SUMPTUOUS SOUPS ARE SO SATISFYING!

I made this gorgeous soup as a first course at our Christmas feast, but it would be good any time of year. It is equally yummy both cold or hot---think cold Hungarian Borscht!

ROASTED BEET AND POTATO BISQUE

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion (1 cup), finely chopped
3/4 lb. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 2 cups)
1 stalk celery, diced (1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups good, rich chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 large beets, roasted (Method follows*)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup light cream or half and half
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Sour cream or plain yogurt and fresh dill for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook onion, potatoes, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally until veg are crisp-tender; about 10 minutes.
Add broth, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Add beets and continue to simmer until veg is very tender; about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. Puree soup in small batches in a blender until smooth and return to pot. At this point you may refrigerate overnight and finish next day. If you are doing so, return cold soup to saucepan and slowly re-heat. Stir in milk, cream and lemon juice. Stir to combine and heat until warmed through. Garnish and serve.

To Roast Beets:
I like this method of cooking beets because they are a pain to peel raw. Once roasted the skin practically rubs off. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry beets thoroughly. Cut off tops and bottoms. Cut into quarters (skin on) and place on baking sheet. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over beets. Salt liberally and rub the oil and salt into the beets. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until beets are just tender. Let cool. Remove skins and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

CARROT, COCONUT, CURRY AND GINGER SOUP

...WITH A SPECIAL ADDITION!

To get this squiggly effect, once you drizzle on the yogurt,
 drag a knife through to make the design.

I have given you this recipe in the past and one of the things I love about it is that you can keep changing it up to give a slightly different flavor or texture.

http://cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/search?q=Carrot+ginger+soup

As with the Beet Bisque this soup is good either cold or hot. In this case, I used the original recipe (above link), but added vegetable/fruit fiber into the broth that I had saved from a 3-day juice fast my husband and I did recently.

This combo of fruit and veg is from Joe Cross's 3-day Juice Cleanse called, Sunset Blend Juice. It was truly delicious and the pulp is what I added to the Carrot, Coconut, Curry and Ginger Soup.

It seems such a waste to throw out all that good vegetable matter so I froze some for future soup stock and to another batch of pulpy fiber I added unflavored gelatin and turned the fruit/veg fiber into a cold vegetable cake. The cakes were surprisingly good!
What I learned in juicing for the first time is the combination of ingredients is not that important as long as you mix some sweet (beets, carrot, apples, oranges, etc.) with not so sweet (celery, kale, spinach, etc.).  And, fresh ginger root was a nice addition to all recipes.

Here is the Sunset Juice Blend all bottled and ready to drink!

Joe's Breakfast Juice: Carrots, green and red apples and ginger. Delicious!

Look at all that fiber!

To learn more about the benefits of Juicing, go to: http://www.doctoroz.com/article/joe-cross-3-day-weekend-juice-cleanse

Both Jerry and I felt great after Juicing for 3 days, but we were hungry for real, solid food!

That's it for today. Thank you for joining me

for another glimpse into my kitchen!

www.cookwithcindy.com

CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH A HINT OF COCONUT AND CURRY!

I know I promised homemade sausage for the next blog, but Sunday, while my Patriot's game-day pork ribs were cooking, I made a wonderful Cauliflower soup, which I think would be delicious hot or cold. Today for lunch, my husband and I had it cold, topped with garlic shrimp, avocado, and finished with Smoked Sea Salt and I'Itoi scallions, which are an Heirloom variety I got from my new goat-lady friend Anastasia.

CAULIFLOWER, COCONUT, CURRY SOUP

The word I'Itoi inTohono Odham means: The mischievous creator god who resides in a cave below the peak of Baboquivari Mountain in Tucson, aka I'Itoi Mountain. Legend has it that visitors to the cave are asked to bring a gift (onions?) to ensure their safe return from the depths. I am not sure of the connection to the onions so more research is needed, but I do know the bulbs taste mildly shallot-like and greens are both sweet and spicy! They are supposed to be prolific multipliers so I am excited to see how they do in my newly planted herb bed. Now, on to the soup!

Basic ingredients...

Ingredients:
1 medium sized head cauliflower, cored and sliced into rough chunks
2 Tbsp. bacon fat (or butter, olive oil, or whatever good fat you have on hand)
1 medium white potato, peeled and also cut into chunks (I used an Idaho, but think Yukon Gold would be even better)
1 medium onion, peeled and thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 tsp. more dried thyme
2 tsp. mild curry powder
Salt/White pepper to taste
15 oz. can coconut cream
2 Tbsp. (or more) scallions or chives for garnish
Other garnish options below

Preparation:
Heat bacon fat (or oil) in a large soup pot. Add all veg and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes to coat the veg and just slightly brown, stirring occasionally. Add chicken stock, fresh and dried thyme, and generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer veg until very tender; about 1 hour. Turn off heat and let sit for another hour on the stove in the covered pot. Remove sprig of thyme. Add 2 tsp. mild curry. Check and adjust for enough salt and add 1/4 tsp. white pepper or more to taste. Add 15 oz. can coconut cream. Blend all ingredients in batches until very smooth and creamy. The consistency is rich and velvety, like a Vichyssoise, but taste has much more depth of flavor. Coconut cream is much lighter than heavy cream, which the Vichyssoise calls for, so even though it is thick and rich, it is not too heavy. If your soup gets too thick thin it with a little water.

