Thai Coconut Curry Soup

I love Pinterest.  It keeps me organized (in an otherwise very unorganized life) with ideas that I'd like to implement someday.  Many of them will remain that way: someday.  But you know you have to act on a recipe when you've pinned it more than once--that's what happened with this soup.  I saw it a few months ago, made it, and liked it, but thought it needed more depth and more flavor.  I then promptly forgot all about it until a couple of weeks ago when I pinned it...and then realized that it was the same soup!  This time I got it right, though.  My daughter loved it, and although it could have been a tad spicier for me, it was just right for the kiddos.  It's an easy soup and comes together easily.  Make a double batch if you want leftovers because my family finished the whole pot in one sitting!

Thai Coconut Curry Soup
Adapted from Chef Michael Smith
Serves 4-6

2 14-ounce cans coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons green curry paste
1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/2 serrano chile, minced
1/2-3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 tablespoon lemongrass (from the tube--this is the only way I can get it!  If you want to use fresh lemongrass, check out the original recipe for the amount and how to use it.)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Zest of 3 limes
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed
1 inch fresh ginger, grated on a microplane or minced finely
1 cup snow peas, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1" pieces
1 1/2 cups bok choi, chopped
3 green onions, sliced, a handful of green parts reserved for garnish
4 ounces rice noodles
1 bunch cilantro, chopped, a small handful reserved for garnish
Soy sauce, to taste

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Open the cans of coconut milk and scoop the heavy cream-like part off into the pot.  Add the curry pastes and serrano chile, cooking until the curry paste is incorporated and the mixture starts to sizzle.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, chicken broth, carrot, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime zest and juice, brown sugar and ginger.  Simmer on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes.  Add the snow peas, bell pepper, bok choi, and green onions and cook for a couple of minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the noodles, submersing them gently under the liquid.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.  (Rice noodles do not need to cook like pasta; they just need to rehydrate.)

Add the cilantro and soy sauce to taste.  Serve hot, sprinkled with green onion and cilantro.

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[Guest Post] How to Host a Soup Tasting Party

To round out the soup posts from the previous week and a half, Deanna of Mirabelle Creations has graciously offered to give you some tips on hosting a soup-tasting party!  Deanna is the maven of entertaining and always offers inspirational ideas on throwing parties and events.  A soup-tasting party is a great way to bring friends together during these cold winter months.  Make sure to read to the end...Deanna has offered us some free downloadable files to help make your party easier to host!  Thanks, Deanna!

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Hello readers of The World in My Kitchen!  I'm Deanna, of Mirabelle Creations, and I'm thrilled to be here sharing some party ideas during Soup Week.  Over the past couple of weeks, you have been treated to some wonderful soup recipes from a few of my fellow Kentucky Food Bloggers.   Now that you have all of these great recipes, it would be the perfect time to host a Soup Tasting Party, a fun, casual way to warm up a cold winter night.   I have a few tips for you to make any Soup Tasting Party successful.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup
Cream of Walnut Soup
Mini Soup in Disposable Cups

First, you will want to have at least three or four varieties of soup for tasting.  If you plan on making all the soups, you can make some of the batches ahead of time and freeze them. Soups generally freeze easily, so are the perfect make-ahead dish.   If you plan on hosting a potluck, you can ask each guest to bring a pot of their favorite soup.  Since you will have several varieties of soup, you will need multiple serving dishes for the soup.  Guests will be tasting several soups, so smaller portions are a good idea.   Small cups of soup are also convenient because guests can carry them around and spoons aren't necessary.   If you have numerous shot-glass sized glasses, that would be a perfect serving size.  Also, my go-to individual serving container is actually mini glass candle holders.  I purchase mine at Walmart for $0.60 each.   For example, if you are serving three types of soup for a party of eight, you could buy enough glass cups for under $15.00.  Another option is clear plastic cups, which you can find in a variety of sizes at any party supply store.   Small cups of soup are also convenient because guests can carry them around and spoons aren't necessary.

