Brodo

This is the Brodo mentioned in the corn and pancetta risotto, both recipes from Salt to Taste by Marco Canora with Catherine Young.

I've never made this, but I'm not the boss of your kitchen, and it's technically part of the risotto recipe. All that follows is the Brodo recipe as written by the authors.

Author's Note:
Brodo is not stock, but broth. Stock is made from simmering bones and broth is made from simmering meat. The practical difference is that stock contains more gelatin and is therefore an easier starting place for sauces. Because broths are made with whole pieces of meat and poultry rather than bones, they usually have deeper, more complex flavor. Broths also tend to be less cloudy - the protein in the meats in the pot acts as a filter that clarifies the broth as it simmers, leaving you with a beautifully clear liquid.

Brodo is easy to make with ingredients from the supermarket. Start with a chicken. Put it whole in the pot, then add 2 pounds of beef stew meat on the bone and a turkey drumstick (or two wings). Cover the meat by about 4 inches with water (you'll need about 7 quarts in all) and bring it to a boil over high heat.

As soon as the broth boils, begin to "clarify" it, lowering the heat to medium and pilling the pot to one side of the burner so it's partially off the burner. This forces the broth to boil in an oval circuit from top to bottom, circulating all the liquid over and around the meat. As the broth circulates, the fat and other impurities in the broth float to the surface. What will you see when you look into the pot? The broth will bubble along one side of the pot. The rest of the surface will look active but not be bubbling. Fat and scum will rise with the bubbles and settle on top.

Skim every 5 minutes or so. Be finicky about how you do this. Dip the ladle into the broth near the center of the pot just deep enough to barely submerge the front edge. Then keep it still. A thin stream of fat and foamy broth will be drawn into the ladle. Do this a couple times, then wait another 5 minutes and do it again, continuing until the brodo looks clear, about half an hour.

Once the broth is clear, add aromatic vegetables. Chop and then add 2 onions, 1/2 bunch of celery, and 3 carrots. Add a 12-oz can of tomatoes, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, and 1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley and simmer the broth until it's flavorful, about 2 hours.

Strain the broth; discard the vegetables but not the meat. (In my mind brodo is forever linked with polpettone, the fried morsels of minced meat that, in my family, give a second life to the chicken, beef, and turkey used in the broth.) You'll wind up with 3.5 quarts of broth that can be refrigerated or frozen.

Chard Soup with Cumin, Cilantro, and Lime

This is from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy. Smaller, tender chard leaves are best (says Madison), but I used giant ones and it was still delicious. Don't worry about chopping too precisely during prep, because this is all going into a blender when it's done.

8 cups packed trimmed chard leaves (about 1 pound or 20 leaves)
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 small potato (about 4 ounces), scrubbed and sliced
1 carrot, scrubbed and sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Finely cut cilantro stems and leaves to make 1 cup
Sea salt
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
Freshly ground pepper
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

Rinse the chard, chop it coarsely, and set aside in a colander to drain.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, potato, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, smashing it into the vegetables, and then add the cumin, coriander, cilantro, and chard leaves. Sprinkle over 1.5 teaspoons salt, cover the pan, and allow the leaves to cook down substantially before adding 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover partially, until the potato has softened.

Cool slightly, then add the sour cream and puree in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot over gentle heat. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and stir in the lime zest and juice. Ladle into bowls and serve.

With Texture: Add cooked rice, crisped coarse bread crumbs, or skinny tortilla strips to each serving.
With Other Greens: In spring and early summer, include other greens, such as tender sorrel leaves, wild nettles, lovage leaves, lamb's-quarters, and so on.

Corn Griddle Cakes

This is a recipe from Cucina Viansa, which is a collection of recipes from the Viansa Winery in California. The cakes are mostly polenta with corn kernels. They weren't what I expected, but they were so good that I had to move the plate with the finished cakes away from the stove so I would stop eating them while I was cooking.

Note: They are not kidding about the nonstick pan. I started with a metal pan and had to switch because I couldn't get the cakes off without destroying them.

3 cups milk
1 cup polenta or corn meal
3 cups fresh yellow corn kernels (about 4 medium ears)
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons fresh baking powder
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 egg whites
Olive oil

Warm the milk in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and slowly drizzle in the polenta, stirring to incorporate. Cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring constantly, just until the milk is absorbed. Transfer polenta to a large bowl and cool for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, plunge corn kernels into boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes and drain.

