Cooking Method: Simmering

Vegetable Chili

This is one of my all-time favorite chili recipes, which happens to be vegetarian. It's the perfect thing to make for a crowd with a regular chili con carne. It will please your vegetarian guests and the carnivores as well. It's delicious!

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  • Prep: 25 mins
  • Cook: 1 hrs 45 mins
  • Yields: 8 Servings

Channa Masala Tomato Soup

This Channa Masala Tomato Soup, which is a combination of Trader Joe's Organic Low Sodium Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup and frozen Channa Masala is absolutely delicious. I am going to make sure to always have the ingredients on hand. Serve it with their Malabari Paratha. 

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  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 10 mins
  • Yields: 4 Servings

Passata Sauce from Pizzeria Mozza

Years ago, I took the last pizza class at Pizzeria Mozza with my good friend Chris, who happens to be one of my mentors. I want to tell you about the sauce. This sauce is so easy, it seems like you’ve forgotten something. There is no garlic, no herbs in this sauce!

For their pizzas – also called Passato. The sauce is not complex, instead showcasing the ingredients.

KEY 
The variety of tomato. Best: San Marzano. You want tomatoes that have more meat—lots of flesh – less water, fewer seeds, and sweeter. “DOP” designation is important. Homegrown tomatoes are often very watery making them less desirable since so much water would have to be cooked off.

TIPS 
Pan you use to cook sauce should be twice the size as amount of product you’re adding. A heavy pan—the heavier the better – should be used because it prevents sticking. Enameled cast iron (like Le Creuset) is perfect. Simmer the sauce gently until you get the taste you want. Taste often. It should not take that long to produce the sauce as it is simple with few ingredients.  Do not cook it to a paste.

Cool down the sauce before putting in on pizza dough.  It's a 2-ounce ladle of sauce per pizza. No more. You can also use this sauce for pasta as well.

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  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yields: Makes 7 cups

Instant Pot Chili

I have many chili recipes, but this is my new favorite. I have given the Instant Pot instructions and also the stovetop instructions. The addition of a small amount of cocoa powder adds a subtle depth of flavor.

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  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 25 mins
  • Yields: 8 Servings

Baked Potato & Leek Soup with Cheddar & Bacon

This Baked Potato & Leek Soup with Cheddar & Bacon was what I made for dinner last night. This classic potato and leek soup uses milk and sour cream instead of heavy cream, to reduce the fat. The potatoes are first baked and then combined with the sautéed leeks. The mixture was then puréed. The milk, sour cream and cheese were added at the final stage of cooking. The soup is creamy and topped with chopped green onions, bacon and grated cheddar cheese.

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  • Yields: 4 Servings

Italian Wedding Soup

The term "wedding soup" comes from the Italian language phrase "minestra maritata" ("married soup"), which is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination/"marriage" of greens and meat. The soup has little beef-pork meatballs in a clear broth with greens. It's absolutely delicious!

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  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yields: 8 Servings

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

My daughter Grace buys this Chicken Pot Pie Soup for lunch near where she works. I was intrigued so I recreated it. It's basically a soupier version of the classic pot pie with crispy parmesan puff pastry served on the side.

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  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 45 mins
  • Yields: 4 - 6 Servings

Fancy Cranberry Sauce

My daughter Zoe made this Fancy Cranberry Sauce. My father only likes the sliceable, jiggly retro canned stuff. This takes all that up a notch with deeper fruit flavor and more nuance. It’s subtly spiced with bay leaves and cardamom, then set in a gelatin mold and topped with sugary orange zest and cranberries.

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  • Yields: 8 - 10 Servings

Fig Jam

My daughter Zoe made this gorgeous Fig Jam from the fig tree in their backyard. It's only 3 ingredients and goes perfectly with ice cream, muffins, cheese, etc.

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  • Prep: 30 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Yields: Makes three ½-pint jars

Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowls

Just as with a traditional burrito, this recipe is very versatile. I have given 2 ways to make this Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowl. The first is the Instant Pot version and I also included the stove top version. It's quick and easy to make a perfect for a busy work night meal.

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  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 35 mins
  • Yields: 4 - 6 Servings