Sweet Potato Soup in a Mug

If you want a more substantial serving size, you could gather all the mugs you have.  Since soup tasting parties have a casual feel, there's no need to have all your mugs match.   In addition, you may want to have bowls on hand in case someone wants a larger portion of their favorite soup.

Soup Toppings

A few days before the party, you can make a list of any toppings you might need for the soups you are serving.  Gather up a few small coordinating serving dishes for the toppings.  I love how the toppings in this picture were served out of small jars.  I have a collection of several different sizes of inexpensive mason jars, which would be perfect for soup toppings.  If your guests are bringing their own toppings, you might want to have a few extra containers on hand for any additional toppings.

Mini Pumpernickel Grilled Cheese with Pickles
Mini BLTs
Mini Italian Clubs

Mini Crudites

Snack Mixes

In addition to soup, you may want to provide a few finger foods.  Different types of mini sandwiches go well with soup. They can also be made ahead of time.  Crudités can be served in small cups, with dip poured in the bottom of the cup.  This will eliminate the need for a plate, but will allow guests to mingle and not have to stand right by the dip.  Another great accompaniment for soup is a crunchy, salty snack mix.

Chocolate Stout Cupcake

Finally, for dessert, a good plate-free option is the cupcake.  A Chocolate Stout Cupcake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting is a hearty cupcake that would pair well with most types of soup.  

Soup Tasting Card

Soup Tasting Labels

Soup Recipe Card

I've also created these FREE, downloadable files for you to print for your Soup Tasting Party.  The first is a Soup Tasting Card, so your guests can take notes on their favorite soups.  Second is a sheet of fancy labels that can be used to label the types of soup and/or toppings.  Finally, I have created a recipe card, so guests can take home the recipes for each soup. 

Thank you so much for having me, Mindy. You can check out my other entertaining and party ideas at Mirabelle Creations.


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[Guest Post] Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup

I met Melissa from My McDonald Meal back in February of this year when a group of us toured the local butcher shop and meat processing plant Marksbury Farm, and soon thereafter she became one of the first members of the Kentucky Food Bloggers Association.  Her blog is filled with tons of family-friendly and healthy recipes, and I've had a great time getting to know her and her cooking style.  Go over and check her out!  Thanks, Melissa, for offering this guest post while I'm away in January!

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Mulligatawny! Nope, I'm not the soup Nazi from Seinfield. Instead I'm the coaxing mother trying to convince her daughters that this time they will like the soup!! Honestly, it would be kind of nice, though, to have the power of that guy from those episodes! His deep voice, stern eyebrows and intimidating demeanour. Hey- whatever it takes to get your kids to eat sometimes--right?

Anyway, I took what I thought was the base flavor of the Mulligatawny soup from our favorite Indian restaurant in town and added some other ingredients. If you look this soup up in Google you'll find many talking about a "peppery" based soup with some heavy ingredients and some saying that the real thing has to have chicken. Well--see what you think of this one instead. A little lighter, still peppery, and plenty healthy! Vegetarian and vegans will enjoy.

Vegetarian MulligatawnySource: My McDonald Meal

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small white onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
4 carrots, cleaned and diced
1 cup diced green pepper
1 small tart apple, peeled and diced
1 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 cup canned chickpeas
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, or to taste
1 cup light coconut milk

Directions
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large stock pot. Add the onion, and celery and saute until softened. Then add garlic, ginger, curry, turmeric and cayenne and briefly stir for to season the oil. Add the carrots, potato, and apple. Allow to cook until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the broth and chick peas; season with a salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and either lower heat and gradually add small batches to a food processor or carefully use immersion blender to smooth out the texture. Bring back to a low heat and serve. Enjoy with cooked brown rice as a side or stir in with a tad of plain yogurt!

**Photos courtesy of the guest author.

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[Guest Post] Hearty New England Corn Chowder for a Winter's Day

Please welcome my second guest blogger, Catherine from Farmwife at Midlife, GROW Casey County, and In the Pantry.  Yes, folks, you read that correctly!  She maintains three different blogs!  In addition, Catherine is the author of _In the Pantry--Its History and Modern Uses_.  You can find more information about this book and her other endeavors at her website.  Today she is going to introduce us to a New England inspired Hearty Corn Chowder.  Thanks, Catherine!