Add the flour, baking powder, basil, green onions, salt, pepper, and blanched corn to the cooked polenta and mix together thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites into firm peaks and fold gently into the corn mixture.

Heat a large non-stick saute pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Pour about 3 tablespoons of corn mixture into pan, forming a small cake about 3 inches across. Cook about 1 minut, until the underside is golden brown. Turn and brown the second side. Brush more oil on pan if needed. Transfer the cooked corn cakes onto paper towels, and reheat in a warm oven if necessary.

Mama Chang's Hot and Sour Soup

This is Joanne Chang's recipe from Flour, Too, and it makes me want to see the rest of her recipes. It's easy, fast, and delicious. I've never had hot and sour soup that I liked before this, although I tried to like it several times. This recipe is a keeper, though.

Chang writes that she wrote the recipe with button mushrooms because they are easy to find, but suggests using wood ear mushrooms if you can get them. I will further suggest that if you use wood ear mushrooms, buy them dried and rehydrate them instead of using fresh ones. I have only used button mushrooms in this recipe, but I did once use fresh wood ears in a different soup recipe and they were very slimy the next day. I ended up removing them before eating the rest of the soup.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, white and green parts, minced, plus 2 tablespoons chopped for garnish
8 ounces ground pork
4 cups chicken stock
One 1-pound block soft or firm tofu (not silken and not extra-firm), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 or 5 medium button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil, plus 2 teaspoons for garnish
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
2 large eggs
White pepper for garnish

In the saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and ground pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Break up the pork into smaller pieces but don't worry about breaking it down completely. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.

Add the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, sesame oil, and Sriracha sauce and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat. (Taste the soup. If you want it hotter, add more Sriracha sauce; if you want it more sour, add more vinegar.)

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. With the soup at a steady simmer, slowly whisk in the eggs so they form strands. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Divide the soup among four bowls and garnish each with a little sesame oil, scallion, and white pepper. Serve immediately. The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Sauage and White Bean Gratin

This gratin is very nearly one-dish, very good, and very easy. This is from Kathy Brennan's and Caroline Campion's Keepers.

2/3 cup panko or regular dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
1 scant tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 scant teaspoon dried
1/2 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Two 15.5-oz cans white beans, such as cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed
Pepper
4 large handfuls of baby spinach (optional)

Preheat oven to 425, with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, combine panko and butter, season with salt and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the sausages and cook, stirring often and breaking up the meat, until browned, about 4 minutes. Leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible, transfer the sausage to a medium bowl and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and thyme and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the wine and briskly simmer, scraping up any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a simmer, then add the beans, cooked sausage, and any juices. Season with salt and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through and some of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be wet, but not drowning in liquid. Off the heat, stir in spinach (if using). Check the seasonings, then transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking or gratin dish.

Top evenly with the panko mixture and bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

This came from Cook's Country Best-Ever Recipes. It isn't the simplest recipe but it isn't that difficult and wow did we all love it.

We made a half recipe since there were just three of us, set the finished baking sheet on the table and, in time-honored asparagus eating style, plucked stalks to eat with our fingers during the meal.

The only adjustment we made was to ignore the note that thicker asparagus is better. We like thin and thin worked just fine in this recipe.

In an effort to not retype the entire thing, I picked up the rendition below from The Girl Who Ate Everything where you may see her photos of the different steps.


Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

2 pounds (1/2-inch-thick) asparagus, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
pinch cayenne
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon honey

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Using fork, poke holes up and down stalks of asparagus. Toss asparagus with ½ teaspoon salt and let stand for 30 minutes on a paper towel–lined baking sheet.
2. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Transfer half of bread-crumb mixture to shallow dish and reserve remaining mixture. Dividing the crumbs for two phases of dipping eliminates the problem of a soggy coating.
3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and honey on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Scrape into 13 by 9-inch baking dish and toss asparagus in mixture.
5. Working 1 spear at a time, dredge half of asparagus in bread crumbs and transfer to baking sheet. Refill shallow dish with reserved bread-crumb mixture and repeat with remaining half of asparagus.
6. Bake asparagus until just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown, 4 to 8 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve.

Notes
This works best with thicker asparagus. If using thinner asparagus, adjust your baking times.

