Once you’ve spent ten minutes gathering all your ingredients, you will spend about 15 minutes at the stove.

You can make this with boneless chicken breasts or boneless thighs. In other posts, I made a very similar recipe with salmon and then with shrimp. Don’t be afraid to use thighs instead of breasts. They can be tastier and are more affordable.

Ingredients

• Boneless Chicken Breasts or Thighs
• Shallots (can use onion, but shallots are more flavor)
• Garlic
• Sun Dried Tomatoes (I use jar in oil and chop)
• Heavy Cream
• White Wine
• Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese
• Spinach (I buy pre-washed, organic) and use the entire container

Process for Creamy Tuscan Chicken

It’s important to get everything measured and ready, as this recipe moves fast.

• If using chicken breasts, place between plastic or parchment paper and flatten with a rolling pin. You want the chicken cutlets thin, but not too thin, about 1/2 inch. Chicken swells up when cooking, so keep that in mind. If using boneless thighs, the meat is already thin enough.
• Have butter and oil ready.
• Pre-Chop: Sun Dried Tomatoes, Shallots, Garlic, Parsley (for garnish).
• Measure out: Wine, Heavy Cream
• Pre-grate pecorino or romano cheese.
• Spinach: If not pre-washed, wash and dry thoroughly.

Tips

• Make sure pan is large enough to handle the chicken, sauce and spinach.
• Don’t overcook the chicken breasts, or they will be dry and tough.
• If you substitute sun-dried tomatoes with cherry tomatoes, add a good squeeze of lemon.
• Make this dish dairy free, skipping butter and cheese, substituting heavy cream with coconut milk.
• Replace white wine with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
• Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or cauliflower rice.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven at 350 degrees F.

Similar Recipes

• Chicken Dijon
• Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
• Greek Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Francaise with Lemon Sauce
• Chicken Picatta with Lemon and Capers

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Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and White Wine

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword shrimp

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 pound boneless chicken breasts (or 8 thighs)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
• 2 small shallots minced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream see notes
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup parmesan or romano pecorino cheese grated
• 3 handfuls spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon flat Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper or to test
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes optional

Instructions

• Get all ingredients in place, as this recipe is made quickly. Chop shallots. Prepare fresh garlic. Chop sun dried tomatoes. Measure out wine, cream. Wash and dry spinach (I use a pre-washed).
• Pound boneless chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch. Cut in half.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in pan with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. You can use a dutch oven, a frying pan, or enameled pan as I did. Do not use a cast iron pan.
• Saute chicken on medium heat. Add more oil if needed. You may have to fry chicken in two rotations, as you want to give chicken room in pan. Sautè about 4 minutes each side. Remove from pan.
• Add remaining butter to pan. Add chopped shallots and soften. Add garlic and sautè for a minute.
• Have a lid at the ready and add in wine. Sometimes when wine hits fat it will shoot straight up, so a lid is important for about a minute.
• Add in heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes and optional red chili flakes. Add in pecorino or parmesan cheese.
• Add in spinach leaves. Add chicken back in and turn off heat.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The post Creamy Tuscan Chicken appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Osso Buco is Italian for bone with a hole. The bone marrow is cross cut and is typically made with veal. Originating in Milan and the Lombardy Region of Italy, osso buco showcases their culinary genius, transforming modest cuts of meat into long-standing recipes.

In its earliest version, osso buco was made with butter, onion, white wine and broth, using very typical ingredients found in many northern Italian dishes. Tomatoes are now part of a more modern recipe, and I think adds to its heartiness.

What is Osso Buco?

Basically ossobuco is a meat shank (usually veal) which used to be a very inexpensive cut with the bone marrow cut crosswise (thus, bone with a hole).

Osso buco requires a long braise in a tomato broth with vegetables. In this recipe, I served it with creamy white beans (it was New Year’s Day), but it’s most often served with risotto ala Milanese and topped with gremolata to cut through the richness.

Eat the Marrow

The marrow is considered a delicacy and is especially good with bread or eaten on a spoon. I recommend crusty bread like my sourdough to enjoy every bit of the sauce and marrow.

Why This Dish is Represents Italian Values

• Italians are known to take modest, humble cuts of meat to create spectacular gourmet recipes. Peasant food achieves elevation and Osso buco is now a proudly recognized Italian National Dish.
• Italians are known to respect the whole animal, wasting nothing, even bone marrow.
• Italians not only embrace slow food, Italians embrace eating ingredients which can be locally sourced, which is why the menu changes often radically in each region of Italy.

The History

The first mention of osso buco found its way in cookbooks in the mid to late 1800’s, particularly Pellegrino Artusi (1891) which helped it become a national Italian dish.

What Kind of Meat is Used in Osso Buco?