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The first time I made corn chowder, I was a sixteen-year-old exchange student in England in 1979. As a gift, I had brought my home-stay family a copy of a quintessential New England cookbook, published by Yankee Magazine around 1976 (my own copy is kicking around here somewhere), called Yankee Magazine's Favorite New England Recipes (compiled by Sarah B.B. Stamm and "the Lady Editors" of the magazine, one of whom would have been my future mother-in-law, although I did not know it at the time and, sadly, never met her).

My fellow Americans and I had to put on a program for the Mayor of Lincoln and his large retinue and our collective home-stay families, and I thought, "Why not cater an American dinner?" Yes, why not? After all, my catering experience thus far had been limited to a meal prepared for my Girl Scout Cooking badge, various dishes for a Medieval dinner in high school (fried oranges, anyone?) and numerous attempts at playing "restaurant" for my poor, suffering family at home.

The meal took place in a small church hall, and the only dish I remember making that evening was the corn chowder from this particular cookbook (but I know there were other items, too). Perhaps the reason it was so memorable is because, whilst serving the chowder, I accidently dumped some in the Mayor's lap. He was gracious, but I was reddened by embarrassment and beyond mortified! [It was a good thing our talent show following the meal included our wearing big sacks over our torsos to emulate large faces.] And thus ended any prospect of a catering (or waitressing) career!

However, I have made corn chowder many times since for my family and always without benefit of a recipe. When I made it before Christmas so that I could also record the ingredients for this blog post, my husband said, "This is your best yet!" I hope you'll agree, even if I can't find the original Yankee cookbook, still in a box from our move, that prompted this version many batches ago.

This is a hearty milk-based New England soup, or chowder––perfect on a cold winter's day with a loaf of crusty bread (or better yet, oyster crackers). You can also use this recipe, with minor changes, to make any number of chowders.* In about an hour, from start until serving, you will have a big vat of chowder to feed many appetites––and, if you are lucky, you'll even have leftovers for the next day. Chowder is even better once the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Here is my latest incarnation:

Hearty Corn Chowder
Catherine Seiberling Pond

12 oz. (3/4 pound) diced bacon (we prefer using smoked bacon** and usually our own)
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
1 large sweet onion, chopped (you can add a bit of red onion, if desired)
1 cup celery, chopped (include some leaves)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (OPTIONAL: I did not add this because my husband does not care for red peppers)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
4 large baking-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart chicken stock (if not, McNess*** is a great substitute)
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
lots of fresh ground pepper
liberal dashes of sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 - 3/4 cup flour
6-8 cups whole milk (you could use other kinds of milk but whole works best)
8 cups fresh, frozen or drained canned corn
1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half, if you must)

On medium high heat in a Dutch oven, large skillet or heavy-duty stock pot, cook bacon, with garlic, until almost done and starting to crisp up a bit. Stir frequently and do not drain! Add onions, celery, parsley (and red bell pepper, if desired) and cook until translucent, stirring regularly. Add salt and pepper. Stir. Add diced potatoes. Stir for several minutes.

Add the flour (3/4 cup if you want a slightly thicker chowder) and stir well. Add 1 quart chicken stock and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add paprika (about one large teaspoon).

Set to low, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are done, but not too soft (about 15 minutes). Transfer your chowder "roux" to a large 2-gallon kettle.  Heat roux on low, with 6-8 cups whole milk until just before boiling (do not boil!). Stir well as mixture will start to thicken somewhat from the roux. Add 8 cups corn (frozen is fine, or canned, but drain canned corn first––and fresh corn off the cob is even better!). Cook on low, stirring frequently, until nicely heated.

Shortly before serving, add heavy cream and stir in. Serve with homemade croutons, a good crusty bread or old-fashioned oyster crackers.

I like to turn off the kettle when the chowder is done, cover it, and take it off the burner. This will keep it warm until supper but will assure that the soup doesn't boil. You can also freeze this. It makes almost two gallons, too, so perfect for a crowd or for a stretch of easy winter meals for your family.

And remember, you can take the girl out of New England, but you can't take New England out of the girl!

