Split Pea Soup

I'll admit, it took a long time after the Exorcist to eat Split Pea Soup again.  And I saw that movie when I was in elementary school.  But I probably avoided the soup until I was cooking for myself.  But the flavor is so wonderful and satisfying that I had to overcome my fear and try it again.  I've since come to absolutely love this soup and make it once a year during the winter months when I feel like a bowl of cozy.

Being that we had ham for Christmas I decided that now was the time for this soup.  Generally the soup is flavored with a smoked ham hock on the bone, but I wanted to make sure to use up the leftovers.  I also had some luscious Rye bread that I made over the course of 5 days, nursing the chef and then the starter to produce the most moist rye I've ever tasted.  But that's another blog.

We start our soup with the chopping:

• 3 slices bacon, diced (or 2 T Olive Oil)
• 1 onion, chopped (or large Leek with dark green removed)
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• Salt and Pepper

In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove the bacon and set aside leaving the rendered fat in the pot.  Add the vegetables and cook until softened (approx. 8 - 10 minutes).

Step 2:

• 1 lb Split Peas, picked over for stones and rinsed
• 1 lb red potatoes, chopped
• 4 or 5 qt Chicken Broth/Stock
• Ham (leftover, no idea how much there was)
• Sachet: Thyme, Bay Leaf, Garlic, Peppercorns
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Once the veggies from the previous step are soft, add in the ingredients above and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until peas and potatoes yield to slight pressure.  Remove the sachet and discard contents.  Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, smash the soup until thick and desired consistency is reached.  Some recipes suggest straining the soup and adding back int he desired amount of broth, but I find that step to be unnecessary.  I like a thick soup, but one that still feels like soup and not a spread.  Add back in the bacon and enjoy!

To make this vegetarian, omit the ham and bacon.  Use olive oil and vegetable broth.  You won't have the smokey flavor of the meat, but the soup will still have loads of flavor from the mirepoix and the sachet.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving is always such a challenge when it comes to cooking.  For those of us without a celebrity chef kitchen, we have only so many options at our disposal to cook the meal and often those are often in direct competition.  We must consider the timing of events that will allow us to place a hot meal in front of our family and guests without one piece of it failing to impress our hungry audience.  Many people set themselves up for a whole afternoon/evening of gorging themselves, so it is especially important the meal be hot and tasty and all finished at the same time!

I found this recipe in the October/November 2010 issue of Cook's Country magazine.  I was attracted to the use of the slow cooker as there was nothing else we needed to use it for.  That would free up space in the oven or stove top for other goodness.  As well, we could ensure the casserole be kept warm and ready for the big meal!  There were even directions to prepare everything in advance for a more relaxing and enjoyable cooking experience.

Casserole:

• 1 C French's French Fried Onions
• 3 T Unsalted Butter
• 10 oz Cremini Mushrooms, cut into 1/4" slices
• Salt & Pepper
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 t dried Thyme
• 1/4 C All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 C Chicken Broth
• 1 1/4 C Heavy Cream
• 2 lb Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• Fresh is a must.  Frozen becomes mush.

Topping:

• 2 slices hearty sandwich bread (or equivalent)
• 2 T unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 C French's French Fried Onions

Step 1:

Pulse the fried onions in food processor until finely ground.  This will be used to flavor and thicken the sauce.  Melt the 3 T butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute the mushrooms, 3/4 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, (approx. 5 minutes).

Increase heat to medium high and cook until liquid has evaporated. (approx. 5 minutes)

Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragarent, (approx. 30 seconds)

Add flour and ground onions and cook until golden. (approx. 1 minute)

Stir in broth and cream and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer stirring occasionally until sauce is very thick and creamy. (approx 10 minutes)

Step 2:

Combine the sauce and green beans in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low until beans are tender.  (approx 5 to 6 hours)

Step 3:

Pulse the bread and 2 T butter in food processor until coarsely ground.  Toast bread crumbs and onions in clean skillet over medium high heat until golden brown (approx 3 - 5 minutes).  Top green beans with crumb mixture.  Serve.

Make Ahead Directions:

Sauce and topping can be refrigerated in separate airtight containers for two days.  To finish, microwave sauce, covered, for 1 minute before proceeding with Step 2.  Crisp bread crumb mixture in skillet before topping beans.

Enjoy!

Lemony Eggs Florentine

This recipe comes from William Sonoma Comfort Food cookbook which is arguably Tim's favorite book.  What I like about this recipe is the slight twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict with the use of Bacon and the addition of Spinach.  As well, they amped the flavor of the Hollandaise with the brightness of lemon. 

