STUFFED PEPPERS with feta and rosemary

Ingredients 

4 Italian Green Peppers

2 cups of jasmine rice

2 eggs

3/4 cup of crumbled feta

salt and pepper to taste

Rosemary powder

EVOO

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Directions

1. Cook the rice thoroughly and while it is cooling, 

2. Cut peppers in half and clean out flesh and seeds.

3. Rub peppers on the outside with EVOO and place in a roasting pan where they can prop each other up

4. In a medium bowl, mix rice, feta, eggs, rosemary powder, 2 tbsp of EVOO, salt and pepper

5. Stuff each pepper with the stuffing from the bowl

6. Drizzle with EVOO and cook on 425F for 30 mins or until lightly golden brown on top.​

 

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH GROUND BEEF

Texture: Soft but able to stand up on its own

Serving size: 4 people

Fun fact: Stuffed peppers are a popular dish around many Balkan countries. This recipe does not attempt to follow any traditional recipe, but it owes credits to many.

Ingredients

4 green bell peppers

½ lb of high-grade ground beef (80%/20%) or ground lamb or a combination of the two

I recommend you start with ground beef as your first recipe. You can substitute the meat with a combination of walnuts, mushrooms, and chickpeas.

2 cups of jasmine rice

A tablespoon of high-quality dill

1 large potato

1 medium onion

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon of high-quality relish

3 tablespoons of EVOO

1 heavy pinch of paprika powder

Pepper as you like

½ teaspoon of sea salt (it seems like a lot but it will soak in the rice)

 

Directions

1. Reheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. Dice onions and garlic and sauté in a pan with EVOO and the meat. Once the meat is no longer pink, throw in the rice, paprika, relish, tomato paste, pepper and salt. Then, dice the potato and throw it in. Mix well and lower heat to avoid getting the potato or rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cover with a lid and wait 5 minutes. Mix again. Wait 5 mins and turn it off and let it rest.

3. Clean the peppers of the seeds by cutting out, in a circular motion, the top of the pepper where the stem is. You will not need to save the top so be as rough as you’d like with it.

4. Gently place EVOO on the palms of your hands and spread it over the surface of the peppers and around the open rim up top.

5. Place the peppers in a small baking dish so they are a bit snug with each other. Not too much, only enough to prevent them from tipping over as you maneuver the baking dish in and out of the oven.

6. Take a teaspoon and fill the peppers with the stuffing from the pan. Press down so every nook is filled. Spray the top with EVOO. (If you have extra stuffing, place it with your spoon around the bed of the peppers, wherever there’s room).

7. Place foil over the top (it’s okay if it touches the peppers) and bake for 1 hour.

8. If you’d like to crisp them up, after 1 hour, increase the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, remove foil, drop 1 teaspoon of water in the center of the pepper, where the stuffing pops out and let peppers cook until they blacken on the sides.

9. Serve with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt as a sauce on the side to help with indigestion.

 

ROASTED PEPPERS

These peppers are sweet and savory and buttery and yummy. You can use them as a snack, as an appetizer, as a side dish, as a substitute for avocados/guacamole (for example, toast, rice bowls, tacos, sandwiches). They taste great on their own, but it also pairs very well with feta cheese. Any sized sweet pepper will do but it is easier to clean the seeds and to peel the larger peppers.

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Ingredients

Sweet peppers
EVOO
Rice vinegar
Finishing salt
Black pepper powder
Fresh garlic cloves (1 medium clove to 4 large peppers)

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Directions

Roasting:

1. It is not recommended to cut the pepper open in half or at the top to pre-clean out the inner walls and seeds because then it doesn’t roast in its juices and dries out.

2. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 30 mins or until the skin starts blackening and pulling up from the flesh of the pepper. 

3. Turn the peppers as they roast so they cook evenly on all sides. Don’t overthink it. You can get away with doing it once, half way through the roasting.  

