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Sweet Potato Corn Soup

19 Jan

My mother used to make this soup— a great, thick and hearty soup. A few weeks ago, my sister  recreated it and had Terry and I over for dinner. Just as good as I remembered. It doesn’t make a huge batch- maybe 4 bowls, so feel free to double. Quick enough for a weeknight. The recipe comes from Moosewood low-fat cooking– so it is healthy but still flavorful. Don’t skimp on the lime garnish- it is the perfect finish. Cilantro garnish good too.

(Can we go entirely off topic for a moment and talk about Vita Coco– this coconut water fad. There must be some brooklyn brainwash b/c I literally cannot go to the co-op w. out hearing a page– “do we have any more half gallons of Vita Coco?” My sister- who doesn’t like coconut was drinking some- i asked her if she liked it- she just shrugged and kept drinking. so i thought i would give it another try– and i don’t really like it either. but some reason- it is totally addictive- it says it is more hydrating than water, more electrolytes than gatorade and more potassium than bananas. so yesterday when i was driving- and felt like shit– i was like what i could really use a VitaCoco (what has become of me?) and somehow they have it in the Plattsville(?) rest-stop and it really made me feel better. So I ask– is this some magic elixer– or is it some like brainwash cocktail? do they sneak some crack in there? who’s with me?)

And now back to the recipe…
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 small fresh chile, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups veg stock (I use chicken instead b/c i think it has more flavor)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 medium sweet potato, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (no need to defrost)
salt to taste

lime wedges
finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

in a covered soup pot, simmer onions, garlic, chile and salt in 1 cup of veg stock for about 10 mins, or until onions are soft. In a small bowl, make a paste w. the cumin and 1 tablespoon of stock, stir into pot and simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and remaining stock and simmer for about 10 mins, until sweet potatoes soften. Add bell pepper and corn and simmer, covered for another 10 mins or until all the vegs are tender.
Puree about half the soup in a blender, food processor or using immersion blender. And return to put. The soup will be creamy and thick. Add salt to taste and gently reheat on low heat. Serve w. lime and cilantro garnish.

Great served w. Kale Caesar- as Sam did- recipe to come.

French Onion Soup, Lentil Soup & Meat Stock

22 Dec

French Onion Soup
This was loosely adapted from a recipe on Tasting Table from John Mooney- chef at Bell Book & Candle  in the West Village- for an Irish-American riff on French Onion Soup. I made some changes– which all worked out surprisingly well– so see notes.  And holy moly– this stuff is delicious. Last time I was in Paris, I searched everywhere for some- with no luck. So a few weeks after I got back- and after an unsatisfying bowl at different w. village restaurant, I said fuck it- I’ll just make it myself. And by the way, what’s more comforting than soup+bread+mounds of melted cheese?

Note on stock: So instead of beef broth, this recipe uses mushroom stock, made w. 1 quart of water and 6 oz dried shiitake mushrooms. As the mushrooms cost $3.50 an ounce, I did not want to buy six. As I had homemade meat broth in the freezer, I thought maybe I would enrich beef broth with one ounce of dried mushrooms. Wow, this worked fabulously. This gave so much extra flavor to the broth– I most highly recommend. But if you don’t have beef broth in the fridge– I think you would be best served by enriching veg stock or maybe even chicken stock w. dried shiitake mushrooms. Or if you would rather just use water– I would use 2 oz shiitake mushrooms. Also- original recipe only used 1 quart water- but all that work for like 2 bowls of soup seemed cray cray. So I doubled and used 2 quarts of stock. But I have to say, in the end, I could have still used like a little extra broth, so I am recommending 3 quarts. Another adjustment– I added the rehydrated mushrooms from stock into the soup. Why throw them out— and they add like a great meaty texture to this potentially vegetarian soup.
Notes on cheese: The TastingTable recipe–  is also Irish in that at the w. Village restaurant they use some rare smoked cheddar. But since this is hard to find- they say you can sub half gruyere and half smoked provolone. Now, they had smoked cheddar at the co-op, but honestly that didn’t sound that appealing. So I went 3/4 gruyere and 1/4 smoked mozzarella. While I think the smoked mozz adds a fabulous note- I know some have an aversion to smokey cheese- so if you don’t like- i say forget it- and go all gruyere.
Notes on the serving vessel: Ok we all want those classic brown french onion soup bowls– with the melted cheese sealing the edges, making a nice cap around the rim. But honestly, who has those? I actually delayed making this for a long time because I was concerned I didn’t have the right bowl- well pish-posh. You can use anything. Though should be broiler safe (sometimes it says so on the bottom). First, I used a small ramekin so I could cover the edges like w. the brown bowl. It worked Ok. But for leftovers I used an oversized bowl- so instead it is like layers– soup, the bread layer, then cheese. The layer can expand across the whole surface area of the bowl– but it doesn’t need to be at the height of the brim- if you catch my drift. And it actually worked way better to get that lovely brown bubbly affect to have it a bit lower. Because the bread has enough room to be like a barrier between the broth and the cheese. Does that make sense or have I gone to far? Also- last night I came across one of those giant mugs in my cabinet- and I think that would have worked well too.