This soup is delicious hot or cold!

Garnish options:
I pan fried 3 shrimp per serving in very hot olive oil and lots of garlic and topped each serving with the shrimp surrounded by chopped avocado (1/4 avocado per serving) and finished with a smoked sea salt.

Shredded chicken would be great as a garnish or a bunch of very crispy onions piled high. Use your imagination and let me know what you come up with!

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Next time, sausage for sure!

www.cookwithcindy.com

COLD CARROT, COCONUT, CURRIED SOUP!

This is one of the best cold soups I have ever tasted. It's easy to make and versatile in that you can add different toppings to change the flavors. I found the recipe in Gourmet Magazine, but have doctored it a bit.

COLD CARROT, COCONUT, CURRIED SOUP

Ingredients:
About 1 bunch scallions, chopped (reserve some green tops for garnish)
1 small onion (about 2/3 cup), chopped
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot (more if you like it super spicy!)
2 Tbsp. unsalted Butter or Olive Oil (Butter gives a richer flavor, but the soup really does not need it. I have made with both and Olive Oil is just as good.)
1 Tbsp. curry (I use a mild curry, but again if you like it hot, mix half and half/mild and hot.)
Salt/White pepper to taste (Go gentle with the pepper as the gingerroot already gives it a bit of heat. I use white because the black pepper mars the 'look' of the soup.)
Carrots, about 4 cups peeled  and cut into chunks or use your mini-max to chop.
3 cups chicken broth
2 (5.4 oz.) cans unsweetened coconut cream
1 5.4 oz. can water
2 Tbsp. lime juice (from 1 key lime)
Additional water for thinning soup if necessary.
Garnishes: we'll discuss those later!

I like this brand of coconut cream and buy it online.

Preparation:
In a large heavy soup pot, cook carrots, chopped scallion, onion, garlic, and gingerroot in butter or olive oil. Add curry, salt and pepper. Cook over moderately low heat until the veg are softened. Add the broth. Simmer mixture covered about 20 minutes until carrots are very soft. Let it cool a bit and then put the mixture in a blender in batches with the coconut cream and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1 Tbsp. lime juice and water to get the consistency you want. It should be a little bit thick. Cool for several hours, but really best to cool overnight--the flavors meld together beautifully. When you're ready to serve, check seasonings again, add a little more water if necessary.

Garnishes: This soup is perfectly delicious with NO garnish, but it also lends itself to many different toppings. Try it with wild shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic, grated ginger and a little fresh lime juice. Finish with chopped basil and scallions.

Or top with avocado slices and chopped cod fish poached in coconut milk, scallions and basil. The cod almost tastes like lobster. Finish with scallions. The texture and flavor of the avocado add another element of rich, creaminess to this soup.

Or simply top with scallions.

I think it would also be great with a boneless, skinless chicken breast poached right in the soup and then removed to shred and placed back in the soup to chill.

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

So creamy, it almost looks like whipped cream!

Recently I have been making my own mayonnaise. Like making your own catchup, BBQ sauce or any number of other condiments, the freshness and flavor is SO much better than store-bought, plus no artificial ingredients. This recipe, made in a blender or food processor, is easy, and the mayo keeps for a couple weeks.  I like to make it with avocado oil, not olive oil. The olive oil may give it a bitter taste and the olive flavor is overpowering. If you use olive oil, try mixing it 50/50 with a more neutral oil. I am sure any mild oil would be good. This simple method for making in a blender or food processor is nearly foolproof!

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks, room temp*
1 whole egg, also room temp
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed**
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste
Big pinch white pepper
Up to 2 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. or more of water to achieve correct consistency and improve the emulsification process
* If you forgot to pull your eggs out of the fridge an hour early, run them under hot water until they are warmed up. This is important as a room temp egg will hold the sauce together better than a cold one.
**You can add any acid, like vinegar, but I like the flavor of fresh lemon.

