Ricotta Toasts with Asparagus & Poached Eggs

Ricotta Toasts with Asparagus and Poach Eggs
Rachael Ray Magazine May 2011

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
6 slices toasted thick-cut country bread
Salt and pepper
1 pound steamed asparagus
6 slices coked bacon, crumbled

Spread ricotta on toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer with asparagus; top with poached egg. Sprinkle with bacon, salt and pepper.

I am in love with a ton of reality food shows:

Master Chef
Iron Chef
Hell's Kitchen
Top Chef
America's Next Great Restaurant

I think I love these shows because they cook food that I don't. I always think, "I would love to try that. How fun would it be to judge these shows".

One of the easiest things that I have seen on these shows, but never tried myself was a poached egg. It certainly looked like it would taste good but it was something that just seemed like I wouldn't be able to do.

How I poached an egg:

Break an egg into small bowl. Heat water with a little bit of vinegar added to right before the boiling point. There should be lots of bubbles on the sides of the pan but none actually breaking away from the pan and bursting at the top of the water. Use a whisk to start a whirlpool. Gently pour egg into swirling water and allow to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fish out the poached egg and enjoy.

I did break at least a half a dozen eggs before finally getting the hang of this technique. It seemed that the more that I handled the eggs the more they broke. If I just set a timer and left them alone, they swirled gently in the water and poached up beautifully. I did have a couple that stuck to the bottom of the pan, I took a spatula and gently loosened it.

Sampling Sunday

I love Whole Foods. This would be no surprise to those that know me. I really like to cook. I like to try new foods. I like fresh veggies. But none of these are the reason that that Whole Foods makes my heart pitter patter.

For me it's all about the cheese counter. The amazing variety of cheeses has me so wrapped around this store's finger that when ever I am in the area...I make time to stop by and pay my respect. 

3 Reasons I love Whole Foods for their cheese:

1. You can sample it all. Each and everyone of them. This, I tell you is a way better way to decide which ones you should actually buy. I used to buy just from the look of cheese which doesn't tell you anything.

2. The cheeses are broken up into small packages. By breaking them up into smallish sampling size packages - even the most expensive cheeses can still make it to your cheese board.

3. In my store, samples are served on my favorite cracker. If you haven't had a chance to try out 34 degrees crisp bread...give them a try.



They are so light and delicate. But they are also strong enough to with stand not only cheese - but a few toppings as well.

This week we are trying out Derby Sage and Capricho de Cabra Pepper. While both have a greenish hue (Happy St. Patrick's Day) they are very different cheeses. One is a young goat's cheese and the other a semi-hard cheddar.

A creamy, flavorful goat cheese produced from Murciana goats, which produce milk high in fat and protein to give the cheese its amazing creaminess. The Capricho is dense and gives a burst of flavor with a sweet finish.  Available in plain, green peppercorn and herb.

Source 

According to wikipedia - Murciana goats are from the Mediterranean coast of South Eastern Spain. 

According to the gal at the Whole Foods cheese counter:

This a very new goat's cheese as in it was only aged for a month or so. This is what create the creamy texture. It is available at Whole Foods in plain, pepper and herb varieties.







Sage Derby (pronounced Darby) is a semi-hard cheese from Derbyshire, England. It is flavored with sage leaves (or sage extract in some versions), giving it somewhat of a minty flavor. Sage Derby often has a green, marbled look to it. It is made from cow's milk and is matured 3 to 6 months.

Sage Derby was first made in the 17th century. It was eaten most often during special times of the year such as Christmas, though now it is available year-round.

There is a very wide variety of quality in different Sage Derby cheeses. Originally fresh sage was added to the curds during production. Today, many manufacturers add sage extract or dried sage leaves, and color their cheeses with spinach juice. The flavor will vary depending on what process has been used.

Information Source



What cheese should we try next?

Ginger Carrot Soup

I have been wanting to try Earthbound Farm's Ginger Carrot Soup recipe for a very long time.  With this sale I was able to pick up 4 bags of organic carrots for free.  I've made 2 batches of this delicious soup!  Freezing the second batch for future lunches.

Ginger Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

1 piece (3 inches long) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped

4 cups peeled, sliced carrots (about 1 1/4 lb.)

5 cups vegetable stock or low sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup orange juice

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Creme fraiche or sour cream, as garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Note: I used only a two inch piece of ginger in the second batch and liked it better. I couldn't taste the carrots in the first batch. Too much ginger for my taste buds.

Add the carrots, stock and juice. For the stock I substituted 3 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes & 5 cups water. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Puree the soup in the saucepan using an immersion blender. Or allow the soup to cool a bit, then puree it in a blender or food processor and return it to the saucepan. If you like a smoother texture, pass the pureed soup through a sieve.

Add the nutmeg, plus salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, thin it with more water or stock.