1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3 quarts stock or water. I used homemade meat broth. Note above. Recipe below.
5 white onions, thinly sliced, I did in rings (didn’t have white so used yellow onions)
3 red onions, thinly sliced
Cheese- see notes. You want like one block per kind– each bowl gets a pretty big heap of cheese to cover the surface area
1 boule (round loaf) sourdough, cut into thick slices, toast to dry out a bit
butter
canola oil
salt
sugar

In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tsp butter. Add yellow/white onions. And cook. After 10 minutes add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar.
In a separate large skillet, do the same w. the red onions.
Now- the recipe says it takes 30 minutes to caramelize them. Perhaps I cooked them too low– because mine took an hour and a half. Oops. So while I did low heat- I would recommend you to do medium-low. And try not to stir them around too frequently, because then they don’t brown as easily.  If they start to stick, can add a bit of the stock to loosen them up. You want to make sure you cook them until they have that rich caramel color.
Meanwhile, bring stock or water to a boil. Then turn off heat and add dried mushrooms. You can put a plate or lid on the mushrooms to keep them submerged. I couldn’t quite manage this- and it was fine. Let soak for 30 minutes. When done, take out mushrooms. Chop them and set aside. Run your stock through a coffee filter to get out mushroom grit. Set aside.
When onions are done, combine red and yellow, add mushrooms and stock to the stockpot. Bring to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Now– recipe says, preheat to 500. Then of course, ladle soup in a bowl- don’t go too high on the soup level. Then add a thick slice (or two) of toasted bread in a single layer. Cover w. a mound of shredded cheese. I tried baking at 500 for 4-7 mins as directed. This worked OK and especially good if you are not sure if your bowl can handle the broiler.  But I found it more efficient- and better bubble effect on the cheese- to heat/reheat soup separately– then add bread and cheese and pop in the broiler for 2-3 minutes– watch closely! Until cheese just starts to brown and bubble.

Lentil Soup– a Marcella Hazan recipe (Sorry no picture. I was like so hungry when I was making this and deliriously sick– so all my pictures were shitty- and I just couldn’t bother to get it right- but the Soup is great! I have tried other lentil soup recipes before– and this is definitely the best one I’ve come across– and of course, we can always rely on Marcella)

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
1/3 cup shredded pancetta, proscuitto, or unsmoked ham
1 cup canned Italian tomatoes, cut up with their juice
1/2 pound dried lentils, washed and drained. I used dark green french lentils
4 cups meat broth or 1 cup canned beef both mixed w. 3 cups water (might need an extra cup of broth/water- lentils absorb a lot)
salt
freshly ground pepper, 4 to 6 twists of the mill
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put onion in stockpot with oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute over med-high heat until light and golden brown
Add celery and carrot and continue sauteing for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring from time to time
Add pancetta and saute for 1 more minute
Add the cut up tomatoes and their juice, and adjust the heat so that they cook at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes, uncovered. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon.
Add the lentils, stirring and turning them two or three times, and then add the broth, salt (easy on salt if using canned broth), and pepper. Cover and cook, at a steady simmer, until the lentils are tender. (Cooking time is about 45 minutes, but it varies greatly from lentils to lentils, so that the only reliable method is to taste them. Not too, that some lentils absorb a surprising amount of liquid. If this happens add more homemade broth or water to keep the soup from getting too thick.)
When the lentils are cooked, correct for salt, then off heat, swirl in the remaining butter and the grated cheese. Serve w. additional freshly grated cheese on the side.

