My husband is always asking for a healthy, broth-forward soup. My reply is this squash, chicken, and cannellini bean soup. Since many of my recipes begin with a game of “what can I make with my CSA box this week,” it should come as no surprise that this soup evolved from a Two Dog Farms CSA box.
The first meal my husband made for me was roasted root vegetables with goat cheese. He peeled beets, parsnips, and carrots, which he cut into bite sized chunks before coating in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A few hours in the oven were an ingenious way for him to lure me into conversation. He can talk to anyone – meaning we never have an uncomfortably quiet uber ride. The vegetables finished roasting as we laughed and exchanged stories of our childhood swim teams. He topped the warm vegetables with crumbled goat cheese and reassured me that it would taste good, despite my hesitation at the thought of eating beets. I was beyond pleasantly surprised at the flavors, of which the beet was the star.
I grew up on Bisquick pancakes. In the Giurintano house, the most coveted pancake was the first pancake. I know what you are thinking – this is counterintuitive. The first pancake lacks the delicious, browned butter flavored coating. But in a kaleidoscope lens that only a child can see through, the first pancake was a prized possession that we all fought to win. It had the most perfect light brown hue around the edge – as if a young tree had just been cut down and you could count the rings. And the intense liquid butter flavor was mouth wateringly good.
After a busy day at work, running a razor-sharp knife through a mountain of vegetables allows me to zone out for a few minutes. Turn on Buena Vista Social Club for background music and open a beer to complete the prep space. I am officially in kitchen-prep-meditation-mode. The fresher the vegetables…the better this recipe will taste.
As I approach 40, I’ve started to think more about what goes in my garbage. ]There are so many ways to repurpose the “undesirable” aspects of ingredients in order to not only reduce waste but also improve flavor. Not to mention that you paid just as much for the “undesirable” aspect of the ingredient as you did for the desirable part. So why not make use of the intense shrimp umami flavor hiding in the shrimp heads and shells by making a simple shrimp stock? Yes, it does take a few extra minutes of prep work, but your taste buds, wallet, and planet will thank you later.
Everybody knows the best sweet potatoes in the world come from Vardaman, MS. Seriously, they are the sweetest potatoes with the best texture that you can buy. Look for small to medium potatoes, which are less stringy than the large ones. I don’t think they need added sugar. Honestly, I like them best baked with just a little butter and salt!
Early in our marriage, I had come home from work and made something Tex Mex, not realizing that we were out of salsa. Jokingly, my husband said that I should go in the kitchen and just whip something up. Well, this is it. We’ve been making this salsa for about 15 years now, only using store bought in a pinch. I love the fresh taste and that it is so quick and easy.
When my husband and I were dating, our favorite haunt was a Mexican restaurant in Jackson. We were broke, and he didn’t like guacamole. So, I always stole his. After a year or so, he decided to try it. After then there was no more extra guac for me. He’s come a long way in his culinary adventure. He supports my food obsessions and recipe experiments wholeheartedly. He is also brave enough to taste the latest concoction without reservation. Sometimes, he sits at the bar with a glass of wine to “supervise” the kitchen, listen to music, and recount the day. Baby, this guac is for you!!
