Chicken Udon with Rabe and Shiitake Mushrooms

I figured, why not chicken noodle soup? Except I only had udon noodles on hand, so I went for a more Japanese rendition of the dish, and I can’t lie, the ginger helped settle my stomach too!

Catalan Sardines with Susquet on Toast

Catalan Sardines with Susquet on Toast Daria Souvorova 45 minutes serves: 8-12 We had the opportunity to try a variety of fish stews in Barcelona. I was feeling sick after taking one too many face-plants in the snow while learning how to ski in the Pyrenees, so the stews were a welcome revelation. The weather…

Curried Carrot Soup with Roast Rainbow Carrots

I have been wanting to prepare something bright and colorful, and I came across organic rainbow carrots at Wegmans the other day. The beautiful colors inspired me to go for a curry. Honestly, I wanted the excuse to add some turmeric to see how pretty the soup would be…and I had some ginger laying around in the fridge, waiting for a purpose.

Provençal Greens Soup

Provençal Greens Soup is my get rid of leftovers meal. And it is awesome! I always manage to buy the wrong amounts of kale, or spinach, leeks, or some other green for my recipes and they sit there staring at me from the fridge. I combine them together to create this soup. A couple of eggs help to thicken and bring heartiness to the dish.

Braised Oxtail Stew with Polenta

I have been holding onto a few pounds of oxtails in the freezer, waiting for a good recipe to turn them into. The time has finally come! I decided to cook my oxtails down into a beautiful stew with some leeks and onions.

I like to dredge any kind of shanks or boned meat in flour before browning it, I feel like it browns better and serves to thicken the stew as it cooks. This is almost a Bourgignion of sorts, but not quite. I de-glaze the vegetables with brandy and cook the stew with red wine, but I like the addition of leeks to the standard onion and carrots.

French Onion Soup

I had my first bowl of French Onion Soup during a high school trip to France. It was unexpectedly delicious! I made plans of figuring it out myself one day. As I grew older, I realized it was fantastic for more than it’s flavor. It is a great way to keep from throwing away old produce. What a great way to use up a bunch of onions that are close to death! This recipe also happens to be a good way to use up bread that is a bit too stale and cheese that isn’t large enough for a cheese plate.

Blanquette de Veau

I was spending the last few days of our winter vacation in Paris and chatting with friends to plan the de-installation of a show we were all participating in. My current location came to be the topic of conversation, and a dear friend reminisced about a Blanquette de Veau she ate at Auberge Bressane in Paris. Since the girls were spending the night this past weekend, I offered to make the dish for them.

Mushroom Stew with Porcini and Chanterelle

We have been planning a lot of soups and stews here to get through a rather chilly January, and I have been looking forward to making a stew with some of the beautiful dried mushrooms I brought back from the open air markets in Barcelona. I wanted something healthy and hearty and full of earthy flavors, and decided to use Porcini and Chanterelle mushrooms for my stew.