Veal is most often used, but other choices could include beef or pork shanks. This time, I served with cannellini beans, put in the pot at the last twenty minutes.

Top with Gremolata

Gremolata is a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and salt. It brightens up the dish and cuts through the richness.

Other Hearty Italian Dishes You May Like

• What is Bolognese? Answers to all your questions.
• Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Braciole – Italian Rolled Steak
• Beef Stock and Roasted Bones
• Beef and Veal Stew Shepherds Pie

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Osso Buco

Osso Buco, the quintessential veal dish from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion
• 2/3 cup carrot finely chopped
• 2/3 cup celery finely chopped
• 4 T butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 4 veal shanks
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup meat broth
• 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• several sprigs fresh thyme
• several sprigs parsley
• freshly ground pepper
• sea salt

Gremolata

• 1 handful parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon garlic clove
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, for two to three hours of braising
• Pat Veal shanks dry. Season with salt and pepper. Coat veal in flour, and when pan is hot, brown veal on both sides in separate frying pan.
• Choose heavy pot (dutch oven with lid) to cook vegetables, which can be put in oven.
• Heat butter in dutch oven. Saute onion, carrot, lemon zest, celery on medium heat, 8-10 minutes. Then add garlic and cook a few more minutes.
• Once vegetables are done, stir in white wine and cup of broth. Cook on low for ten minutes to cook off alcohol.
• Add in tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. You want the veal to be covered 2/3 in broth.
• Add in veal shanks. Cover and braise for 2-3 hours, until fork tender.
• Serve with a garnish of gremolata.

Gremolata

• Chop together, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and add in sea salt.

The post Osso Buco Recipe with White Beans appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

We absolutely love bolognese, an Italian meat sauce that is cooked very slow on low heat for several hours.

Served with tagliatelle or paparadelle, (wide flat egg noodles), it is the comfort food of all comfort foods. In our house, it disappears fast, and this particular pot of bolognese got rave reviews from the twins who ate bolognese all over Italy. My Homemade Pasta recipe is here.

This is almost the same recipe as this authentic bolognese recipe from Marcella Hazan. It’s still begins with carrots, onion and celery, but we really caramelize the soffrito in this recipe. It still contains milk and white wine, (not red), but everything is added in a different order.

Pancetta is an important ingredient. It isn’t something I can always easily find in my area, and I decided to add my own twist by adding peppered uncured salami from Boar’s Head. This might seem odd, but once chopped very find, and fried, it nearly disappears into the sauce, but not without leaving an added layer of flavor. Did I lose you? I hope not.

Another thing I added to this was chicken stock. You could also use beef stock. The stock helps to thin the bolognese out when it gets too thick, keeping in mind that it has a small amount of tomato sauce and can dry out.

Bolognese can be used for other recipes such as lasagna, crepes, polenta or risotto.

What is Bolognese?

Bolognese is a meat sauce, simmered for hours, made with, soffritto, ground meat, milk, wine and and little bit of tomato. My new recipe adds chicken broth. Additionally you can add pancetta and a dash of nutmeg.

What Kind of Pot Should I Cook Bolognese?

A heavy pot that retains heat, like an enameled cast iron. My favorite is this pot from Le Creuset.

What Meat Should I Use for Bolognese?

You have options here. The best cut of beef is ground chuck, but you can certainly mix ground pork and beef or veal and beef. If you use pork, use 2 parts beef, 1 part pork and make it a fatty pork. All of these combinations work. I would not use ground turkey or ground chicken.

How Long Should I Cook Bolognese?

Cook bolognese on the lowest heat for a long time, no less than 3 hours, making sure it does not dry out. You can use broth or a little water as needed.

Can You Make Bolognese in a Slow Cooker?

Yes, but first you must cook the ingredients on top of the stove. Once you are at the final step and ready to simmer for hours, you can transport your bolognese to a slow cooker. Cook on very low for as long as 6-8 hours if you have the time.

Do You Need to Use Wine in Bolognese?

Wine is one of the main components to push flavor in bolognese. Keep in mind that the alcohol will burn off. If you want to skip the wine, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the sauce, once you are ready to simmer, and replace the amount of liquid with more broth. Use white wine not red wine which brings a brightness to the dish.

Is Milk Necessary in Bolognese?

Milk is one of the main ingredients of bolognese as it breaks down the connective tissues of the ground beef and acts as a tenderizer. If you do skip, use a very fatty ground beef, or a combination of beef and veal. If you are using veal, use less milk.

Can I Make Bolognese without Tomatoes?

Yes, it’s actually called White Bolognese. We had white bolognese in Montepulciano. The recipe will include the soffritto (carrots, onion, celery) white wine, chicken stock, butter and heavy cream. I plan on making a recipe soon.

