To continue on with the soup series and with asparagus in season, I had to make this recipe. I found it from Epicurious and is it good. It's a very rich soup with a velvety texture. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
* 2 pounds green asparagus
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 5 to 6 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top. Reserve for garnish.
Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces (don't forget to trim the woody ends).
Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.
Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan (Scott's Note: I used a stick blender and Puréed the soup right in the pan). Stir in crème fraîche or heavy cream, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter.
Add lemon juice and garnish with asparagus tips (I added the lemon juice in the serving bowl at the end to brighten the soup up - just a couple of drops will do).
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
French Onion Soup
Since I've been on a bit of a soup kick lately, I decided to repost the French Onion Soup recipe I posted two years ago. It's a simple, but time consuming recipe
better have three free hours!
Ingredients:
6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf
And for serving:
1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.
remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.
After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
better have three free hours!
Ingredients:
6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf
And for serving:
1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.
remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.
After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Hummus Among Us
During the summer months, there seems to be a low on the amount of culinary exploration that happens at my house. Now that the air has turned colder and the leaves are changing, I'm certain that will be changing soon.
A co-worker of mine recently had a old copy of Cooks Illustrated and she showed me a recipe for hummus. Being a big fan of Middle Eastern food, I had to try it. I have made it twice so far and each time the hummus came out rich and creamy. The keys: use the correct ingredients and build an emulsion with the beans and the tahini/olive oil.
3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 or 2 lemons)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons tahini
1 14 oz. can of garbanzos or chick peas, drained and rinsed
(I used Bushes Beans, C.I. recommended Goya, but they did not have that brand in my supermarket)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine lemon juice and water. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and tahini. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the beans, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. Process beans for around 15 seconds or until they are a course grind. Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl. With the food processor running, drizzle in the water/lemon juice mixture through the shoot of the food processor. Let the mixture combine for around 1 minute. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides. start the food processor again and drizzle in the olive oil/tahini mixture. Run the food processor until the mixture is smooth, around 15 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a serving bowl and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. Serve drizzled with olive oil and warm pita bread.
A co-worker of mine recently had a old copy of Cooks Illustrated and she showed me a recipe for hummus. Being a big fan of Middle Eastern food, I had to try it. I have made it twice so far and each time the hummus came out rich and creamy. The keys: use the correct ingredients and build an emulsion with the beans and the tahini/olive oil.
3 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 1 or 2 lemons)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons tahini
1 14 oz. can of garbanzos or chick peas, drained and rinsed
(I used Bushes Beans, C.I. recommended Goya, but they did not have that brand in my supermarket)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine lemon juice and water. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and tahini. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the beans, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper. Process beans for around 15 seconds or until they are a course grind. Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl. With the food processor running, drizzle in the water/lemon juice mixture through the shoot of the food processor. Let the mixture combine for around 1 minute. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides. start the food processor again and drizzle in the olive oil/tahini mixture. Run the food processor until the mixture is smooth, around 15 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a serving bowl and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. Serve drizzled with olive oil and warm pita bread.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Ceviche de Camarones
Last summer my wife and I went to Ecuador to meet up with some old friends of hers and have some down time. She was an exchange student there over 15 years ago and she had wanted to return for a long time.
Although we did not get to any cevicherías while we were there - we spent all of our time in the highlands of Quito and Riobamba - I've always wanted to try a fresh fish ceviche. When I suggested to her that we make a ceviche de pescado, she asked that we make a shrimp ceviche. If you don't know anything about ceviche, the fish is "cooked" in the acid of lime juice. With shrimp ceviche, the shrimp is cooked with heat and marinated in the lime juices. Being that Chicago is not really known for its fresh seafood, I agreed and we went the latter route.
Ceviche de Camarones
1 lb of shrimp
10 limes, juiced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
red onion, sliced thin
finely chopped cilantro
If using raw shrimp, peel and de-vein. in a pot of boiling water, cook shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink. remove from water and move to ice bath to stop cooking. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and stick in a fridge for at least a 1/2 hour. The more you allow the flavors to interact, the better it will taste!
On the tomatoes, peppers, onion and cilantro - use however much or little you like. I used 2 tomatoes, a half of each pepper, two or three slices of onion and just small bit of cilantro. The cilantro tends to overpower the other flavors, so I didn't want too much.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Asian Food Night
Last weekend Ali and I decided to stay in and cook. My brother and sister in-law gave me some spices and dutch cocoa from Penzey's - one of the spices they gave me was some saté seasoning so we made some chicken saté with rice and Chinese vegetables.
The chicken was easy - coat the pieces with the seasoning and put them on skewers. Because it's winter in Chicago, I decided to pull out the Foreman grill and cooked the chicken on it.
Skewering the seasoned chicken
The Foreman makes an appearance
We bought the veggies at Trader Joe's - precut and premixed We added some chinese eggplant and baby bok choy bought from Caputo's Market to add to the mix. I cooked those in a wok for a few minutes.
Cooking the veggies
The rice was cooked in a rice cooker (perfect every time!).
I also made some peanut sauce. Here's the recipe from the Food Network:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 scallions, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot
1 cup water
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
In a saucepan heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook scallions, garlic and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring. Simmer sauce, stirring, until smooth and cool to room temperature. Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. If sauce is too thick after chilling, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water until sauce reaches desired consistency.
Yummy Peanut Sauce
The finished product?
The next post I'll put up the recipe for chocolate orange brownies!
The chicken was easy - coat the pieces with the seasoning and put them on skewers. Because it's winter in Chicago, I decided to pull out the Foreman grill and cooked the chicken on it.
Skewering the seasoned chicken
The Foreman makes an appearanceWe bought the veggies at Trader Joe's - precut and premixed We added some chinese eggplant and baby bok choy bought from Caputo's Market to add to the mix. I cooked those in a wok for a few minutes.
