The Gold Country Times

Soup has always been an at-home comfort food. Now soup is emerging as a popular choice in restaurants too; a choice Mexican and Southwestern-style eateries can capitalize on by offering the kind of ethnic soups and stews that have always been key in Mexican cuisine. The demand for both traditional and more trendy soups is on the rise; one interpretation is a chicken stock-based soup flavored with chiltepín, salsa fresca, onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano and peppercorns, then garnished with tortilla strips, avocado, lime and grated Monterey Jack cheese.

Other versions might include crema, beans, tomatoes, epazote, or bits of chicken, Sopa de Guias, a green, brothy soup made with the leaves and stems of the zucchini, cubed zucchini and zucchini blossoms, and the herbs chepil and piojito. Chepil is a tiny, pungent herb that's not as strong as epazote, and piojito is a tiny green herb described as "kind of minty."

Ernesto's Mexican Food in Sacramento, has an entire section on its menu devoted to soups. He also offers Albondigas, an authentic Mexican meatball soup made with fresh onions, cilantro and traditional spices in a rice broth.

2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 lg. yellow onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1-1/2 c. uncooked rice
1-1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1 t. pepper, or to taste
1/2 t. cumin
10-14 c. water

The Albondigas: Mix ground beef, a half bunch of cilantro, 1/2 c. uncooked rice, 2 eggs, half of the salt, pepper, cumin and 1 clove garlic (or to taste). Divide mixture into 1-ounce balls (large walnut size), rolling them between the palms of your hands until firm and round. Place Albondigas on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

The broth: Using canola oil in a large pan, combine onions, half bunch of cilantro, tomatoes, and 1 cup of uncooked rice and sauté for about 5-10 minutes. At this point, add water and the rest of the salt, pepper, cumin and garlic. Bring water to a boil, and add Albondigas one by one. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the meatballs float in the broth. Recipes courtesy of Ernesto's Mexican Food, Sacramento, Calif. Back to Top

Chicken Picatta has long been one of my all-time favorite Italian dishes. Classically, this dish is made with very thin slices of veal, but because of its price and rarity, chicken is a great second choice. Picatta is actually the Italian word for "veal escalope", or a thin slice of veal. The key to this dish is to make sure that the chicken or veal, if you choose to use it, is pounded flat. The end result should be no thicker than ¼ inch. This will help the meat cook quickly and evenly. The second most important key to this dish is letting the liquid reduce sufficiently. If there is too much liquid in the pan when you start adding the butter cubes, you will have a runny sauce. Here is my version of this Italian Classic.

Chicken Picatta, Serves 4
4 Chicken Breasts, pounded flat
1 ½ sticks of butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 Shallots, minced
¾ cup White Wine
¼ cup Lemon juice
3 Tbs. Capers, chopped
1 tsp. Each salt and black pepper
¼ cup Parsley
1 ½ cups rice, cooked per package instructions
2 Tbs. Parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. Oregano, chopped

Heat 2 pieces of the butter over medium-high heat in large sauté pan. Add chicken, 2 at a time and sauté on both sides till golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add shallots and capers to pan with one more piece of butter. Sauté for about a minute, then add wine and lemon juice. Let liquid reduce until almost gone, then turn down heat to low. Add 2 pieces of butter to pan and whisk until all butter has melted. Repeat these steps until all the butter has been used. Season with salt and pepper. Add parsley at the end. Chef James Back to Top

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Honey Almond Brittle:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons water
2 ounces slivered almonds (about 1/2 cup), toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Custard Cream:

1 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans.

For the cake: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds between additions. Add alternating increments of the flour mixture and buttermilk and vanilla, blending well after each addition; this should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans, on wire racks, for 10 minutes, un-mold the cakes and let cool completely. Note: The cake recipe makes two 8-inch round cake layers. Only one is used for this recipe.

