Hearty Fall Salad

It's finally feeling like fall here in northern California.  Rain projected to occur within the next few hours!  Such an turn around from last week's high temps of the 90's.  This salad recipe courtesy Bon Appetit just looks like "fall" to me.  From the charred broccoli to the white beans....if a salad can be classified as "hearty", this is the one.

The recipe calls for soaking your own beans overnight but I will modify by using canned Cannellini beans instead.  I'm lazy sometimes.  I love the combination of broccoli and parmesean cheese.  Yum. However, I'm not a huge anchovy fan, so I may substitute my old standby of bacon.  I will also use rice wine vinegar as well....I love that sweet/tang flavor in every salad I toss.

Enjoy your fall!

Photo and recipe courtesy Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
2 cups dried large white beans
(such as gigante or corona),
soaked overnight
3 ounces Parmesan with rind
1 onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Kosher salt
1½ pound broccoli (about 3
small heads), coarsely chopped
½ cup olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
4 anchovy fillets packed in oil,
drained, finely chopped
2 wide strips lemon zest, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Drain beans and place in a large heavy pot. Remove rind from
Parmesan and add rind along with onion and garlic to beans. Pour in
water to cover by 2”; season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat,
and simmer, adding water as needed to keep beans submerged, until
beans are tender, about 2 hours. Let cool. Discard vegetables and
Parmesan rind, then drain.

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss broccoli with ¼ cup oil on a rimmed
baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing
occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, 15–20 minutes. Let
cool.

Finely chop half of broccoli and toss in a large bowl with anchovies,
lemon zest, lemon juice, and beans. Shave half of Parmesan over and
add remaining broccoli and ¼ cup oil; toss and season with salt,

pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Shave remaining Parmesan

over.

DO AHEAD: Beans can be cooked 5 days ahead; cover and chill in

cooking liquid. Warm before serving. Broccoli can be roasted 6 hours

ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories (kcal) 260 Fat (g) 11

Saturated Fat (g) 2.5

Cholesterol (mg) 5

Carbohydrates (g) 28 Dietary

Fiber (g) 8 Total Sugars (g) 1

Protein (g) 13 Sodium (mg) 170

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Comfort Football Food ~ No Boil Mac and Cheese

Oh boy this weekend is a biggy in my house....the Forty Niners are in a playoff game against the Packers tomorrow night!  We ARE going to the game but if we weren't, THIS is the comfort food I would serving to watch the 5:00 p.m. game.  Oh Yeah....No Boil Mac and Cheese by Bon Appetite is my pick this week for "Best of the Web". YumYum.  Goes great with a dark porter!

GO NINERS!  

Photo and recipe cOURTESY bON aPPETITE

No Boil Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

·         1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

·         1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         3 cups whole milk

·         1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more

·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more

·         1 pound elbow macaroni

·         2 cups shredded cheddar, divided

·         2 garlic cloves, chopped

·         1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

·         2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

PREPARATION

·         Preheat oven to 400°. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, whisking often, until a very thin, glossy sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove sauce from heat.

·         Toss pasta and 1 1/2 cups cheese in a 13x9x2-inch or other shallow 3-quart baking dish. Pour sauce over (pasta should be submerged; do not stir) and cover with foil. Bake until pasta is almost tender, about 20 minutes.

·         Meanwhile, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, panko, and parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

·         Remove foil from dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, then panko mixture. Bake until pasta is tender, edges are bubbling, and top is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

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Mother's Day Onion Frittata

With Mother's Day coming this Sunday, I thought this Bon Appetite Onion Frittata recipe would be a perfect go-to recipe, especially if you're looking for something easy and last minute.  If you don't like onions, use scallions or asparagus instead!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there.  I hope you have a fantastic weekend!  Eat, drink and be merry!

Best of the Web:  Bon Appetite Onion Frittata

Photo courtesy Bon Appetite

Ingredients

8 large eggs

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

3 large fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

3 large fresh sage leaves, minced

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Heat oil in a medium ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in egg mixture. Spoon dollops of ricotta evenly over.

