The cool weather in northern Pennsylvania was a good excuse to revisit this wonderful, rich and hearty soup. There’s not much in the way of broth—at least when I prepare it—but if thick and chunky isn’t your style, you can easily change the consistency by adding more milk, cream, and roux. This recipe is easily one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.

5-7 pieces of thick cut bacon
2½ lbs chicken breast
1½ lbs chicken thigh, with skin and bone
2½ tsps salt + extra
fresh ground pepper
1 white onion, chopped
6-8 stalks of celery, chopped

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Sticky, sweet, yeasty, and delicious. There’s really not much more to say about these cinnamon rolls. I did have some problem removing them from the pan once they cooled; the brown sugar hardened cement-like after about 10-20 minutes out on the counter. However, this minor issue could easily be resolved with a more generous application of butter to the bottom of the pan.

My one major complaint about this recipe is more a matter of personal health than grounds for eviction from the culinary circle. Yes, I can appreciate the empty calories of all purpose flour in baked goods. Yes, all purpose flour does produce a tender texture and light-airiness not usually seen in whole grains. But will I eat baked goods without whole grains? Generally, no.

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3 zucchini, washed
2 yellow squash, washed
a bouquet of fresh herbs, chopped
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
lemon juice
olive oil

1. Slice the zucchini and yellow squash length-wise about ? inch thick until you have long cross-sectional strips. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with a little olive oil.
2. Fire up the grill to medium heat. When the grates are hot, quickly lay down as many slices as you can comfortably manage (and fit); try to lay out the slices perpendicular to the direction of the grating so as to minimize the risk of slices falling through the gaps. It should only take a minute or two to cook the squash, so be attentive and turn the slices after 30 seconds or so. When done, remove to a plate.

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When experienced bread bakers like Peter Reinhart give you explicit instructions, it’s time to stop making up crap and listen up. Yes, yes, we all like to experiment in the kitchen. But seriously, stop. Take a deep breath. Remember bad things happen to those wander aimlessly in the wild frontier. Or, if you’re like me and walking in the rose garden sounds too tame, forge your own path and discover why you are wrong wrong W-R-O-N-G.

I arrived in the kitchen this morning a bit off my game. Sure, I lowered the oven rack and solved the dough consistency problem I bitched about last time (more on that later); I even obtained a nice OXO silicon basting brush and did a fair job at topping my bagels. But I was feeling a bit tired and juggling dinner prep, photography, phone conversations, cleaning, and baking. At times, I walked away from important steps or left things where they were even after the timer went off. Lesson No 1: mise en place, “everything in its place.”

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Making fantastic ribs isn’t all that complicated. The purists will say you only need two components: a great cut of meat and the right cooking method. The meat is usually pork (either spareribs or baby backs) but I’ve heard glowing reviews about beef ribs as well. For this dish, as well as others where meat is the central ingredient, I recommend visiting a good butcher; nothing will ruin ribs faster than starting out cheap. My personal favorite butcher’s shop, Marconda’s Meats, is a little far away, but well worth the trip. In the future I may also try Manhattan Meats.

How do you prepare your newly purchased prize beauty for consumption? First, pat in a spice rub. You can use whatever combination suits you best, but I like to go with salt, pepper, cayenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, cumin, and maybe a little ancho chili powder or chipotle powder.

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I’ve seen a wide swath of “BBQ sauces"—everything from thin vinegar basting mops to thick soy-based Asian mixtures. But when I think of BBQ sauce, and what most people think of when you say BBQ sauce, is a combination of the holy trinity: vinegar, tomato, and molasses. BBQ sauce of this category isn’t intended to penetrate the meat, and it should never be used to baste meat exposed directly to heat for long periods of time (unless you like eating carbon). The sugar content, however, makes the sauce a prime candidate for caramelization. Caramelization is the process whereby finger-licking good BBQ sauce gets stuck to your meat. Sticky sauce may be messy, but it’s preferable to having the sauce slide off entirely while you’re trying to eat a hunky rack of ribs.

So what’s the recipe for BBQ sauce? Well, the answer is there is no single recipe, even if we narrow down our options to those that include The Three Main Ingredients. Some people like it tangy (more vinegar). Some people like it sweet. Some people like it hot. Some people like it smoky and with a tasty bite of booze. Depending on what you like, you’ll have to adjust the amount of sweet, tangy, hot, smoky, and bitter components in your recipe.

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As the end of summer approaches, the juicy, ripe nectarines and peaches are fast disappearing from the farmer’s market. The heat wave, however, is still here; so this week I decided to celebrate the passing of the summer produce season with a cold chicken salad and caramelized nectarines. To be fair, I must credit the idea of caramelizing nectarines with onion to the folks at Christine’s. The nectarines at said restaurant were plated with a fish entrée, and at the time I thought to myself, “This would be great with a salad.” So here’s the breakdown of my procedure:

Breaded Chicken
chicken breasts, 3 lbs
leftover panko breading from the freezer (see my article on the ono)
egg
vegetable oil
cayenne pepper

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Okay, I know this bagel looks a little burnt and slightly less bagel-shaped than it should, but the texture and flavor is some of the best I’ve ever had out of any bagel ever. (And that includes the fresh bagels from the bakery.) It’s deliciously chewy throughout the interior, just slightly crusty on the outside, with beautiful subtle flavors of sour and onion. I’m in love.

The three most obvious and important considerations for future success are:

• Baking temperature or the rack position in the oven. The freshly chopped onions on top burned to a crisp and even the dough turned a tad darker than preferable in a few spots. So, next time, use the lower rack or turn the temperature down to 425°F.
• Shaping technique. I thought Peter Reinhart was exaggerating when he said to make the center hole two inches wide. To my great surprise, the hole shrunk drastically as the bagel expanded in the second fermentation. Check out this video for a great example of bagel shaping.

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So I’ve wizened up a little on bread baking since my last post. I’ve learned a bit more about my bread pans (see my updated comments on cast iron baking); I’ve learned to always warm or scald milk for a biga; I’ve learned to keep my starter in the fridge, with weekly regular 1:2:2 feedings; I’ve learned to throw away starter I don’t need, instead of creating a gargantuan monster; I’ve learned to use onion or toasted onion powder in my rye breads because, yes, they really do taste better that way.

Today, however, is a post about my first batch of whole wheat potato rosemary bread.

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Beef stroganoff is one of those faithful staples of the hearth I turn to when I need a break from fancier fare. My old trusty recipe, handwritten on a wrinkled, water stained piece of typing paper, went something like this:

egg noodles, prepared
2 lbs stew meat, cubed
? white onion, chopped into squares
1? (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, fat free
? cup water
¼ cup fresh chives, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1? cubes beef boullion, crushed or minced to powder
? cup white wine, dry
1 (8 oz) container low fat sour cream
? cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large box fresh mushrooms, cut in half, lightly sautéed

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