Potato Leek Soup, with Pan Roasted Garlic, Wine, and Bacon

Potato Leek Soup, with Pan Roasted Garlic, Wine, and Bacon

So Lynne and I went to a totally cool winter Farmers Market, at the old Velvet Mill in Stonington, Connecticut. ( I HIGHLY recommend this if you live here – everything from fresh local meat, eggs, produce, sauces, jellies, jams, artwork….. a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.)  We picked up some fresh, organic sweet leeks, and a loaf of fresh sour dough bread…. And I thought…. Well – what else besides potato leek soup?  We also picked up a bottle of green curry pineapple satay hot sauce from Dragon’s Blood Elixir hot sauce – dragonsbloodelixir.com.  This guy had awesome hot sauces – I really liked the sweet potato hot sauce!  I had Lynne try some – forgetting that her tolerance for heat is infinitely lower than mine…… oops)  We had the grand daughter with us – no I didn’t have her try any!  It was a nice morning for sure!  Anyway… the soup.

Most tater soup recipes are pretty similar – potato’s, celery, thyme, chicken stock, and usually cream.  I thought I would mix it up a bit.  No cream, a little white wine for some acidity, some roasted garlic, and …. Of course …. BACON.  I mean what else goes with potatoes?  If I could have thrown some eggs in I would have!  This soup is “souper” simple to make – takes about 20 minutes of prep, then about 40 minutes of simmering.  A note about the leeks – slice them up, and place in a bowl of cold water – swish around every few minutes to clean the sand out of them…. Otherwise your soup will be very gritty.

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 – 4 leeks, sliced thin, and soaked in cold water to rinse

3 stalks celery, sliced ( grab some leaves and rough chop for garnish)

2 tbs butter

6 cups chicken stock ( I cheated and used store bought instead of home made…. Didn’t feel like defrosting it)

2 cups water ( you may need to add more as the soup simmers)

½ cup dry white wine ( Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio are fine – do NOT use a sweet wine like Riesling)

2 – 3 lbs potatoes, peeled, and diced into ½ inch ish pieces

4 slices cooked bacon chopped rough ( 2 tbs reserved for garnish)

¼ cup fresh parsley

1 tsp thyme

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1)      Slice the leeks, and soak as instructed.  Peel potato’s and place in a bowl of water to keep from oxidizing.

2)      In a small sauté pan, add butter and garlic.  Sauté until garlic starts to brown – DON’T burn it!.  Drain leeks, add to pan with celery.  Sauté for about 10 minutes until starting to soften.

3)      In a medium saucepan, add broth, water, wine, salt pepper, thyme, bacon and potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Add leeks and garlic before this comes to a boil.  Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until potatoes are soft and falling apart. You may need to add water as the potatoes absorb liquid.

4)      Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  You can use a blender to do this, but only put fill about ½ blender at a time, and CAREFULLY pulse at a low speed to blend.  If using a blender, please be CAREFUL!!  Hot liquids have a tendency to explode out of the top if you just crank away at high speed.

5)      Serve with fresh bread, garnish with celery leaves, parsley, and a little chopped bacon

This was a really good, rich soup – awesome in front of a roaring fire on a cold, snowy day!

Enjoy!

Thai lime chicken soup

Just made this again tonight - was really good!  I made a few changes to the following recipe: I used baby bok choy instead of spinach.  I chopped the leaves, and added to the broth, and I pre roasted the stems, after quartering them.  I also added a can of coconut milk to it.....  I used fresh made chicken broth, made from the bones, wings and thighs of a roasted chicken we made the night before last.  Great recipe - kind of a kitchen sink thing - you can add whatever you want to it and it still tastes good!

Thai Lime Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 sm pkg Shitaki mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

2 tsp fresh ground ginger root ( to taste - a little goes a long way)

3 tbs fish sauce ( to taste - again, a little goes a long way)

1/4 tsp yellow curry powder

1 tsp Thai seasoning (totally optional - I keep this around normally)

zest and juice from 2 limes

2 tbs fresh rough chopped cilantro

3 tbs fresh rough chopped basil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 seeded, sliced Thai chili pepper ( or small Jalapeno)

1 leek, dark green part removed, sliced into thin rings, rinsed well and separated

1 9 oz pkg Perdue Short Cuts pre cooked chicken breast

1/4 pkg ( about 4 oz ) Thai rice noodles

1 cup rough chopped spinach, raw

Instructions:

Soak rice noodles in HOT water, according to instructions for about 15 minutes, or until soft.  Drain, put to side.  In med - large sauce pan ( at least 4qts) add everything but the noodles and the spinach.  Bring to a boil over med high heat, then lower to med low, and simmer for about 20 minutes or so.  Add noodles, and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add spinach, and simmer till wilted - about 5 minutes more.

Using tongs, pile a portion of noodles into a soup bowl, then ladle liquid/chicken etc over the top.  Garnish with a few fresh copped cilantro leaves, and if you want to spice it up a bit, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, and enjoy!  This soup is as good as any I have had in a restaurant!