Cook until frittata begins to set, about 2 minutes. Place in oven; bake until just set, 7-9 minutes. Slide the frittata onto a platter. Cut into wedges; serve hot or at room temperature.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/05/onion-frittata#ixzz1uZYoBMxC

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day
!
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Best of the Web: Star Spangled Custard Tart

Celebrate Memorial Day with this Star Spangled custard tart from Bon Appetit.  Fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries top this white balsamic custard tart.  It's sure to be a hit at every summer BBQ.

White Balsamic Custard Tart with Fresh Berry Topping
via Bon Appetit 

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Filling

1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Topping

2 large strawberries, hulled, sliced
2 1/2-pint containers blueberries
1 1/2-pint container raspberries

Preparation

for crust:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolk and cream. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Press dough evenly into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Pierce dough all over with fork. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake crust until golden, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 22 minutes. Cool.

for filling:

Stir cream and cornstarch in medium bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Add eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla; whisk to blend.

Boil vinegar in heavy medium saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water, sugar, and butter. Stir until butter melts; return to boil. Gradually whisk vinegar mixture into egg mixture; return to pan. Whisk until custard thickens and boils, about 1 minute. Strain into bowl; cool. Spread custard in prepared crust. Cover and chill tart at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

for topping:

Arrange strawberry slices in star pattern in center of tart. Arrange raspberries in star pattern. Surround with blueberries. Cover loosely and chill until ready to serve. DO AHEAD Can be made up to 6 hours ahead.


What are your plans for this Memorial Day Weekend??

Photograph by Mark Thomas via Bon Appetit


I love to hear from you! Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment. Have a fantastic day!


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Super Bowl Food

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up this weekend and we're having a small gathering over.  Along with the pizza that we'll have, I'm going have a chili bar going as well.  We have quite a bit of stew meat in our freezer from one of our natural beef animals we've recently harvested, so Chili Con Carne is on the menu.

photo by Bon Appetit

I found a recipe that I thought looked really good in Bon Appetit's magazine this month and I've adapted the recipe below from their recipe.  I like beans in my chili so one of the changes I made was to add pinto beans to the recipe. 

I'm also going to take the recipe and add it all to a slow cooker the day of the party, that way there's very little prep time and more time to enjoy guests. 

Chili Con Carne & Beans

Ingredients

•4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

•4 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck (from about 5 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 cans of pinto beans 

•2 medium onions, chopped
•1 head of garlic (about 15 cloves), peeled, chopped
•1/2 cup ground ancho chiles
•2 tablespoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
•1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
•2 teaspoons dried oregano
•2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
•2 tablespoons tomato paste
•3 tablespoons masa (corn tortilla mix)

Garnishes
•Coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
•Chopped green and/or red onion
•Chopped fresh cilantro
•Diced fresh tomatoes (optional)
•Sour cream (optional)

•ingredient info

Ground ancho chiles are available in the spice section of supermarkets and at Latin markets. Masa (or masa harina) is sold at supermarkets and Latin markets.

•Test-Kitchen Tip

Stirring in a few tablespoons of masa (corn tortilla mix) at the end helps thicken the chili.

Preparation

•Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of beef; sprinkle with salt. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to large bowl. Repeat 2 more times with 2 tablespoons oil and beef.

•Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon oil and onions. Sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; stir 2 minutes. Add ground anchos, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beer; stir 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Return beef and juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, 2 cups water, oregano, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Bring chili to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently until beef is just tender, 13/4 to 2 hours. Cool 1 hour, then chill uncovered until cold. Cover; chill overnight.

•Spoon fat from chili. Bring chili to simmer over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste. Sprinkle masa over; stir to blend. Simmer uncovered until thickened and beef is very tender, stirring often, and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 30 minutes.

•Divide chili among bowls. Top with garnishes and serve.


I can already taste this, it looks so good.  Can't wait to spoon up a bowl of it and have some warm cornbread to go along with it.

What are your plans for Super Bowl??

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