Month: December 2015

White Bean and Chorizo Soup

(serves 8-10 with leftovers)

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olive oil

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

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1 1/2 yellow onions, diced
5 carrots, diced
5-6 celery stalks, diced
8-10 garlic cloves, minced

3 T tomato paste
1/2 C white wine

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1 pound Northern beans, soaked overnight and drained

1 t red pepper flakes
4 whole cloves
5-6 bay leaves
2 pieces of parmesan rind, 2”-3” pieces
8 C chicken stock

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1 package dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 4 C hot water

1 package Spanish style chorizo, links cut into smaller pieces

3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
3-4 handfuls of kale

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“The Soul of The Soup”:
Place about a 1/4 C of olive into a preheated soup pot. Place rosemary into oil and allow some sizzle. You are perfuming the oil! Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Add a generous spritz of salt and pepper. Sauté vegetables until they soften. Add tomato paste and continue to sauté over medium heat. Some sticking to the pot is desirable. Just no burning. Once the color darkens and sticking occurs, add white wine for deglazing. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil.

Lower heat and add beans, red pepper flakes, cloves, bay leaves, parmesan rinds and chicken stock. Through a fine mesh strainer, add mushroom soaking liquid to pot. Chop softened mushrooms and add to pot. Bring this mixture to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Cook until beans soften.
Once beans soften, add chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and kale. Continue to cook over low heat until tomatoes soften. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve soup with an additional sprinkle of parmesan cheese and chopped fresh rosemary.

Orange Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Jam Center

(makes 17-18 large cookies)

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2 1/4 C flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 1/2 C sugar
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces, room temperature
Zest of half an orange

6 T butter, melted and warm

1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg, room temperature
1 T half and half
2 t vanilla

1/3 C  additional sugar and 1/2 t cinnamon for coating and sprinkling

Raspberry jam

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In a mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, powder and salt. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cream cheese and orange zest. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix well. Press the cream cheese and zest into the sugar. Add warm butter and stir to combine. Add oil, egg, half and half and vanilla. Stir to mix well. Add flour mix to butter mix and stir to combine well. You will have a soft dough.

In a small bowl, mix an additional amount of sugar with cinnamon.

Using a #24 ice cream scoop or a 1/4 C measuring cup, scoop out dough portions and form them into balls. Place dough portions in bowl of sugar/cinnamon and toss to coat. Place dough portions on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a measuring cup, slightly flatten each dough portion. Make a small indention in the center of each. Spoon about a 1/2 t of raspberry jam into each indention. Sprinkle each cookie with an additional amount of sugar/cinnamon mix.

Place cookies (no more that 9 per baking sheet) into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for an additional 7 minutes. Cookies will be lightly golden and cracked. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove cookies to a wire rack for further cooling. These cookies hold well for several days. A perfect mix of crispy and chewy.

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Celebrate the Season!

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Have you bought your tickets yet? The concert/buffet is a special evening which benefits our local boys and girls club AND puts you in the Christmas spirit. Seating is limited.

The music is uplifting.

The talent is extraordinary.

The champagne buffet is delectable.

Generous underwriters offset the various costs for the evening allowing the full ticket price to go directly to the club. Purchase your tickets today at High’s Cafe & Store.