French Apple Tart

A few Granny Smith apples, some Pepperidge Farm puff pastry dough, a little sugar and a LOT of butter...... and voila'! Doesn't everyone do this at 10:00 pm when they get home from work? Check out Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) cookbook, Back to Basics. This is one example of her style. Simple, delicious dishes with really very few ingredients. Her recipes are classic, reliable and unfussy. Enjoy! By the way, you'll notice that I didn't feel the need to peel the apples. I think the tart was rustic and beautiful and just as delicious with one less step! Plus, with all of that butter, the extra fiber can't hurt, LOL.

Bon Appetit' from Katie's Passion Kitchen

Happy Birthday To Me

so, today, to celebrate my birthday, all I really wanted to do was bake Valentine's cookies. Yesterday and today both, actually. Yesterday morning, I began my day by mixing up a batch of shortbread cookie dough for coconut thumbprint cookies. After running a bunch of errands, doing

laundry, cleaning house, paying bills, etc.,

I returned home and promptly burned an entire two pounds of whole pecans in the oven. I was burned too, needless to say, but I didn't let that put a damper on my good nature. I forged ahead and changed my plans from pecan shortbread hearts to plain shortbread hearts. I whipped up cookie dough batch #2 and stashed it in the fridge to chill. I happily rolled batch #1 into balls, dipped them in egg wash, rolled them in coconut and placed them on parchment lined trays. After making a thumbprint in each cookie, I carefully filled each depression with a tart and delicious cherry and a dab of preserves from a jar of Smucker's cherry preserves. Anyway, long story longer, while multi-tasking as I prepared dinner, I burned the third pan of thumbprint cookies and survived a fast and furious meltdown as the doorbell rang upon the arrival of my mother-in-law, Betty Jean, who stopped over bearing gifts and Valentine treats. After a glass

of Pinot Noir and some laughs to extinguish my flames, we talked about past kitchen disasters (and other laughable memories), I washed the dinner dishes, re-grouped and rolled out the dough for batch #2. Time was not an issue. I was on a mission to bake.

So, I rolled and cut and

baked and washed more dishes until about 1:30am. That wasn't bad, right? I made hearts, doves, more birds, "x"s and "o"s, plus little tear drops. This morning, first thing, I made cranberry walnut oatmeal cookies.

I later dunked some of these into chocolate (just in case anyone wanted to make one cookie into an entire meal). LOL. By the time I finished baking the oatmeal cookies, I was anxious to melt

chocolate and start dipping and decorating the shortbread cookies. What a fun way to spend my birthday morning, I thought! I had this vision of delicate pink on dark chocolate although

I wasn't sure if I would be able to write clearly and neatly onto the cookies (which are fairly small) with melted chocolate.

It was great fun

and since I had a tough time deciding which photo to post here, I decided to post a bunch of pictures to share my day with you. I did eventually make it to work by 2:30pm with some "foofed" up sweet samples in tow.

Amore from Katie in . . .

KATIE'S PASSION KITCHEN or . . .

Katarina's Passione Cucina ~

Baci Baci

Root Loot

Ever had celery root? Celeriac (celery root) tastes like celery (and parsley, actually), is textured like squash (kind of), is not too pretty, however, it really shines in this soup because it pairs so well with potatoes and leeks. Give this gnarly root a try. Please don't discriminate against uncute veg. Try them all! This is a smooth and delicious soup and it's also really good for you.

There's no cream and just a small amount of butter and olive oil. If you don't already have an immersion blender, I'd recommend buying one, really. In the old days (b.i.) (before immersion), I splattered my white wooden window blinds with a lovely shade of green (really pretty abstract kitchen art ala Jackson Pollack) with split pea soup that exploded out of my blender. It was everywhere. I really HATE, I mean, dislike, blending soup in batches, in the regular blender --- P.I.T.A. The immersion blender will have you making creamy, healthy soups all the time . . . with no cream! Here's a picture of mine. You don't have to spend a lot. I think they range from $30 to over $100, but you don't really need a big mamma jamma. Mine is a 200 watt Braun.

