FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES!

For Christmas Eve this year I put together a very non-traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. I apologize to all my traditional Italian friends who may cringe when they see the menu!

That's a little hard to read so I will go through each of the courses a few at a time. First, a little history on the tradition behind this Feast!

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is part of the Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration. It started in the southern part of Italy (Naples and Sicily). Christmas Eve is a vigil or fasting day, and the abundance of seafood reflects the tradition of abstinence from red meat until the actual feast of Christmas Day itself. We may not have eaten red meat, but there was not a lot of abstinence at our table either!

Clockwise from front: My husband Jerry, Steve V., Deb V., Moi, Dennis M., his wife Diana is snapping the photo.

These days, in America, the meal typically consists of seven different seafood dishes, although there is much lore and variation around the actual number of courses with different religious significance to each number. Many of the traditional dishes are not on my menu; like pupa (octopus), baccala (salt cod), fried eel, smelt, and scungilli (conch). In southern Italy the Feast is known simply as The Vigil (La Vigilia). This celebration commemorates the wait, the Viglia di Natale,  for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus. And in keeping with tradition our Feast did go on until midnight!

My good friend Debbie brought a fabulous shrimp starter accompanied by a delicious cabernet sauvignon from Nappa Valley, 'Educated Guess'. I will share the recipe with you in a future blog. It was a perfect way to start our festive celebration!

While her dish was heating, her husband Steve served as bar tender and fixed up some tasty cocktails.

 

Thanks Steve for a PERFECT martini!

Our first seated course (technically the second fishes dish) was a Crab Cake. I have made this recipe many times. What I love about it: all crab; very little bread. The recipe is from '21' Club in New York City. I have not eaten there, but would love to some day.

TRADITIONAL CRAB CAKES '21' CLUB

ON A BED OF MIXED GREENS WITH

CITRUS VINAIGRETTE AND

ROASTED RED PEPPER ROUMELADE

The chef at '21' Club uses a squeeze bottle to make the roasted red pepper squiggles, but I could not find my squeeze bottle so filled a zip lock baggie with the roumelade, snipped a corner of the bag, and squeezed the sauce out through it. My squiggles don't look very pretty, but it sure was good. This was my favorite course.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice (I used a green pepper to carry out the holiday theme.)
6 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded (Save these for grinding into bread crumbs.)
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over (I used the crab we bought right off the boat in Empalme, Mexico!)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I have never used this ingredient when I make crab cakes.)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I also add a 1/2 tsp. of Dijon-type mustard mixed in with the mayo.)
2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 jalapeno chili, or to taste (I used 1/2), seeded with white pith removed, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Preparation:
In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp. oil over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking. Saute bell peppers until softened. Cool peppers. In a food processor grind bread into fine crumbs.
In a bowl stir together bell peppers, crab, cilantro (if using), 1/4 cup mayonnaise (mustard, if using), Old Bay seasoning, jalapeno, garlic, 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs, black pepper and salt to taste. Chill 20 minutes.
With a 2 oz. ice cream scoop (or just use a large spoon or 1/4 cup measure to create equal sized cakes), scoop crab mixture into 8 portions and pat each into 3/4 inch thick cakes. Spread remaining bread crumbs on a sheet of wax paper and gently press each cake into them, turning it, to coat evenly. To help prevent crumbling during cooking, chill crab cakes, covered loosely at least hour and up to 1 day. I made the day ahead.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 12 inch skillet heat 1 Tbsp. oil over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking and saute half the crab cakes (you don't want to crowd them in the pan or they won't cook evenly) until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Turn crab cakes carefully and brown other sides. Transfer sauted crab cakes to a baking sheet. Add remaining Tbsp. oil to skillet and saute remaining crab cakes in same manner. On baking sheet, bake all crab cakes 5 minutes to heat through.

Serve with or without topping; with or without salad. Our beverage with this coarse was Enza Proseca/Veneto Doc; sparkling and refreshing with hints of pear and green apple, and light floral and citrus notes. Perfect with the crab!

Our third course was pan-seared New England Cod on a bed of wilted spinach, garlic and tomatoes. I am going to save this one for a future blog and move on to my second favorite course...This was actually our last menu item (prior to dessert that is!).

