french onion soup with braised oxtail and mushroom tartlets

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 medium yellow onions (thinly sliced)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
8 cups beef stock (recipe below)
2 cups dry red wine
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
2 cups cubed baguette (toasted)
1 pound gruyere (shredded)
2 tsp. fresh thyme (minced)

braised oxtail and mushroom tartlets... (serve along side with the soup)
9-10 pieces of oxtail
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
canola oil
5 cups beef stock (recipe below)
12 ounces oyster mushrooms (cut into 1 1/2" pieces
2 tbsp. shallots (minced)
1 tsp. thyme (finely chopped)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 baguette (cut on the bias about 1/4" slices)
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white onion (thinly sliced)

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
generously season both sides of the oxtail with salt and pepper. pour some canola oil into a large ovenproof saute pan that will hold the oxtails in 1 layer, and heat over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. reduce the heat to medium, add about half of the oxtails, and cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the first side is browned, about 5-7 mins. flip and season the other side for about 5 mins. more, and transfer to a cooking rack. repeat with the remaining oxtails.

pour off the fat and return all of the oxtails to the pan. add enough beef stock to come halfway up the oxtails. bring to a simmer, and transfer to the oven, and cook until tender. about 2 1/2-3 hours. turn the oxtails over and let rest on the top of the stove for at least 30-60 mins.

remove the oxtails from the cooking liquid, and strain the liquid through a strainer and set aside. remove the meat from the bones, discarding any fat and tough connective tissue, and put the meat into a bowl. season with salt and pepper to taste. (the meat can be covered with the strained liquid and refrigerated overnight).

heat some canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. add half of the mushrooms and cook, without moving them, about 2 mins or until they are golden brown. stir and cook for another 2 mins. and transfer to a bowl. cook the remaining mushrooms in the same way. return all the mushrooms back into the pan, add in the shallots and thyme and cook for another 1-2 mins. until the shallots soften. add in the butter and cook until the liquid that the mushrooms release has cooked off and they are glazed with butter, about 2 mins. stir in the oxtails, then pour in the reserved cooking liquid, bring to a simmer and simmer until the liquid has reduced, about 8 mins.

preheat the broiler to HI.
brushed the sliced pieces of baguette generously with olive oil, and toast under the broiler. transfer to a plate. spoon the braised oxtail and mushrooms over the slices and scatter the onion slices on the top, and serve.

beef stock:
makes 8 cups

4 pounds oxtail
1 tbsp. honey
2 medium yellow onions (halved lengthwise)
2 bulbs garlic (halved)
2 carrots (roughly chopped)
2 celery stalks (roughly chopped)
8 cups water
1 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp. tomato paste
10 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
2 sprigs of thyme

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

toss the bones with the honey at the beginning to help the browning process and add more flavor. spread the bones around in a large roasting pan. roast, turning every 15 mins., until golden and caramelized for about 1 hour. stir in the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and roast until the vegetables are caramelized; about 30 more mins.

transfer bones and vegetables to a large stockpot and add in the water. bring to a boil over medium high heat, and skim off any foam. stir in wine, tomato paste, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, and thyme. reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened; about 5 hours.

strain stock through a cheesecloth and sieve into a large bowl and discard the solids. let cool to room temperature. cover and place in the fridge until the fat congeals on the top, about 8 hours, remove and discard the fat.

lasts in the fridge for about 3 days or in the freezer for about 4 months.

french onion soup:
serves 8

in a large heavy pot heat the butter and oil over medium low heat. add onions, cover and cook until softened and translucent, about 20 mins. increase heat to medium high heat and add in the sugar and salt and saute until the onions are a deep rich brown; about 15 mins.

reduce heat to medium and sprinkle with the flour, stirring constantly, for 2-3 mins. whisk in 2 cups of the beef stock, then add in the remaining stock and wine. season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. simmer for about 30 mins. just to blend the flavors together. taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

preheat the oven to 425 degrees
divide the baguette cubes among 8 individual oven proof bowls. fill the bowls with the onion soup and sprinkle with a thick layer of gruyere cheese. set the bowls on a baking sheet, and bake until the cheese is browned, about 8 mins. remove from the oven and garnish with thyme.

enjoy :)

justin

smokey roasted tomato soup with roasted garlic gruyere toast

10 plum tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
roasted garlic (recipe below)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (diced)
2 tsp. smoked paprika
a few sprigs of thyme
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 baguette (sliced on the bias to about 1/4" slices)
freshly grated gruyere cheese

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

roasting the tomatoes:
preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

slice the plum tomatoes, length wise, in half and place cut side down onto a non stick baking sheet. cover the tomatoes with 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, a few sprigs of thyme, salt, and pepper. place in the oven and roast 30-40 mins. or until soft. remove the skin of the tomatoes, and set aside.

making the soup:
in a soup pot, melt the butter into the olive oil on medium high heat. add in the chopped onion and cook until tender, add in 2 cloves of the roasted garlic and paprika and cook for another 30 seconds. add in the roasted tomatoes, the can of tomatoes with the juice, thyme sprig, and season with salt and pepper. bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.

pour the soup into a blender and puree the tomato mixture until smooth. return the pureed soup to the pot and add in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. keep on a low simmer until ready to serve.

roasted garlic gruyere toast:
slice the baguette on the bias into 1/4" pieces. smear 1 clove of the roasted garlic onto each slice of bread, and top with grated gruyere cheese. place in the broiler on hi, and toast until the cheese melts. about 2-4 mins.

sprinkle a bit of thyme and pepper on the soup and serve the warm toast with the soup.

