Cassoulet

Time. There just isn't enough of it in each day. Days are jam packed with errands to run, calls to make, chores to complete, kids to shuttle around, meals to cook, homework to do; It's the busy work that fills my every waking moment and leaves little time to nurture my soul. Every evening, exhaustion drags me down along with the realization that the things I wanted to do, was filled with things I had to do. I've always had trouble balancing my need to be productive with the things I really want to do. Now that the holidays are upon us, I'm going to hunker down, get back into the kitchen and feed my soul.     
This recipe reminds me that sometimes I have to clear my to do list, slow down, and make time to savor things that are just for me and take time to complete. Who cares if the laundry's not folded...like I do that anyway. 😉 This Cassoulet recipe is so wonderfully comforting with it's complex flavors of savory sausage and pork, creamy beans with a crunchy buttery breadcrumb topping. Clear your schedule and spend a day at home making this work of art!

Cassoulet

Serves 8-10
Slightly adapted recipe by Teri Appleton-Villanueva

Prep Beans
1 lb cannellini beans, rinse and clean
1 T salt

Soak beans overnight and then cook as directed with added salt.  Drain beans, reserving liquid.

Prep Sausages
2 cups water
12 ounces garlic chicken sausage
2 ounces salt pork
2 T vegetable oil
1 med celery rib
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs of thyme

Place water, sausage, salt pork and oil in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a quick simmer; cook until water evaporates.Transfer salt pork to cutting board and cool slightly. Meanwhile continue to brown sausages. With kitchen twine, tie together celery, bay leaf, thyme and salt pork together and set aside. When sausages have browned, transfer to cutting board and slice 1 inch thick. Set aside. Do NOT wash dutch oven.

Cook Aromatics
Vegetable oil as needed
12 oz pork shoulder, cut into 1" chunks
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 med carrot, peeled, 1/4 inch dice
2 med cloves garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste

Add oil, if necessary, and pork to the now empty dutch oven and brown pork on all sides. Add onion and carrots, cook, stirring until onion is translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook stirring, 30 seconds. 

Deglaze
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 diced Roma tomatoes
2 to 4 cups chicken stock
fine sea salt and black pepper
Immediately deglaze with wine. Bring to a boil, stir in tomatoes, celery/salt pork bundle, sausages, stock and drained beans. Add some reserved bean liquid enough to cover beans. Simmer soup for about an hour. Skim fat. Remove celery/salt pork bundle and discard. Season with salt and pepper. 

Variation: I like this soup to be thick, so blending about half of the soup makes it thick and chunky. Let the soup cool a bit before blending. Working in batches, pulse the soup in a blender to break up the ingredients into small pieces. Return it to the dutch oven. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and make the breadcrumb topping below.

Gratinee (Brown Top)
1/4 cup packed parsley leaves
3 T unsalted butter, melted
3 large slices high quality white bread
fine sea salt and pepper

Pulse parsley in food processor until minced Transfer to a bowl, wipe out processor. Pulse bread into crumbs. transfer to parsley bowl and drizzle with butter and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.  Top soup with Gratinee and then bake until topping is golden brown about 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Other recipes to try:

Tortilla Dressing

Parmesan Creamed Onions

Creamed Corn Casserole

Pizza Soup

I'm on a soup kick...I've moved on from Halloween dishes and I'm starting to focus on warm, comforting, fall foods, like soup. Those one pot meals that taste even better the next day or series of days. I made this soup on Sunday and I've had it two more times for lunch.  I ate the last of it today and added leftover rice and a few more morsels of sausage crumbles and it was divine. And here's the best part...its super simple to make. I used what I had in my fridge and freezer but feel free to add different toppings. Have fun adding your own ingredients to this delicious base made with a puree of onions, bell peppers, garlic and tomatoes in chicken broth and tomato paste.
If you like mushroom, chicken and spinach pizza, add those instead of the pepperoni and sausage. If you like veggie pizza, add your favorites veggies as toppings and substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Meat lovers pizza, add more meat and substitute the chicken broth with beef broth for a more intensely flavored soup. The sky's the limit. I made some cheesy bread on soft ciabatta with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses to dunk into the soup which really makes it feel like you are eating pizza, but I'd imagine garlic bread would be pretty darn delicious as well. Enjoy!

Pizza Soup

(Adapted recipe from Vitamix)

Serves 6

2 T olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup bell peppers, diced 
8 Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic
3 T tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. oregano, dried
2 tsp. basil, dried
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper 
16 slices pepperoni
1 cup Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Fresh basil (garnish)


Add oil to large dutch oven. Saute onion, peppers (I prefer the flavor of red bell peppers in this soup over green bell peppers but I used what I had on hand which was an orange bell pepper but feel free to use any color bell pepper), tomatoes and garlic until onions are soft, about 8-10 minutes. 