What Pasta Goes Best with Bolognese?

The typical pasta for bolognese is tagliatelle, or paparadelle. Make sure you use a bronze cut pasta if store-bought. You can also use a rigatoni macaroni.

What Wine Pairs well with Bolognese?

Although, I use only white wine in the sauce, we drink red wine with the meal. We like a good rich red like Chianti Classico or Sangiovese. Cabernet works well too.

Should Cheese Be Added?

There are no shoulds when it comes to grated cheese, except that either pecorino romano or parmesan should be freshly grated at the table. We like Pecorino best; it’s tangy and salty.

Can You Freeze Bolognese?

Yes, so make a double batch and freeze up to three months.

Is Bolognese Really Italian?

Bolognese comes from Bologna and is served throughout Italy. We ate bolognese in Rome, Lucca and White Bolognese in Montepulciano.

What’s the Difference between Bolognese and Ragu?

Some will say no difference. I differentiate ragu from bolognese in my recipes from the time it takes to cook. For example, my sausage ragû is a meat sauce that I make quickly.

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Variations on Bolognese

• Peach and Pork Bolognese
• Spaghetti Bolognese with Pork
• Italinan Sloppy Joe’s Bolognese
• Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese

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New Red Bolognese Recipe

Bolognese Recipe with All Your Bolognese Questions Answered

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bolognese

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons butter plus 2 T for tossing pasta
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck mixed with salt and pepper before cooking
• 8 ounces pancetta See notes
• black pepper freshly ground
• salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• 2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes with juice chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock more as needed
• freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table

Instructions

• On medium heat, add oil, butter, onion, until translucent.
• Add celery, carrots and cook on low until all is caramelized. This will add a lot of flavor. Once cooked, remove to a bowl. Set aside.
• In the pot you will be making the bolognese, cook meat. Sautè chopped pancetta or peppered salami. Salt meat. Add ground meat and satue Sautè meat separately until cooked completely.
• Add milk until cooked through on low about 10 minutes.
• Add nutmeg.
• Add the vegetables and mix through.
• Add the white wine and cook for about 10 minutes until alcohol is cooked off.
• Add the tomatoes, crushed with your hands.
• Add chicken stock. Cook on low for 3 hours and add more stock as necessary.
  

Notes

This recipe is a double batch, which I recommend, as you will eat it all. You can freeze, or make other dishes with it, such as bolognese sliders.

I sometimes substitute Boar’s Head peppered salami (about 4 ounces) instead of pancetta. 

The post What is Bolognese? All Your Questions Answered and a New Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I want to taste nothing but creamy tomato soup, flavored with the herbs of my choice. Typical recipes will have bouillon cubes or chicken broth and flour.

I decided against those ingredients, using heavy cream and white wine for a smooth and robust tomato bisque soup.

This Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe is a Healthy Version

The result is a healthier, cleaner taste of pure tomato. I picked the tomatoes and herbs out of my garden, and I wanted to share a soup that you could easily make without a lot of fuss, yet still have those sophisticated flavors. (see the faster, cheat version below).

Of course, you can pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich and make that classic American meal.

Put a Creative Spin on Tomato Bisque Soup

• Add fresh sweet corn, cut from from the cob, for texture.
• Add in homemade croutons, or crunchy bacon.
• Add hot sauce and chopped avocado.
• Add a some chile oil and replace cream with coconut milk.  So this at the end before stirring. Skip the wine.
• Add a drizzle of honey. Honey does something to tomatoes that I just adore.
• Skip the cream and simply have a great tomato basil soup.

Fresh garden tomato bisque soup is just one of many great tomato recipes made with food from my garden. You might also be interested in the fresh garden tomato sauce.

Fast Tomato Bisque Soup using Passata

Passata is simply strained tomatoes and sea salt, found in your local grocery store next to canned tomatoes, most often in glass bottles. Use Passata as your start. Add the wine first and when the alcohol burns off, add the heavy cream and warm through. Finish with fresh herbs, salt and pepper as needed. 

More Fabulous Soup from Spinach Tiger

• Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• Italian Beef Macaroni Soup
• Ribollita Tuscan Cabbage Soup
• Green Potato Soup
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Pecans
• Healthy Spicy Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Garden Tomato Soup
• Summer Chicken Soup 
• Spinach Soup
• Snowcap Heirloom Beans with Shrimp
• Bean Soup with Bacon Bits
• Split Pea Soup with Portabello Mushrooms
• Garden Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
• Broccoli Basil Spinach Soup

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My Favorite Tools for this Recipe

• Soup Crocks
• Soup Ladle
• Stick Blender
• Le Creuset Dutch Oven (I have several, but this one is smaller and on my to buy list)
• Passata