4. Take them out and let cool in the baking sheet until you can stand to peel the skin off and not burn your hands. 

 

Cleaning out the skin and seeds:

1. Place the first pepper on a large plate.

2.  Pull out the green tail to open the seed pod.

3.  Then start peeling the skin off.

4. Once the skin is off, cut the pepper in half, then in half again to make quarters.

5. Now, you may clean the seeds by gently scooping them out of the pepper with a knife or a spoon.

6.  Put the clean pepper quarters on a new plate. And continue doing the same with the rest of the peppers.

7.  Save the pepper juice on the plate with the seeds because you will need it later.

8. Note: If you opt for using small sweet peppers, I don’t recommend cutting them at all, just scooping the seeds with a small knife or spoon out from the top.

 

Layering:

1. Find an airtight container, glass works better than plastic, but whatever you have is fine.

2.  Cut the garlic into thin slices. Now you are ready to layer.

3.  First add a drizzle of EVOO to the bottom of the container.

4.  Then add the first layer of pepper quarters (try your best not to overlap peppers too much as you layer).

5. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Then add a few garlic slices. Then a few drizzles of vinegar, pepper juice, and EVOO.  

6. Now add the second layer of peppers and repeat until you are done.

7. Place the container in the fridge (wherever is the warmest area of your fridge to avoid crystalizing the EVOO, pepper juice and vinegar mix).

8. Ready to enjoy in 15-20 mins.​​

 

PAN ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH VINEGAR & EVOO 

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

4 eggplants

1 green pepper

Garlic powder

Black pepper

Sea salt

Apple cider

EVOO

 

Directions

1. Cut the eggplants in one-inch-thick slices (longways or circular - as you prefer)

2. Sprinkle salt on both sides and let sit for 30 mins

3. Cut pepper in long thin slices because they will be added raw

4. In an iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of EVOO and roast eggplants on high heat

5. Place one layer of roasted eggplants on a deep square dish (eggplant for this recipe needs to be squeezed tightly on the dish so use a large dish.)

6. Add a layer of sliced green peppers on top - less of a full layer and more of a sporadic sprinkle

7. Then, sprinkle layer with salt, paper, garlic powder, EVOO and apple cider (roughly once cap full of each per layer).

8. The second layer of eggplants should be now ready to be placed from skillet.

9. Repeat steps 5-7

10. When you are done with all the layers, push eggplant layers down with a wooden spoon to make sure they’re nice and tight together.

11. You may eat them right away or to store for later, cover dish with a top and leave on the countertop if eating later, in fridge if eating the next day.

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Note: For high quality, use small Italian organically grown eggplants (they’re usually much smaller than the regular ones at the store), garlic powder from Penzeys and Italian sweet green peppers.​​

 

​ROASTED EGGPLANT ​​

Ingredients

2 eggplants
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
fresh thyme

smoked paprika
fresh basil
4 oz feta cheese 
salt  

black pepper
 

Directions

1. Half the eggplants

2. Salt the halved eggplants and let rest for 15 minutes.

3. Score by making square/diamond cuts into the pulp, every inch or inch and a half.

4. Place them in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.  Space the eggplant halves so they don’t touch. 

5. Brush them with olive oil and season with black pepper and paprika. 

6. Fill the cuts with slices of garlic and feta cheese, then sprinkle fresh thyme.

7. Bake at 180 degrees C (356F) for 25-30 min.

8. Serve with fresh basil on top. ​​​​​

 

EGGPLANT CARPACCIO

Texture: Soft, explosion of flavor, crowd favorite

Serving size: a dip for 4-6 people

Fun fact: Recipe was inspired by a similar dish tasted at Nur restaurant, now permanently closed. The rose and eggplant combination is out of this world.

Ingredients

2 Eggplants

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Shallots (sliced)

5 cloves Garlic (sliced)

1 tablespoon Cumin Seed (toasted and ground)

1 Lemon (zested and juiced)

½ cup of crumbled feta

½ teaspoon Rose Water

½ cup Pistachios (raw and finely chopped)

Parsley leaves

 

Directions

1. Char eggplants directly over the fire of a gas burner for 10 minutes, rotating every 3 minutes. Another option is to do this in a gas oven, on broil. 

