SOUP DAYS ARE HERE TO STAY

The cold weather is still hitting New York. We are hit by storm after storm after storm. Judging from what I see on TV, we are not alone in this, it's all over the country even in places who never had winter before, let alone snow and ice. In these conditions, I don't cook anymore. The only thing I do when I go into the kitchen is look at what I have at hand and think of how to make soup out of it. Yes, I use what I have around, because I've limited my outings to the minimum. The only shopping I did, was for small pasta to add to my soups. 
I had some home made veal stock in my freezer, so I added some veggies to it, the simple frozen mixed vegetables that you get from any supermarket, and voila I had vegetable soup. Knowing that it was all home made, my husband had some of it. He liked it. So I got encouraged and kept making soup.

NON DAIRY CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP
                                                  

When I was checking my refrigerator two days ago, I found a couple of very ripe tomatoes and half a container of grape tomatoes that was sitting there for a week or so. It didn't go bad, but if left for a longer period I think it may have. So now I have too many ripe tomatoes on my hands, what can I do with them? The answer was obvious: I'll make soup. I thought of making a cream of tomato, but because I wanted to give some of it to a friend that doesn't eat milk, I had to think of a way of making it without cream or milk. That was easy. You'll need:

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes
About 2 cups grape tomatoes
1 (14.5 Oz ) can diced tomatoes with juices
3 celery stalks
2 to 3 scallions, chopped white part and some green
5 or 6 baby carrots, chopped
2 small potatoes or 1 cup flakes

Chop all the ingredients and transfer them to a large pot. Barely cover them with water and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. When the vegetables are tender, remove from heat and let stand until cooled. 
Working in batches, beat the vegetables in a blender until smooth. Rinse and dry the pot, and return the blended veggies to it. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. If you are using the potato flakes add them now to the soup. You can also add a cube of vegetable stock or some granules. Adjust seasoning. Serve with some toasted bread on the side.
You may add a dollop of sour cream on top of you bowl if you want, and sprinkle with some chopped parsley, chives or cilantro. I had mine simple, just with some crackers.

ANOTHER TEA PARTY, II

EASY SALSA WITH AVOCADO
                                                     

Instead of a regular salad I opted for salsa. I thought it was better than the regular mixed salad, mainly because of the fine chopped vegetables and the fact that I can serve it with some store bought scoop chips. It is very refreshing, and your guests can scoop it with the chips as a dip.

It was a big success and everybody asked for the recipe. You'll need:

5 medium firm tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 chopped green bell pepper

2 tbsp diced red onion

1/2 cup minced cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp each cumin and salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 avocados, ripe, but firm

To seed the tomato, simply chop off the top, where it has the green vine, and apply a little pressure on the tomato to push the seeds out. Start chopping from the top. If you find some more seeds in the lower part, press again to push them out and continue chopping. I usually peel the bell pepper with a vegetable peeler to remove the fine transparent film or skin. This is what make bell pepper hard to digest for some people, including me. Chop the pepper the same size as the tomato. As  for the onion, I usually let the red onion sit in some hot water for a few minutes before chopping it. Why? I discovered that some red onions are very strong, and that when "rinsed" in hot water for a couple of minutes, they become sweeter and lose the strong flavor, the pinch that sometimes can ruin your dish, especially if it is a raw sauce. Also instead of chopping by hand, I pulverize the onion in my little chop-chop, so that nobody gets a big chunk of onion under his tooth. 

Mix all the ingredients, except the avocado, in a bowl, cover it with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, add the avocado. Cut the avocado in half, with a knife trace 4 to 5 lines in two directions to form small squares, and then scoop with a spoon into the salsa bowl. Mix and serve. I put the bowl on a large platter and added the corn scoops on the side.

The recipe for the LENTIL DIP is on a previous blog (By special request on 9/19/12). Today I didn't add the chopped egg on top because of the vegetarian restrictions.

                                         

For the smoked salmon simply arrange the slices on a platter. I rolled the slices and arranged them in a fan pattern and added some black olives for color. 

Do the same for the beef slices.