Meat Stock- recipe from The Silver Spoon. These things overwhelm me because there are like 100 different recipes– w. conflicting amount of meat, bones etc. But I think what is more important is– as this recipe says– the key is to cook low and slow– for a long ass time.
1 3/4 pounds lean beef, cut into cubes
1 pound 5 oz veal, cut into cubes (because I am cheap, i think i skimped a little bit on the amounts- but worked fine)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 leek, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
salt

I used the “soup sock” but not totally necessary- just makes the straining easier. Place meat in a large pan, add cold water to cover and bring to a boil, bearing in mind that slow cooking and gentle simmering are essential for a successful stock. Skin off any scum that arises to the surface and add all the vegs and season w. salt. [I always end up filling the whole pot w. water, and topping off as some boils off– because if you are going to bother making stock, might as well make a lot.) Lower heat and simmer for about 3 1/2 hours. Remove from heat. Strain into a bowl. Let cool. Chill in a fridge. When fat has solidified on the surface, carefully remove and discard. This stock can be used to soups, risottos and making gravy.

Let me also add for all stocks– best to make the night before you want to use it. Because when you chill overnight- it is much easier to skim off the fat. You can use it same day– but it is just greasier and harder to get the fat off the top.

Chicken Stock— Just in case you all are curious if stocks really need 3-4 hours. Others may disagree, but I say yes. I tried a quicker chicken stock this wknd- an America’s Test Kitchen recipe. It tasted fine– but it was more of a pain in the ass-  b/c you had to sever chicken wings, which is tricky w. out a meat cleaver- instead of just plopping in a whole chicken. Was also greasier because the wings have fattier ratios. So I say, stick with the slow stuff.

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Miso Pork Ramen

24 Oct

The ultimate hangover food. Sunday morning started with 2 eggs, fried to perfection, mopped up with challah. A bacon and lemon cheddar scone snack at Kiwiana w. Sam & Ellie. And homemade ramen for dinner.  Now since I was a bit non-functional and indecisive, I kind of winged it on the recipe and prayed for the best. To my surprise, it worked out- deliciously.  I was inspired by a pork miso soup recipe in Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking- a cookbook I bought after I came back from Japan- convinced I would make Japanese food all the time (didn’t happen). The original recipe includes potato and tofu- but no noodles or other toppings. I also scoured various internet recipes, including one from a blog called Tess’ Japanese Kitchen- I mean, how could I not listen to that?  As I am a ramen novice, if anyone has any additions or tips- let me know.

I ended up making a ton of broth- 6 servings maybe.
1 pound of pork (i used pork loin- and cooked it whole, but it but would ideally recommend pork belly. the loin ended up really drying out, excepts near the great fatty cap.  if not, then I think pork butt/shoulder- which you should cut up into chunks before cooking- and allow to cook for longer- about 2-3 hours.  Pork bones etc could also enrich the stock.  Next time, I might also follow my original thought- and use pork ribs- which I think should only take an hour to cook the meat- and you get the added flavor from the bones. Thoughts anyone?)
water
7 tablespoons awase miso (awase is a mixed miso. I couldn’t find- so made mixing half red miso, half white miso)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 package dried ramen noodles (i found these at the corner store. they were packed like spaghetti– not like those 75 cent ramen packs- they used to give out on septa)
3 green onions/ scallions
sriracha or that red chili powder

Toppings of your choice.
spinach (1 package of baby spinach)
seaweed (6 sheets of dried nori)
hard-boiled eggs  (I did 6. One per serving)
bean sprouts (1/2 package, raw)
Put pork belly/butt/loin in a large pot.  Fill up with water, about an inch or so over the pork- I used maybe 8 or so cups of water.  Add soy sauce and mirin. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour (or longer if using butt/shoulder.)  Take off heat. Skim fat off top. Let pork stand in cooking broth for 15 minutes.  Remove pork from pot and thinly slice. With heat still off, whisk in miso.  Add more miso to taste– mine didn’t need additional- but if used much more water, you might.

