PARSNIP POTATO SOUP

I love parsnips.  This soup can be an elegant starter to a fancy dinner party or can be served casually for a cold day.  It's easy to make, costs nothing, and is healthy.

PARSNIP POTATO SOUP

2 tablespoons butter

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

bag of parsnips(16oz.), peeled and diced

3-4 white or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups vegetable broth

Kosher salt and white pepper

Heat butter and add vegetables.  Gently sauté vegetables about 10 minutes.  Add broth and gently cook until vegetables are soft about 30 minutes. Put in blender, cuisinart, or if you own an immersion blender to use in the pot that you cooked the soup in that makes for fewer dishes.  Puree the soup into a creamy texture. Taste for seasoning, but remember sometimes store bought vegetable broth is very salty.  I like using white pepper in this soup but if you don’t have it you can certainly use black pepper.

I do not use light cream in my recipe but if you want to you can always add a little after blending.

This soup comes out a beautiful peach color however, if you want it to be a more white creamy color then don’t put a carrot in it.

LIME CILANTRO BEAN SALAD

I'm trying hard to make healthy choices.  This salad is a great way to get your protein in through the beans and not by animal intake.  You should try to get some form of protein in every meal.  This is a good dish to make on a Sunday so that you can put it in small containers to take to work.  Please leave out the red onion though, your office mates will appreciate that!

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced (if you like them)

½ red onion, diced (optional)

½ cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime 

¼ cup olive oil

1-15.5 oz can of black beans

1-15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans or any white bean

1-15.5 oz can corn

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Add diced peppers, onions (if you are using them), and cilantro into a large bowl.  Add juice of lime and olive oil.  Mix together.  Put your beans in a strainer to rinse then add all beans and corn to bowl.  Stir, add salt and pepper to taste.

MEGAN'S MINESTRONE SOUP

With the chilly weather approaching and since I'm trying hard to cook healthier, I took a stab at Minestrone Soup.  I hope you enjoy my version.  Many friends are staying away from pasta and carbs so if that's you just leave out the d'italini.  If you have green beans or zuccini in the frig, by all means add them!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrot, diced

Herbs – 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried basil OR a handful of fresh thyme leaves separated from stems (more work but really lovely)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can low-sodium navy(white) beans, drained and rinsed

4 large leaves of kale (sliced) or a bunch of fresh spinach

1 cup d’italini pasta

 finely grated parmesan cheese to taste (optional)

 chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, add salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans, kale and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan and chopped basil or parsley.

POACHED SALMON WITH MUSTARD SAUCE

As promised, here is the recipe.

Salmon

2 cups dry white wine

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, whole plus some chopped for garnish

1 lemon, unpeeled, sliced plus another lemon for garnish

1 (2 pound) salmon fillet with skin

 Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Put the wine, water, bay leaves, 2 sprigs of parsley and the sliced lemons into a large deep skillet and bring to a simmer.

Add the salmon, skin side down. Add more water, if necessary, to cover the salmon. Cover the skillet and simmer over a low heat until the fish is just cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the fish to a plate, discard bay leaves, parsley, and lemon slices, cover it and chill it completely in the refrigerator, about 3 hours.

To serve, peel the skin from the fillet and scrape away any brown flesh. Put the fish on a serving plate, garnish with lemon slices and sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over it.

Serve with Mustard Sauce.

Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup Mayo

1 cup Dijon Mustard

½ Lemon, squeezed

1 teaspoon Horseradish or a few dashes of Tabasco

a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  

Poached Salmon with Mustard Sauce

I realize this should be an entry into my food blog in the summer months but I just returned from a fabulous trip to California and after walking on the beach, taking yoga classes while watching dolphins jump out of the water, and the sunshine every single day, upon returning to the east I wanted to keep the FEELING of summertime.  I totally winged this dish and didn't do measurements so stay posted because now I have to do it all again and measure it out correctly...

NOT MUCH COOKING THIS SUMMER...

Broke 2 fingers dodging for a tennis ball during a "friendly" family match.  Food is so important to my family that in the middle of my rolling on the court in pain and while being boarded onto a gurney for the ambulance my sister calls out, "Don't worry about us Magoo we have your Veal Osso Bucco to eat tonight."  

It felt like a scene from GOODFELLAS when Ray Liotta is talking through his busy day while making the gravy and hearing the helicopters over his house...I had made the Osso Bucco a week before the Silletti's were going to arrive so I could freeze it and play tennis and golf during the day.  Defrosted the veal and started making the roasted peppers while everyone was getting their tennis gear on.  I left it all out to get room temperature so that I could enjoy a nice glass of wine after tennis and before setting the table for 14 people...(can you hear the helicopters?)

After surgery, pins, painful physical therapy I'm thinking I'm done with tennis.  I can barely grip a pepper grinder let alone a racquet or golf club.  I gotta take up a new sport - maybe

 Irish dancing...NOT!