2.  Place eggplants in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 1 hour.

3.  Peel charred skin off eggplants and discard with the tops. Reserve all liquid.

4.  Sauté garlic and shallot in olive oil until translucent and add cumin. Remove from heat and add to eggplant.

5.  Add lemon and rose water to the eggplant mixture and smash and mix everything with a fork.

6.  Lay eggplant mixture out in a thin layer on a plate and add tahini sauce, pistachio, feta and parsley to garnish.

7.  Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or toasted sourdough slices.​

 

EGGPLANT AND TOMATOE TAPENADE

Texture: Soft, melts in your mouth, yummy

Serving size: a dip for 6-8 people

Fun fact: In a pinch, you can buy it canned from Trader Joe’s and it’s very close to the taste.

Ingredients:

3-4 small italian eggplants

12 oz of your best virgin tomato sauce

flaky sea salt (Maldon)

EVOO

1 small onion

garlic powder (penzey’s) or two fresh cloves

Cracked pepper

Apple cider vinegar

Cast iron cooking pan

For the sauce:

 ‘La Fede’ brand, Passata Di Pomodoro, Finely Sieved Tomatoes

 

Directions:

1. Cut eggplants in half longways and sprinkle with salt (leave for 20-30 mins)

2. Sauté diced onion in EVOO

3. Add garlic

4. Add tomato sauce

5. Add cracked pepper

6. Add sea salt

7. Bring to a slow boil

8. Add eggplants (lay them down gentle as you dip them into the sauce)

9. Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour on low heat with a lid on the cast iron pan.

10. Cool down completely.

11. Serve cold or reheat. Drizzle EVOO, apple cider vinegar, and extra salt on top before serving.

12. Serve with bread, chips, crackers, or over rice, couscous, veggies, meat​​​​

 

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EGGPLANT PARM(IGIANO)
Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard cheese made from unpasteurized cows' milk and aged at least 12 months but for best taste, 24 months. The cheese has a sharp, complex fruity/ nutty taste with a strong savory flavor and a slightly gritty texture. The best taste is acq-uired when cows are fed only on grass or hay, producing grass-fed milk. Only natural whey culture is allowed as a starter, together with calf rennet. The only additive allowed is salt, which the cheese absorbs while being submerged for 20 days in brine tanks satur-ated to near-total salinity with Mediterranean sea salt. 'Parmesan' is a marketing term for lower quality cheese, whether it be Italian marketed to the US or elsewhere around the world. 

Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl (or cheeks). It is not smoked. Its name is derived from’ guancia’, the Italian word for ‘cheek’. Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such as ‘spaghetti alla carbonara’ and sauces like ‘sugo all'amatriciana’. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally also not smoked, can be used as a substitute for guanciale. Or bacon. 
Good quality ingredients will make this dish superb. Take your time choosing the right eggplant, cheese, guanciale, and tomato purée (aka passata). 

Ingredients
EVOO (for drizzling)
2 large balls Fresh Mozzarella (thinly sliced)
⅓ cup Fresh Basil Leaves
2 Large Eggplant (cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds)
For Egg wash bowl:
2 Eggs (beaten)
¼ cup Whole Milk
For breading bowl:
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
1 ¼ cups Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
2 teaspoons of herbs (Hand-mixed/rubbed, not ground, from dried: shallots, chives, green peppercorn, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil and bay leaf)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt 
½ teaspoon Black Pepper (freshly ground)
For sauce:
24.5 ounces tomato purée (aka passata)
4-5 small slices of guanciale 
1 teaspoon Sea Salt 
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Dried minced onion
½ teaspoon Powdered Black Pepper 