                                               

ANOTHER TEA PARTY

Considering the success of my new formula of having friends for the "five o'clock tea" , I gathered some friends this week end in the honor of some visiting colleagues. The success of the formula comes from a delicate balance between the different items of your menu: you can have some store bought, and others, the easy and fresh one prepared at home, preferably the night before. This time I tried something new, since I had some vegetarians in the group. I mainly decided to make a lot of salads: salsa, three beans and lentils. I opted for an easy pasta dish, and a baked chicken dish. I ordered a platter of beef and spinach empanadas from a store close to home, where two sisters from Latin America make them from scratch. I also prepared one platter of smoked salmon, with cream cheese, capers, chopped onion and toast on the side, and another platter of " viande séchée", Italian dried beef slices, that you can buy from specialty stores, actually I got mine at Costco. For dessert it was strawberry mousse, home made, and a chocolate mousse cake, store bought, don't be greedy!
                                                   

SHRIMP AND BEANS SALAD
                                            

You may find a similar recipe to this one on an earlier blog. In fact, the idea of this salad is very simple: just combine three kinds of beans with fresh ingredients and add, or not, some shrimp. Why not? Because I was not sure that my vegetarian guests would eat shrimp, so after making the salad, I kept some on the side before adding the shrimp. You'll need:

1 can each: chick peas, black beans and white beans,

1/2 can of corn, drained

1/4 red onion, very finely chopped

2 celery sprigs, finely chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice, or to taste
1 bag (about 2 lb) cooked shrimp, medium, 31-34 count

1 to 2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Drain, rinse and drain the beans and transfer them into a bowl. Add the celery, onion, cilantro, lemon juice and spices. Mix, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the tails of the shrimp, and make sure that it is well drained. Transfer to another bowl and sprinkle with some lemon juice and cumin. Just before serving, divide the shrimp in two parts. Mix the first part with the salad. Arrange shrimp around the edge of the serving platter, then fill the platter with the salad. Arrange some shrimp on the top, and add some green leaves, cilantro or mint, on top as garnish.

COOKED ANGEL HAIR PASTA
                                    

This is a very easy pasta dish to make and it is really a crowd pleaser. You really don't need a recipe for it, it all depends on the amount you need to make, and your preferences. It is basically angel hair pasta, with some onion and carrots. It takes minutes to make, so plan accordingly: if your guests are supposed to come at 5 pm, you can make it after everything is ready, about 4 or 4:15. Keep it in the pan until ready to serve. It will not need reheating and will be as delicious at room temperature as hot from the stove. You'll need:

2 packages of angel hair pasta, I used 2 each 8.8 oz, and it was a bit too much
1/2 medium onion
1 large carrot or about 7 or 8 baby carrots
Chicken or vegetable stock, or granules
1 to 2 tbsp canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In the food processor pulverize the onion, then the carrots and transfer to a large non stick skillet. Add 1 tbsp oil and cook on medium heat until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then add the pasta, with an additional tbsp of oil, and cook stirring frequently to get an even color. Make sure that you stir the pasta from the bottom and sides of the pan so that part of it doesn't get burned. When the pasta is golden brown, add liquid to barely cover it. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. When the liquid is all absorbed, reduce heat, add some more liquid and stir. Cover and let cook. Check on the pasta after a couple of minutes, if it is not done add some more liquid, stir and adjust the seasoning if need be. When all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta done, not al dente, turn off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve. You can top the pasta dish with some toasted almonds and pine nuts.


                                            

THE LAST OF THE FESTIVITIES

Holidays are over, no more dinners or parties, but wait, don't put away the good china yet. We still have some more festivities to go through. Yes, we had many friends in town who decided to stay for a couple more days, and after being together in fancy dinners and restaurants, I decided to gather everybody at my place for one last party. I thought of a new formula for this gathering, something that would keep us all together drinking, eating and enjoying the company. Instead of the usual dinner, seated or otherwise, I thought of having everybody for tea at 5 in the afternoon. This way, people can wake up at their leisure, do whatever they have to do, have a light lunch, or nothing at all, if they woke up late as I did, then come for drinks and food, and go home at a decent time to get ready for the week. For me it was a snap: I had the cleaning lady the day before, so the house was clean and ready for guests. I prepared most of the things that evening, and left only some touch ups for Sunday. This formula allowed us to stay all together in one room, no going back and forth to the kitchen, and cleaning after they left was easy. The success of this new formula encouraged me to organize another one next Sunday in honor of a group of friends who are in town for the week. Hope the weather cooperates!

