Who knew…..you can make soup out of lettuce!

And a really tasty soup that it is, Roasted Romaine and Tomato Soup with Crispy Prosciutto. I created this one while at the Produce First Conference at the Culinary Institute of America. This conference focused on how we as chefs can make sure that we are able to help double the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables over the next 10 years. This is part of the National Restaurants Associations key Health & Wellness initiative to work to help chefs and operators to provide more choices to the dinning public. While at the conference we each were paired with teams that included produce growers. I had the fortune of being paired with the folks from Church Bros. a major grower of lettuces. I love a challenge and when they said how about a soup using lettuce I got excited – I thought how about a play on BLT – and so the following recipe was born. We had the opportunity to be mentored by some very talented chefs that day – our team had Michael Tuohy, Executive Chef of the Grange, located in Sacramento, Ca. He was a pleasure to cook with and we had fun creating and tasting the soup that morning. So without further delay – here for you to try is a wonderful some that hints at spring when made late in winter on a cold day. Happy cooking!

Jim

Roasted Romaine & Tomato Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

Yield is 2 gallons

1 cup Leeks, sliced
½ cup Carrots, diced
½ cup Celery, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
¼ cup Olive oil
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
¾ cup Tomato paste
1 bag, 5# Cut Romaine Lettuce
2 heads Green Leaf Lettuce, chopped
6 quarts Vegetable stock
½ cup Arugula, chopped
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
¼ cup Basil, chopped
3 cups Crushed Italian Tomatoes
To taste Salt
To taste Pepper
12 slices Prosciutto, crisped


1. In a large stock pot sweat the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes
2. Add the crushed red pepper and tomato paste and continue to cook and slowly caramelize the tomato paste coated vegetables until a deep burgundy color is achieved
3. Start to add the cut romaine and green leaf in handfuls and stir in and cook down until all the cut lettuce is incorporated and cooked down to soft
4. Add the vegetable stock to the mixture and cook for about 30 minutes at a simmer, using a stick blender puree the soup to a chunky consistency
5. Add the arugula, parsley and basil to the pot as well as the crushed tomatoes
6. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste
7. Serve with whole grain croutons and Prosciutto crisps on the side

Prosciutto Crisps
1. Place 12 slices of thin slice prosciutto on a parchment lined baking sheet pan
2. Place another sheet of parchment on top of the slices and cover with another pan to create a weighted pan sandwich
3. Place in a 350° oven and bake until crisp
4. Remove top sheet pan and parchment and allow to cool before serving
5. Cut crisp into bite size fingers and serve as a garnish for the soup


Recipe Credit: Jim Doak, Created at 2010 Produce First Conference, use with permission of author. All rights reserved.

Back from the West Coast

Happy New Year! May your 2010 be an amazing year of food, wine, love and joy!

What a wet trip to wine country this January, we had a nice time expect we grew webbed feet. Seriously I attended the 6th Annual World of Healthy Flavors at the CIA at Greystone while Linda worked on some of her own projects. This event is attend by luminaries in Public Health from Harvard, John Hopkins and other prestigious schools all in the name of helping the American public eat better and be healthier. Additionally several well known chefs and industry peers are in attendance to work on applying what we learn to our business segments. It was an action packed three and half days of some great insights and information as we work on cooking and feed people in the future. I really enjoyed learning more about nutrition and flavors to make everyday eating better. The benefit for you is that you will see our new health and wellness recipes reflect these influences as we move forward into 2010. And of course we had some wine and great food while in the valley. We will talk more about Go Fish, Martini House, Rutherford Grill, Staglin Winery, Quivara Winery, White Oak and of course our dinner at the French Laundry. We have some much to share so stay tuned over the next several weeks as we highlight the best of a soggy trip to wine country.

Jim & Linda

With much gratitude.....

Happy Holidays and many Happy Wishes for the New Year


Well we wrap up another year and give thanks and gratitude for all we have and experienced in 2009. We had a wonderful year of eating, drinking and cooking together and with many other food enthusiasts. What does 2010 hold? It holds even more great adventure, travel, food, wine and friends to share it all with as the year unfolds. We look forward to publishing our first cook book in 2010 and sharing the joy we have found in food and love. We hope to explore new places and old ones and share our discoveries with you. So thank you for watching , reading and following our adventures this year. I leave you with a great recipe to use to jump start your new year.

Love
Jim & Linda


Southwest Shrimp Salad for 4 people


1 lb White or Brown Shrimp – peeled & de-veined
¼ cup Southwest rub
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Lime
1 Jicama, medium, julienned
½ Red onion, thin sliced
¼ cup Roasted Red Peppers, sliced (piquollo peppers preferred)
1 Avocado, sliced thin
½ cup Tomatoes, large dice
2 oz Tortilla chips, crushed
4 cups Salad Greens

Dressing
2 Limes, juiced
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Honey
½ cup Roasted Tomato Salsa
¼ cup Cilantro leaves
2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
To taste Salt & Pepper


Place shrimp on a plate and toss with Southwest rub to coat completely, then set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil, then add the shrimp, cooking for 3 to 5 minutes until opaque.

Deglaze the pan with the juice from one lime, remove from heat and transfer shrimp to a plate to cool.

In a large mixing bowl place the jicama, red onion, red peppers, avocado and tomato. Add the cooled shrimp and toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.

In a blender place the lime juice, garlic, honey, and salsa and blend until mixed.