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Fresh Tomato Bisque Soup

Homemade fresh tomato biscque soup with tomatoes from the garden, blended until smooth.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 10 tomatoes see note
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion peeled, cut in chunks
• 2 carrots peeled, cut in big chunks
• 1 piece of celery or a dash celery seed
• fresh parsely small handful
• fresh basil small handful
• 6 sprigs of thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1/2 cup white wine or dry sherry optional
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Cut an x in the bottom of each tomato. Submerge tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds. You may do this 4 tomatoes at a time.
• Cool. Peel.
• Cut in half, squeeze some of the water and seeds out.
• Put in crock pot with onion, carrot, celery olive oil, thyme, basil. Add white wine.
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for six hours. (this part is very flexible. Just make sure there enough liquid in slow cooker).
• Put into blender or use a stick blender with butter and blend until smooth.
• Add back in soup pan. Turn burner on low. Add in heavy cream. Cook just until warm and blended.
• Top with freshly cut parsley and basil, sprig of thyme or any herbs you like.

Notes

You may want to make more than 10 tomatoes, just follow the ratios. 20 tomatoes will easily fit in most slow cookers. 

Cheat Tomato Bisque: Use Passata as your start. Add the wine first and when the alcohol burns off, add the heavy cream and warm through. Finish with fresh herbs, salt and pepper as needed. 

The post Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe with Fresh Tomatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Somehow youtube knew this and showed me a French chef of the French Cooking Academy, who teaches in English for the home cook. I became obsessed with watching his videos and how he explained sauces in an easy to understand way with tips.

Buy his book: The French Cooking Academy Cookbook

I’ll let you know my experiences cooking the dish and the tips I found to be most important.

I have made a boneless mustard chicken before here, which is very good, but this is a sauce for whole pieces of thicken. I chose to make this with chicken thighs, but it would be very good with chicken breasts on bone cut in half.

The dijon sauce is very easy to do. Make sure to gather all of your ingredients first and plan to spend a few minutes active time.

Ingredients for Dijon Chicken

• 40 grams butter
• Chicken pieces on bone with skin
• Butter
• Garlic
• Bayleaf
• White wine
• Heavy Cream
• Egg Yolks
• Dijon Mustarad
• Herbs
• Salt, Pepper

More From Spinach Tiger

• Boneless Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce
• Mashed Potatoes
• Mash Cauliflower
• Keto Parmesan Boneless Chicken Bake with Cauliflower

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What to Buy

• French Cooking Academy Cookbook

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Dijon Chicken

Dijon Chicken cooked stovetop in a dijon mustard sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pieces chicken with skin and on bone
• salt and white pepper
• 40 grams butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh thyme
• 200 ml white wine
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• dash umami seasoning
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Melt butter in frying pan and place chicken in and continue to cook on both sides until chicken in golden brown,
• Remove chicken from pan.
• Deglaze pan with white wine. Make sure to burn off alcohol before next step.
• Add cream to pan and boil for about two minutes.
• Add a small amount of cream to the egg yolks to temper and add to pan. Do NOT BOIL THE YOLKS.
• Add mustard and umami seasoning (if you have that). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add chicken back into the pan and cook on low to reheat chicken. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

  Chicken must be at 165 degrees F.
• Serve with mash potatoes or cauliflower rice.

The post Dijon Chicken from a French Chef appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Made with passata (strained tomato sauce) heavy cream, white wine, the sauce is delicate and yet flavorful because of the sausage. This was something made for lunch on the fly and you will love it. It’s also really good left over.

We just returned from Italy, where we ate pasta almost every day. Actually, the boys who were with us (now 17) did eat pasta at least once and sometimes twice a day. These are the twins you’ve heard about here since the inception of this blog, born in 2007 and the blog born in early 2009. They’ve been along for the ride and in the kitchen for so many of the meals

Since we returned, I’ve been experimenting with new pasta dishes, because the boys eat lunch here about 4 times a week. .

You’ve probably heard that when people go to Italy, they can eat and pasta and bread without issue and weight gain. It’s true, but of course, take in mind, there is a lot of walking which probably helps the metabolism process the carbs. Also, there’s not a lot of junk food, snacks or sweets outside of gelato.

Even though most of my recipes are low-carb, you have families that don’t eat that way and sometimes you want to have some pasta too. You can make this sauce and serve it with spaghetti squash.

This dish, featuring a creamy sausage ragu takes less than an hour to make and it’s super easy, and satisfying.

Ingredients

• Hot Italian Sausage
• Carrot, Onion, Celery
• Jarred Passata (or tomato puree)
• Heavy Cream
• Pecorino Cheese
• White Wine
• Pasta AND Pasta Broth

Note on Pasta Broth: It’s a secret weapon for pasta dishes. It contains starch and will help thicken the sauce. It’s very important in this dish.