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Directions
Make the sauce
1. In a saucepan, slowly fry the guanciale pieces on low heat, without burning them, to get the liquid taste out onto the pan. 
2. Remove the guanciale pieces and discard them or eat them. 
3. Add the passata. 
4. Then fill the passata bottle 3/4 with water and shake, then add the liquid to the saucepan. 
5. Add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp of onion and ½ tsp of pepper 
6. Let simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. 
7. Turn off heat and let cool

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Bread and roast the eggplant
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper 
3. Cut the eggplants into ½-inch thick rounds, place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and set to the side 
4. Prepare two dipping bowls, one with the whisked egg and milk, the other with the breadcrumbs and herbs, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of Parmigiano
5. Dip one eggplant slice at a time, first in the egg wash on both sides, then in the crumbs on both sides too. Make sure the eggplant is well-coated on all sides!
6. Arrange the breaded eggplant slices in a single layer on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. 
7. Drizzle with EVOO
8. Bake for 20 mins or until the crust is golden brown
9. Set aside and let cool

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Put it all together 
1. Cut the mozzarella into thin round slices
2. Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Add a layer of eggplant slices, more tomato sauce, and half the sliced mozzarella. 
3. Add one layer of eggplant slices, and sprinkle left over breadcrumbs from the bowl in areas where eggplant is light 
4. With a spoon, spread a layer of tomato sauce 
5. Then a layer of mozzarella 
6. Repeat the layers, finishing it off with any remaining mozzarella and Parmesan (1 cup).
7. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to bubble. Then, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes, so the cheese starts to brown in places.
8. Let the hot eggplant Parmesan rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Then, top it with fresh basil leaves. In my opinion, it tastes better heated the next day! ​​

 

CARROT & GIANT WHITE BEAN SALSA

4 carrots diced

1 can of giant white beans

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 handfuls of parsley (chopped)

2 tbsp vegan butter (Miyoko's Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter with a Hint of Sea Salt)

1 tbsp of paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

2 tbsp EVOO

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Sauté onion and carrots in 1 tbsp of EVOO and 2 tbsp of vegan butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and 5 cups of hot water, mix, close lid, and cook for 20-30 mins in low heat. Before serving, drizzle 1 tbsp worth of EVOO on top and finish with a pinch of thinly chopped parsley. Serve with sourdough toast or warm pita bread.

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WHITE BEANS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients

1 can of white beans

½ a butternut squash

6 leaves of sage

EVOO

Garlic powder

Chives

Sea salt

Black or white pepper powder

Maple syrup

Paprika powder

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Peel and chop squash in ½ inch half-moons and throw in a bowl. Drizzle with EVOO, maple syrup, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and pepper.

3. Roast for 40 minutes or until they look caramelized and crispy-ish.

4.  Meanwhile, in high heat fry the sage leaves in EVOO until crips (but not burned) and set aside on a paper towel. Lower heat to medium-low, throw in the beans, cut fresh chives and throw them in. Mix and simmer until thick.

5.  Once thickened, place the beans in a plate, add the roasted squash on top, drizzle more EVOO and add the sage leaves on top.

6.  Best enjoyed on sourdough toast.

 

ADDICTIVE CABBAGE SALAD

Recipe was inspired by a similar dish tasted at Kawani restaurant in Westport.

Ingredients

1 cabbage

5 scallions

Sesame seeds – black and white

Salt

Pepper

Rice vinegar

Cayenne pepper

Wasabi (optional)

Hondashi (optional)

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Directions

1. Cut cabbage and scallion into salad bites.

2. Sprinkle seeds, salt, pepper, rice vinegar, hondashi and wasabi (if you have it) otherwise, cayenne pepper.

3. Let sit for 1 hour, mix every 15 mins.

 

KELLEY'S PEAR AND FENNEL SALAD

For best results, make the dressing in the salad bowl then add other ingredients.

