Soup: Pasta e Fagioli

This is my second week of making a batch of soup early on in the week so I have it for lunches throughout the week. This week I decided to browse through some of my cookbooks to look for ideas and I came across the Pasta e Fagioli recipe in Giada De Laurentiis' "Family Dinners" cookbook.

Pasta e fagioli is a soup I have had many times, but have never made myself. This was incredibly easy and was ready in less than an hour. It will become my standby recipe for this particular soup; the only change I may make is using one can of beans instead of 2. I like beans, but it just seems like there are A LOT in this soup!


Pasta e Fagioli
(Source: Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2006)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme (I substituted 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 large fresh rosemary sprig (I omitted this because Nick doesn't like rosemary)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 oz. pancetta or bacon, chopped (I omitted because we didn't have any)
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup elbow macaroni
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over a medium flame. Add teh onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs (I just added the dried thyme and bay leaf directly into the soup at this point). Cover and bring a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.

In a blender, puree 1 cup of the bean mixture until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan. Cover and return the soup to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni, cover, and boil, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season the soup with pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Dessert: Chocolate Rum Cheesecake

My first inclination when thinking about the type of dessert to make for our classic Italian dinner was a cheesecake. I couldn't decide between a plain cheesecake with a fruit topping, a filling of some sort, etc. My friend Amber was nice enough to remind me of a recipe she showed me a couple of weeks ago that I was enamored with - Chocolate Rum Cheesecake.

This was my second time making a cheesecake (the first was an Oreo Cheesecake) and I found it once again to be rather simple. This cheesecake required a few extra steps but none that were complicated or advanced in any way.

This recipe called for superfine sugar, which I could not find at my grocery store. After researching for a bit I found that you can easily make your own by merely processing regular granulated sugar in the food processor or blender until it is fine and powdery, which is what I did.

I was proud in that I only managed one small crack in the top of the cheesecake! This recipe produced an insanely creamy cheesecake. The bittersweet chocolate was perfect because it wasn't too sweet, and consider yourself warned -- you can most definitely taste the rum in this! The cake was a hit - Nick had seconds and one of our guests asked for the recipe.



Chocolate Rum Cheesecake
(Source: Williams Sonoma)

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
6 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup rum (I used dark rum)
1 lb cream cheese
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 extra-large eggs

Directions:
Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and cover the outside with aluminum foil, shiny side out.

In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar and stir to mix. Add the melted butter and stir until blended. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate and rum and melt, stirring often, about 1 minute; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the superfine sugar and continue beating until blended. Then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and set it over a pan of simmering water but not touching the water. Warm the mixture, stirring constantly, until completely smooth and very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour 1 1/3 cups of the batter into another bowl and set aside. Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining batter and whisk until blended. Set the bowl back over the simmering water and stir until creamy and smooth.

Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Gently pour the plain batter over the top and make swirls in the batter with a fork.

Bake until the cake is set around the edges and the center is still a little loose, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature, remove the rim from the pan and refrigerate overnight. Serves 10 to 12.

Fresh Baked Italian Bread

What better to go with a hearty Italian dish like risotto, than a big crusty loaf of homemade Italian bread!


I have made simple white breads in the past and had also tried my hand at a honey wheat bread, but this was my first attempt at a rustic-style bread. Many thanks to my friend Amber for finding this recipe for me.

Be forewarned that this recipe takes literally all day to make, but the waiting and effort is well worth it! This bread produced an amazingly thick and crunchy crust with a warm, soft and chewy interior - the perfect Italian bread. Nick said this was my best homemade bread, hands down. Served with warmed butter, I could eat an entire loaf myself!


Italian Bread
(Source: The Fresh Loaf)

Makes 2 large 2-pound loaves.

Preferment:
1 cup water
1 cup bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:
All of the preferment
5 cups bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon malt syrup, malt powder, brown sugar, or sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups water

Preparation:
To start the preferment, mix together the flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature for at least 4 hours and as long as 16 hours.

To make the dough, mix together the preferment, water, olive oil, yeast, salt, malt powder, and dry milk in a bowl with 2 more cups of flour. Mix thoroughly. Mix or knead in in the rest of the flour a half a cup at a time until you have a slack dough but one that is no longer sticky. Total mixing time should be in the ballpark of 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until at least 2 times in size, approximately 2 hours. Punch the dough down and let it rise again for half an hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Shape the dough into a ball or log, cover with a damp towel, and allow it to relax for another 20 minutes.

Shape the dough into its final shape. Cover again and allow to rise for another hour until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven and baking stone, if you are using one, to 425 degrees.