Choosing the Pasta

I used a small rigatoni, which has ridges and heft and works well with this sauce. This would work well with penne pasta, orecchiette, or gnocchi.

Process for Creamy Sausage Ragu

• Heat oil in pan.
• Chop celery, carrot, onion as small as possible, because you won’t have the several hours it takes to cook them down. If you only have onion that’s fine too.
• Crumble the sausage into the pot.
• When sausage is cooked through, add in white wine and cook for twenty minutes until the alcohol is cooked off. You can skip the wine, if you don’t have any.
• Add in just enough passata (puree) to cover the sausage. This is not a heavy tomato sauce. Heat through about ten minutes.
• Add any herbs you have like thyme, parsley, basil.
• Boil your pasta about 2 minutes before the directions. Save the pasta water. This is the best part.
• Add pasta water to the sausage, a ladle at a time. The starch helps to thicken the sauce. I eventually added three ladles. Add in about 1/2 cup heavy cream.
• Add a cup of grated pecorino cheese and serve more at the table.
• Season as you need with salt and pepper.

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Similar Recipes

• Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta, Bolognese
• Authentic Bolognese
• Bolognese with Pork and Peach
• How to Cook Pasta like an Italian

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Creamy Sausage Ragu

Easy, Fast Creamy Tomato Ragu, perfect for pasta, pizza, vegetables.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Keyword edamame pasta, sausage bolognese, sausage ragu

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Pasta cooking time 8 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion small dice
• 2 medium carrots small dice
• 2 celery stalks small dice
• 1 pound loose Italian sausage
• 2 cups passata (tomato puree)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup pasta water more if needed
• 2 cups pecorino cheese grated, divided

Pasta

• 1 pound pasta
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 large pot water

Instructions

• Heat oil in pan.
• Chop celery, carrot, onion as small as possible, because you won't have the several hours it takes to cook them down. If you only have onion that's fine too. Saute for five minutes.
• Crumble sausage into the frying pan.
• In meantime, boil water and cook pasta up to 2 minutes before done time. You'll finish cooking in the sauce.
• Add in just enough passata or tomato puree to cover the sausage. This is not a heavy tomato sauce. Heat through about ten minutes.
• Add any chopped herbs you have.
• Optional: Add white wine and continue cooking on low for about ten minutes or until alcohol is cooked off.
• Add heavy cream.
• When you are ready to add pasta to pan, add in a ladle of pasta water, as needed. The starch helps to thicken the sauce.I eventually added three ladles
• At this point you can decide if you need to add more tomato puree or more pasta water.
• Toss with 1 cup of grated pecorino cheese. Cook another minute stirring.
• Serve immediately with more pecorino cheese.
• NOTE: IF You use mild sausage, consider adding in some red chili flakes.

Pasta

• Large pot boiling water, salted. Do not add oil.
• Cook pasta 2 minutes less than directions.

The post Creamy Sausage Ragu with Pasta (made fast) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Actually this soup came about quite by accident. I was hoping to use eggplant, canned tomatoes, and bell pepper to make a chicken dish. But when I roasted the vegetables with olive oil, white wine and garlic, covered in the onion and decided to blend and make a soup or a sauce.

Once blended, I added in some heavy cream and broth and it turned to be a lovely summer soup. You could go dairy free (see below).

Variations for Creamy Eggplant Tomato Soup

• You could change out the heavy cream for coconut milk to thin it down if you want to keep it vegan.
• Add in other vegetables like zucchini, which is also plentiful this time of year.
• Use this as a pasta sauce with a penne pasta or gnocchi. Use less broth in this case.
• Make this a meal with grilled bread or use as a starter.
• Serve with a white, mild fish, or shrimp.

Equipment

• Immersion Blender
• Cutting Board Flexible Mats
• Small Soup Bowls

More Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Chunky Italian Summer Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Watermelon Gazpacho
• Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Gazpacho from My Garden
• Eggplant Rollatini

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Creamy Summer Eggplant, Tomato Soup

Soup made with Eggplant, Canned Tomato, Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic and Olive Oil with a bit of heavy cream, great for Summer

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bean macaroni Soup, Eggplant Soup, Tomato soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant peeled, cubed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 small onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1 24 ounce Italian Tomatoes
• 1 cup white wine
• black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• fresh thyme, oregano or basil for garnish

Instructions

• Peel, cube eggplant. Salt and place on colander lined with paper towels.
• Chop onion medium dice.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Seed and slice bell pepper in 1 inch slices.
• Place all vegetables in shallow baking dish (so you can spread out). Pour olive oil and toss. Add garlic cloves whole.
• Open tomatoes. Chop tomatoes and pour over vegetables including juices.
• Stir in white wine.
• Bake at 300 degrees for up to two hours, until all is soft. A long, slow bake melds flavors. Or put in slow cooker for four hours on low.
• Use immersion blender to blends and add broth and heavy cream.
• Serve with herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

The post Creamy Roasted Eggplant, Tomato Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I had a friend, Jayne, who just returned from Paris, bragging about the soup I also remember from a trip there long ago and it dawned on me that I had never made French Onion Soup. I loved the idea of having to find a new recipe, tweak it to my personal taste and inviting her over.