We like to serve this to our overnight guests.  Although there are a few steps in the process, the final presentation is so delicious that every moment to create is worth it.

This recipe was the first time I tried my hand at poaching.  I've seen several gadgets that employ the microwave, but I found the traditional method so fun!  I like looking for recipes that give me a chance to try new ingredients and techniques.

Ingredients listed are for 4 servings

Hollandaise:

• 4 Egg Yolks
• Save the whites for another purpose
• 1 T Fresh Lemon Juice
• I used bottled as I didn't keep fresh lemons on hand
• But now I do
• 1 T water
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/8 t Pepper
• 1 C Butter
• I didn't say this was healthy!

Combine in a blender the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, salt & pepper.  In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Start your blender and slowly drizzle in the melted butter to form an emulsion with the yolk mixture.  Process until the sauce is thick and smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.  If the sauce is too thick, adjust with more water to thin.  Transfer sauce to thermal carafe.

Florentine:

• 1 1/4 lb Spinach
• Stemmed, unless using baby spinach
• rinsed, but not dried
• Coarsely chopped
• 1 T Unsalted Butter
• 2 Shallots, finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the shallots and cook stirring occasionally until tender (approx. 2 minutes).  Stir in the spinach, cover and cook until tender (approx. 3 minutes).  Season to taste.  If there is excess liquid, drain.

Meat:

• 8 thick cut slices of Bacon
• We used pepper crusted bacon, but thick cut is key
• Or, use lump crab meat
• traditional would be Canadian Bacon

Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels.

Muffins:

• 4 English Muffins, split with a fork
• We used a multi-grain variety

Toast in a preheated broiler, cut sides facing the heating element.  (Approx. 1 minute)

Eggs:

• 8 eggs
• 2 T distilled white vinegar

In a wide saucepan, combine 8 C water and the vinegar and bring to a boil.  Drop heat until the water is simmering.

Fill a bowl halfway with hot tap water and keep near stove.  This will be used to keep the poached eggs warm for about 10 minutes until serving.

Crack an egg into a small bowl or ramekin.  Slip the egg from the bowl into the simmering water.  Using a large metal spoon, quickly spoon the egg white back toward the center of the egg.  Simmer gently until the egg white is opaque and the egg is just firm enough to hold shape.  You want the yolk to remain a bit runny.  (Approx 3 to 4 minutes)

Using a large slotted spoon, lift the egg and place in the warm tap water. 

Repeat until all eggs are cooked.  I recommend doing one egg at a time until you are comfortable with this technique.

Assembly:

One half English muffin, topped with spinach and 1 slice of bacon folded in half. 

Remove the egg from the water, but blot bottom of slotted spoon on towel to eliminate excess water.  Place on top of bacon and spoon hollandaise on top. 

Season with freshly cracked pepper and serve.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cheese Bread

I am a big fan of cheese bread, but there has never been one that compares to my mother's recipe.  This bread is very heavy so we reserve it for holidays or special occasions.  But the texture and massive pockets or cheese are out of this world.  I'm making this for Thanksgiving this year and I am very thankful for my mother who created this out of thin air.

As usual, the amounts are approximate.  You are looking for a resulting batter that is very sticky and yet pourable, similar to a brownie batter.  We use a bundt pan to bake this bread.  But be careful with the bundt you use as they seem to be smaller than traditional bundts of the past.  I have the Nordicware 60th anniversary 15-cup model which has more than enough capacity.  Some bundts can be as small as 9 cups which will cause some over flowing in the oven.

Due to the density, we are using the equivalent of 2 packets of yeast.  However, this comes together similar to a quick bread in that there is no time devoted to rising.  All of the rising/overflowing will occur in the oven.  Due to this, there is limited development of gluten.  So the bread comes out soft with a medium crumb and a texture that will have you wanting a big piece for seconds.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Swiss, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 lb Cheddar, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 C Parmesan, grated
• 4 1/2 C All Purpose Flour
• 4 T Granulated Sugar
• 2 t Salt
• 2 scant T Yeast, (2 packages)
• 1 C Warm Water (between 90 and 100 degrees F)
• 1 C Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 6 Eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Proof the yeast in one cup water with the sugar.  The water should not feel cold or hot to the touch.  Too cold and the proof will take a long time.  Too hot and you might kill the yeast.  Essentially you are looking for body temperature, so it will feel neutral to you.  Proofed yeast will look like a murky beer with a nice head of foam.

