Charred Cajun Bruschetta

If you haven't gotten the hint yet...I like spicy. I like to take recipes and give them a little cajun/southwest flavor. Like bruschetta for example, it's such a classic italian appetizer that tastes delicious the traditional way, but it's also a recipe that you can have a lot of creative freedom with to make it into something different. So by charring all the vegetables under a broiler adds in a little smokey flavor, adding in some jalapeno gives it some heat, and using cilantro and lime juice gives it some of those southwest flavors. Figuring out what flavors makes you tick when trying to take your cooking skills to the next level is important. Once you figure out your "voice" in the kitchen, you can take any classic recipe and really make it your own.

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion; halved with skin removed
• 3 Jalapeno's, halved and seeded
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
• French Baguette
• Fresh Mozzarella; sliced

Directions

Set broiler to high.

Place tomatoes, jalapeno's and red onion skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Drizzle all the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Place pan 4" below the broiler and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Once the vegetables are cooled, dice them and mix them all together in a zip lock bag. Add in the minced garlic, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste). Mix all the ingredients together until incorporated.

Slice baguette into 1/4" thick slices on the bias and toast them in the oven. Once toasted, top with sliced mozzarella and the charred vegetable mixture. Serve as a side with the Cajun Sweet Potato Soup.  

 

Potato & Leek Soup

This past weekend I was the head chef for the Boal Mansion Museum's annual grand dinner in Boalsburg, PA. This was the first time I had to come up with an 8-course classic french menu and I really enjoyed the challenge. For the soup course I made a pureed Potato & Leek soup which turned out fantastic. Potato & Leek is a very classic soup and in french cuisine it is most often served as a cold soup or a vichyssoise. It is a very simple, delicious and quick soup. Bon Appétit!

Ingredients 

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 3 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Diced chives; for garnish
• Crème fraîche ; for garnish

Directions


Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of slat and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with a blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Ladle into a bowl, add a dollop of crème fraîche, sprinkle with some chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

**Note: Leeks can be a little intimidating to dice so here is a video demonstrating how to go about doing it.**

 Kitchen Word of the Day 

Purée and (more rarely) mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., mashed potatoes or apple sauce. The term is of French origin, where it meant in Old French (13th century): purified or refined.

Slow-Cooker Chili

Everybody has their own chili recipe, so this is nothing special. I'm not intending on changing the way you make your chili or saying that mine is better than yours. This is just the way I like it, nice and spicy. It wasn't until recent that I started making my own chili, my mom used to always make it. When I was perusing google looking at the vast varieties of Chili recipes I came up with what I like in mine, which turned out to be very similar to Lee's (my girlfriend) mom's recipe...so it worked out perfectly. This recipe is also intended to kick off my next couple weeks of super bowl party recipes. Bon Appétit!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 Jalapeno’s, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Shredded Cheddar cheese, for garnish

Directions

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the next nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese if desired.

**Note: if you want a spicier chili use Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Chili’s & Rotel Spicy Tomato Sauce**

Prices may change.