The first thing I had to do was order authentic french onion crocks that I could put under the broiler to lightly brown and melt the cheese.

I read quite a few recipes with various opinions on onions, cheese, croutons, wine, sherry vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. I can happily say I hit it well on the first try, but pulled it tighter on the second try.

I made it twice within a few days, mainly to tweak the bread and the cheese. The soup itself was rich and delicious. The onions were perfectly caramelized to yield a sweet flavor amid an umami broth made with white wine and organic beef broth.

The Best French Onion Soup Crocks

The first thing I did was to order the soup crocks on Amazon. So many choices:

• Size which range from 16 ounce to 28 ounce.
• Color (the traditional beautiful brown crock or the newer modern neutral crocks).
• Oven safe, specifically, broiler safe.
• Lid or No Lid.

I chose these 22-ounce traditional brown crocks that can sit under a broiler while the cheese melts. They are timeless, beautiful and serve for many other purposes. I opted no lid, for stackable reasons.

What is French Onion Soup?

Ingredients for Onion Soup

You have to make a few choices in making French Onion Soup.

• Onions (Yellow or White)
• Bread (French Baguette or Croutons)
• Wine (White or Red Wine)
• Sherry Vinegar or Worcestershire (maybe both)
• Cheese (Gruyere or Swiss)
• Beef Broth (Boxed or Homemade)
• Thyme Sprigs

What Kind of Bread to Use for French Onion Soup?

The best kind of bread is French Baguette, because it toasts very crispy to almost crouton style. The bread is small in diameter, so I like to use two pieces, side by side. You might also be able to use a sourdough bread, but test out how well it toasts. Just don’t use white toast bread, as it will quickly disintegrate into the soup.

What Kind of Onions for French Onion Soup?

The first time I made the onion soup, I used yellow onions, which are the ones in the brown skin. The second time I mixed it up just to see if there would be a difference. I think the yellow onions caramelize better. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use other onions. This is a very flexible recipe, if you get the technique right.

Process for Caramelizing Onions

• Slice onions thinly and do your best to slice evenly.
• Add butter and oil to pan, on low heat.
• Turn about every ten minutes.
• TIP: Use a cast iron pan for this part for best results. You can use an enameled dutch oven, but they don’t brown as easily

What Kind of Wine is Best for French Onion Soup?

I went back and forth between using red wine or white wine and both times I used white wine. I learned from Marcella Hazan that white wine is the premier choice for bolognese or tomato sauce against the heavier tomatoes, whereas red wine can sometimes be bitter. Thus, I chose Pinot Grigio. You could use a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay. However, I’ve seen some like Tasting Table swear by red wine.

What Kind of Cheese is Best for French Onion Soup?

The first time I made the soup, I used a pre-sliced Boar’s Head Gruyere. The second time I used an imported Swiss Cheese from Boar’s head which is lactose free and my favorite choice.

What Best Accompanies French Onion Soup?

Simple Green Salad

French Onion Soup is rich and filling. Accompany this with a simple green salad with a champagne vinaigrette dressing. I like to buy fresh green leaf lettuce (not in bags). It saves money and the salad greens last longer. Dress lightly with vinaigrette, salt and pepper.

French Desserts

• Pots de Creme
• Sugar Free Pots De Creme
• Italian Chocolate Mousse
• Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse
• French Raspberry Tart

Tips for Making French Onion Soup

• Make the broth and onions the day before. Heating it up the next day results in more flavor.
• Use French Baguettes sliced evenly and toasted well so they hold up in the soup.
• Slice the onions as easily as you can, so you won’t have any burnt pieces.
• Use broil on low. It takes about 4 minutes to properly melt the cheese.

More French Recipes

• Steak Au Poive
• Duck Confit
• Frisee Salad with Poached Egg, Shallot Vinaigrette
• Grilled Lollypop Lamb Chops, Mint Pistou
• Mixed Seafood in Wine Butter Sauce
• Sole Meuniere
• Beef Bourguignon
• French Tomato Tart
• Veal and Turnip Stew with white wine

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French Onion Soup Recipe

How to Make Authentic French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire or fish sauce
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon umami seasoning optional
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 8 slices gruyere or swiss cheese
• 4 slices french baguette see notes

Instructions

• Peel and slice onions.
  