This recipe is very similar to the potato soup that I make with arugula, except that I blended it because I thought the texture would be more pleasing (and it was!). Try it! I'm having it for lunch today with some nice fresh whole grain French bread and a green and creamy avocado salad. It's really not a recipe. It's more of a method, I guess. Season to taste and do as the French do . . . eat your celeriac! They love this vegetable! Note: Thanks to places like Pete's Fresh Market (there's a new one in Calumet City on Sibley Boulevard, just east of I-94), you can buy all of the wonderful vegetables you like where they are fresh, bright and impeccably arranged for your produce shopping pleasure. Thank you Pete! So glad you're in the neighborhood.

Creamy Celeriac, Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients

about 2 tablespoons of butter & 2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 leeks, white and light green parts, trimmed, rinsed, cut vertically & thinly sliced

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed

about 6 cups of chicken broth (48 oz.) or a combination of chicken broth & vegetable broth

(I recommend: Swanson's 100% Fat Free)

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Here's how to cut the celeriac: Cut off each stem end with a sharp chef's knife. Then, quarter, and slice off the spongy core (if any). Cut each quarter in half lengthwise and peel by cutting the skin off of each wedge with a sharp paring knife. Cut into cubes.

Melt the butter and oil in a pot.

Add the sliced leeks. (Make sure you rinse them well to rid them of any sandy soil after you cut them vertically. Then, pat them dry and slice them into thin half moons. If you've never cooked with leeks, you'll always cook with them now.

Cook for a short while until they begin to wilt a bit.

Add the cubed potatoes & celery root.

Cook a little and add some salt and pepper.

Add the broth.

Simmer until vegetables are tender.

Check for seasoning and let cool a little.

Blend a little or blend a lot, depending on your preference for creaminess/chunkiness. Check and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve.

KPK Reference Tidbit: If you'd like to expand your vegetable knowledge and bring more from the ground into your life, pick up the fabulous book, VEGETABLES From Amaranth to Zucchini, The

Essential Reference, by Elizabeth Schneider. She describes celeriac as an "earthy prize - a pitted and whorled planet with snaggly rootlets, imbued with herbaceous pungency." How can you NOT love that? It's a coveted encyclopedia which is continually referenced in Katie's Passion Kitchen.

Enjoy your soup and stay tuned for more comforting and wintery meal ideas. Thank you for stopping by Katie's Passion Kitchen.

Winter warmth,

Katie

Chilly? Eat Chili

Chili is such a fun way to experiment with flavors by adding your own personal twist to an old traditional recipe or by revamping a recipe completely. I have found that many folks are really proud about their chili creations as evidenced by the many, many chili competitions and cook-offs across the country. My sister, Teri, has won many such local contests with her mouthwatering version made with ground turkey, chunks of beef and lots of fresh peppers. The guys at the dealership show off their chili machismo with annual chili competitions. Unique renditions from everyone. I think that's why it's so much fun to make. Throw your personality into a pot today! LOL.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from a few different places. I combined whatever was already filed somewhere in my brain (stored from several big pots of chili over the years) PLUS a few methods borrowed from a wonderful batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup I made awhile ago PLUS the February 2009 Bon Appetit magazine cover recipe which paid homage to a Texas "bowl of red". That cover inspired Mark to do the cooking that weekend. The recipe featured

beef, mole paste, ancho chile powder, cumin, masa and apple cider vinegar. Mark demonstrated his first-time beef carving and chili skills on that memorable pot with great success. It was deeply flavored and dark with no tomatoes. The beans, avocado, cheese and onions were served as garnishes. It was very flavorful and unique.

My mom, Amelia, aka Emily, won a Fioretti family chili cook-off a few years ago even though she was up against Teri, the family chili chef and the rest of us. Even though Mom was never a big chili girl, she kicked our butts with a simply delicious basic recipe from, one of her all-time favorite "go-to" cookbooks, The Woman's Home Companion, which she received as a bridal shower gift in 1949. That "Chili Con Carne" recipe consisted of the usual ingredients like onions, bell pepper, beef, canned tomatoes and chili powder. So, I tried to take all of this chili knowledge, from what I have tasted, what I have tried and what I have read, and I came up with this Texy-Mexy-ish spicy combination of flavors. It may seem a bit tedious but I was really happy with the added flavor you get from the reconstituted peppers and by blending some of the vegetables. A few extra steps adds tons of flavor. Give it a shot and see what you think. Or, concoct your own!

