Not-So-Basic Black Bean Soup
Yields 1 gallon (12 servings)
You can make this in a jiffy by using a 30-ounce can of black beans, and beginning with step two. Super CLK friendly!
2 cups dried black beans
½ cup small-diced smoked bacon
1 yellow onion, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
1 green bell pepper, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
8 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup dry sherry
2 lemons, sliced extremely thin (3 slices per bowl of soup)
1 Sort through your black beans, and pick out any rocks or malformed beans. In a 12-quart stockpot, soak the beans in 4 quarts of water overnight. Rinse the beans well the next day in your steamer basket. While they’re draining, dry the stockpot.
2 Put the pot over medium to high heat, and add the diced bacon. Allow the fat to render (or melt out of the bacon) for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the vegetables and turn the heat down to medium. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and cover the pot to allow the vegetables to sweat for 10 minutes. When you remove the lid, be sure all the liquid that has collected goes back into the pot.
3 Pour the beans back into the stockpot and stir together with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaves; cover, reduce the heat to low, and allow the soup to cook slowly for 1 hour.
4 Puree half of the bean mixture in your blender. Add the pureed black beans back into the pot with the fresh thyme, oregano, lemon zest, parsley, and sherry. Season to taste with salt or pepper.
5 Serve warm with 3 slices of lemon floating on the soup’s surface to garnish the center of each bowl.
Vichyssoise
by No Other Name
Yields 1 gallon (12 servings)
Despite its restaurant workhorse title, vichyssoise (vee-shee-so-AHZ) is the quintessential gourmet soup, and it’s easy to make at home in your CLK. To keep the soup free of floating flecks of herbs but to infuse it with flavor, chefs make an herb and spice “sachet” using a square of cheesecloth tied with butcher’s twine. I use a sock, which is perfect CLK ingenuity. My dad taught me this trick in high school when we competed together in my first chili competition.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 leeks, finely chopped, washed and dried
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
Sea salt, to taste
4 parsley stems
1 whole clove
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Brand new, thin white sock (I’m not kidding!)
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
½ pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock
3 cups half and half
White pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons chopped chives
1 In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. When all the butter has melted, add the leeks and onions, season them lightly with salt, and sweat them until they are tender and translucent. During this time, put the parsley, clove, black pepper, and bay leaf into the white sock, and tie the top very tightly. This is the perfect CLK sachet.
2 Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and sachet to the pot and raise the temperature to high, bringing the soup to a full boil. Now reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the potatoes start to fall apart, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the sachet and throw it away (unless you want to dump out the herbs and try washing the sock for future wear).
3 Using your blender, puree all of the soup and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Once completely cool, whisk in the half and half, taste the soup, and season to taste with sea salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Serve ice-cold, and sprinkle a pinch of chive in the center of each bowl.
Cure All with Curry
Yields 2 quarts (6 servings)
Curry is a blend of spices that generally includes turmeric, coriander, and cumin—all of which have valuable healing properties. Turmeric not only provides yellow color but also helps to fight cancer. Coriander, aids with digestion, acts as a natural diuretic, and helps the body detoxify. Cumin stimulates circulation and can help relieve abdominal cramping. So long story short, eat more curry, and you won’t feel so crappy!
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups small dice yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons curry powder (yellow)
2 tablespoons red curry paste
½ tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 cup white wine
32 ounces diced tomato, canned
4 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup crème fraiche, or sour cream
1 In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and allow them to sweat slowly. You want them to soften, not brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2 When the onions are translucent, add the curry powder, curry paste, and paprika, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the white wine and bring the soup to a simmer. Allow the wine to reduce by half, and then add the canned tomato and vegetable stock. Turn the heat down slightly and allow the soup to cook slowly for 30 minutes.
3 Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot with a tablespoon of crème fraiche in the center of each bowl of soup.
Hold-the-Beef Minestrone
Yields 1½ quarts (18 servings)
This huge recipe serves eighteen people easily, but it’s so delicious you’ll be happy to have the leftovers. If you don’t think you’ll be able to finish eating it all in a few days, follow the instructions, but leave out the pasta. Freeze the soup in several batches using freezer bags or containers. Pull a portion of the frozen soup out to leave in the fridge the day before you’d like to eat it. Bring the defrosted soup to a slow boil, add the pasta, and it will be ready to eat in 8 to 10 minutes! That’s how you get gourmet minestrone on demand.