SCALLOPS ON A BED OF POLENTA

CROWNED WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS

The creation of this recipe is mine, but, I got the recipe for CREAMY BAKED PARMESAN POLENTA on line from the Real Simple site and just had a feeling the scallops would sit well on the polenta and be off-set by the sweet crunch of the pomegranate seeds. I just had a feeling the pomegranate seeds would offer a great "pop" and contrast to the creamy polenta and sublime scallops. Really pleased it all worked! This recipe worked well for this complicated meal as I also was able to prepare the polenta to stage of baking the day before and bake directly before serving night of the party. I also seeded the pomegranate the day prior to the Feast. One pomegranate provides many seeds! Who knew?!? The seeds kept well in a zip lock baggie in the fridge for a little more than a week. Use them on salads, in sandwiches for an extra crunch or top chicken, pork or other seafood with these beautiful, red seeds!

Jerry is pulling apart the pomegranate to remove seeds.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup Polenta (not instant or quick-cooking. I used Golden Pheasant brand.)
4 Tbsp. butter
3 large eggs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees if you are baking right away. If not, wait until ready to bake.
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large saucepan bring 6 cups water and 2 tsp. salt to boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until polenta is very thick; 10-15 minutes.
Remove form heat and whisk in the butter, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Add salt/pepper as needed. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Either bake until top is set and golden (30-35 minutes) or cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to bake. Bring to room temperature before baking. Once baked, let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Diana helping to plate and serve the scallops.

To sear scallops: Heat a large frying pan on high heat with 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Get it to the smoking point. Dry scallops completely with a paper towel. Salt both sides of scallops liberally. Place scallops in pan (do not crowd) and sear on high heat for about 2 minutes; turn over and sear the other side. The cooking time depends on the size of your scallop. Touch them with your finger. The texture should be supple, but not soft.
To plate: Place a scoop of polenta on each plate. Top with 2 scallops and generous amount of pomegranate seeds. Serve. The scallops were served with Poderi di Carlo, Primosic, a very well-balanced white wine from Northern Italy-Fruila-Venezia Ciulla region.

I had SO much help prepping, cooking, and serving this Feast from my husband the day before and from all my guests that evening! It was truly a group effort and one of the most fun meals I can remember. More recipes to come soon!

Dennis, Jerry, Deb, me, Diana, and Steve...post Feast...rubbing our bellies.
JoJo even looks full! Thank you all for making this evening so much fun!

The beauty of this meal is you can serve any one of these dishes as an entrée or mix and match different courses. Next time I will share the Calamari in housemade red sauce with home made French Bread; Pesce Spada--one of Lydia Bastianch's famous Sicilian swordfish dishes, and our intermezzo course--Sicilian Lemon Granita.

The final Feast blog will include the two fabulous dishes from our guests-Deb's shrimp starter and Dennis's Cedar Planked Alaskan wild-caught Sockeye Salmon. Each course was served with (at least) one wine so we will also discuss those pairings. Oh, and of course, we don't want to forget the dessert: Rum Cake with home made rum raison ice cream!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FILLED WITH

MANY OF YOUR OWN FABULOUS FEASTS!

Jerry got the award for most colorful shirt!

Please join me again soon for another episode of:

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MAC 'N CHEESE MEXICANO

My good friend Leslie recently visited from Tucson with her 3 adorable schnauzers to make this delicious Mac 'N Cheese dish with me. The recipe is from Pati's Mexican Table, which I am not familiar with, but it sure was fabulous! I think I need to tune into her program on The Food Network!

Here is Leslie putting the Mac and Cheese together-ready for baking!

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne or elbow shaped pasta (Leslie was in Italy earlier this year and bought this pasta which is what we used.)

3 large poblano chiles (The recipe calls for just rinsing, stemming, seeding and cutting into chunks, but we decided to roast them.)


I am peeling and seeding the roasted poblanos. We actually used 4 peppers. Your whole house will smell wonderful! The first night I met my husband I was roasting peppers and I think that is why he fell in love with me!

