The Classics: Escarole Pie

I love escarole.  Mostly, the way my friend Delia (aka "Nonna" to my boys) prepares it.  She "massages" the leaves with lemon, salt & pepper.   She says to do the massaging (with clean hands,  of course) in the kitchen so that your guests don't see you up to your elbows in their dinner!  For some reason, her method makes the most refreshing, delicious simple salad.

Onto this recipe, which is more suitable for this non-Spring Spring that we're having.  Here the escarole becomes hearty, sweet and savory in a warm flaky pie.  Its our take on a classic Italian side dish that's perfect for any gathering, but especially brunch.  Don't be afraid of the anchovies, they melt into wonderful nutty-ness, plus they are a must-have ingredient in this pie.

Here's what you'll need:

• 3 heads escarole
• Olive oil 2 tbsp.
• 3-4 anchovies
• 3-4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Nutmeg, a pinch
• 2 eggs(one egg is for egg wash)
• 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
• Pie crust, prepared or pizza dough
• Salt & pepper

Here's what you'll do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In skillet over medium high heat, heat oil & anchovies, red pepper flakes and garlic.  Once anchovies are melted, add chopped escarole, salt,  pepper & nutmeg.  Once escarole is wilted, let cool.

2.  In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine cheeses, egg, olives & raisins.  Season with salt & pepper.

3.  Combine escarole with cheese mixture and pour into pie crust. Top with second crust, crimp and brush with egg wash.  Bake 35-40 minutes until golden.

Mangia!

xo & a pinch,

Kelly

 

Baked Potato Soup

Ok, so its cauliflower.  You know I love skinny-food trickery and cauliflower is my best partner in crime.  I promise, when you're eating this, you'll think its potato soup.  Its creamy, hearty and when its topped with the usual baked potato bits, you'll find yourself high-fiving "I can eat this whole thing?!"  Yes.  Its cauliflower.  Ok, there's one potato in there.

Here's what you'll need:

• potatoes, 2 small or 1 large, roughly chopped
• cauliflower, 1 large head, chopped
• vegetable or chicken broth, 1 cup, but you may use less
• salt & pepper
• cheddar, shredded for topping
• bacon, cooked & chopped for topping
• chives or scallions, chopped for topping
• sour cream, dollop for topping, if you wish

1.  In a large pot over high heat, add the cauliflower & potato. Cover with water and add about a tsp of salt.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender.  Drain in a colander and return to the pot. 

2.  If you are using a blender or food processor, let the cauliflower cool completely.  Then, in batches, blend mixture until smooth.   If using an immersion blender, blend until smooth or your desired consistency.  Return the pureed cauliflower to the large pot.

3.  Over medium heat, stir while adding broth until you get your desired consistency.   Season with salt & pepper.

4.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with bacon, cheese & scallions.

 What's your favorite cauliflower recipe?

xo & a pinch,
Kelly

Easy Fish Chowder

So, its March and its snowing here on the Jersey Shore.   I'm not mad, but come on!    I hate to be one of those weather-talkers, but spring has been peeking its little head out here and there and ... what a tease!

Anyway, I love this dinner on days like this because it too, is kind of a tease.  A good briny clam will always bring the summer into your kitchen, while the tomato-y broth is cozy and warm.  

• 4 cod fillets, about 1 lb in total
• 8-10 clams, scrubbed
• Canned tomatoes, 28 oz
• Chicken broth, about 1 cup
• White wine, about 1 cup
• garlic, 4-5 cloves, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 small potatoes
• Old Bay seasoning, 1 tbsp
• Hot sauce, 2-3 shakes
• olive oil, 2 tbsp
• salt & pepper
• Crusty bread or garlic bread for dipping (optional, but not really optional)

1.  In a large pot over medium high heat, swirl olive oil.  Add potatoes, carrots, celery and onion.  Season with salt & pepper.  Cook for 8-10 minutes.

2.   Add garlic, Old Bay and hot sauce and cook another 3-5 minutes.  Add wine, cook for another 3 minutes.

3.  Add tomatoes, broth and heat to boiling then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5-8 minutes.  Add salt & pepper to season.  Taste!

4.  Add cod fillets to the pot and cook 4-5 minutes until opaque.   Add clams to the pot and cover.  Let cook 5-8 minutes until clams are open. 

5. Stir pot, removing any clams that did not open. 

6.  Add chopped parsley and serve.  

** don't forget the crusty bread.

Stay cozy!

xo & a pinch

Kelly  

Cooking Light: Caribbean Grilled Pork with Pineapple Salsa

Cooking LIght magazine is a favorite of Measure & Pinch.  It is always chock full of recipes and our favorite part- great pictures along with almost every recipe.   We get a ton of inspiration from it (when we have a chance to read it!).  On my recent vacation with my husband, I didn't bring a "beach read", rather I couldn't wait to get back into my favorite magazines.  I brought Cooking Light April and May editions.  I read them cover to cover on the flights and came home fresh and ready to make... Caribbean Pork!   The funny part is, I was so tired from traveling, that Pam made this for me & the boys while I watched and sipped a Painkiller! (see our last post)

Pam & I always let you know where we are coming from; some recipes are "adapted from.." or "inspired by."  This one, we call an "inspired lift".  We changed a few things, like the salsa ingredients and method, but we lifted the pork recipe to the letter.  Ultimately, we love Cooking Light's idea of serving the jerk spiced pork on a bed of tropical sweetness.  It's really wonderful.

• 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut in half crosswise
• 4-5 slices of fresh pineapple, chopped (about 1 cup)
• McCormick's Caribbean Jerk Seasoning, 1 tbsp
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• lime, zest and juice
• 1 red pepper, sliced

For the salsa:

Combine the pineapple, pepper, tomato, red onion, cilantro, lime (zest and juice) in a bowl.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Let rest while you cook the pork.  When the pork is ready and rested,  pour salsa onto serving platter to create a bed for the sliced meat.