~ Catherine Seiberling Pond
www.FarmwifeatMidlife.blogspot.com
www.InthePantry.blogspot.com
www.GROWCaseyCounty.blogspot.com
www.CatherinePond.com
 
NOTES:
*The wonderful beauty of this chowder is, with a few minor changes, you can readily make it into a New England Clam Chowder, Fish Chowder or Seafood Chowder. Here's how:

For CLAM, substitute 1 quart clam broth for the chicken stock and 1-2 quarts fresh shucked clams (or canned) for the corn;

For FISH, substitute 1 quart fish stock for the chicken stock and 2 pounds chopped up fresh (or frozen) fish (Cod works best as it holds up well in the soup);

For SEAFOOD, substitute 1 quart fish or lobster stock for the chicken stock and 2 pounds assorted fresh (or frozen) seafood: scallops, shrimp, tilapia, clams, lobster, etc.

**Another New England aside, as that is where we lived for many years (my husband and children were born and raised there and I spent childhood summers and much of my life there until age 45), is that there is socialite named Smoki Bacon who still lives in Boston's Back Bay. How can I not think of her whenever I open a package of bacon?

***McNess Chicken Soup Mix is a secret ingredient in many of my recipes, including our creamed spinach, served several times a year with roast lamb or beef. I get it at the Amish stores in Crab Orchard, Kentucky. You can also order it from www.McNess.com.

Photos courtesy of the guest blogger.

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[Guest Post] Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Today is the first in my series of guest posts while I am traveling with my husband and 16 college students in Europe.  I'd like to introduce you to my first guest blogger: Danielle at A Day in the Life.  Her blog focuses on her life as a mother, travel, crafts, and most of all...food!  Go check her blog out and read on for her post about Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

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A few months ago, I posted about a group I had proudly become a part of, the Kentucky Food Bloggers. One of the creators of this group, Mindy, helped organize our first outing in conjunction with the Incredible Food Show and did an incredible job, I might add. When she asked for help filling in the blanks while she went overseas, I jumped at the opportunity to help!

Perfect for the cold months ahead, Mindy decided to steer her guest posters in the direction of warm soups. There's nothing that sounds more enticing to me in the winter than a warm bowl of soup. I'm more of the wholesome, throw-as-many-vegetables-in-as-you-can type of soup lover but I try not to discriminate.

One of my favorite food blogs is Annie's Eats because I've loved everything I've ever made from her site. Batting a thousand at any one site is practically unheard of for me, but with Annie I feel fairly confident that if she liked it, I will too.

I have had her Broccoli Cheddar Soup bookmarked for quite some time, but because neither of my boys' young stomachs were able to tolerate broccoli, I haven’t had the chance to try it. Well, now that I have graduated from being their sole source of nourishment, I practically crave broccoli after going without it for so long. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get to try this recipe.

This is such a wholesome and delicious soup! I enjoyed how you could taste so many various flavors in every bite. The broccoli was certainly present, as were the richness of the butter and the creaminess of the sharp cheddar. With broccoli having a rather pungent flavor, the sharpness of the cheese really helped to cut that and make it a very mild tasting soup.

The only thing I might consider doing differently next time would be to let the cheese sauce get a little thicker, or add less chicken stock. In all fairness, I didn't actually measure the chicken stock before pouring it in, so I might have been a little heavy handed in my pouring. The flavor is so good though--it really doesn't matter what the consistency is, you'll still want to lick the bowl!

I hope you enjoy and I hope you'll visit me at A Day in the Life. Happy and safe travels, Mindy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Source: Annie's Eats 

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. butter, divided
¾ cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded
4 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ tsp. onion salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (I used a combination of skim and almond milk)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots to the pan and cook a couple minutes more. Stir in the broccoli, chicken broth, onion salt and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, whisk in the cheese until completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the cheese sauce to the soup pot. Allow to simmer until warmed through and broccoli is tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If desired, puree the soup with an immersion blender for a smooth texture.

Photo courtesy of the guest author.