Preparation:
Put the egg yolks and whole egg, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and white pepper in a blender. Process for a few seconds to combine ingredients. With the blender or food processor running continuously, pour in the oil very slowly in driblets at first. This is important to start the emulsion process. As the mayo starts to thicken you can add in a very slow, thin stream, but wait about 30 seconds between additions to make sure each time you add oil it gets incorporated. When the sauce thickens you can add the oil in a steady stream. Finally, add 1 tsp., or more, of water. You may be thinking oil and water don't mix, but the water actually improves the emulsification. Here's the science behind it: Adding a teaspoon of water increases the space between fat droplets, helping them stay separate— a necessity when forming an emulsion. Plus adding a small quantity of water makes a lighter mayo. Transfer the finished mayo to a bowl covered with plastic wrap, glass jar, or plastic container, and store in the refrigerator. The fresher the eggs, the longer it keeps. Do not store in an aluminum container as it will turn your mayo grayish.

The variations on a mayonnaise theme are endless: Garlic (aka aioli); chipotle; curry; tarragon; wasabi or horseradish mayo and on and on...Experiment!

Last time I told you about a ranch my husband and I recently visited just outside of Bisbee, AZ in McNeal. I am impressed that the 47 Ranch is totally off the grid using solar and wind power exclusively for their entire operation. They raise grass-fed, organic cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats (currently raised at a nearby ranch).

I love goat, but have never had a goat burger. I wanted the true taste of goat so just seasoned the meat with salt and pepper and put them in a hot frying pan to cook to a medium-rare perfection. This burger was succulent, rich, and had a mild goat flavor, reminiscent of venison! I grew up eating venison and to think a farm-raised goat could taste quite as good was a wonderful surprise. I cooked my burgers in a pan as I did not want to lose one bit of juice by grilling and topped them with sautéed mushroom and avocado. Next time, I will top them with a generous portion of goat cheese! Wonder if Bobby Flay makes goat burgers in his restaurant?

I served the goat burgers with grilled zucchini and coleslaw made with the above homemade mayo.

Here are some photos from the 47 Ranch. To learn more, go to this article which ran a while back in Edible Baja magazine: http://ediblebajaarizona.com/a-ranchs-observation
Or visit them every Thursday at the Farmer's Market in Sierra Vista or Saturday morning at the Market in Bisbee.

Pigs are such happy and inquisitive creatures!

Ranch-hand, Vanessa and our host for the afternoon.

Her assistant, Eloise, a college intern from France.

Me and Leroy, a rescued calf who will be raised at the ranch.

That's all for today. Next time, I will share stories from another local rancher who raises goats and makes her own cheese.

 

Happy cooking to you...until we meet again!

www.cookwithcindy.com

South American Fiesta Continues!

First, a note of apology regarding some technical errors in my last post. Apparently when converting from the actual blog (http://cookwithcindy.com/) to the email some of my copy ran together. As I said before, I AM LEARNING!

Our South American feast continued with an Entrada (First Course) of Ceviche. The Incas preserved their fish with fruit juice, salt and chilli peppers. Later, the Spanish Conquistadors introduced lime juice and salt. This recipe from Ecuador is made with tomato sauce and I served it with home-made plantain chips in colorful champagne glasses.

CEVICHE DE LANGOSTINOS CON CHIFLES-ECUADORIAN SHRIMP CEVICHE WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND PLANTAIN CHIPS

Ceviche Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups small to medium shrimp
• 1/2 red onion
• Juice of 1 regular lime (or 4 small key limes)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 c. choclo or fresh corn kernels (I left these out...did not like the sound of it.)
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves

Preparation:

Cut the onion into the thinnest possible slices, slicing it with the cut side facing down so that the pieces are semicircular in shape.

Place the onion slices in a bowl of cold, salted water, and let soak for 20 minutes.

Cook the corn kernels in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water.

If the shrimp is not cooked, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the juice of 1 lime to the pot. Boil the shrimp for 1-2 minutes until just cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. De-vein the shrimp. Remove the tails and place shrimp in a bowl.

Drain onions and rinse with cold water. Add onions and corn to bowl with the shrimp.

Whisk together lime juice, orange juice, ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Toss with shrimp, corn and onions. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Chill shrimp until ready to serve. Toss shrimp with cilantro before serving and drizzle decorativley with ketchup if desired.

With no hot sauce or peppers, this ceviche is a bit sweet which makes a gentle way to start the main meal. And as with many dishes in this meal, gets better after it sits awile.

Chifles Ingredients:

• 2 green-yellow plantains
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut off both ends of the plantains and remove peel/skin. You may need to slice the peel open lengthwise with a knife. Work carefully because plantains can stain skin and clothes.

Slice plantains crosswise into very thin slices. It is fun to use a mandoline for this (thank you Robb!) but a sharp knife works, too.

Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot (about 360 degrees), fry several slices of plantain at a time until golden; 2-3 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt to taste.

Do you belive we are FINALLY ready for the PLATAS PRINCIPALES! This was the simplest to prepare of the entire South American feast!

