DONNA'S DAILY DISH
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Contact

eat your greens

2/5/2023

0 Comments

 
The temperature has either been above normal or extremely cold like it is today. Recently my local food store had broccoli crowns on sale. I was tempted to make Alison Roman’s Broccoli Cheddar soup which recently appeared in The New York Times; but I wanted something simpler. I have a very old recipe for Cream of Broccoli Soup that I clipped from “Gourmet Magazine” back in December 1993. The yield was a mere 4 cups, perfect amount for just my husband and I.
 
For the recipe you’ll need an onion, a carrot, mustard seeds, butter, fresh broccoli, chicken broth, water, fresh lemon juice and sour cream. As this recipe is almost 30 years old, I assuming that store bought broth was the norm back then and using some water for this recipe would cut down the salt. I prepared the recipe using some homemade chicken stock, Kitchen Basics stock along with water. The next time I make this, I’ll use all stock for a greater depth of flavor. If I have to purchase a boxed chicken stock, I prefer stock over broth based on the ingredient listing and how they obtain the chicken flavor. 
​The soup was very easy to prepare, approximately 45 minutes. The onion, carrot, mustard seeds and salt and pepper are sautéed in butter until the onion is soft. The broccoli is added along with the liquid and cooked until the broccoli is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. I puréed the soup in my KitchenAid Stand Blender. When done, I returned it to the pan adding the lemon juice and adjusting the seasoning. Instead of whisking in sour cream, which I did not have, I added heavy cream in its place.

What a delicious soup! The broccoli flavor was perfect and the lemon juice added a bit of brightness. It was just enough for supper one evening and lunch a couple of days later.

A wonderful winter vegetable to enjoy are Brussels Sprouts. I have a nice selection of recipes on my blog utilizing them from side dishes to main courses paired with gnocchi, chicken and pork chops. Recently in the “What to Make this Week” section of The New York Times (January 28, 2023), Yasmin Fahr had a citrusy take on Sheet-Pan Lemony Chicken with Brussels Sprouts. For this dish you’ll need unsalted butter (or ghee), lemons (plus zest), flat leaf parsley, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, olive oil, bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (I substituted breasts), small red onion, red pepper flakes and grated Parmesan cheese.

This recipe is a sheet pan meal taking approximately one hour from start to finish. First, an herbed butter is made that will be spread both under and on top of the skin. The butter is made with lemon zest, parsley and salt. For the accompanying Brussels sprouts, they are halved and mixed with onion wedges, lemon rounds, olive oil, salt, pepper and some of the herbed butter. The chicken is placed on a sheet pan and the Brussels sprouts surround the chicken. The meal is roasted for approximately 30-35 minutes.

To serve, a remaining lemon halve is squeezed over the entire meal and lemon wedges are served alongside. The dish is garnished with additional chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Wow, what a meal, the chicken was sublime. The lemon didn’t overpower either the chicken or the vegetables, but gave it a lovely, subtle flavor. The Brussels sprouts and red onion had a deep golden color and were caramelized. Overall, another fabulous meal courtesy of The New York Times and their culinary staff contributors.

On a final note, and keeping with the green theme. We celebrated our son’s recent birthday this weekend. We were at Walt Disney World with his sister and family on his official birthday. For his birthday dinner he requested beef with a béarnaise sauce. I work at Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune City, NJ and I thought the best cut to go with béarnaise sauce is a filet mignon. For the sauce, I followed a recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a contributor to the website Serious Eats. Kenji’s recipe is made sans a double boiler, but has you heating up the butter and its residual heat is what will cook the egg yolks. For the recipe you’ll need dry white wine, white wine vinegar, 3 sprigs of fresh chervil, 3 sprigs of fresh tarragon, small shallot, whole black peppercorns, 2 egg yolks, kosher salt and 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

The liquids are infused with flavor with the herb stems, shallots and black peppercorns. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate fresh tarragon or chervil in my local food stores nor did they carry dried chervil. I opted to use approximately 2 teaspoons of dried tarragon leaves. These ingredients simmer for about 25 minutes or until reduced to about 1-1/2 tablespoons. The solids are strained out leaving just the liquid. Using a 1-quart mason jar and an immersion blender, the wine reduction, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt are combined. Next, the melted butter is slowly added to the jar with the blender on to create an emulsion of the egg yolk and liquid. The sauce became thick and creamy; I adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper, a dash more tarragon and chopped fresh parsley. Since béarnaise cannot be cooled then reheated, I placed the mason jar in a saucepan with warm water using the simmering setting on my stovetop. I stirred it occasionally and checked it frequently to make sure it remained a thick sauce.

