Pasta e Ceci Soup

Happy Halloween! I didn't do much for this holiday food-wise - sorry about that. We are definitely taking my son trick-or-treating this evening. If the rain clears up. If you're wondering, he is dressing up as Charlie Brown. It was an easy costume to make, and it is even easier to convince him to wear it.


On Halloween, I give you something....sorta orange? I'm normally not a fan of chickpeas (the ceci part of the soup), but I really liked them in this dish! I think having all that pasta surrounding the chickpeas helped. The original directions were rather confusing, to me at least. Hopefully, I've simplified them and made them easier to follow.



Pasta E Ceci Soup
adapted from Williams-Sonoma


3 Tbs plus ¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
2 carros, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 15-oz cans chick peas, drained
6 c chicken stock
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
8 oz ditalini or other small pasta, cooked to al dente
Salt and pepper to taste
Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated


Heat 3 Tbs olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add carrots and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato, and cook another minute. Add chick peas, chicken stock, and thyme sprigs. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Discard thyme.

Chop one rosemary sprig and set aside. In a large skillet, heat remaining ¼ c olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and let fry for 2 minutes. Remove rosemary, and keep olive oil warm.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop about ½ of the chick pea mixture into a bowl. Mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. Add chick pea puree to the olive oil in the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add pasta and 1 c of soup broth, and cook until warmed through. Add back to the rest of the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Pecorino-Romano cheese and reserved chopped rosemary.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 28th

Shrimp ceviche with black beans and rice from Travelling Gourmet. I love the vegetable letters in their logo! The ceviche was "cooked" perfectly, and the beans and rice that accompanied it were well seasoned. I liked the extra kick of coriander.

Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls

What it is about pumpkin? There are plenty of foods that only come around for a short period of the year. Cranberries, artichokes, figs....People don't start putting those things in every. single. dish. possible. The thing is, I'm the exact same way. I recently tweeted that I (proudly) went through three cans of pumpkin in two days. For me, pumpkin food signifies fall, my favorite season of all.


I've had this recipe bookmarked since I saw it in January. I wasn't in the mood for pumpkin then, but I sure am now! Branny made a vegan version, but I decided to make this using dairy products. The filling is extra creamy and smooth. Next time I may add some toasted walnuts for a little crunch.



Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
adapted from Branny Boils Over


6 lasagna noodles

Pumpkin filling:
15 oz solid packed pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Cheese filling:
15 oz. carton of part-skim ricotta cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage
½ tsp salt

Bechamel Sauce:
2 c. whole milk
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp fresh lemon zest

¼ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil on a stove. Drop in lasagna noodles and simmer until pliable, 9-10 minutes. Place noodles to cool over the lip of a large mixing bowl, draping one portion of the noodle on the outside of the bowl and one on the inside.

In a bowl, combine the ingredients of the pumpkin filling. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients of the cheese filling.

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add flour and cook combination a few minutes until golden. Whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Cook 7-8 minutes until thickened. Add nutmeg and lemon zest, and set aside.

Assemble rolls by laying noodles out and spreading pumpkin mixture along the length of the noodle, leaving the end of the pasta furthest from you bare. Dollop ricotta mixture down the pumpkin layer, then gently smooth over the pumpkin. Roll lasagna ending with the bare noodle end, and place seamside down in a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour sauce over lasagna rolls.

Bake in a 350* preheated oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the lasagna rolls. Bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 21st

Meatballs from the Swede Dish Truck. These newcomers to the food truck scene serve up authentic Swedish cuisine. The meatballs are accompanied by a very generous portion of mashed potatoes, a cream gravy, pickled gherkins, and a lingonberry jam. The meatballs were tender and savory, and the gherkins added some great crunch along with acidity; I just wish there had been a few more.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

A few years ago, I made a wedding cake for my friends Alyssa and Stephen. Just recently, Alyssa celebrated her 30th birthday. She had a get together in the park with make-your-own sundaes. I offered to bring cupcakes. When I asked her what flavor she wanted, she suggested lemon cupcakes, like her wedding cake. Awesome, lemon meringue cupcakes, here I come!

These cupcakes exceeded my expectations. I was leery of the frosting, since I had tried seven minute frosting before with disastrous results. But it whipped up beautifully, and held its shape after being piped onto the cupcakes. Using a kitchen torch instead of the broiler made toasting the meringue a lot easier to control (and was way more fun).





Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
adapted from My Baking Addiction


2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons (finely grated)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 c lemon curd

Meringue Frosting:
¾ cups plus 1 tablespoons sugar
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 large egg whites, room temperature


Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites.

Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is thoroughly combined. Add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Distribute the batter evenly between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake. Spoon or pipe in a dollop of lemon curd.


