Comfort Food

Mrs. Vino has written about the concept of "comfort food" before. For me, it is comfort food if the very scent of it being prepared takes you back to your childhood. It doesn't matter what type of food. What matters is the emotion the food invokes.

When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was a tradition that on your birthday, you got to pick a restaurant and the family went out to dinner. We didn't go out very often, so this was a real treat. One of my favorite restaurants was on the SF Waterfront and was called Tokyo Sukiyaki. At this restaurant, I had my first sushi, my first tempura and my first Sukiyaki. This restaurant was a favorite of several family members - so we went there quite a bit. And this restaurant inspired my mom to find a recipe for Sukiyaki - so she could prepare it at home. She found a recipe and it became a regular dish in her repetoire. Anytime she took out the electric frying pan (hey it was the late 60's) we knew what was coming.

When mom passed away, I ended up with her recipe box. It sat in my cupboard, I just wasn't able to open it. As part of my massive cookbook cupboard clean out a few months ago, I took out the recipe box and looked through it. I found the recipe my mom clipped from a 1968 issue of Sunset Magazine for Sukiyaki. Just reading the ingredient list brought back my childhood. I prepared Sukiyaki for Mr. Vino for dinner the next night. When I brought it to the table and had my first taste, I burst into tears. Mr. Vino is kind of used to this behavior. Food moves me.

Sukiyaki has become a regular part of my repetoire, too. It is my ultimate 15 minute meal. Here is a slightly revised version of the recipe (cuz I don't cook with lard and I don't think Japanese people usually do either!) which is light, easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Beef Sukiyaki (hot pot)
Make with Morovino 2008 Pinot Grigio
Serve with Morovino 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

3 T brown sugar
½ c. soy sauce (low sodium)
2 c. 2008 Pinot Grigio, Sake or other VERY dry white wine
1 onion, very thinly sliced
½ small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
4 ounces of mushrooms (½ package) thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 2” pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced very thinly
1 lb. Beef tri-tip (or boneless rib eye) sliced in 1/8” slices (Mrs. Vino buys Tri-Tip when it goes on sale, cuts in into 1lb pieces and freezes it to save for this dish.
1” of fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
¼ t. red pepper flake

If you don't have the veggies listed, you can use zucchini or other squash, celery, parsnips, green pepper, green beans – pretty much anything that is seasonal and delicious.

The important thing is that you want really, really thinly sliced veggies so everything cooks quickly and takes the same amount of time. For the onion, cut in half through the core (not across the circumference), then put the cut side on your board and slice very thinly (do you get the idea we are looking for THIN slices??) so that you get long skinny pieces – not onion rings. When you slice the carrots, slice across the width of the carrot, but slightly on a diagonal, so you get THIN slices. To get really thin slices of beef, start with a very sharp knife and put the beef in the freezer for an hour before slicing.

When I cook this dish, I use a 14” non-stick sauteuse (higher sides). You can also cook this in a wok or at the table using an old fashioned electric frying pan. I haven't tried it with an electric fondue pot yet, but theoretically it should work.

Put the sugar, soy and Pinot Grigio into your pan and bring it to a vigorous simmer - just under the boil. Add the ginger and pepper flake. Now place the meat and veggies into the pan in bunches – I try to put the thickest/longest cooking temperature stuff in first – so for this dish start with the carrots, then onions, mushrooms, then beef, then cabbage, then green onions. Turn the heat down to medium. As everything cooks, make sure to press the beef and veggies into the simmering broth with the back of a wooden spoon. When the veggies are crunchy tender and the meat is still a tiny bit pink in the middle (about 5 minutes) it is done. To serve, put a spoonful of rice (brown sushi rice is my fave) in a pretty Asian bowl. Add a bit from each bunch of veggies and meat. Then top with a couple of big spoonsful of the broth. This is almost a soup, but not quite. It is a perfect pairing with Cabernet.

Zesty Pickled Beets

These have NO RESEMBLANCE WHATEVER to the canned pickled beets we all had to try (cuz our moms made us) when we were kids. These, are delicious. Note, if they are too sharp for you, add a little water to the picking brine. Also note, these are quick-pickled - not canned. So keep them in your fridge for up to 2 months.