Beef Meatballs with Orecchiette, Kale and Pine Nuts

This is from Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking, one of Rose's favorite cookbooks. She made it for dinner last night and it was simply fabulous. The only flaw was that the meatballs were unexpectedly delicate and fell apart some when she tossed them with the pasta. However, that was a small thing overall.

Also, anyone who says that a pound of pasta serves 4 people is feeding giants. This feeds 8 people or 4 who want a second meal or leftovers.

I picked up the recipe transcription from Savoury Image where you can see a photo of this delicious meal.

Beef Meatballs with Orecchiette, Kale and Pine Nuts

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried orecchiette pasta
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
8 oz. kale, shredded
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

For the meatballs:

1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 tsp. dried chili flakes
1 lb. ground beef
2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3-4 tbsp. milk

Directions:

First prepare the meatballs. Saute the onion and garlic with salt and pepper to taste in a hot oiled frying pan for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly coloured, adding the chili flakes after a minute or two. Place the beef in a large bowl and add salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl and moisten with milk. Add salt and pepper, then stir the breadcrumbs and onion mixture into the beef and combine well. With wet hands, shape the beef mixture into small balls about ¾ inch wide. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes until firm.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a little olive oil. Brown the meatballs for 6 minutes until coloured on all sides. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until tender, then add the kale and season with salt and pepper. Sweat the kale over medium heat for 5 minutes with a couple of tablespoons of cooking water form the pasta. Taste to adjust the seasoning as necessary, then stir in the pine nuts.

Drain the pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan with the meatballs and stir over medium heat until well mixed. Add a good handful of finely grated Parmesan cheese and mix well with a little cooking water to help coat the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Serve garnished with another grating of Parmesan.

Oaxacan Black Bean Soup

This is another easy, delicious recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. Even my husband liked this, and he's not a bean soup lover.

I didn't add the shrimp because I couldn't wrap my mental taste palate around them in black bean soup. Also I was just throwing this together and didn't have any. We didn't miss them but I might try them next time.


Oaxacan Black Bean Soup
Makes 7 cups, serving 6

• 12 ounces (about 2 cups) black beans, picked over
• 4 avocado leaves or 1 stalk fennel, roughly chopped (I used a bit of ground fennel seed)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) chorizo sausage, casing removed, crumbled
• 1 small white onion, diced
• Salt, about 1 teaspoon (I needed much more ... about a tablespoon)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 to 6 corn tortillas (preferably stale sort-bought ones), sliced into 1/8-inch wide strips, for garnish (Bayless says you can use broken, good quality chips instead of frying up the tortilla strips ... and I did. Delicious!)
• 8 ounces (about 12) medium-large shrimp, peeled (optional)
• 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or pressed, salted farmer's cheese

The beans
Place the beans in a medium-size (4-quart) pot, cover with 6 cups water, remove any beans that float and heat slowly to a simmer.

If using the avocado leaves, toast them briefly directly over a medium gas flame or on a hot griddle. Add the avocado leaves (or fennel), chorizo, and onion to the beans, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beans are fully tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If you see the beans peeking up through the liquid, add hot water to cover them by 1/2-inch.

Finishing the soup
Use an immersion blender to coarsely puree the soup, or puree in batches in a food processor or loosely covered blender. Return it to the pot. Add enough water to thin to a medium-thick consistency. Taste and season with salt.

Heat the oil in a medium size (8 to 9-inch) skillet over medium-high. When hot, add about 1/3 of the tortilla strips and fry, turning frequently, until they are crisp. Drain on paper towels. Fry the remaining strips in 2 batches.

Serving the soup
If using the shrimp, devein each one by making a shallow incision down the back, exposing the (usually) dark intestinal track; scrape it out. Heat the soup to a boil, add the shrimp and cook until just done, abut 2 minutes. Ladle into warm soup bowls, top with a few of the crisp tortilla strips and sprinkle with a little cheese.

Variation
Bayless has several variations including this one which I might try: leave out the avocado leaves and chorizo, using several chopped canned chipotles added with the dry beans.

Tacos of Tomatillo Chicken with Wilted Greens and Fresh Cheese

This is from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen which has some of the easiest authentic Mexican recipes ever. And the most delicious. We found this made a good one dish supper.

This looks much more difficult than it is. Just forge ahead and don't worry.

