Some super comfort food: "French onion soup" grilled cheese

Well, amici, we HAVE been through a whole lot haven't we?  OH MY.  Locked at home, not working, not seeing friends, lives upended.  Annalena may have been pushed into retirement slightly earlier than she expected, which is not necessarily a BAD thing.  Perhaps the hardest thing for all of us is to accept, is that this monstrous thing is very much out of our control.  Stay well, friends, Annalena will wish you that again.

We are all cooking more, because, well, we have no choice.  Annalena likes to go out on the weekends.  Not happening.  So, we cook.  And Annalena wants to focus today and tomorrow and Sunday, on foods that bring us comfort.   This recipe, brought to Annalena by the NY Times, combines two of her favorites:  grilled cheese, and French onion soup.  It is as easy as you can imagine.  All you need are a few ingredients, and time.

First, let's look at our starting ingredients:

What you see are 2 pounds of onions:  use all red or all yellow, if that's what you have, and salt and pepper.  Slice the onions: 

Take them, and add them to the pot with the butter  :  that's four tablespoons more or less, and a good pinch of salt and a few shakes of pepper:

Our next ingredient, is time.  See the flame below?

You don't want that.   Lower the flame to the lowest you can possibly can.  Cover the pot for about 3 minutes, and then, we begin cooking.  Let's follow progress.  Here we are after 5

Doesn't look like much, huh?  Well, keep with me kindern.  Stir the onions at the 4th minute, and each of the following steps  (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, ), do the same thing:

Do you see how they've cooked down and browned?  Onions have more sugar in them, than any other vegetable.  You can see that here. 

For the last five minutes, add a glug of a dark vinegar.  Annalena used cheap balsamic, and cook for another five minutes:

What we have, at the end, is here: 

 Quite a reduction, huh?

So, now we're going to make sandwiches.  The onions above, will make four sandwiches, but Annalena could very well eat the whole portion.    Put  half of those onions into a bowl, and grate about 4-6 ounces of good quality cheese - Annalena used aged cheddar, and mix.   Then pile the stuff onto two slices of bread.  Annalena had some homemade European sourdough around (of course she did), but you can use any good bread you have.  Then, put those slices into a pan, where you've melted a few tablespoons of butter, and fry for 3 minutes: 

The cheese will begin to melt, and the bread will toast up.  Now, cover the stuff with new slices of bread, and flip them over into that pan.  Add more butter if you see fit, and fry for another three minutes.  You'll get:

 They're a bit unwieldly to eat as they are.  So, if you want to show some manners: 

Perhaps if you made this for dinner tonight, you'll show us.  DARN IS IT GOOD.  And you probably don't have to shop for the ingredients. 

FRIENDS, WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.   We have gotten through worse.  As a lady who shoveled shit in AIDs wards in the 80s, Annalena knows your concern.  And she knows your fear.  She would give you inspirational music, but find your way.  And eat well, ragazzi.  Again, repeat after Annalena:  WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS.

Annalena does Tina Turner: first we'll do easy then we'll do rough: simple bean soup

Ciao ragazzi.  Annalena is  here earlier than usual, because her, and the universe's schedule is wacky this weekend.  First, we have the loss of an hour tomorrow (which Annalena really needs), and on the good end, Annalena is making her annual trip to look at orchids, with the Guyman and a wonderful friend (and hopefully a wonderful friend to be).  So, she's a bit under the gun, getting things ready.  And, as she makes her "triumphant" return to the music studio tomorrow, there is more to do.   Hence, she needed a recipe that was very quick to help her through.

"When the Universe speaks, you MUST listen"  said at least one person, and it's true ragazzi.  Perhaps the biggest problem in the world today is a lack of attention being paid to .. EVERYTHING.  Sometimes, we are given signals, or instructions, or suggestions, that we don't follow because we just don't listen.  Annalena was made aware of this at least twice this week,  in a good way, both times.  One of them was this recipe. 

Years ago, Annalena watched a program hosted by David Rocco called "L'avventura."   She also man crushed on him mightilly.  Indeed, she would be lying if she said that she didn't think , more than every now and then, of taking a gondola ride (she's using euphemisms children), with this Canadian hunklet, even though he was very happily married, with children.  Years later, Annalena maintains that crush.  And wants to offer David that gondola ride whenever he wants it.  If he doesn't want to sail, Annalena will offer him this soup.

Ragazzi, Annalena has said this before, and she will say it again:  BEANS ARE YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR SAVIOR. Mr. Rocco posted this recipe for bean soup on Mr. Rocco's instagram page.   The universe spoke, she listened.  And  in less than 15 minutes, she had this soup.  

Here are your ingredients:

What you see are two quarts of cooked white beans, a jar of passata, olive oil, and rosemary. 

