Fall has....Fallen

Okay. I will say it out loud (or at least type it on a screen). Fall is officially here. I'm not talking about when the calendar marks the arrival of Fall. I'm talking about the day on the calendar when I finally give up on trying to prolong summer by wearing my flip flops and shorts and admit that perhaps it's time to bring out the sweaters and boots. I'm talking about the time when I stop craving salads and start hungering for a nice, filling hot bowl of soup or stew. Yesterday was that day.

I traveled out to our local farm stand to pick up some pumpkins to arrange on the front porch and I was totally overwhelmed by the huge bins of fall and winter squash; butternut, acorn, hubbard, spaghetti, turban. The colors and shapes were much more interesting than the blah old zucchini and yellow squash of summer so I chose a butternut and an acorn squash. Of course, my family are not squash eaters so I knew I'd have to work pretty hard to find something to fix that they would eat.

Since I was in the mood for soup, I went searching for a recipe for butternut squash soup. Of course there are hundreds, but I narrowed it down to three and combined them all into one new recipe. My favorite chef in the world, Michael Chiarello, from my favorite place in the world, the Napa Valley, has a recipe for Roasted Butternut squash soup which looked promising but roasting anything in my oven at more than 400 degrees results in a smoke-filled kitchen (since I don't have an exhaust fan over my stove) and I wasn't keen on opening the windows to disperse the smoke so the smoke detectors wouldn't go off. But I did take away one of the ingredients that he used in his soup that I didn't find in the other two recipes - a cinnamon stick. The second recipe featured baking the squash (along with a whole onion and a bulb of garlic) in a 350 degree oven while the third recipe (an extremely simple one) called for cooking the squash in chicken broth with the carrots, celery and a diced potato.
So I used the oven baking method, along with the really simple recipe and tossed in Chef Chiarello's cinnamon stick (and a little nutmeg) and came up with my own creation. I'm going to enjoy it with a thick slice of homemade honey white bread that I baked yesterday that filled my kitchen with the smells of fall. Okay...maybe fall isn't so bad after all.

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cubed
1 medium unpeeled onion
1 small garlic bulb
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
2 tablespoons of butter
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 32oz container of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

For the squash:
Place cubed squash, the onion and the garlic bulb on a baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and toss to coat. Drizzle the onion and garlic with olive oil.  Sprinkle squash, onion and garlic with the dried thyme. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until squash is fork tender. Uncover and let stand until lukewarm.

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot and cook the carrots, celery, potatoes, nutmeg and the cinnamon stick until the vegetables are lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover the vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
2. Remove the skin from the onion and remove the soft garlic from the skins and add to the vegetable mixture.
3. Add the cubed squash to the vegetable mixture and stir until combined.
4. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Return the mixture to the pot and mix in the remaining stock to attain the desired soup consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And the winner is.....someone else!

About a month ago I got the crazy idea to enter the Mezzetta "Make that Sandwich" contest. I'm not sure why - it just seemed like a fun thing to do. I have never created a recipe totally from the ground up; I've always just modified other people's recipes to my liking and called it good. But this time, this recipe, is all my own. Actually, I do have to give some of the credit to my co-worker Peggy who gave me a jumping off point for the sandwich recipe and I went from there. I assured her that if I won the $25,000 grand prize (and a trip to the Napa Valley) I would make a substantial donation to her favorite cause- the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
It took me about a week to tweak my recipe to my satisfaction and I had a number of different taste testers who assured me I had a "winner." I confidently sent in my recipe and waited with anticipation until Sept 23 when they would announce the winners and I would get my grand prize-winning phone call. Well, the 23rd has come and gone and no one has called or written to inform me of my big winnings and I just checked the Mezzetta's web site to find the names and photos of the winners, so I guess it's safe to say I won't be making any hefty donations or paying off my credit cards and taking a long-awaited vacation to Tuscany.

That being said, I did enjoy coming up with a dish that's all my own. And now, I can go ahead and share it with you. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Mash up Wrap
1 6 oz container of plain Greek yogurt
3 T Napa Valley Bistro Basil Pesto
1 cup Mezzetta's Italian Mix Giardiniera, chopped
3/4 cup Mezzetta's Roasted Red Bell Peppers, chopped
1/2 cup Mezzetta's Sun-ripened Dried tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup red grapes, halved
1 deli rotisserie roasted chicken breast, shredded
1/2 bag spring mix
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 Flat-Out Light Sundried Tomato wraps

For the dressing

Combine 1 6 oz container of plain Greek yogurt and 3 tbsp of Napa Valley Bistro Basil Pesto. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Prepare the filling