1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans
8 cups water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
15 ounces crushed tomatoes, canned
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
1 russet potato, peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
4 cups shredded green kale
20 cups (5 quarts) vegetable stock
1½ cups diced zucchini squash
¼ cups uncooked ditalini pasta or small macaroni
½ cup chopped basil
½ cup finely grated
Parmesan-Reggiano
1 Sort through your beans, and pick out any rocks or malformed beans. In a 12-quart stockpot, soak the beans in 8 cups of water overnight. Rinse the beans well the next day, and while they’re draining, dry the stockpot.
2 Put the pot over medium heat, and add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook slowly so the heat pulls out their natural moisture and the onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the entire can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes, and bay leaves into the pot, and allow them to come to a boil without raising the temperature. Add the diced carrots, celery, and potato, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Season lightly with sea salt; this helps your tomatoes break down while
seasoning all the vegetables. Stir in the shredded kale, and cook for 5 minutes.
Swap It
YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE a 30-ounce can of cannellini beans for the dried. Use them rinsed straight from the can, and start at step two.
3 Add vegetable stock, and raise the temperature to bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and cook the minestrone until the beans are tender, about an hour and a half.
4 Carefully drop in your zucchini and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, and then add the pasta and cook for another 8 minutes. Taste the soup at this point to see if it needs more salt, and it will certainly need freshly cracked black pepper. Let the soup cool slightly for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, and garnish each bowl with a pinch of fresh basil and grated Parmesan.
Did You Know This Crap?
The popular white beans known as cannellini are actually beige in color and have a traditional kidney shape.Although popular in Italian and Portuguese cuisine, most borlotti beans sold in Italy are cranberry beans imported from the United States.With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a relatively thin skin and tender, creamy flesh. For unexpected variety, look for borlotti beans, also known as cranberry beans or French horticultural beans. These beautiful beans have colorful red markings, and nutty flavor and a creamy texture similar to the cannellini.
Toss Everything
but These
Salads
Salads by nature are CLK friendly because, for
the most part, all the ingredients get tossed in one bowl. Not so long ago, boring iceberg lettuce graced the tables of fine restaurants and homes alike, thanks to its crisp texture and long shelf life. In recent years, the gourmet world and the athome cook have embraced a variety of tasty leaf options—from arugula and romaine to endive and watercress—they add taste, texture, nutrition, and color to the ho-hum salads of yesteryear. To me, iceberg tastes like nothing more than pale green water. If you want a light and simple salad, go bright green. The more color, the more nutrients and flavor, because a healthy Crappy Little Kitchen is a happy Crappy Little Kitchen.
Salads create limitless possibilities, so mix and match your greens and vegetables with what you have on hand or what looks the freshest at your grocery store.
The King of Caesar Salads
Serves 8
Every gourmet chef needs a good Caesar salad recipe in her repertoire and this one is great! Add some grilled chicken, beef, or fish on top to make this dish a satisfying meal.
2 egg yolks
2 garlic cloves
3 anchovies
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup shredded
Pecorino Romano cheese
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 heads romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
¼ cup shaved
Parmigiano-
Reggiano
1 Pulse the egg yolks, garlic, anchovies, and mustard in your blender until well combined. Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and pulse to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil while blending at medium speed to emulsify the dressing. It should become thick and creamy. Gently pulse in the shredded cheese; don’t overpuree it or it will get thick and gummy. Taste the dressing at this point and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2 Put the chopped lettuce in a large bowl and toss with about ½ cup of the dressing. Taste a piece of lettuce to see if it is well dressed. If it’s too dry, add more dressing. Garnish with the shaved Parmesan cheese. To make individual portions, pile the salad high in bowls, and garnish with shaved Parmesan. For that gourmet boost, top each salad with half a soft-boiled egg.
Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it’s ready for next time. Leftover Caesar dressing is great for dipping French fries. I’m not kidding. Try it!
My Big Fat Greek Salad
Serves 6
The colorful fresh veggies in this recipe make the presentation beautiful on its own, and its mixture of flavors and textures makes it impressive for the most discerning guests.