Combine the flour, salt, and grated Parmesan.  Add in the eggs and yeast and stir to combine.  Fold in the cubes of cheese and stir to distribute.

Spray or butter the bundt pan for easy release.  Bake on top of a cookie sheet or sheet pan to catch any overflow... just in case.  If there is any overflow, it makes for a lovely appetizer.  Approximately 40 minutes.

Bake until golden brown on top.  Allow to cool slightly in the pan before turning out.  But serve warm.

Lo Mein

Once again, this recipe comes (only slightly modified) from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  The original recipe called for Pork and certain vegetables that I didn't have on hand so I improvised.  Primarily I was interested in tasting the seasoning and the rest is always flexible.

If you are OK with Fish, then this recipe is easily adapted for a flexible vegetarian meal without an animal for the protein. 

This recipe is cooked over high heat so it comes together quickly.  The bulk of the time is in prepping the ingredients, which should happen before your pan goes over the heat.  Since you will be cooking over high heat, use either a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan (the biggest/widest you've got) or a heavy cast iron Dutch/French oven.

Try to shove in as many vegetables as you can.  This is a great recipe to use up any straggling veggies in your crisper.  When you cook, just put in the heartier veggies first to cook longer before the cabbage, or any of the veggies with a higher water content.

The Sauce:

• 4 1/2 T Soy Sauce (or Tamari)
• 3 T Oyster Sauce
• 3 T Hoisin Sauce
• 1 1/2 T Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1/4 t Five-spice Powder (I totally love this stuff!)
• 3/4 C Chicken (or Vegetable) Broth
• 1 1/2 t Cornstarch (or Kudzu)

In a small bowl, mix together the first five ingredients (Soy, Oyster, Hoisin, Toasted Sesame Oil, 5-Spice Powder).  If you are using a protein such as Chicken, Pork, Beef, Shrimp, Tofu, etc., take 1/4 C of this mixture and marinate the protein for 30 min in the fridge.

Add to the remaining mixture the Broth and Cornstarch.

I didn't measure the ingredients and tend to like a bit more sauce so I likely made about 50% more than what was called for.  You'll want to bump up these amounts if you will be serving this over rice instead of with the noodles as the rice will absorb significantly more.

The Noodles:

• 1 lb of your favorite noodle
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti
• Rice Noodles
• Udon
• Buckwheat Soba
• Large Stock Pot 3/4 filled with water
• 1 T Salt (to season the pasta as it cooks)

Bring water to a boil, add salt and pasta and cook according to manufacturers directions.  Stir occasionally to prevent clumping.  Drain and leave in colander.  If using Rice noodles, drizzle the barest amount of oil and toss lightly to prevent sticking.

The Stuff:

• 4 1/2 t Canola Oil
• Thinly sliced Protein
• We used thinly sliced Chicken, but you easily can use Tofu, Pork, Shrimp, etc.
• freeze the meat for 15 minutes to make slicing easier
• 6 T Chinese Rice cooking wine or Dry Sherry
• I used Sherry
• 1 lb Mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• Shiitake, Cremini, Portebello, or other hearty variety
• 1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• called for Napa, but I used regular green cabbage
• 3 Carrots, cut on the bias into oblong rounds
• 8 Scallions, sliced thin
• 1 T Ginger, grated
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced fine or garlic pressed
• 1 t Sriracha Sauce (think Rooster sauce)

In a large Dutch Oven or saute pan, over high heat, cook the protein (Beef, Chicken, or pork) in batches using the canola oil and Sherry.  Do not cook the meat through, but make sure there is no remaining pink and you do want some browning.  (Approximately 3 minutes per batch.)

If using Shrimp, these take no time at all to cook, so watch their color change closely

If using Tofu don't slice too thin; I recommend firm or extra firm texture and either 1" cubes or 1/2" to 1/4" slices.  Do not use high heat as you may scorch rather than lightly brown and you may need to use more oil to prevent sticking.  I also love the texture created with Tofu coated in corn starch and fried.  If you would like to use this method, don't marinate the tofu first.

Set aside the Protein, cover with foil, to cook the vegetables in the same pot.  It was at this point I realized I'd forgotten to use the Sherry, so I used it with the vegetables to deglaze the pan. 

Use a bit of the canola oil, and cook the mushrooms and carrots over high to medium high heat.  (approx. 4 to 6 minutes)  Add in the cabbage and cook until wilted, (approx. 2 minutes more) Add most of the scallions, reserving some for garnish.  Also add in the garlic and ginger.  Stir to combine and cook for one minute. 