Those who know me well know that I love to share what I know & what I do, because I don't see any point in keeping cooking a secret. It's much more fun to share and inspire.

Unchill your chilliness with some chili today! Then, just chill.

Love to all during the chilly, chili season, Katie ~ Here's the recipe!

Katie's Passion Kitchen

Hot Spicy Chili with Beef Brisket & New Mexico Chiles

Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot)

4 large onions (yellow or white), one cut into large chunks & 3 coarsely chopped

2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

4 large cloves of garlic, 1 cut in half and 3 finely chopped

1 lb ground chuck (80/20)

1 lb ground pork

1 1/2 lbs beef brisket, sliced thinly across the grain into generous bite size pieces

5 dried New Mexico chiles (or 3-4 dried Ancho chiles), reconstituted in boiling water, stemmed and seeded (reserve water)

3 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced thinly

5 fresh serrano chile peppers or fingerhot peppers, finely chopped

2 chipotle peppers (smoked jalapenos) in adobo sauce, seeded

ancho chile powder to taste (I used about 2-3 tablespoons)

hot Mexican chili powder to taste (I used about 1/2 of a small jar)

kosher salt (to taste) - probably around a tablespoon or so for a large pot

2-3 large cans of whole canned tomatoes and their juice, one crushed by hand and the others blended in the blender or food processor

water

reserved pepper water (strained)

one corn tortilla, cut into fine strips (or torn)

your favorite beans (this batch featured 1 can of light red and 1 can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained)

Once you have cleaned and prepped all of the vegetables and sliced the brisket, toss the one onion, cut into chunks, the one clove of halved garlic, the reconstituted peppers, the chipotles, and a few of the tomatoes with some of the juice into a blender or food processor. Blend well. Set aside. Pour a swirl of olive oil into your favorite large pot which has begun to heat on the stovetop. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, green peppers and garlic. I always toss the onions (and in this case, the green pepper) into the pot first as kind of a "bed" for the garlic since the garlic burns easily. Cook the vegetables for a bit until they start to become tender. Add the brisket slices and the ground beef and pork. Brown and stir. Add the blended chile mixture, the hot peppers, both chili powders and salt. Cook and stir for awhile to get the flavors to mingle. In the meantime, blend some of the remaining canned tomatoes and juice with the strained pepper water (or plain water). At this point, you can toss some additional hot peppers into the blender depending upon the level of heat you are going for! Blend well and add to the pot. Add about a half can of water to the pot also. Add the remaining tomatoes, crushed by hand, and bring the whole shebang to a nice boil, while stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce to a simmer now and let simmer for at least one to two hours with the lid ajar. I continually taste-test for heat, salt, and "brightness" of flavor. I thought I was satisfied with 2 cans of tomatoes for awhile, and later added more because I felt that the flavor was not bright enough or "tomatoey" enough. You can also add additional sliced jalapenos (seeds and all) at this point and possibly a bit more chili powder if you think it's too wimpy. Tear up or thinly slice your corn tortilla and toss it into the pot. It thickens the chili very nicely and adds just enough of a corn meal / masa type flavor that gives the chili that "Tex/Mex" aroma and personality.

Serve hot with your favorite chili condiments. I served it with crunchy tortilla chips, cubed avocado, thinly sliced sweet onion rings, thinly sliced fresh jalapeno pepper, sour cream and two cheese choices: shredded sharp cheddar and crumbled queso fresco.

KLF

Katie's Passion Kitchen

developed and written October 20, 2009

posted on Katie's Passion Kitchen January 31, 2010

Katie's Passion Kitchen Coming To Your Dealership Today!