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Crockpot Chili for Cold Autumn Days

I can't believe it's taken me almost three years to post my chili recipe here.  It's a staple in our household during the autumn and winter months and is so cheap and easy to make!  I usually make a ton so that I have leftovers to freeze or use on chili fries or nachos, and making a lot is easy in a large crockpot.  I made it for the first time this season last week, and was wondering how my sweet 16 month old would like it.  (He can be much pickier than my daughter.)  I don't think I have to worry:

Licking the bowl

More, please!

Making this couldn't be easier.  It takes me about 15-30 minutes to prep, and I often do it the night before, throwing all ingredients in the removable crockpot pot, covering it and keeping it in the fridge until I'm ready to start it in the morning.  The crockpot does the rest of the work!  I've made this with stew meat as well, and I really like it, although this version is cheaper.  If you go with stew meat, just brown it before throwing it in the pot.

Crockpot Chili
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbl plus 1 tsp chili powder, divided, plus more to taste
3 tsp Kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 1/2 tsp pepper, divided
2 cans (or about 4 cups cooked) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (or about 4 cups cooked) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (or about 4 cups cooked) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-1 jalapeño, diced
2 Tbl tomato paste
1 tsp cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1 tsp herbes de provence
Water

Place the ground beef with 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook until browned.  Drain the grease and place the ground beef in the crockpot.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients (including the remaining 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper) and add water until you just see it under the ingredients.  (I like my chili thicker, but if you like yours to have more of a gravy, then add more water.)  Turn the crockpot on high for 1 hour and then down to low for 7 hours (or longer if need be).  Taste the chili about an hour before serving to check the flavor.  Adjust the spices accordingly.

Serve with pepperjack cheese and sour cream on top and cornbread with honey butter on the side.

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Crockpot French Onion Soup

As I mentioned in my last post, all of my posts this week will be French--today is French Onion Soup!  I love French Onion Soup, but as a busy mom with a full-time job, I just don't have the time to stand over a pot caramelizing onions for hours.  So what do I turn to?  My trusty crockpot, of course!  I use my crockpot a lot in the winter because, obviously, it makes great soups and stews.  It's also great in the summer when you don't want to turn on the oven and heat the house even more.  French Onion Soup is great in the winter or the summer--in the winter, I pair it with a grilled cheese, but in the summer a nice light salad does the trick.

I like to make cheese crisps to place on top of the soup instead of melting the cheese on the bowl under a broiler.  All you have to do is slice some French bread, top it with a pile of finely shredded gruyere or other Swiss cheese, and place it under the broiler until the cheese is all melty and starting to brown.  Ladle the soup into the bowls and top with the cheese crisps.  Voilà--a simple and very French meal!

Crockpot French Onion Soup
Adapted from Not My Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes

6 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced thinly
3 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl bouquet garni, wrapped in cheesecloth
1 14-oz can chicken broth (or equivalent of homemade stock)
2-3 14-oz cans beef broth (or equivalent of homemade stock)
2 Tbl marsala

Sliced french bread
Gruyere cheese, finely grated

Turn your crockpot on to high.  Place the onions in the crockpot and toss them with the olive oil.  Lay the bouquet garni under some of the onions.  Cover and cook for about 8-10 hours or until the onions are caramelized, but not burnt.

Add the broths and marsala and cook for another 20 minutes or until the soup is hot.  In the meantime, pile some of the cheese on each piece of bread and place them on a baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn brown.  Remove from the broiler and set aside.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with cheese crisps.

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Food Ninja: A Soup Recipe with a Secret, Frugal Ingredient--Radish Leaves!

Last week I heard about a contest that fellow food bloggers Paula at Bell'Alimento, Linda at SaltySeattle and Rachael at La Fuji Mama are hosting: Food Ninja. When I first read about it, I thought, "That looks like so much fun, but I am totally not a 'Food Ninja'." I admit that I am a good cook and I admit that I can chop and dice with the best of them (or faster than my husband, at least!), but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I do that is so ninja-like in the kitchen...until, that is, I remembered this recipe I made up for radish leaf soup.