Sabrett Onions

SABRETT ONIONS

When I was a little girl, during the long summer days with no camp to go to and not much to do, my father would take me to his favorite hot dog stand for SABRETT’S.  He would order, “Two with mustard and onions, and one with onions no mustard.”  That one was for me.  I remember sitting on the curb happy to eat my Sabrett hot dog with sautéed onions while my father talked with the food cart guy. 

It’s interesting that my sons now only like Sabrett’s if we have hot dogs at all but they are hard to find.  When I visit New York City, sometimes I just gotta get a Sabrett and look for the blue and yellow umbrella.   My friends say I’m crazy because my Manhattan friends wouldn’t dare eat them.  I have a stomach of steel and can eat anything. 

On this Father’s Day, I woke up thinking of my father and craving a SABRETT Hot Dog with Onions.  I miss my father.  My father was the kind of guy who when he laughed would toss his head back, hold his belly, and laugh out loud alot like Santa Claus.  Sometimes he went into laughing fits where he couldn’t stop and tears would role down his cheeks until he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket.  Every Father’s Day I would buy him those white handkerchiefs.  When he died and my 5 siblings and I were cleaning out his apartment, it struck me that it smelled of his white undershirts and those handkerchief’s after I ironed them.

Here’s the recipe:

Serves approximately 6-8 hot dogs

4 tablespoons butter (plus 1 more)

4 yellow onions, sliced very thin

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups ketchup

Saute butter with onions on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add crushed pepper, salt, and ketchup.

Cover sauté pan, lower heat, and sauté for 10-15 minutes until onions are soft.

At very end add 1 more tablespoon of butter.

Serve over SABRETT HOT DOGS

CORN BREAD

Had a backyard BBQ yesterday to celebrate the American Roots program at  The Berklee College of Music.  We served pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, cold slaw, and of course CORN BREAD.  Here's my recipe...

Serves 10-12

3 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup corn meal

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 lb. melted butter (2 sticks)

1 1/4 cup milk

3 eggs

9”x13” baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Combine both with a spoon but do not over beat - it will be a bit lumpy.

Pour into your pan – no need to spray butter because it has 2 sticks it in!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until tester comes out clean).

Chicken Rolls With Prosciutto

This is wonderful for a brunch or a summer dinner.  I learned this recipe while taking cooking classes from Chef Barbara in Florence.  To my girlfriends who took this cooking class trip – do you remember the butcher – OMG!  I’ll bet there aren’t that many female vegetarians in that city…

Serves 4

4 boneless chicken breast, pounded thin and sliced into 2 strips

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 oz. Parmesan in thin slices - could use a vegetable peeler

4 slice of pancetta or prosciutto

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon juniper berries - sometimes difficult to find

4 tablespoons gin

4 toothpicks

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Green salad - arugula works nicely

1 lemon squeezed

4 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Spread the mustard on the slices of chicken.

Place slice of Parmesan on top of mustard and roll up.

Wrap up the rolls with prosciutto or pancetta and secure with a toothpick.

Sauté oil with juniper berries.

Add your chicken rolls and cook on low approx. 3 minutes each side.

Add gin and let alcohol evaporate.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat.

Serve on a tray covered with salad that has been seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste (could also add some Dijon mustard to your vinaigrette).

Grilled Wrapped Shrimp With Mustard Butter

This makes a nice hors d’oeuvre. I learned this from my friend Sandy Dine.  My son Gregory prefers this without the prosciutto.

Serves 6-8

1 lb. large shrimp, cleaned  (about 12-16 shrimp)

1/4 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced (about 3 slices)

Grilling skewers (if using wood - submerge in water for 10 minutes)

Mustard Butter:

1/2 stick butter (melted)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 lemon (juiced)

Few drops Tabasco

Could double up mustard butter recipe and save half for dipping after grilling

Cut prosciutto into thin strips about 1 inch and wrap around shrimp.

Thread shrimp onto skewers and place on a baking sheet.

Or you can make these individually with toothpicks – be sure to soak toothpicks in water before. 

Brush shrimp with mustard butter.

Grill or broil for 1-2 minutes each side, brushing on more mustard butter.

Bolognese Lasagna

Making Bolognese Lasagna is truly a labor of love.  It takes days but your family and friends will love you for it!

I use whole milk in this recipe but I suppose you could use 2%.  However, you are making Bolognese Lasagna for God’s sake - if you want a lower calorie dish make something else.  If you don’t have fresh parsley obviously you can use dried parsley - it’s more for color than taste.  However, if you are lucky enough to have a neighbor like I had in Mrs. Baggio, she’s sure to always have some in her refrig!

  

Serves 9-12

Buy the precooked lasagna sheets

Bolognese Sauce (see recipe)

For the Béchamel:

8 tablespoons butter

8 tablespoons flour

5 cups milk

2-3 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Fresh flat leaf Italian parsley

9” x 13”  baking pan

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Prepare your Béchamel:

Whisk butter and flour to make a paste (roux).

Add 1 cup milk at a time and whisk until smooth after each addition.

Add Parmesan cheese - use less or more depending on your taste.

