Recipe to Reality: Tuscan Bean Soup

Well, New York has truly said its farewells to summer and has welcomed autumn with open arms.

The leaves in the Hudson Valley are truly a stunning sight at this time of year.

Golden yellow, crisp orange, and deep reds are all around.

With these gorgeous leaves comes cool weather which makes it the perfect time for soups and stews.

Here's another delicious soup to add to your collection.

This recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse and was found through Food Network Online.

Serves 8
Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Here's What You'll Need!

• 1 14 oz. can dark red kidney beans
• 1 14 oz. can cannellini beans
• 1 14 oz. can chickpeas
• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 1 8 oz. container of diced pancetta
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large potatoes, cut into chunks
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used ones with garlic and oregano too)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasonings
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lb. elbow pasta
• 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
• Parmesan cheese for serving

Looks like a ton of ingredients, but so easy to make and so flavorful!

Put it All Together!

1. In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and the pancetta to render the fat. Cook until crispy, about 3 minutes. 

1. Saute the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and potatoes for about 3-4 minutes or until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

1. Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, and cannellini beans along with the chicken stock.
2. Add the herbs-rosemary, thyme, Italian seasonings, bayleaf, red pepper flakes, as well as more salt and pepper. 
3. Cook for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are tender) and then add the handfuls of spinach and allow to wilt. (If you want, add some elbow pasta in about 8 minutes before soup is done)
4. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread and get ready to warm yourself up from the inside out.

I am a huge fan of very hearty soups, so if you like your soup with more broth just add less of everything I added!

Looking forward to more soups and stews as fall leads us to winter :)

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Tortellini with Pancetta & Peas

My husband lovingly refers to me as a "Pastatute".

Now, I know what you're thinking! Put it out of your mind!

The nickname refers to the fact that I love pasta more than any other dish out there!

Whenever I am asked the question: "If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer is always: pasta.

It is incredibly versatile and can be the foundation for a myriad of flavors.

Also, my mom's pasta with meat sauce is unbelievable! Even though it's slightly morbid, every time I have her pasta I can't help think that it is the meal I'd want to eat before I die.

So, that sums up my feelings about pasta.

You may be thinking, "Well, I don't see that many pasta recipes on her blog!" That's because I try not to make it that often, because of course, it's full of carbs!

But this tortellini recipe was too good to not share ^_^

I found the recipe from the Food Network Magazine.

Here's What You'll Need!

• Salt
• 1 lb. cheese tortellini
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 4 oz. chopped pancetta (Basically Italian bacon. Sometimes you can find at butcher counter. Boar's Head also sells pre-cut pancetta cubes which is what I used)
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 tbs. tomato paste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put it all Together!

1) Boil a pot of salted water, big enough to hold the pound of tortellini and cook according to directions.

2) While you are waiting for water to boil, start making the sauce. Add olive oil and pancetta to a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Allow pancetta to crisp up, about 3-4 minutes.

3) Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and let the flavors meld together, for about a minute or two.

4) Take a cup of the pasta water and add that to the pancetta, garlic, and tomato paste and allow to reduce by half (about 3-4 minutes)

5) Add the heavy cream and frozen peas and reduce heat to simmer. Allow sauce to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.

6) Drain your tortellini when they are done cooking, and combine with the sauce. Stir to coat, season with fresh parsley and Parm! 

This recipe is quick, easy, and most importantly, delicious! A perfect weeknight meal!

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Rigatoni with Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Italian Sausage

I am a huge butternut squash fan.

I'm also a die-hard pasta lover.

I know that it's only September, and I could have waited a little longer to jump into winter squashes, but since my Curried Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast, featuring butternut squash went over so well with my husband, I decided to continue to change his opinion on this sweet, buttery, squash!

This recipe comes from the February 2012 edition of Food & Wine Magazine. It's a recipe from Emeril Lagasse, but I improvised a bit while cooking.

Here's What You'll Need:

2 butternut squashes -- peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tbs. of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Allspice
About 20 whole sage leaves
3 tbs. unsalted butter
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/4 cup of white wine
1 lb. rigatoni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Put it All Together!

1) Preheat your over to 400 degrees and break down your squash. As I mentioned in my  Curried Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast post, I like to buy the pre-cut butternut squash cubes to bypass the hassle, but alas, the supermarket was out. I used this video by GoodHousekeepingMag via YouTube to help me effectively break down the squash.

2) Put the squash cubes on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbs. of the olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and allspice, bake for 30 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the 3 tbs. of butter and add the whole sage leaves for about 2 minutes, turning once, until crispy. Remove the leaves and store on a plate, remove the butter and save in a bowl for later.

4) In the same skillet, add the last tbs. of oil, and the sausage over medium high heat. Break up the sausage as best you can with a wooden spoon while it's cooking until the meat is no longer pink-about 8 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of white wine and let simmer for a few minutes. 

5) Boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Add salt once the water comes to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, about 14 minutes. Reserve one cup of the cooking water before draining the rest of the pasta.