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced anchovy (1 or 2)
¼ cup fresh oregano
¼ cup sherry vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
¼ cup diced English cucumber
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup chopped kalamata olives
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 cup thinly sliced romaine lettuce (use your bread knife to make thin slices from a head of romaine)
4 slices sourdough bread, toasted
1 In your blender, pulse the mustard, anchovy, and oregano until mixed. Add the sherry vinegar and pulse until well combined. While blending at medium speed, drizzle in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2 In a large bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, feta cheese, and romaine with ½ cup of the dressing. Taste the salad to see if it needs more dressing, salt, or pepper.
3 Mound the salad in a large serving bowl. Cut the toasted bread into wedges, tuck the wedges around, and garnish it with more crumbled feta. For individual portions, hold the toasted bread wedge in the center of each small plate, and pile the salad high around it. This makes each plate look like a sailboat. You could also serve individual salad portions in margarita or martini glasses with the toast jutting out like a sail.
4 Store the leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can toss the leftover salad as well as the dressing with some pasta for a great Greek pasta salad.
This Salad Bites
Serves 8 to 10
Fresh arugula is extra spicy and peppery, which is perfect for this lemon vinaigrette. Buying baby greens like baby arugula and baby spinach means no chopping and no washing, so they scream CLK friendly!
1 shallot, chopped
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 pound baby spinach
1 pound baby arugula
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup French goat cheese
1 In your blender, pulse the shallot, lemon zest, and coriander until combined. While on a low speed, drizzle in the lemon juice and rice wine vinegar. Increase the speed to medium and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2 Put the spinach and arugula in a large bowl and toss with about ¼ cup of the dressing. Taste to see if the dressing needs more salt or pepper. Garnish with the pine nuts and crumbles of goat cheese. Plate individual portions exactly the same way. For that extra gourmet touch, add thinly sliced pears in the shape of a fan beneath the goat cheese and pine nuts.
3 Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use it as a wonderful chicken marinade.
Heirloom Tomato Stack
Serves 4
This recipe comes together with no cooking or tossing of any kind. You can make this salad from cutting board to plate in 30 seconds flat with no dirty dishes.
4 heirloom tomatoes, various colors
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
¼ cup aged (at least 6 months) balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped
Italian parsley
Did You Know This Crap?
Passed down through several generations for their favorable (and flavorful) charateristics, heirloom tomatoes are open pollinated, which means they are grown from seed and will come back “true to type.” They are free from genetic and chemical alterations.Wit
hout human intervention, we are able to grow a truly tasty tomato. An heirloom tomato reminds me of a juicy summer watermelon, and it’s unnecessary to enhance its flavor with anything more than salt and pepper.
1 Slice the tomatoes into one-fourth-inch thick disks, which should be about four slices from each tomato. Liberally salt and pepper each tomato slice. In the center of each salad plate, stack the tomatoes slightly askew alternating colors four tomatoes high.
2 Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over and around the outside of the stacks on the plate and garnish the top slice with the chopped parsley. Serve the salads at room temperature, and enjoy the epitome of the gourmet “no-pot” wonder!
Bacon-Boosted
Red Cabbage Salad
Serves 15
The applewood-smoked bacon in this recipe provides a layer of depth to the sweet and sour braised cabbage that elevates this dish to gourmet status. Chefs agree that many recipes can benefit from the addition of bacon, and this recipe is no exception.
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup medium diced applewood smoked bacon
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt, to taste
1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced into shreds
Black pepper, to taste
¾ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
4 ounces Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled
1 Preheat a 12-inch sauté pan on medium heat. When it is hot, carefully add the olive oil and bacon. The bacon should begin to cook slightly and render its fat and flavor into the oil, so only cook it for about 3 minutes. Don’t allow it to overcrisp since it will continue cooking when the other ingredients are added. Add the red onion and sauté lightly for another 3 minutes, moving the onions around constantly to keep them from browning. We just want to draw out their natural liquid, and seasoning them with a little salt will help them along.
2 When the onions are translucent and the bacon is crispy, carefully add the cabbage, and feel free to do it in shifts one handful at a time so it wilts down efficiently. Slowly cook down the cabbage. As the cabbage begins to soften, season to taste with salt and pepper, which will help draw out the liquid.
Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens Page 7