• Melt butter and oil in pan. A cast iron frying pan will caramelize faster than an enameled cast iron.
  
• Keep the heat on low and turn onions every ten minutes for the next 40-50 minutes until the onions are a golden amber color.
  
• Season onions with salt.
• Stir in flour until all onions are covered.
• Deglaze with wine for about five minutes until alcohol burns off.
• Add in beef broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf.
• Add in worcestershire or fish sauce and black pepper.
• Add in sherry vinegar to add brightness.
• If you can make this part a day in advance and then reheat for boosted flavor.
  
• Make sure you start with hot soup. Preheat broil on low.
• Dish out soup among four bowls. Top with toasted baguette and cheese.
  
• Broil on low mode of broil for five minutes.
• Top with chopped parsley or thyme.
  

Notes

Some french baguette are small and I used two slices per bowl, side by side.

The post French Onion Soup Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you are looking for the keto version, there are two ways to enjoy keto chicken pot pie, and I’ll list those at the bottom of this post.

Made with roasted white meat chicken, leeks, rutabagas, green peas, onions, carrots, celery, it has just the right balance of textures. Chicken broth, white wine, butter and heavy cream enhance the flavor.

What Kind of Chicken for Chicken Pot Pie

You have choices, depending on time and budget.

• Roast a whole chicken, use the white meat and freeze the roasted thighs with legs intact for another time.
• Poach boneless chicken breasts.
• Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken

I like to roast a whole chicken, use the white meat and eat the thighs and legs on another day. You can also just roast two chicken breasts on the bone with skin or poach boneless chicken breasts.

Ingredients for Best Chicken Pot Pie

I like leeks instead of onions, but you can use a half onion in place of a leek. I like rutabagas instead of potatoes. They are mild tasting yet hold a better structure than potatoes.

Butter, heavy cream, white wine and organic chicken broth for the sauce. Herbs like parsley and thyme are great neutral herbs. In other words they add flavor, but don’t overpower.

Flaky Pie Crust

The key to a really amazing traditional chicken pot pie is not just what’s inside. The pie crust has to be light, flaky and buttery. This pie crust has just the right amount of flour to butter ratio and will be the flakiest crust, as long as you don’t overwork it.

These are a few kitchen tools that I think are worth it and yield success.

• Kitchen Scale – If you are going to do any baking at all, invest in a food scale. We all have a tendency to overpack a cup of flour. Weighing flour and butter yields a consistent product.
• Pastry cutter – You could make your dough in a food processor, but I have found I get a better product just cutting in the butter. This way I don’t over mix the butter.
• Silicone Baking Mat for Rolling Dough – Helpful but not completely necessary.

What kind of Flour Makes the Best Flaky Pie Crust?

There are a lot of opinions about this, but I recommend buying the best all purpose flour you can buy. Some will say to add in a portion of bread flour, but I like to use a soft wheat all purpose flour. I actually use a flour from Italy, but that’s expensive and you can still get a high quality pie crust with the all purpose flour of your choice. A good pie crust really depends on getting the technique right.

Chicken Pot Pie with Store Bought Rotisserie Chicken or Pie Crust

You might be wondering how to short-cut the chicken pie recipe. You CAN use a store bought rotisserie chicken. You can even use a store bought pie crust or even top your chicken pot pie with a store bought puff pastry. I do, however, like to make everything from scratch for this recipe because it’s a very special recipe for my family. However, there may be times I buy a roasted chicken or use a puff pastry. Just know some of the roast chickens are not always high quality. If you use puff pastry, just top the pie and avoid Peppridge Farms. Publix Greenwise is a better, cleaner choice.

More Recipes

• Keto Chicken Pot Pie with Almond Flour Crust
• Keto Chicken Pot Pie with Grain Free Biscuits
• Chicken Francaise
• Spatchcock Chicken Greek Style
• Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Parmesan Mayonaisse Chicken Bake

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Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Pie Crust

Homemade chicken pot pie made with leeks, white wine and the most tender pie crust.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken pot pie, pie crust

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

1 hour hour

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 recipe double pie crust see below
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
• 3 carrots peeled, diced
• 1 leeks or 1 small onion see notes
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 small rutabega peeled, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon umami seasoning Trader Joe's (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (4 sprigs)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups chicken broth more if needed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded See Recipe below

Baked Chicken Breasts on Bone (Method 1)

• 2 chicken breasts on bone with skin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup frozen peas

Poached Boneless Chicken Breasts (Method 2:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pie Crust

• 226 grams all purpose flour more for rolling dough
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup ice water (more if needed up to 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg for egg wash
• 2 tablespons water for egg wash

Instructions

Poached Chicken

• Boil water. Turn to simmer and add chicken. Simmer chicken in water with a little salt until chicken reaches 165 Degrees F. (10-15 minutes). Do not overcook.

