Another Primo One Pot Meal

Paella for some is a big deal Spanish dish fussily made for a special occasion. For the Spanish themselves, it's just another way to make dinner. Paella started as a peasant dish that let the cook throw into one pot whatever was on hand, so there is not one rigid recipe or version. It's said the original Valencia dish to gain fame contained rabbit and still does, not the seafood Americans think paella has to be made from. In other words, paella is the perfect meal for cleaning out your refrigerator.  (The photos here show my most recent effort: vegetarian paella because I was out of chorizo.)       

If you know history, you know for centuries much of Spain was part of the Arab Empire--Al Andaluz. So it should not surprise you to learn  paella is simply Spanish for pilaf or what east of Arabia is called pilau. Or that the American version of this partially fried rice is jambalaya. Call it what you will, it is always a hearty meal of yummy stuff braised in rice. In other words, a fabulous one pot dinner.  

It does help to have the right pot. But you can improvise. Shallow, round and flat should be the key descriptions of what you choose to use. Round and flat spreads the ingredients out. Shallow facilitates fast cooking but also that most precious part of paella, socarrat. The Spanish actually have a special word for the rice that gets crisp and brown on the bottom of the pan--like Persian tahdig, and usually make sure it goes to the most honored person at the table.  For the cook, the best part of socarrat is how it occurs specifically because once you put all the ingredients into the pan, you are supposed to do nothing to disturb them and that means: do not rush in to try to keep the rice from sticking to the pan. Paella is relaxing to cook! 

The key ingredient, of course, is the rice: paella rice is short grain, round and medium starchy. It is much quicker to cook than the Italian rices (arborio, carnali) used for risotto. Another special feature is how it absorbs three times its volume in water while the average rice grain  absorbs only twice its volume. So, it absorbs more flavor. And best of all those swollen grains do not get mushy and clump together.  Bomba rice, the variety grown in Valencia, is widely sold as "paella" rice. Calasparra rice grown in the town of that name is also perfect. If you can't easily find either of these, just go for the CalRose short grain rice. 

The other key ingredient here because it is the only spice and the source of glamorous golden color is saffron. A pinch elevates any paella to the sublime.       

Ingredients to go into the saffron rice can be whatever you want. It always helps to make onion the first among them. The Spanish use a lot of bell peppers, red and green. They (and I) like peas. And artichoke hearts (which come in cans).  I usually chop in what's left of a leek and love to include celery for the sweetness it adds. I've been known to toss in a leftover cauliflower clump or two, a few chopped up green beans (aka string beans), and a bit of parsnip. Broccoli is too strong for this.    

Carnivores can add slices of chorizo to be authentic or pepperoni to be close. These will flavor a mostly vegetarian version magnificently, so you can stop there. I usually do because I try to keep a stick of chorizo on hand for this quick meal. The next step would be chicken thighs, one per person. Then shrimp or prawns.  If you want the full monty, mussels and clams on top.  Instead of chicken, shrimp and prawns, you can use rabbit. There is no right or wrong here. Except no meatballs or beef please.

So what to do?
Chop the onion and thinly slice the chorizo. Thinly cover the bottom of what pot you've got with olive oil, heat it up and sauté the onions and chorizo about 3 minutes to soften the onions.   

If you are using chicken, put it in skin side down and brown it so it gets crisp. Then flip it over. Add sliced leeks, large bite size chunks of bell peppers, diced celery, thin disks of parsnips, small chunks of cauliflower and stir to blend. Cook 2 minutes just to soften these vegetables. Add peas (1/3 -1/2 c per person), green beans, shrimp or prawns.  Add 1/3 c rice for every person. Add a pinch of saffron, the size of that pinch depending on how much paella you are cooking. Now add 1 1/3 c vegetable or chicken broth or water for every 1/3 c of rice.  Season with salt. Over high heat bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and let it boil until the liquid is almost gone. Cut the heat and let it steam dry before serving.

If you are using clams and mussels, clean them and when the liquid is half gone from the pot spread them around the top. Put foil over the pot and let them steam the rest of the way. They should be fully opened in the end.  

SERVING NOTE: The Spanish usually do not include tomatoes in paella because they are likely to serve paella with tomato salad or pan de tomate.  I have also served it to myself in quarantine with a cucumber, red onion and cherry tomato salad.

   

   

Primo One Pot Meals

Since you liked the one-pot pasta option, and quarantine has made everybody so insanely busy, they don't want to wash dishes on top of homeschooling, home working and schedule management, here are more premium one-pot meals to brighten a stay in the great indoors.  

