Living in Minnesota, we're accustom to cold weather, and yes, we all think it sucks but that's life, the cold comes, the cold goes, and in between you have some unbelievable climates well worth the time spent here. Yes, the land of 10,000 lakes, soon to be 10,000 ice rinks gets mighty cold. Fall is one of the best seasons to live in Minnesota because the leave colors are rich and vibrant and are great for any photo op but when that photo op is complete you're left a little chilly and when you're not in the mood for Chile, a hot bowl of roasted chicken vegetable soup is just what is called for. Surround yourself with family, good friends, a fireplace and a some games and call it a great evening.



Ingredients:
1 Roasted Chicken, Shredded
8 Cup of Chicken Stock
4 Cups of New Potatoes, in ¼ Inch Cubes
6 Asparagus Spears, Chopped 1 inch.
1 Package of Chopped Frozen Spinach, Thawed
1 Cup Peas
2 Cups of Broccoli
1 Large Carrot, in ¼ Inch Cubes
½ Cup Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
2 Yellow Squash, Cubed
2 Medium Onion, Chopped
4 Garlic Heads, Roasted
3 Celery Stalks, Chopped (¼ Inch Cubes)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1-2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
2-3 Cups White Wine (One you would want to drink)
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Scallions for Garnish
Shaved Parmagianno Regianno for Garnish

This is all about flavor so experiment for yourself, and see what I did below...

Method:
1. Start with one of those store bought roast chickens, yes, one of those. They are remarkably flavorful, already cooked, and cost around $5-$6. Cheap and saves a ton of time.

2. Starting with a base layer, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Once they are, add the garlic and the wine and render down until the mixture becomes thick. This concentrates the wine flavor, which is why you should only cook with wine you would want to drink.

3. Now add all the ingredients (except for the garnish) to a large stock bot and simmer (not boil!!!) for 2-3 hours, covered. After the second hour, adjust your seasoning. You will most definitely need more salt and pepper.

I suggest cutting up the chicken and throwing all pieces in there, bones and all. Once the soup is done, you can pick out the bones and save them from your guest's bowls. This will add more flavor but it's a nuisance to get the bones out - but worth it! Otherwise, shred it up before head with a couple forms and add the chicken, then begin simmering.

I saw Emeril makes this on a recent episode of The Essence of Emeril but with a slightly different variation including an egg, which I didn't use here. I have never eaten a pasta without sauce, per se, but have always wanted to, especially a garlic infused olive oil. Normally when I think of any pasta a dish, I immediately think of something that is heavy and bogs you down, makes you super full and maybe even tired. But this dish is not like that, it is surprisingly light but packed with flavor, and hey, Olive Oil is great for you!



Ingredients:

1 pound Fettucini
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced and crushed garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 scallions, sliced diagonally (or just sliced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as desired

Method:

1. Bring a large heavy pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring to separate the strands, until the pasta is al dente, 7 to 8 minutes for dry pasta. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until it is just soft, not brown and not burnt! Add the shallots, peppers, and salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant and the garlic is soft but not brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Now add the pasta to the skillet tossing frequently, add the cheese, continue to toss until melted. At the very end add the scallions, toss once more and serve!

I have to apologize for my photos and throughout the remainder of this year and a short time into the next year, they’re not going to be getting any better and this is due to lack of natural sunlight by the time dinner time comes around, so if any of you are photographers out there and can suggest some lighting techniques or light products to purchase, please let me know!

Ok, here we have a roast that has braised for about 6 hours in a crock pot. Normally I would do this in a cast iron Dutch oven in the oven, but I wasn’t comfortable leaving the house with the oven on, so I resorted to the good old crock pot. This roast falls apart and melts in your mouth – enough said? Do you know what "Braise" means? It means to cook twice, meaning, you give the outsides of the roast a nice dark sear in a heavy bottom pan on all sides, and then you cook it again, either in the oven, stove stop, or crock pot.

On a last note, check out this roast I made earlier - it's just as good!


Ingredients:
1 4-6+ lb Roast, Cut in Medium Size Pieces
6 Large Russet Potatoes
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Red Onion, Chopped
1 Head of Garlic, Peeled
3 Large Carrots, cut in big pieces
4 Celery Stalks, cut in big pieces
4 Sprigs fresh thyme, (or about 1 tablespoon)
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary, (or about 1 tablespoon)
2 Cups White Wine
4 Cups Chicken Stock (or beef stock)
Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Method:
1. Start with a skillet with a thick bottom, and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the roast with a good amount of salt and pepper. Seer all sides of the roast until it is nice and dark brown, and remove from the heat.

2. De-glaze the pan with the white wine and allow to reduce in half while scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pan, then add the onions and garlic and saute until clear.

3. Add the carrots and celery to the bottom of the crock pot essentially forming a next, surround some potatoes on the side and add the roast to the center of the pot and add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. Set on low heat for 12hours or high heat for 6 hours, serve and enjoy!

Note: Remember to taste the broth throughout the cooking period to adjust seasonings!

