All about broth

(ARA) - Cooler weather, warm coats and the approaching holidays - it's the season when heartier, warmth-building fare arrives on American dinner tables. And heartier fare cries out for the rich flavorful versatility of broth!

Whether you're looking to enhance your holiday fare or simply seeking hearty cuisine to carry your family through the winter months, broth can be your best friend in the kitchen.

"Weeknight family meal or a weekend soiree, the secret to an easy, fantastic meal isn't in the sauce, it's in the pantry - and it's broth," says Chef Michael Chiarello, the culinary genius behind Bottega restaurant in the Napa Valley and an Emmy-winning TV chef who appears on Food Network and Bravo.

Chiarello has teamed with Progresso to create a series of videos on how to use broth to enhance your cooking. "I am a big advocate for using broth to ramp up the flavor and depth of your dishes, but it can't be just any broth. It has to have great flavor," says Chiarello. "Progresso is my choice for rich flavor - the kind of flavor that will take any dish from average to amazing."

Here are some of Chef Chiarello's top tips for how you can use broth to turn ordinary dishes into extraordinary ones:

1. Just baste it.

Who hasn't watched the turkey slowly dry out while waiting for enough natural jus to collect in the bottom of the pan for a reasonable run at basting? Don't wait for the juices to cook out of the meat, begin basting right away with broth. "It's impossible to over-baste," Chiarello says. "Baste chicken, turkey, pork or beef with broth as it roasts and your main dish will come out juicy and delicious every time."

2. New life for leftovers

Refrigerators can steal moisture from the most succulent meal. Before you reheat last night's pasta or casserole, drizzle a little broth over it to rehydrate and add flavor.

3. When you're out of wine

If a pan sauce calls for wine and your pantry happens to be "dry" that day - or you prefer to cook without it - you can easily replace wine with broth. It's the perfect substitute, imparting rich flavor without the cost of wine.

4. Stuffing that won't stop

Stuffing can be just so-so. Using broth to moisten the bread crumbs pushes your stuffing over the edge when you're making your favorite stuffing recipe.

5. Mashed potatoes to the max

Replace milk and butter with broth to boost the flavor of your mashed potatoes - and reduce the calorie count. Cook potatoes in broth, save the broth when you strain the potatoes and add it back in when mashing until you achieve the perfect consistency.

6. Perfect pasta

Cook pasta risotto in chicken broth for a delectable treat. The broth has all the benefits of water as a cooking medium, plus it adds the great flavor of chicken broth to your pasta.

Broth adds flavor and depth to any recipe so it's a great base for soups. Here are two of Chef Chiarello's favorite recipes that rely on broth:

Very green broccoli soup

Prep time: 50 minutes
Start to finish: 50 minutes

Soup ingredients

1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
Gray salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
5 cups Progresso chicken broth (from two 32-ounce cartons)
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
1 cup whipping cream or buttermilk (if using buttermilk, use 1 teaspoon lemon peel)
Freshly ground pepper

Gremolata ingredients

1/4 cup Progresso panko crispy bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Cut broccoli florets from stems. Peel tough outer skin from stems; trim off fibrous ends. Cut stems into 1/2-inch pieces.

In four-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Stir in onion and celery; season with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together gremolata ingredients; set aside.
Stir thyme, broccoli stems and broth into soup. Heat to boiling. Cook uncovered over medium heat about three minutes. Stir in broccoli florets; cook about seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is very tender. Stir in spinach and lemon peel (spinach will wilt).

In blender, cover and puree soup in small batches. (At this point, soup can be covered and refrigerated up to one day or frozen up to one month.) Return soup to Dutch oven; reheat over medium-low heat. Stir in cream; season to taste with additional salt and the pepper.

Ladle soup into warm individual soup bowls. Sprinkle one tablespoon gremolata onto each serving. Pass remaining gremolata at table.

Serves eight.

Spinach Arancini
Prep time: Ninety minutes
Start to finish: Three hours

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups Progresso reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton), heated
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 24 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Progresso Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In three-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook about one minute, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook and stir five minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in rice and wine; cook five to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed. Add one cup broth; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broth is absorbed. Add remaining one cup broth; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until broth is absorbed.