Meanwhile, prep your toppings.  To hard boil eggs, put in a small saucepan. Add water, covering an inch or two above the eggs. Bring to a boil. Lower, still boiling cook for 9 minutes.  Remove eggs with a slotted spoon. Put in a bowl w. cold water. When cool, peel. You can store unpeeled hard-boiled eggs in fridge, adding as you go. Or just keep peeled, whole eggs in soup.
In a separate pot, boil water. Blanch the spinach (put in boiling water) for 2 minutes until wilted and bright green, then remove to colander. Next- in same water, rip up sheets nori, and blanch until wilts- about 30 seconds, and removed to colander. In same water, boil ramen noodles for 2 minutes (or according to package directions).  Remove to colander.

Place noodles in your bowl. Ladle broth over. Arrange toppings. Add fresh scallions and sprouts. Enjoy.

I think it’s best to store your ramen noodles separately from the broth. Also, as with all broths, best to store without any of the toppings, the first night.  So the next day, you can easily skim the fat off the top. Though i kept the meat in the broth, in efforts to rehydrate a bit.

Vegetarian Chili

4 Oct

So many veggie chili recipes to choose from. This one is from the Frog Commissary Cookbook, which I borrowed from Debby (my sister’s mother-in-law) and was apparently all the rage in the 80’s. The recipe intrigued me because it contains bulgur wheat- which is sort of all the rage now.  Unlike other vegetarian recipes, you don’t feel like you are missing anything here- the bulgur gives the heartiness and even the appearance of meat.  Unconvinced, I tried to un-vegetarian it and add a couple of turkey sausages I had in my freezer- but honestly– I could barely taste it- and would just as soon leave out again next time. Could it be the meat was just not necessary?  Color me impressed.  As Frog Commissary says, don’t be intimidated by this long list of ingredients- they are all pretty basic and you probably have a good deal of them already. By the way- chili is one of those things- that the leftovers taste even better. And don’t forget to top w. some shredded cheddar.

*Note- I made again- as totally vegetarian- so good! seriously no meat required

1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots maybe)
3/4 cup chopped celery (a couple stalks)
2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
1 cup chopped green pepper (1 large)
1 chopped and seeded jalapeno [original recipe called for 2 tablespoons chopped canned green chilis or to taste]
2 cups sliced mushrooms (12 white mushrooms)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
if you require even more heat, you can add a small pinch of cayenne

2 cups chopped tomatoes (5 plum) *Note- I used a 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes which come in tomato juice as substitute for the chopped tomatoes and tomato juice. I was a bit more heavy handed on the red wine to give a bit more liquid.*
1 25oz can of kidney beans, undrained (just pour out the top 1/5 of liquid)
2 cups tomato juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2  lemon)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup bulgar wheat
1/4 cup dry red or white wine
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (or other hot sauce)
[I added a couple drops of liquid smoke- it is great for creating a smokey flavor- but watch out- it is very potent- find it in your grocery store near the Worcestershire]
[if you can’t bear the thought of no meat– add a couple links sausage, take out of their casing]

Have all your ingredients prepped. Heat oil in big pot. Add top list of ingredients into pot and cook on high for a couple minutes. [I added some time here, let veg at least onions soften] [Add meat, if using.] Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. [add more wine at any point if feel needs more liquid.] Then lower and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.  Original recipe ends there. Can keep simmering-covered.  (as i do) to soften the veg a little more- or deepen the flavors. But don’t stress- eat whenever you feel- or take out a bowl- and keep the rest on low for a little extra time.

Gazpacho

22 Jun

Quick and easy. With a food processor – took maybe 15 mins to make. Refreshing and delicious. Perfect for summer. No cooking required. I’m thinking about making this the summer of gazpacho- so if you have any favorite recipes- send along. This one is from Ina, the Barefoot Contessa. I was a little put off by the tomato juice- because it’s not something I drink usually- but think of it more like cold tomato broth. I topped mine w. a bit of ricotta salata… feta or goat would also work nicely.

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeno (optional)

Keep the vegs separated- chopping cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, jalapeno, red onions into 1-inch pieces.  Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped (each breaks down at different rates). Do not overprocess!
After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

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