Re-wisk the sauce and add to the vegetables.  Add back in the protein and any accumulated juices.  Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened slightly and the protein is heated through.  Add the cooked noodles and the srircha saucee and toss until hot and combined.

Serve with scallion garnish.

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Gallette

This recipe represents something I've always wanted to do, but hadn't tried until now. For those not familiar, a Gallette is essentially a rustic or free-form pie and in this case, a savory one. I've always found the presentation to be very appealing while at the same time elegant. For dinner I thought I'd improvise a vegetarian Roasted Vegetable Gallette.

As this was my first attempt, I didn't have faith the vegetables would roast adequately while the crust was browning, so I knew I'd start by pre-roasting them. It would give the vegetables the best chance to concentrate their flavors while taking on the barest hint of additional color. This step, when prepared as a side dish, takes generally 40 minutes, so I started there. I'd need to cut the vegetables approximately the same size to cook evenly. This was also an opportunity to introduce some flavor to enhance the natural sweet meets savory veggies I had at my disposal. Nothing too fancy, I used a nice fruity Olive Oil along with Thyme and some Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper. While those were roasting, I turned my attention to the crust.

 

I initially thought to use a crust I knew wasn't brittle as I'd be working with it just a bit more than were I to be using a pie plate. As I don't yet have a crust recipe stored in my head I thought to search my archives for a recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I recently bought the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook which reinvented (again) a significant number of their recipes to be more healthful. They had a recipe for a crust that included 1/3 portion of it's flour in whole wheat. It was designed for a rustic apple pie, but the sweetness would be welcomed in my savory Gallette. As a pie crust needs to sit in the fridge for a bit, I prepared this next.

 

Finally, I worried about the Gallette feeling a bit plain and like a pile of veggies that are awkwardly sitting in crust. My mother had once prepared a stunning roasted vegetable quiche, but I feared such a loose base would spill out before it had a chance to set. Then I thought about a bechamel sauce. This would give me a chance to distribute more evenly the creamy elements I was going to include, namely Gruyere and Stilton cheese. As well, I had some mushrooms that I was not roasting that could get a head start in the sauce.

 

Now that I had my parts all assembled, it was time to cross my fingers and hope this prep was worth it!

 

Roasted Veggies:

• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Onion, large chop
• 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 " coins or half moons
• 2 Red Potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Turnip, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 5 Cloves of Garlic, peeled (or you could peel after roasting)
• Your best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Thyme (on stem is fine)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Place all vegetables & garlic in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Toss to coat evenly. You only need to add enough olive oil to provide a sheen to the vegetables. Err on the side of less. Spread veggies on a foil lined half sheet pan or large jelly roll pan and place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

 

Crust:

• 2 T Light Sour Cream
• 2 - 4 T Ice Water, separated
• 8 T Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 " pieces and chilled
• 1 C (5 oz) All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 C (2 3/4 oz) Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 T Sugar
• 1/2 t Salt

Whisk together the sour cream with 2 T of the ice water and keep in fridge until needed.

 

In your food processor, pulse together the flours, sugar and salt until thoroughly distributed, about 4 times. Add the butter and pulse until butter is the size of small peas, about 9 times. Add in the sour cream mixture and pulse until dough starts to clump around the blade. Add more ice water if mixture doesn't clump after 3 pulses, 1 T at a time as needed. (I had to use one additional T before it clumped).

 

Dump onto plastic wrap and form into a disc. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 

Béchamel:

• 2 T Unsalted Butter  
• 2 ribs Celery, small dice 
• 1/4 lb Oyster Mushrooms (optional)  
• 1 1/2 t All Purpose Flour  
• 1/2 C Whole Milk (I eye-balled this, might be less) 
• Salt & Pepper  
• 1/4 C Gruyere, shaved  
• 1/8 C Stilton, crumbled

Melt the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. After the foaming subsides, add the celery and cook stirring occasionally until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the milk and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Taste, then season with Salt and Pepper if needed.

 

Assembly:

• Chopped parsley (I forgot to add this, but it would have been nice)  
• Balsamic Glaze

Drop the oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Toss Roasted veggies back in the same bowl you used to mix them originally. Add in the béchamel and parsley and toss to distribute.

 

Roll the pie dough onto a piece of parchment into the largest round you can muster at about 1/8 " thickness. At least 13 " in diameter, but bigger will make it even easier on you. Move the parchment and dough to the same sheet pan you used for the veggies (with the greasy foil removed).