Since it's Ramadan, let's start with the traditional Middle Eastern favorite for people who have to pray all day and can't cook or wash dishes:
Harira

This is the Moroccan version. It's astonishingly hearty and tasty. It's radically simple: you just put everything--and there are a pile of ingredients--in one pot and cook it up. It takes a while but you do not have to tend it. Go do something else and let it be. It also tastes better the next day.
serves 6

1 1/4 lb stewing lamb or beef cut into 1" cubes
2 tsp ground cumin
1 lg onion, diced
1 lg bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 celery stalks with leaves, diced
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c green lentils
1 qt beef broth
1 qt water
1 tsp salt or more to your taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c all purpose flour
1 c tomato paste
1/2 tsp harissa (this is the local hot sauce)
1 1/2 c water
The last four items are for the "roux" that will thicken the stew at the end. Combine them in a bowl or cup with a pouring spout and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

Lightly coat the bottom of a large heavy gauge casserole with olive oil and heat it over medium flame. Add the meat and cumin and sauté 3-5 minutes to brown the meat. Toss in the onions and stir. Add 1/2 of the cilantro, all the parsley, celery, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, nutmeg, coriander, 1 tsp of caraway, chickpeas, lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Strain off the foam at the top.
Slowly pour in the tomato mixture, stirring to blend. Add salt and the remaining caraway plus a little more black pepper. If the stew looks like the liquid is drying up too soon, add another 1/2 c water or broth. Simmer 30 minutes. Strain off the foam at the top.

Ladle into bowls. Squirt with lemon juice, add chopped cilantro and serve with fresh dates and flatbread. (I sometimes cut the dates up at serving time and throw them in the soup bowls.)
 

Crete Fisherman's Stew
The Mediterranean fisherman throw their right off the boat catch and their potatoes in a pot, fire it up and have a delicious meal in no time. They use a local fleshy white fish, turbot. You can use halibut or sea bass, branzino, even thick slabs of haddock.
Serves 4

2 1/4 lbs medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 turbot (around 4 lbs), scaled, gutted and cut into 5 pieces, including the head
1 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
2 celery sticks
4 bay leaves
Salt
1 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 c water
Juice of 2 lemons
Parsley leaves
4 langoustines or prawns or a small lobster in pieces

Use a lidded saucepan that will fit the potatoes snugly in a single layer at the bottom of the pan. After adding the potatoes, add the fish, followed by the tomatoes, celery, bay leaves, salt, olive oil and water. The liquid will only partly cover the fish. Put the saucepan over a high heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and continue to boil another 20 minutes. Shake the pan every so often, but never stir the contents.

 Before you turn the soup off, make sure the potatoes are soft. Add the lemon juice and parsley leaves, then give the pan a final shake. Turn off the heat, add the langoustines or prawns or lobster parts and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
 

To serve, use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the fish to shallow bowls. Divide the soup and potatoes into bowls. Add a langoustine or prawn to each bowl. Serve with toasted baguette or warm pita.

Arroz con Pollo

This is the famous, beloved Spanish, and also Cuban --the version here, dish of sauteed chicken buried in rice made yellow by luxurious saffron. It's the simplest form of paella.

serves 4-6

1/4 c olive oil

1 lg onion, diced

2½-3 lbs chicken parts

1 green pepper, seeded & diced                             

juice of a lime                                        

2 c rice

3 garlic cloves, minced                          

4 c chicken stock

1 tsp ground chipotle chili or similar      

1 c tomatoes, diced (boxed okay)

1 tsp ground cumin                                

Salt and pepper to your taste

5 saffron threads

Marinate chicken in lime, garlic, cumin and chili 4-6 hours. In a large skillet or paella pan, heat oil. Brown chicken on both sides and remove from the pan. Sauté onion and green pepper 5 min. in the remaining oil. Stir in the rice to glaze with oil. Add the saffron. Arrange chicken over rice, skin side up. Add tomatoes, marinade, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover the pan and cook 25-30 minutes until rice is fluffy and chicken tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro.  Serve with a tomato cucumber salad.

Pasta e fagioli (Macaroni and beans) 

This is one of my personal favorite comfort foods. Using canned beans speeds up the preparation with only a small loss of flavor. This version calls for ordinary macaroni or ditalini with cannellini (white) beans, but I've seen versions made with Roman (borlotti, cranberry) beans too. Use what you have on the shelf. Who cares? And btw, this is a rare Italian recipe that does not use garlic.

