Tag: recipe

Super Quick, Super Easy, Delicious Tomato Soup

Even those of you who only use a microwave to heat things up can transform a box of tomato soup into a stunning bowl of delicious with just two added ingredients.

You buy a box of tomato soup. This one was the Organic Creamy Tomato Soup from Trader Joe's and we look for one with the fewest ingredients.

The secret ingredient to take this soup to a new level is a bit of Boursin Cheese with Garlic & Fine Herbs. We were making this one bowl at a time, so we added a tablespoon to each bowl of hot soup. You can swirl it around, mash it against the side of the bowl, and stir until the cheese dissolves.

A sprinkle of fresh, ground, black pepper added a bit more zip.

While we are sharing the recipe, we cannot take credit for it. Years ago we invited two of our favorite restaurateurs on a fall sail with us. They arrived at the boat with thermoses of soup. When we stopped for lunch, everyone on board raved about the soup, asked for seconds, then asked for the recipe. It was at that point the friends told us their chef had not made the soup, they had.

What's more, making soup was a last minute decision after they realized how chilly the sail was going to be. They ran out and bought the ingredients then heated, mixed, and packed the soup in vacuum jugs, and brought it to us. When they told us how to make it, we all stared in disbelief.

The doubting only lasted until one of the gang, then another and another, made it at their own home and discovered how easy it could be to raise the bar on a bowl of tomato soup.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

October 19, 2017
What to do When the Recipe Calls for a Tablespoon of Tomato Paste

As a test run for my new Instant Pot, I decided to make this recipe from The Kitchn for Chicken Tikka Masala. Like many recipes that use tomato paste to add depth of flavor, it calls for 2 tablespoons out of the can.

When this happens in our kitchen, we freeze the rest and have one tablespoon dollops ready for the next recipe where it is needed. Here's how Penny does it.

She preps a quarter sheet pan by covering it in a double layer of parchment paper and readies a freezer bag to hold the final product.

She measures one tablespoon portions of the tomato paste using a small rubber spatula as her tool of choice and places them on the parchment.

We pop the sheet pan into the freezer until the tomato paste is frozen.

Finally, she snuggles the dollops closer together, wraps them with the parchment, and tucks the package into their freezer bag.

The next time we feel like a bit of Tikka, we'll pop out 2 tablespoons as we gather our mise en place.

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Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

November 30, 2016
What to do When the Recipe Calls for a Tablespoon of Tomato Paste

As a test run for my new Instant Pot, I decided to make this recipe from The Kitchn for Chicken Tikka Masala. Like many recipes that use tomato paste to add depth of flavor, it calls for 2 tablespoons out of the can.

When this happens in our kitchen, we freeze the rest and have one tablespoon dollops ready for the next recipe where it is needed. Here's how Penny does it.

She preps a quarter sheet pan by covering it in a double layer of parchment paper and readies a freezer bag to hold the final product.

She measures one tablespoon portions of the tomato paste using a small rubber spatula as her tool of choice and places them on the parchment.

We pop the sheet pan into the freezer until the tomato paste is frozen.

Finally, she snuggles the dollops closer together, wraps them with the parchment, and tucks the package into their freezer bag.

The next time we feel like a bit of Tikka, we'll pop out 2 tablespoons as we gather our mise en place.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

November 30, 2016
It’s Great to Have Pickled Red Onion on Hand. My Two-Ingredient Method and Tips for Enjoying Your Treasure

Pickling red onions began for me with a red onion that was too big for the recipe I was making. I looked at the half that was leftover, grabbed a mason jar to put it in the refrigerator, and remembered how many times I've tossed out half an onion after it sat for a week or more. Inspired by all my reading on fermentation and pickling, I decided to give that route a try.

I already had a knife in my hand and the onion on a cutting board. I chose to chop the onion, scoop it into a mason jar, and cover it with seasoned rice vinegar to turn that onion half into a super-quick super-easy pickle.

Most of the recipes I found online call for a pickling mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt. Those three things are already in the seasoned rice vinegar and since it's Ed's favorite acidic component for salads, I always have it on hand.

The next day, when making tuna salad for lunch, I tossed in some of the onions, cut back on the lemon I was adding for acidity, and loved the result.