"Passata," best explained, is pureed, strained ripe tomatoes.  Raw.  This is not sauce, which changes the fresh flavor of the product.  Annalena's is yellow because she is a snob.  Usually, it is red.  You may need to hunt for it, and when you find it, stock up.  It IS seasonal, and no, cooked tomatoes will not substitute. 

Annalena used small white beans from the folks at Rancho Gordo.  She cooked them.  Again, ragazzi, learn  how to cook beans.  It is  not hard.  They freeze well, and they will save you in the kitchen.  And why cook them instead of using canned?  Ok:  pick up a can of beans, even organic ones, and look at the ingredients.  Then, open that can, and look at them.   It will convince you. 

So, justs under 2 quarts of beans:  maybe 7 cups, cooked.  3 cups of passata.  A few sprigs of rosemary.  And olive oil.

Now, you can make this soup, simply by combining  the beans and passata with a stalk of rosemary, heat it up, and you're done if you've poured some fresh olive oil over it.  But we're getting a little fancy.  First we're going to puree those beans in a blender, and then we are going to pass them, through a food mill:

What you see above are the pureed  beans from the blender.  You can proceed with your soup at this point, or you can mill the beans  You will get a very creamy, skin free puree at the end.     And you'll get about six cups of it.    

Once you have that, stir in the passata.   Just stir it in.  (Or, stir it in to the pureed beans).  Add a few stems of rosemary, and put it all in a pot.  Bring this just to the point where the soup bubbles:

Pull the rosemary sprigs out.  This is important, because rosemary is strong.  It will continue to infuse that soup and possibly make it unpleasant.  And given how hard you've "worked", well, you don't want that now, do you?  

Ragazzi,  get out the bowls, because you're done.  Seriously.  Give yourself a spritz of "Italian gold," on the top, but seriously, you have a soup that will taste as if  it's loaded with cream, and you AND ONLY YOU WILL KNOW  how deliriously healthy it is:

Annalena hopes you realize how many variations there are on this.  She used white beans. Don't have them?  Use another one.  Got some left over vegetables around, like carrots, or green beans, or broccoli?  Well, you know where they can go.  

Make yourself some toasted bread, and you've got lunch, or dinner, or... well, maybe a healthy snack. 

Easy, huh?  Well, good.  Because the next recipe, is going to be ROUGH

It's time to reconsider stuffed peppers

Ragazzi, we all have dishes from our past which haunt us, for good or bad.  One dish shared by many of us , is "stuffed peppers".  WHAT was used to stuff them, and what kind of peppers were used, will vary, from  person to person.  For example, Annalena's nana either stuffed "frying peppers" with bread and herbs (Annalena's favorite), or she would use the fixings from leftover meatloaf to stuff green ones.  At Annalena's home, there were never red peppers:  too expensive.  

In Annalena's version here, totally hers, no borrowing of which she knows,  she does use red peppers.  She also substitutes ground beef for ground turkey.  Why?  Because the ground turkey had been in the freezer for a while, and she had to "use it or lose it."  You know that, don't you?  And there were leftover tomatoes, bits of cheese, a bag of frozen peas.... Beginning to get the idea?  

So we start with the turkey. When you cook with ground turkey, see if you can ascertain from what part of the bird it came. Turkey breast is very low fat, as compared to thighs or the more generic "dark meat."  It will determine  how much fat you use to cook it.  Annalena had breast meat, so she upped the olive oil.  

Ground poultry produces a sort of "meat glue" that can make it difficult to fry it.  So as  you go along here, break up the pieces with a spatula, a fork, something, to make them edible.  And don't worry about finishing up the cooking.  This will all be going into the oven later.

When your turkey meat is just about completely absent of pink,  put it aside.  In the flavored fat, add a sliced onion, and some tomatoes;

Cook these until the tomatoes begin to soften and the onions get much softer and a little brown.  

Now stir all your turkey back into this.  Residual heat will cook it some more.  You should taste the mix at this time, and add the salt you need.  You might also get a feel for how dry or moist the turkey is, and add some olive oil if  you need it.  

Have two red peppers , halved lengthwise, and cleaned ready, in a glass baking dish, that has been coated with oil.  One need not be surgically precise here, and add your filling:

Remember those instructions on tests, "neatness counts?"  It doesn't.  (Annalena always failed that part). 

Cover this will foil, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  This is a lower temperature, because everything is cooked, and really, your sole aim here, is to soften the crispy pepper shell:

If you look at those, you may think they are a bit "skimpy."  Annalena agreed. So, out came her ace in the whole, frozen peas.  They sort of fit themselves all over the lacunae in the peppers. Then, she added smoked cheddar, and fontina cheese to the top:

NOW you put up a foil cover, and take a peek a after 15 minutes, to see if the cheese has melted enough to your taste:

If this is all you're eating, a healthy appetite can put away two.  If you put out some greens and starch, one is more than enough.  

Abbastanza per oggi, amici.  Cook some good food this week.  You deserve it.  ALLA PROSSIMA!

