French Onion Soup

French onion soup can be either really great or really not so great and it all depends on the quality of ingredients. Imagine how hollow it could be if the stock was made from a bullion cube, the bread was a slice of HFCS laden supermarket “French bread” and the whole thing was topped with a waxy, mass-produced domestic “Swiss” cheese (I’m going to sound like a total cheese snob here, but there are hundreds of different types of cheese that come from Switzerland. There is not just one “Swiss Cheese”. There. I said it.), rather than an authentic Gruyere? The soup would be thin and over-salted, the bread would turn to an algae-like substance and the cheese would form a tough skin when broiled, rather than melting and mingling.

Fortunately, it’s not prohibitively expensive or difficult to find quality ingredients for French Onion soup, and it makes a world of difference in the end result.

This recipe calls for homemade beef stock, a good baguette with a thick crisp crust and open crumb, and a good authentic Gruyere cheese. If you live in an area with good artisan cheese makers, you may be able to find an local equivalent to Gruyere, but be sure to test it out first to see if it works. Sometimes cheeses can become stringy when added to soup and that makes for a less appetizing appearance and texture.

To get a light essence of garlic into the soup, burnish the bowl and toast with a halved piece of garlic. This combined with dry white wine, good cheese and French bread makes this soup reminiscent of a good fondue.

French Onion Soup – Serves 2

3 yellow onions, quartered and sliced
2 T butter
1 dash of salt (or 3 grinds from salt grinder)
1 t brown sugar
1 T flour
1/2 C dry white wine
4 C beef stock
2 – 4 thick (1/2 – 1 inch) slices of French bread
1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
4-6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Melt butter in a large stockpot. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat until creamy and softened, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar and continue cooking until golden brown, 20 more minutes on medium-low. Stir in flour, being sure to evenly coat the onions and cook 10 minutes, still on medium-low heat.

Increase heat to medium-high and add wine. Stir to blend the wine with the onion and flour paste, scraping up the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Stir in beef stock and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Occasionally skim any foam from the top and stir.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toast the pieces of bread – depending on the thickness of the baguette, you may need two toasts per bowl. Rub the toasts and oven-proof soup crocks with raw garlic.

Divide the finished soup into two crocks, float toast on top and cover with grated Gruyere. Place soup crocks in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese reaches desired level of meltiness. This could range from just bubbling to browned.

Northern Shrimp Newburg

Madeira loves Crustaceans. Oh yes. They go way back. Madeira is what brings that aromatic sweetness to Lobster bisque and Lobster Newburg.

This dish is inspired by Lobster Newburg. We used 5 lbs of freshly caught Northern Shrimp from our fish share. Feel free to substitute the shrimp for lobster, but the little red guys work just as well and have a more tender texture to boot.

Northern Shrimp Newburg – serves 4 – 6

2 shallots, diced
2 T butter
1/2 C Madeira wine
4 – 5 C Northern Shrimp, peeled with heads and tails removed
2 T flour
3/4 C light cream

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauté pan or deep skillet. Add shallots and soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in Madeira, increase heat to medium high and add shrimp. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and, using a ladle, transfer liquid to a 2 quart saucepan. Simmer over medium high heat to reduce, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in flour one tablespoon at a time and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in cream and whisk until well incorporated.

Combine sauce with shrimp, gently stirring to incorporate any additional liquid.

Serve piping hot over egg noodles, rice or with a good crusty French bread.

Ingredient origins: (Oh, farmers markets, how I miss thee!) Shallots – California, Butter – Maine; Madiera wine – California; Northern Shrimp – the waters just outside our door; Flour – Vermont; Light Cream – Massachusetts

Sage Brined Poached Chicken Breast

While boneless skinless chicken breast can sometimes be dull and dry, this recipe is not. Brining meat helps to soften the muscle tissue and leads to a more tender and moist texture.

As the chicken soaks in brine, the dried sage reconstitutes, infusing the water and lending a subtle flavor to the chicken. The olive oil also imparts its flavor on the chicken, in addition to keeping the meat from drying out as it cooks. Meanwhile, the salt remaining on the meat from the brine seasons the cooking liquid.

Sage Brined Chicken Breast – serves 2 – 4

2 – 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 C water
1/4 C fine sea salt
2 T dried sage
1/2 C chicken stock
1/4 C olive oil

In a small mixing bowl (or the marinating dish you’re about to use – it’s your kitchen, not mine), dissolve the salt in the and water and stir in thyme. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts in a shallow baking dish and pour the brine over the chicken. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oil and stock in a deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from brine and place directly into pan (normally I’d say rinse it off first, but in this case, the brined meat is being cooked in a liquid, so the salt will dissolve as it cooks and saves you seasoning it later). Cover and poach for 5 minutes. Flip the meat, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook an additional few minutes until the temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Serve with vegetables and a nice whole grain like brown rice or quinoa (which technically isn’t a whole grain, just FYI). Drizzle with the juices and olive oil from the pan.