I cannot seem to stop feeding people. At the dealership, I often think of what few options we have for fairly healthy, fresh, fast and delicious food in our area. Slim pickins'. Then, I think, well, I can surely go home and whip up something nice for my co-workers, right? It won't take long. Maybe I can make a big pot of lentil soup or a tuna and cannelini bean salad? You get the picture. Plus, my boss, Tim, has been encouraging me to start selling lunches at NSH. So, I made lunch three times during the past week or so for interested employees at Nissan of South Holland. On Day 1, I arrived with 8 sandwiches on freshly baked Ciabatta bread. Most of the "sammies" were made with smoked turkey breast, creamy Danish havarti cheese and some tender greens. A few others were made simply with hard boiled eggs, sharp cheddar cheese & mayo, or eggs with slightly hot grilled peppers. 5 Bucks.

Day 2 was "Corned Beef Day". I made 18 sandwiches. Mostly corned beef and baby swiss or corned beef and dill havarti. A few others were smoked turkey with cheese and some fresh greens. Organic, artisan baked loaves from Whole Foods on Roosevelt Road. Pumpernickel and Tuscan. Crisp Romaine lettuce and Vlasic dill pickle spears were served on the side. I made hot and spicy mayo with Sriracha and fresh lemon juice plus a tangy mayo made with Dijon mustard, fresh horseradish and white balsamic vinegar. The special mayos, Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard and plain mayo were all on hand for self-service. 5 Bucks.

Day 3 was "Be Italian" day. 19 freshly made sandwiches on

our all-time favorite focaccia bread from Chicago landmark Italian Bakery, D'Amato's, on Grand Avenue. The oily, delectable and super-fresh focaccia rounds were cut into thirds, carefully split, then filled with hot capicola,

salami, mozzarella and provolone cheeses. 6 Bucks. I grilled a huge pan of red, green, orange and yellow bell peppers the night before "Be Italian" Day. At the crack of dawn, I was slicing and lining up the bread, assembly line style, and organizing the lunch

shipping and handling.

"Be Italian" Day came complete with Italian music streaming out of our garage boom box in the dealership lunch room.

If IOUs aren't paid up tomorrow, KPK special delivery

service may be cancelled, even though K had a lot of fun with KPK on wheels. Hey, does Mickey D's have an eat now/pay later lunch special?

Eat well at YOUR office today!

Love, Wit & Humor From the KPK Author,

Katie

In The Kitchen With Sammy

Meet Sam Fioretti. 12 years old. Food aficionado. Musician. Life lover. I LOVE this kid. A long awaited chance to spend the entire day cooking with my nephew, Sam, happened on New Year's Eve! Check this out. This guy loves sushi, raw oysters, goat cheese, fresh scallops, frog legs, hot chili and an amazing variety of ethnic dishes. He has a real appreciation for food from the simple to the exotic. Gotta love a guy with an adventurous and highly tuned palate. Mom and Dad, Sharon and Louie, have raised four boys with incredibly fearless appetites. Sam is spending more and more time learning the ropes with Louie on the weekends, preparing really fun and ambitious meals like homemade pasta and meatballs, all types of seafood dishes, homemade gnocchi and more. I'd like to think he's a chip off the old aunt.

With abounding drive and enthusiasm, Sammy and I planned and shopped the night before our cooking day, discussing ideas for what we would cook and how much we would be able to accomplish before heading out to our respective New Year's Eve parties. Sam had already read the cookbook, The Silver Spoon for Children, a Christmas gift from his Aunt Peggy, from cover to cover. We kicked around recipe ideas and decided to prepare a variety of appetizers to share with our families and friends at the evening's festivities. Sam was bringing his "apps" to his Aunt Peggy & Uncle Harry's party and Mark and I were headed to Lars & Tammy's as well as Brian & Sue's.

Our New Year's Offerings included:

Honey Balsamic Roasted Pearl Onions - Little pearls, blanched, peeled, dressed and slow roasted until sweet and sticky.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes - If you know me, you know I love these. Plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with herbs, slow roasted until sweet and intensely flavored.

Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops - Carefully cleaned, inspected and patted dry by Sammy, wrapped in bacon and crisped up on the grill. Individually served on butter lettuce leafs with Sriracha mayonnaise and a wedge of avocado. A KPK fave.

Every party needs Cheese Balls - Goat cheese and cream cheese are combined, formed into small balls by hand (Sammy's hand), rolled in chopped parsley with a bit of lemon zest for freshness and served with crostini.

Marinated Roasted Peppers - These babies did not get peeled in time to make it to Peggy and Harry's, but they did make it to Lars & Tammy's. Red, yellow and orange bell peppers, blistered on the grill (whole), steamed, peeled, and marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar with fresh basil and garlic. I love these. Peeling them makes them delectable, easier to eat, and easier on the stomachs of those pepper peeler peeps out there. I seem to know a bunch of peeps that like their peppers peeled. Say that 10 times fast. Hey, if it takes longer, I'm all for it. LOL.

Crostini - Great vehicle to get the apps from Point A to Point B. This time, we used whole grain French bread, thinly sliced, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and baked until crisp.

Nutty Caramel Bars - Shortbread cookie crust topped with a honeyed buttery caramel and a boatload of toasted pecans, almonds and walnuts. The next night at Teri's, we dipped the little bars in melted double chocolate for a more decadent treat.

So, when all was said and done, we were pretty productive and had much fun along the way. Sammy learned a few tricks from me and I learned a lot from the "Bammer", including his description of the sheer unctuousness of a sushi Sunrise Roll topped with a quail egg! Who knew?

Our day together ended in a busy flurry of packaging the fruits of our labor, figuring out our last minute presentation details and shipping off the steaming hot scallops in a car full of fresh smelling family members. LOL. Catering is fun. We had a lovely and memorable day. I knew it was a great success when Sam told me that he planned to save some money and buy himself a Microplane zester. =D (Big Grin).

Love and Happy 2010 from Katie's Passion Kitchen,

Katie

Christmas Cookies 2009

Keep It Green

Trying to keep it green is a challenge for us all during the crazy red & green holiday season. Try not to fall into the fast food, easy junk, eating-on-the-fly, cookie monster diet rut during this busy, busy time. Roast some broccoli tonight. OMG, I am NOT kidding. I'm all about vegetables and high heat. I love to fry asparagus, grill eggplant, onions, peppers, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. and i LOVE to roast a million vegetables in the oven. Easy, exaggerator. The possibilities are endless and the method is simple. Douse with olive oil, generously sprinkle with kosher salt, toss onto a sheet pan and roast at a high temperature, like 425. Don't remove them from the oven prematurely, ok? Let the dry heat of the oven do it's thing. Use your judgment on the amount of time. I think I had the broccoli in the oven for about 20 or 25 minutes. Maybe longer. I did turn the pieces over once. You WANT caramelization. C = F. Caramelization Equals Flavor. This method works for so many vegetables, it's pretty foolproof. Hey, if you have a problem, don't blame me. Just sayin'. Try this method with cauliflower, fresh halved brussel sprouts, carrots or whatever you like during this cold wintery season. Elevate your veg from bland to fab tonight.

If you were hoping for a little broccoli nutritional value information, your hopes have been answered. Broccoli is loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber AND it's packed with anti-carcinogenic stuff called isothiocyanates. That means it helps to fight and prevent cancer. It is soooooo good for you. Did you know that broccoli has more calcium than a glass of milk? It might even have more Vitamin C than that glass of OJ you had this morning. Don't ask me about quantities and specifics, OK? This is not the Weggie Wikipedia. Look it up.

Love, Katie

In complete contrast, I will be throwing in an obligatory cookie post sometime between now and Xmas. Ha Ha! Call me Jekyll Hyde. It's cool, LOL.

Eat More Green, Feel Mo Betta,

Happy Holidays My Friends,

Green Love,

Katie

Little Flower Cauliflower

For a refreshing and delicious "salad", try this tonight. You won't be sorry. The colors. The flavor. The aroma. Healthy AND beautiful.