To make the brittle: Combine the granulated sugar, honey and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil, without stirring, until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the toasted almonds, butter and baking soda. Mix with a wooden spoon just until the butter melts and the foaming subsides. Pour the mixture into a nonstick or lightly greased baking sheet and set aside to cool. Once the brittle has hardened, break it up and crush to fine crumbs in a food processor. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the custard cream: In a heavy saucepan over medium- low heat, heat milk to barely simmering. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to blend smoothly. Stir the heated milk into the egg mixture; return mixture to saucepan. Bring back to a boil, over medium-low heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add butter and vanilla, stirring to melt the butter. Transfer custard to a bowl; place a piece of waxed paper directly on top to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until cold. Whip the cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chilled custard and refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally. Place one layer on a cake plate, spread cake with cold custard cream and sprinkle with brittle crumbs. Cover with the remaining layer of cake. Spread the remaining custard cream over cake, applying a thinner coat to the sides, then the top. Chill for a least 1 hour before garnishing. To garnish, press brittle crumbs onto the sides of the cake with the palm of your hand and sprinkle a layer of crumbs on the top. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: To toast nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake in a 375-degree oven until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Allow nuts to cool before using. This is a fabulous dessert, perfect for the holidays. Perfect for the winter months. Enjoy! Back to Top

Mushroom Polenta Ragout
Submitted by Eva Dunn

This is a great dish (Gourmet, 1993), is easy to prepare and bakes unwatched in the oven. Great for winter holiday dinners. The alcohol of the wine evaporates, leaving the delicious flavor of the wine. You will need:

1 large onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
3 tbls olive oil
1 pound of white mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 pound of shiitake mushrooms (optional), discard stems and quarter
1 tbls tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 tbls cornstarch
1 1/3 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

6 cups water
1 tbls olive oil
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tbls butter, cut into pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 pound mozzarella, diced fine

First, make the mushroom ragout: in a large deep skillet cook the onion, the garlic, and the rosemary in the oil over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the mushrooms and salt to taste, and cook, stirring, for about ten minutes. The liquid the mush-rooms give off should be evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste and the wine and boil the mushroom mixture until most of the liquid is evaporated. In a small bowl stir the cornstarch into the broth, add the mixture and the Worcestershire sauce to the mushroom mixture, bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer the ragout for 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Now make the polenta: In a large, heavy saucepan bring the water with the oil to a boil and add 1 cup of the cornmeal, a bit at a time, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining 1 cup cornmeal in a slow stream, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan, the parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Spread one third of the polenta evenly in a buttered 13x9 inch baking dish and chill the polenta sheet for 20 minutes. This will be used to cut out stars for the top of the dish. You can skip this step if you want the top fully covered.

Spread half of the polenta in a buttered 3 quart shallow baking dish, top it with half the mushroom ragout, and top the ragout with the mozzarella. Spread the remaining polenta quickly over the mozzarella and top it with the remaining ragout. For the stars: invert the polenta sheet onto a work surface and cut out as many stars as possible. Arrange them decoratively on the ragout and sprinkle them with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. At this point, the dish may be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Great!

Cook in a 400 degree oven. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the polenta stars are golden. This is an incredible dish! Just a hint of the deep wine flavor in a great sauce, and the herbed polenta is wonderful. You will notice it is truly a vegetarian dish also. I urge you to try out this dish! It will become a favorite of yours also.
Back to Top

I believe this recipe came from a Better Homes and Garden issue. It is the easiest candy recipe that anyone can make. The resulting candy is a light, crisp caramel topped with a chocolate layer which is studded with toasted nuts. This is simply divine and has quickly become a family favorite.

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 tbls corn syrup
1 (11 1/2 oz) pkg. milk chocolate pieces or dark chocolate
1 cup finely chopped, toasted nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts) I prefer almonds.

Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (or something close to this) with foil, extending over the edges. In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter. Do not let it brown. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water. Cook this mixture over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring til sugar is dissolved.