There is a historic debate, never settled, as to whether this is a soup or a pasta dish, meaning how dry should it be when served. However you want it to be works and tastes just fine. 

One more note: there is a Roman version known as pasta e ceci, macaroni and chickpeas. I posted the recipe during the winter. It looks like this:

Serves 4

1 cup dried white beans  (Great Northern, Cranberry, Cannellini)

1 sm yellow onion, diced

¼ tsp dried rosemary leaves

1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

2 sm or 1 lg carrot, peeled and diced

1 lg celery stalk, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried sage leaves

1 cup chopped tomatoes in their juice (canned or boxed is okay)

4 cups vegetable or beef broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

¾ cup tubellini, ditalini, or some small pasta

handful arugula, chopped

½ cup freshly minced flat leaf parsley

parmesan cheese for garnish

Soak the beans overnight. Or if you're in a hurry, soak them in boiling water for two hours. Drain and rinse.

Line the bottom of a heavy gauge casserole or soup pot with the olive oil and warm it over medium heat. Add the onion, rosemary leaves and black pepper. Sauté over medium low heat until the onion is soft and golden. Add the carrots and celery and continue to sauté another five minutes so they start to soften. Add the oregano, sage and tomatoes in their juice. Stir to blend. Cook 7-8 minutes over low heat.

Add the beans and stir them in to the mix. Add the broth. Bring the pot to a boil. cover and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Cook 50-60 minutes until beans are tender. (NOTE: If you are using canned beans, drain them, add them and just cook 20 minutes.

Scoop out about 1/2-2/3 cup of the beans--veggies will come with them, that's okay, and puree them. Return to the pot to thicken the broth. Add salt to your taste.

Bring the pot to a boil again and add the pasta. Cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Toss in the arugula and parsley and turn off the heat. Let it sit 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of every bowl or plate.

 
Choucroute (Alsatian sauerkraut with sausage, bacon and potatoes)

The real deal, served as choucroute garni is quite complex. The pork fest is cooked in one pot, but nearly all day as various ingredients are added. I've made the long as well as my own short versions that depend on how much time and how many ingredients I have around. The point is just to cook together fresh sauerkraut (choucroute in French), potatoes, apples and various forms of pork (sausages, hot dogs, smoked bacon, pork belly). Then bring out the mustard and enjoy.  
serves 4 

2 tbsp veg oil or lard
1 lb pork belly, pancetta or other fatty cured pork 
2 med/lg onions, sliced into very thin rings
1/2 bottle dry white wine (cheap is fine but dry is vital)
1 c broth (veg or chicken or veal) or water
1/2 lb smoked bacon strips (cut into thirds)
2 lbs fresh sauerkraut
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves         
2 whole cloves 
10 juniper berries** (this is the traditional flavor but if you don't have them shift the palate with 1 tsp caraway seed) 
2 pork sausages (with fork holes punched in poach them a minute to leach out the fat you don't want) , cut in half
4 frankfurters or knockwurst
1 bratwurst
4 med boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced in thin wedges
 **These are often tied in cheesecloth with the whole cloves and whole garlic cloves. You can if you have the cloth and time. Otherwise stick them in and pull them to the side of the dinner plate when eating.

 In a large heavy gauge casserole pot, over med heat, fry the pork belly or whatever you are using in the oil/lard to get the fat into the pot. Then lower heat and add the onion. Sauté gently so it turns soft and golden.  Add the bacon and cook just 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and broth/water. Add the sauerkraut. Mix in the garlic, cloves, juniper berries or caraway seed. Nestle the poached pork sausages, frankfurters, bratwurst (cut in 4 pieces), potatoes and apples  in it. Season with salt and pepper remembering sauerkraut is cabbage cured in salt. Cover the casserole and cook on med/low heat 40 minutes. (This is an abbreviated version of the real deal.) All the meat should be well done. If it is not cook on til it is. 