Easy elegance: chicken thighs with artichoke hearts, onions, and wine

CIAO RAGAZZI E FELICE DOMENICA.  Annalena has some good news to share before we start cooking today.

For years, Annalena dreamed of attending graduate school, and getting a Master's Degree - the one she couldn't afford at the end of her studies as a giovanessa.  And now, amici, it's happening.  Yes, Annalena has been accepted to the graduate program in Food Studies at NYU this autumn. She wells up a bit writing that even though she has known now for five days.  OH, she is very,  VERY excited.  Her retirement will have a purpose now,  something other than memorizing episodes of Judge Judy.  She hopes to be able to continue to visit with you all through this blog.   Time shall tell.

Now, before we begin with the first of these recipes, Annalena does want to tell you all that this was published in the NY Times, and it is a very  clearly written recipe.  There is also a video, on facebook, by the author (Ms. Alison Roman, one of Annalena's new heroes), that leads you through this very smoothly.

OK?  Now no comments along the lines of "It's so interesting that there was an article in the Times..." and that kind of blather.  Go read a book instead.    Annalena is going to tell you where she diverged from the recipe, where she agrees with Ms. Roman, and where she disagrees. 

The finished dish is above.  Here are your ingredients:

The Guyman is the family photographer, so these are not as well presented as they could be.  What we have, however, are four chicken thighs, with skin, on the bone;  two CANS of artichoke hearts , sliced in half.  A bottle of white wine (we will not use it all), a red onion, and some fresh herbs.

Ms. Roman says, and Annalena agrees, that you must use chicken on the bone, and with the skin, to make this recipe.  The directions will call for thighs, but you may substitute an equivalent quantity of another cut (2 pounds in total), keeping in mind that you will have to adjust timing.  There are guides, which  you may google, to tell you how to do that.  We shall proceed with thighs.

CANS???? ANNALENA???? some of you may be thinking.  Yes, yes.  Preparing fresh artichokes is a time consuming, less than rewarding process, of which Annalena has written before.  So, read the ingredients in your can, and when you dump out the artichoke hearts, wash them.  Then slice each one, lengthwise.  Let them drain whilst you prepare the other things you will need.  You will want some fresh herbs of some kind, and also, you will need a heaping (and Annalena means heaping) cup of white wine,  and a red onion, which you will slice into rings. 

Yet another Annalena digression on cooking with wine.  Have you heard the rule  "if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it?"  It's a good rule.  Now, Annalena does NOT recommend taking out the 90.00 bottle of wine and pouring that in your pan.  Rather, what she does, is to save leftover wine from meals, and pour it into a cooking wine bottle.  This does m ix the various types together.  Then, every month or so, she dumps it out and starts again. 

Annalena did not use a non stick pan to do this.  If you feel more secure with one, use it.\

  And to see if your  pan is going to be big enough, here's a professional tip:  dump all your ingredients in your chosen pan, BEFORE you begin to cook (the solid ones).  If they fit, you're good.  If not, size up. 

Ok, now to the mechanical end of things .  Preheat your oven to 425.  Put a bit of olive oil into your pan, and add your chicken thighs, SKIN SIDE DOWN, to the cold pan.  Bring the pan to medium heat.  You'll increase it later. 

Chicken thighs are rich with fat.  YET, you need to add a bit of fat at the beginning , to get the cooking process going.  As the chicken begins to make its frying sound, you can up the heat, to medium high, and you will see how the quantity of fat increases in the pan.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you have very fatty chicken.  If it looks like too much, at some point, you'll have to ditch some.  We'll get there. 

It takes about 6-8 minutes for the chicken to brown nicely on the skin.   So time that, and when it looks good, turn it over, and cook another five minutes or so.  You will get:

(That is not all of them, ragazzi.  The plate was not big enough). 

Ok, so now, eyeball the fat in your pan.  Make your judgement.  And then bravely add the artichoke hearts, the sliced onion,  a few strands of thyme, or oregano, or something of "medium strength."  Rosemary might very well overwhelm this dish.  Sage certainly would.   

So you have the vegetables in there, and now, you'll want to stir them a bit, until you just see edges of brown.  Then put the chicken back in.  Find spaces for it, or just put it on top of the veggies, don't decorate Buckingham Palace.   Now, move your face away from the pan, just in case, and add the wine. 

Does that look good or what?  Not done yet. We need 10 minutes in the oven.  That will finish up the chicken and also probably reduce your liquid a bit.  

PROTECT YOUR HANDS, take the pan out of the oven, and then, heat it gently for about another 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.  And here's dinner:

Now, if that is not the height of simple sophistication, well, what is?  

Do go to youtube and look for Ms. Roman's video.  It is incredibly well made and entertaining.  And look for the printed page.  Ms.  Roman is not old, and she has accumulated so much wisdom, and presents it so bluntly and clearly, you should all be fans.