For the frosting:
In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 c sugar with the water and corn syrup; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, beating to combine. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue frosting.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

I'll tell you a secret about musicians....we are suckers for free food. I think it hearkens back to our college days when we played gigs in exchange for food. It was how we got people for our own performances. "Can you play in this recital for me? I can't pay you, but I'll make you cookies/cupcakes/dinner!"


This is why I was happy when Hubs agreed to play a 5-week concert series for school kids - two morning performances with a short break in between. Perfect time for a mid-morning snack! I've been baking goodies for the musicians. By far, these pumpkin doughnuts have been the most popular.


This is one of the fastest recipes I've posted since making the food. I have seen these doughnuts on not one, not two, but three of my favorite blogs. I decided to go straight to the original source for the recipe. The dough was extremely sticky, so I had to use more flour than usual. Next time, I may knead a little bit of flour into the dough before cutting them.


I saved some of the doughnut holes for myself and family. They were so addictive, I ate six of them before I realized it.



Pumpkin Doughnuts
adapted from Bon Appetit magazine
October 2004


Doughnuts:
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ easpoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ c buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
Canola oil (for deep-frying)


Spiced Sugar:
1 c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp nutmeg


Whisk first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin in 4 additions. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Combine the ingredients for the spiced sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out ½ of dough on a well floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch thickness. Using a round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using a small round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.

Line a few wire racks with paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 370°F to 380°F. Fry doughnut holes in batches until golden brown, turning once about 1-2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts in batches, keeping enough space for the doughnuts to move around, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. While the doughnuts are still slightly warm, toss them in the spiced sugar. Let cool before serving.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 14

Cupcakes from the Yum Yum Cupcake truck. This is an older photo, taken on my very first food truck venture. I didn't have my camera, so I took the shot with my phone. The Yum Yum truck is one of the most popular business on wheels. They sell out of cupcakes at almost every location. Pictured here are: mint chocolate, red velvet, peanut butter chocolate, and vanilla. They also have flavors of the month that Facebook and Twitter fans can vote for. Their October flavors are bananatella and hootenanny harvest. Yum!

Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2011, The Desserts

When I'm at the Food and Wine Festival, desserts usually take a back seat to the drinks and savory food. I'm usually so excited to try the main dishes, that I'm too full when it's time for dessert. But, there are some sweets that are too good to pass up. Here are my top 5 desserts of the International Marketplace:


Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote from Belgium. This dessert debuted a year ago and was an instant hit. It was easily the most popular menu item from last year. The waffle was crisp and warm, and the berry sauce made us totally forget about syrup.


Apple Strudel from Germany. This classic appears every year, and for good reason. Flaky pastry, apple filling, and not one but two sauces: caramel and vanilla. This generous portion is big enough to share with a friend.


Pumpkin mousse with dried cranberries (provided by Ocean Spray) and orange sauce from Hops and Barley. The chefs have really stepped up the selections from the Hops and Barley stand (a.k.a., the United States.) This pumpkin mousse is layered parfait-style with an orange sauce and a granola-like streusel with dried cranberries. I really liked the combination of the citrusy orange with the pumpkin.


Chocolate lava cake with Bailey’s ganache from Ireland. These little lava cakes are rich, so it’s a good thing the portion is small. We loved the warm Irish cream ganache so much that Hubs licked the plate clean.


White chocolate macadamia mousse with dark chocolate pearls from Desserts & Champagne. Yes, another mousse. All the selections from the Dessert Trio tasted fantastic (a vast improvement from last year), but this mousse really stood out. The pearls were chocolate covered rice krispie-like crunchies, and they popped delightfully in my mouth.


Have you been to the Food and Wine Festival yet? Do you have a favorite dish? Which dessert would you really like to try?

Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

I love eating salads, but sometimes I balk at having to prep all the ingredients. I'm not sure why, since I normally don't mind recipes with lengthy ingredient lists. Luckily, this salad doesn't take much to put together. It is a deconstructed version of chicken parmesan. All the components are there - chicken, crispy breadcrumbs, mozzarella, and sauce. As long as you don't go heavy on the breadcrumbs, the dish stays much healthier than the original.


Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs
adapted from Food Network Magazine
July/August 2010


1 plum tomato, halved
4 sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 bunch basil leaves, torn
4 Tbs grated parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and pepper

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
⅔ c panko crumbs
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
8 c salad mix
4 oz. small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), sliced


Puree plum tomato, sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, half the basil leaves, and 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese until smooth. Add a few tsp of water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat grill to high. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally to make four thin cutlets. (If you can find thin-cut cutlets at your store, then you can skip this step.) Brush with 1 Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until marked on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and grill another 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Let the meat rest on a cutting board.

Heat remaining 2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove from heat. Add remaining 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese and the parsley. Stir to combine.

Toss salad greens and remaining basil in a large bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the greens. Add mozzarella. Toss with the dressing and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.