When serving, make certain everyone gets equal potato, sausage, bacon and frankfurter. And bring out your best beer.                                              

Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup

not my photo

This is soul food you never forget, hearty beef and slurpy noodles fragrant with star anise and cinnamon.
Serves 6

1 lb. lean stewing beef, cut into one- inch cubes
2 lg. onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
5 lg. garlic cloves, peeled, lightly smashed and thinly sliced
1” fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into “quarter” sized disks
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise
4 cups beef broth
5 cups water
salt to taste (this will depend on how salty the beef broth is)
1 tbsp. corn or safflower oil
1 tsp. hot chili sauce or paste (i often use the Vietnamese chili garlic sauce available in supermarkets)
½ lb. flat wide noodles (i often use pappardelle or Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles)
1 bunch (10 oz) spinach leaves, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup pot or casserole over medium high heat. Brown the meat by quickly stir frying it for a minute or two. Add the chopped onion and sliced garlic and continue to stir fry another minute.  Add the ginger disks, stars anise and chili. Stir to blend with the meat.  Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for an hour or until the beef is very tender. At this point you can remove the soup from the heat, cool, cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.  Or you can skim off impurities and fat and continue.

When you are ready to serve, prepare the noodles in their own pot of boiling salted water, cooking until tender. Rinse and drain. Distribute them among 4-5 soup bowls.

While the noodles are cooking, remove the stars anise, cinnamon sticks and ginger disks from the beef soup. Add the spinach leaves on the top and bring back to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat. Taste for salt.
Ladle the soup over the noodles in the soup bowls and serve.

Kleftiko, Greek roast lamb with potatoes

I included this two weeks ago in the Spring Lamb post so please fine the recipe there.

                                          

The one pot pasta meal, an amazing deal

My quarantine adventure: After several years of two pots, I started experimenting with the Pugliese way of cooking pasta and broccoli in the same pot. Orecchiette con cime de rapa is probably Puglia's signature dish: nutritious. colorful, delicious--and thrifty all around. I was making it every two weeks, as I said, in two pots.  I parboiled chopped up broccoli rabe (what's traditionally used) or baby broccoli in heavily salted water, then used that water to cook the pasta . In another pan, in very fruity olive oil, I sauteed the blanched broccoli with a handful of pine nuts, tons of minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  And then I put everything together, added salt, pepper, a glug of olive oil and grated cheese.  It was always satisfying. Great pasta without tomatoes!

Then I read with disbelief that the Pugliese do this in one pot to embue the pasta with broccoli flavor.  So I figured I'd try it. And it works! It works so well, last night I tried it with fresh shelled peas and a few leftover canned borlotti beans. What a yummy virtuous dinner that made.

So if you'd like to try something different, here's what you need to know:

1. You need small pasta like the traditional orecchiette. Don't use fusilli or rotini or other pastas with lots of edges made to catch sauce. There's no real sauce here, so you're wasting their power. In lieu of traditional Pugliese orecchiette, you can use cencioni, farfalle, cavatappi, conchiglie (shells), cavatelli or just good ole macaroni. These are all small smooth pastas.

2. For the vegetable, broccoli rabe or baby broccoli aka mini broccoli or in a pinch the standard American large broccoli. You can also use fresh peas. I found a bit of celery and onion enhanced the pea version's final flavor. These two vegetables, broccoli and peas, work because they have strong, distinct flavor all by themselves, plus vivid color.

3. Top quality very fruity olive oil definitely adds to the final sparkle.

4. With broccoli, I add a few pine nuts for the crunch and protein.  With the peas, I threw in some leftover light brown borlotti (Italian) beans for the protein push.  Another name for canned borlotti beans is Roman beans and also cranberry beans. I also tossed in some pea shoots left in the fridge.In other words the recipe is not carved in stone. You can also use flat leaf parsley with the peas.
        
5  You'll also need red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, coarse sea salt is best but any salt will do. I also added a hint of mint to the peas.  Tarragon would work with them too. And if you're not vegan, freshly grated parmesan cheese for the finale.

So what to do?
The broccoli version

Chop up the broccoli into the smallest bits you can. If adding onion to the peas or broccoli--and you can, dice it. Mince the garlic, lots of it. This dish should have a garlicky glow, so one large clove per person.

Heavily coat the bottom of a thick bottom pot with best olive oil and warm over medium heat. Toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes per person, then onions if using and soften them a few minutes before adding the broccoli. Stir so the broccoli gets coated in oil. Grind in some black pepper and toss in a pinch of salt. Add the garlic now. Saute 3 minutes. Add the pasta to the pot with another pinch of salt. Stir to blend everything. Then add 1 1/2 c water for every two people you're feeding. This should cover everything with about 1/2" over the top. Boil away until the pasta is cooked. (See package for timing.) At this point, miraculously, almost all the water should be gone leaving a small sauce in the pan. Add a spill of your best olive oil to this. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Put on a serving plate and top with freshly grated cheese. 