Tacos of Tomatillo Chicken with Wilted Greens and Fresh Cheese

For 1-1/4 cups Essential Simmered Tomatillo-Serrano Sauce

• 8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed.
• Fresh serrano chiles to taste. (roughly 2), stemmed
• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped 
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
• Salt, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, depending on the saltiness of the broth

--------------
Other Ingredients

• 12 corn tortillas (plus a few extra, in case some break)
• 2 cups firmly packed sliced chard leaves, lamb's quarters (quelites), sliced amaranth greens (quintoniles), purslane (verdolagas) or spinach (all pieces should be about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long. I used kale
• 1-1/3 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken (you'll need, for instance, 1 very large chicken breast for this amount; it's a good way to use up leftover chicken ... and if you don't have any see Poached Chicken recipe)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or pressed, salted farmer's cheese

To make sauce
Roast the tomatillos and peppers on a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil) 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened and soft on one side, 5-6 minutes, then turn them over and roast the other side. Transfer (including all juices) to a food processor or blender.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium, add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook 1 more minute, then scrape into the food processor or blender. Process to a medium-coarse puree.

Heat the remaining 1/2 T of oil in the skillet and set over medium-high. Add the puree all at once and stir for about 5 minutes, until noticeably darker and thick. Stir in the broth, partially cover and simmer over medium-low for 10 minutes. (The sauce will be a little soupy.) Stir in the cilantro and generously season with salt.

(You can make this a few days ahead and refrigerate until needed.)

Finishing the dish
Heat the tortillas. Bayless recommends steaming in a vegetable steamer, wrapped in a kitchen towel. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off and let stand without opening for 15 minutes. I just heat mine on the griddle, though to be fair they are made with a little flour in them to facilitate things like folding without breaking.

Bring the sauce to a boil and add the greens. When the mixture returns to a boil, stir in the cooked chicken, and simmer until the greens are done (chard 3-4 minutes; spinach about 2 minutes). I cooked the kale for about 8 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.

When you are ready to serve, make the tacos one at a time, spooning a portion of the filling into a warm tortilla, sprinkling the cheese, and folding it over.

Poached Chicken

From Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. This turned out some of the tenderest, juiciest chicken I've ever had. It's a great technique for a lightly flavored broth as well as chicken to use in various recipes.

Poached Chicken
Makes about 1-1/2 pounds poached chicken, about 3 cups shredded. 

1 medium white onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 good size (3 pound) chicken, cut into quarters (I used a 5 pound chicken, came out great with same timing)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram (didn't have it, didn't miss it)

In a large (6-quart) pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. (I used 10 cups because of the larger chicken.) Add onion, garlic, carrot, salt and chicken back (if you're lucky enough to have a separated one - I did because I cut up a whole chicken myself), neck, heart and giblets.

Skim off any foam that rises after a minute or two, partially cover and simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes.

Add dark meat quarters, skim again after a couple of minutes, then add bay and marjoram; partially cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add breast quarters, skim when the liquid returns to the simmer; partially cover and cook 13 minutes. Remove pot form heat and let chicken cool for a few minutes in the broth.

Remove breast and leg quarters from broth and set aside Strain broth, discarding solids and spoon off any fat that rises to the top. (Refrigerate broth covered, for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Wait until then to remove fat which will have solidified.)

When the chicken quarters are cool, pull meat off bones in coarse shreds. Meat will keep covered and refrigerated for several days or frozen for a few weeks.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Basically all of the articles I save on Facebook now are recipe posts from Food and Wine, which is where I found this amazing recipe. It's fast, delicious, and pretty cheap.

1 cup pecans

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried paprika

1 1/2 tsp salt

Cayenne

1 egg

2 tbsp water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs)

3 tbsp cooking oil

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp grainy or dijon mustard

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a food processor, pulse the pecans with the cornstarch, thyme, paprika, 1 1/4 tsp of the salt, 1/8 tsp cayenne until the nuts are chopped fine. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. Dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture and then into the nut mixture.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, parsley, a pinch of cayenne, and the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt. Serve the chicken with the mustard dipping sauce.

I think Mark put 2x-3x more mustard in than the recipe called for, but use your judgement.

Update: As a result of being very low on mayonnaise, I learned that I prefer this dipping sauce with 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 4-6 tablespoons mustard (a mix of grainy mustard and horseradish mustard), and some lemon juice.