Originally, this wasn’t supposed to be a Crostini but I was stuck as a last resort due to my zucchini lasagna dish totally not turning out due to lack of patience and a hungry family. Here’s what happened. I thought to myself, self! Why not make lasagna but scrap the lasagna noodles and substitute thinly shaved zucchini on the mandolin. What a great idea, my family said, a much healthier alternative to an Italian classic, so started on my journey of recipe experimentation. I started with fresh tomato sauce that I made from scratch, and this is what messed up the entire dish (sauce was somewhat runny). I didn’t let the sauce simmer for a couple hours, and if I would have the sauce would have reduced and concentrated itself into a thicker more flavorful sauce – patience is key – but we were hungry! All in all, I think it was a good attempt and next time I know what to do differently!

Specialty Equipment:
Mandolin (but you can use your very steady hand and sharp knife to make a consistent thin slice).

Ingredients:
4 Medium/Large Zucchini
1 loaf French bread
1 Egg
1 Container of Ricotta Cheese
2 Heads of Garlic, Cloves Peeled, Minced
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
3 Sprigs Fresh Oregano
2 Medium/Large White Onions, Small Chop
1lb Ground Turkey
1/2 Pound Spicy Italian Sausage (raw, not cooked)
3 Celery Stalks, rough chop
3 Carrots, Peeled, rough chop
2 Cups White Wine (Pinot Grigio is what I used)
4+ Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Small/Medium Mushrooms, Sliced Thins
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Large Cans of Tomato Sauce
2 Small (14oz?) Cans of Stewed Tomatoes (no salt added)
1lb Mozzarella Cheese

Method:
1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in pot of dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 6+ minutes. Add the garlic of 1/2 head into the onion mixture and continue to cook for another 3 minutes while moving the mixture so nothing burns.

2. Add 1 cup of white wine and allow to reduce in half, about 4 minutes. This concentrates the grape flavor of the wine.

3. Add the turkey and sausage and cook until the meat is cooked, about 10 minutes. Break up the meat pieces into small chunks. Once cooked, set aside everything in the pot.

4. Add another 3 table spoons of olive oil. Now add the other chopped onion, and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Now add the minced garlic of 1 head (make sure you have about half of the other head left over) and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the other cup or 2 cups (why not??) of white wine and add all the vegetables and spices. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Now add the tomato products to the pot along with the meat and allow to simmer for 2 hours on LOW heat. Start counting after the heat has been turned down and the sauce starts simmering. If you want to make the crostini, simmer for about 1 hour. The sauce will still be a little running. Trust me, the crostini's taste great!

6. Now add the ricotta to a mixing bowl along with 1 egg, add the remaining 1/2 garlic head to a mortar and crush all the garlic into a paste. Add that paste to the ricotta and fold. Add salt and pepper, very important! Fold. Fold Fold

7. Now in a casserole dish cover the bottom with sauce, much like you would with lasagna. Add a zucchini layer, followed by a ricotta layer. Repeat, sauce, zucchini, ricotta, repeat... Ending with a sauce.

8. Add to a 350 degree oven and cook for 40 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, add mozzarella on top.

9. Now, if your "lasagna" turned out not runny, great! If it didn't... It's crostini time!  And the fun part.  Take spoon and mix all the ingredients together.

10. Slice the bread at an angle and toast the bread until crispy (your toaster is perfect).  Add a layer of the sauce on top, and serve!  It's super flavorful.  Enjoy.

So first off I have to apologize for the lack of "eye" used in photographing these dishes. It was at night, so I didn't have sunlight (obviously) which I normally use and I'm not privy to own professional lighting gear, but if anyone has a suggestion on a great cost effective lighting package, let me know please!

Red Beef Chili, courtesy of Bobby Flay. Have you ever heard the TV chefs say something like, "Layers of Flavor?" If yes, and if you have never experienced a meal with "layers of flavor" try this out, because it's amazing and a great chili for any cool time of the year. When you take your first bite, you can taste the sweet layer of the chili, but then it's followed by spiciness, and then by heat! It's a trip. One tip though, use sour creme in place of the creme fraiche if you can't find it, and don't underestimate the power of this ingredient. It adds a cooling/soothing component to the disk.



Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds bottom round beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (12 ounce) bottle dark beer
2 tablespoons finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 poblano, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon seeded and chopped habanero
1 Thai bird chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
1 tablespoon cascabel chile powder
1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder
5 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed
2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more, to taste
Toasted Cumin Crema, recipe follows
Method:
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chocolate and cook until beer is almost completely reduced.

In a separate pot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the poblano, habanero, Thai bird, jand alapeno peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle puree, ancho powder, pasilla powder, cascabel and New Mexican chile powders and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef mixture back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 1 hour, or until thick and beef is tender. Remove from the heat, add the maple syrup, and adjust seasonings.

Serve with a dollop of Toasted Cumin Crema.

Toasted Cumin Crema:
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 cup Mexican crema or creme fraiche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the cumin in a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in a small bowl. Stir in the crema and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in a squeeze bottle.