Fresh peas version 

This is similar so you start off the same heating the olive oil. Put in diced onion and diced celery (1/2 small stalk per person) with a grind of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Saute 3 minutes to soften. Add peas (3/4-1 c per person), any pea shoots you have (chopped up) or flat leaf parsley, and a small amount of garlic. Stir to blend. Add mint or tarragon. Sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4-1/3 c canned beans per person and another pinch of salt. Add the pasta, stir to blend. Add enough water to cover everything with 1/2" above the top. Boil away until the pasta is cooked. (See package for timing.) You can check and stir every 5 minutes.  In the end,  add a good glug of your best olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Put on a plate and top with freshly grated cheese.           

Dead Bread

Every so often I like to talk about what to do with food you think you should trash. You know, beet greens and turnip tops, chard stalks, snippets of various leftover vegetables that can be combined into a luscious soup, even sour milk which you can convert into yogurt. I have from time to time talked about salvaging stale bread too, and because I reckon many of us in quarantine aren't getting fresh bread daily or even close to daily, there might be a lot of seeming stale bread shaming you. So here as a reminder are a few ways to recycle that bread into something you can proudly enjoy....now or later, including everybody's favorite dessert: my chocolate bread pudding. And if these aren't enough, Google panade for another idea. 
              

In the last post, I gave the recipe for Asparagus revuelto, a Spanish way to put yesterday's bread into today's breakfast. This Spanish /Portuguese recipe is very similar, just fries the eggs instead of scrambling them. 
Migas 

Serves 4

1 medium loaf of stale white bread (2-3 days old) 
Extra virgin olive oil 
4 garlic cloves, crushed with the skin on
6 oz  morcilla, chorizo or pancetta, cubed 
4 shallots, finely chopped 
2 tsp smoked paprika 
Flat leaf parsley, a small bunch chopped 
1/4 c white raisins, soaked (either overnight or 2-3 hours before) in sherry 
2 tbsp hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
1 1/2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted 
8 eggs
Salt and black pepper

 
Remove the bread crusts. Cut it into 3/4" cubes. Sprinkle with water to make damp. Keep aside in a Tupperware box or in a bowl covered with a damp tea towel until needed.

Put a sauté pan on a medium to low heat and pour in 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil. When it is warm, add the garlic. When the garlic is halfway  caramelized, add meat. Cook 2 minutes to release its fat, then add the bread and toss it continually 2 minutes over a low heat. Add shallots, smoked paprika, the chopped parsley, raisins, hazelnuts and pine nuts. Toss continually and cook another 2-3 minutes.  The bread should be crispy on the outside but still moist and chewy on the inside. Divide what's in the pan on four servings plates.

Fry the eggs, making sure they’re crispy on the outside (with a skirt) and runny in the middle. Place on top of the bread mixture. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Panzanella

This traditional Italian salad is one of my summer favorites. I actually hoard bread to be able to make it.
Serves 6

6 thick slices Tuscan, French or Levain bread (any very crusty, dense bread) 

2 sm red onions, sliced into thin rings 

1 lg green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces (about 1” sq) 

4 med/lg freshly ripe tomatoes (these are the star of this show), chunked 

½ cup shredded Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese 

12 black olives, pitted 

1 tbsp capers 

½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

½ cup best quality olive oil + 3 tbsp more 

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a shallow bowl. Cut bread into bite sized chunks and soak in the oil. Toast the bread at 400º for 5 minutes or until crunchy and browned.
 

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, salt, vinegar and olive oil to make a dressing.
 

Put toasted bread into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Add the onion rings, chunked tomatoes and diced pepper. Add olives, cheese and herbs.  Pour on the dressing and blend everything. Season liberally with freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Ribollita

This beloved soup is classic Italian recycling.

For 4-6

3 tbsp and 2 tsp olive oil 
1 med onion, peeled and diced 
1 lg garlic clove, peeled and minced 
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves 
2 sm or 1 lg celery stalks, finely chopped 
1 lg carrot, peeled and finely chopped 
½ Savoy cabbage, shredded 
4 stalks red chard, stems removed and chopped 
1 bunch Tuscan/lacinto/blue kale, stems removed and chopped 
6-7 cups vegetable or chicken broth or water 
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste 
2 cans (14 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained 
1-2 tbsp tomato paste 
6 slices day or two old (i.e.stale) Tuscan or other dense crusty Italian bread 
Fruity olive oil for final garnish 
Optional: 1 sm parmesan rind

Coat bottom of a large heavy-gauge pot with 3 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium flame. Add onion, garlic, rosemary, celery and carrots. Sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Add Savoy cabbage and chard, stirring to blend, and cook until they wilt.