 

Dressing

1 small shallot (minced)

Salt

2 lemons (juiced)

1 tsp of honey

1/3 cup of EVOO

Freshly ground black pepper

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Salad

4 stalks celery (thinly sliced)

2 bulbs fennel (cored and thinly sliced)

2 pears (peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced)

1 cup of arugula leaves

½ cup of pumpkin seeds (fresh or toasted)

½ cup of parmigiano-reggiano​

 

SWEET AND TANGY SALAD

A crowd favorite! Inspired by a Rothbard Ale + Larder salad, a German cuisine inspired restaurant in Westport, that's now closed. For best results, once tossed, let salad rest for 10 mins before serving. 

Ingredients

1 cup of halved sweet grapes (color is your choice)

1/2 of diced champagne mango

1 cup of crumbled Roquefort cheese

1/2 of sliced shallot

1 short and crunchy cucumber, diced

1/2 cup of diced carrots

For salad leaves, I recommend endive and/or Nappa cabbage

A handful of pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)

EVOO

Black pepper

1/2 fresh lime

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Dressing

1/3 cup of EVOO

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 of freshly squeezed lime juice

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Salad

Chop the salad leaves to your liking and throw in a large mixing bowl. (If you haven't used endives before, I recommend you half the endive long ways, then dice each half in thin moon slivers. Endives are tough to take on any taste if cut too thick. Same goes for the Nappa cabbage leaves, you can be less strict with the green top part of the leaf, but the bottom white crunchy part will taste better if chopped in less than let's say 1 inch in size). Then hand-sprinkle in the ingredients with the cheese last. Then pour the dressing on top and mix gently with a large wooden spoon until the cheese and the dressing make a lightly creamy consistency throughout. Let rest and enjoy! Goes well with sourdough toast (but what doesn't).​​

 

HUNGARIAN SOUR CREAM CUCUMBERS

Can be served as a side salad or as a dip/spread. 

Ingredients

4 medium cucumbers

1 small sweet onion or 1 large shallot

1/2 cup of sour cream 

1 tb of white vinegar

A pinch of sugar

1/2 tsp of powdered garlic

1/4 cup of EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

Peel cucumbers and slice thin. 

Slice onion thin in half-moon crescents. 

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients then toss cucumbers and onion in. Gently mix with a spoon. Let sit in the fridge 1-2 hours. Enjoy!​

 

BUFFALO GRILLED MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms are at their best when cooked over high, unrelenting heat, which makes them ideal for grilling. So that they crisp instead of shrivel, toss them with more oil than you think is required and salt them only after they are cooked. As the mushrooms’ moisture disappears, their earthy umami concentrates and their outsides brown. Top with parsley and blue cheese for crunch and taste. This method here works with most mushrooms, but avoid larger ones like portobellos, which, over such high heat, will burn before they’re cooked through.

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Yield: 4 servings​

Ingredients

1½ pounds medium to large mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake or maitake, or a combination; not portobello), stemmed

EVOO

2 tablespoons Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and refrigerated

1½ ounces firm blue cheese, sliced or crumbled

A few sprigs of parsley, for garnish (optional)

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Directions

1. Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking over high heat by pouring the coals onto one half of the grill. For a gas grill, heat all the burners, then off turn one of the end burners before cooking. (High is above 450 degrees. You should be able to hold your hand 4 to 5 inches above the grates for 2 to 3 seconds.)

2. While the grill is heating, place the mushrooms in a large bowl, and drizzle them generously with olive oil (about 6 tablespoons). Put the hot sauce and garlic in a medium cast-iron skillet.

3. When you’re ready to grill, bring the mushrooms, skillet, salt, cold butter, a tightly folded paper towel soaked with oil, oven mitt and tongs to the grill. (You want the butter to stay cold, so if you’re worried about it melting in the sun, bring it out in a cup over ice.) Clean the grates with a grill brush, then oil the grates with the paper towel.

4. Add the mushrooms gill-side up over the flame. Cook the mushrooms, turning occasionally, until well browned and tender, 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and type of the mushroom. For a gas grill, close the lid between flips, listening and keeping an eye out for flare-ups. If liquid collects in the mushrooms while cooking, move them to an area of the grill without fire beneath to avoid flare-ups, then flip and return to direct heat.