One note - please taste as you go - basil, cilantro and ginger are VERY strong ingredients - you may want to alter the quantities up or down to your taste as you go!

Hot Turkey Sausage, Roasted Garlic and Tri Color Peppers A Olio, over Basil Whole Wheat Spagetti

Yummy and relatively low calorie!

Ok, time to loose the weight!!  Been saying that for years, and been cooking like Paula Dean for years..... and I am still fat.  Trying to make some..... healthier..... recipes that still taste good. This was quite tasty, and only about 600 calories per serving.... mostly because it has about 4 tbs of olive oil in it.  But NO butter!!!  This was pretty much a "whats in the pantry" dish - feel free to change things around!  Olive oil, basil and garlic powder measurements are..... approximate... lol.

Ingredients:

3 hot turkey Italian sausage sliced into 1 inch chunks...( Ok, kind of an oxymoron, I know.. but .... think HEALTHY)
about 2 cups frozen tri color peppers
2 heads of garlic, tops cut off ( about 3/4 from the bottom)
4 tbs olive oil, reserved
about 1 inch around, whole wheat spaghetti
garlic powder - 1 tsp
dried basil 2 tbs, reserved
1 tsp salt
fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.  When up to heat, place garlic heads on baking sheet ( cover with foil to save washing later), and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Roast for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  When done, pull out, and squeeze out cooked cloves ( I use a paper towel to hold the head and avoid the heat) Mince garlic, and put aside.

As the oven is warming, ad 1 tbs olive oil to a 10" saute pan over med-high heat, and begin to cook.  Stir frequently, until sausage is browned on all sides.  Deglaze the pan with a little white wine, or water and scrape up the brown bits, and cook down till thick.  Add 2 - 3 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs basil, and 3/4 of the roasted garlic, minced, and the frozen peppers.  Simmer until savory and done - about 5 minutes  - total cook time is about 20 minutes total.  Save the remaining 1/4 roasted garlic for a salad dressing, or pasta sauce - will last a week or so in the fridge.

When you put the garlic in, in 3 qt sauce pan, fill about 2/3 with water, add 1 tsp salt, garlic powder and a tbs of dried basil.  Bring to a boil, then add spaghetti.  Stir occasionally, about 15 minutes until slightly al dente.  When done, drain water, sprinkle with garlic powder, 1 tsp or so basil, a little Parmesan cheese ( the kind in the canister from a store - fine powder - not fresh shredded) salt and pepper, and about 2 tbs olive oil.  Stir to mix well, and cover to keep warm..

All of the pieces should be done about the same time  - in about 20 - 25 minutes.  Place about 1/3 of the pasta on a plate, and cover with sausage/pepper mixture.  Top with a sprinkle of dried basil and fresh grated parm cheese.  Fresh basil would be awesome with this dish, if you have it.

Enjoy - Bon Appetit!

Post Thanksgiving Turkey and Rice Soup..... a no brainer!

Ok, two days after Thanksgiving and you are sick of looking at the bird and the leftovers.  Hopefully you haven't tossed the bones, because that is truly nectar on the hoof... well claw....  Assuming you are like me, and save EVERY chicken carcass, turkey carcass, ham bone and lobster shell to make stock out of, you still have the ole girl in the fridge.  GREAT!!  My carcass was so big, had to split it up between my 8qt stock pot and my 5.5 qt Le Creuset pot.  This soup is SO simple, I have never actually written the recipe down - primarily because it changes every time, depending on what I have on hand.  Here is the recipe - the best thing about this is you can put whatever you feel like into it and it will taste awesome!  Here is the recipe for the stock:

Turkey Stock:

I had to split the bird into two pots

1 Turkey carcass after it has been picked clean, including any jellied fat from the platter - plus wings, and leg/thigh bones
1 Bouquet Garnis - or a sprinkling of rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano ) I put one in each pot - plus a sprinkling of the herbs.
1 tbs salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 onion, quartered with skin
4 cloves of garlic crushed with skin
4 carrots, quartered
4 stalks of celery, including leaves

 I also added leftover carrot/turnip casserole, some fresh parsely, some leftover roasted Brussels Sprouts - you get the idea.

Fill the pot to about 1 inch below rim, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 3 or 4 hours. Cover for the first hour, then let simmer open. Add water when the level gets about 2 inches down, the longer it simmers, the better.  Let it reduce again to about 2 inches below top, and cool.

Strain the water through a pasta strainer - bits and pieces of stuff are fine in the broth.  Discard the solids, and refrigerate.

For the Soup:

To the stock, add:

5 carrots, 3 celery stalks, split in half, then chopped into 1/4 inch thick pieces

A nice fire helps with the soup experience!

Leftover turkey meat, cubed into about 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup mixed rice ( white, red, and wild) or just wild rice
3 cups water to thin the stock
Any leftover mashed potatoes, or mashed sweet potatoes.
Some spinach for color.

Add water carrots, celery and rice to the broth, and bring to a boil.  Simmer for an hour, then add turkey, potatoes, spinach and anything else you feel like tossing in.  Cook for 1/2 hour till all is warmed... serve with thick bread, and a nice white wine!