 

You need to leave about 2 inches from the edge for folding over. Pile your veggies in the center of the dough maintaining a consistent distance from the edge. Start at one side and lift the exposed crust to lay on the veggies. Forming pleats as you go, continue to lift and fold the crust around the veggies. If making ahead, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to 3 days.

 

Drizzle the package with balsamic glaze and bake in oven until crust is brown and vegetables are thoroughly heated.

 

Variations:

 

Now that I've tried this I can imagine limitless variations.

 

The vegetables I selected were based on what I had available, including the oyster mushrooms that I happened to have. I think they worked. Cremini would have been nice too. But they lend a nice earthy taste that is off set by the richness of the Stilton.

 

The cheese can be altered to dramatically alter the flavor profile. For example, add in a smoked Gouda or an extra sharp cheddar in the place of the Stilton and Gruyere.

 

I'd like to make sure to use at least some hearty veggies that will hold their shape when roasted, but including something green would have been nice visually. Green Beans, Broccoli, Spinach (would be added to the béchamel), braised and drained Kale...

 

The beauty of this recipe is the ability to make ahead and it satisfies the vegetable and starch portion of the meal.

 

Enjoy!

Braised Stew Beef with Green Peppercorn Brandy Cream Sauce

A year and a half ago, Tim and I invested in a small chest freezer so we could start purchasing our meats from Costco. We felt buying in bulk, while pricey up front, would minimize our expenses over time. I mention this mainly to express that sometimes we pick a recipe simply to rotate our stock. This recipe is an adaptation that comes from our Bride and Groom cookbook and was originally for Fillet Mignon. However, I wanted to use up some of the stew beef and yet Tim didn't want a stew as we'd been having quite a few lovely soups.

 

What I love about this recipe is the beauty of the pan sauce. The challenge was adapting a recipe that was meant for a meat that is so tender you can cook on high for a few minutes on each side and move on to the sauce. Well Stew Beef has connective tissue that needs to be broken down before the meat is tender. So I decided to craft the pan sauce in two steps by first creating a braising liquid. 

 

The next departure was not straining the braising liquid. Instead I used the immersion blender to smooth the sauce which had the benefit of the aromatics to actually thicken the final sauce.

 

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Step One:

• 2 lbs Cubed Stew Beef
• 1/3 C Flour
• Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Green Peppercorns
• 2 T Olive Oil

In most of the stew recipes I've seen the stew beef is first given a coating of flour before being browned. I'm uncertain why other than the flour contributes to the final thickening of the sauce. Possibly I use more flour than is actually required as the coating wasn't attractive in the final product. However the flavor was nice and the sauce covered any embarrassing "skin".

 

Combine the flour, salt & pepper in a gallon sized plastic bag. Drop in each piece individually; I did this one pound at a time per shake. Seal the bag and shake to coat the cubes. Remove the meat shaking off any excess back in the bag and set on top of a cooling rack.

 

In a cast iron Dutch Oven, or similar oven safe vessel, heat the oil over medium heat until the smoke point. Add in the beef in three batches or as space allows without any crowding. Brown the meat for 2 minutes on each (or at least three) sides. Move to a plate and cover with foil to rest.

 

Step two:

• 1/2 C Shallots, diced (I used 6 very small ones)
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced (or garlic pressed)
• 3 Celery ribs, diced
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 t Green Peppercorns
• 1/4 C Brandy
• 2 C Beef Stock (estimated)

In the same Dutch Oven with the lovely fond, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots and celery and cook stirring occasionally until softened, approximately 3 - 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and peppercorns (it was at this point I noticed the original recipe called for green peppercorns in brine. I used your standard ready to grind green peppercorns) and cook stirring constantly for one minute more. Add in the Brandy and deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Continue to cook until the liquid reduces by half.

 

Add in the beef on one layer. Slight overlap is fine, but make sure there are none stacked. Pour in the stock until it reaches half way up the beef. If you were to cover the meat with the liquid, this would be a stew. Ensuring the liquid only reaches halfway is a braise. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven. Essentially the braising liquid will create a moist heat which will bring up the internal temperature of the meat and hasten the conversion of collagen to lip smacking gelatin. 

 

We cooked ours for one hour. The meat was tender, but not fall apart. If you let it go for 30 to 60 minutes more, it would be fall apart tender.  Next time... but it was still good!