A couple of weeks ago, I received some beautiful radishes from my CSA, but really what caught my attention were the leaves attached to said radishes. They were full and green and, well, leafy. That got me thinking about whether or not radish leaves are in fact edible. A quick Google search answered that question, so I was on a mission to use these awesome leaves. I posted something on Facebook to elicit ideas, but the basic reaction was, "Are you kidding?!" No. No, I am not.

To save money and to be as ecologically conscious as possible, I have been trying to use as much of my produce from my CSA as possible over the summer, and usually the "inedible" parts go into a freezer bag for later stock making, but I actually wanted to eat these greens, so I came up with this easy little recipe for radish leaf soup. The soup is actually quite tasty--the leaves have a mild peppery taste--and to top it all off, radish leaves are quite nutritious, with high levels of calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, and Vitamins A, C, and K. As I told my mom recently: don't knock it till you try it!

Just call me Frugal Ninja! ;-)

Radish Leaf Soup

1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bunch radish leaves, rinsed well and chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Creme Fraiche or heavy cream
3-4 radishes, diced, for garnish

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add radish leaves and cook, stirring, until leaves begin to wilt. Cover with stock and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Blend with a handheld blender or in small batches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add the lemon juice, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Before serving add a dollop of creme fraiche or a little heavy cream to taste. Garnish with diced radishes.

This is a thick soup. Add more stock to thin it to your liking.

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Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Bacon Soup

I know I just posted a butternut squash recipe a week or two ago, but I'm awash in butternut squashes, and so I figured you might be too. This is a squash recipe that my husband actually requested that I make again, so you know it's good!

I like the combination of the apples, squash, bacon and sage. It makes for a light, but hearty soup. It doesn't take long after you roast the squash and apples, and if you wanted to be prepared for a quick weeknight meal, you could always roast extra and freeze them (or make a double batch of soup and freeze the leftovers). Also, you can make this vegetarian/vegan very easily by leaving out the bacon and just using a little olive oil to sauté the onions and using vegetable stock instead of chicken. This would be delicious with a simple salad and a hunk of bread. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple and Bacon Soup

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into large chunks
3 small apples, peeled, cored and quartered
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon, cut into matchsticks
1 medium onion, chopped
5 large sage leaves, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (or more to cover vegetables)
1 Tbl lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine squash and apples on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 30-40 minutes until the squash and apples are fork tender and starting to brown a little.

In a soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon grease from pot. Add onions and saute until starting to soften. Add sage and continue to sauté for another minute or two. Add squash and apples, and toss to combine. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn the burner off. Blend with a hand blender or in small batches in a food processor or blender. Add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use bacon to garnish.

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Gazpacho: A Perfect Summer Soup

Gazpacho is one of those soups that a lot of people think they don't like just because it's cold. I often serve it at summer dinner parties because it takes five minutes to make, it doesn't heat my kitchen, and it introduces people who wouldn't otherwise try a cold soup to what is probably my most favorite Spanish dish. I recently served it to my parents when they visited along with arroz al horno, and my dad, who is notoriously anti-vegetables (with good reason if you've ever heard the horror stories about my grandmother's food "experiments") actually asked for more!

I make it the way I learned when I lived with a madrileño family in Valencia as an au pair. The grandmother insisted that gazpacho should be strained after blended, but if you use a good food processor and let it go for a while, you don't have to dirty another bowl/utensil. I've also heard of people adding bread to their gazpacho--this may be traditional, but not how my "family" made it. And one last piece of advice: make this only when you can get from-the-garden tomatoes--it makes a huge difference!

¡Buen provecho!

Mindy's Gazpacho
Serves 4

2 large tomatoes, quartered
1/2 large cucumber, cut into a few large pieces
1/2 medium onion, halved
1/2 bell pepper, cut into a few large pieces
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
A couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil
1 glug red wine vinegar (start at about a teaspoon and add to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the vegetables into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper and whir again. Taste to see if you need to add any one vegetable to balance the flavor. (But don't get too crazy here...the flavors marry over the course of the chilling, so it will balance out some on its own.) Chill for at least an hour and up to a day. It tastes better the longer you can chill it. Serve with homemade croutons.

