Ribollita topped with fresh Parmesan Cheese

It’s been so cold here in New York the past few weeks, that I’ve been making lots of stews and one pot suppers. Here’s one called Ribollita. It’s a Tuscan bread and vegetable “peasant” soup that I encourage you to try and to make your own.

For me, it’s the fresh Rosemary that makes this dish – if you use dried herbs, it just won’t have that rich, hearty flavor.

Ribollita is super healthy and low cal from the greens (high in iron), carrots (fiber and vitamin A), white beans (protein) and just a bit of meat for flavor. Consider this recipe merely a guide. Get creative – add things, make substitutions, use up the leftovers in your ‘fridge and freezer. Have fun with it! Enjoy it alone or with a  side of crusty Italian bread, big chunks of Parmesan Reggiano cheese and a Chianti or Cabernet Savignon – this will keep you warm when it’s only 5 degrees Fahrenheit outside!

Ribollita ingredients

Remember “mis en place“. Have all your ingredients and tools out, your vegetables washed and chopped, your wet ingredients measured BEFORE you ever turn on the heat to cook. Doing all your prep in advance sounds OCD, but  it makes things so much easier and enjoyable for you while cooking.

For example, if you have forgotten something, you’ll learn about it in advance and can simply figure out what substitution to make with no stress. Conversely, if you’re frantically searching for the wine opener, while your vegetables sautee; your garlic could burn way before you ever get the wine opened to deglaze the pan. Burned garlic is a stinky mess and would ruin the flavors of the dish. Be sure to always use the “mis en place” method – it has saved me so many times! (For more about “mis en place“, see the Life is a Banquet Blog post from September 11, 2010.)

Ribollita serves 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 thick slices pancetta, chopped (or substitute smoked bacon, ham, Chorizo or Italian sausage
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; remove from stems and finely chop the leaves
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium to large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced (or corn or squash)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced (or green beans)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 (15-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
• 5 cups beef stock (available in boxes on soup aisle)
• 4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread
• 2 (15-ounce) small white beans (cannellini or navy beans)
• 4 cups fresh kale or chard, chopped (or substitute a small box of frozen spinach – be sure to defrost and squeeze out the water before adding it to the stew)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish

Sauteed Onions, rosemary, ham, carrots & zucchini

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and the the pancetta or bacon and render 4 minutes. Add rosemary, garlic, onions, carrots and zucchini and season with salt and pepper.

Saute the veggies and meat 7 to 8 minutes, then add wine and deglaze the pot.

Add beef stock and wine

Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring up the heat.

Stir in the bread

When stew boils, reduce to a simmer and stir in bread and beans.

Add the greens

Pile the greens into the pot and wilt them into the stew. Simmer the Ribollita 5 to 10 minutes, stirring as it simmers and until it thickens to a dense, stew-like consistency. A wooden spoon should be able to stand upright in the pot. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese or an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

This dish makes a lot! So it’s great for a football watching party (instead of chili). However, if you’re cooking for just yourself or for two, this dish freezes really well. Allow stew to cool, then place the amount of an individual serving into a freezer bag. Carefully remove all the air and tightly seal the bag. Remember to write “Ribollita” and the date on the bag before you put it in the freezer (Sharpie markers work well) – otherwise you may not remember what it is later.

To re-heat: Defrost in the microwave just long enough to loosen it from the plastic freezer bag.  Then transfer Ribollita to a microwave-safe glass or pottery bowl for heating.

PLEASE NOTE: Plastic is NOT recommended for reheating in the microwave due to recent studies that show plastic (including plastic wrap) imparts chemicals into your food. Plastic is perfectly safe however, for storing food in the refrigerator or freezer.

The New Year’s menu was a big hit and it only took an hour to make! I wanted to let you know how the two different lobster preparations turned out.

Lobster on the George Foreman Grill – This was so easy and fast! Two minutes of grilling resulted in tender, delicious lobster tail with no mess.

Baked Lobster in Aluminum Foil -  This took 12-15 minutes for a 1/2 lb. tail and I had to keep checking it to see if it was ready. So, it was a bit more more work (especially trying not to spill the garlic and butter mixture inside the foil). But because it was cooked in the shell, it had a lot more “lobster” flavor. I vote this method as my favorite.

Lemon Fettuccine – This was so yummy! The creamy sour cream and chives with the lemon zest and juice gave it such delicious flavor. A fast and easy to prepare dish that will be perfect this summer. However, a pound of pasta was way too much for two people. If it weren’t such a tasty dish, it might have gone to waste (or should I say “waist” – this dish is not low calorie!).  We enjoyed every mouthful of left overs!