Friday Food Truck Photo, October 7th

Emapanadas from La Empanada. They are an offshoot of Black Bean Deli, so I already knew their food would taste great. The two flavors of empanadas were: picadillo (filling pictured below) and black bean plantain.


The picadillo empanada was Tyler-approved.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival, 2011

First column: passport decoration, cheese selection from Cheese kiosk, keilbasa and pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream, stuffed cabbage. Second column: black pepper shrimp with sichuan noodles, German Bier flight, chocolate lava cake with Bailey's ganache, fennel. Third column: German beer list, Welcome display, sausage in a pretzel roll. Fourth column: lettuce wrap with roast pork and kimchi slaw, ropa vieja, Kerrygold cheese selection with apple chutney and brown bread. Click collage for larger view.

I spent the better part of last weekend hanging out at Epcot and tasting numerous selections from the Food and Wine Festival. This is my absolute favorite thing at Disney. For about 6 weeks, Epcot hosts a ton of events: private lunches and dinners, tastings, demonstrations, a concert series, and an International Marketplace of 25 countries.



The theme for this year is "Passport to a World Flavors." Hawaii, Portugal, and the Caribbean made their debut, and Scandinavia returned to the market.

First row: Greek salad, Xante description (don't believe it), Swedish meatballs. Second row: chocolate cannolis, Hawaii menu, Xante. Third row: Apple strudel, griddled Greek cheese with honey and pistachios, tuna poke with seaweed salad. Fourth row: Belgian waffle with berry compote, Craft beer flight. Click collage for larger view.

I tried the pork slider and the tuna poke from Hawaii. I liked the pineapple chutney on the slider, and the tuna was fresh and well seasoned. I also had the calamari from Portugal - good flavor, but the texture of the calamari was a little too rubbery. And the ropa vieja from the Caribbean was tender and delicious.


First row: seared scallop with Kumara red curry puree and apple-radish slaw, lobster roll, cappellini with spicy shrimp, Brewer's collection stand. Second row: wine, Scandinavia kiosk, France, steamed mussels with roasted garlic cream and baguette. Third row: dessert trio, lobster claw, passport decoration, calamari salad with fennel, smoked paprika, and olive oil. Fourth row: escargots in brioche, grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree, Kalua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole pineapple chutney and spicy mayo, ribeye taco with chipotle sauce and green onion. Click collage for larger view.

Maybe it was because we were there on the first day, but the rice was messed up on all the dishes that we tried. The rice with the mahi mahi was undercooked and hard, the rice with the ropa vieja was gummy, and the "sticky" rice that came with the bulgogi was more akin to Uncle Ben's. I'm hoping these kinks were just "first day jitters." Other dishes I wasn't impressed with were the ribeye tacos (paltry amount of filling, especially for the price), the stuffed cabbage, and the Xante liquor from Scandinavia (tasted like banana flavored medicine. Blech.)


There were perennial favorites: the escargots (how can you resist those cute bread cups?), the lamb slider, and the maple salmon. Even though they are offered every year, I can't pass by without having them.

Here are some of the standout dishes:


First up, the coq au vin from France. I was disappointed that my beloved short rib wasn't offered, but am happy that it was replaced by something so delicious. There was a generous portion of chicken, with a rich onion and mushroom gravy. It was placed on a bed of macaroni gratin, or macaroni and cheese. For $4.75 it was the best bang for the buck, and one of the richest dishes in the World Showcase.


Next is the lobster claw from the Hops and Barley kiosk. As complex as the coq au vin was, this dish was stellar in its simplicity. A whole lobster claw with a side of clarified butter - that's all you need. The lobster was perfectly steamed, and its sweet flavor shone.


I was a bit scared about cracking the shell, but the chef had sliced the shell in a few key places, so extracting the meat was very easy. The Hops and Barley also offers a lobster roll, but with food this beautiful, bread and mayo are totally unnecessary.


The griddled Greek cheese from Greece was a pleasant surprise. The cheese was fried and crispy, and the honey was just sweet enough to offset dish's saltiness.


And the Brewer's collection of beer in Germany was fantastic. We had Bier Flight #1, but with the Oktoberfest swapped for the Roog. The Dunkel, a dark beer, was also quite tasty. There was a little biergarten with some tables set up in a grassy area. And the whole Germany pavilion was decked out for Oktoberfest.


Each menu board had a QR code that could be scanned (as seen in the right corner of the menus.) Most of them went to a site that provided menu items and descriptions, which seemed a bit redundant. Every so often, one would provide a gem. For example, the QR code on the Germany menu gives the recipe for their apple strudel. Very helpful!


I'm saving a whole separate post for the dessert offerings. Stay tuned for my favorite sweets of the festival! Click here to see my full photo album.