Baked Chicken Breasts

• Salt chicken breasts. Roast in oven at 400 degrees F. until chicken reaches 165 F. Don't over bake. I like the texture of baked chicken. See blog notes for more ideas. You CAN roast a whole chicken as I did.

Make Pie Crust

• Mix the flour with salt.
• Add cold butter that has been cut into very small pea sized pieces and refrigerated again to make sure it's very cold.

  Don't grate the butter. It must be in pieces to turn flakey. Cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or very slowly with food processor.
  
• Add cold water 1/4 cup at a time. Use up to 1/2 cup, no more than that. You will be able to bring the dough together. One way to bring together is to put it all in a large ziplock and smoosh together. This keeps the warmth of the hands off.
  
• Form into a two discs. Refrigerate for one hour or more. Take out about 15 minutes prior to rolling.
  

Make Chicken Pie

• Melt butter and in large frying pan or dutch oven.
• Add vegetables (except peas) to pan. Cook about five minutes. Add sprigs of thyme (to be removed later).
• Sprinkle flour over vegetables, Stir well.
• Deglaze pan with white wine about a minute.
• Stir in chicken broth. Add more if you think it's too dry.
• Once chicken broth is warmed through about twenty minutes, add in heavy cream.
• Add chicken and frozen peas to vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, umami seasoning (if you have it) and fresh thyme. (or herbs of your choice).
  
• Allow to cool, while rolling out prepared pie dough.
• Take pie dough out of fridge and let sit for 10 minutes.

Prepare Pie

• Roll out two discs, using extra flour to make sure they don't stick.
• NOTE: If you want to use a decorative cut out, cut out first and then refrigerate your rolled out pie dough and cut-out for ten minutes in fridge so it will be easy to handle. Then place the pie dough over the chicken filling first. THEN place the cut-out back in.
  
• Place first pie crust in pie pan, not forcing or stretching.
• Add cooled chicken filling. Top with remaining pie dough. Cut slits on top for steam to escape. Cut off excess around the pie. Crimp or use fork to press together.
• Egg Wash: Beat one egg with two tablespoons water. Brush over pie crust.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees F. in lower third of oven.

  Cool for ten minutes before cutting.
  

Notes

Slice leeks down the center. Wash, rinse. Slice across. 

Flour for Pie Crust: 2 cups flour less 2 tablespoons. 

Butter for Pie Crust: 7 ounces or 14 tablespoons

Umami Seasoning (I  use the one from Trader Joe’s). You can substitute with poultry seasoning, or your seasoning of choice). 

Rutabega: You can sub with potato, cauliflower florets or leave out.

 

 

The post Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Pie Crust appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Sometimes you get a recipe just right the first try, and this is one of those times.

I knew I needed to make a peach simple syrup (sugar free option) that didn’t have sugar because I didn’t want to purchase or use a peach liquor. I wanted to use fresh peaches for my peach sangria.

I wasn’t sure what white wine I wanted to use, and found a chenin blanc in the refrigerator that was rather special. I didn’t mind using it, though, because I’m a firm believer in always using wine that is great by itself to either cook with or to embellish.

I also made some ice cubes out of peach simple syrup because I didn’t want anything watering down the white peach sangria recipe. You can make this sugar free using erythritol or allulose.

The ice cubes were so perfect, as well as some frozen raspberries to keep the sangria cold. I also added in a small amount of St. Germaine (elderflower liquor.). If you have some elderflower cordial, that would work too.

It’s important to refrigerate for several hours to overnight to meld the flavors and allow the fruit to give more flavor.

Serve ice cold with peachy ice cubes, frozen raspberries.

More Summer Recipes

• Frosè
• White Sangri with Mango
• Peach Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Simple Syrup
• Low Carb Peach Muffins
• Pork Chops with Peaches

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Peach Sangria with a Sugar Free Option

Refreshing Peach Sangria with a sugar free option.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 hours hours

Total Time 12 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 peaches sliced
• 1 cups peach simple syrup see recipe here
• 1 bottle white wine
• peach ice cubes
• 1/4 cup St. Germaine optional
• Pineapple Sage, Mint, or Basil for Garnish

Instructions

• Make Simple Syrup
• Make peach simple syrup icecubes. You can mix in some water if need be.
• I used a small ice cube mold.
• Slice Peaches with skin on
• Freeze Raspberries.
• Mix 1 cup peach simple syrup, wine, St. Germain, sliced peaches.
• Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Serve with Peach ice cubes and Frozen raspberries.
• Add garnish.

The post Make White Peach Sangria Recipe with Peach Ice Cubes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.