1. Roughly chop the Giardiniera, red bell peppers and sundried tomatoes

2. Halve the red grapes.

3. Using two forks or your fingers, shred the chicken breast.

To assemble the sandwich

1. Spread 2 tbsps of yogurt/basil dressing on a sundried tomato wrap

2. Place about 1/2 cup of spring mix on top of dressing.

3. Top spring mix with 1 tbsp chopped giardiniera, 1 tbsp chopped red pepper, 1 tbsp chopped sun dried tomato.

4. Top chopped vegetables with 2-3 tbsp of shredded chicken.

5. Top chicken with 1 tbsp of sliced grapes.

6. Top with 1/2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese.

7. Roll sandwich tightly and slice on the diagonal.

Living the Good Life in Napa

So, here I am in the Napa Valley, house-sitting/dog-sitting for my son and daughter-in-law while they go on their much delayed/much needed honeymoon in Hawaii. I have a rental car, a full tank of gas and access to some of the best food in the country, not to mention my own private wine cellar (my son told me anything was fair game as long as it wasn't on the top rack). I know - it's tough but someone has to do it. Although it's not quite the dream job I imagined it would be (see my related blog titled "The Perils of Porter"). 
I've traveled a lot in my life (between the Army and various jobs) but it still never fails to amaze me how, in just the space of a couple of hours, I can get on a plane and be in a totally different place. I left Boise Friday at noon and just three hours later (after two hours on a plane and one harrowing rental car drive from Oakland) found myself in Napa, CA. It was like landing on a different planet without the spaceship ride or ending up in a foreign country without needing a passport. 
What I love about Napa (aside from the obvious fantastic wine) is the energy it exudes. After arriving at my son's house we headed downtown for dinner. My daughter-in-law Sarah (who, by the way, is the best  daughter-in-law anyone could ask for) called ahead to Oenotri to see if we could get a table on a Friday night. Oenotri is new to the downtown Napa restaurant scene and has garnered a lot of good reviews so I was excited at the prospect of having dinner there. According to its website Oenotri "is an Italian restaurant in downtown Napa featuring a daily changing menu driven by ingredients that are local, fresh and in season." It also has a fantastic wine list that features 25 wines under $25. Another one of Oenotri's signature items is its salumi offerings of both dry-cured and cooked and formed meats. That's not a typo, folks. The word "salumi" means means Italian-style cured or preserved meats.
We arrived at Oenotri and I was immediately impressed by the lively, bustling atmosphere, as well as the open kitchen where I could watch the chefs at work. Even though we didn't have a reservation, a very talented, creative hostess managed to seat us at a table for two (which turned into a table for three) within 20 minutes. After we were seated and had a chance to look at the dinner menu, Jason decided to order a salumi platter while we contemplated the menu further. Sarah chose the PORCINI PENNETTE WITH SAUTEED WILD NETTLES AND ROSA BIANCA EGGPLANT, while Jason went with the BUCATINI ALL’ AMATRICIANA,  PANCETTA, TOMATO AND HOT PEPPER. Not really in the mood to experiment too wildly,  I chose the MOSTACCIOLI WITH WILLIS FARM PORK RAGU AND  PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO. My son, whose appetite is legendary, also ordered a MARGHERITA pizza that was baked in wood-fueled Acino oven from Naples, just in case we weren't sufficiently full from our entrees. We enjoyed the salumi platter and our entrees arrived much quicker than I had anticipated, considering the restaurant was packed.
I thoroughly enjoyed my mostaccioli and the pork ragu was hearty without being heavy. Sarah and Jason complimented their entrees as well and we all enjoyed the Margherita pizza (although Jason ate the final piece). No one had room for dessert, although Sarah gave the dessert menu a cursory glance but decided against it. 
All in all, it was a wonderful re-introduction to Napa and all it has to offer and I'm looking forward to trying a few more restaurants while I'm here. 

National Soup Month

According to a Wild Harvest Organics post on my Facebook page, January is national soup month. What next, a Hallmark card to commemorate the holiday?

Since it's national soup month, I thought I'd do my part by making a lot of soup in the next couple of weeks. I got this recipe from an episode of "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello." Chef Chiarello is one of my favorite Food Network chefs and I actually had the pleasure of meeting him when I dined at his restaurant Bottega last May when I made a visit to my son in the Napa Valley. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was fantastic, but for me the highlight of the evening came when Chef Chiarello came to our table, sat down beside me and put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek and posed for a photograph with me. That photo now graces the wall of my kitchen, along with the note he wrote for me which reads "Use your great smile while you cook." It was a very special evening.

So thanks, Chef Chiarello, for your hospitality and for this great minestrone recipe.

NOTE: I've made some minor modifications to his recipe by substituting Italian sausage for pancetta (which I can't seem to find with any regularity at any local grocery stores) and adding a larger can of crushed tomatoes. I also substituted basil for rosemary. By the way, this makes A LOT of soup (probably about 4 quarts). My husband asked me what army I was cooking for....

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

2 cup (8 ounces) mini-wheel pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 cups chicken stock

6 Italian sausage links, casings removed

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 cups finely chopped yellow onions (1 medium onion)

1 cup small-diced celery (2 medium stalks)

1 cup small-diced carrots (2 to 3 medium carrots)

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used Hunts with Basil)

2 small-diced zucchini

2 cups small-diced, peeled russet potatoes (1 large russet)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to a baking sheet. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a large saucepan, over high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the Italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook thoroughly. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and carrots.

Cook until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent browning. Add the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and potatoes. Add the chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add chopped basil. Season generously with pepper. Add salt, to taste. Just before serving, add the cooked mini-wheel pasta. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.