Comfort Food

I don’t think I’ve made so many recipes from one EveryDay Food magazine before.  I thought I would do two recipes for this entry.  I had to buy heavy cream for the tomato soup recipe. I’m like ok, I’ll go to the dairy area and pick off the shelf, and I know right where they are. I get there, and I’m looking at the cooler, and I see Heavy Whipping Cream. Uh oh. I glance nervously around. Is that the same? Where’s the “heavy cream”?

My solution: Call Mother. So, I call mom and my little sister Chelsey answers, and of course, she’s no help. Mom’s at a jewelry party. So, I ask some random lady in the store, and she really didn’t know. I then see Mary Sarchet, and I’m like she’ll know, but she wasn’t real sure either but thought it might work in whatever I was making. I plunge ahead and buy the Heavy Whipping Cream.  I only needed a tablespoon anyway. What was I going to use the rest for? Mom said to make whipped topping. That would mean I would have to bake something, and I just over-baked the premade cookies.  No, I’ll just let it sit in the fridge.

Do you know what the difference is? Apparently it has to do with the fat content. It also seems like it goes by region if the store carries one cream or the other.  The tomato soup recipe was just for one person.  I was surprised when Barry asked if there was any for him when he got home. I didn’t think he would like it. It took me probably 26 years to like tomatoes. It started off small, by putting them on my hamburgers and then salads. Tomato soup was a big leap. What I did do was buy Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning Blend. It made my simple can of tomato soup bistro.  When I made the recipe I used can whole tomatoes. I added all the ingredients and when it was done it tasted like the spaghetti sauce I freeze in the summer. I also got to use my hand blender again.  I thought I would look up the recipe in the Ramsey in the Kitchen cookbook to compare. It’s that big yellow cover cookbook your grandma or mom might have in the cupboard if you live in Kossuth County area.  They really didn’t have too many soup recipes but they did have a couple of cream of tomato. I thought I would combine them and added a little butter. I’ve decided you can’t go wrong with butter.  The heavy whipping cream was fine, too. It added a nice creaminess to it.  I just wasn’t impressed with the taste. I’ll probably have to keep working it.  In the recipe it calls for pesto and I love pesto. I make it in the summer when my basil patch is at full bloom. The little plant that I have in the window wouldn't cut it so I went without, can't wait till this summer.  I also made a Panini and just not the grilled bacon sandwich. I had garlic peppered turkey meat in the fridge that needed to get used. I like Paninis. It’s a grown-up grilled sandwich.   

Tomato Soup with Bacon Grilled Cheese

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ small yellow onion, diced small (1/4 cup)

1 small garlic clove, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 can (14.5 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, torn

1 tablespoon heavy cream

2 slices bacon

2 slices sandwich bread

1 ounce cheddar, grated (1/3 cup)

Fresh pesto or Salsa Verde

1.       In a small pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, 5 minutes.  Add garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook until onions are soft, 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender with cream; puree until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids: Remove cap from lid and cover opening with a dish towel.) Season to taste.

2.       In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, 10 minutes; drain on paper towels. Remove pan with fat from hat. Layer 1 bread slice with half the cheese, bacon and rest of cheese; top with second bread slice. Return pan to heat. Cook sandwich until cheese is melted and bread is browned, 4 minutes, flipping once. Serve with soup, topped with pesto is desired. Serves 1

So, here’s the big question: What did I do with the rest of the heavy whipping cream? I was flipping through the rest of the magazine, and they had this section dedicated to pasta and the right sauce that goes with the right noodles.  They had a sauce that used heavy cream, onion, and garlic. It needed chicken. I had all this. I just didn’t have the fancy pappardelle noodles, widest ribbon. They have noodles broken down into groups and pappardelle belonged to Ribbon. Nests of flat, wide egg -pasta ribbons are served with creamy butter or hearty meat sauces. The wider the noodle, the thicker the sauce. That’s why fettuccine tastes so good with butter and Parmesan (Alfredo sauce) I’ve always made Alfredo sauce with the cream cheese because it look easy but it tasted off.  Heavy whipping cream is not healthy, go easy using this, but it’s absolutely tasty. I used whole wheat penne, though I do want to try this pappardelle. I’m doing this smart-fuel challenge at work and one of the tips is using whole grains into our diet. The penne did fine,  it held the sauce in its ridges and inside the tube. I finished it with some torn basil. Satisfying Italian comfort food, too bad I’m 100% German. 

Pappardelle with Creamy Chicken Sauce 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces (2 pounds total)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 medium  yellow onion, diced medium

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups heavy cream

1 pound pappardelle

1.       In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until it releases its juices and is almost cooked through, about 7 minutes Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add that cream and bring to a boil, Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick  enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I happen to have a lemon in the fridge so I added that to the sauce to give it a bit of acidity.

2.       Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cooked pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a creamy sauce that coats pasta. Remember that pasta water has all that carbs in it. Never rinse your pasta unless it says so otherwise you'll wash off those carbs that make the sauce stick to the noodle. Serve immediately. 
Adapted from Everyday Foods