3 cups milk
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the dish
6 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. kosher or coarse sea salt (+ or - to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups Monterey Jack (or Mozzarella) plus 1 cup for topping (We used Monterey Jack.)
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesana Reggiano plus 1/2 cup for topping (Here we used the Pecorino Romano; Leslie hand-grated!)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, shaved from the cob or frozen
1/2 pound zucchini (about 2 medium); chopped
6 slices bacon, fried and cut into chunks
1/4 tsp. kosher or coarse sea salt



Preparation:
Bring salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente; about 8-10 minutes. Drain.
In the jar of a blender, puree the poblano chiles and milk until completely smooth. Strain into a bowl, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to make sure you get mostly liquid.
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Once it has melted and begins to bubble, add the flour. Cook, stirring continuously for about 5-8 minutes to make a roux. Pour the poblano chile mixture into the roux, stirring as you do. Add salt and freshly ground pepper and cook until the sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 3 cups Monterey Jack and 1 cup Pecorino Romano, mix well, remove from heat and stir until well combined.

In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until completely soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the corn and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the zucchini, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, mix well and set aside. You don't need to cook the zucchini as it will get plenty done in the oven.

 

 

In the large pot where pasta was cooked, add the drained pasta, poblano chile sauce and sautéed vegetables, gently toss to mix. Add the fried bacon.

Pour into buttered baking dish, top with remaining grated cheese and place in the oven until the top layer of cheese has melted and begun to crisp along the edges, about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Gracie and Leslie enjoying a well-deserved glass of vino after that delicious meal!

The next morning, I added 6 eggs to the leftovers and made a fabulous Mac N' Cheese Mexicano omelette.

Christmas is a little more than 2 weeks away! Last time I told you about a Bourbon Infused Chicken Liver Pate with Cranberry Gelee that I made for Thanksgiving. It was fairly simple to put together and was a big hit. I think it would be a wonderful addition to your Christmas dinner, as well! Here are a couple of shots as I was making it.

It's hard to make liver look pretty, but here it is coming out of the food processor and getting pressed through a fine sieve. This step is important for getting a perfectly creamy consistency.

Adding 2 ounces of bourbon.

 

Flaming bourbon!

Pate in its mold to chill overnight before topping with Cranberry Gelee.

Here's the Pate plated and ready to serve.
 

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY,

JOYOUS, AND BLESSED HOLIDAY SEASON!

 

TUNE IN AGAIN SOON FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF:

 

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And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

BOURBON INFUSED CHICKEN LIVER PATE WITH CRANBERRY GELEE

This is the first year ever in my adult life that I have not cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner. It already seems a little odd, but I know my husband and I will have a wonderful celebration with good friends and neighbors. I am grateful for the love all around me and am blessed to be surrounded by such beautiful people.

I am going to bring an appetizer and a turkey roulade to our neighbors who have graciously asked us to join their 20+ member family dinner! First, the appetizer...

I love chicken liver pate and double checked with Brian and Lori to make sure their family feels the same way. I found this recipe online and because I am making it for the first time will follow to the letter. It looks gorgeous!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/11/chicken-liver-pate-bourbon-cranberry-recipe.html

In case you don't want to go to the Serious Eats site (which I am not familiar with), here is the recipe:

BOURBON INFUSED CHICKEN LIVER PATE

WITH CRANBERRY GELEE

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken livers, trimmed of sinew and fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 shallots, minced
1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
2 oz. bourbon or whiskey
2 oz. apple cider
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
If using sweetened cranberry juice, omit the sugar.

Preparation:
Pat livers dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet until smoking. Cook half of the livers, turning, until browned on both sides and pink in the middle, about 4 minutes. Transfer livers to the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 more Tbsp. oil to the skillet, heat until smoking and cook the second half of the livers.
Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to skillet, add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Add bourbon and cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan until almost evaporated or flame the bourbon to cook off the alcohol (that's what I plan to do!). Add cider and cook until slightly reduced. Scrape shallots and any remaining liquid into food processor bowl with the livers.
Add butter and process, stopping to scrape down sides, until a smooth pure forms. (The recipe does not say this, but have your butter at room temperature before adding to the food processor. It will blend much easier.)
Set a fine mesh strainer/sieve over a large mixing bowl and, using a wooden spoon or ladle, press and plunge liver through it. Season liver pure with salt and pepper and scrape into a large ramekin or terrine (I just bought a pate mold special for this occasion!). Tap the container against the counter to remove air pockets. Smooth surface, then press plastic wrap directly against surface and chill in refrigerator until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

To make the Cranberry Gelee:
In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin on top of cranberry juice and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer cranberry juice and gelatin to a small saucepan and stir in sugar (if using. It's simpler to just use regular sweetened cranberry juice). Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and juice is simmering. Remove from heat and let cool. Gently pour cooled cranberry juice on top of pate. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until cranberry sets, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Pate can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before serving.