Add sauteed vegetables to a blender and add 2 cups chicken stock and tomato paste and puree. Add contents of the blender back to the dutch oven and add the remaining chicken broth, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Heat to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce a little. Add pepperoni and sausage and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until heated through. Taste and add more salt, oregano or basil as needed.

Ladle into bowls, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, fresh basil and some crispy pepperoni. Enjoy!


Optional:
Pepperoni Leaves
I love fall so I decided to make some crispy pepperoni leaves as a garnish to this yummy soup. But, if you don't want to go to the trouble of cutting out leaves, you can make crispy whole pepperoni by putting a few slices on a foil lined cookie sheet and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Longer if you want them crispier. Drain on a paper towel and then garnish your soup. 

Other recipes to try:

Tomato Garlic Soup with Cheese Tortellini

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Short Rib and Bok Choy Soup

Hatch Chile and Beef Chorizo Chili

October has finally arrived and that means comfort foods. I realize fall in Southern California isn't as obvious as the brilliant fall colors of the northeast. Southern California fall is definitely more subtle. The temps still hang in the upper 80's and even 90's on some days, but you need to look around to really see fall outside of the blinding high temps. Fall is in the sun that doesn't hang as high. It's in the long shadows below the trees. It's in the shorter days and chilly mornings. Our trees really don't drop their leaves until December and January, but if you look real hard, you'll see a few early leaves working hard to give us bursts of yellows, reds, and oranges. These little signs of fall speak to this Socal girl and inspires me to slow braise meats, bake bread, and make soup... or in this case chili. This Hatch Chile and Beef Chorizo Chili is spicy and comforting and perfect for a cool or warm-ish fall evening. Enjoy!
 

Hatch Chile and Beef Chorizo Chili

Serves 12

3 lbs. lean ground beef
2 tubes beef chorizo
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Roasted Hatch Chiles®, chopped
3/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Penzey's® Epazote
3 14 oz. cans S & W® Black Chili Beans
2 14 oz. cans S & W® Regular Chili Beans
salt and pepper
Green onions, sliced (garnish)

Brown ground beef and drain the fat. Add chorizo, onions, hatch chiles, roasted red peppers, garlic tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, epazote and beans. Simmer on low for a minimum of 1 hour. The longer it cooks the better. I placed it in a Slow Cooker on low for 4 hours and it was incredible. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.

Other soups to try:

White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

Rustic Minestrone

Pork Verde and Hominy Stew 

Bloody Burger Bites

Remember a few year's ago when Burger King® came out with their Halloween Whopper® with the black bun? It was so popular that it completely sold out in a week so I never had a chance to try one. It's been two years and I'm still waiting for them to bring that baby back so I can give it a try. Not being one to wait any longer, I decided to create my own red bun version of Halloween Burgers with these Bloody Burger Bites. Made with homemade slider buns, grilled onions, and a decadently delicious bloody burger sauce. Four perfectly messy bites of this sinister slider will be a crowd pleaser, just remember to have lots of napkins on hand.
These are definitely on the menu at my Halloween party this year. Make the buns, sauce and onions ahead of your party and then assemble right before party time! Easy and delicious! Happy Halloween!

Bloody Burger Bites

Makes 24

Slider Buns
(adapted recipe from Taste of Home)

2 T active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
3 T vegetable oil
3 T sugar
1-1 1/2 t red food coloring
1 egg
1 t. salt
3- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix yeast, warm water, food coloring, sugar and oil and let sit for 5 minutes. Measure out flour and salt in another small bowl and set aside. Add egg to the yeast mixture and then add flour/salt and mix until a soft dough forms. On a floured surface, knead dough for about 5 minutes. 

Using a kitchen scale measure out 0.5 oz of dough for each slider bun. Roll into a ball and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Let rise for 15 minutes or until the dough doubles. Note: If you'd like to add sesame seeds to the tops of your buns, brush tops of buns with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds prior to baking.
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Bloody Burger Sauce

(adapted recipe from Teri Appleton Villanueva)

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
ground pepper
red food coloring

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilled Onions
4 yellow onions, sliced into rings
3 T unsalted butter 
salt and pepper (to taste)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until browned and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Burger Bites
2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
seasoned salt/pepper
garlic powder

Make 24 small patties. Season with seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill or pan fry.
Assemble Bloody Burger bites with generous amounts of Bloody Burger Sauce and grilled onions! Arrange on a platter and serve with Bloody Marys! 

Last Bite...

 For Halloween Decorating Ideas click here.

