I know…everyone in the cooking world has made this except for me. But in my defense, as I originally stated, I’m just learning how to cook so when I have another grey, wet day to consider, I think soup.
I bought Sandy a certain cookbook before I began cooking. Maybe it was the equivalent of buying her a washing machine for her birthday, but I gifted her with the cookbook “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook”.
Well…I used it today. And it worked beautifully.
So here we go.
I used Jarlsberg instead of Gruyere and I did splash in some red wine and I only cooked the onions for 8 hours before adding the liquids. Everything else is the same.

Cooker: Medium round or oval (I used an oval)

6 large yellow onions
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 10.5 oz. can beef broth
2 Tbsp. Marsala or red wine (optional)
4-6 1 inch thick slices French bread
8 oz. Gruyere cheese, cut into thin slices

1. Peel and thinly slice the onions by hand or in a food processor. (I cut mine with the mandolin on medium) Put in the slow cooker and toss with the olive oil. Cover and cook for 9-10 hours on HIGH.
2. Add both the broths and Marsala or wine, if using; add no water or salt. Cover and continue to cook on HIGH until hot. 15-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil or leave plain. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Ladle the soup into the individual ovenproof soup bowls and place on a baking sheet to prevent the bowls from tipping over. Top each bowl full of soup with a toasted bread slice and cover with a slice of Gruyere (or Jarlsberg). Adjust the oven rack to comfortably fit the bowls under the broiler with at least 4 inches to spare. Turn on the broiler and slide the soups under the flame; broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

From La Cucina Italiana magazine
45 minutes

12 dried figs
1 cup dry white wine
3 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 62% cacao), finely chopped
generous pinch fine sea salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/4 cup roughly chopped shelled unsalted pistachios
flakey coarse sea salt for topping
*will need a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip or a resealable plastic bag

In a medium saucepan, combine figs and wine. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until figs are tender and liquid is mostly evaporated, 18 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine chocolate and fine sea salt in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Pour hot cream over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cover surface of ganache with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
Strain poached figs through a fine-mesh sieve; discard wine. Transfer figs to a plate and let cool completely, about 15 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Place figs, seed-side up, on a large plate, gently press to flatten slightly.
Transfer ganache to plastic bag, squeezing it into 1 corner of bag, then cut off 1/3 inch of plastic bag corner to allow for piping. Pipe ganache onto figs.
Sprinkle nuts and flakey coarse sea salt over ganache. Chill figs in refrigerator to set ganache, 10 minutes or overnight. (if chilling longer than 30 minutes, allow figs to stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.)

…you inspired me to do something with our brussel sprouts, just cut down, that surprisingly survived hurricane Sandy, frosts and numerous rain storms.
I love your new cookbook!

To convert this recipe to vegetarian or vegan replace chicken broth with vegetable broth and instead of the sausage, add some garlic, fennel and olive oil into the mix.

1 1Lb. bag of dry navy beans
4 cups chicken broth
5 cups water (it will boil down about 1 cup)
3 bay leaves
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped into coins
1 Lb. sweet Italian sausage with fennel, cases removed and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak navy beans overnight. Rinse and put in large pot
2. Brown the sausage in a saute pan, do not throw out the rendered oil
3. Put all ingredients in the large pot (including the rendered sausage oil) and bring to a boil. Then simmer until all beans and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. (add extra water if needed)
4. Remove basil leaves and serve

Wine served: 2010 Beringer, Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Adapted from The Silver Spoon Cookbook
serves 6

Make any basic pasta to serve 6

Filling

1 11 ounce bag of baby spinach
1/4 Lb. pancetta, minced
2 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook spinach, drain well and chop
2. Cook pancetta, blot and let cool
3. Blend the ricotta cheese and spinach in a bowl
4. Stir in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, pancetta, salt and pepper. Stir all ingredients until smooth
5. Roll out pasta, place mounds of mixture (about 1/2 Tsp.) at regular intervals, fold over, press edges to seal and cut out ravioli with ravioli/pastry wheel
6. Cook in a large pan of salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes
7. With a large slotted spoon, remove cooked ravioli from pan and place on platter, cover with homemade marinara sauce and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil

UPDATE: There was a good amount of ricotta filling left over so a couple of days later I put it in an omelet for two and it was fantastic!

When I lived in New York City, years ago, I did not cook. But I knew where to eat.
At least every other week I would jump on my Harley and drive from my apartment in the East Village up to a Spanish diner on the upper west side. I always ordered the same thing: a Cubano sandwich, pressed thin with pork and cheese and a cup of regular coffee, made with steamed milk. So, today, I have a modified version of that sandwich.
Buy a nice loaf of soft crusted Italian bread. Cut some slices on the diagonal and fill them with roasted pork loin, provolone, roasted red peppers, sliced sweet gherkins, arugula and mustard. Brush olive oil on the outside of the bread and slip it into the panini press.
Someone check to see if the espresso is done…..
Buena comida, buena vida!