Zucchini and Tomato Frittata
August 1, 2014
Margaux says…
I love making frittatas for dinner in the summer. It’s a great way to use up random produce sitting in the fridge, it’s quick and easy, and it is best served at room temperature, which is great in summer. I got the idea for this one from Skinnytaste.com, except this isn’t the skinny version.
We don’t have tons of tomatoes and zucchinis like some people, because we unfortunately don’t have a garden. But I know that when you do grow those things, they are plentiful, so this is a great way to use it up. And the Asiago adds so much delicious flavor to this dish!
Zucchini and Tomato Frittata
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 medium zucchinis, cut into matchsticks
8 large eggs
3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil
salt and pepper
2 small garden tomatoes, sliced thinly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk together eggs with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper and Asiago cheese. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a 10″ non-stick pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and turn up heat to medium-high. Saute until zucchini is soft, about 2 more minutes. Add egg mixture and let sit for a minute, then tilt the pan and loosen the edges with a spatula, letting uncooked egg slide underneath. Cook until the underside is golden but the top is still liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the top of the frittata, sprinkle a little salt on them, and transfer to a center rack of the preheated oven. Bake until the top is set, about 5 minutes. If the top doesn’t set in that amount of time, turn the broiler on high, move the rack to the top position, and broil until the top sets, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t overcook! Remove pan from oven and let cool to warm. Remove frittata from pan onto a large serving plate, or cut right in the pan and serve. I like to serve it at room temperature, but it’s also good warm.
Portuguese Caldo Verde – Sausage, Potato and Greens Soup
February 23, 2014
Margaux says…
A soup similar to this was posted by a bunch of people on Pinterest recently, which I made and liked a lot. Then Aunt Suzy emailed me this recipe, which was very similar but looked better. Instead of using cream to make it a creamy soup, you puree some of the potatoes, which I like better. I waited a few weeks to try this one out so that we didn’t over do the potato-greens-sausage soup around here, and I’m so glad I got around to making this! It is fantastic…blows the other soup out of the soup pot. Ha! And my husband, Jason, raved about it as well, claiming it to have the “best broth ever.” He’s really good about complimenting my cooking, but this was more emotion than he usually shows about food. So I put this one in the “win” column and will be definitely making it again!
I think that you can switch out different kinds of greens/sausage/potatoes to suit your likes. I made it with spicy Italian sausage because that’s what I had on hand, instead of the chorizo. Next time I’ll make it with the chorizo probably, but the spicy Italian was still good. I prefer Yukon gold potatoes, but russet would be fine, too. And as for the greens, I would stick with tougher, bitter greens like collard, or any type of kale. I don’t think spinach or chard would hold up as well. The main thing that made this soup stand out to me was the process of taking out part of the potatoes and pureeing them to make the broth thick and creamy.
Aunt Suzy says..
As Margaux mentioned, our initial foray into the greens/potato/sausage soup arena was a recipe we saw on Pinterest that we both made exactly according to the recipe, me with chicken and Margaux with pork sausage. Then my guy Randy shared this recipe with us from Cook’s Illustrated, which we tried shortly thereafter. I’ve made the Pinterest one with regular kale and unpeeled russets and another time with Lacinato kale, unpeeled Yukon Golds and fully cooked Italian sausage from Trader Joe’s. And then I’ve made this recipe exactly as specified. All are really good, but I think this one is the winner. Pureeing some of the potatoes with olive oil creates an emulsion that makes for a very silky texture without dairy. Today, I’ve made one of our favorite stews, and Randy asked me if it included sausage – hehe, guess we’ve had enough sausage around here for a while.
