Lentil Sausage Soup... it's what's for dinner

In my collection of cookbooks, a few are my absolutely favorite. Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten is one my all time favorites. I think it's because I share Ina's love of peasant food. For me, it's the essence of home cooking. It's so creative and basic and comforting.

Perhaps it's just a January thing or maybe it's because it's so cold outside, but my desire to make a pot of soup was so strong that I went straight to my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks to find just, the right recipe. For me, the Lentil Sausage Soup in Barefoot in Paris is exactly the soup for a cold, January night. It's the kind of soup my French Grandfather would cook for us when we were kids.  Did I mention that it was Monday when I made this? What could be better to end a cold, January Monday, but with a bowl of hot soup and a baguette.

I was out of cumin and only had canned broth, so I had to make a few accommodations, but it was the perfect way to end the first day back from Christmas vacation.

Lentil Sausage Soup

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Contemplating Apple Crisp

Breakfast this morning was leftover Apple Crisp. It's such a simple dessert and one that reminds me of my Pennsylvania Dutch Grandmother every time I eat it. As I sat and devoured the last of the Apple Crisp (there wasn't that much left), I started to think about how she made her crisp such caramelized deliciousness. The apples we're dead on with their cinnamon goodness, but I just couldn't get that crunch right.

I called my Dad to see if he knew her secret and found the answer that was eluding me -- corn flakes. So, next time you are in the mood for some apple crisp or have some apples you need to use up, give this recipe a try.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

3 pounds tart apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup rolled oats

4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup corn flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Peel, core and chop the apples into slightly larger than bite-sized chunks (they will shrink when cooking); toss in a bowl with lemon juice and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to the apples and toss to combine.
4. In another bowl combine flour, sugar and oats. Cut butter into small pieces, and cut butter into flour until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the corn flakes. It's OK if they break up a bit, but no need to crush them.
5. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread apple mixture in bottom of baking dish then sprinkle with flour mixture.
6. Bake at 375° for 30 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature. I like it with with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but it tastes great by itself as well.

Starting Off the New Year Right

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right. In light of my post on New Year's food traditions, I decided to get a jump on those "luck" foods and make Dutch Apple Pancakes with a side of bacon -- it's never too early to hope for health and good luck.

Years ago, I discovered this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma catalog and have been making it ever since with a few tweaks . I typically use Red Delicious or Granny Smith apples and skip the confectioners sugar (confectioners sugar + a 4 year old = a big mess for me).

Dutch Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Butter a 10-inch ovenproof braiser or fry pan.
2. In another fry pan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add the apple, cinnamon and granulated sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the apple begins to soften and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, using a whisk, beat the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until blended. Sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture and whisk until just blended. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter. Add the butter to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices evenly on top. Bake until the pancake is browned and puffed up, 25 to 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Happy New Year from Ally's Kitchen to Yours!

Merry Christmas from Ally's Kitchen to Yours!

Whether you celebrate this wonderful holiday or not, I hope that you are having a day filled with love and laughs. It's a holiday, so eat, drink and be merry!

This Christmas was not all about the kitchen. I did ask for a few non-kitchen items since a girl cannot live without some of those things that she won't always buy for herself.

One kitchen related item that am super excited about Santa bringing me is my new blender. I have been wanting this one for a while. I use my blender for lots of things like making soups, gravies and purees, so I need a heavy duty blender with a glass carafe. My current blender is still in good shape, but the plastic carafe has a huge crack. Need to replace that and put the one on the bar for those fun mixed drinks that you can't get enough of come summer time. So far, the blender looks great on my counter, but I haven't put it to work. I'll let you know what I think after I kick the tires, so to speak.

And, of course, I was blessed with some new editions to my cookbook obsession collection.

I plan on working through both of these great books in the coming month or two, so check back for updates on the recipes that I make and what I think about them.

I was particularly excited about The Pioneer Woman Cooks because it was autographed. I've been watching Ree's book tour schedule to see if she was coming to my area, but no such luck. So, when I put on my Christmas wish list that she was having a book signing near my parent's house, I didn't think much of it. But, to my surprise, my parents went and met her. They said she was super nice and told great stories. Here's Ree signing my book. Too bad, I didn't know that my Mom was going or I would have sent her with a few questions. Oh well, I guess that would have ruined the surprise after all.

Christmas dinner chez moi is a small affair. Just me and my guys - exactly how I like it! We're having Beef Wellington (Gordon Ramsay's recipe), oven roasted fingerling potatoes (my recipe) and Roasted Tomatoes (Barefoot Contessa's recipe). For dessert, it's Apple Crisp (my Grandmother's Pennsylvania Dutch recipe) served warm with fresh whipped cream.

I'm off to start cooking. Merry Christmas from Ally's Kitchen to Yours!

I love a ba-raise!