Here is the roulade (boneless stuffed turkey breast) I am bringing which I generally make every year along with the full, big bone-in bird. Go to link below for complete recipe.

http://cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/2012/11/cranberry-ginger-sauce-and-more-turkey.html

And finally, recently I was asked if I have a good pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Here is one I made for my family Thanksgiving dinner a couple years ago. I served it with pumpkin ice cream, which made for a fabulous combo. The ice cream is not made from 'scratch' so really simple and easy to put together. Here is the link. Scroll down as the desserts are at the end of the blog.
http://www.cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/2013/12/turkey-tales.html
We are sharing Thanksgiving dessert with some of my favorite golf ladies and their families. I will bring the pumpkin ice cream to them!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, bountiful holiday
filled with good food and lots of love!
 

And thanking you all for  tuning in to another episode of
Cook with Cindy. We just exceeded 15,000 views.
I am grateful to all of you for sharing my love of cooking.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

www.cookwithcindy.com

Here's my Dad in his easy chair after a huge feast--Thanksgiving 2013.

SAUSAGE PARTY!

I have wanted to make sausage at home for a long time. Falls into my category of wanting to make cheese, which I just did, ice cream, which I now make regularly, and pasta, which has become one of my favorite homemade treats. Last spring, March to be exact, I met with some good friends for a sausage making party. None of us had made it before, but among us we figured it out and had a blast doing it. What a fun and festive evening resulting in two beautiful sausages: Traditional Italian, and a gorgeous Chicken Sausage with Poblano Peppers and Cilantro. I made the Italian and think it came out pretty good for a first attempt, but was a little salty.

I did extensive reading on sausage making before attempting and one of the things that I read again and again was salt to meat ratio has to be EXACT in order for the meat to bind. Not sure that is completely true and next time will use less.

HOME MADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Ingredients:
1 4 lb. skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt) cut into 1-2" pieces (I couldn't get a boneless shoulder so used a bone-in. Since you're cutting it apart, it doesn't really matter and this way you have the benefit of the bone for soup.)
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Morton coarse Kosher salt (too much; next time I would use 1 1/2 Tbsp. salt)
1 Tbsp. toasted fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. freshly grated black pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flake
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. Italian blended spice
3 tsp. freshly grated garlic
3 Tbsp. red wine

Here I am with my 4 lb. Boston Butt!! ;-0 Glad you're seeing this view!

Cleaning silver skin, tendons, and anything else that looks tough and nasty is important
even if you are grinding the meat.

Preparation:
Chill all grinder parts, including die with 1/4" holes, in freezer until very cold, about 1 hour. Chill a large stainless steel bowl in refrigerator until cold. Place pork in a single layer on 2 plastic wrap-lined baking sheets; cover and freeze until meat is very firm, but not frozen, about 1 hour.

I followed these steps closely as I thought it might influence texture.

Combine salt, fennel seeds, black pepper, white pepper, Italian spices, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl, set aside.

Grind pork on high speed, 3-4 pieces at a time, into chilled bowl (keep second baking sheet in freezer until ready to use.).

Tony and Griff are pretty pleased their sausage is ready to grind!

If grinder clogs, clean die and cutter before continuing. We had no problem here.

Add garlic and mix gently with your hands just to begin to distribute, about 20 seconds. Sprinkle reserved spice mixture evenly over pork and knead, rotating bowl, until spice mixture is evenly distributed and a light film forms on the side of the bowl, about 1 minute.

Add wine; knead until mixture holds together and is very stiff (it will spring back when pressed), about 1 minute. Do not over-mix or sausage will be crumbly.