Caldo Verde
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Ingredients
¼ cup EV olive oil
12 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (fully cooked, not fresh Mexican)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
4 cups chicken stock or broth
4 cups water
1 pound collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, optional
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onion. Cook for a few minutes till translucent. Add the garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, another 3 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and water; increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove 3/4 cup solids and 3/4 cup broth to a bowl or measuring cup. Set aside. Add collard greens to pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chorizo and continue to simmer until greens are tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to solids/broth mixture that was set aside. Place in blender jar (or use immersion blender) and process until very smooth and emulsified, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and stir pureed soup mixture and vinegar, if using, into soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Cook’s Notes: If you live near a Whole Foods, Amylu Chicken Chorizo in a 9-ounce package works really well with this and the 9-ounces seemed like enough. You can try with or without the vinegar. AS didn’t use it and Margaux did.
Chicken Chili
October 13, 2013
Margaux says…
We have been BUSY around here. With Desi starting school and Stella being at that age where she doesn’t sleep all the time anymore and is into EVERYTHING, I haven’t had time to do much of anything other than cook dinner and do dishes. The rest of the (extremely dirty) house and my side projects have definitely suffered. But fall is here, and I’m cooking new and fun things again, so I’m doing my best to make time to post about them.
My husband raved about this chili, and actually got really protective over the leftovers. I knew this meant that he really REALLY liked it, because usually I’m the only one in this house that eats any leftovers. The charred veggies gives the chili a little bit of a smoky flavor…it’s very different than any chili I’ve ever made. So I’m definitely making it again, even though that means I’ll have to make Desi his own little pot of chili because this one has meat in it AND is pretty spicy. But that’s ok…more leftovers for us.
Chicken Chili
adapted from Martha Stewart Living
10 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 jalapeno (or I used a Fresno because the jalapenos didn’t look that good)
1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup chili powder
salt
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2-14 oz. cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Preheat broiler, with rack 3 inches from heat source. Arrange tomatoes, jalapeno and onion, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until starting to char, about 5 minutes. Pulse tomatoes and jalapeno in food processor until chunky. Chop onion and mince garlic.
Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Working in batches, brown chicken in a single layer, allowing to sear before stirring, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to skillet. Cook until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chili powder and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in chipotles, and drain fat off chicken and add chicken to the pot. Raise heat to high. Add tomato-jalapeno mixture. Cook, scraping up browned bits, until fully incorporated, 3-5 minutes. Stir in stock; simmer for 20 minutes. Add beans, simmer for 10 minutes. We served topped with sour cream and tortilla chips on the side…it would also be great with shredded cheese and chopped avocados, and with corn bread on the side.
Chili-Crusted Flank Steak with Mango Salsa
September 15, 2012
Margaux says . . . . .
Suzy recommended this recipe to me a while ago, when she posted the recipe for salmon with mango salsa. I thought mango salsa on steak sounded really interesting, and of course I’ll take any excuse to make steak! This recipe is really delicious, and we will definitely be making it again. I also think it would be fun to make both the salmon and the steak sometime when we have company…a little of both with the salsa sounds really good to me. I served it with one of my favorite side dishes, green rice (see recipe below).
The recipe for the steak rub said that it can be made with toasted dried ancho, pasilla or guajillo peppers, but that regular chili powder would work, too. I used regular chili powder because I thought it would be less spicy for my little guy, and it was what I had on hand. It was very tasty…probably not as tasty as the other, but if it’s what you have on hand, I say go for it.
For the steak:
Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on high. You can also make this indoors in your oven’s broiler. If broiling, position the pan 4-5 inches from the heating element.
2 tablespoons ground dried red chili peppers
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 beef flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds
Combine the spices in a small bowl and blend thoroughly. Pat the spice mixture onto the entire surface of the steak. Grill or broil for 4-6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Make a small incision to check the center. The interior should be slightly less done than desired as it will continue to cook off the heat. When cooked to desired doneness, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Note that this steak should not be cooked more than medium. Thinly slide the steak across the grain and serve immediately topped with mango salsa.
For the salsa:
1 small red onion, chopped, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 fresh jalapeno or other small chili pepper, finely chopped
salt and cracked black peppercorns to taste
Mix together the onion and lime juice in a large bowl and set aside. Prepare the remaining ingredients, setting them aside, then add them all together to the onion mixture. Stir together well. Will keep, covered and refrigerated, for one day.