Chocolate Lava Cake – You absolutely want to make this in advance and keep the batter filled ramekins in the refrigerator waiting for you. Then all you have to do is pop them in the oven right after you’ve finished eating dinner. 10-12 minutes later – you have an impressive, chocolately goodness dessert – WOW! With the recipe making 6-7 servings, and there only being two of us, it was never a problem because it keeps very well for a few days in the refrigerator. It’s so rich, you definitely want to serve it with a side of ice cream, whipped cream or a big glass of milk. (There are no pictures of this because we were so focused on eating it that I forgot to take a picture and now there are none left! I’ll be sure to share a photo of the oozing, gooey, awesome chocolate next time I make it!)

Sparkling Wine – We tried something new that was perfect for celebrating; Villa Jolanda Moscato Rose. Yes, it’s a little sweet, but it also has a subtle complexity, a slight effervescence and I must say, it’s just darn festive! We loved it for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. We liked it so much that I went back to the store to get more and they were sold out. In fact, the Distributor is even sold out – so it’s more than just me and Joey that love it.

I hope you try this menu sometime soon in the New Year plus many of the dishes & experiences that I”ll be sharing with you throughout 2011.

This is the first year my husband and I are in NYC together for New Years. Typically we spend it with his family in Puerto Rico; it’s always a big crowd, lots of food, music and dancing. But this year, it’s just the two of us, home in the City, slushing through the snow remaining from the “Day After Christmas Blizzard”.  We are taking advantage of the opportunity to have a romantic dinner for two. Here’s what I’m making:

• Sauteed Asparagus
• Lemon Fettuccine
• Grill-Pan Lobster Tails with Garlic & Butter
• Chocolate Lava Cake

Asparagus

I’ll make this first and I can either keep it warm while preparing the rest of the meal or serve it room temp – I think asparagus is tasty either way.

Wash and trim away fibrous ends of asparagus. If the only stalks available are really thick, I slim them down with a vegetable peeler. Blanche 1/2 lb. stalks in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes until they are a bright shade of green. Have a bowl of ice water ready and immediately dunk the asparagus in the ice water to stop the cooking. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and sautee 2 minutes with 2 TBS butter in a saute pan. Add the asparagus and saute 3 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, salt and remove from heat until ready to serve.

Lemon Fettuccine

Makes 4-6 servings, so we’ll have leftovers.

• 1 (8-ounce) package fresh fettuccine
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (1-2 shallots)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 TBS freshly grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 TBS milk
• 1 3/4 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 medium lemon)
• 1 whole lemon, zested
• 2 TBS freshly chopped chives

Lobster

I decided against getting live lobsters. Although you can always make stock from the leftover shells, there wouldn’t be enough to make it from just two lobsters. Plus, there’s a lot of waste when you buy the whole lobster and frankly, I’ve never been thrilled with killing them (this could be an entire blog post – later). So I just bought two 1/2 lb. tails, which is the best part anyway. I want to do something new (for me) and try grilling the tails. Because you can’t grill in your apartment (darn!) I’m going to try two methods to see what works better. 

First Lobster – I’ll keep the tail in the shell, make a lengthwise slit in the meat and top with 2-3 TBS clairified butter and a teaspoon of minced garlic. Loosely wrap the whole thing in a big piece of aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 mins until meat is opaque.

Second Lobster – This time, I’ll remove the meat from the tail and give it a butterfly cut down the center  so that the tail will now lay flat, like a book. Brush it with clarified butter that was seasoned with fresh garlic and garlic salt. Once my George Foreman Grill is heated up, plop in the tail, close the cover and cook 2 minutes until opaque.

Chocolate Lava Cake – (after visiting Yellowstone National Park this year, we call it “Caldera Cake)

Makes 6-7. I made this in advance and then will pop it in the oven after dinner for our  dessert.

• 7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao)
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

My Fave Prosecco

We’ve been so (wonderfully) busy this holiday season with kids coming home, family from out of state staying over, catering parties and a party of our own (plus a new kitten!), that we plum forgot to make plans for New Year’s!

For so many years, it was all about New Year’s EVE, but this year, I’m more interested in New Year’s  DAY. Perhaps for for New Year’s Eve, I’ll make a festive lobster and Prosecco dinner for just the hubby and me and for New Year’s DAY, some of our delightful friends will be available for bunch and a museum stroll or maybe I can squeeze in a morning yoga class to ring in 2011 in a peaceful, reflective manner. Let me ponder it a bit, now that I have no house guests for a day or so and get back to you. I’d love to hear what you have planned….

The Cookie Exchange was lots of fun and well executed. We socialized, had snacks, lovely champagne and then each left with a massive goody bag of cookies. I served mine at a small cocktail party of my own the next day and to friends who dropped by after wards. It was great to have such a wide selection and to have only baked 3 dozen myself! I will definitely go to a Cookie Exchange next year if invited, or maybe I’ll host my own…

Unfortunately, they are all now all gone and I’m baking more for all the cookie monsters at my house!