Bean Soup

So I recently discovered the joy of Ten Bean Soup. When I cook I tend to get into a trend for a little while and make a certain recipe alot. This soup is hearty, tasty and inexpensive. It can feed an army or give you yummy leftovers for days. You can easily find a mix complete with seasonings in the bean aisle but here's a recipe that's a bit healthier.

1 pkg or 1 pound dried ten bean blend (or 15 or whatever you can find)
1 pound low sodium smoked sausage sliced
l large 32 oz can diced tomatoes
1 quart low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 quart water
1 medium onion diced
4 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs crushed red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Rinse the beans and place them in a dutch oven. Either cover with water and soak overnight or add 1 quart water and 1 quart stock and bring to a boil. If soaking, discard soaking water, rinse and proceed.
Boil 1 hour.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer one more hour until beans are tender.
Serve over cornbread.

The vinegar is just enough to add a tanginess that makes up for the lack of salt.
This soup is even better the next day after the flavors get a chance to meld.
Soaking the beans means they'll cook faster and it reduces the...uhmmm......flatulence-causing sugars in the bean.

Chicken Cacciatore

So three weeks ago I received the news that I am diabetic, and then two days ago I was told I have hypertension. All this at the ripe old age of 29. So sugar and salt must be removed from the diet. Well that sounds bland.
I came up with this recipe for a low sodium version of Chicken Cacciatore. Growing up we ate ALOT of chicken. I sometimes say my Mother knows more ways to cook chicken than anyone I know. Of them all this was my favorite. She made hers in the oven, I did mine on top of the stove. The oven method works for large batches and Mom always had to cook for a herd of us.

4 chicken leg quarters or 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks
Olive Oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoe paste
1 qt water (or low sodium chicken broth)
4 tbs balsamic vinegar
4 tbs garlic, chopped
One small red onion, sliced
One green pepper, sliced
1 tbs fennel seed
1 tbs crushed red pepper
1 tsp black pepper

In large dutche oven, heat a few tablespoons of Olive Oil over medium high heat.
Rinse and dry the chicken pieces and place them skin side down in the oil.
Sear a few minutes on each side, remove to a plate or tray.
Add the garlic, onion and pepper to the pot and saute until the onion is transluscent.
Add water or broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up all the bits stuck to the bottom.
Add vinegar, tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Return the chicken pieces to the pot, adjust liquid if necessary to cover.
Reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
I served mine over Rigatoni, but this will work over any pasta and goes well with rice and most especially with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
If you're doing this in large batches, sear the chicken pieces and place them in a baking dish or roaster deep enough to hold them all.
Bake at 350 while you prepare the sauce. Once the sauce comes to a boil add it to the chicken and bake until done.
You can add salt to this, but I found it didn't need it, and I do like salt. Also feel free to experiment with herbs. Sage, Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary would work well as would a bit of red wine.

Calzone

So I was kind of at a loss for dinner. I'd made pizza the night before and had tons of left over ingredients and some ground beef to get rid of. Solution? Calzones! Which is essentially pizza turned inside out right?
Rather than make individual calzones I made one giant one and sliced it up. The end result was quite tasty. Here's my recipe which includes my basic pizza crust recipe as well.

Crust
1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 pkg rapid rise yeast
2 1/2 cups unbleached All Purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs olive oil

What the heck is Semolina!? Don't panic. Semolina is a high-protein flour made from durum wheat, which is yellow not white, and is used to make pasta. When added to bread dough it creates a wonderfully dense chewy texture. I love bread, the heartier the better. Semolina can be found in most stores with the specialty flours. If you don't have it don't worry just use 3 cups all purpose flour instead of the combination. Also, feel free to sub in a cup or two of whole wheat flour, though you may need to add a bit more water.
I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer to mix dough and it's really a life saver. If you don't have acces to a mixer, you can do this by hand in about ten minutes.

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl combine the water, yeast and sugar. Allow the yeast to bloom. As you look at it it will literally explode in little pockets in the water as it feeds off the sugar. When the yeast is all foamy on top it's ready. This will take about ten minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and combine with the dough arm of the mixer or by hand. The mix should form a soft slightly sticky dough. Adjust water or flour accordingly. Knead in the mixer for a few minutes or turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand.
3. Oil a medium sized rectangular cookie sheet or baking tray.
4. Divide the dough in two. Flour your hands and press one half into the bottom of the cookie sheet.
5. Over this bottom crust arrange any desired fillings. Leave a one inch border around the edge. To fill my calzone I used:

Seasoned Ground Beef
Pepperoni
Sliced Red Onion
Sliced Green Pepper
A few tablespoons good Marinara
A handful of Mozzarella

6. Stretch the remaining dough into a rough rectangular shape and lay over the toppings. Stretch and press the top crust over the bottom and press together around the edges.
7. Cut two small one inch vents in the top crust with a sharp knife and brush a bit of olive oil over the whole.
8. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

9. I cut the calzone into four parts and served it with Marinara sauce.

Here we are

So I am a chef, no really I am. I went to culinary school and I work in a professional kitchen and I understand what that crap is Julia Child talks about in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have worked in enormous kitchens and small and I have lived in houses and apartments with kitchens of varying sizes. At present I rent an apartment that, though renovated, is probably at least twenty years old. I have a standard electric stove, microwave and refrigerator. Nothing terribly exciting. For years I've wanted to write about my experiences, share some tips and maybe help someone out there learn to cook. It's really not as hard as it all seems. Even though I've been to culinary school, so much of my own cooking is the result of experimentation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but that's all part of the fun.
I'll do my best to share my experiences both good and bad and hopefully it will help someone along the way.