5. When the mushrooms are almost done, add the skillet to an area of the grill without flame beneath, so that there’s indirect heat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet as they finish. Season lightly with salt and add the butter, stirring to combine until glossy.

6. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more hot sauce, then top with blue cheese and, if using, parsley.

 

KELLEY'S MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Cook in a 9 inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven

 

Sauté

1 tbsp of EVOO

½ large yellow onion (sliced)

3 garlic cloves (chopped)

8 oz mushrooms (thinly sliced)

3 cups of arugula

 

Beat eggs then add the rest in

8 eggs

2 tbsp of whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup of crumbled goat or feta cheese

Chives, dill, parsley (chopped)

 

Pour onto sautéed mix, mix gently, and close the lid. Cook for 15 mins in low to med heat.

 

DITA'S SPINACH SOUP (shrimp optional)

Texture: creamy, delicate, filling

Fun fact: Tastes just as good if served hot in cold winter evenings or served cold during the summer.

Serving size: 4 bowls

​

You will need a large pot, a large frying pan, and a blender.

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Ingredients

For soup:

a lot of spinach (800g)

1 small yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

Salt

100g grated Parmigiano Romano or Reggiano

1 cup of FAGE sour cream

4 cups of water

4 tablespoons of EVOO

For shrimp & marinade:

400g of fresh (large to jumbo) shrimp

garlic powder

lemon juice

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

A pinch of salt

A pinch of paprika

A pinch of cracked black pepper

 

Marinade the shrimp

1. In a bowl, add shrimp, garlic powder, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, a pink of salt and a pinch of paprika, 2 pinches of cracked black pepper.

2. Let them in that marinade for at least 15 minutes but the longer they marinate, the better they will taste.

 

Make the soup

1. Clean the fresh spinach and drain the excess water

2. Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves and sauté with EVOO in a pot until the onion is transparent and the garlic is a bit golden

3. Add spinach, stir, close the lid and let it simmer and soften

4. Pour the water and let it cook for about 10 mins

5. Pour the mixture into a blender

6. Add a pinch of salt

7. Add sour cream

8. Blend until you get a creamy consistency

9. Add the grated Parmigiano cheese (Don’t go too heavy on it because you may oversalt and the soup does not need it for its creamy texture)

10. Blend and let sit while you cook the shrimp

 

Cook the shrimp

1. Heat up the large frying pan with 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO.

2. Add the shrimp from the bowl (try not to dump the extra liquid in the pan) and cook for roughly 1-1.5 min on each side or until they become nicely pink. (If the shape of the shrimp ‘C’ starts resembling an ‘O’, then you’re overcooking them.)

3. Once you think they are done, pour a few drops of white wine and let it evaporate.

4. Remove shrimp on a cutting board and let rest for 2 mins.

5. Cut in slices and add on top of the soup.​​​​

 

 

FOUR ONION SOUP (inspired by Dilly Duck Cafe)​

Texture: creamy, delicate, filling

Total Time: 55 minutes
Serving size: 4 servings/cups

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You will need a large pot, a large frying pan, and a blender. Soup may be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered. Reheat, covered, over low heat.

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Ingredients

4 medium leeks
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion (1/4 pound), thinly sliced
2 large shallots (1/4 pound), thinly sliced
1/4 cup of scallions (for garnishing) 

1 1/2 cups water
1 large boiling potato (6 ounces) such as Yukon Gold
1 cup nonfat chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Gruyère (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar​

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Directions

1. Chop enough white and pale green parts of leeks to measure 2 cups. Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water. Lift from water and drain in a colander. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then cook chopped leeks, onion, and shallots with salt and pepper to taste, stirring frequently, until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and deglaze pot, scraping up brown bits. Transfer mixture to the pot. 

2. Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add potato, broth, and remaining cup water to onions. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very tender.

3. Purée soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and stir into remaining soup. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve soup sprinkled with cheese or chopped scallions and drizzle with vinegar.

 

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