Remember the song I’d Do Anything from the musical Oliver? Well while making this recipe I realized that I would obviously do anything for Jamie Oliver, even cook with *gasp* anchovies. If Jamie and I were doing this little duet on a stage in the West End somewhere it might have gone something like this:

[Erin (sung)]
I’ll do anything
For you Jamie anything
For you mean everything to me.

I know that
I’ll cook anything
For your cheeky smile, anything –
For your cheeky smile, ev’rywhere –
I’d see.

[Jamie]
Would you make that cannelloni I banged out on my show the other day?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Chop up broccoli and cauliflower and cook it till it’s mush?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Turn CK’s mouth into a four alarm fire with too many chiles?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Even cook with anchovies?

[Erin]
What? Fish?!
*crickets* I’ll have to think about that…um.  Ok?!
I’d cook anything
For one kiss — everything
Yes, I’d do anything…

[Jamie]
Wow!  Even Fish?! What a brilliant girl!

[Erin]
Anything for you!!

Incredible Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Cannelloni
Originally included in the cookbook Jamie at Home scheduled to be published on September 16, 2008

Sea salt
1 pound broccoli, washed, florets and stalks chopped
1 pound romanesco or white cauliflower, washed, florets and stalks chopped
Olive oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 (1-ounce) can best-quality anchovies in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved
2 to 3 small dried chiles, crumbled (Note: I used 4 because Jamie used 4 on the episode.  It was seriously spicy, which I was OK with, but you should probably stick to 2 or 3).
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good-quality tomato sauce
Good-quality red wine vinegar
2 cups creme fraiche
7 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
16 cannelloni tubes
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
7 ounces good-quality mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 large handfuls arugula leaves, washed and dried
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in the chopped broccoli and cauliflower. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked, then drain in a colander, reserving the cooking water.Heat a wide saucepan, pour in a couple of good glugs of olive oil and add the garlic. Fry for a few seconds, then add the thyme leaves, anchovies, anchovy oil and chiles and continue frying for a few seconds more before adding the cooked broccoli and cauliflower with around 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir everything together, put a lid on the pan leaving a little gap, and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly - overcooking the vegetables not only intensies their flavor but gives you the texture that you need for this recipe. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to let the moisture evaporate, then use a potato masher to crush the vegetables. Take the saucepan off the heat, taste the vegetables and season carefully with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet to cool. Meanwhile, get yourself another baking dish or roasting pan (the right size for fitting the cannelloni tubes snugly side by side - I test this by actually laying the tubes into the dish, then remove them and put to 1 side) and pour in the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and a swig of red wine vinegar.

Now, to make a really quick and easy white sauce, mix the creme fraiche with half the Parmesan, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a little of the reserved cooking water to thin it down.

Spoon your cooled broccoli and cauliflower mixture into a large sandwich bag and cut off the corner. Twist the top of the bag and squeeze it to pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. (If you prefer, use a teaspoon to push the mixture into the cannelloni or use a piping bag.) Fill the tubes up - don’t be stingy! - and place them in a single layer on top of the sauce. Lay the basil leaves over the cannelloni and spoon your white sauce evenly over the top. Season with black pepper, sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and tear over the mozzarella. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling on top.

Dress the arugula leaves with a squeeze of lemon juice and about 3 times as much extra- virgin olive oil. Serve the cannelloni with the arugula and some good crusty bread.

When I lived in Portland all by my little old self after college I used to make this very soup in a hand me down pot that I acquired from my mom. Speaking of the old neighborhood, some crazy fool tried to burn it down last week. I’m trying to comfort myself with the fact that my building was at least made out of brick so perhaps he was discouraged in his malicious endeavors by that fact, because as far as I know it’s still standing.

But back to soup. I love this soup! When I first made it I felt like the Queen of the Kitchen. The company I worked for had these Panera Bake sales all of the time so I’d purchase a loaf of slightly stale onion focaccia, heat it up in my rinky dink oven, and happily dip hastily torn pieces into my steaming hot bowl of veggie and cheddar goodness. Then, I’d curl up on my cold cream leather couch (also “borrowed” from my mother) pop in some netflixed Gilmore Girls episodes and suddenly life seemed pretty good for living paycheck to paycheck and charging my blonde highlights, and mental health trips to the mall on my “emergency” Visa.

Vegetable Cheddar Soup (Based on the recipe originally published in Betty Crocker’s Easy Entertaining)

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
4 carrots sliced
4 celery stalks sliced
3 cups of broccoli florets
1/2 cup flour
10 ounces of sharp white cheddar grated
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups light cream
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Seeduction Croutons - optional. See below for how I made them.

Heat butter in large dutch oven over medium heat until melted. Cook carrot, onion, celery, and broccoli in butter until softened. Stir flour into the vegetable and butter mixture. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and cream. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils; boil 1 minute. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Top with homemade “Seeduction” croutons and serve.

Seeduction Croutons

4 small slices of Whole Foods Seeduction bread
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the bread into bite sized squares.
Toss with olive olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Bake until toasted and browned.

When Chris and I spent a year living in “the burbs” recently one of my favorite places to eat definitely wasn’t fancy, far from it in fact. I really liked to drive over to EO Noodle on Route 9 in Framingham and stuff my face with a huge plate of Beef and Broccoli. Tender beef, crisp broccoli, perfectly steamed rice — who needs decor when your belly is full and the end of meal fortune cookie tells you that “your biggest dream will come true” … in bed (of course).

So I decided to attempt to recreate one of my favorite guilty pleasure meals at home. Like most Cooks Illustrated recipes it was more of a marathon than a sprint. I banged around in the kitchen for quite a while before I finally served up two dishes of food and promptly collapsed on the couch. It tasted good, but not EO Noodle “good.” On the upside I did get to use the super cute Chopsticks for Kids that Chris bought me last Christmas.

Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce for Two (Reprinted with permission. Originally published in the April 12, 2007 edition of Cooks Illustrated)

1/2 pound flank steak, cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
2/3 pound broccoli, florets cut into bite-size pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut on diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons water
1/2 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 medium scallions, sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal
Note: I also cooked white rice to serve with the dish

Combine beef and soy sauce in medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, whisk sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil in small bowl.

Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Add beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer beef to medium bowl.

Add 2 teaspoons peanut oil to now-empty skillet; heat until just smoking. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil to skillet; increase heat to high and heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add garlic and ginger to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into peppers. Return beef and broccoli to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to the online version of Cooks Illustrated. The complete recipe for Beef and Broccoli is available only to paid users of the site and includes step-by-step illustrations and countless additional helpful tips.