SOUP SHOOTERS

How do you feel about cold soups? If not a fan, keep reading... This one is equally, if not more inviting heated up. It has all the components of a French potato and leek soup (aka potage or vichyssoise), plus asparagus. I recently served it chilled as an appetizer in these too cute for words little shooter glasses! Let me know how you like it.

Photo by Deb McGwin Photo and Design

ASPARAGUS VICHYSSOISE

This recipe comes courtesy of Ginger Howell of the Seasonal Kitchen Cooking School. I normally leave out the light cream, substituting more chicken stock, if needed.

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups diced onion

1 large or 2 medium leeks, well rinsed and sliced (white part and 1-inch green)

2 medium butter potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

1-1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus, bottoms trimmed and cut across in 1-inch pieces

4-5 cups chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 cup light cream or half and half

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Snipped fresh chives for garnish

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add the onions and leeks. Sauté until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the potatoes, asparagus, and 4 cups broth. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the dill. Cool slightly, then process in a blender or food processor in batches until the soup is smooth.

Add the cream (or more stock), lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Garnish with dill or chives. Serves 6-8.

DELICIOUSLY OFF BRAND?

Italian is my thing, but I don't get hung up on labels. Mostly I cook with whatever fresh ingredients inspire me, especially in the summer, when farmers' markets are literally ripe with possibilities. This week it's locally grown strawberries, the ones that actually taste like strawberries!

This recipe for Strawberry Ricotta Cake really isn't so out of character for me. As I said in my book, "I have a thing for cakes that can double as breakfast..." and this one fits the bill, simple, satisfying, moist, and not cloyingly sweet. The recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's Raspberry-Ricotta Cake and many have riffed on it, including yours truly.

STRAWBERRY RICOTTA CAKE

1 cup whole-milk ricotta

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

9 large strawberries, stems removed, sliced in quarters top to bottom

Scant 1 tablespoon sugar

If your ricotta is watery, place a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh strainer over a bowl. If you don't have cheesecloth, use a coffee filter. Discard any liquid that accumulates in the bowl.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan and line it with a round of parchment paper at the bottom.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add the ricotta, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, mixing just until combined after each addition. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the top.

Arrange the strawberries on top of the batter, slightly pressing the berries into the batter. If you push them in too far (like I did in the photo above), the batter will rise up around them and they won't be visible until you cut into the cake. However, this isn't a deal breaker. It will still taste delicious.

Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 55 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing the sides of the springform.

If you like this recipe, or any of the others I've posted, please spread the word to your friends who enjoy cooking and encourage them to subscribe to my free blog. Also follow me on Instagram. Mille grazie - now that's Italian!

RAMBLING ON ABOUT RAGÙ

I recently returned from a trip to Bologna, and I will sum it up in one word: “Ragù.” No seriously, it’s about way more than that, but that's what this post is about. Bologna is known as three things: La Rossa, La Dotta and La Grassa. While many think La Rossa (the red) is associated with local politics, it’s also a reference to the terracotta brick buildings that surround the historic city center…La Dotta, (the learned one) for its famed university, the oldest one in the Western world…and La Grassa (the fat one) for the richness of its cuisine. But there’s no getting around it, Bologna is a city where ragù reigns supreme.

Whatever you may have believed this word to mean, here’s what you need to know about ragù. It’s a tomatoey meat sauce, not a meaty tomato sauce, traditionally paired with tagliatelle or tortellini, and topped with a dusting of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s also an essential component of the classic Lasagne alla Bolognese.

My interpretation...

What I ate in Bologna...

With tagliatelle...

In lasagna...

I detected a subtle difference between my recipe from Cooking by Heart and what I ate at the source. In Bologna it tasted more like the ingredients from which it was made, the slightest bit richer and sweeter, and for want of a better word, porkier. This is, after all, the land where pigs rule!

Affectionately dubbed Mr. Mortadella by yours truly!

So, I set out to experiment with my tried-and-true recipe, to make it as authentic as possible. My efforts may have brought me closer to what I ate in Italy, but I’m not convinced they made that much of a difference (made here in America). The original book recipe is still great, and I stand by it, but here are some optional changes, should you wish to do some comparison tasting of your own. When all is said and done, I’m once again reminded of what my dad always said -” It just doesn’t taste the same as in Italy.” He adamantly attributed this to the unfortunate reality that if the ingredients aren’t grown or raised (to this I might add “consumed”) under the Italian sun, the dish will fall short. Fresher, more intensely flavorful are words that come to mind, and it all makes sense since the ingredients are strictly sourced locally, as they have been since, well, forever – a source of great pride, and rightfully so, for the people of this region...and throughout Italy. Hope you love it.

P.S. - This is a weekend project!

Changes from book recipe italicized and bolded below:

- Add butter to the soffritto

- Substitute pork for some of the beef

- Enrich the cooked sauce with reduced cream at the end

BOLOGNESE-STYLE RAGÙ

2 medium carrots

2 celery ribs

1 medium red onion

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 ounces pancetta, small dice

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck plus 1/2 pound ground pork

3/4 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup whole milk

2 large bay leaves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cans (28 ounces each) plum tomatoes, puréed

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Cut the carrots, celery, and onion into roughly 1/2 inch pieces. Pulse carrots several times in a food processor, then add celery and onion and continue pulsing until finely and evenly chopped.

Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven on low. Make a soffritto by adding the vegetables and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook on low, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Add the ground beef and pork and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces with the back of a large spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile warm the milk with bay leaves over low heat; don't let it boil. Add the milk and bay leaves to the meat mixture and season with nutmeg. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato. Simmer on low, uncovered, 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan on low; simmer until reduced by one-third. You should be left with 5-6 tablespoons. Stir the reduced cream into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight, allowing the fat to rise to the surface and solidify. When ready to use, discard the bay leaves and skim off and discard the excess fat. Makes about 10 cups sauce.