Umami

  Noodles with Shrimp and Chicken

 6 cups water
 1 cup soy sauce
 1 cup sake
 1/2 mirin, sweet sherry, or sweet vermouth
 12-16 oz.  soba noodles
 1 cup spinach, chopped
 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
 12 -15 deveined, shelled shrimp
 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
 3 T fresh lemon juice
 2 T asian sesame oil

• In a large pot, combine the water, soy sauce, mirin and the sake and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes
• Cook noodles separately
• Add chicken, shrimp, onions and spinach to broth and simmer for 10 minutes or so
• Take off the heat and add the lemon juice and sesame oil
• Udon noodles would be good.  Use cheap sake.  I use reduced sodium soy sauce. Try frozen peas, thinly sliced mushrooms, snow peas, and/or...

Four Ingredient Heaven

    Parmigiano-Regianno Potatoes

    2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, sliced very thin
    1/3 cup butter, melted
    2 cups packed, grated parmigiano-regianno
    2 cups whole milk

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Butter 13x9x2 glass or ceramic baking dish
• Layer a 3rd of the potatoes in the dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with a 3rd of the butter and then a 3rd of the cheese
• Repeat
• Pour milk evenly over
• Layer the final 3rd of the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining butter and the the rest of the cheese
• Bake 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before digging in
• The potatoes have to be sliced as thin as you can manage. I use a mandoline. A spoon works well for drizzling the butter.  If the potatoes start to darken too much, cover with foil.  I like them dark...

Soup Divine

Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2 T butter
1 1/2 cups of chopped leeks or onions
1 lb carrots, chopped coarsely
3/4 lb parsnips, peeled and chopped coarsely
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 T curry powder
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

• In a soup pot melt the butter, add the leeks and saute until soft
• Add the carrots and parsnips and cook for several minutes
• Add the curry and broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
• Cool slightly and puree
• Add cream and reheat
• This soup only improves with age.

Fall Food

Minestrone

1/2 cup olive oil
3 T butter
1 thinly sliced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups  diced green beans
3 cups shredded cabbage
3 oz. tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
parmesean cheese crusts
1/2 cup grated parmagiano-reggiano

•  In a large stock pot, cook the onion in the oil and butter about 5 minutes. Add each of the vegetables separately, cooking each 3 or 4 minutes before adding the next.
• Add the tomato paste, stirring until thoroughly mixed into the vegetables.
• Add tomatoes,broth and cheese crusts, bring to a boil, reduce to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 3 hours.
• Add the cheese.

I use beef broth and add a couple of bouillon cubes, either beef or chicken for added flavor. Or you could make your broth from bouillon. Or you could use vegetable broth.  If you don't make the effort to find the cheese crusts your soup will be very dull because it not only helps to thicken the soup slightly but adds amazing flavor. The crusts are the spice.  So you either save them up from your cheese consumption or you ask the cheese people at whatever store you frequent to give or sell you some. I add 3 crusts from the average sized parm chunks one usually buys. A great addition would be canned beans like cannellini, kidney, pinto or chickpeas.  This makes a huge amount which will feed the masses or 2 or 3 people for a week.

Yummy Factor

  Creamy Sausage Pasta

3 T olive oil
small onion, chopped
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup dry white wine
pinch of fennel seeds, chopped or ground
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt
1 lb. rigatoni
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Cook onion in the oil in a large skillet for 4 or 5 minutes. 

• Add the sausage, breaking it up (a large fork works).  Let it brown. Doesn't have to be completely cooked through.

• Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the fennel and cream and simmer for 20 minutes or so.  The sause should thicken.
• Add the cheese. 
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss thoroughly.
• Sometimes I use hot Italian sausage. If I have it I might add fresh basil leaves.  Real Parmigiano-Reggiano is very expensive but so worth it and this dish clamors for it.

Smell This!

Banana Chocolate Pecan Cake

2 1/2 c flour

1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 T melted and cooled
1 c sugar, divided
2  eggs
1 1/4 c mashed very ripe bananas, about 3
2/3 c plain whole-milk yogurt
1 t vanilla
1(3 1/2 to 4 oz) bar of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c pecans, toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
1/2 t cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9" square cake pan
• Mix together flour, baking soda and salt 
• Beat together the stick of butter and 3/4 c sugar until light and fluffy and then add the eggs to blend. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (will look curdled).
• Add flour mixture, mixing until just blended.
• Mix together the 2 T of butter, nuts, chocolate, cinnamon and remaining 1/4 c sugar.  Spread half of batter in pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture.  Spread the remaining batter over that and sprinkle with remaining chocolate mixture.
• Bake until cake is golden and a wooden tooth pick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.  

I've used creme fraiche or sour cream instead of the yogurt, chocolate chips instead of the chocolate bar and if you prefer walnuts (can't imagine it) to pecans use them instead.  This cake seems to improve with time if covered or kept air tight.  So buy more bananas than you can eat...