Cooking the veggiesThe rice was cooked in a rice cooker (perfect every time!).
I also made some peanut sauce. Here's the recipe from the Food Network:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 scallions, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot
1 cup water
1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
In a saucepan heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook scallions, garlic and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring. Simmer sauce, stirring, until smooth and cool to room temperature. Sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. If sauce is too thick after chilling, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water until sauce reaches desired consistency.
Yummy Peanut SauceThe finished product?
The next post I'll put up the recipe for chocolate orange brownies!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
No More Christmas!
Thank goodness Christmas is over! I don't think I could take another week of the same songs played over and over when you're shopping. It's really enough to drive someone crazy!
Anyway, I've been in a cooking frenzy the past couple of weeks. Here's a rundown of what was prepared in my house since my last post:
French Onion Soup
Homemade Egg Nog
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Apricot Syrup
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cherry Pie
And last night we cooked the turkey breast we were going to have on Christmas until we were invited to a friends house. So last night was roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. A rather easy but very tasty meal.
So here's the recipe for the French Onion Soup. I got it from Cooks Illustrated (and I'm going to try to recite it from memory because I don't have the recipe in front of me):
Ingredients:
6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf
And for serving:
1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.
remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.
After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
Anyway, I've been in a cooking frenzy the past couple of weeks. Here's a rundown of what was prepared in my house since my last post:
French Onion Soup
Homemade Egg Nog
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Apricot Syrup
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cherry Pie
And last night we cooked the turkey breast we were going to have on Christmas until we were invited to a friends house. So last night was roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. A rather easy but very tasty meal.
So here's the recipe for the French Onion Soup. I got it from Cooks Illustrated (and I'm going to try to recite it from memory because I don't have the recipe in front of me):
Ingredients:
6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf
And for serving:
1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.
remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.
After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Food is Good
It was a small crowd last Saturday night because the weather was kind of bad and other things happening. So the participants were Antonio and Lynn, Dave and Maggie and me.
First course was my asparagus soup. It was OK, but I think it's much better when asparagus is in season.
Next course, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) and pan seared steak. Both fantastic plates.
Last but not least, dessert. Maggie and Dave made chocolate ice cream with bittersweet chocolate. So good, so rich! I brought some little Italian cookies from the deli that accented the flavor of the ice cream.
All that, along with bread that Dave and Maggie made, cheeses, olives, and lots of wine. Oh, and Bacardi Raz and sour mix - yikes!
Except for the soup, I don't have the recipes to the other items. As I get them, I will post them.
First course was my asparagus soup. It was OK, but I think it's much better when asparagus is in season.
Next course, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) and pan seared steak. Both fantastic plates.
Last but not least, dessert. Maggie and Dave made chocolate ice cream with bittersweet chocolate. So good, so rich! I brought some little Italian cookies from the deli that accented the flavor of the ice cream.All that, along with bread that Dave and Maggie made, cheeses, olives, and lots of wine. Oh, and Bacardi Raz and sour mix - yikes!
Except for the soup, I don't have the recipes to the other items. As I get them, I will post them.
Friday, December 7, 2007
DECEMBER FOOD CLUB!
The December 2007 edition of The Food Club will meet tomorrow at Antonio's house. As of right now, no menu has been discussed. But if previous meetings have any indications, the food will be good, dinner will be late (we once sat down to eat at 2AM one time - everyone was too tired to eat!) and the wine will be flowing.
Pictures and recipes to follow... Stay tuned.
Pictures and recipes to follow... Stay tuned.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Hearty Soup For A Cold Weekend
Since it was pretty bad out this weekend, I decided to take the opportunity to make a soup from the leftover ham hock I had from Thanksgiving.
This recipe is from Cooks Country:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Ham Steak (I used leftover ham), cubed
1 -2 Smoked Ham Hocks (I didn't use smoked)
1 Onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chick broth (I used chicken stock)
6 cups water
1 lb. navy beans, soaked overnight
fresh thyme for garnish
Over medium heat, heat oil in dutch oven until it starts to smoke. Add cubed ham and cook until brown, around 3 minutes. Add aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and cook until soft, around 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
Add broth, water and beans and cook until it starts to thicken, around 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Garnish with thyme and serve.
This recipe is from Cooks Country:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Ham Steak (I used leftover ham), cubed
1 -2 Smoked Ham Hocks (I didn't use smoked)
1 Onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chick broth (I used chicken stock)
6 cups water
1 lb. navy beans, soaked overnight
fresh thyme for garnish
Over medium heat, heat oil in dutch oven until it starts to smoke. Add cubed ham and cook until brown, around 3 minutes. Add aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and cook until soft, around 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.
Add broth, water and beans and cook until it starts to thicken, around 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Garnish with thyme and serve.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Slow Cooked Pulled Pork
OK, the pulled pork came out really good, so here's the recipe:
3 lbs of pork shoulder
1 can (14 oz) of diced tomatoes
1 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Heaping Tbsp red pepper flake
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
In my instance, I used a leaner cut of pork, so I ended up cooking it for around 17 hours. I then shredded it and put in in the fridge for the day. That evening, I took out what I was going to use on a sandwich and added some BBQ sauce to it and put it in a 375° oven for around 10 minutes until it was warm. I served it up with coleslaw and fries.
3 lbs of pork shoulder
1 can (14 oz) of diced tomatoes
1 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Heaping Tbsp red pepper flake
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
In my instance, I used a leaner cut of pork, so I ended up cooking it for around 17 hours. I then shredded it and put in in the fridge for the day. That evening, I took out what I was going to use on a sandwich and added some BBQ sauce to it and put it in a 375° oven for around 10 minutes until it was warm. I served it up with coleslaw and fries.
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