Everyone loved the dinner. The grassfed filet mignon was extraordinary! I roasted it in a 425° oven until the internal temperature was about 130°. The meat was tender and juicy; to bring it over the top, my wonderful sauce. To round out this birthday supper, the birthday boy requested broccoli rabe and mashed potatoes. The was a nice piece of filet left which we shared with our son and kept a bit for ourselves.

​Cream of Broccoli Soup
“Gourmet Magazine,” December 1993
 
Yield: about 4 cups, serving 2
Time: approximately 45 minutes
 
Ingredients
¾ cup chopped onion
1 carrot, sliced thin
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ pound broccoli, chopped coarse (about 3-1/2 cups)​
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
¼ cups sour cream
 
In a heavy saucepan, cook the onion, the carrot, the mustard seeds and salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion is soft, add the broccoli, the stock and the water and simmer the mixture covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the broccoli tender. In a blender puree the soup in batches until it is smooth, transferring it as it is pureed to another heavy saucepan. Whisk in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, heat the soup over moderately low heat, and whisk in the sour cream (do not let soup boil).
 
Donna’s Notes:
  • This soup was delicious. I used a combination of homemade chicken stock and box stock along with the water. The next time I’ll use all chicken stock for greater depth of flavor.
  • If I don’t have homemade stock on hand, I prefer box stock over broth based on its sodium content and ingredients.
  • As I didn’t have any sour cream on hand, I added a ¼ of heavy cream.
 
cream_of_broccoli_soup.pdf
File Size: 50 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Sheet-Pan Lemony Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
By Yasmin Fahr
The New York Times|”What to Make this Week”
January 28th, 2023
 
Time: 1 hour
Servings: 2-4
 
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee, at room temperature
2 lemons, both zested (about 2 tablespoons), 1 cut into very thin rounds and 1 halved, seeds removed
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1½ to 2 pounds)
1½ pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, tough outer leaves removed
1 small red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 1-inch wedges
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
¼ cup grated Parmesan
 
PREPARATION
  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees, set one rack 6 inches from the broiler and place another rack in the lower third of the oven. In a large bowl, combine the butter, zest of both lemons, half the parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub 1 teaspoon oil on a sheet pan. Pat the chicken dry, then transfer to the sheet pan and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the compound butter in the bowl, then rub the rest all over the chicken and under the skin by lifting it up, pushing a tiny amount of compound butter underneath, then pressing on top. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up.
 
  1. Add the brussels sprouts, onion wedges, lemon rounds, red-pepper flakes and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to the bowl with the compound butter; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the brussels sprouts mixture around the chicken, placing some lemon rounds on top of the vegetables.
 
  1. Roast on the lower rack, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring the vegetables halfway through, until the chicken is crispy, the chicken juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a fork, and the brussels sprouts are browned and crunchy. If the chicken skin is not as crispy as you’d like, transfer the vegetables to a serving platter, then place the chicken under the broiler for 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the serving platter.
 ​
  1. Squeeze one of the lemon halves over the chicken and vegetables and cut the remaining lemon half into quarters. Garnish the chicken and vegetables with the cheese and the remaining parsley, and serve with the lemon wedges.
sheet_pan_lemony_chicken_with_brussels_sprouts.pdf
File Size: 59 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe
By J. Kenji-Lopez-alt
from the website “Serious Eats,”
updated September 15, 2022
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 sprigs chervil, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately (optional; if not using add an extra sprig of tarragon)
3 sprigs tarragon, leaves finely minced, stems reserved separately
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 egg yolks
Kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
 
Directions
Combine wine, vinegar, herb stems, shallots, and black peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until reduced to about 1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid, about 15 minutes. Carefully strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
 
Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup with the wine reduction and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and wine reduction. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy (see notes). Season to taste with salt. Whisk in chopped tarragon and chervil, if using. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Béarnaise cannot be cooled and reheated.
 
Special Equipment
Immersion blender, tall container that fits blender head, small saucepan, fine mesh strainer, small lidded pot (optional).
 
Notes
If your béarnaise is thin and runny, transfer to a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly and vigorously until sauce is thickened.
foolproof_bearnaise_sauce.pdf
File Size: 73 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Index
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    meet donna

    A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners. 

    archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016

    categories

    All
    30 Minute Meal
    Appetizers
    Baked Goods
    Beef
    Beverages
    Breakfast
    Cookies
    Dessert
    Dinner
    Fish
    Food Reviews
    Fruit
    Game
    Grilling
    Meat
    Miscellaneous
    One Pot Meals
    Pasta
    Pork
    Poultry
    Pressure Cooker/InstaPot
    Salad
    Sauces
    Seafood
    Sheet Pan Supper
    Side Dish
    Soup
    Vegetables
    Vegetarian
    Venison

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Contact