In fact, I loved the onion's zesty flavor so much that I topped my serving with an extra spoonful.

A Few Suggested Uses

It is more common to see pickled onions cut into thin slices. You can certainly do that and chop them later if you want to use them mixed into a dish the way I did. Or you can put them on a cheese and salumi tray, sprinkle them on top of tacos, add them to a condiment selection, tuck them into a sandwich, add zest to a burger or brat, or sprinkle them over the sour cream on your baked potato.

Season As You Wish

I made my pickled red onion the quickest way possible. You can add your own touch to your version. You could make a classic hot pickling brine to make a pickle that will last a bit longer. (I like the recipe in My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own – by Alice Waters. Here's a fairly close adaptation of that recipe.) You can also add seasoning to the pickle. Consider peppercorns, garlic, herbs, or spices.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Do You Have a Signature Dish that You Bring to Food Gatherings?

Thanks to Friends Who Make Marmalade and Share!

November 9, 2016
It’s Great to Have Pickled Red Onion on Hand. My Two-Ingredient Method and Tips for Enjoying Your Treasure

Pickling red onions began for me with a red onion that was too big for the recipe I was making. I looked at the half that was leftover, grabbed a mason jar to put it in the refrigerator, and remembered how many times I've tossed out half an onion after it sat for a week or more. Inspired by all my reading on fermentation and pickling, I decided to give that route a try.

I already had a knife in my hand and the onion on a cutting board. I chose to chop the onion, scoop it into a mason jar, and cover it with seasoned rice vinegar to turn that onion half into a super-quick super-easy pickle.

Most of the recipes I found online call for a pickling mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt. Those three things are already in the seasoned rice vinegar and since it's Ed's favorite acidic component for salads, I always have it on hand.

The next day, when making tuna salad for lunch, I tossed in some of the onions, cut back on the lemon I was adding for acidity, and loved the result.

In fact, I loved the onion's zesty flavor so much that I topped my serving with an extra spoonful.

A Few Suggested Uses

It is more common to see pickled onions cut into thin slices. You can certainly do that and chop them later if you want to use them mixed into a dish the way I did. Or you can put them on a cheese and salumi tray, sprinkle them on top of tacos, add them to a condiment selection, tuck them into a sandwich, add zest to a burger or brat, or sprinkle them over the sour cream on your baked potato.

Season As You Wish

I made my pickled red onion the quickest way possible. You can add your own touch to your version. You could make a classic hot pickling brine to make a pickle that will last a bit longer. (I like the recipe in My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own – by Alice Waters. Here's a fairly close adaptation of that recipe.) You can also add seasoning to the pickle. Consider peppercorns, garlic, herbs, or spices.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Do You Have a Signature Dish that You Bring to Food Gatherings?

Thanks to Friends Who Make Marmalade and Share!

November 9, 2016
Some Ways to Use Caponata

If after our post 'Tis The Season to Make Caponata you made a batch, here are some ideas on how you can turn this pantry item into a meal, a course in a menu, or a snack.

Caponata makes a wonderful opening bite served on bruschetta. Pack it in a mason jar alongside a package of toast and it’s a perfect addition to a picnic or potluck. Guests can spoon out as much or as little as they like. It is a perfect addition to an antipasto tray.

One more choice you have when making this dish is how fine or coarse you chop the ingredients and how long you cook them. Finely cut it can be added to a sandwich as a relish. A chunkier version makes a great side dish. You can also chop the finished product for a specific dish if you want smaller bits.

You can turn caponata into a meal by topping a serving with eggs. You can stuff an omelet, place a poached egg on a bed of caponata, or serve it on toast with hard boiled egg slices.

In the photo above, I cooked up rice and ground turkey then mixed in a good helping of finely chopped caponata as the seasoning for a mixture. I stuffed this into small yummy peppers and baked. They were little bites that we enjoyed for dinner, but they would also be great appetizers.

It can turn a starch base like pasta, rice, or a potato into a meal by mixing it in or topping it with the relish. Top with parmesan or romano cheese, shaved with your trusty vegetable peeler, and you have a luscious plate.

More Riffs on the Caponata Theme

For a great entrée, try mixing it with a good canned tuna in olive oil, or serving on top of a piece of grilled meat or fish.