For the pork:

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high heat.  Rub jerk seasoning, salt & pepper over the pork.   Grill 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally.  Take off of the grill and cover with foil.  Let rest for 5 minutes.   Slice and serve on top of salsa.   Do a final season with salt (if you wish) and lime juice.  

Thank you Cooking Light for your endless inspiration for healthy meals.  Thank you Pam for executing this great dinner and thank YOU for reading!

Enjoy your weekend!

Measure & Pinch

Pam & Kelly

Cauliflower Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Spring is being really shy this year, but I'm still having a spring fling.  Its still dreary, drizzly and chilly here, but I need few excuses to eat cauliflower soup.  As weird as it sounds, I can not resist a cauliflower soup.   I'm hooked and not at all shy about it.    

This soup is practically "free" if your tracking on weight watchers, but if you're looking for something warm, satisfying, good for you and crush-worthy.  Here you go:

• I onion, chopped 
• garlic, 2-3 cloves, chopped
• olive oil, 2 tbsp
• cauliflower, 1 large head, chopped
• vegetable broth, 32 oz.
• broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (frozen works too)
• salt & pepper
• cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded plus more for topping  (we used white cheddar)

1.    Over medium high heat, add olive oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot.  Add garlic and onion.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until onions are softened.

2.  Add cauliflower, vegetable stock to pot. Season with salt & pepper.  Let pot come to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 25 minutes, when all vegetables are softened.    Taste to adjust salt & pepper.

3.  If you are using a blender, let the soup cool completely.  Then, in batches, blend mixture until smooth with some small chunks (if desired).  

4.  Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth or your desired consistency. 

5.  Heat soup to a simmer over medium heat (if you let cool before blending).  Now,  add broccoli (frozen or fresh) to the creamed soup and let cook 5-8 minutes.  Lastly, stir in shredded cheddar.  When its melted through, its ready to eat.

So, about this weather...

xo & a pinch,
Kelly

Avocado Deviled Eggs with Grilled Shrimp

I find making Deviled Eggs very satisfying.  I know I'm weird, but slicing open a perfectly hard cooked egg makes me cheer "Yay!" every time.  If I'm making a dozen- those 12 "Yays" guarantee a great day.  

Variations on deviled eggs are limited only by your imagination and condiment/spice supply.  Here, I added avocado, cumin and lime to the eggs to stand up to the lime, cilantro marinated grilled shrimp.

Here's what you'll need:

• eggs, 6, hard-boiled
• shrimp, 12 peeled and deveined
• cilantro, fresh, small bunch
• 1 lime, juiced
• cumin, 1 tsp
• mayonnaise, 1/4 cup
• Dijon mustard, 2 tsp
• avocado, 1/2
• vinegar, 1 tsp
• salt & pepper
• hot sauce, we like Outerlimits jalepeno & lime

For the eggs:

Place eggs in a single layer in a large pot.  Cover with water by 1 inch.   Bring the water to a simmer over high heat.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. 

Let cool and then peel.  Slice eggs in half and gently remove the yolks into a bowl.

Add avocado, juice from half a lime, cumin, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, salt & pepper and mash.  I used a hand blender to get it very smooth, but mashing works too.   Taste and adjust seasoning.    

Pipe or scoop into the egg white halves.  I placed these on a bed of spinach, only because I don't own one of those fancy egg plates-with the little egg shaped depressions.  The spinach prevents the eggs from rolling away.

For the Shrimp:

In a bowl, whisk lime juice, chopped cilantro, 3-4 dashes of hot sauce, salt & pepper.  Add shrimp and let marinate for 15 minutes, up to 1/2 hour.

Using a grill pan on high heat, grill shrimp on both sides until opaque with grill marks, about 2-3 minutes each side.  let rest to room temperature.

Top each deviled egg with a shrimp.

We've been doing some day drinking lately and these are the perfect companion to a crisp white wine on a chilly spring day.

Enjoy!

xo & a pinch,

Kelly  

Cauliflower Leek Soup

Any good Irishman knows that potatoes and leeks just go together, much like peas & carrots!   As an Irish-Italian woman getting ready for a beach vacation, I think cauliflower and leeks are even better friends.  (Ok, I added 2 small yukon golds.  The Irish made me do it!)  The small amount of potato added to this giant pot of cauliflower soup adds the creaminess and satisfying texture that you're looking for with no added cream, milk or butter.  

All I can say about this soup is my ever picky, carnivorous, veg-adverse husband said  "Its surprisingly really delicious!"

Here's what you'll need:

• leeks, 4-5 stalks, cut, soaked and rinsed well
• garlic, 2-3 cloves, chopped
• olive oil, 2 tbsp
• potatos, 2 small or 1 large, peeled and roughly chopped
• cauliflower, 1 large head, chopped
• vegetable broth, 32 oz.
• salt & pepper
• cheddar, (we used vintage Irish Cheddar "KerryGold"), shredded for topping
• chives or scallions, chopped for topping

1.   Over medium high heat, add olive oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot.  Add garlic and leeks.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until leeks are softened.

2.  Add potatoes, cauliflower, vegetable stock to pot. Season with salt & pepper.  Let pot come to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 25 minutes, when all vegetables are softened.    Taste to adjust salt & pepper.

3.  If you are using a blender, let the soup cool completely.  Then, in batches, blend mixture until smooth with some small chunks (if desired).  Then re-heat to serve.

4.  Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth or your desired consistency.

5.  Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar and chopped chives.

"For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day." 

xo & a pinch

Kelly