Pasta e Fagioli

My favorite thing right now is cooking with fresh herbs. Especially rosemary and thyme.
This italian soup is simmered with numerous sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme and it makes all the difference in the world. The flavors that were able to develop in the broth are seriously delicious.
Add some veggies, some beans, a little bit of pasta and you have yourself a pretty yummy and hearty meal!
Oh, and this soup wouldn't be complete without some baked rosemary potato bread.
Is that a rosemary overload? Nah.

Ps. I'm dying. I haven't made any dessert lately and it's truly killing me. SOOO...I've picked out FOUR recipes I'm going to be trying out in the next few weeks. Stayed tuned for some serious yum action. It's happening.

French Onion Soup

Soup season is officially here! Well, for me, soup season is every season, but I do love associating it with the coolers temperatures of fall and winter. (And next week, Seattle has SNOW in its forecast!) So how amazing does it sound snuggling up inside with a bowl of hot soup and a blanket on the couch? Pretty darn good.
I love soup so much. No seriously, so much.
Can I make a weird confession?
In high school, I went through a (probably unhealthy) soup obsession. In the morning before school, I would skip breakfast and go straight to lunch when I woke up. Yes, soup for breakfast. At 6:30AM. So what?
Okay, I know, that's a little really strange, but that tells you my love for soup is real.

When I was living in Spain, I was in soup heaven. My host mother was not only an amazing cook, but she loved to make soups/stews that were to die for! Amongst all of the students studying abroad, a popular topic of conversation seemed to be what everyone's host families cooked for them. I remember when Eric and I were getting to know each other one night we were talking about the food we had been eating, and I told him how over the moon I was that my host mom made us spectacular soups, almost every day. And I'll never forget this, he told me, "I don't really like soup."
My heart sank. I died a little right then, and as I was reassessing our relationship I knew I had two choices.
1. I could end it right then and there.
2. I could eventually try to teach him how to love and appreciate soup.
All things considered, I opted for number two and since that day I've made it a mission to get Eric to LOVE soup. Yes, even the "brothy" kind (as he puts it).
So far, my track record has been exceptional. We can't think of a soup I've made that he didn't enjoy. Chilis, lentil soups, tortilla soup, baked potato soup, etc..he's liked them all!
When I was flipping through my new Mastering the Art of French Cooking book and I saw Julia Child's french onion soup recipe, I knew I had to make it, but wondered how Eric would feel about a soup, that was brothy, and had (essentially) one ingredient.
Folks, he felt pretty darn great about it. He loved it, in fact, and ate every last drop in his bowl. Let's take this time to give it up for me.
I'm really liking where this is going...MORE SOUP coming up!

Soupe à l’Oignon, or French Onion Soup
(Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups) beef or other brown stock (Porcini or mushroom stock are a robust vegetarian substitution)
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional, but I used Courvoisier)

Gratinée
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard

*The onions for an onion soup need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long, slow simmering in stock for them to develop the deep, rich flavor which characterizes the perfect brew.*

Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat to moderate and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. DON'T cheat on this step; this is what builds that deep rich flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup.

After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed. Stir in the cognac or brandy.
Set aside, uncovered until needed. Then reheat to the simmer.

For garnish:
Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you. Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Grab pot holders, and serve immediately.

**Sorry, I don't have a picture of my delicous french onion soup. I realized it's very hard to make this soup look pretty. But I'm sure you can imagine the beautiful caramelized onions, the toasted french bread with ooey gooey cheese melted all over the top and when you take a bite a long string of cheese attaches itself to your chin and you struggle to get it off, but you actually just don't really mind so you go on eating. Got it in your head now? Good.

Also, here's what a traditional lunch looked like at my house in Spain. Oh yeah you know, only 8 plates of food and a loaf of french bread for two people, no big deal. We got this. Every day.

Tortilla Soup and Jalapeno Pepper Jack Scones

Best meal ever! I've been dying to make Tortilla Soup forrrrrever, and I finally found a recipe that seemed simple, delicious and authentic enough. I played around with Emeril's recipe I found online to make it the soup that my taste buds have been craving by adding corn, black beans, a stronger tomato flavor (by upping the tomato paste), but keeping that subtle spicy zest! This soup was utterly delicious; I will definitely be making it again and again. I served it with Jalapeno Pepper Jack Scones that were equally as scrumptious. I found this recipe off of a new blog I discovered called Joy the Baker - might be my favorite of all time! I loved the scones, the only thing I would do differently next time is not remove as many seeds from the jalapenos. The scones could've used a bit more zip! I think I scared myself away from the seeds after one too many overly spicy pico de gallo catastrophes - I've gone from one extreme to the other!
Writing and thinking about jalapenos make me think of a funny memory from mine and Eric's Guatemala trip. After a week or so, both of our stomachs were already doomed from the food, so we decided to forego the advice of not eating street food, and we bought the makings of pico de gallo from vendors on the street. We found makeshift tortilla "chips" and brought everything back to our hostel to whip up. I, of course, elected myself dicer and chopper of all things vegetables and after the tomatoes and onions were all perfectly and evenly chopped, it was time to attack the jalapeno. Little did I know this would be the hottest jalapeno in alllll the lands! Do they make them spicier South of the Border?! A few minutes after my fingers had time to absorb the juices and extract from the seeds, they starting burning and didn't stop for three or four days straight. My fingers, and especially under my fingernails, were ON FIRE! I can't tell you how many times I washed my hands and tried to scrub away the burn. Nothing worked! NOTHING! Then try taking out and putting back in your contacts! DOESN'T WORK EITHER! Damn you jalapenos!!!!!!!

Tortilla Soup (adapted from Emeril Lagasse's Favorite Tortilla Soup recipe):

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 poblano pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
(Also eyeballed black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and oregano.)
1 small can tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups chicken broth
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded (seasoned with cajun seasoning)
1 cup sweet yellow corn
1 can black beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 avocado, for garnish
sour cream, for garnish
crushed tortilla chips, for garnish

In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, cumin and other spices for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmered for several hours. Add the chicken and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Jalapeno Pepper Jack Scones (taken from Joy the Baker's blog):

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus more for brushing the tops of the scones)
1/4 pound pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
2 medium jalapenos, some seeds removed, diced small
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small saute pan and cook diced jalapenos until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let the diced peppers cool and them mix with the diced cheese. Toss mixture in 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Work in the cold butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Some butter pieces will be the size of peas and the flour will be nice and crumbly.

Whisk together 2 eggs and heavy cream. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, fold together with a fork until almost fully incorporated. Add the jalapeno and cheese mixture to the shaggy dough and work together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Form into a disk about 8 inches around and 2 inches thick. Cut disk into six wedges and refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking.



When ready to bake, place chilled scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and delicious. These are best served the day they’re made.

Vegetarian Chili

A few weeks ago we had a cold rainy day in Seattle and I was sitting at work looking out the window at the miserable day and knew I had to go home and make chili and cornbread. I love my parents version of chili, and will also continue to make their recipe, but this time I wanted to make a meatless chili, and one that was loaded with vegetables and beans. After scouring the internet, I found the perfect vegetarian chili recipe and it is a MUST share!

Vegetarian Chili
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used sweet frozen corn)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used 2 cans of whole tomatoes)
3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained (I used 2 cans of organic tri-beans: black, chili and kidney)
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock, or water

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for a few hours.

Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve with cheese, avocado, sour cream, crackers, etc.

Thank you Emeril Lagasse, you are a GOD in the kitchen!!!