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions: In a large non-stick pot, brown the ground beef. Add in the onions and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the grill seasoning, dry mustard, broth and potato.

On a piece of wax paper, toss the diced cheese with the corn starch. Bring the soup up to a boil and then add the cheese/cornstarch to the soup, stirring to combine. Add in the salt and pepper. Once the soup has boiled for 3 minutes, drop to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potato pieces are fork tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. 

Spaghetti Hot Pot

I love this dish! It is warming and very hearty thanks to the addition of the cabbage and the beans. With this dish, you can stretch one pound of ground beef to feed 8 to 10 people and you only have one pot to clean. The cabbage cooks down so that no one will even realize it is in there, so it is a great way to sneak some extra veggies and fiber into the family. None of that would matter to me, though, if it wasn’t so incredibly good. And it is….yes, it is.

Ingredients (serves 8-10):

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ cup chopped onions

1 clove of minced garlic

1 pound ground beef

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups 100% vegetable juice (like V8®)

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, with the liquid

3 cups packaged slaw mix (cabbage with carrots)

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning

8 ounces dry thin spaghetti noodles (about ½ of a normal package)

Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions: Heat the oil in the bottom of a Dutch Oven or large pot. Sauté the onions over medium heat until soft and fragrant, but not brown. Add in the garlic and stir for about a minute. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is browned. Drain off any excess fat and return the pot to the stove.

Add in the broth, vegetable juice, tomatoes, slaw mix, beans and seasonings and bring to a boil. Drop to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (and breaking up the whole tomatoes).

Break the spaghetti in thirds and drop it in the pot. Stir to combine and cook for about 12 more minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Serve in bowls topped with parmesan cheese.