Add broth, salt and kale. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and simmer 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Timing does not have to be precise.

Purée 1 can of beans. Add puréed and whole beans to the soup along with the tomato paste. (suit yourself with how much) Stir to blend everything. Continue to simmer with lid on pot 15 minutes. Stir from time to time so nothing sticks to the bottom. Taste for salt and correct if necessary.

At this point, you can be very Tuscan and get out a large earthenware casserole pot, then layer the bread and soup in it. Or you can simply add the bread to the soup pot you’re already using, trying to “layer” it in. In either case, remove soup from heat and let cool. Refrigerate overnight so it sets up.

To serve: stir in 2 tsp olive oil. Reheat on low flame or in the oven until hot enough to eat. Garnish with fruity olive oil.



Croutons and crackers

Don't think these are a waste of effort. Peppery garlicky croutons will noticeably brighten up a salad or a soup, and bring them both needed crunch. If you cut the bread into thin slices, you can make melba toast crackers for any canapé or snack you want.  And both of these preparations can be stored in an airtight tin for at least two months. So get the work over with now and enjoy your summer with extra flair.

    There is not exact recipe for this because you will all have varying amounts of bread of various sizes and textures. So the trick is to either cut that bread into one-bite chunks or very thin cracker slices. Put it all in a bowl and then drizzle on as much olive oil as it takes to get every piece with at least a tiny drop on it. 

 Then if you like garlic, which is what makes these, put one or two cloves through a press and stir what comes out into and among your croutons.  Toss in a good pinch of salt and then lay everything on a baking sheet.  If it's a small one for the toaster oven, line it with tin foil. If it's large for the oven use parchment paper: it just makes cleanup easy. Has nothing to do with the baking process.
     Bake everything at 325º at least 30 minutes. Check to see if everything is dry and crisp and keep cooking until it is. You can't really overdo the drying out process too much so don't worry. Cool the croutons/crackers and store them in an airtight tin

Last post had a recipe for Asparagus Bread Pudding.   
Here's the recipe for the king of all bread puddings, the one you'll keep forever and use everytime you have an occasion:

Chocolate Bread Pudding
The secret of this, as with the asparagus bread pudding is that you pulverize the bread into crumbs. Most bread puddings leave the bread showing in slices.

 for 12 lucky people

2/3 c sugar
1 c heavy cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 eggs, separated
1 stick (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs from 5-6 slices firm white bread

Preheat oven to 350º and butter an 8" square or 8"x3" round cake pan.
Bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Put chocolate in a food processor and cut it into smaller and smaller pieces while pouring in the hot cream. When mixture is smooth, add 1/3 c sugar and one by one the egg yolks. Add butter and vanilla and process until the mix is very smooth.

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture in, stirring to blend.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites til soft peaks form. Continue beating in the remaining 2/3 c sugar until peaks stiffen and are glossy.
Slowly combine the egg whites with the chocolate mixture, trying not to loose their fluff. Blend everything well. Pour into buttered pan evenly and level.

Put pan into a larger roasting pan and fill that with water halfway up the side of the pudding pan. Put in center of oven and bake at 350º 45-50 minutes or until pudding is set. (A cake tester should come out clean.) Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes and invert onto your serving platter.

Custard to top your Bread Pudding
6 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp brandy

Combine yolks and 1/3 c sugar in a large bowl and beat until totally blended. Egg color should be lighter.
Combine remaining sugar and milk in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and very gradually, in a thin stream, whisk in the egg yolks.
Return to low heat and stir constantly until custard gets thick enough to stick to the back of your spoon. Do not let this boil or it will curdle. Stay low. Add vanilla and brandy. Remove from heat. Cool and pour over the bread pudding.

To go all out, top with fresh raspberries!

Asparagus

While we're sitting stranded at home, asparagus spears are popping up through thawed ground. These messengers for Spring are tonic food, meaning the energy they generate to push up through hard ground goes into us. We can use that energy to push onward too. Plus asparagus has hard to find folic acid, Vitamin K and potassium that we can definitely use. So take advantage of what's going to be asparagus season. Unless you have gout: then stay away.