Right before placing the loaves in the oven brush or spray them lightly with water. Place them into the oven and bake for 20 minutes before rotating them. Bake them another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reads 200 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least a half an hour before serving.

How Can Risotto Be Dirty?

When it's speckled full of sausage, red peppers, onions and mushrooms, that's how!


Giada DeLaurentiis' recipe for Dirty Risotto was my first attempt at making risotto a little over a year ago. Needless to say, I fell in love.

Risotto is not a quick dish and it is one that requires a good deal of patience, attention and a little bit of arm muscle! In order to prepare the dish perfectly, a small amount of chicken broth is added to the rice mixture and stirred constantly until it is almost completely absorbed. Repeat. Repeat. Keep repeating until all of the liquid has been absorbed into the rice. The result is tender, creamy goodness. You won't be disappointed!

Dirty Risotto
(Source: Giada DeLaurentiis)

5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 oz pancetta, chopped (I omitted this and just used extra sausage)
6 oz Italian sausage, casing removed
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 oz button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.

Remove from the heat. Stir in 3/4 of the Parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley and remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

Dinner for 5

Nick had asked me a couple of weeks ago about cooking dinner for a few coworkers of his that have been flying into his site on a weekly basis. He felt bad that they were stuck in a hotel and eating out every night and thought that they might enjoy a home cooked meal. Of course I said yes and planned the following menu:

• Dirty Risotto (per Nick's request - he loves this meal!)
• Homemade Italian bread
• Romaine salad
• Chocolate Rum Cheesecake for dessert

I am going to do a separate blog entry for each dish (aside from the salad) since each is pretty different and the recipes are fairly long. Stay tuned!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie

For the better part of my baking life (at least 10 years now) I have been haunted by the chocolate chip cookie. It's the most simple of all baking recipes, yet I have struggled to find the perfect recipe and successfully make a cookie that didn't turn into a rock within 5 minutes of coming out of the oven.

The classic Nestle recipe? Forget it.
The much-loved BBFCCC? Totally screwed them up.

Earlier this year I came upon the recipe that adds vanilla pudding mix to the cookie dough. While this resulted in a chewy cookie, it was a little cakey and missing the ooey gooey goodness that I have always dreamed of achieving.

Last night I kept eating chocolate chips out of a large bag that I had sitting in the pantry, and in an attempt to get them out of my reach I decided to give the elusive chocolate chip cookie another shot (and send them to work with Nick). The recipe below has elements from a lot of different recipes and tips that I have read online, so I am honestly not sure who to credit for it. I would like to think that I finally created something on my own :) The result of this recipe is what I have always longed for from my chocolate chip cookie - thin, not cakey, soft, chewy and gooey. I am in love :)

Mission Accomplished!!


Chelle's Soft & Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Sugar & Spice)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Microwave butter for 30 seconds, stir and set aside. Do not worry if it is not completely melted.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and beat until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beating just until combined (do NOT overmix!). Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Refrigerate dough for 15-30 minutes.

6. Drop by rounded spoonful (I used a Pampered Chef cookie scoop that holds approximately 2 tablespoons) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are just brown and middle is not quite set yet. Cool on pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

7. Before adding more dough to warm cookie sheets, place sheet in freezer for 5-7 minutes to cool.

Store in an airtight container. Recipe yielded 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup

Labor Day weekend. Ahh the glorious three-day transition into my favorite season of the year: Fall. And what does fall mean? Soup of course! No matter that it's still 80 degrees out; my mind has officially switched into fall mode. Since I began working from home I have been hard pressed to find some decent options for lunch, and as a result I end up snacking through most of our pantry. Now that fall is upon us, I decided to make a pot of soup each weekend to have for lunches throughout the week.

My first choice was a soup that I came across on Annie's blog a while back - Cooking Light's Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup. And honestly, this soup should have "cheese" somewhere in its title because it's nice and cheesy as well :) This is a wonderful alternative to a very heavy and fat-laden version that is served at most restaurants.

This soup was easy to throw together and it was very tasty. The only thing that I plan on doing differently next time is:

I will saute the onions in a little butter until they soften, as I do with most other soups that I make. I usually feel that doing this lends the broth base a deeper flavor. After this I would then add the broth, broccoli and potato and proceed with the recipe.

Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup
(Source: Cooking Light)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14.5-oz) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups cubed, peeled potato (1.25 lbs) - I used 2 medium sized baking potatoes
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup reduced-fat 2% milk (I used 1% because that's what we keep in the house)
1 (8-oz) block 2% reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded**

Preparation:
Whisk flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cooking, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 oz. shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Serve with additional shredded cheese, bacon bits and chopped scallions.

**Note: Freshly shredded cheese is recommended (versus pre-shredded) for additional creaminess and even melting.