Green Rice
Cook 1 cup Basmati rice according to directions – you can use white or brown rice. When rice is done and resting, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a Dutch oven. Add 1-2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, and sauté 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in and cook over medium high heat a total of 5 cups coarsely chopped greens – arugula, spinach, beet tops, watercress, parsley, etc. Cook until just wilted. Stir the rice into the greens and blend well. We usually make double the recipe!
Pappa Al Pomodoro
January 7, 2012
Margaux says…
Happy birthday, Desi! My son is 3 today, and it reminded me of this soup, which I made for his birthday party last year. This year we’re skipping a meal with the party, but I made the soup this week anyway because it was on my mind, and it is SO GOOD!!! This has got to be at least in my top 5 favorite soups, if not number 1. I saw Ina make it on Barefoot Contessa last fall, and have made it SEVERAL times since. It was in the same “bread” episode that I got this recipe, which is also pretty wonderful. Anyway, back to the soup…for one thing, it has fennel in it, which is fast becoming one of my favorite ingredients. If you haven’t tried fennel yet, you must…it adds so much flavor to things! The other awesome thing about this soup is the topping–you have to make that part, because it’s divine. If you’re making the soup vegetarian, it’s no problem, the topping will be just as good without the pancetta (although you may need to add a smidge of olive oil to make up for the lack of grease).
If you’ve never used fennel before, you chop it like you would an onion. First, you need to remove the stalks completely, then cut the bottom off, and then slice it lengthwise. Remove the outer layer, and cut out the core at the bottom. Then lay one half cut-side down on a chopping board, and slice lengthwise into 1/4″ slices. Then slice again crosswise, in about 1/4″ slices. Super easy.
If you have leftover croutons after the soup’s all been eaten up, they also taste great on salads (including the pancetta)!
Make this vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with water, and eliminating the pancetta. Make it vegan by eliminating the parmesan, which I actually did last time I made it and it was just as delicious! I found that one large loaf of ciabatta will work for both the soup and the topping. I don’t remove all the crusts from the bread that I put in the soup, just the toughest bottom part (I have a hard time wasting all that bread!).
Pappa Al Pomodoro
from Barefoot Contessa
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed
2 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (water for vegetarian)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (eliminate for vegan)
For the topping:
3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes
2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped (eliminate for vegetarian)
24 to 30 whole fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper
Directions
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the topping, place the ciabatta cubes, pancetta, and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, which is perfectly fine.
Reheat the soup, if necessary, beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil.
Chicken Pot Pie
October 27, 2011
Margaux says…
After 15 years in Chicago, I’ve come to really dread winter. I think it was last winter that did me in, and they say that this winter is going to be even worse. I used to love winter! The biggest problem is having to bundle up a toddler in a million layers, and buckle all those layers into a car seat, etc, etc, etc. Bah humbug, right? Plus, towards the end, I really start to get those end-of-winter blues, and it doesn’t help that the winters seem to keep getting longer in this town.
The up-side to this sad problem of mine is that I cook A LOT in the winter. Winter seemed to officially kick-off here last week (60 mile-an-hour winds, temps in the 40s, and rain for 3 days straight), and the serious cooking started: I made beef stroganoff, this amazing turkey stew that I’ve made several times in past winters, brown sugar cookies, Granny’s apple cake (which I promise I will post soon…apples never tasted so good), applesauce, chicken stock (of course!), roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy….and I topped off the week with these chicken pot pies. I think I gained 10 pounds, (and I kind of felt like Paula Deen with all the butter I used) but the cooking and baking frenzy kept my spirits up! Luckily we eat a lot of salads to counter-balance all the fat. Of course, also like typical Chicago, after 4 days of really crappy weather, it was beautiful again for several days…totally teasing me!