6) Return the pasta to the empty pot and add the sausage and melted butter while gradually stirring in the cup of reserved starchy water. Next add the squash and 1/4 cup of Parm. Garnish with more cheese and the crispy sage leaves!

We really found this to be a light pasta dish despite the rich flavors of the sausage and squash. 

We have two tupperwares in the fridge for leftovers and can't wait!


Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Sorry about the red plate and red food...

 Fra Diavolo means "Brother Devil" in Italian, and this dish delivered on the spice! My husband and I are no strangers to spice and often add red pepper or hot sauce to any dish, so I was not worried about this at all!

The shrimp were plump and tender, the pasta al'dente (of course...my high school Italian teacher always told us that we'd never find a husband if we couldn't cook the pasta al'dente!) and the sauce was tangy with a bit of kick!

I found this recipe in the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook of 2011.
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs of shelled and deveined shrimp
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup diced pancetta
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups jarred marinara sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Marinating Shrimp

I started with Easy to Peel deveined frozen shrimp. I thawed them out in a bowl of cold water, drained them, and got them marinating in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the crushed red pepper, some salt and pepper, and I added some garlic salt also. I used my hands to coat them all and let them sit for 20 minutes.

Next, heat up a skillet to medium high and sautee your shrimp until lightly golden brown which is about 1 minute on each side. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan with the diced pancetta, diced onion, and minced garlic until the pancetta is crispy and the onions are soft, about 4 minutes.

Pure Deliciousness

Then, add your shrimp back to the pan with any juices left on the plate, and add a jar (about 2 cups) of your favorite jarred marinara sauce, or use homemade if you have some on hand. I used Bertolli Tomato and Basil. After the shrimp is warmed up again this sauce is ready to go!

I made some thin spaghetti to go with the sauce and it was just about perfect! We loved the saltiness from the pancetta, and tang from the tomatoes, the succulence of the shrimp, and of course, the heat!

Stay Savory,
Jasmine

Dining Out: Ouest in NYC

   While cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, my first love was, of course, eating :) While my husband and I were dating, we would go out to eat every weekend because it gave us some time to be alone and talk privately without being surrounded by our families (no offense to anyone reading this...we love you!) But since we started living together, we have opted for the more economical route of cooking more and eating out less.

   Last year, we missed NYC Restaurant Week and I wanted to make sure that we made it there this year! What better day to go than to celebrate one month of marriage? For those of you unfamiliar with Restaurant Week, about 300 restaurants in Manhattan participate using a fixed price menu consisting of three courses - $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner. Considering many of these restaurants would normally charge about $35 for an entree only, this is a great deal!

   Our first choice was Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's restaurant, Butter, but they were booked for the day and time that we wanted. After perusing MANY restaurant menus at the NYC Restaurant Week website, we decided on Ouest Restaurant at 2315 Broadway between 83rd and 84th Street. At first glance, the restaurant looks very small compared to the burger place next door, but the entrance (which is marked with a large, red, velour curtain which I wasn't too fond of) takes you past the bar down a long corridor where the space opens into a large dining room.

   We were seated in the main dining room which was decorated elegantly in red with romantic mood lighting.  We both liked the fact that the kitchen was open and we could see the chefs preparing meals. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They tried to fix our wobbly table without us even asking!

Menu for Restaurant Week 2012

   They also brought us this delicious multigrain bread. 

   Appetizers

Orecchiette Pasta

As I am 100% Italian, pasta is near and dear to my heart. The pasta was cooked al-dente, the pesto was very tasty, the sausage gave the dish the right amount of salt and the pine nuts gave the dish texture. Needless to say, I cleaned my plate.

Gazpacho

My husband truly enjoyed his soup. It was the perfect starter for a hot, humid day in Manhattan. The shrimp were perfectly cooked.

Entrees

Striped Bass with Corn Risotto

I must admit that this was my first time eating Striped Bass, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I would have liked the skin a bit crispier. Wherever the fish was lacking for me, the risotto made up for. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the corn gave a sweet morsel in each bite. The rock shrimp was also scrumptious!

Pork Chop

My husband's pork chop was moist and juicy, and we both loved the braised kale. That's saying something since he usually steers clear of most veggies! He also adored the polenta.

Desserts

Panna Cotta

In retrospect, I should have just ordered 12 of these and called it a night. This was an absolutely fabulous dessert! The panna cotta had flecks of vanilla bean within it and was soft, smooth, and light. The Italian pudding was sweet and creamy and paired perfectly with the tart, acidic bath of passion fruit goodness it sat in. I loved every single bite of this dessert. In fact, I let my husband try it, and when he didn't love it as much as me I made him give it back!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

My husband loved this chocolate cake. He said that it had a rich chocolate flavor and you could tell that it was made with quality chocolate. I have to admit I only had a bite because I loved mine so much!

All the dishes were gorgeously plated, the service was attentive, and we had an amazing, romantic evening together! We would recommend this restaurant!

Stay Savory,

Jasmine