Simple By Cindy

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Jan. 11
2016

For Christmas dinner this year, I wanted to try a new soup. This one that had so many ingredients I enjoy so I decided to try it.

This recipe is courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis.

The cannellini beans make this soup a hearty, soulful-like dish. There are so many ways you can use these beans (such as in dips, salads or pasta).

This soup prepares them in one of my favorite ways.

In this recipe, the beans offer a creamy, rich texture that, combined with the other ingredients, makes a wonderful soup for those cold days ahead of us.

Ingredients for the Soup

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. good olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 sage leaves, stems removed and chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used regular chicken broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots are softened, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the sage leaves, cannellini beans and garlic and stir to combine about 1 minute.

Pour chicken broth into the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook gently until the garlic is softened, about 15 minutes.

Using an emersion blender or a food processor, puree until smooth. (Be careful to hold the top of the food processor tightly as hot liquids can expand when the are blended. Do not fill the food processor to the top with the liquid).

Once all of the soup is blended, stir in the cream (or half and half), salt and pepper.

Cover and keep warm over low heat.

Stay warm!

Enjoy!

It’s that simple!

Sauteed Cabbage

Jan. 8
2016

Looking through my recipes, I came across one which I have been meaning to make for a while.

It is courtesy, once again, of Ina Garten. She writes that Martha Stewart had given her the recipe and she loved it!

Well, if it is good enough for them, it must be good enough for me! And it most certainly was!

Delicious!

I experimented with it for my Christmas dinner this year. I didn’t photograph it, not knowing if everyone would love it.

It turned out that none of it was left! I didn’t even get a chance to taste it.

The browning of the cabbage gives it that sweet and wonderful caramelization. As Ina Garten writes, “it is so delicious you can’t stop eating it”.

So I am making the recipe again, not only so I could enjoy it, but to share it with all of you!

Ingredients for the Sauteed Cabbage

1 small head of cabbage
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut side down, slice as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw.

Discard the core.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.

Add the cabbage, kosher salt and pepper and saute for 10-15 minutes. (Setting your timer will help).

Stir occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown.

Finish with another sprinkling of kosher salt.

Serve hot.

It’s that simple!

Cauliflower With Tomatoes

Jan. 4
2016

Everyone is always looking for a quick and easy side dish to make for dinner.

Happily, there is no need to look any further.

This one met all my requirements, and it was delicious!

This recipe is adapted from The Food Network Kitchen.

The spices are unique and blend well with the cauliflower. You can add some red pepper flakes to give it an extra zing to it. The original recipe added some cilantro after baking with the lemon. Since my family is not fond of cilantro, I didn’t add it in. If you like cilantro, then toss it in.

It has a lot of wonderful flavor and is healthy and uncomplicated.

Give it a try! I think it might become a family favorite!

Todays Hint: Always read the entire recipe before cooking. The recipe is only a guideline. Always feel comfortable substituting one ingredient you don’t like with something you do. If you don’t like cilantro, try using some parsley. You can also delete that ingredient entirely!

Ingredients for the Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 450.

7 cups of cauliflower florets (1 head)
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. turmeric
A pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Toss cauliflower, plum tomatoes, olive oil, cumin seeds, cayenne, salt and pepper together in a bowl.

Place on a baking sheet.

Roast for 25 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with lemon juice and cilantro.

As you can see in my photo, I chose to leave out the cilantro. My family is not a fan! Feel free to try it with the cilantro! Chopped parsley would be a good choice as well!

It’s that simple! (And Delicious)

Roasted Mushrooms

Dec. 30
2015

My family has always loved mushrooms. They are a staple at my Thanksgiving celebrations every year.

My mother always made her mushrooms by boiling them down in a flavorful liquid. We enjoyed them that way for years until I discovered the roasting technique that I will share with you today.

Ann Burrell (one of my favorite chefs and author) always says that brown bits are good.

I have discovered that she is right.

Roasting and scraping up those tasty brown bits give a recipe a whole new flavor dimension.

This is a combination of my mother’s recipe and my own. I learned to roast the mushrooms first and then combine them with the delicious liquid to cook them down.

Browning the tomato paste also adds to this luscious recipe.

It may seem like a lot of steps, but the recipe is easy and worth every minute!

Ingredients for the Roasted Mushrooms

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 cup), soaked in 1 1/2 cups of warm water for a few minutes.
2 1/2 pounds of mixed fresh mushrooms
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (tied with cooking string)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (tied with cooking string)
2 sprigs of fresh sage (tied with cooking string)
1/4 cup of good extra-virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup of shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup of Marsala wine
1 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp kosher salt, divided in half
1/2 tsp. pepper

Squeeze out the water from the dried porcini mushrooms and roughly chop.

Clean and chop the fresh mushrooms into medium slices.

Take the thyme, rosemary and sage sprigs and wrap a piece of cheesecloth around them.

Place the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the butter has melted, place the onion and shallots and half of the salt and stir. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the onions are soft and shiny but not brown.

Take the onions out of the pot, and set aside.

Place the mushrooms in the pan. Do not mix or move them for about 2-3 minutes. You want them to brown. After 2-3 minutes, give them a stir and do not move them for another 2-3 minutes. You might have to do this in batches.

When mushrooms are roasted, take them out of the pan and set them aside.

Place tomato paste into the pan and let it brown (about 2-3 minutes).

Add the mushrooms back into the pan along with the onion mixture.

Pour in the Marsala wine and let it cook down for 5-7 minutes. Scrape up all of the brown bits that are sticking to the pot. This is the caramelization that produces the tastiest part!

Add the chicken broth and herb bouquet to the pan. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat back to medium low and cover 3/4 of the pot.

Let it cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Mushrooms will start to shrink down.

You may need to add a little extra chicken broth to the pot as the liquid starts to evaporate. Watch carefully!

When the mushrooms are softened, and the sauce has thickened, remove the herb bouquet and season with remaining salt and pepper.

So Good!

It’s that simple!

Mom’s Mandel Bread

Dec. 28
2015

My mother never wrote the ingredients to her recipes. She instinctively knew what to do and was a wonderful home cook.

I inherited that trait from her until I started this blog. I just recently started measuring my ingredients and filing them so I could share them with my family and readers.

I did, however, find this recipe is one that she actually wrote down and has been in my family for years.

My mother made the world’s best mandel bread. It was something my brother, sister and I enjoyed growing up.

Mandel bread is closely related to the Italian cookie known as biscotti.

It is a wonderful dessert and I am so grateful to be sharing it with you.

Ingredients for the Mandel Bread.

Preheat oven to 375.

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 pinch of salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup of sliced almonds (optional). You can also use chocolate chips, pecans or walnuts.

Combine sugar, canola oil, salt, baking powder, and vanilla using paddle attachment of mixer.