Enjoy!

Back to business..... hopefully! Herb Roasted Chicken, with Brussels Sprouts, and Mixed Rice

Comfort food at it's best!

Ok, so it's been a while since I have posted..... mea culpa.  Been busy with a new job, and more than a little bit lazy!  So I am making a New Years Resolution....... yes I know it's not new years yet..... just time for a change!  I will try and  put at least one post per week up on the blog - and I hope to make them a little more .....cooking..... oriented - not just recipe oriented.  Let me know what you think.

So, today was a Sunday, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, and windy as hell.  Ok, that doesn't mean testicles for you dirty minded folk out there - in the 1800's,  a "brass monkey" was the square of brass screwed into ship's deck that held a stack of cannon balls.  When it got cold, it contracted, and the balls rolled all over the place.... hence the saying "cold enough to freeze..."  Well, you get it.  Today's history lesson.

What did I say about cooking...???  lol.  Ok, so cold - we got that - I had a nice fire going, and decided to roast a fresh chicken I picked up at Carlo's yesterday.  Carlo's is our local meat market - good guy, good friend - awesome product.  If you live anywhere near East Lyme, Ct - GO THERE!!!  Well worth it!

This is about as simple a meal as you can get.  First off the chicken:  Pre heat the oven to 425.

Nice and crispy - 175 degrees

1)Remove neck and giblets from body cavity if there.  Separate the skin from the breast, and add 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed spread evenly under the skin.
2) Brush extra virgin olive oil over  the top of the chicken.  Add salt, pepper, lightly sprinkle garlic powder, thyme powder, rosemary and tarragon over the top of the chicken.
3) Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.  Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth to pan, and place in oven.
4) Baste with a basting bulb every 20 minutes.

Set timer for 1.5 hours.

For the Veggies:

Beautiful stalk of sprouts - for less than five bucks!

1) I bought a stalk of sprouts.  $4.99, and it was enough for about 8 servings!  Can't beat that!  Peel outside layers of sprouts, and cut into quarters.  Add one full shallot, cut into 1/8 inch slices, then separate the rings.  Take 3 cloves of garlic, and slice thin.  Add 1/2 cup chopped peppers.  Place all in a steel mixing bowl, add 3 tbs olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  Toss.
2)  Place on a shallow baking pan, and place in oven when there is 15 minutes left to the bird.  Stir once about half way through.

Rice - Simply cook to package directions.  I used a blend of white, red, and wild rice - simmered with a little butter and salt.

This is a simple, tasty and  perfect winter meal.  I saved the left over meat, and the carcass and pieces separately to make broth out of tomorrow night..... yum!

Ingredient List:

1 whole chicken
6 cloves of garlic, pealed and sliced
1 tsp salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon
3 tbs olive oil
1 1/3 cups chicken broth, or boullion
20 or so Brussels Sprouts
1 Shallot, peeled and sliced whole
1/2 cup chopped frozen tri color peppers
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt, pepper
1 cup mixed rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbs butter.

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce

Had some chicken thighs kicking around, and wanted to do something different.  Decided to whip up a home made Thai style BBQ sauce.  I tend to keep a bunch of Thai and Asian ingredients around, so it was pretty simple.  This recipe only makes enough to baste and marinate 4 thighs ( about 2/3 cup, so plan accordingly)

Ingredients:

4 tsp Sirachi Sauce
4 tbs Thai sweet red chili sauce
2 tbs lime juice
4 tsp honey
1 tsp basil flakes
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix ingredients in bowl.  Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours in about 1/2 the sauce.  Grill over indirect heat until chicken is at least 160 degrees by the bone, brushing occasionally with the sauce.  Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Mediterranean Crusted Cod

Made this the other night – mostly out of stuff I just had laying around.  Very good flavor, really simple to make.  Cod is a very bland fish, and readily takes to strong flavors – the combination of the hummus and the olives with the crunchy breadcrumbs was awesome.  I served it over wilted spinach and sautéed mushrooms, with some cous-cous.  Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1lb fresh cod

3 tbs roasted red pepper hummus

1 pkg sliced mushrooms, divided

½ bag fresh spinach

½ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tsp butter, melted

3 tbs butter, reserved

1 tsp garlic powder

8 kalamata olives, minced fine

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbs lemon juice

Instructions:

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

Finely mince about 8 or 9 of the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, butter, mushrooms, ½ lemon zest, and olives until well combined.

Lightly brush a 9x12 baking dish with olive oil.  Place fish in dish.  Evenly coat the fish with the hummus.  Spread bread crumb mixture over the hummus.   Place fish in oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned, and fish flakes with a fork.

While fish is cooking, sauté the mushrooms in reserved butter, with a sprinkle of garlic powder for about 2 or 3 minutes, until slightly softened.  Remove mushrooms from pan, add spinach, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of garlic.  Gently toss spinach till bright green, and still somewhat firm.  Add mushrooms, combine, and remove from heat.

Serve fish over spinach, with a side of cous cous.