These pot pies are nothing like the gross frozen ones of our childhoods (at least my childhood-I had a mother who didn’t like to cook). Last month’s Martha Stewart has the most beautiful pot pie on the cover, and several more inside, and I decided that this will be the winter of pot pies in our house, starting with this classic. My husband is totally on board…while eating these he said he wished I made pot pies more often. Wish granted!
For the chicken, the recipe called for 2 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes. Instead, I made a pot of chicken stock the day before with a whole chicken, and just used the cooked chicken in the recipe, cut into the cubes. It ends up being about the same amount of chicken (maybe a little less, but it still turned out great). And then you have chicken broth on hand for other recipes!
For the pie crust, I found I needed more than a half-recipe of pie dough, so I used the remainder of the dough to make a couple apple hand-pies for our dessert since I happened to have apples on hand. The unfortunate part about pie dough is that you can’t re-roll out the extra after cutting out the crusts because it will get really tough. So make sure you’re being very conservative when cutting out the pie circles so that you waste very little dough. Also, I didn’t make an all-butter crust for this recipe because I thought it would be too rich (can you believe I just said that??), and instead did one stick of butter and 1/2 cup of Crisco.
Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie
makes eight 4-inch potpies, serves 8
make ahead: you can refrigerate the filling for up to 3 days in an airtight container
for the filling:
1 1/2 oz. bacon, finely chopped (about 2-3 strips)
1 tbsp EV olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 1/4 lbs. chicken, cubed
3 tbsp heavy cream
for the topping:
1 recipe pie dough (but using 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Crisco in place of the 1 cup of butter and 1/4 cup Crisco, and omitting sugar)
1 large egg, for egg wash (which I forgot to do, and it turned out just fine)
1. Make the filling: Cook bacon in a large skillet over low heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate using a slotted spoon. Raise heat to medium, and add oil. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in flour.
2. Add stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cream. Simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes (if using cooked chicken, there’s no need to cook 5 minutes). Return bacon to saucepan. Let cool.
3. Divide filling among 8 4-inch (12 oz.) ramekins.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the topping: Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 8 circles that are 1 inch wider than the ramekins. Top ramekins with dough, and crimp edges with a fork to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.
5. Bake until toppings are golden and fillings are bubbling, about 40 minutes.
I can’t let good pie dough go to waste, so I made a couple apple hand pies with it (luckily I had apples on hand).
Peel, core and slice a good baking apple, like Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Macintosh or Granny Smith. Place apples on one side of the pie dough, leaving about an inch or so on the edge for crimping. Cover apples with about 2 tablespoons of sugar, and about 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Dot with about a tablespoon of butter, cut into small pieces. Fold dough over the apples and crimp the edges (it should be pretty full and packed in there…the apples will shrink when baked). Sprinkle sugar on top, and cut a few small holes in it. Bake for about 30 minutes or so…keep a close eye on it because baking time will vary based on the size of your pies. Take out and cool completely before eating!
Granny T’s Macaroni and Cheese
May 23, 2011
Margaux says…
This is the ultimate mac n’ cheese recipe for everyone in my family. Well, at least for me and my siblings…I suppose I shouldn’t speak for everyone, and I know my dad is really fond of his stove top recipe that he has perfected over the years. But for me, nothing else compares, and I know many of my family members will agree. It’s the quintessential comfort food, and always reminds me of my childhood when I make it. Not only that, but it’s easy, cheap, quick, and is a crowd-pleaser no matter who the crowd is!
This macaroni and cheese recipe is a baked version, so it gets all crispy and cheesy on top. You can serve it as a side dish with a roast or something for a Sunday dinner, or as the main course on a weeknight. Double the recipe for a crowd and bake in a 9×13″ dish…this recipe serves 4-5 people. I always serve it with a salad and a vegetable…usually frozen peas! That makes it really feel like home. I usually use sharp cheddar, but this time I used a mix of colby and monterey jack, and it was really good. Granny always used medium cheddar.