Asparagus still sprouts in Thomas Jefferson's garden

Usually 14 spears make a pound. That makes about 3 servings if you're just putting out spears on a plate. It makes 4-5 servings if you're chopping the spears into a dish with more ingredients. 

Asparagus is more versatile than you think. You can eat it raw in salads, plain steamed or deliciously roasted, cut into a creamy tart (which I would make if I weren't quarantined and didn't have creme fraiche and heavy cream on hand) or a fritatta with leeks and lemon, or boiled and served Polish style whole under chopped egg and breadcrumbs. Here are a few other ideas, including pickling it as a way to enjoy it later in the year.

Asparagus escabeche

Escabeche is the classic Iberian method of cooking something quickly in something acidic (lemon juice, lime juice,vinegar) and then  serving it hot or cold. (Yes, it is related to the Latin American ceviche.) Usually an escabeche is fish or meat, but here asparagus gets the treatment and is more delicious for it. Hot from the pan or cold the next day, it can be addictive. This is a very fast recipe that makes a dish perfect for vegetarians and vegans and the gluten-free.

serves 4-6
 

3-4 tbsp olive oil (enough to cover bottom or large sauté pan
2 bunches med thick asparagus, cut into 4" lengths
1 sm leek, white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced into disks
5 lg garlic cloves or spring garlic bulbs, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
8 whole small dried red chilies
1 tsp dried thyme or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only and chopped
1/2 c dry sherry
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
 

In a large flat sauté pan, heat the olive oil and asparagus together over low heat, moving the spears around to coat them. Once the asparagus is sizzling, add leek and garlic, salt and pepper. Gently sauté over med/low heat until leek softens, 4-5 min. Add chilies and thyme. Increase heat to high. Add sherry and vinegar. Boil on high to reduce liquid to a few thick tbsp, 5-7 min. Stir in the parsley and serve.   
Asparagus bread pudding

I included this unusual recipe in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. It's a gift to vegetarians looking for something special, but it can also dress up a meal of quickly sauteed chops or roasted meat.       
Serves 8-10

1 ½ lbs fresh asparagus 
1 tsp olive oil 
1 medium leek, cleaned 
1 tsp dried thyme leaves 
4 tbsp unsalted butter 
2 oz Gruyere cheese 
1 ½ cups half and half 
3 extra large or jumbo eggs, separated 
¼ tsp salt 
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper (more to your taste) 
2 cups freshly made breadcrumbs (from 3-4 slices firm white bread ground in a food processor)  
1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

 
Preheat oven to 450º.
Cut the bottom inch off the asparagus stalks and cut the remaining stalks in four equal pieces. Line a shallow roasting dish, or large toaster pan tray with foil and put the asparagus pieces on it. Coat with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 12 minutes at 450º. Remove from oven.

Reduce oven heat to 350º. Butter an 8” square baking pan or round cake pan, whatever you have.

Dice the leek. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the leek and thyme. Sauté on medium low heat until leeks are soft, 3-5 minutes.

Pour half and half into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer (bubbles at the pot edge). While waiting, put the cheese into a food processor bowl and chop it. Add the roasted asparagus to the bowl. With the machine running, pour in the warm half and half. Do not overprocess. Add the remaining butter and one egg yolk at a time, processing with the pulse button to incorporate the three. Add the leeks from the sauté pan and salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs and quickly process just to blend.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold them and the lemon zest into the asparagus mixture. Optionally: sprinkle on top 1/8 tsp smoked paprika and 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Pour into the baking pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and pour into that pan enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the pudding pan.

Bake in the center of the oven at 350º for 40-50 minutes, depending on whether you use convection or not, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.

Roasted asparagus

This is my lazy method for just enjoying asparagus. I roast it in the toaster oven, keep it in the fridge and munch spears whenever. Or I add a few to a dinner plate or an omelet plate for lunch. The method is basically the same for all roasted vegetables but this last time I used some lemon infused olive oil I had from Italy and the effect was sensational. So I am suggesting you use some if you have it and if you don't, try grating a bit of lemon zest over the spears before they roast. 

I can't give an exact recipe for this, just these thoughts:
Heat your oven to 450º.
1 bunch asparagus, cut the tough bottoms off each stem about 1/2" up. Rinse and dry the spears. Lay them flat on a roasting sheet: I line my toaster oven pan with aluminum foil and recommend this even for the bigger oven baking sheet if you use that. 

In a small bowl combine about 3 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper. Here's where you can add 1 tsp lemon zest too.  Sprinkle this all over the asparagus, remembering that oil conducts heat into the spears and salt brings out their juices. If you need more, make more. No worries.