Sausage Making Supporters Carrie and Anabel who kept wine glasses filled and offered so much encouragement!

Form 1/4 cup sausage mixture into a 3" diameter patty; press into your palm. Extend your hand with meat, palm facing down. If meat sticks for at least 5 seconds, it is sufficiently mixed. If not, continue to knead in 15 second intervals until it passes the palm test. (This sounds so complicated, but it really is not at all. I believe there is much latitude in making sausage, with the most important ingredients being FUN and LOVE!).

Place casings in a large bowl under cold running water and let sit, allowing water to overflow and flushing water through casings (take care not to tangle) until softened, about 2 minutes. Slide 1 casing onto stuffer nozzle, leaving a 6" overhand (do not tie).

If casing is too long or tangles, cut in half and work with 1 piece at a time. I bought these casings online and they worked beautifully!

Carrie and sausage supporter Diana who quickly decides to get her hands into it!

As Diana stuffs,  Tony receives the filled casings.

Pack a handful of sausage mixture very lightly into stuffer. Working with a partner and with stuffer on high speed, use plunger (or your hands) to push meat through, gradually filling casing; gently slide filled casing off nozzle onto a baking sheet as you go (or in our case, the counter!).

Fill casing firmly, but do not overstuff (mixture will tighten when links are twisted, and overfilled casing will burst when cooked). As casing fills, lightly prick air bubbles (about 3 pricks per sausage--this helps prevent bursting) with sausage pricker. Leave at least 6" of empty casing at the end. Repeat with remaining casing and sausage mixture.

Griff and me tying off the sausage links.

I looked everywhere, including online, for the perfect sausage pricker, but could not find one so we

ended up using a toothpick, which worked perfectly. The tool I am looking for has a knife on one end

to cut the sausage once tied, and a two-pronged pricker on the other end.

Tie off 1 end of casing, making a knot flush with meat. Starting 6" from knot, pinch off a 6" length, squeezing on both sides (this part was really fun!). Twist link toward you 2 rotations. Staring 6" from link, pinch off another 6" length, squeezing on both sides, and twist link away from you 2 rotations. Repeat, alternating direction of twists, until you can't make another 6" sausage. The recipe called for squeezing out extra meat; we just made a mini sausage; and tied off the final casing.

 

The recipe also calls for arranging links on a parchment lined baking sheet and chilling, uncovered, to dry out casings at least 12 hours. We skipped that step, as at this point we were very hungry so went right to grilling after maybe a 30 minute rest on a platter!

 

Chef Tony did a fabulous job grilling both sausages...and none of our sausages burst so I guess we pricked correctly.

 

To learn a lot more about making sausage than I know, check out this fantastic book!

 I have so much to learn about making sausage, but what a fun and wonderful first experience with dear friends who made it a delightful experience! Thank you Dennis, Diana, Anabel, Griff and Tony and Carrie for hosting our first sausage making party. Let's hope it's the beginning of many more cooking adventures. The next sausage recipe I want to try is a goat sausage made with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, charred green onions and I would add some of my friend Anastasia's beautiful fresh goat cheese. How yummy does that sound?!?

 

My husband's birthday is less than a week away and, as usual I am spoiling him with food. Last night we had grilled filet mignon wrapped in Hempler's all natural bacon topped with a garlic and smoked salt compound butter served with steamed asparagus. Lobster Pasta and Osso Buco coming next! Lots of other goodies planned. His request this year for cake is a Blueberry Pie so you will get that recipe soon.

 

We consider his birthday the kick-off of holiday season so Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I am going to give you a quick idea next week for a fun and different appetizer--Bourbon Infused Chicken Liver Pate with Cranberry Gelee. How perfect for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time ever in my adult life that I have not cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner. It will be different, but I am sure I will find love and joy in every moment.

 

Until next time, continue experimenting and creating

your own delicious meals!

 

www.cookwithcindy.com

 

So proud of the first ones coming out!

 Here are a few more shots from our Sausage Making Party!

Grif grinding chicken for his southwestern sausage!

 

Me assisting.



Checking meat temp at all times through the process is very important.

JUST HAVE FUN IN THE KITCHEN!

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