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A Last Salute to Winter: Moroccan Minestrone

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this recipe for Moroccan Minestrone on Joie de Vivre's blog, and thought that since winter hadn't quite left yet (last week), that it would be the perfect send off for the winter blues...


I finally got my husband to agree to some brown rice to go along with this (per Joie de Vivre's suggestion), and it was the perfect accompaniment. (It's strange that my husband has held out on brown rice this long since he's the one who convinced me to switch to whole wheat bread a few years ago. It turns out that he's never had properly cooked brown rice...) I made a couple of very minor changes, but I basically used Joie de Vivre's recipe. I love cilantro, so I garnished it with some fresh chopped leaves, which really brightened the flavors.

The overall family consensus? They loved it! It's easy to make, and since my daughter loves chickpeas, rice and beans, this disappeared faster than winter these days...

Moroccan Minestrone
adapted from Whole Foods by Jude Blereau by Joie de Vivre
and then further adapted by me!

Ingredients

1 c. dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (There seems to be no reason you couldn't used canned chickpeas here and cut out a step...)

olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 celery stalks, finely sliced

2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. turmeric

1 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro leaves + more for garnish

1 c. dried Puy lentils

14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes

3 Tbls. tomato paste

2 quarts chicken stock
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Cooked brown rice, to serve

Directions:

1. If using uncooked chickpeas, place the chickpeas in a pot with enough water to cover and soak overnight. Rinse, add more water to cover and bring the water to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and partially cover. Check the beans periodically to make sure they are still covered with water and cook until soft 1-2 hours. You will end up with about 3 c. of cooked chickpeas, so if using canned, use the equivelant.

2. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onions and the celery in the olive oil until they are softened and starting to brown. Add the ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and the cilantro and cook, while stirring, for another minute.

3. Add the lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock. Cook over medium heat for 45-60 minutes until the lentils are soft. Adjust the seasonings. Add the lemon juice.

4. If desired, serve over cooked brown rice.

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Potage Crécy, or Carrot Soup

First of all, I'd like to thank both Laura from A World in a Pan and Natalie from Nat's Tried and Tested for featuring my Tortilla Española and my Cinnamon, Pear, and Chocolate Galette recipes respectively. When I started this little blog only a few months ago, I didn't think anyone would read it except for my husband and mom. Having a couple of my recipes featured on other sites helps motivate me to continue cooking and posting. They both have great sites, so go check them out!

Now, on to the food...

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a two-kilo bag of carrots. My daughter asked for some to snack on, and when I got to the grocery store this bag was cheaper than the loose carrots, so I bought it. Now, I like the occasional raw carrot, but I don't like cooked carrots. My husband has actually had to change his carrot cooking techniques to make sure that I'll eat some of his dishes. But I just couldn't resist trying the following recipe for potage crécy, or carrot soup, because it just looked so beautiful on Blue Kitchen, and hey, I had a lot of carrots to spare, so if it didn't turn out, then no worries.

My mom will be surprised to hear that I actually loved this soup! It was a perfect combination of the sweetness of carrots, the creaminess of the half and half, and in my case the spiciness of the black pepper that I generously added. Mine didn't turn out as pretty as Blue Kitchen's, but I think that was because I was guessing on the measurements of carrots and potatoes (Trying to convert pounds to kilos without the benefit of a scale can be difficult.) and because the food processor that came with our apartment is not the most sturdy of kitchen appliances. But the taste was great and the actual making of the soup was easy. My two-year-old daughter looked like we had starved her for days the way she was shoveling this into her mouth, and my husband, though more restrained, gave it two thumbs up.

(Okay, so the final picture makes this look kind of gross, but trust me, it's good! If you have a half-way decent blender/food processor, yours won't turn out quite so lumpy. And if you're a half-way decent photographer, your only picture won't have a shadow of your gigantic head right in the middle of the soup!) **For a picture of this soup that makes you actually want to eat it, go here. :-)

Potage Crécy
Adapted by Blue Kitchen from Williams-Sonoma Collection: French
Text-Only Version
Makes 4 cups [3 to 4 first course servings]

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, white and tender green parts, rinsed and sliced
3/4 pounds carrots (about 5 or 6), peeled and diced
3/4 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1-1/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
additional fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter and combine with olive oil. Add leeks and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add thyme, cover the pot and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, in batches, if necessary. (Alternatively, use a handheld immersion blender in the pot.)