enjoy :)

justin

pretzel crusted jumbo lump crab cakes

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
3/4 cup finely ground pretzels
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

in a large bowl whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, dijon mustard, old bay, paprika, and worcestershire sauce. gently fold in the crab meat and 1/2 cup of the ground pretzels. refrigerate for 1 hour so that the pretzels are moist.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. for the crab mixture into 6 equal patties. coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/4 cup of ground pretzels. in an oven proof non stick skillet melt the butter in the oil. add the crab cakes and cook over medium high heat for 4 mins. or until browned. turn over the crab cakes and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. bake for about 5 mins. or until they are browned all over, and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

organic heirloom grape tomato tartlets

all purpose flour for rolling
1/2 pound all-butter puff pastry
30 organic heirloom grape tomatoes (halved)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. thyme
1/2 pound fresh ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about a 9"x17" rectangle. transfer the pastry to the baking sheet and poke all over with a fork. top with another sheet of parchment paper and another baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 mins. or until brown. transfer the pastry to a cooling rack to cool.

in a large bowl toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. place the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 mins. until lightly softened. let cool.

in a food processor, puree the ricotta cheese until creamy. spread the ricotta cheese over the cooled puff pastry and season with salt and pepper. arrange the tomatoes cut side up on the ricotta covered pastry, and cut into bite size pieces. garnish with thyme, and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

goat cheese and edamame dip with spicy pepitas

dip:
1 pound shelled edamame
1 cup non fat sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese (crumbled)
1-3 chipotles in adobe (chopped)
1-2 tbsp. adobo sauce from the can
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. chopped oregano

pepitas:
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. red pepper powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1 tsp. chopped oregano

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

making the dip:
bring a medium pot to a boil, and cook the edamame according to the directions (about 5-8 mins.). drain well and transfer to a food processor. add in the sour cream, goat cheese, chipotles and adobo sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and puree until smooth. stir in the oregano and transfer to a serving bowl.

making the pepitas:
preheat the oven to 375 degrees. toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil, salt, coriander, and red pepper powder. spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 mins. or until the seeds begin to turn brown. transfer the pumpkin seeds to a bowl and toss with lemon zest and oregano.

top the dip with the spiced pepitas, and serve with pita chips.

enjoy :)

justin

simple sopressata pizza

pizza dough (recipe below)
simple marinara sauce (recipe below)
fresh basil
fresh mozzarella
sopressata
pecorino cheese

pizza dough (recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas):
1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. olive oil

in a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water and set aside to proof, about 5 mins.

combine the 2 flours together, and pour onto a working surface. make a well in the middle of your flour pile and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil. start working all ingredients to together until you start working it into a large ball. after all the ingredients are incorporated, cut in half, and make 2 balls. i wrap 1 in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for another time. and for the other 1 i place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge over night.

simple marinara sauce:
1 28oz. can san marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
15-20 leaves basil (chopped)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar

heat oil in a medium sauce pan on medium high heat. add in garlic and onion, and cook for 5 mins. add in the caned tomatoes, basil leaves, and the sugar. bring to a boil, then cover reduce heat and simmer to 2 hours. place half of the marinara into a blender and blend until smooth. return sauce back into the sauce pan. lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen and saved for a later time.

pizza:
preheat the oven to 500°F. with a pizza stone left in the oven to get hot.

roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface into a nice 12", and sprinkle a bit of corn meal on the bottom of the pizza dough. start layering your pizza with marinara sauce, basil, mozzarella, sopressata, and top with pecorino cheese. when the oven gets to 500°F the turn it down to 450°F and transfer your pizza onto the pizza stone and cook 12-14 mins.

remove from the oven when done and drizzle with olive oil.

enjoy :)

justin

linguine with walnut and broccoli rabe pesto

3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound broccoli rabe
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
pinch of red chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

linguine pasta dish:
preheat the oven to 350. spread the walnuts onto a pie plate and toast in the oven for 14 minutes. let cool, and chop 2 tbsp. and set aside.

bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli rabe. when the water is boiling put the broccoli rabe in and boil for 3 minutes. drain and cool under cold running water. squeeze the excess water out of the broccoli rabe, and coarsely chop.

in a food processor, and in the garlic, and the remainder of the toasted walnuts, and pulse until coarsely chopped. add in the broccoli rabe, red pepper flakes, and olive oil and process until the broccoli rabe is finely chopped. add in 1/3 cup of the pecorino cheese, pulse until everything is evenly mixed together. season with salt and pepper.

bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the directions. drain the pasta and save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. add the linguine with the reserved pasta water back into the pot, and mix with your pesto mixture. serve on a plate or bowl of your choice, and top with chopped toasted walnuts, and grated pecorino cheese.

enjoy :)

justin

mamaw's chesapeake bay crab soup

1 pound bacon
1 pound beef sirloin (cubed)
1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion (chopped)
4 potatoes (cubed)
1 large cabbage (chopped)
1 64oz. v8 juice
1 64oz. clamato juice
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
old bay seasoning
2 pounds crab meat

in a large pot add in the bacon and cubed sirloin and cook through. when browned, remove out the pot, keeping the juices, add in the v8 and clamato juice. season a bit with old bay, then add in the onion, potatoes, cabbage, cooked bacon, cooked sirloin, and bay leaves. bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 30-40 mins. add in the bag of mixed frozen vegetables and season a bit with old bay. simmer for another 30 mins. then add in your crab meat, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit more old bay seasoning to taste. simmer until ready to serve.

enjoy :)

justin