Season with pepper. Stir in spinach, butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Spread onto cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 90 minutes or until firm. (Mixture can be refrigerated overnight.) On cookie sheet, shape rice mixture into 12-by-8 inch rectangle. Cut into six rows by four rows to make 24 squares. Place one mozzarella cheese cube in center of each square; shape rice around cheese cubes to make balls.

Place flour and bread crumbs in separate bowls. In another bowl, beat egg and water until blended. Coat each ball with flour, then dip into egg mixture and coat with bread crumbs. Place coated balls on unlined cookie sheet; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Line platter or shallow pan with paper towels. In four-quart Dutch oven, heat about two inches of vegetable oil to 350 F. Fry eight balls at a time three to four minutes, turning once, until golden brown. With slotted spoon, remove balls from Dutch oven to towel-lined platter to drain. Serve hot.

For more great broth recipes, a copy of a new recipe book, tips and videos, visit www.ProgressoBroth.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Feel-good Foods to Battle the Winter Blues

(ARA) - It’s that time of year again when temperatures hit single digits, clothing gets heavier and it can be difficult to resist the urge to curl up all day under a warm and comfy blanket with an engaging book.

When the sun starts setting earlier, many people also look forward to enjoying traditional delicious winter comfort foods that evoke warmth and nostalgia. Nothing is cozier and more heart-warming than a flavorful meal of chicken pot pie, a savory casserole, a steamy stir-fry or a piping hot bowl of soup to melt a cold winter day away.

You don’t have to lock yourself away in the kitchen all day either to prepare your family’s favorite dishes. Look no further than your own kitchen cupboard for simple solutions to creating hearty and economical meals that will beat the winter blues. Here are a few easy tips to warm your soul and get you through the chilly season:

Yesterday’s Leftovers Made a Little Richer

Often, you open the fridge and face a daunting stack of containers full of leftovers. But last week’s meals can be perfect for turning into a simple chicken pot pie, a hearty stew or a quick casserole. Suddenly, those leftovers are transformed into five more appetizing weeknight dinners.

An easy tip for making leftovers more rich and flavorful when combined in one dish is to add a ready-made broth or stock to guarantee moisture that may have been lost. For example, College Inn chicken broth enhances the flavor of leftover poultry in recipes. Some great dishes include One-Pot Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli, Santa Fe Chipotle Beef Stew and Tortilla Soup, all of which can be found at www.collegeinn.com/everydayexcitement.

"Nothing makes a dish more moist and delicious than the addition of a simple broth, and with new, exotic flavors, such as College Inn’s new line of Culinary Broths in Thai Coconut Curry or White Wine and Herb varieties, you can surprise your family with rich, new tastes," says Laura Molseed Ali, Del Monte’s resident dietitian. "Adding broth to a favorite dish or stew will give your meals a lighter flavor than what you’d get with a heavy cream or butter."

Simple Snacks and Mood Foods
You can also beat the doldrums with mood-enhancing snack choices. People typically reach for a bar of chocolate or caffeinated beverage for a quick energy boost, but both can cause short-term increases in energy followed by crashes. Try to avoid caffeine and alcohol in high doses as both contribute to irritability and depression.

Instead, try simple mood-boosting snacks like trail mix or a fruit cup which are healthier for you than sugary snacks and easy to take on-the-go. If you are absolutely in need of a chocolate or sugar fix and don’t want to overindulge, drizzle a small amount of fat-free chocolate syrup over a whole wheat English muffin for a smarter mid-afternoon snack. Or pack your favorite instant hot cocoa packets in your lunch bag.

Drinks to Warm You on the Inside
It has been proven that hot drinks can actually make you feel less irritable during the winter season. A recent study at Yale University shows that holding a warm drink 'warms' your personality. A simple solution to reduce cold weather irritability is to sip hot cocoa, savor a cup of flavorful broth, or relish a warm apple cider to brighten a bad mood. You’ll instantly feel a little better during a cold hectic day.

Maintaining a warm, healthy body with the right foods and beverages will no doubt help you to keep a glowing personality this winter season.

For more helpful ideas and recipes this winter, visit www.collegeinn.com/everydayexcitement.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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