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Menu Plan for Winter I: Week 11, Friday
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Daily Recipes:
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Cod with White Wine Mustard Sauce
Orzo with Browned Butter
Braised Endive
Cooking time: 40 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
I used thick cod filets for the fish dish, (here called the back of the cod). If you use thinner filets, baking time is considerably less. Save the braising stock from the endive for the risotto.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Total time: 30 minutes
Vegetable soups make a perfect winter first course. They're easy, warming and healthy. The 'cream' in this soup comes from yogurt or milk. A hint of 'heat' comes from the hot mustard.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 - 1/2 head broccoli, 1 - 1 1/2 cups, chopped
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups (12oz, 360ml) chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) yogurt or milk
- 1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) shredded Gruyère cheese reserve 1 tbs for garnish
Instructions:
- Roughly chop broccoli and onion.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and sauté until starting to get tender.
- Add chicken stock, marjoram and broccoli.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 - 12 minutes.
- Purée soup, using only as much stock as needed. Reserve the rest of the stock.
- Return the soup to heat, add mustard and enough reserved stock to get the consistency you like. Remember the yogurt / milk and cheese will thicken it a bit again.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and stir in the yogurt or milk and cheese.
- Heat, stirring, but do not let it boil or you will have cheese strings!
- Serve, garnishing each serving with a sprinkle of cheese.
Cod with White Wine Mustard Sauce
Total time: 25 minutes
Any nice filet of white fish would be good: walleye, sole, catfish, cod, snapper, for this simple dish. The shallots are lightly sautéed and finished with a bit of wine, stock and tarragon.
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) cod, halibut, or other firm, white fish
- 3 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried thyme, divided
- 1 tsp dried tarragon, divided
- 1 shallot
- 1/3 cup (3oz (90ml) white wine
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken stock
- 2 tbs whole grain mustard
- 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
Instructions:
- The fish:
- Place fish on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle lemon juice and 1 tsp olive oil over fish.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each thyme and tarragon.
- Bake fish, 400F (200C) for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on thickness, until done. Fish is done when it starts to turn opaque and flakes with a fork.
- The sauce:
- Finely chop shallot.
- Heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a small saucepan. Add shallot and sauté until tender.
- Add stock, wine, mustard, remaining herbs and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to sauce, stirring until thickened.
- Remove from heat and keep warm until fish is done.
- To serve:
- Spoon sauce over fish and serve.
Orzo with Browned Butter
Total time: 25 minutes
The orzo is made like traditional pasta, cooked in a large volume of boiling water, drained and finished with a sauce - in this case, simple Browned Butter.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (4.5oz, 130gr) orzo
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 tsp butter
- salt and pepper - if desired
Instructions:
- Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling water, the same as any other pasta.
- When done drain and toss with olive oil.
- Return pan to medium heat. Add butter and sauté until it turns golden brown, being careful not to let it turn too dark or it will taste burnt.
- When brown add as much black pepper as you like, and salt if using. The butter will foam.
- Add the orzo and quickly stir with a spatula to coat and heat through.
- Remove from pan and serve.
Braised Endive
Total time: 35 minutes
The braised endive is finished with a dash of white Balsamic vinegar, a bit of cheese and a sprinkle of olives.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium endive
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock
- 2 tbs white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Greek olives
- 1/3 cup cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp paprika
- sea salt
Instructions:
- Rinse endive and remove 2 or 3 outer leaves as needed.
- Trim the stem end.
- Cut each endive in half the long way through the stem.
- Lay in a skillet large enough to hold them flat, in one layer. Add chicken stock, cover and simmer until the stem end is tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
- Pit olives, if needed and roughly chop.
- Shred cheese if needed.
- Pour off all or most of the chicken stock.
- Sprinkle the vinegar over the endive; top with cheese and cover until cheese melts.
- Remove Endive to a plate, top with olives, paprika, salt and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 40 minutes |
Purée soup |
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