We had a wonderful FOOD weekend starting with Two Soup Thursday and my first blogging attempt. On Friday, a group of my girlfriends came over for a Pampered Chef/Girls Night In. (BTW - if anyone would like to order products, you can order online here.) Last night, we had a spontaneous get together to enjoy some traditional comida venezolana. Our friend Z & N brought over a mondongo soup & all the ingredients for her (orgasmic!) arepas. ¡Delicioso! The night lasted long into the AM, as is la costumbre for all our fiestas latinas. Recovering from last night, we've had multiple cups of fresh ground Mexican coffee on this lazy morning & afternooon. It's just started snowing after a few days of thaw & sun, so it's a perfect day to stay inside to watch HGTV and procrastinate grading papers. I'm thankful for my trip to Joe's Produce this weekend for pastries and sandwich fixings - we had simple rare roast beef & provolone on onion rolls w/ a horseradish sauce for lunch and I'm eyeing the leftover apple pie for dessert.
P.S. One of my colombian friends recommended a new channel called Ultilísima - think Martha Stewart meets HGTV meets Food Network en español! They have a whole link of just their recipes from all over Latin America - can't wait to discover new combinations.
domingo, 20 de febrero de 2011
jueves, 17 de febrero de 2011
Find the (Celery) Root Soup
Hoy Se Habla Soup!
My inspiration for Find the (Celery) Root Soup came from a number of sources.
celery root instead of potato
recipes & tips for celery root
My variation for Find the Root Soup:
Ingredients:
Fry bacon until crisp (you can leave it in or save it to garnish or ½ & ½) add onion & then garlic - sauteed until transparent, add the peeled & chopped celery root. Mix until bacon/onion/garlic flavors have mingled w/ veggies, add salt. Cover w/ water or any broth & bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until all veggies are mashable & most water is gone (careful not to let burn- add liquid as needed ). I used a stainless steel pot so I could use my mixer right in the soup (the celery root was still pretty hard to blend. It’s a little chunky, for a smoother soup put the room temperature blend in a food processor.). I then added whole milk (about a cup?) and then dumped in about 3 Tb. of (onion & chives) cream cheese. Since I didn’t use any spices, it was a little bland. I think it would’ve probably blended well with nutmeg, but I was more in the mood for salty - so that’s when I add the just a bit of a horseradish sauce I had & some parmesan cheese & blended some more. It ended up the consistency of mashed potatoes rather than a creamy soup, it could've used a little more water/broth probably. I served it with a another sprinkle of cheese too.
P.S. The boys LOVED it!
My inspiration for Find the (Celery) Root Soup came from a number of sources.
celery root instead of potato
recipes & tips for celery root
My variation for Find the Root Soup:
Ingredients:
- (+-) ½ cup of chopped bacon
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 3 Tb. chopped garlic
- Celery Root
- Whole cauliflower
- (a very small) Acorn squash
- Water or broth
- Milk & cream cheese &/or Heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- a little horseradish
Fry bacon until crisp (you can leave it in or save it to garnish or ½ & ½) add onion & then garlic - sauteed until transparent, add the peeled & chopped celery root. Mix until bacon/onion/garlic flavors have mingled w/ veggies, add salt. Cover w/ water or any broth & bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until all veggies are mashable & most water is gone (careful not to let burn- add liquid as needed ). I used a stainless steel pot so I could use my mixer right in the soup (the celery root was still pretty hard to blend. It’s a little chunky, for a smoother soup put the room temperature blend in a food processor.). I then added whole milk (about a cup?) and then dumped in about 3 Tb. of (onion & chives) cream cheese. Since I didn’t use any spices, it was a little bland. I think it would’ve probably blended well with nutmeg, but I was more in the mood for salty - so that’s when I add the just a bit of a horseradish sauce I had & some parmesan cheese & blended some more. It ended up the consistency of mashed potatoes rather than a creamy soup, it could've used a little more water/broth probably. I served it with a another sprinkle of cheese too.
P.S. The boys LOVED it!
Leave It In Carrot & Celery Soup
Hoy Se Habla SOUP!
First, I need to preface this with a disclaimer that I NEVER measure anything when I’m cooking. (This is why I’m not very good at baking!) So all my ingredients/portions can ALWAYS be substituted / added / subtracted for convenience or personal preference/taste!