Clip candy thermometer to pan. Be sure the bulb is well covered and not touching the bottom of the pan, or you will get a false reading. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently til the thermometer (optional) registers 290 degrees (soft-crack stage), about 15 minutes. The mixture will turn golden brown. Be sure it is golden enough so when it cools, it will remain that color. This is important for this layer is most visible and should not be a pale caramel color, but deep golden. Be careful! The seconds from pale to perfect go very fast! Remove the thermo-meter. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Cool for 5 minutes until just set.

Now the fun part! Sprinkle the chocolate pieces all over the top. Let stand for two minutes. Then with a butter knife, spread it all over the surface to cover. Top it with the roasted nuts (be sure and roast these, plain will not taste near as great), pressing them into the melted chocolate slightly with the knife or the back of a spoon. Cool for several hours until set.

Once set, holding the foil, lift the candy out of the pan and break it into medium sized pieces much like making Brickle. To store, layer the candy in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. This makes about 2 1/2 pounds.

This is lovely presented on a beautiful, simple platter, the pieces arranged artfully. Believe me, this will not last long! Better double this recipe too! Print out copies of the recipe, for you will be sure to be asked for it by everyone who tastes it. Enjoy! Back to Top

I love Fanny Farmer’s "Apple Sauce Cookies" because I have four apple trees and like to cook things that are easy and taste good. These cookies serve both those purposes. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

¼ lb. Butter (1 cube) ½ teaspoon salt
½ Cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ Cup sugar 1 teaspoon nutmeg
1`Cup applesauce 1 Cup raisins
1 egg ½ Cup nuts
2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

For ease of preparation, have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 F and grease some cookie sheets. Cream the butter and add the two sugars, beating until light. I do all of this in my blender when ingredients are at room temp. It takes about three minutes. Stir in egg and applesauce (blender). If you have blended all these then put into a mixing bowl which will hold all of the ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients and stir into wet a bit at a time. Then add nuts and raisins and stir. Drop by spoonfuls on the cookie sheets and sprinkle with red and/or green sparkly sprinkles if you want a festive look. Bake for 5–7 minutes or until lightly brown (If the tops squish down they are not done.) You should have about 40 cookies. An added benefit to these cookies…your kitchen smells heavenly. Back to Top

Leading Brands Inc., a premium healthy beverage company, introduces a fun and unique blueberry cider recipe that will impress every holiday guest.

3 cups (750 mL) TrueBlue Blueberry Cocktail (or any other flavor)
2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
4 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen blueberries, optional

Combine TrueBlue Blueberry Cocktail, brown sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks in a pot. Heat on high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks. Add blueberries (optional), heat and serve immediately. TrueBlue® Blueberry Juice Cocktails recently was awarded the "Best Beverage in 2006" by America’s Best Food Show and the "Best Blueberry Beverage in 2005" award by the North American Blueberry Council.

TrueBlue® Blueberry Juice Cocktails, was launched in early 2005. Lightly sweetened with cane sugar (not high fructose corn syrup), the product is ‘all natural’. Each 16oz serving contains as much juice as a full serving of fresh blueberries. With 25% fewer calories per serving than most cranberry-based products, TrueBlue® is also a preferred dietary choice for health-conscious consumers. For more details on TrueBlue® and recipes, www.trueblueberry.com.

With all the benefits of blueberries including being the #1 antioxidant, lowering cholesterol and slowing the aging process, it’s no wonder why consumers enjoy this power packed juice especially since you can’t get fresh blueberries year round! Back to Top

Take an old favorite and make it special by baking Pineapple Upside Down cake in individual cupcake tins. Spray the muffin tins very well with vegetable spray. Put one pineapple ring in the bottom of each cup, or crushed pineapple, right on top of your brown sugar-butter mixture that you have prepared. On top of that slice, pour in your cake batter. Bake 350F for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes, then invert onto glass plate, and enjoy!