ZESTY QUICK-PICKLED BEETS

2 bunches beets
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
½ cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
4 whole allspice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (not cream style)

Scrub beets, remove tops and roots and boil in salted water for about 30 minutes or until just fork tender. Drain and run beets under cold water to stop cooking. Remove beet skins and slice beets about 1/4” thick. Combine the sugar, water, vinegar and spices in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add horseradish.

Place sliced beets in a clean jar. Cover with pickling liquid. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days before serving. These quick-pickled beets will stay for several weeks in your fridge.

"Pickled" Refrigerator Pickles

"Pickled" Refrigerator Pickles
Make & Serve with Morovino 2008 Pinot Grigio
1 1/2 cups 2008 Morovino Pinot Grigio (or other VERY dry white wine)
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
3T Kosher Salt
1T Sugar (and just a pinch more)
1 t dried tarragon
1/2 t dried dill seed
1/8 t red pepper flake
6 sliced cucumbers, summer squash or zucchini
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered

Combine the Pinot Grigio, vinegar, salt, sugar and herbs in a 4 c. glass measuring cup and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Take clean jars (sanitize new or used jars in your dishwasher) and fill with the sliced cukes, zukes or squash. Layer the garlic in with the veggies as you are filling the jars. Pour the brine on top of the veggies to the very tip top of the jar. Close up the jars.

These pickles are NOT canned, so store them in your fridge. They will last 1-2 months when refrigerated. Give them 2-3 days to pickle before you dive in. Give them a quick shake a couple of times a day if you think about it to make sure they are brining evenly.

You can also quick pickle green beans and carrots in this way, but blanch these firmer veggies in boiling water for 2 minutes then dry them a bit before adding to jars.

Feel free to play with the spices. I like to use Fennel seed instead of dill seed with carrots. Go crazy and add more garlic! Use fresh herbs instead of dried. These quick Refrigerator Pickles are a great addition to a relish or antipasto tray AND a thoughtful hostess gift.

Chunky Tomatillo Salsa

Mrs. Vino will confess that she had never cooked with Tomatillos until she got them in her Cal Poly CSA box a few weeks ago. Now they are one of her favorite food "toys". Here is the recipe for Chunky, Fresh Tomatillo Salsa that we enjoyed over a "carpaccio" of summer squash at the recent Vegetarian Food & Wine Pairing Event.

Chunky Tomatillo Salsa

1/2 lb Tomatillos, husked and rinsed, core/stem removed
1 small onion
1 handful fresh Cilantro
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 t. sugar
2 garlic cloves

Now you can do this two different ways. Mrs. Vino finds a certain Zen focus in chopping things. There are times when she just needs to get out her knives and chop things into very small bits. So, the Zen version of this recipe involves taking all the veggies and chopping them into 1/4" dice by hand. Very soothing. Then combining the veggies with the vinegar and sugar in a non reactive bowl and refrigerating for at least one hour before serving.

The instant gratification version of this involves giving all the veggies a couple of good whacks to cut them in pieces, putting them in your food processor with the sugar and rice wine vinegar and giving them a little whirl. THEN, putting the salsa in a non reactive bowl and refrigerating for at least one hour befor serving.

Either way, this salsa is fresh and delicious. Mrs. Vino uses it on: scrambled eggs, chicken breasts, grilled cheese sandwiches, pork tenderloin, enchiladas, chilled avocado soup . . . the list is endless. It will hold for several days covered tightly in your fridge.

Vegetable Stock

When Mrs. Vino first started receiving her Cal Poly CSA produce box, she found herself using many more veggies than usual (a good thing). Unfortunately, it seemed to take a VERY long time to clean and prep the veggies after a long, hard day slaving in the tasting room (a not good thing). And sometimes the veggies got a bit wilted before she could get to them (a really not good thing). Then Mrs. Vino remembered something her friend Roxanna had told her about saving the wilted veggies and veggie scraps/off cuts to make stock. Now, Mrs. Vino has a freezer full of delicious, nutritious veggie stock to use for soups, stews, crockpots, risotto (particularly delicious), etc. AND, cleaning veggies is no longer a chore, it's Cooking! Here's what to do:

Start with two one-gallon freezer bags. These will be your scrap bags. You will keep them in your freezer - yes, I keep the empty bags in my freezer too, so I know they will always be there. Everytime you go to prep a vegetable - put the peelings and off cuts in the bag in your freezer. These are just some of the things I put in there: onion peels, potato peels, peelings from carrots, cucumbers, beets, rutabegas, beet tops or other greens that have wilted beyond wanting to eat, cilantro stems (be careful how many of those you add, they are strong), wilted basil leaves, tomato tops, cabbage cores, ends and strings of string beans . . . you get the picture! Put any clean, non rotten/non moldy piece of veggie into the bags in your freezer.

It won't take long for you to fill up two freezer bags (takes me about a week). I usually start my stock when I start making dinner. Take a large pot and put your veggie peelings in it. Rinse out the empty freezer bags and put them back into your freezer. Add water to the pot to cover the veggie peelings (about 6 cups). Add 1 t. salt, 3 garlic cloves split in half (you don't even need to peel them), 3 bay leaves and a pinch of red pepper flake. Bring the water in the pot to a simmer. Then ignore it for 2-3 hours. OK, the first time you make this, keep your eye on it so it doesn't boil over. After that, you'll know the right burner setting to just keep it at a simmer.

After 3 hours, pull the pot off the stove and let it sit there to cool down a bit. Before you go to bed cover the pot and put it in the fridge to steep overnight. And, clear a little space in your freezer, you'll need it the next day.

The next morning, AFTER COFFEE, pull the pot out and strain it into a container. Pull out your muffin tins (come on, we ALL have them buried in a cabinet somewhere). Use a ladle and ladle the broth into the muffin tins - you will find that each muffin tin holds about 1/2 cup (one standard ladle full) of broth. Place the muffin tins in your freezer and go to work.

After work, pop the broth ice cubes out of the muffin tins and put them in a clean new freezer bag and store them in your freezer. Now anytime you need broth for a soup, stew, risotto, or just to add a bit of liquid to a pan, you can just add a broth ice cube.

I know it seems complicated and seems to take 2 full days. It's really easy and the end result of the broth is healthy and delicious. QUICK NOTE: If you use beets in your veggie broth it will end up a very interesting pinkish color. I used that to make a risotto that ended up being a bit . . . unusual to look at, but tasted delicous. Just to be aware, in case you don't like pink food.

Vegan "Tipsy" Mushrooms

Tipsy Mushrooms
Make and serve with Morovino 2005 Barbera

2 C. vegetable stock (recipe on this blog)
4-5 lbs fresh mushrooms (I use Baby Bellas)
1 bottle Morovino 2005 Barbera(No Morovino? Shame on you! Use an earthy Burgundy style wine)
1 ½ t. soy
1 t. dried dill (OR, try with 1 t. dried herbes d'Provence if you don't like dill)
1 t. ground pepper
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
4T butter (this is used in vegetarian version, not vegan - see note)

First, a word about the mushrooms. 5 lbs is 2 large Costco mushroom containers. You can use white button mushrooms or baby Bellas. My original recipe says to trim the stems, but life is short and stems are delicious. I leave them on. Clean the mushrooms by rinsing them vigorously under running water, then shaking them dry. They are going to be immersed in liquid so don't worry if a little water is still on them. ALSO, mushroom growing medium is sterile. So I never freak out if there's a little mushroom dirt still on them – it adds minerals!

OK, break out your slow cooker – at least 4 quart. Dump ALL the ingredients in the slow cooker and set it for high for 4 – 6 hours. When you get home, turn the slow cooker down to warm, then use a ladle to get out as much of the cooking liquid as you can. Put it in a saucepan and boil it until it reduces and thickens a bit, then add it back to the slow cooker until you are ready to serve. NOTE: If the mushrooms have turned black, you are doing this right. They look weird, but taste GREAT. You can do this a day ahead and just re-warm the mushrooms in the slow cooker!

A great appetizer (serve with cocktail picks), for non vegans or vegetarians, this makes a fabulous side for a steak or roasted chicken. On the remote chance you have any left, slice/dice them and use them in a mushroom omelet!