Roast the spears at 450º about 15 minutes or until they are soft and starting to look toasty. How long this really takes depends entirely on the thickness of the spears. It could take only 12 minutes or it could take 20 or even a few more.  

I wrap the spears I don't eat right away in that foil they roasted on and store in the fridge.  
         

Asparagus revuelto

Here is asparagus in a breakfast brunch egg dish from Spain. Revuelto meants "scrambled." This recipe is also a way to get best use out of yesterday's bread. 


Olive oil 
2  garlic cloves peeled, plus 1/2 tsp minced garlic 
2 c bread cubes 1/2" square, made with day-old bread 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
2 oz Spanish chorizo, diced 
1 1/2 lbs thin asparagus, cut in 1 1 1/2" lengths 
1 bunch scallions, chopped 
8 large eggs, beaten 
1/2 tsp paprika 
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley


Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add peeled garlic cloves and let them sizzle until lightly browned, then remove. Add bread cubes, season with salt and pepper, lower heat to medium and gently fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove bread and set aside to cool.  Add chorizo and fry lightly. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until cooked through but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Add green onions and minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Break and whisk the eggs with salt, pepper and paprika. Pour into pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, just until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add parsley and serve immediately, topped with the fried bread cubes.



Himalayan style asparagus

This is sometimes called a "curry" because it's made with spices and tomatoes.  Potatoes too--all traditional curry ingredients in Nepal. There this dish would probably be part of a meal that included rice, dal, chutney and one more vegetable.

serves 4-6

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends off and washed 
3 small (new) potatoes, scrubbed 
1 med. onion, peeled 
2 med. tomatoes or 1/2 c boxed or canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. cooking oil (not olive) 
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds 
½ tsp. tumeric 
½ tsp. ground coriander 
1 tbsp. ginger/garlic paste 
½ tsp. salt

 
Cut the asparagus into 2” pieces. Coarsely chop the onion. Slice the potatoes into thin disks. Chop the tomatoes finely.
Heat oil in medium size saucepan. Fry fenugreek seeds until they turn brown. Add onion and fry until it’s soft and translucent. Add potatoes and stir to blend. Add tumeric, salt and coriander. Add the asparagus and mix well while stir-frying. After 2-3 minutes, add the ginger/garlic paste and tomatoes. You can also add ¼ cup of water if you think this will burn for lack of liquid. Cover and cook on medium heat about 8-10

minutes or until asparagus is tender.

Asparagus salad with cheese and mint 

 asparagus ribbons for salad

Get out the carrot peeler for this one. And try to buy thicker stalks. or if you get stuck with thicker stalks, this is what you can do. The recipe calls for using a peeler to scrape out ribbons of asparagus and strips of cheese. It calls for a salad but I'm thinking you could also put both of these strips into the lemon risotto I posted a few weeks back for a whole new delicious dish. 

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends removed
 2 1/2 oz  pecorino or parmesan or Manchego cheese
1/2 bunch fresh mint leaves, no stems
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and dry the asparagus spears. With a peeler, cut them lengthwise into ribbons as best you can.  Then cut the cheese into ribbons also. Put everything in a medium serving bowl. 

Chop the mint leaves and add to the bowl, stirring to blend. 
Season everything with salt and pepper to your taste.
Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice.  Drizzle this over the asparagus salad and serve.  
 
Pickled asparagus

 And finally, this is how you can have great cocktail or picnic food later this summer or for Thanksgiving.  It requires canning jars.

2 lbs. asparagus spears 
6 lg garlic cloves, halved and smashed 
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
1 dill head or 2 tbsp dill seed 
2½ cups white vinegar 
2½ cups water 
¼ cup kosher salt (not regular salt) 
3 1 qt canning jars with lids

Sterilize jars in boiling water.

Cut woody bottoms from spears and cut spears into 4” lengths (slightly shorter than the jar height). Put 4 garlic halves in each jar. Evenly divide pepper flakes and dill between each jar. Fill jars tightly with upright spears, mixing bottom and top halves as you go.

In a large saucepan, combine water, vinegar and salt. Stir to dissolve salt and bring to a full boil. Ladle into jars while boiling, filling to ¼” of the top. Shake jars to remove air bubbles. Seal jars. Put back in boiling water 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Listen for the lids to “pop” so you know the jars are securely sealed. Cool. Store in the pantry. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.