 

Step three:

• 1/4 C Heavy Cream
• Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Remove from the oven and return to the stove. Remove the meat and set on a plate covered with foil. Rather than straining out the bits, I used an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce. Add in the heavy cream and heat through. Don't bring to a boil, but a gentle simmer is OK. Stir constantly and adjust seasoning as needed.

 

We served this over whole grain wild rice with sweet/hot glazed carrots.

 

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

It seems like every season is my favorite time of the year, but after a steaming hot Summer I have been very much enjoying the cooler weather.  I've also been loving soup this time of year!  Now that we are into Fall everything is inspired by my favorite color palate and by glorious root veggies and heartier fruits.  This soup was so amazingly tasty and easy to put together.  And was a perfect excuse to bust out the immersion blender!

Butternut squash has a naturally sweet flavor which was enhanced by the tartness of the Granny Smith apples and the smokey bacon.  However, if you wanted to make this vegetarian, that would be easy to do.  Just omit the bacon and swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock.  Voila!

Step One:

• 3 Strips Bacon (I used thick cut pepper bacon)

Fry up the bacon until crisp and set on a paper towel to drain.  Crumble for topping on the soup as a garnish.  Reserve 5 T of the bacon grease for the next step.

Step Two:

• 1 (2 lb) Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into cubes
• 3 Leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and well rinsed
• 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 in coins
• 3 Celery Ribs, chopped
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 5 T Reserved Bacon Grease (or Butter)

In your covered Stock Pot cook the veggies and fruit over medium heat in the Bacon fat (or butter) until soft stirring occasionally.  Approximately 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of your pot and the size of your cut. 

Step Three:

• 1 C Apple Cider
• 5 C Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Broth)
• 1 1/2 t Thyme
• 1 t Sage

Add the liquid and herbs to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  This will further break down the veggies and allow the herbs to bloom.  Then using an immersion blender (or separate into batches into a blendar or food processor) blend until desired consistency is reached.

To serve, top with the crumbled bacon.  As I made this for lunches I added the bacon to the batch after blending.  The flavor was fresh and mildly sweet with a wonderful heartiness.  We served it with a slice of home made oatmeal bread to dunk.

Enjoy!

Chorizo Jambalaya

In struggling to create a menu without actually creating a menu this week I've done some improvising.  Last night's meal was from the hip and aside from being slightly underdone turned out pretty great!  It is also the bones for many variations, which I love.

I was actually inspired to make this dish by a question from my cousin for a paella recipe.  Essentially Jambalaya and Paella are cousins.  The main differences are the seasonings.  Jambalaya, in my interpretation, is flavored/colored by smoked or sweet Paprika  and tomatoes where as Paella is flavored/colored primarily by a pinch of Saffron.  Each dish has flexibility in the proteins you choose.  Since Tim doesn't care for seafood, I stuck to an all natural Turkey Chorizo, but Shrimp would have been oh so good!

I took the opportunity to use my cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe as the heat retention is excellent.  I considered using a combination of stove top and oven cooking methods for this recipe, but ended up sticking to just the stove top.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Smoked Chorizo (I used an all natural Turkey variety); sliced in 1/2 in half moons
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 2 Celery ribs, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Red Pepper, diced
• 1 Hot Pepper, diced
• 2 C Brown Basmati Rice
• 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 4 C Chicken Broth
• 2 t Sweet or Smoked Paprika (I went with sweet)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 t Oregano
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the Chorizo allowing some browning on the edges.

In your Dutch Oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the Carrot, Celery, and Onion and saute until softened, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the Peppers (red and hot) and cook for two minutes more.  Add in the Rice and stir until well coated.  Toast until a slight nutty aroma is emitted, 2 minutes, while stirring constantly.  Add in the Tomatoes and the Broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in the Paprika, Bay Leaf, and Oregano and cover with the lid.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, simmering gently, for 30 minutes, no peeking.  Stir after 30 minutes and adjust liquid if needed.  Cook until rice has the desired doneness.

Stir in the Chorizo and enjoy!

Variations: Chicken, Shrimp, Fresh Tomatoes, Roasted Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Eggplant, Kale... the choice is yours!

Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I am so glad we have entered Fall and left the sweaty heat of Summer.  Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the glorious sunshine and the seemingly endless days, but I can not stand blistering heat.  Thus, by the end of the Summer season, I'm able to let it go and enjoy my sweaters and hoodies and thick woolen socks.  

