Baked French Onion Soup

11 Dec

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I always think this is much harder then it actually is to make.

This time I made my own beef broth and it was really good.

This does add one extra day since I am a nut about skimming fat off soup.

5 pounds of good meaty beef ribs

3 tablespoons olive oil

One tablespoon kosher salt

One teaspoon corse black pepper

Ten cups water

4 tablespoons butter

Six large rough chopped onions

One teaspoon salt

One teaspoon sugar

3 heaping tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

8 to 10 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons Cognac

salt to taste

8 ounces Gruyere cheese

One handful of fresh garlic croutons per bowl of soup

Start by making the broth. If you don’t have time a good beef stock is good.

Season the beef ribs with salt and pepper

Place the olive oil in a pan and brown the ribs.

Add the water and bring to a boil.

Let this simmer for several hours until the meat fall off the bone.

If the broth needs more flavor season it with beef bouillon cubes.

Remember this is salty so add one cube at a time and taste.

Strain the broth and put it in a container to chill.

Take all the meat off the bones and set aside.

Make your dog really happy and give her the scrapes but not the bones.

Melt the butter in the same soup pot

Add the onions, stir them around to coat them all with the butter.

Add the salt and sugar

Let the onions cook slowly till they are really soft and slightly brown.

This takes at least 30 minutes on a low heat.

Add the flour and thyme over the onions and cook the flour for a least a couple of minutes

Make sure you mix the flour in with the onions so it is smooth.

Add the white wine and cook for five minutes so the alcohol burns off.

Add the  beef broth and the shredded meat from the bones

Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer

Add the cognac and keep the soup at a simmer for about one hour.

Get out your oven proof ramekins and ladle into the bowl

Only fill the bowls a little more than half

Put two tablespoons of Gruyere cheese  on top of the soup.

Add the handfuls of garlic croutons on top followed with  three tablespoons of Gruyere cheese.

This is a perfect example of more is better.

If you think you need more broth add it now.

Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and bake at 425 degrees till the cheese is melted and bubbling.

I used to broil the soup but I did burn it once so now I bake it.

Carefully take out of the oven and ENJOY.

I very rarely drink but I love a glass of good white wine with this.

I served this with mashed potato pies.

It was a great meal.

 

 

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Veal Bone Broth with Mushroom Ravioli, mushrooms and carrots.

28 Nov

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The big thing now is bone broth.

My Mom was making this sixty years ago.

So I made a veal bone broth that is so easy and so delicious.

Three to four pounds of veal bones that have a good amount of meat on them.

Six tablespoons oil

One chopped onion

Six  sliced carrots

Eight cups of water

Three teaspoons low sodium dry beef broth, you may need more to taste.

One cup good red wine

Three  packages sliced mushrooms

Three cloves chopped garlic

One chopped onion.

Three tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

Salt  and pepper the bones.

Put the oil in a stock pot and add the veal bones and onion.

Let them brown on medium heat.

Take out of the pan and deglaze the pan with the wine.

Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the brown pieces.

Put the bones back in the pot.

Add the water and bring to a boil.

Turn down to low and let everything cook for two to three hours.

Taste now to see if you need more seasoning.

I strain the broth now into a bowl and pick all the meat off the bones

Keep the meat and discard the bones.

Now chill the broth till the fat has come to the top and you can scrape the fat off and throw it out.

You now have this delicious chilled jello like liquid.

Put the butter in a pan and soften the garlic and onion

Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook till soft

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the meat and all the broth

Bring to a boil

Make sure the carrots are cooked and simmer

Cook the ravioli al dente  and gently place in the veal broth

Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

 

Baked Chicken with Butternut Squash and Grapes

15 Nov

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One peeled and sliced butternut squash

6 large bone in chicken thighs, trimmed of all the fat and half of the skin

20 grapes

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

One teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons oil

Mix everything together except the honey

Place it all in a pan with non stick foil on the bottom

Drizzle the honey on top

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Hot Chocolate

12 Nov

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2 heaping teaspoons pure cocoa

1/2 cup boiling water

3/4 cup hot milk

1 teaspoons honey

Mix the cocoa and water together till smooth

Add the hot milk and honey

I like this heated in the microwave to make it pipping hot.

Add whipped cream or marshmallows

 

The Top of a Pizza Soup

8 Nov

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This is a take off of my Roasted Tomato soup and a soup my friends had at Tavern on Main in Wakefield, R.I.

3 containers of grape tomatoes

6 ripe plum tomatoes cut into quarter size pieces

8 cloves of garlic

2 large sliced onions

6 to 8 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon sugar

Mix everything together and oven roast at 425 degrees until the tomatoes start to pop and the onions are soft.

Everything should get a nice light caramel glaze.

This takes at least twenty minutes but sometimes mine takes a lot longer because of the moisture in the tomatoes.

Take out of the oven and let cool.

Try not to eat everything now. This is too good.

Put everything into a food processor and pulse till smooth.

Strain into a soup pot and you have this beautiful creamy tomato liquid.

Turn the heat to medium low

Add 8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

3 slices American cheese

2 slices Provolone cheese

One cup of 1/2 and 1/2 milk

Twenty basil leaves. My basil was very small so add ten big leaves but you do need more for garnish.

Adjust your salt now

Heat the soup just until the cheese is melted.

Place in a bowl with some fresh basil and fresh oregano on top

Serve with hot crusty bread maybe a meatball or sausage on the side.

Tavern on Mains soup had a smokey flavor. I’m sure you can get that same flavor by using a smoked cheese.

Melted gruyere is fabulous but very expensive.

My kids said this tasted just like the top of a pizza hence the name was born.

 

 

 

Chicken Soup with Turkey Meatballs

6 Nov

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Meatballs:

One pound of ground turkey

One egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix everything together.

Make into one inch meatballs.

Place in a greased pan lined with stick free foil

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees with the chopped carrots

Broth:

6 cups water

6 big chicken thighs with the skin and bones

1 teaspoon salt

Bring everything to a boil

Cover and simmer for about an hour.

The chicken should fall off the bone.

Take the chicken out of the pan and strain the broth into a clean pan.

Refrigerate until the fat from the broth has solidified.

Scrape off the fat and discard.

Take all the meat off the bones and try not to eat it all.

Put the meat into the broth.

Add the carrots and meatballs and cook on medium high heat.

Cook frozen gnocchi in their own pan according to the package directions.

Drain and add to the simmering broth.

Taste your broth because you may need more salt.

Serve plain or with grated Parmesan cheese.

This is also delicious with rice, noodles, spinach or broccoli.

 

Wine Biscuits

5 Nov

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This is such an Italian biscuit in my house.

Every neighbor has a slightly different recipe.

This is my Moms recipe and I love it but I did change the wine.

One cup oil

One cup of a sweet red wine. My Mom would use whatever red wine she had on hand but I like the taste of the sweet red wine.

One cup of sugar

3 heaping tablespoons of baking powder

One teaspoon salt

4 cups all purpose flour

Mix everything together and kneed till the dough is soft.

Roll into long ropes on a floured surface.

I make my biscuits into hearts but you can make circles or sticks.

One egg beaten very well.

Place on a silpac and brush with the beaten egg  just to give the biscuits a nice glaze.

Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes then keep cooking in the oven till they are golden brown. This usually takes maybe a couple of minutes more.

Always look on the bottom of the biscuit to see if it is a good color.

Cool and place in a airtight container.

Serve with your best pot of tea or coffee.

 

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