Ingredient Origins: Chicken – New Jersey; Sea Salt – Maine; Sage – Unknown; Chicken Stock – Colorado; Olive Oil – Italy

Classic Beef Stew with Dumplings

This type of meat stew washed up on the New England shores with the colonists. If the Puritans hadn’t already been making it in England, they likely learned it from the Dutch (the Puritans who eventually landed in New England originally fled to the Netherlands before leaving for America).

On a trip to the Netherlands a few years ago, I was invited to dinner at the home of a local family. The meal was described as “truly Dutch”. It was a beef stew that was almost identical to what I’d been raised on in New England.

Great for warming up a house on a dark winter day, hearty and nutritious, beef stew is the original stick-to-your-ribs meal. I like mine with dumplings. It’s like having fresh baked bread on top of your stew.

Classic Beef Stew with Dumplings – serves 4-6

1 1/2 lb beef (any stew cut) cubed
1/4 C flour
1 t salt
2 T canola oil
15 pearl onions
15 small to medium mushrooms
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 T chopped scallion
2 T chopped sage
1 quart vegetable or beef stock
1 C flour
1 T canola oil
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t sugar
3/4 C light cream or half and half

Start by peeling the onions. To do so blanch them in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut off the root and make a slight knotch in the skin (a paring knife works well for this). Pinch the opposite end. The onion should easily slip from the skin. Remove any remaining long strands or dark spots.

Toss the beef with salt and the 1/4 C flour. Heat canola oil in cast iron dutch oven (or oven-proof stockpot) over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sear on all sides. Reduce heat to low and pour one cup of stock over the beef and stir to break up any bits stuck to the pan. Add the vegetables, scallion, sage and the rest of the stock. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1/2 hour.

Move to a 325 degree oven and braise uncovered for 2. 5 hours, stirring occasionally. (I use the oven for this rather than the range because the stew cooks more evenly and there’s less risk of burning the bottom.)

Make the dumpling batter by combining the 1 C flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir in the cream and oil.

Using a greased tablespoon, scoop dumpling batter into the stew. Cover and return to the oven for 10 minutes to allow the dumplings to brown. Remove cover, move the rack closer to the top of the oven, increase heat to 450 degrees and cook for another 15 minute. This will lightly brown the dumplings.

Serve hot with a good glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ingredient Origins: Organic grassfed beef – Maine; Flour – Vermont, Organic pearl onions and carrots – California; Parsnips – New Hampshire; Scallion – my own kitchen; Sage – Massachuestts, Cream – Massachusetts

Harissa-Spiced Turkey Bake

As much as I love Thanksgiving and absolutely savor the leftovers, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Last night we finally polished off the last of the stuffing and cranberry sauce, but we still had about four cups of dark meat left and I try not keep cooked poultry for more than a few days. I’d thought of making a tetrazzini, but it seems a little heavy and besides, we felt like a change in flavor profile.

This dish is like a cross between a moussaka and a tagine. It’s a good way to finish that last bit of Thanksgiving turkey, when you’ve had enough of the traditional (but lovely!) Thanksgiving leftovers.

Harissa-Spiced Turkey Bake – serves 4

1 T butter + 1 T melted butter
1 onion, chopped
4 C dark turkey meat, any cartilage and bones removed
2 T leftover gravy (optional – it works as a binder, but is fine without it)
2 medium or 3 small tomatoes, diced
1 – 2 T harissa (depending on your preference for spice)
1 T honey
1/2 t nutmeg
1 T chopped scallions
10 black mission olives
2 large boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced in to thin rounds
Paprika

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add onions and saute until softened and lightly browned – about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, onions, gravy, tomatoes, harissa, honey, nutmeg, scallions, and olives and toss well with a large spoon.

Grease the bottom of a large baking dish. Line the bottom of the dish with half of the potato slices. Cover with the turkey mixture. Arrange the rest of the potato slices on top.

Brush potatoes with melted butter and dust lightly with paprika.

Bake for in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, then move it up a rack and bake for the final 20 minutes. This is to allow the potatoes to brown and form a crust.

Ingredient Origins: Turkey – Vermont; Organic potatoes, tomatoes, onion, honey – Massachusetts; Organic scallions – my kitchen; Harissa – Morocco; Olives – California, Nutmeg – Indonesia; Paprika – Spain.