Add the cilantro leaves, cider vinegar and salt and pepper to the dressing mixture, blend well.

Add the greens to the salad and shrimp mixture and half of the dressing, and toss to coat.


© Doak & Krantz 2009

Tired of the same old Friday Fish Fry

Well then it is time for something new and easy to replace that tradition fried cod. We really enjoy cooking something simple when the days grow shorter and the weather cooler. This is a great time to get fresh East coast cod from your fishmonger. Give this dish a whirl and serve it with some wonderful roasted squash like acorn or butternut to really enjoy the flavors of fall. As with any of our recipes the fish can be changes, try to use a large flake fish that will oven roast and stay succulent.

Jim & Linda



Oven Roasted Cod serves 4


4 6 oz. Cod filets, skinless (if using Black Cod, leave skin on)
2 T Olive Oil
2 T Thyme, fresh, chopped
4 T Butter
2 T Parsley, Chopped
½ Lemon , juiced
To taste Salt & Pepper


1. Place a cast iron skillet in a 450° oven and heat for at least 30 minutes.

2. Lightly coat the filets on both sides with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and chopped fresh thyme.

3. Place the seasoned and oiled filets in the pan, arranging them so they do not touch.

4. Roast filets for about 9 minutes.

5. During the last minute of cooking, place a tablespoon of ice cold butter on each filet and allow to melt.

6. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the filets from the pan.

7. Place the pan over medium high heat and add the chopped parsley, then add lemon juice to deglaze the pan.

8. Spoon a little of the pan jus over each filet

© Doak & Krantz 2009, all rights reserved

The Haze is nothing but Foggy!

Well we checked out the Haze an east meets west BBQ joint that Shinji Muramoto and his gang have opened in the original Muramoto location on King St. What a huge disappointment this visit was – we loved the vibe, the menu was cool, the self serve and sit not co much. But wait the food arrived and what a huge disappointment. I have the Peking Crispy duck – what little there was for $19 I got maybe a ¼ duck with about 3 ounces of meat taste was nice but boy did I leave hungry. The sides, Collard greens not well cooked and very bitter were a poor attempt at something that should have been really tasty, and the fries – hand cut were simply limp and tasteless. Linda had the dry rubbed brisket, what arrived was a pile of sauce falling apart over cooked meat in some loose liquid that had no smoke flavor or flavor at all! Her sides – some gingered roasted beets lacked any ginger notes and were very one dimensional. And the Cole slaw that we were told was great was bland, boring and much better at KFC. All in all for $40 bucks were you have to bus your own table we should have gone to find something more filling. I hope they figure it out but we will not be back any time soon. Too bad what could be a really hip new spot is not!

Fall - cool crisp air moves in - time for shellfish

Well it has been a rather cool October here in Madison. The farmer's market is winding down its time outside around the square soon it will move indoors for the winter. And so do most of us when the mercury drops below the freezing point it makes it hard to be outdoors even when the sun is shining. So if we are headed indoors lets whip up something warm and tasty to eat. Why head out to a local restaurant for mussels when you can make a great dish for you and your friends right at home. From our come out of your shell class her is our recipe for Bleu Mussels - Linda's favorite way to enjoy mussels these days.


Bleu Mussels servings 4

2 lb. Mussels, cleaned
¼ cup Bacon, lardons
2 Tbs. Olive oil
¼ cup Cipolini onions, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
¼ cup Tomato, diced
1 cup Baby spinach leaves, whole
1/3 cup White wine
3 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled
To Taste Salt & Pepper


1. Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the bacon, and cook until crisp.
2. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels, discard any remaining bacon fat.
3. Return the pan to the burner and add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until soft.
4. Add the mussels, tomato, and spinach; toss and coat all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the white wine, then cover the pan with a lid – steam until all mussels open.
6. Add the cooked bacon and gorgonzola to the pan.
7. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve with olive oil fried bread

© Doak & Krantz 2009

Greenlight Gourmet - Quick and Easy Meals!

Well it is that time of year again - busy schedule, sun is setting earlier and we seem to have less time to cook and put together a meal. We try out this recipe - it is quick, easy and very tasty, it will take about 20 minutes to make leaving you lots of time to enjoy the evening with your sweetie!


Shrimp and Pearls servings: 4

1 lb Large shrimp, peeled & deveined
½ Medium onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
½ cup Fennel, julienne
1 can Diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup Greek olives, sliced
1 T Fresh oregano, chopped
1 T Fresh mint, chopped
1 T Fresh orange zest
2 T Olive oil
½ cup Pearl pasta
1-1/2 cup Vegetable stock
¼ cup Bulgarian Feta, crumbled



1. Place a large sauce pan or deep sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil.
2. Add the onion, garlic and fennel; sauté until soft.
3. Add the shrimp and quickly sauté for about a minute just to develop flavor. (Shrimp will be cooked more later in recipe.)
4. Remove the shrimp from the pan and allow to rest.
5. Add the pearl pasta and stir to coat. Cook for 4 minutes to toast the pasta; stir constantly.
6. Add the vegetable stock and tomatoes, then bring to a boil, cook until the pasta is tender.
7. Add the shrimp, olives, herbs, and orange zest, mix well and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes until the shrimp is completely cooked.
8. Plate and garnish with the crumbled feta cheese.





Calories Fat Fiber
Per serving 504 20.5 6.4


© Doak & Krantz 2009