To serve the soup chilled, refrigerate it until cold, at least 6 hours or up to 5 days. To serve the soup warm, heat it slowly over medium-low heat. Serve the soup garnished with a spoonful of creme fraiche. If desired, create a swirl pattern in the soup by dragging the tip of a knife or fork through the white creme fraiche into the orange soup. Note: I tried to get fancy with our soup bowls but I just couldn't get the sour cream to 'swirl'. I think if the sour cream was at room temp. first I may have had better luck. :)

This was such a bright and cheery soup to serve , a perfect foil for our blank landscape outside. The flavor was amazing! I strongly recommend trying this recipe. I actually 'felt' healthier eating this soup! 

 

Mac & Cheese Soup {veggies, cheese & pasta - what's not to love?}

I am a soup-a-holic this week. I tried to just stick with French Onion - but my heart went pitter patter for this mix of my 2 great loves: mac-n-cheese and veggies. It was super duper easy to put together and filling enough for even my growing boys. I used steam fresh veggies (you know the ones you throw in the microwave for 4 mins?) I started with one bag but threw in an extra since they looked so good.

Mac-and-Cheese Soup
Recipe.com/Parents

Ingredients:

1 package (32 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces small pasta shells
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot blend
1-1/2 cups low-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add pasta. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add vegetables. Cook until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more.

2. Combine milk and flour in a resealable container; shake well to combine. Stir in to pasta mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

3. Gradually add the cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

4. Warm up with a bowl of pasta, veggies and cheese...what's not to love?

Thai Chicken Soup

I'm such a fan of Thai food.  I love me some red curry, coconut milk, and lemongrass.  Yum yum yum!  So, last week, while I was flipping the pages of a food magazine, I became completely mesmerized by a photo of Thai soup.  Gone were my plans to post a recipe for delicious Southern style black-eyed peas, ham, and collard soup. Gone were my plans to try out a soup made creamy by the addition of hummus.   Every other recipe just seemed so boring by comparison.  { insert dramatic sigh here}

Fast forward a few days, and I'm happy to report that this recipe was deserving of my fixation; it's just so, so good!  We loved it, and I couldn't stop sneaking spoonfuls of the broth when I was putting the leftovers away.  Once you have the veggies and chicken sliced up, it goes together pretty quickly, so this recipe would make a great weeknight dinner.

Enjoy!






Thai Chicken Soup
adapted from Food Network Magazine


1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbps. red curry paste
6 c. low-sodium chicken broth
13-15 oz. can light coconut milk
1 Tbsp. fish sauce, plus more to taste
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
6 oz. rice noodles, broken into pieces
1 Tbsp. lemongrass *
1 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1/2 lb.), thinly sliced crosswise
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped, optional

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; cover and bring to a boil.

Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and noodles and simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are al dente, about 3 minutes. Add the lemongrass and chicken, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro, and add more fish sauce, if desired**.


* Note 1:  My grocery store doesn't carry fresh lemongrass, so I bought a tube instead.  It measures tablespoon for tablespoon the same as fresh lemongrass, and it will keep in my fridge for a lot longer.


** Note 2:  When you taste the broth at this point, if it tastes like it could use more salt, try adding 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce.  I did, and it tasted just right.  My total fish sauce for the entire recipe was 1 1/2 Tbsp.


*** Note 3:  Rice noodles tend to get mushy if you leave them in broth in the fridge.  When you package up your leftovers, keep the noodles and broth in separate containers.  Add the noodles back in to reheat.

Ingredient Lineup:

(MIA: the chicken and cilantro)

Remove the noodles from the broth before storing leftovers.

Yummy in my tummy.

French Onion Soup {so good I could cry}

I love onions - really I do. But after the incident as I like to refer to this recipe: Orange Coriander Chicken with Red Onions I have yet to attempt to cook with one of my favorite foods in anything but minuscule portions since May of last year. It was that traumatic. But when I saw this recipe for French Onion Soup my taste buds told my tears to put on their big girl panties and find a way to cut up onions with out crying.

So I scoured the internet for the best tips on how to cut onions without all the water works. You could try any one or a combination of these: Use a very sharp knife. Chill onions in freezer before cutting.Cut the onion near running water or a pot of steaming water. Soak the onion in water before cutting. Breathe through your mouth when cutting. Light a candle right next to cutting board. Chew gum or bread while cutting.

Or you could just do what I did: chop fast, cry a little and get back to making a really good soup. Just tell yourself like I did that tears are like love - they make a recipe taste better.

French Onion Soup
{Elise} @ Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
6 large red or yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups of beef stock, chicken stock, or a combination of the two.
1/2 cup of dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
Salt and pepper
8 slices of toasted bread
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere

1 In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30-40 minutes (or longer). Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.

2 Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, vermouth or wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.




3 To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.



Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this soup but we were worried about whether the kids would even taste it. We thought kids were going to have a fit when they see that this is onion soup...but the boys ate it with encouragement while Maddy completely ignored her bowl. 

She is going though one of those eat like a bird phases.