Caponata gets along well with cheese, so consider a grilled cheese sandwich with the caponata in the sandwich or beside it. You can also add it to a cheese plate.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino (Adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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September 21, 2016
Some Ways to Use Caponata

If after our post 'Tis The Season to Make Caponata you made a batch, here are some ideas on how you can turn this pantry item into a meal, a course in a menu, or a snack.

Caponata makes a wonderful opening bite served on bruschetta. Pack it in a mason jar alongside a package of toast and it’s a perfect addition to a picnic or potluck. Guests can spoon out as much or as little as they like. It is a perfect addition to an antipasto tray.

One more choice you have when making this dish is how fine or coarse you chop the ingredients and how long you cook them. Finely cut it can be added to a sandwich as a relish. A chunkier version makes a great side dish. You can also chop the finished product for a specific dish if you want smaller bits.

You can turn caponata into a meal by topping a serving with eggs. You can stuff an omelet, place a poached egg on a bed of caponata, or serve it on toast with hard boiled egg slices.

In the photo above, I cooked up rice and ground turkey then mixed in a good helping of finely chopped caponata as the seasoning for a mixture. I stuffed this into small yummy peppers and baked. They were little bites that we enjoyed for dinner, but they would also be great appetizers.

It can turn a starch base like pasta, rice, or a potato into a meal by mixing it in or topping it with the relish. Top with parmesan or romano cheese, shaved with your trusty vegetable peeler, and you have a luscious plate.

More Riffs on the Caponata Theme

For a great entrée, try mixing it with a good canned tuna in olive oil, or serving on top of a piece of grilled meat or fish.

Caponata gets along well with cheese, so consider a grilled cheese sandwich with the caponata in the sandwich or beside it. You can also add it to a cheese plate.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino (Adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Simple Spring Supper: Asparagus & Eggs

Healthy Alternatives for July 4th Cookouts, Pot Lucks, or Picnics

September 21, 2016
Clean Out That Honey Jar by Making Honey Simple Syrup

When you use fresh, local, minimally processed honey, you learn to live with crystallization.

As you come to the end of a honey jar, you don't want to waste a single dab of that natural goodness. My solution is to make a honey simple syrup right in that jar with honey crystals clinging to the sides.

Clearly the larger jar in the rear (above) is not ready for cleaning out. But the smaller jar in the front had lots of honey clinging to its interior before I added a bit of hot water and swished it around.

Safety Note: Be Careful Not to Burn Yourself! The water does not have to be extremely hot to melt the honey. Still I recommend using a pot holder to swish the water around in the jar and I do my dissolving step over the sink, just in case the cover is not on tightly enough.

Now when I want a bit of sweet in my ice tea, I'll just pour in a touch of honey simple syrup from the jar in the refrigerator. (Once you add water to honey, you should refrigerate it.)

Naturally you can make a bigger batch of honey simple syrup to have on hand for the summer drink season or to add a new dimension to your cocktail recipes.

Most recipes from around the Internet are similar to this one from Honey.com.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny Cherubino

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June 22, 2016
Want to Start Cooking? Make Soup!

Last winter, one of the staff people in our building said to me, “I would give anything for one more bowl of my Mother’s chicken soup.” Homemade soup is a food we associate with family, tradition, and perhaps good memories. Every so often, I make a batch of the clam chowder that was served at Rhode Island shore dinner halls in years past. It reminds me of fun times with my extended family.

("Rocky Point Clam Chowder" does have tomato and is thickened with crushed oyster crackers. You'll find a recipe here.)

Soup Is Forgiving

For those new to cooking at home, soup is a great place to start. In his book Ruhlman's Twenty, Michael Ruhlman quotes food writer Ruth Reichl who said, "If you've got chicken stock, you’ve got a meal.” (Among the recipes included in his twenty techniques are a few for soups.)

What's more, it doesn’t have to be chicken stock. You can make soup with water or make your own stock from what you have on hand. Some cooks even freeze their peelings and vegetable scraps until they have enough to make a vegan soup stock.

(Ed wrote about this cabbage and kielbasa soup here. It's one of our favorites. It's my quick way to enjoy the flavors of stuffed cabbage and kielbasa with a lot less work.)