                                                

EASY MEAT BALLS

                                          

If I decided to have friends over for tea or drinks, please don't take that as just serving some store bought chips and dips. No, I actually served something ready (baked hors d'oeuvre), but with it I had a full menu all home made. Also, home made doesn't necessarily mean you have to slave over what you are serving and spend long hours in the kitchen. It's easy to find the right balance between easy and elegant. So these meatballs are the perfect idea for this menu. You'll need:

3 lbs ground beef

1 bunch each: parsley and dill

1 medium onion

3 to 4 garlic cloves

1 to 2 eggs

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor mince the onion and garlic. Chop the parsley and dill and add them to the food processor and pulse until you get a smooth mixture where you can't see the leaves of the herbs anymore. In a large bowl mix the ground beef with all the ingredients and the herbs until well combined. Don't work it too much or the patties will become tough. You will have to work them when you start forming the meat balls. Let stand for 30 minutes, then start forming the patties. Take about 1/3 cup in one hand, gently press your fingers over it, transfer it to the other hand to form a rather thick finger, then pat it down and shape it in an oval form. Keep the meat patties in a plastic container in the refrigerator. The next day, preheat the oven to 375, arrange the patties on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven undisturbed for about 15 to 20 minutes until the top is browned, and some juices are rendered in the pan. Turn the patties and give them another 7 to 10 minutes and remove them from the oven and let them cool before you transfer them to the serving dish.

CHICKEN KEBAB

                                                      

That's another easy dish that people will think you've spent a whole day preparing, while it only took 30 minutes or so. The special marinade with an Indian twist gives it an extra flavor, a kick, that makes it different from any other chicken dish you can serve. It can be made with breast or thighs. I made both, knowing that some people prefer breast or dark meat. I have to confess that I made a boo boo while preparing it, but, was lucky enough to correct it before it was too late. What was that? Well I mixed all the chicken pieces together before putting them in the skewers, so it took me longer to separate them. To avoid this, marinate the chicken pieces separately. Also I made a lot, it was helpful because the children came the next day and found something nice to eat, and I took some of it to work for lunch. You can halve or double the recipe easily. You'll need:

4 half chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, fat trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp garam masala (Indian spices), or more to taste

1 tsp curry powder

About 2 cups plain yogurt

Salt to taste 

In a glass bowl mix all the ingredients together. Let stand for 30 minutes, then start putting 3 to 4 pieces in bamboo skewers that were previously soaked in hot water. Arrange the skewers in a rectangular dish, deep enough to hold the whole quantity you're making. Cover with plastic or aluminum foil and refrigerate until the next day. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and cook until one side is browned, then turn once, and let cook until done. Let cool, then arrange on the serving dish. The chicken kebab can be served at room temperature. 

COUSCOUS AND SHRIMP SALAD

                                      

                                                   

Another easy dish you can make ahead and get a lot of praise for it. Actually this dish was the star of the party, everybody liked it and asked for the recipe. It can be prepared a day ahead, or the same day. You can use cooked shrimp or cook the shrimp yourself. This time I made it in the morning and used cooked shrimp. It actually doesn't need a recipe. All you have to do is cook the couscous according to the package directions, chop some lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion and cherry or grape tomatoes, toss everything with the shrimp and your favorite dressing. Go for a simple vinaigrette, or add a tsp or two of mustard. Just let it marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or two so that the flavors can combine together. How easy is that? As usual, I made the couscous just with the boiled water, no butter added.

I also served some ready hors d'oeuvre that you can buy frozen and bake while you have the oven on, and on the side a cilantro pesto made of cilantro, red onion, garlic, lemon juice and oil, all finely chopped and to taste, and my special sauce (7/15/12) with mustard, capers and dill.

FREEZING AGAIN? SOUP IS THE SOLUTION

Here we go again. We barely stopped complaining about the heat, that we start again complaining about how cold it is. But this year, it is really really cold. And for me to say that, it means that everybody else is already freezing! Today in the North East, we are going through the third snow storm in a row, and weather predictions are not very encouraging. 

To make you feel better I'll start by posting a recent picture of my famous lentil soup. It was in one of my very first blogs. This is the only soup that my husband eats and what we ate for two days last week. 