Cavolfiore Insalata ala Fioretti

One head of cauliflower, steamed

One head of broccoflower, steamed

One or two roasted red peppers (jarred is fine), cut into thin strips

2 cloves of fresh garlic, each cut in half

the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

olive oil (about 1/4 cup)

fresh herbs, finely chopped (if you have them on hand)

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

While you're steaming the vegetables, cut the peppers into thin strips. Place them in a bowl with the garlic and squeeze in the fresh lemon juice. Add the olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper. Mix together and let the flavors mingle. The garlic will nicely flavor the dressing without overpowering. Arrange the cauliflower and broccoflower on a platter. Drizzle the pepper strips and dressing onto the hot vegetables, sprinkle with a little more salt & pepper to taste, if you like. Allow to cool to room temperature. Serve.

Ciao for now,

Katie

Move Over, Mrs. Prindable

AN APPLE A DAY . . .

Nothing against Affy Tapples, it's just that these may be a tad more decadent. Tons of caramel, toasted pecans and tons of chocolate. But you're like, hey, that's a turtle . . . and I'm like, no it's not, silly, it's an apple. It's GOOD for you! Oh yeah. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Indulge! I had too much fun with these apples. First, the homework. I've made homemade caramel twice and it was good, but there were issues with it becoming too hard and . . .

I was not completely satisfied.

Too much of a P-I-T-A with exact temperature when it's so much simpler to melt store-bought caramels and not worry about the temperature. It makes it the whole process so much more relaxed and fun. And . . . I found a wonderful product (new?/ not sure) but it's caramel "bits" from Kraft and guess what? They're smaller than regular square caramels and they are not wrapped. How nice is that? No unwrapping and they melt faster cuz their eentsy- weentsy. Simple. So, you melt the caramels in a pot with two tablespoons of water per bag of caramels. Each bag of caramels is enough for 4-5 apples.

KPK Tips for making gourmet apples in YOUR kitchen (I know, I know, don't mention it, you're welcome):

1) Dip your apples in hot water to remove the waxy polish. Towel dry and make sure they are nice and dry and wax-free. Unless, of course, you'd prefer your caramel to set up in a nice pool at the base of your naked apple. 2) Guess what, the apples that got poked from the rear ended up turning out nicer than the ones which were poked from the top. LOL. Hey, that's the truth! I can't help it. 3) Toast your nuts. I'm serious. Stop laughing. 4) Set out paper plates of nuts and other various toppings so that you'll be ready to roll. Literally. 5) Be creative with your toppings. You can use everything from dried fruit like tart cherries or apricot bits, coconut, endless varieties of nuts, toffee brickle (Heath bits), mini chips. Sheesh, you could even use cereal. I loaded some of the apples with toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, sliced almonds, dried cherries, Heath bar bits, coconut and mini chocolate chips. Then, I coated the big girls with tons of melted chocolate. I named that particular topping combo "OMG". Don't steal that. 6) Cool the apples quickly after dipping and topping to firm up the caramel quickly. 7) I keep the loaded up final products in either the basement or the garage where it's nice and cool, but not as cold as the fridge.

You don't want condensation on your chocolate from the fridge, do you? Right answer. I don't either. 8) Decorate for the season OR to reflect your personality. Unless you're a dud (or a bad apple) Can't stop LOL. Wow, all of this apple humor is really making me hungry. Might have to go check out the LAST one. It's pictured above, right (with the foofy "white collar"). Kind of like a Mounds bar covered apple. Just coconut and chocolate. Oh yeah, caramel, too. OK, my friends, remember, a caramel apple a day keeps the doctor away. Am I wrong?

Apples & Love from Katie's Passion Kitchen,

Katie

I almost forgot.... KPK Fave Apple ~ The crisp, juicy, sweet/tart, amazingly delicious, seductive . . . (drum roll please . . .) . . . HONEYCRISP!*

*The Honeycrisp apple was born in 1960 when the Macoun apple was crossed with a Honeygold apple as part of the apple breeding program at the University of Minnesota. So, the Honeycrisp has been around about as long as I have. : )