Unlike fussy preparations, soup is very forgiving. If you don’t have one ingredient, you can usually substitute another. Soup cooks over low heat so it’s not likely to burn or scorch. And, it’s a great way to learn how to adjust the flavor of a dish.

If you think your cabbage soup is flat tasting, ladle some into a small bowl and add a dash of vinegar to see if it helps. If you like the result, you can add some vinegar to the whole pot. The same can be done with herbs, spices, salt, and pepper.

If you need a formula as a starting place for soup, I recommend Pam Anderson’s book, How to Cook Without A Book. She leads her chapter on soup with this rhyme, “Sauté an onion, then add vegetables, starch, and meat. Cook it in a quart of broth for a meal that can't be beat.” Then, she goes on to teach the reader to improvise around that theme.

(This roasted squash soup was made from leftovers and did not have meat added to it.)

And, even the meat is optional. Anderson starts with a recipe for pureed vegetable soup and tells readers how to prepare variations with broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and squash.

Most of the cookbooks on your shelf will have a few recipes for soup. I Googled "soup recipes" as I wrote this and the result was, "About 18,400,000 results (0.30 seconds)."

However, recipes for soup can be used as simple inspiration or as a jumping off point. Take a look around your kitchen and see what you have on hand. Make a soup that is your own or, as in the case of the cabbage and kielbasa soup, make a soup version of a favorite dish for the flavor with a lot less work.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino, adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns
Photos: ©2011-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

A Thoughtful and Informative Essay on Clam Chowder from Jane Lear

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A simple mushroom and tarragon soup recipe

January 13, 2016
Want to Start Cooking? Make Soup!

Last winter, one of the staff people in our building said to me, “I would give anything for one more bowl of my Mother’s chicken soup.” Homemade soup is a food we associate with family, tradition, and perhaps good memories. Every so often, I make a batch of the clam chowder that was served at Rhode Island shore dinner halls in years past. It reminds me of fun times with my extended family.

("Rocky Point Clam Chowder" does have tomato and is thickened with crushed oyster crackers. You'll find a recipe here.)

Soup Is Forgiving

For those new to cooking at home, soup is a great place to start. In his book Ruhlman's Twenty, Michael Ruhlman quotes food writer Ruth Reichl who said, "If you've got chicken stock, you’ve got a meal.” (Among the recipes included in his twenty techniques are a few for soups.)

What's more, it doesn’t have to be chicken stock. You can make soup with water or make your own stock from what you have on hand. Some cooks even freeze their peelings and vegetable scraps until they have enough to make a vegan soup stock.

(Ed wrote about this cabbage and kielbasa soup here. It's one of our favorites. It's my quick way to enjoy the flavors of stuffed cabbage and kielbasa with a lot less work.)

Unlike fussy preparations, soup is very forgiving. If you don’t have one ingredient, you can usually substitute another. Soup cooks over low heat so it’s not likely to burn or scorch. And, it’s a great way to learn how to adjust the flavor of a dish.

If you think your cabbage soup is flat tasting, ladle some into a small bowl and add a dash of vinegar to see if it helps. If you like the result, you can add some vinegar to the whole pot. The same can be done with herbs, spices, salt, and pepper.

If you need a formula as a starting place for soup, I recommend Pam Anderson’s book, How to Cook Without A Book. She leads her chapter on soup with this rhyme, “Sauté an onion, then add vegetables, starch, and meat. Cook it in a quart of broth for a meal that can't be beat.” Then, she goes on to teach the reader to improvise around that theme.

(This roasted squash soup was made from leftovers and did not have meat added to it.)

And, even the meat is optional. Anderson starts with a recipe for pureed vegetable soup and tells readers how to prepare variations with broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and squash.

Most of the cookbooks on your shelf will have a few recipes for soup. I Googled "soup recipes" as I wrote this and the result was, "About 18,400,000 results (0.30 seconds)."

However, recipes for soup can be used as simple inspiration or as a jumping off point. Take a look around your kitchen and see what you have on hand. Make a soup that is your own or, as in the case of the cabbage and kielbasa soup, make a soup version of a favorite dish for the flavor with a lot less work.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino, adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns
Photos: ©2011-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

A Thoughtful and Informative Essay on Clam Chowder from Jane Lear

A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links

A simple mushroom and tarragon soup recipe

January 13, 2016