Note: You can send this recipe over the top and keep it vegetarian if you add 4T of butter to the reduced cooking liquid before you put it back in the crock pot!

Red, White & Blue Pasta

Mrs. Vino has a new FAVORITE summer past dish. This is soooo easy and delicious and is perfect paired with Morovino lightly sweet 2009 Pinot Grigio. Don't have a Morovino 09 Grigio??? Shame on you! OK, try it instead with a semi-sweet Reisling.

Red, White & Blue Pasta (OK, some yellow thrown in too)
5 Beets, peeled (Red)
1/4 cup White or Black Truffle Oil (or use a REALLY good fruity olive oil) 2 ears fresh corn on the cob
8 oz small pasta--I like little tiny seashells (white)
1 4-5 oz package crumbled Bleu Cheese (Blue - or Bleu)
1 T olive oil for roasting beets
Salt & Pepper to taste.

OK, let's start with the beets. If you don't have beets any other roasted root veggie works, but it's not as pretty! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the peeled beets into 1" cubes (or 1.5" or 2", no need to use a ruler). Toss the beet cubes with the 1T olive oil to coat (yes, your hands will turn red - never fear, soap and hot water will get rid of it). Place the beets in a single layer on a baking sheet with a rim (so they don't slide off) and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Roast the beets for 30-40 minutes, stirring once. You want them fork tender and lightly carmelized. This can actually be done up to one day in advance.

Boil water in a big ole pot. Shuck the corn. When the water is boiling, place the 2 ears of corn in it and let them boil for 5 minutes. Take them out with tongs (cuz we are going to be very efficient and use this water for the pasta, too). Place the pasta in the already boiling water and cook according to package instructions for al dente. While the pasta is cooking, cut the corn kernels off the cob.

Mrs. Vino finds the easiest way to get corn off the cob is to use a big bowl and a coffee cup. Place the coffee cup upside down in the big bowl. Rest the tip of the corn cob on the bottom of the coffee cup (which is up - OK, I'm actually confusing myself). Hold the other end of the corn cob. With a small sharp pairing knife, cut down the cob. The corn will fall into the bowl instead of flying all over your kitchen.

Since Mrs. Vino hates washing dishes, we will use the big bowl which now contains the corn kernels for tossing our pasta - so . . .

When the pasta is finished, drain it, then place it in the big bowl with the corn kernels. Add the truffle oil (or fruity olive oil), bleu cheese and beets. Season with salt and pepper. Toss it all together - give it a few minutes so the bleu cheese melts. Serve piled on plates - extra credit points - save a couple of roasted beets to top the pasta with.

Or, refrigerate, cuz this makes a FANTASTIC cold pasta salad, too.

Low Fat, Healthy Cole Slaw

I make this recipe with Kohlrabi and Turnips, because that's what is in my CSA harvest box. If you want to make a more traditional version, replace the Kohlrabi and Turnips with 1 small head of cabbage, shredded. Or just go crazy and explore Kohlrabi, it's delicious!

KOHLRABI/TURNIP SLAW

2 baseball sized Kohlrabi, peeled
2 Turnips, peeled
2 large Carrots, peeled
½ cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. sugar
2T Rice Wine vinegar
1T prepared horseradish
Salt & Pepper

Shred kohlrabi, turnips and carrots using a box grater, or, even better, the shredding blade on your food processor. Dissolve sugar in Rice Wine Vinegar. Add yogurt, Dijon and horseradish to vinegar and stir well. Squeeze the water out of the veggies (you don't need to do this step if using cabbage) and place veggies in a non-reactive bowl. Add yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for ½ hour before serving. Tangy. Healthy. Delicious.

Great Grandma's Russian Ikra

Our May Food and Wine Pairing event featured comfort foods in honor of Mother's Day. I was excited to make a comfort food recipe from each of my Mother's Grandmothers and Great Grandmother's cookbooks. My Great Grandmother was an amazing cook - in the 20's she was actually the chief cook for California's Lieutenant Governor. She was Polish, but married to a Russian. This is her recipe for the classic Russian dish Ikra (eggplant and tomato caviar). It takes time to cook - as all classic comfort food does, but after the initial chopping phase, it's pretty hands off. This is one of the classic comfort foods of my childhood. Enjoy!