1 box lemon cake mix
1 box lemon pudding mix (the regular sized small box)
4 eggs
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable or canola oil

Mix all ingredients well. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. Test with a knife to see if ready (knife will come out clean) or press your finger down and if it springs back up, it's ready. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from bundt pan. Then loosen with a knife around the sides and invert to a plate. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy! EASY and GOOD. Back to Top

Every Italian I know makes meatballs that are "the best in the world", according to their own families. That is as it should be. Although no two recipes are exactly alike, every old-world mom or grandma worth her salt will serve up these delicious family favorites from time to time. Like homemade chicken soup, the meatball is a wonderfully spicy, comfort food. In recent months, I have taken to representing the Swedish side of our household, brought forth through my husband’s heritage on his mother’s side. So we have dueling meatballs here. Sometimes Italian, sometimes Swedish, but always appreciated and gone in no time. I have decided to include both recipes to let you try with your family and decide for yourselves. Andrea Smith

Mama’s Italian Meatballs

Mix together:
1 lb ground turkey breast

½ lb ground beef (I prefer the leanest I can find, like ground sirloin)

1 egg

¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmegiano cheese

2 slices sweet French bread, pre-soaked in milk, softened and squeezed out well

1 box chopped spinach or Swiss chard if you can find it—cooked and cooled

2 Tablespoons chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Salt to taste (1 ½ tsp is a good place to start)

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp Italian seasoning

Meanwhile, sauté together in olive oil until brown, and add to the above mixture when cooked through:

1 small yellow onion—minced

2 stalks celery---minced

2 cloves garlic—mince fine

TIP: I add a little salt and pepper to the veggie trio while cooking so that the flavors get infused and the moisture is removed from the onions which will then cook faster. Form into 2" balls. Bake in a large ovenproof pan generously greased with olive oil at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and immerse in your favorite spaghetti sauce and warm through before serving with pasta.

On pasta night—there is no question about it I suppose—Italian wins hands down. But sometimes, served with rice, a favorite veggie side dish and a salad, those Swedish meatballs just hit the spot. They are also wonderful to bring along as a dish contributed to a community pot-luck. So experiment, and enjoy. Add a few spices from your own creative flow and your name will be added to the list of "best in the world" meatballs!

Berquist Swedish Meatballs

Mix together:

1 lb ground turkey breast

½ lb ground pork

1 egg

¼ cup plain bread crumbs (I use day-old sweet French whirled in food processor)

1 slice white or wheat bread soaked in milk, softened and squeezed out well

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ground allspice

1 ½ tsp salt

Meanwhile, sauté in 1 ½ tablespoons butter, ½ cup finely chopped onion. Cool and add to the meat mixture. Mix well and form into 1" round balls.

Heat 1 ½ tablespoons butter in the sauté pan over medium-low heat and brown the meatballs on all sides; remove to an ovenproof dish. Once all the meatballs are cooked, add 3 cups of beef broth to the sauté pan to deglaze, adding ¼ cup all-purpose flour to make a brown gravy. Whisk until smooth. Add ¼ cup milk (or heavy cream as you prefer) and cook until gravy reduces and thickens. Pour over meatballs. Cook in an oven preheated to 350 approx. 15 minutes, until the gravy and meatballs are warmed through. Serve with white rice and a favorite veggie. Salad with a sweet French dressing goes well with this too.

FOIL-WRAPPED CHICKEN

This popular chicken appetizer is low in calories (56 calories per packet), fat and sodium. It is fun and easy to make; enlist your children to help fold the packets.

Ingredients you will need:

2 chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar

1 tbls soy sauce

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp white wine (opt)

1 tbls oil

6-inch squares of aluminum foil, doubled (2 layers)

Put chicken pieces in a bowl with all ingredients and marinate 1/2 hour to overnight. Put about 4 pieces of chicken on squares of foil (which is doubled) and spoon on a little reserved marinade. Fold over in a triangle. Fold edges twice to seal. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Handle carefully-- hot!

Try this same technique with fish, pork or thinly sliced pieces of beef (cooking times will vary). Substitute vegetables, sliced or chunks, such as red bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, or potatoes and onions for a delightful side dish. You can even vary the spices and sauces you use; try a zesty, vegetable sauce instead of soy sauce. Have fun creating!

Back to Top