Return puréed soup to the pot. Add half-and-half, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste (using a light hand, depending on how salty your chicken stock or broth is). Bring to a simmer until just heated through. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme leaves or parsley. Serve.

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How to Use a Whole Chicken Three Ways--Part III, Homemade Chicken Stock

So the last thing I made from the roast chicken was homemade chicken stock. I've made veggie stock before, but never a meat stock, but I decided to go out on a limb with the cooked carcass. I've only ever seen recipes for meat stocks with uncooked parts. The idea came at Thanksgiving when the French butchers thought they were doing me a favor by removing (and throwing away) all of the gizzards. When I went to make some extra turkey stock for the gravy, I didn't know what to do. As you may remember, I cooked the turkey the morning of Thanksgiving and my husband carved it hours before the masses arrived to free up oven and refrigerator space. While he was carving, I noticed all of the leftover bones, bits of meat and skin. Why not make a stock out of that? I did, and it turned out great! So I made a reproduction of that turkey stock with this chicken carcass.

I don't really have a recipe for this. I threw the carcass in a large pot and covered generously with water. (In retrospect, I probably would freeze this until I cooked another chicken and then use two carcasses for added chicken flavor.) I then added the leftover parts of veggies I had in a large ziplock bag in my freezer. I've started saving the inedible parts of vegetables (tops, stalks, etc.) just for something like this. This time, the frozen bits included mostly leeks, broccoli, and celery, but I added some fresh garlic, onion and carrots to the mix too. I also added a little salt, some peppercorns and a bouquet garni sachet. I took Alton Brown's suggestion of putting a steamer basket on top to hold the veggies down, skimmed the top for that gross frothy stuff every once in a while, and just let simmer for about six hours. I ended up adding a couple of cups of water throughout the simmering process because it started reducing too much. (Sorry, no pictures today...stock just isn't that photogenic!)

At the end of six hours, I submerged the pot in an ice bath in my sink until the stock was cooled down. Then I put it in muffin tins in 1/4-cup increments and froze them. Once frozen, I popped them out and put them in a plastic ziplock bag in the freezer to be used whenever I need stock!

The total use of the chicken (and even the bits of veggies I normally throw away) has made me feel very economical, and as my husband put it, very ecological too. Stock is really easy to make, even if time consuming, and I think it adds a much better flavor and is much healthier when homemade.

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Eating Out in Heidelberg, Germany

Because we have had so much company over the holidays and have done so much travel, I haven't cooked much, but have enjoyed some really wonderful meals all over Europe. We decided to take a day trip with some of our family to Heidelberg, and ended up eating in one of the best and most historical restaurants in the city--Die Ritterstube in the Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg. (I hope that some day I can stay in the hotel, as it looks absolutely charming and is located right in the heart of the city.)

I had the opportunity (but passed) to try some wild boar, deer ham, or wild hare, but it had been a chilly day, and I was looking for some comfort food. I ended up with an excellent pumpkin soup that I'd like to try to recreate and a rumpsteak with some of the best fried potatoes I've ever had. The rumpsteak came with a wonderful pepper sauce that I'd also like to try my hand at sometime soon.

Schaumsüppchen von Kürbis mit Kürbiskernöl und gerösteten Kürbiskernen (Pumpkin cream soup with pumpkin-seed oil and roasted pumpkin seeds):

Rumpsteak mit Pfefferrahmsauce, Bratkartoffeln und frischen Blattsalaten (Rumpsteak with pepper-cream-sauce, roasted potatoes and fresh salad greens):

After the wonderful meal, we all had coffee, but since I'm not a coffee drinker, I ordered tea. In this area of the country, all tea seems to be served in these beautifully delicate glass cups:

And we had our pick of sugars--everything on this tray was filled with different types:


Hmmm...now after blogging about this meal, I may just have to try to recreate it at home...it's making my mouth water just thinking about it again!

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