IKRA

1 large eggplant
1 medium onion chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
½ t. sugar
2 t. salt
Juice of ½ lemon
2T olive oil
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Prick eggplant with a fork, then place on a piece of foil on the oven rack and bake for 1 hour (turn once or twice) until very soft. Remove eggplant to a plate and let cool. Peel eggplant and chop the flesh very, very finely (almost a puree). In a large non-stick saute pan, saute onion in 2T olive oil over medium low heat until soft (6 to 8 minutes). We don’t want brown onion, just soft sweet onions. Stir in garlic and let saute 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper to taste and eggplant to the saute pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Then turn the heat down as low as it will go, cover the saute pan, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cover and cook an additional ½ hour or until moisture has evaporated. Add lemon juice and chill. Serve cold or at room temperature. Try making a sandwich of this with dark rye or pumpernickel bread!

Perfect Wine Tasting Vacation

If you are looking for the perfect vacation destination that offers a little fine dining, a little beach, a little golf, a little kayaking, a little sun bathing, a little spa action and a LOT of outstanding wine tasting, you need to check out the Avila Wine Trail on California's perfectly beautiful Central Coast.

Nestled beneath the sheltering hills of Point San Luis and the Avila lighthouse, the Avila Wine Trail features family-owned and operated wine venues offering award winning vintages that capture the essence of wine making on California's Central Coast. From downtown beach front wine tasting rooms to the See Canyon and Avila Valley wineries just five minutes from the beach, one thing is consistent – the focus on making your Central Coast wine tasting tour fun and enjoyable.No Central Coast wine tour is complete without a stop on the Avila Wine Trail.

Unlike Pismo Beach and many surrounding beach communities, Avila Beach faces south and is protected from fog and colder weather by the Point San Luis hills. Many locals refer to Avila as the “hole in the sky” and like to say “it's always sunny in Avila Beach.” Avila Beach enjoys one of the sunniest climates of any Central Coast beach community.

Easily accessible from Southern California, Northern California, the Central Valley and beyond, Avila Beach is perfect for an extended stay or a weekend getaway. Travel just a few minutes north and enjoy all the activities of San Luis Obispo or a few minutes south to Pismo Beach – or relax and stay in Avila Beach and enjoy the many activities this beach town has to offer.

WINERIES OF THE AVILA WINE TRAIL:
Alapay Cellars
Avila Wine and Roasting Company
Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards
Morovino Winery
Per Bacco Cellars
Salisbury Vineyard
Wood Winery

Visit us at www.AvilaWineTrail.com, Follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook for maps and information.

Coconut Rice Pudding

I have 3 words for you:
1. Slow Cooker.
2. Comfort Food.
3. Super Easy!
OK, that's 6 words, but you know what I mean. Clearly there are many rice pudding fans out there - and why not? It's the ultimate warming comfort food. This is the easiest most delicious recipe I have.

Coconut Rice Pudding
Serve with Cosa Dolce
3 C water
1 C dry Arborio (Risotto) rice
1 15-ounce can of cream of coconut (like you use for Pina Coladas, not coconut milk)
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
¼ C raisins (cuz it’s not rice pudding without raisins)
2/3 c. sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

In a 4.5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine the water, rice, cream of coconut and evaporated milk and stir to blend. Please note that Arborio rice - available in almost every grocery store - makes a much better rice pudding than long grain white rice. It's a pantry must-have.

Cover slow cooker and cook for 4.5 hours on low. Add raisins in last ½ hour. Remove bowl from slow cooker. While pudding stands (10 minutes) toast coconut flakes - either in a small nonstick skillet or on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. To serve, transfer pudding to individual serving bowls and top with toasted coconut.

NOTE: The first time you make this, make sure you hang around. If your slow cooker runs hot, the sugar in the coconut cream is going to burn around the edges a bit. So try this recipe while you are at home. If you have a hot Crock Pot, just add a bit more liquid - water or milk. Or reduce the cooking time a bit.