My appreciation for this season is more than being able to wear comfy clothes, I also love soups and stews!  These are so easy to prepare in quantities that allow for leftovers.  The bounty of hearty vegetables, squashes, potatoes allow me to take my time in deciding the menu.  Along with a nice hearty soup, I love to enjoy a grainy whole wheat bread.  Inspired by the season and the bounty our CSA continues to provide, I whipped up this variation of a classic Potato Soup.

I used what I had on hand for this and enhanced the flavor where I felt I could.  The first time I made potato soup was the first time I cooked leeks.  This time my aromatic were shallots as I had neither leeks nor onions at the time.  As the more simple version of this soup has only starch I enhanced the flavor with roasted red peppers which provided a nice depth to the creamy flavor.  Potatoes are a consideration for this soup as typically I see Russet or Yukon Gold as the potato of choice.  I had on hand only Red Potatoes, which worked out fine and gave me a nice excuse to use my immersion blender.  Amping up the flavor I decided to sweat the shallots in some white wine, Pinot Grigio.  The bright apple flavor made me think that next time I could use some apple, but I didn't this time.  There are so many variations you could do with this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 T Olive Oil (Or cook 3 slices of bacon and reserve the drippings, then add the bacon to the finished soup)
• 8 medium Red Potatoes, medium cube (could use Yukon Gold or other potato)
• 2 shallots, diced (Could use sweet onion, leeks, Spanish onion, yellow onion, white onion...)
• 2 cloves Garlic, diced
• 1/2 C Dry White Wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 1/2 C Roasted Red Pepper (I used some from a jar, but you could easily roast your own with better results)
• 6 C Chicken Stock (could use Vegetable Stock)
• 1 1/2 t Dried Thyme (Or use fresh, or Rosemary, or Sage)
• 1 C Heavy Cream (Or whole milk, or 1/2 C Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt)
• Flat leaf or Curly Parsley, chopped (I had curly on hand and it was a nice addition)

Optional:

• 1/4 C Shredded Cheddar (Or Smoked Gouda, particularly with the bacon, or Fontina, or Chevre...) - I didn't use Cheese in this version

Assembly:
I recommend generally preparing, chopping, assembling all the ingredients ahead of time.  In this case the soup comes together pretty slowly so you could start by chopping the shallots and garlic and cut up the potatoes while those are cooking.  It all depends on your counter space and knife skills.  Preparation makes for a more relaxing experience.

Heat your soup pot over medium heat with the olive oil.  Add the shallots and stir until translucent (1 - 2 minutes).  Add the garlic and cook stirring 1 minute more.  Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add the potatoes, red peppers, thyme, and broth and bring to a simmer until the potatoes easily yield to a fork or knife, (20 - 30 minutes).  Remove from heat and using your stick blender (or in batches using a regular blender or food processor), blend until mostly smooth or desired texture.  Stir in the heavy cream and parsley.

Serve warm with whole grain bread or crackers and enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Being from Texas I can't live without the best condiment to be invented... Salsa.  This fantastic and simple combination of the fresh, the spicy and the flavorful can dress up anything from Chicken to chili.  Or you can sit back with a bowl of scoops and enjoy as a snack.  It has beeen a long time since I made the homemade stuff.  But with the bounty of tomatoes our CSA has offered up, I thought now was a perfect time to be reacquainted with Fresh Salsa!

I chose Roma tomatoes for this application due to their low moisture content.  Although I prefer my salsa to be somewhat "wet" I don't want to require a napkin under my chin to enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Roma Tomatoes, Seeded and Chopped
• 1/4 Red Onion, diced
• 1 Jalopeno, Seeded and Diced
• 2 Green Onions, Sliced (include some of the light green)
• 1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I didn't measure, just don't drown your food)
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

In preparing the veggies, no need to worry about a perfect chop as you will be combining these in you food processor or blender.  You might wish to wear a plastic glove when chopping the Jalopeno.  Pulse the above in your food processor until desired texture is achieved. 

Then add:

• 1/3 C Cilantro, chopped

Stir in the herbs.  Since the herbs are soft, you don't want to blend them along with everything else.  For best flavor, chop the cilantro right before adding to the tomato blend.

Taste for general seasoning.  Then store in the fridge until the flavors combine. 

Enjoy!

Tomato Pesto Pasta

Sorry it has beeen so long since I've posted a recipe.  Tim and I have made ourselves utterly consumed by the house design and selecting an architect.  However having the pleasure of a long weekend is giving me the opportunity to get back in the swing of things.