Comfort food. Nothing conjures up more memories in the brain than comfort food. For me, comfort food involves two things... braised meat and mashed potatoes. Whether its pot roast, Beef Bourguignon or short ribs, for me, there is nothing like meat cooked for hours at low heat in a wonderful gravy served over mashed potatoes (horseradish or garlic preferably). It starts with the smells wafting through the air of the preparation -- onions and garlic sauteing in butter -- yummy! Then, the aroma coming from the kitchen as the braise works it magic. Culminating in that wonderful, warm and homey meal.

When I braise, I turn to my trusty Le Creuset dutch oven. I prefer the way that the cast iron maintains the heat and is seasoned just right from many a meal cooked before it. I know I've recently gone on about the right tool for the job and all, but I started braising in my dutch oven before I had a braiser and it just works for me. So I stick with it.

The funny thing about braising is that I was doing it long before I knew what it was called. My Grandmother used to make her famous "Beef Cubes". She took stew beef that she browned and then cooked in a gravy for hours until the meat was fork tender. She also made a Beef Burgundy that ran a close second in my book. My Grandmother was a product of the depression and raised in a German household. Her cooking was simple and not very inventive, but she cooked with love and I have fond memories of many of her meals. Before she passed away, I asked her to teach me how to make her "Beef Cubes" and that has been the foundation of my Beef Stew, Beef Tips and Beef Bourguignon. This recipe is the foundation of my braising repetoire.

Ingredients

Oil (olive, canola, whatever you prefer that can stand high heat)

Small onion, finely chopped

A few cloves of garlic, minced

Stew beef (enough to feed your crowd, I usually use about 1 pound for my family)

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

1 Tablespoon of flour

Beef broth

Directions

1. Cover the bottom of a braiser or dutch oven with oil. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Be sparing. Cook over high heat until oil is heated through.
2. Add chopped onions to the pan and cook until translucent.
3. Add minced garlic and cook briefly. Just until it becomes fragrant.
4. Add beef and cook until brown all over.
5. Add flour and stir until flour absorbs liquid in pot.
6. Add enough beef broth to cover the meat and stir to form a sauce.
7. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for a few hours with the pot covered.

There's the foundation! Here's where the recipes will diverge.

• For Grandma's tradition, beef cubes, I add salt, pepper and paprika and let it go.
• For Beef Bourguignon, I add pinot noir or burgundy, thyme and mushrooms to the above.
• For Beef Stew, I start from Grandma's and add veggies

And, on and on, and on... The possibilities are limited to your imagination and your palette.

Tomato, Tomahto, Let's Call the Whole Thing Sauce

For a long time, I bought jarred tomato sauce and wished I knew how to make it from scratch. I was convinced that it must be complicated with recipes handed down through the generations. Oh, was I so very wrong. Once I made it, I never went back. It's easy and tastes so much better than anything from a jar.

One of the big topics in my house related to tomato sauce was how much sugar was in it. Tomatoes are acidic, so it stands to reason that you would need to cut the acid with something. I grew up near Philadelphia, so I've heard many old world tricks like stirring with a wooden spoon at just the right time, but no one could tell me when just the right time was. "You'll just know it" was a common response. One recipe I looked at called for baking soda to cut the acidity, but that just didn't sit well with me.

My tomato sauce is at it's most basic. It's just a few ingredients which means that there really isn't anywhere for something to hide. To that end, I use whole, canned San Marzano plum tomatoes. These are the ones I prefer to use, but in a pitch I have used other brands.

A word about herbs, in a pinch, I use dried herbs, but I much prefer using fresh. As a matter of fact, I keep pots of basil and oregano year round so that I can cut my own and save money on the expensive little packages at the grocery store.

Oh, yeah and when I make sauce, I make it for a crowd. That way I have plenty of left over sauce for other uses or meals in a minute.

Ally's Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce

3 large cans San Marzano Whole Plum Tomatoes

2 large stalks of celery with leaves removed, finely diced (I use my food processor to cut)

2 large carrots (or a hand full of baby carrots), finely diced (I use my food processor to cut)

Olive oil (not Extra Virgin)

A few cloves of garlic (this is a matter of taste), minced

10 - 20 basil leaves (this is a matter of taste and size of leaves), chopped

5 sprigs of oregano (this is a matter of taste), chopped

Salt (I use Kosher Salt)

Pepper

The steps:

1. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. Pour in enough Olive Oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. When heated, add the carrots and celery and cook until soft.
4. Add minced garlic and let cook for a few minutes, as soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, it's time to add the tomatoes.
5. Add the liquid from the cans and then crush the whole tomatoes by hand into the pan.
6. Add herbs and stir.
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Once the sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat and maintain a simmer until desired thickness.

Typically, my sauce cooks for 30 minutes, but I have been known to let it go for up to an hour. Its not an exact science here. Tomatoes can vary in water content, so you need to go by the consistency that you desire.

Disclaimer: My Recipes

I'm a HUGE collector of recipes. I devour them. I learn them inside and out and then adapt them. But, once I have devoured and adapted the recipe, the precise measurements go out the window. So, when I do provide a recipe, there may be some approximations or some gray areas. I'll try to minimize them. With that out of the way, let's get cooking!