Zuppa Toscana Copy Cat

On April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 By saltandflavorLeave a comment

I don’t know about you all, but I love a good soup when it’s raining and cold outside. Seattle has been having some amazing weather lately, but the rain came back so I just had to make soup. I thought of Zuppa Toscana because I received some kale in my CSA box this week and I love this Olive Garden soup. It’s just so tasty and cozy. I got the basic recipe from here: http://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298 and I’ve altered it throughout the years I’ve been making it. Here’s my take on this copy cat recipe!

Ingredients:

1lb Italian sausage (I use mild sausage, hot is more original to the restaurant taste)
3 large russet potates, skin on and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 strips of bacon, cut into small strips
4 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on your preference, I do 1/2 tsp though)
3 cups Kale, washed, taken off the stalks, and cut into ribbon like strips
32 oz chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 1/4 cup half and half

Remove the casings from the sausage and brown in a skillet or enamel dutch oven. Pull the sausage out once cooked through. Add in the onions and then toss in the sliced up bacon and cook until crispy. Then add in the potatoes (make sure to keep the skin on! It adds texture and flavor that this soup needs). Once your potatoes are in, put in the chicken broth, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and water and boil for about 30 mins until the potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are tender add in the kale, half and half. Simmer 15 mins until kale is tender as well and voila – you’re done! Serve with some crusty bread and you have a warm, hearty dinner.

Harissa Paste

On March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 By saltandflavorLeave a comment

Recently I’ve been cooking with more heat… not from the stove top, but heat as in spice! Now anyone who knows me well knows that spicy food was/slightly still is my nemesis. I’m a California girl who adores Mexican food but can’t put jalapeños on anything because they’re too spicy. What a shame, right? Anyway, back to harissa paste. This is a paste that’s typically used in Moroccan/Tunisian dishes. It’s spicy, herby, salty… all of the best things in life! I make shakshuka often (I’ll post that recipe soon) and I love to add a little harissa to the tomato sauce to add some heat and depth of flavor. I found the basic recipe here (http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-harissa-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-190188), which I’ve modified to what I like (below).

Let’s start with the chilies. I used 3oz ancho chilies and 1oz cascabel chilies (you could do 2oz and 2 oz but the cascabels are a little spicier, hence the lighter hand), which I got from the Mexican section of the grocery store by me, which always has the best prices on spices. I put those in a heat-proof bowl and got them softening up. This takes about 30 mins and once they’re done, they should look a little something like this:

After they’re done soaking, strain with a sieve but keep the chili water! You may need it later 🙂

While the chilies are soaking, take the following spices and toast them in a dry pan until fragrant, stirring often.

1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Once that’s done, put them in a mortar and pestle (or if you’re lazy like me, a coffee-grinder-turned-spice-grinder) and grind until a medium-fine dust. Once that’s done and your chilies are done soaking, put everything in a food processor and spin until smooth.

This sauce is good in shakshuka, with scrambled eggs, on pizza, in traditional Moroccan dishes… really with anything. This recipe makes about 1 cup, and you’ll want to seal it in an airtight container with a thin layer of olive oil on the top and put it in the fridge. It will keep about a month.

Harissa Paste
4 oz dried chilies (I use 3 oz ancho and 1 oz cascabel)
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for storing

Put dried chilies in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water, let sit 30 mins to soften. In the meantime toast the seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, stirring often. De-seed and de-stem the chilies after the 30 mins and add them with all of the other ingredients into a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste once it’s done and add anything you think would make it better, keeping in mind that the flavors will continue to deepen for about 2 days in the fridge. Transfer to airtight container and cover with a thin layer of olive oil and put on everything.

Mustard Rubbed Pork Roast

On March 31, 2016December 4, 2018 By saltandflavor1 Comment

Well, it’s taken me a while to get this post up despite making it the night I did my last blog post. Life got in the way, ya know? It can’t just be me that happens to. Anyway, I make this pork roast when I feel like doing something different with pork butt roasts than make pulled pork (which will be in a post soon, it’s easy and delicious!)

You start with a pork butt roast, mine was about 2-3 lbs (I get the pork loins at Costco and cut both roasts off the ends). While that’s out on the counter getting to room temperature (always roast meats at room temperature, it helps it cook more evenly), I put the spice mixture together. It’s a very basic mixture, I just dump them all in a small bowl and stir.

Spice Mixture:
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like it mild, use 1/8 tsp or leave out)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh thyme
pinch kosher salt
few good crack of black pepper

Rub the roast liberally in the spice mixture and put in an oven safe pan (I use my cast-iron skillet). Pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 mins, then open the oven and gaze and how beautifully it’s browned. Then turn it down to 325 and pour 1/3 cup dry white wine over the roast to deglaze the pan, and pop it back in. Check the roast about every 15 mins, if the pan is dry then add another 1/3 cup wine; if not, baste the roast in the juices in the pan. Do that every 15 mins until the roast is done.

The roast will be done with it reads 135 degrees on a meat thermometer (with resting it will hit 145, which is the suggested temp for pork) and has a nice layer on the top. See how brown and crispy and delicious that looks?? Take the roast out and place on a cutting board to rest. While that’s happening, put the pan with the drippings on the stove at medium heat. Add in 1/2 cup chicken stock and simmer until thick, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get up all the delicious brown bits. Once that’s done, slice up the roast in about 1/3″ slices, serve over some type of grain (I did quinoa!) and drizzle the sauce over the top. YUM.

Recipe: Mustard Rubbed Pork Roast – preheat oven to 400
2-3lb pork roast
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
Spice Mixture:
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like it mild, use 1/8 tsp or leave out)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh thyme
pinch kosher salt
few good crack of black pepper

Rub the roast liberally in the spice mixture and put in an oven safe pan (I use my cast-iron skillet). Pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 mins, then turn it down to 325 and pour 1/3 cup dry white wine over the roast to deglaze the pan, and pop it back in. Check the roast about every 15 mins, if the pan is dry then add another 1/3 cup wine; if not, baste the roast in the juices in the pan. Do that every 15 mins until the roast reads 135 degrees on a meat thermometer (with resting it will hit 145, which is the suggested temp for pork) and has a nice crisp layer on the top. Take the roast out and place on a cutting board to rest. While that’s happening, put the pan with the drippings on the stove at medium heat. Add in 1/2 cup chicken stock and simmer until thick, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get up all the delicious brown bits. Once that’s done, slice up the roast in about 1/3″ slices, serve over some type of grain and drizzle the sauce over the top.

Let’s start at the beginning

On March 19, 2016March 31, 2016 By saltandflavorLeave a comment

I want to start this blog out really simply… my name is Lindsay and I can’t stop cooking. I want people to come to my house for dinner so I have more people to cook for, I cook for fun, I cook to soothe myself after a long day… I just cook. I should also mention that I HATE doing dishes. Thankfully there’s a certain someone in my life who doesn’t mind doing dishes and loves to have dinner made every night. It’s a win-win!

A long time ago, I thought I wanted to be a chef… and then I thought that maybe cooking full-time would make me lose my passion for cooking, I’m not sure so I figured a blog would be the easiest way to find out! I live in what people call a “foodie city”: Seattle. I’m one of THOSE people (a transplant) that all the Seattlites like to comment on. I love food, I love my city, and I also love the sunshine (which seems like an oxymoron, living in Seattle and all.. ya?)

Stick around and we’ll see what comes out of my kitchen next!