Extra credit points: top each bowl of rice pudding with a spoonful of crushed pineapple before topping with coconut. The second version of this is Dulce de Leche Rice pudding. Substitute a 13.4 ounce can of Dulce de Leche condensed milk (Mexican food aisle) for the cream of coconut. Mmmmm.

Popcorn with Truffle Salt

I just couldn't wait to share my recipe for Truffled Popcorn that many of you tried at the last First Friday - Easy Spring Appetizers. And for those of you who expressed an interest in obtaining that magic seasoning of the Gods, Truffle Salt, I'm including a link to Amazon.com - cuz I just can't find it locally.

Truffled Popcorn is easy, fancy and delicious. Sometimes I use it as an appetizer (like for the Academy Awards) and sometimes I use it as a dessert (last night when I was craving Salty/Crunchy).

If you are doing it as an appetizer, I like to serve it in Martini glasses (everything is prettier in Martini Glasses). Or in the little take out boxes you can get at the craft store.

Yes, sometimes Mrs. Vino cheats and uses microwave popcorn (it was EASY appetizers after all). Feel free to pop yours the old fashioned way. ENJOY.

Truffled Popcorn (How Easy is This)
1 bag butter flavored microwave popcorn
3T truffle oil (white or black)
½ t. truffle salt or to taste (but start with 1/2 t., it's strong)
Additional melted butter - if desired

Pop popcorn. While it is warm, drizzle with additional melted butter, truffle oil and truffle salt. Shake the bag well to incorporate. Put in a pretty bowl or fancy glasses to serve. Great with crisp white wines or sparkling wines.

Truffle Salt at Amazon.com

Braised Chicken Thighs and Greens

During the winter season, Mrs. Vino's Cal Poly Organic Farm produce box has contained lots and lots of unsual greens: mustard, chard, kale, etc. These have been incredibly fun to play with in the kitchen. They are so good for you, AND so delicious. Here is one of my favorite easy half-hour healthy recipes!

6 chicken thighs, bone in, but skin removed
1 bunch greens, roughly chopped
1 c. low fat chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, peeled and split down the middle
3 bay leaves
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 heaping tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard (like Maille)

In a small skillet, put the chicken broth, garlic, bay leaves and red pepper flake. Bring to a simmer over low/medium-low heat. Add the chicken thighs and cover tightly. Simmer the chicken thighs in the broth mixture for about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs to a pyrex dish and put in a 250 degree oven to keep warm. Add the greens (if you haven't tried mustard greens before, this is a GREAT recipe for them)to the braising liquid. Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until tender (some greens will cook faster than others).

When the greens are done, fish out the bay leaves and garlic, then add the Dijon mustard to the greens and braising liquid. Turn the heat up a bit and let the sauce reduce until it is slightly thickened. To serve, put a heaping helping of greens on the plate, top with 3 chicken thighs and pour the sauce over the top. Mmmmmmmmm. Serve with crusty french bread.

Roasted Vegetable Broth (vegetarian)

As I look back on the last food and wine pairing events, it occurs to me that Mrs. Vino is NOT showing enough love to vegetarians! So, we will be making sure that there is at least one vegetarian/vegan option at every pairing event, AND the March 5th First Friday will be Very Vegetarian.

In the mean time, for the Friends of Morovino who enjoy vegetarian cuisine, here is Mrs. Vino's Roasted Vegetable Broth. Try it in lieu of chicken broth in the corn chowder recipe on www.Morovino.com. Awesome!

Roasted Vegetable Broth
3 onions (red, yellow or a mix of the two) cut in quarters
5 carrots cut in large chunks (like 3")
3 leeks washed thoroughly and cut in chunks
3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 large bay leaf

First, these veggies are just guidelines. This stock also works with bell peppers, turnips, rutabegas. Try it with what is seasonal. It should always have the onions, though!

Now, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put the cut veggies in a heavy roasting pan and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil (like 1T). Roast uncovered for 1 hour or until the veggies start to carmelize a bit. Stir them every once in a while.

Put the roasted veggies in a stock pot and add 8 cups cold water. Bring the water/veggies to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. Strain. Cool the stock to room temperature and refrigerate. This will keep for 4ish days in the fridge or a couple of weeks if you freeze it.

Use this instead of chicken stock in any light soup.