Archive for January, 2010

I found this recipe gem on the Cookography blog.  Just normal people like me who love to cook as well.  They found it in Cook’s Illustrated.  I made my own beef broth for which you can google a recipe for. I did not use any chicken broth as I think it has a much richer flavor using all beef.  I highly suggest you make your own broth, it will make all the difference.  I made mine from the rib bones from two prime ribs we enjoyed over the holidays.  Broth is great because it freezes so  nicely and can be conveniently pulled out of the freezer when needed.  I also didn’t make the cheese croutons.  I simply bought a mini loaf of 3 cheese baguette from my local bakery and placed two slices into each bowl and topped with the Gruyere and baked in broiler.  Can’t wait for everyone to try this!

Serves 5-6

Notes:

For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients:

Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
• 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
• Table salt
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
• 2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

• 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

For the soup:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
3. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
4. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
6. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

1. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

before baking in my 9qt oval dutch oven

right before the stovetop deglazing process

I know you want it!

Do you ever think to yourself… “I don’t want to cook, but I don’t want to go out and eat unhealthy fried food either!”  Sometimes a juicy burger and hot crispy french fries are the perfect dinner.  Or, sometimes you just want to eat-out healthily.  When I have a craving for fresh produce and light, filling food I always head out to the Pita Jungle on Shea road in Scottsdale.

While, this place is not my favorite stop for great middle eastern fare, it comes in at a very close second.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been here as we go monthly at least.  I always always get the same thing.  On our last trip a few days ago, I got something different and was then wishing that I had my hummus with grilled sirloin instead.  Not that my dish wasn’t good, it was delicious.  There is just something so rich yet not so guilty about their hummus with grilled sirloin and pine nuts ($9.49).  This dish is not on their regular menu, it is an appetizer on their special menu.  The grilled sirloin is sliced and cooked perfectly. It’s poured over onto the hummus along with the pan drippings and garnished with pine nuts.  Mmmm, meat and chickpeas…it’s a beautiful thing!

my favorite hummous dish

I’m going a little backwards here, as I forgot to tell you about our favorite appetizer. Anytime of the year, fall, winter, spring, or summer…we always get their Mozzarella Tomato and Basil ($7.29).  I wish I knew where they got their produce, because  the tomatoes on this plate are always very large and very fresh tasting.  My husband and I love the quality of the mozzarella and the little crispy pita triangles they serve with it.  The perfect light, fresh, and healthy way to start off your meal.

so good it's already half gone

I’ve heard that their blue corn nachos  ($7.99) are to die for as well as their carribean salad ($9.49) which is basically all tropical fruits over healthy greens with a nice sweet strawberry vinaigrette.  I’ve been meaning to try these two dishes I’ve heard so much about, but I’m a creature of habit.  On our last trip I was feeling a little adventurous and ordered the Gambas Con Ajo ($8.69).  It was absolutely humongous! Nothing like I expected from the description at all.  It was five jumbo shrimp cooked in a light tomato like broth with garlic and white wine.  It came with pita triangles that were covered in pesto and cheddar cheese.  It was quite an amazing dish.  I am not a fan of cooked tomatoes and this dish had a large amount of that in the broth so my husband ate that part.  The shrimp were cooked perfectly and not overcooked which can be easily done.

I know this location serves beer and wine and even maybe liquor, but I never partake in that because I am addicted to their tropical iced tea.  I cannot do it justice with words, just make sure to order it next time you go.  The servers are so awesome they even give me a to-go cup of it when I leave because they know how much I am in love with it! 

I don’t have one negative thing to say about the Pita Jungle.  It gets the FOOD-TRAMP-STAMP-OF-APPROVAL all the way!

Pita Jungle

7366 E Shea Blvd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85260

480.922.PITA

I should have had this review written two months ago…but, I was waiting for a picture of the best fried fish ever!  Every time I order it  I forget to get a picture.  So, here I am ready to show it all.    Before the Crossings was Mama’s Italian Cantina.  I rarely went to Mama’s, but it held a special place in my heart, as my husband and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner there.  Mama’s always had fresh Italian and Mexican dishes but had problems with owners, landlords,  and consistency and thus, eventually closed its doors.  Enter Adam Massey, FOH manager from a pub in Scottsdale, ready to run his own joint.   They renamed it, got a proper chef, and rewrote the menu; but kept the  Italian/Mexican fusion idea that really wasn’t.

best fish fry I ever had!

So, the first time we went into The Crossings was a Sunday early afternoon for the Chicago Bears football game.  There was a large Sunday Bears following there and my husband told me to come along and that they had 25 cent chicken wings, so I was sold.  When I got there I was totally craving onion rings.  No onion rings on the menu…so I though, what the hell, I’m gonna ask!  I asked the manager who was also my server if the chef wouldn’t mind making some and he said SURE!!  I was very happy and let me tell you, I should have taken a picture of that tempura battered masterpiece because it was the first and the last time we were able to get them!!! Three other tables in the bar requested them after they saw ours.  SO FREAKING GOOD!  I still don’t understand to this day why they didn’t  put them on the menu.  Also, on Sundays they have a special $5.0 breakfast/lunch menu that is pretty great!  We most always come for the cheap wings, but I got an egg, ham, and cheese sandwich one Sunday that was totally delicious!

$5.00 sunday afternoon special

perfectly cooked and sauced wings

We’ve also tried the hand tossed pizza which was excellent as well!  The crust was brushed with butter and a special seasoning that made it so darned tasty.  YUM-MY!!  Here’s the thing folks, The Crossings always had consistent, delicious, and hot food.  It was always made with fresh ingredients and piping hot out of the kitchen every single time we ate there.  The owner and manager were super cool and they had one of the best  Bloody Mary’s that I have had in a LONG time. 

I am sad to report that in the last few days The Crossings has closed its doors due to unforseen issues.  I heard that this was coming, but I also know that Adam would like to reopen in another location.  When he does, I will be there and pass on the good news to all of you!  Until then, we thoroughly enjoyed this establishment during the football season while it lasted.  I hope they open again and now I’ll be on the hunt for a Friday Fish Fry that tops The Crossings!  If you know of one out there, food tramps in training, please let me know SOON!!

16852 E Parkview Ave
Fountain Hills, AZ 85268