Spinach Lentil Soup

Note from Sara:  This week's generous post comes from my ex-coworker, Susan.  (She moved not long after I started at this company, but I'm not bitter, no.  Nooooo, lol.)  Anyway, she sent me this recipe for a healthy soup, and I really want to try it out myself!  It's hovering right around 15 degrees here, and a hot bowl of filling soup sounds like heaven in a bowl.  Anyone want to make the recipe and deliver it to my house?  I tip well! :)

Spinach Lentil Soup

I am a soup-aholic -- cannot get enough. That said, I am exploring my vegetarian Times cookbook. This was the latest success from the cookbook. It's hearty, tasty and just plain yummy.  ENJOY!  -- Susan

Ingredients

1 cup dry lentils

3 T virgin olive oil

3 cups diced onions

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white or brown rice (I used brown)

6 1/2 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked chickpeas (or one 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed) - I used canned

Garnish

3-4 cups spinach leaves, stems removed

2 T yogurt

4-6 lemon wedges (I used lemon juice)

freshly ground black pepper

1 T chopped fresh parsley or fresh cilantro leaves

To make the soup:

1. Cover the lentils with hot water and let sit.
2. Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat and cook the onions and spices, stirring, for 8 minutes.
3. Remove 1/3 of the onion mixture and reserve it for garnish.
4. Add the rice to the onions in the soup pot and cook 1 minute to coat the grains.
5. Drain the lentils and add to the onion-rice mixture along with the water, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
6. Simmer, covered until the rice and lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
7. Add the chickpeas and heat until warmed through.
8. Discard the bay leaves.

Garnish:

1. Chop the spinach and stir into lentils.
2. Ladle the stew into bowls and top with a spoonful of yogurt.
3. Add the reserved onions, lemons (I squeezed lemon juice instead), parsley or cilantro.

 

Hot Sausage Bread

Note from Sara: This week our awesome substitute recipe comes from Mandy. We also went to high school together, and I honestly can't think of her without thinking "Mindy and Mandy" because she's 1/2 of a twin duo :)  But what else is interesting is that she's an author!  As in, has books (plural!) you can actually buy on Amazon (go here)! This recipe from her makes me wish I ate cheese (without guilt).  I'm dreaming of thick-sliced Tillamook cheese for this recipe...freaking yum!



Hot Sausage Bread

There’s only one reason why I wanted to make Hot Sausage Bread for Sara’s food blog: Who doesn’t love to give and receive baked goods this time of year? I do, I do, I do.

Hot Sausage Bread is pretty simple to bake and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. I was afraid I would run out of time to prepare this recipe this week since it’s Thanksgiving. So, with the busy holiday week, I decided to pack my ingredients and bake three loaves at work last night. The first thing I did when I got home was enjoy a slice for breakfast. Yum. Enjoy.   -- Mandy

Ingredients:
3 Loaves White Bread (sold in the frozen bread section, Rhodes brand contains 3 loaves)
2 lbs Ground HOT Sausage
2 Packages of Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese
1 Egg

This recipe yields three loaves of Hot Sausage Bread.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Follow the directions on the back of the package, for thawing and allowing your bread to rise. I have never been good at following directions... so, this is what makes life easier for me: I allow the bread to thaw in the refrigerator - usually two days - and I allow it to rise in the bag (I know, I know, look how lazy she is) When the bag looks like it is about ready to burst.. it's go time.

Because the now ready bread has almost evolved into one massive loaf, I cut it into three equal parts. You will be able to see the lines where the old bread loaves used to exist.

Cook the ground, hot flavored sausage, until it is completely browned. Drain off excess grease. (I try not to be partial, but Jimmy Dean has great hot sausage.)

Cover a large surface with flour. Using a rolling pen, roll out one loaf until it makes a large rectangular shape. If you allow the bread to sit on the floured surface until it becomes room temperature, it will be easier to roll out and won’t require a lot of upper body strength. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)

Scoop 1/3 of the browned sausage into the center of the rolled out dough. Spread it down the middle of the loaf, horizontally. Leave about an inch of spare dough at each end. You should have a spare 2-3 inches at the top and bottom.

Place 8-10 slices of pepper jack cheese over the top of the ground hot sausage.

Fold the spare 1 inch dough, at each end, over top of the meat and cheese. Press it tightly into the dough it has overlapped, creating a tight bond so the cheese won’t melt out.

Your final step in preparing your loaf of bread is to pull the top and bottom ends of the dough, together. At the top of the loaf you will pinch the top and bottom flap of dough, creating a bond. It should look like a rope running across the top of the bread once you are finished.

Whip one egg in a bowl. Using a brush, paint the top of the loaf of bread with the whipped egg. This will give your loaf of bread its golden brown finish. (One egg will cover three loaves of bread.)

Spray baking sheet and bake in oven until the loaf is golden brown. This usually takes approximately 20 minutes. You can follow the baking directions on the back of your frozen bread package.

Wait for bread to cool, slice and enjoy with a cold glass of milk to put out the fire. Honestly… It's not that hot, all five of my kids devour this recipe.

And since it now appears that you have labored over making this simple recipe, leave the mess for your partner to clean up. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)

For those of you who are characters of visual nature, I am including each stage of the process to help guide you. If you are like me, you skipped all the directions and went straight to the visual guide. (I know, I know, look how lazy she is)