Aunt Suzy says . . .
I love this recipe for mac ‘n cheese! Even though it’s quite familiar to our family, I’ve never known anyone else who makes it this way. I have experimented with other approaches over the years – primarily substituting a white sauce for the butter/milk before baking – but I keep coming back to what I grew up with! Back when I was at home and Granny was my Mom, we had this as a main dish with canned green beans (!). But when Margaux and her siblings were growing up, Granny/Mom would serve it with meatloaf (plus a salad and vegetable). For some reason, the marriage of the meatloaf and the mac ‘n cheese is perfect to me. This makes me think we need to make and post Granny’s meatloaf recipe!
Granny’s Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups macaroni
1 cup (or so) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp salted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have an 8″x8″ glass baking dish ready.
Bring medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Boil macaroni for 5 minutes, drain.
Pour drained macaroni (still hot) into baking dish. Stir butter and salt in until butter is melted completely. Stir in half the cheese. Pour milk over the mixture. Top with rest of cheese (I usually use a little more than a half a cup). Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top is starting to brown and is crispy.
Moroccan Chicken and Carrots with Sparkle Rice
July 19, 2010
Margaux says
This dish is a staple in our household. The chicken is perfect: juicy, flavorful and perfectly cooked every time. The carrots are super delicious…my husband, who doesn’t like cooked carrots, even loves them. It’s also very easy to make, and can be a relatively quick weeknight meal. You need to have the preserved lemons in order to make this (I made it without them once and the chicken wasn’t nearly as good!). If Meyer lemons aren’t available (and they’re not right now…they’re only in season from February-April), you can use regular lemons. And you can buy preserved lemons in some stores, like Whole Foods, but they’re not NEARLY as good as homemade.
Aunt Suzy says
I also love this recipe and Margaux is reminding me that we have not made this in a long, long time! I just noticed carrots available for the first time at the farmer’s market last weekend, so I have a hunch this will be on our menu soon. The original recipe for this did not call for preserved lemon, instead calling for thin slices of lemon placed over the chicken. I’ve made it both ways and like it with the preserved lemon better – but then I love preserved lemon!! Sparkle Rice seems to be a perfect match for this dish, but I’ve been thinking of experimenting with Isreali Couscous lately as a side dish. The original recipe suggested an off-dry riesling or a rose – either is perfect!
MOROCCAN-STYLE CHICKEN WITH SPICED CARROTS
Serves 4
The Carrots
6-8 large carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Peel the carrots. Using a study vegetable peeler, cut carrots into lengthwise ribbons.
Toast the cumin seeds lightly and then crush in a mortar and pestle. Toast the coriander seeds. (I toast them together and crush both.) Toss the carrots with all remaining ingredients and place in a 9×13 baking dish. Bake at 500 degrees in the upper third of the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes – stir after 4 minutes.
The Chicken and Finishing
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs OR 4 boneless, skinless breast halves (we always use breasts)
1/8” wide strips of preserved lemon (or thin slices of whole lemon, cut cross-wise)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (we always use more, but then we’re cilantro lovers!)
Brush the chicken lightly with olive oil and place on top of the carrots after they have baked per above. Place the strips of preserved lemon or fresh lemon slices on top of the chicken. Put back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes more (depending on thickness of the breasts), until the juices run clear. Don’t overcook. Place chicken on a platter. Toss the carrots with the cilantro and place beside the chicken on the platter.
Sparkle Rice
Sauté in a little vegetable oil until soft – 2-4 garlic cloves, minced; 1-2 tablespoons chopped ginger; 1 medium onion, diced; 2 carrots, diced.
Add 2 cups white basmati rice and sauté till translucent. Add a little less than 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and 5 whole cloves and a 2-inch piece of cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer till the broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Let sit for a few minutes, then remove the cloves and cinnamon and stir to blend. Add some golden raisins if you wish.
Sweet & Savory Kitchens 