Brimstone Bread

Aren't these stunning? This beautiful recipe comes from Hellen Die of the Necro-nom-nom-nomicon. I discovered this talented woman from this way cool pin on Pinterest which led me to Instuctables.com and then to the website behind this amazing prop. To my surprise, not only does she make professional Halloween props, she creates Halloween food too! I was so excited and I read every one of her blog posts and recipes. Her writing is fantastically fun and her recipes are devilishly creative and delicious. I'm in complete awe of her creativity and talent. Luckily for me, she has graciously allowed me to make and blog her gorgeous Brimstone Bread! Check out her amazing website at eatthedead.com and definitely follow her on Instagram to see all her in-process pics and recipes all year long. Happy Halloween everyone and thank you Hellen!  

Brimstone Bread 

Recipe from Necro-nom-nom-nomicon
Makes 12

1 box Fleischmann's® Simply Homemade® Bread Mix
1-2 tsp red food coloring

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare bread according to package directions, but make sure to add red food coloring to the warm water prior to adding it to the dry bread mix. 

Cut dough into 12 pieces, roll into balls, and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with a damp towel and let rise according to package directions. While the rolls rise, prepare to topping.

Topping
2 T dry active yeast
2 T sugar
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees) with black food coloring

Mix yeast, sugar, oil, salt and rice flour together. Mix black food coloring into warm water and add to the flour mixture. Make sure the topping is very black by adding more black food coloring if needed. I used gel food coloring and it worked very well. The topping will be sticky but still fluid enough to drip of the end of a spoon.
Using your hands, smear topping on rolls. Make sure to spread the topping fairly thick so that it forms the cracks when baked. Let the topping sit for 15 minutes to adhere to the bread dough and then bake according to package directions. Right out of the oven, slice open and slather on some garlic butter and devour!

More Halloween recipes to try:

Black Magic Spellcakes

Love at First Bite Linguini

Midnight Sushi with Wasabi Skulls

Eye of Newt Stew (Black-eyed Pea Curry)

Yay! The kids are back in school and it's time to get back into the kitchen and create more Halloween dishes. I made this Black-eyed Pea Curry back in July as a backdrop for my Rattlesnake Rolls and it was absolutely delicious. But when it comes to it being Halloween food all by itself, it was a little too normal looking...See?  An incredibly comforting and spicy fall dish, but certainly not creepy enough for Halloween.

So, I gave it another go by blending up all the onions, tomatillos, peppers and spices and then adding some black food coloring to really "yuck" it up. I'd say the black food coloring did its job. So much so, that it was extremely hard to photograph this Eye of Newt Stew and make it look at all edible. Once it sits in a large bubbling cauldron for a few moments, all the ingredients turn the most gruesome shades of black and grey! Even the ham turns a murky muddy black, which is absolutely perfect for a fun Halloween meal or your next Halloween party. The longer it sits, the better it looks and tastes. For sure, your friends and family will be reluctant to take a bite, but once they do, they'll come back for more!

Feel free to adjust the spice level. I like spicy and this recipe has some heat, so if you don't want it hot, substitute the Hatch chilies with mild Pasilla Chiles and roast them along with your tomatillos and onions. Happy Halloween!

Eye of Newt Stew (Black-eyed Pea Curry)

Serves 8

1 lb black-eyed peas
1 ham hock
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lb tomatillos
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Hatch Chiles®, roasted and chopped (or 2 large Pasilla chiles)
black food coloring
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp garam masala
2 t cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 T honey 
1/4 cup cream
1 cup ham, chopped
salt and pepper (to taste) 

Prep beans
Soak beans overnight in salted water. Drain soaking water from beans and add beans to a slow cooker. Add enough fresh water to cover beans with about two inches of water above the beans. Add ham hocks and garlic to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 5-6 hours. Begin checking for doneness (Is that a word?) at 4.5 hours. Once done, remove ham hocks and chop meat from the bone. Reserve 1-2 cups if the slow cooker liquid and drain beans.

Prep Vegetables
Peel, wash and cut tomatillos in half and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Quarter onions and add to cookie sheet. If you are substituting the Hatch chiles for Pasilla chiles, cut chiles in half, remove seeds and stems and add to cookie sheet. Broil on high until veggies are browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Add cooked onions, tomatillos, chiles into a food processor or blender and add, cilantro, garam masala, cumin, coriander and chili powder and process until blended. Transfer into a dutch oven and add chicken broth, 1 cup of reserved crock pot liquid, and cream and honey. Heat to a slow simmer.

To make it a Eye of Newt Stew Halloween dish, add black food coloring at this point and then continue below. 

Add chopped ham from the ham hocks, black-eyed peas and additional chopped ham to the pot. Simmer 30 minutes or longer. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.  

NOTE: In the photo below, I added some black-eyed peas and chopped ham right before shooting it so they didn't change color. I wanted to show at least some recognizable ingredients in the photos. Happy Halloween!

Other Halloween dishes to try:

Top 10 Horror 'doeuvres