Tomatoes!  These wonderful jewels of the summer are bountiful and delicious.  Our CSA has been delivering them by the bucketsfull so you will notice in the few recipes I have coming along they are often the star of the show.  In this fresh interpretation of a traditional pasta dressing, tomatoes, rather than the basil play the lead role.  The result is amazing and gratefully incredibly simple and quick to assemble.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Sliced Almonds, toasted
• 2 1/2 C Tomatoes, chopped (no need to seed them first)
• 1/2 C Basil, chopped
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 t Kosher Salt (use about half as much if you use table or sea salt due to the finer grains)
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 whole Pepperocini, minced

Pulse together the above in your food processor until incorporated.  Then combine with:

• 1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin if there is little to no cooking involved)
• 1/2 C Parmesan, Shred or Shave or Grate

The above is the sauce for your pasta.  I used Whole Wheat Penne and reserved 1 C of the pasta water.  This starchy and seasoned liquid is used to smooth out a sauce that is too thick.  In this instance I didn't need to use it.  But once it goes down the drain, it's too late to decide you need it.

Serve as is, or with grilled chicken.  We also had a lovely salad and Sourdough Bread with Herb Butter.

Glorious!

Pasta w/Beet Greens

Have you ever heard the expression "Everything but the Oink"?  You'll hear this expression used by BBQ pit misters quite literally.  But, last night as I was preparing dinner, I kept thinking of this phrase.  A few days ago I cooked Beets for the first time and used them in a delicious salad with Stilton and an orange vinaigrette.  Last night I used the greens from the tops of the beets in an entirely different meal.  Granted, vegetables are easier to benefit from the entire plant vs. animals with all their functional, and yet not so tasty, parts.  None-the-less I was excited to give these a try.  As just with the beets themselves, I'd never tried beet greens either.

Many greens can be used interchangeably.  Beet greens have a thin but crunchy stalk with broad veiny leaves.  The raw texture of the leaf is similar to chard.  And the baby version of both leaves would be near indistinguishable from each other.  I had the more traditional red beets, but I've recently seen a number of recipes call for golden beets.  Now I'm curious how many colors these nuggets actually come in.  Like red chard, the stems were red and that color also carried up to the veins of the leaf making the leaf itself very beautiful.  Since the stems were heartier, I separated them from the leaves while washing so I could cook them a bit longer before adding the leaves to the mix.

When purchasing beets, the greens indicate age.  You want the stems to be somewhat crisp and not at all floppy.  The leaves should stand on their own as well.  Very limp is an indication of age.  When you get the produce home, separate the stems from the bulb and store.  Don't wash until ready for use as the water can accelerate age and cause rotting.  Washing greens can be done in a number of ways.  I've recently employed this method:

Wash your Greens: 

1. in your largest mixing bowl, set leaves and cover with water

2. agitate the leaves to loosen the soil allowing it to fall to the bottom of the bowl.

3. strain into a colander

4. rinse with your sink sprayer

5. repeat

6. place in a salad spinner to dry

Other methods suggest filling up your sink and doing the same process.  I won't do this until I have a separate sink from dish washing and other draining needs.  I've read that the drain on a sink can hold LOADS of bacteria.  Filling the sink can just spread those germs to your greens, or worse, fresh salads.  It's a process, but one better to go through than to taste grit in your dinner.

Before starting, prep all the ingredients as the meal comes together quickly.

For the Pasta:

• 1 package pasta (We used fresh whole wheat ravioli)
• Kosher Salt
• 3 oz Goat Cheese (We used herb chevre, or you could use Boursin)

Using a stock pot filled with salted water, bring water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to the package instructions.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining.  Strain and return to the pot.  Add in the goat cheese in small chunks, cover and allow the cheese to melt.  Use the pasta water to thin the cheese and make a sauce.

While water boils/pasta cooks:

• 1 or more bunches of beet greens, Chiffonade the leaves, cut stems into half inch segments.
• 4 cloves garlic (you can use less or more)
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Pine Nuts
• 1/4 Red Onion (optional, cause I forgot to add this, but it sounded good)
• Cracked Black Pepper and Kosher Salt
• 1/4 C Parmesan Cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium until it shimmers.  Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it.  Don't let the garlic brown as it will impart a bitter flavor.  Approximately 1 minute.  Add the stems and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring periodically.  Add in the Pine nuts and cook until they register a fragrance and the beet stems are slightly softened.  Add the beet greens and stir to coat with the oil.  Add in approximately 1/4 C water and cover the pan to allow the greens to steam.  Approximately 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add the mixture to the pasta and gently stir to combine.  Toss in some Parmesan cheese and eat immediately.

Enjoy!