My inspiration for Leave It In Carrot & Celery Soup came from these sites:
First, I need to preface this with a disclaimer that I NEVER measure anything when I’m cooking. (This is why I’m not very good at baking!) So all my ingredients/portions can ALWAYS be substituted / added / subtracted for convenience or personal preference/taste!
My inspiration for Leave It In Carrot & Celery Soup came from these sites:
carrot top tips - HUGE BENEFITS!
carrot top soup w/ celery & fennel
My variation of Leave It In:
Ingredients:
I didn’t have and don’t even know what green garlic is, so I used what I had: some green onion & regular garlic. I put the carrot top & celery leaves in the food processor first to finely chop them, then I changed the blade to slice the carrots & celery. (could be chopped by hand) I put a big dollop of butter & the whole mixture in a stockpot. I used about 6 sprinkles/dashes (a little too much) of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute instead of just the thyme and about 2 Tb. of salt. I sauteed everything for a few minutes until everything was heated & smelling delicious. I had 1 L (4 cups) of boxed chicken broth & then added another 4 cups of water to fill the pot. I wish I had doubled or tripled the brown rice. Since you make it on the side & then add it, make a big batch to use for the soup & another meal. I’m going to serve it w/ a dollop of sour cream (everything tastes better with sour cream)!
carrot top soup w/ celery & fennel
My variation of Leave It In:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Brown rice + 1½ cups of water + pad of butter
- 1 bunch (5) Whole carrots w/ tops - chopped
- 5 Green onions
- Garlic (about 2 Tb.)
- 1 bunch of celery including leaves - chopped
- Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute to taste (about 4-5 sprinkles/dashes)
- +/- 2 Tb. salt
- +/- 3 Tb. of butter (substitute any other oil or even bacon)
- 6-8 cups of broth or water (depending on flavor & consistency)
- Serve w/ a dollop of sour cream
I didn’t have and don’t even know what green garlic is, so I used what I had: some green onion & regular garlic. I put the carrot top & celery leaves in the food processor first to finely chop them, then I changed the blade to slice the carrots & celery. (could be chopped by hand) I put a big dollop of butter & the whole mixture in a stockpot. I used about 6 sprinkles/dashes (a little too much) of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute instead of just the thyme and about 2 Tb. of salt. I sauteed everything for a few minutes until everything was heated & smelling delicious. I had 1 L (4 cups) of boxed chicken broth & then added another 4 cups of water to fill the pot. I wish I had doubled or tripled the brown rice. Since you make it on the side & then add it, make a big batch to use for the soup & another meal. I’m going to serve it w/ a dollop of sour cream (everything tastes better with sour cream)!
HOY SE HABLA SOUP!
Today, I made soup. Two soups actually.
I made a soup that I am calling Leave it In because I used a bunch of carrots (5) w/ the tops & a bunch of celery including all the leaves & whole grain brown rice.
The second soup I'm calling Find the Root, which ended up being a creamy, blended soup made with celery root, acorn squash, and a whole cauliflower. I didn't have any heavy whipping cream, so I added whole milk, some leftover onion & chive cream cheese and some parmesan cheese (the final & best ingredient!).
I rarely buy ingredients on purpose to make a specific soup. Instead, I love to clean out my fridge, pantry, freezer, look for inspiration online or in my cookbooks and then invent my own. Other than a few staple soups, to be shared later, I frequently just throw a bunch of ingredients together and see what happens. Today was one of those days. Sometimes they turn out amazing and sometimes they are just good, but I've never had a soup come out bad (did I just jinx myself?) So here's the rule of thumb for a delicious soup: you need fat & flavor (i.e., bacon & salt) + any vegetable &/or meat.
I have just received my 3rd weekly box from Door to Door Organics and although I was able to substitute a number of things for staples I needed, I ended up ordering a few things with which I don't usually cook: brown rice (something I love, but I can't convince my family to eat), a bunch of organic carrots with tops (we are a baby carrot family), a very small acorn squash (not big enough for even a one person portion), and a celery root (seriously, the ugliest vegetable I've ever seen!). So I googled for inspiration:
Here is what I ended up with:
Soup Recipe: Leave it In
Soup Recipe: Find the Root
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