CHICKEN BREAST IN CREAMY COCONUT SAUCE FROM COLUMBIA

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp. vinegar
• 3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 red bell peprper, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Ground black pepper
• 1 Package Sazon Goya seasoning (This ingredient is essential; found in most Latin sections of your super market.)
• 1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. flour

Preparation:

Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thinner pieces.

Toss the chicken with the oil and vinegar. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the garlic salt, cumin and ground black pepper. Let them marinate for about an hour; overnight if possible (making for another easy do-ahead!).

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, saute the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Do not overcook. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add chopped onion, red pepper and garlic to the skillet. Stir in Sazon Goya seasoning and saute veg until soft and fragrant.

Whisk flour into coconut milk, then add coconut milk to the skillet. Add the chicken breasts. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve warm over rice.

ARROZ CON COCO-COLUMBIAN COCONUT RICE

Ingredients:

• 1 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 cups rice
• 1/4 cup raisons
• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-2 tsp. sugar

Preparation:

Place coconut milk in a heavy pot and bring to a boil.

Simmer coconut milk until the liquid has evaporation and the coconut solids separate from the oil. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until coconut solids are dark golden brown.

Stir in the rice and raisons. Stir in the water, salt and sugar.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer rice covered for about 20-30 minutes or until rice is done. Turn off heat and let rice remain on stove for another 5-10 minutes covered.

Fluff rice and serve.

I molded the rice in custard cups and then unmolded on the plates.

GARLICKY COLLARD GREENS FROM BRAZIL

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. collard greens (2-3 big bunches)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Roll collard green leaves and slice them into thin strips (This technique is called chiffonade. It is easy and is often done when slicing basil or other leafy herbs or greens. Just roll up the leaf the long way as tight as you can and then slice across the leaf in thin strips.)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add collard greens and cook for 5 minutes until bright green. (Salting the water helps retain the bright green color.)

Remove from heat and drain. Set aside.

Heat Olive Oil and butter in a skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the greens and saute 3-4 minutes.

Season with salt/pepper to taste.

Optional: Saute some chopped bacon with the onion and garlic. (I did not use this option as I did not think bacon flavor would blend with the coconut. I did add some chopped tomato for both color and flavor. It worked well.)

As I mentioned before this dinner rolled out over several hours and several bottles of very fine wine. With the Bocaditos I served a red wine from Argentina and a red wine from Chile. The Argentinian wine is from the Argie Andes Vineyard made from the Bonarda grape which is a grape popular in Italy, but has become a favorite in Argentina for its full bodies, rich and complex flavors. The Chilean wine is from the Chocolan Vineyard made from the Carmenere grape. This was everyone's favorite of the evening! Chile is known for producing wine from this grape. It was very popular in Europe until the late 1800's when a bug (phylloxera) hit Bordeaux and completely wiped out this line. Carmenere resurfaced in Chile about 12 years ago after believing it was extinct because of the phylloxera epidemic. Chile had been growing it for years calling it a merlot grape. After extensive testing it was determined that it was not merlot, but carmenere. It is now known as the "Jurassic Park" grape, returned from extinction. Chile has not replanted this splendid vine in Europe and it is once again being produced in France.

Accompanying the Platas Principales we had a wine from Argentina. Torrontes is a grape native to Argentina and this one comes from the Cristobal Vineyard.

Postres was served with an Italian Moscato D'Asti from the Saracco Vineyard. Europe and South America share so much history, food, culture and wine that this Moscato was a fitting ending to our feast.

We also sipped Fress Cafe Molido Tipo Espresso from Venezuela with dessert.

PASTEL DE TRES LECHES

This version serves 10 generous portions.

For the cake:

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Milk syrup:

• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. dark Cuban rum

Garnishes:

Fresh whipped dream, cocoa powder, sliced fruit like mango or berries.

Preparation:

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter a 9x13" baking dish. Beat 3/4 cup sugar and the egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in the milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Clean beaters thoroughly. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the cream of tartar after 20 or so seconds. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites are glossing, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Pour this batter into the buttered baking dish. Bake the cake until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30-45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in baking dish. Pierce the cake all over with a fork. Take care as the cake is tender and can tear quite easily.

Milk syrup: Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, vanilla and rum ina mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Pour the syrup over the cake, spooning the overflow back on top until it is all absorbed. Let cake set for several hours or overnight. It gets more moist the longer it sets up. (I made this cake for my sons birthday one year and tried to travel with it right after baking and milking. What a dissaster....creamy cake all over the car!)

When ready to serve, cut and plate. Top with a big dollup of freshly whipped cream and any garnish you choose. I like it plain with just the whipped cream so as not to interfere with the totally creamy flavor of this most delicious Postres!

I hope you've enjoyed this meal as much as we all did. I am full just thinking about it all over again! Next week I'm going to tell you about my dear friend Aggie's favorite food-TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS!!!