Add salt and pepper - remember you can always add more later.

Whisk until creamy.

Layer your lasagna:

Spread Bolognese into bottom of your pan

Layer lasagna noodles (you may have to break up to fit your pan)

Spread Bolognese over lasagna sheets

Spread béchamel over Bolognese

Repeat layering process

Layer lasagna noodles, then Bolognese, then béchamel (again whisk before pouring onto layers to keep smooth)

Make total of 3 layers

Sprinkle cheese on top layer, some pepper, and chopped parsley

Cover with tin foil

Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes

Megan's Bolognese

I don't have a great photo of my Bolognese or Bolognese Lasagna so I decided to share a recent photo of me and my 3 sons!  Aren't they fabulous...They love my Bolognese Lasagna but I don't make it often because it is so fattening.

Although you could add milk to this Bolognese Sauce, I usually don’t.  When using this sauce for lasagna, it is layered with Bechamel, which already has milk in it.   I make this 1 day in advance.  It thickens up so I add more broth for a smooth sauce before layering it in the lasagna.

Serves 10

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 red onion

2 celery stalks

2 garlic cloves

2 carrots

1 lb. ground veal

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup red or white wine*

2 cans 6 oz. tomato paste

2 cups broth - beef or chicken*

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

*If you prefer red wine use it with the beef broth - but if you like a lighter taste try white wine with chicken broth - experiment and see what you and your family prefer.  My tennis boyfriends prefer beef broth with red wine.

Chop veggies finely (I use my Cuisinart)

Add olive oil and butter to your pan and sauté veggies until soft  - approx. 3-4 minutes.

Add meats to your pan and sauté approx. 10 minutes stirring often to keep smooth. Stir until they are nicely mixed and light brown in color - invest in a long handled wooden spoon - they’re great for almost chopping the chunks that try to form.

Add wine and cook approx. 4 minutes until evaporated - again stirring often.

Add paste and cook approx. 1-2 minutes until blended.

Add broth 1/2 cup at a time - stir after each addition - approx. 2 minutes each time.

Lower heat and gently cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you are making this for pasta you can add 1 cup of whole milk while adding the broth.  Add ½ cup broth, cook a while then add ½ cup milk and so on…until you reach a creamy consistency.

Zucchini Scapece Style

I learned this recipe in a cooking class in Rome from Chef Stefano. It has become a new family favorite, which I think will be made over and over again for many years to come.

Serves 8-10

5 zucchini

1/2 lemon squeezed

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons balsamic white vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoons anchovy oil or paste (optional)

Pinch of Kosher salt

Cut zucchini on diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.

Grill or sauté zucchini in a pan on stove turning over once.

If grilling, toss in a little olive oil first.

Meanwhile, add all other ingredients to a blender and blend vinaigrette.

This can be done in advance.

Toss zucchini with vinaigrette or spoon vinaigrette over zucchini.

You may have some vinaigrette left over - try on salad greens.

Zabaglione

My Women's Round Table will be gathering for our winter meeting and I plan to serve Swordfish with Lemon Pepper, Zucchini Scapece Style, a salad, and end with fresh Rasberries with Zabaglione on top. Nothing like great food, great women, and great conversation to get through the winter nights.

We served this at our wedding.  My husband had never heard of it before but I couldn’t do just the traditional cake thing............

Serves 6

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup Marsala wine (sweet)

Separate egg whites from egg yolks (use egg whites later for omelets).

Mix ingredients together in the top part of a double boiler.

Cook over rapidly boiling water, whisking constantly until mixture doubles in bulk and thickens.

Remove from heat and whisk for another minute.

Pour mixture warm over fresh berries, serve it in a champagne glass by itself or chill and serve as a sauce for berries.  If it thickens too much in the refrigerator, bring back to double boiler before serving.

Pesto

With the boys home from college this is always a request.  I double up the recipe.  Be ready to brush your teeth after eating this dish.

Makes 1 pint

I add heavy cream to a sauté pan and when it is warm I add some pesto paste to it.  It makes it really creamy.

With extra pesto add some to the top of tomatoes and mozzarella.

1 cup pine nuts

6 cloves garlic

8 cups fresh basil (1 oz. of loose basil = 2 cups measured)

½ of a fresh lemon, squeezed

Kosher salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

¼ cup olive oil (more if necessary for proper consistency)

some heavy or light cream (optional)

Using a Cuisinart – put your pine nuts and garlic in first – pulse until dough forms.

Add your basil – pulse again – using a spatula to clean sides.

Squeeze ½ lemon in or more if you like the taste of lemon.

Add tiny bit of salt and pepper.

Add tiny bit of Parmesan cheese – say 1 tablespoon for starters.

Remember you can always add more later but you can’t take out.

Pulse again until blended.

While machine is running add olive oil to the top streamer.

Taste – correct for seasoning and consistency – if it’s too thick add more olive oil.

And that’s it – add any type of hot strained pasta that you like to it.

If you like it creamier add some light or heavy cream to it.