           

CAULIFLOWER CREAMY SOUP

This turned out to be a very easy soup to make: it took only minutes. It just needs the time for the veggies to cook, and it's about ten minutes. Preparation is very easy too. I had a head of cauliflower and with the cold weather I thought of using it in a soup. I was not very sure about the result mainly because I never had it before and also because usually boiling cauliflower gives the whole house a certain smell. I looked into some recipes and found that all of them use a lot of butter to have the creamy texture. But butter is not an option for me, especially that I intended to use half and half in my soup. So I went for my obvious solution: add some potatoes. It will make it creamy enough and eventually absorb and offset any odor we might get from the cauliflower. Of course I could not rely on my husband to tell me if it was good or not, but fortunately while making it, the grandchildren came with some of their friends. I offered them some soup. At first they hesitated, but one of them, just to be nice to me, accepted to have a taste. That was all it took. They all loved it and I packed some for their mom to take with her for the two year old who is very picky with her food, but who declared " I like soup" when she tasted it, and she ate the whole cup I served her. You' ll need:

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into florets

4 small potatoes, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter, peeled and cubed, I had red potatoes

3 celery stalks finely chopped 

1/2 bunch of cilantro, leaves and just their stems

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp coriander

3 cubes chicken or vegetable stock, I used 3 spoons of granules

1 cup half and half

Rinse the vegetables and transfer them to a large pot, add the spices, barely cover them with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and keep cooking until all vegetables are tender. Reserve a couple of florets for garnish. Add the granules and stir. Remove from heat and let cool for a while. Purée the vegetables in a blender or using a hand held mixer. Return the soup to the stove, on low heat. Stir in the half and half and let simmer to combine. Adjust seasoning if you need. Serve topped with the reserved florets and some chopped parsley or grated cheddar cheese, or both for color.
For the other half head of cauliflower, I didn't have cilantro, so I used parsley. It came out equally delicious. As for the garnish, the kids found that dipping small pieces of florets in their cup gave the soup a nice crunch, so this time around I used small raw florets for garnish with the chopped parsley and the grated Cheddar. If you want, you can stir some grated cheese in the soup. I only melted what I had as garnish in my bowl.

                                                 

                                                    

ONE RECIPE, TWO DISHES

I've been away from my blog for a while. I was very busy at work, and cooked just for survival. I mainly made dishes that I can take with me at work for lunch. This made my husband very happy, because these dishes were on the dry side (my husband's favorite), so that I can chop some of the leftovers on a salad to take with me. During the week end, I checked out the kitchen freezer to plan my coming week. I needed some veggies. Dry food (grilled chicken or meat, or anything without any kind of sauce) without vegetables on the side, is not an option for me. I found 3 packages of chicken breasts. That's a start. I decided to compromise: with some I'll cook a dry dish for my husband and some with sauce, just for a change.

I just remembered that the last time we had some friends over I made chicken Marsala, so why not make it today with a twist?

CHICKEN MARSALA WITH A TWIST

                                               

  

I actually made this dish as an after thought. To my husband's delight I announced that we were going to have chicken Milanese today. I had already trimmed the chicken breasts, pounded them thin and started marinating them when I decided to put some cutlets aside to make another dish. Why? Simply because while I was reorganizing the fridge, I found a couple of tomatoes who started to go soft, because I had just bought a box of canned mushrooms, and I still had some dried mushrooms in the pantry. So I thought: tomatoes and mushrooms, can we still call it Chicken Marsala if it had tomatoes in it? I guess we can. I made it and nobody objected, not even the chicken. You'll need:

4 breast cutlets (from 1 chicken breast)

1/2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture

2 tbsp oil

1 large handful of dried mushrooms

1 ( 4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, or 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

1 good pinch each dried oregano and thyme

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with their juices

1/2 cup Marsala

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp flour for dusting

First a note: these are the "official" ingredients. What actually happened is that when I thought of making this dish, I had already started marinating the chicken cutlets for the other dish, so I just fished out the cutlets I needed and shook them to remove as much marinade as I could. I also used the leftover mixture of flour and bread crumbs to dust the cutlets before cooking them. I also had chopped fresh tomatoes that I used with the canned diced ones.

So I dusted the cutlets, and in a non stick skillet cooked the onion/garlic mixture, with salt and pepper, in the oil for a couple of minutes, just until tender. Add the cutlets and let cook on one side undisturbed for about 4 minutes. In the mean time, cook the dried mushrooms in the stock until tender and the stock reduced. Turn the cutlets to the other side, sprinkle with oregano and thyme, and let cook for another 3 minutes. I don't want them to brown, just a light yellow. Add the Marsala, let reduce, then add the sliced mushrooms, the cooked mushrooms with the reduced stock, and finally the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until all the ingredients come together and the sauce thickens. Serve with rice, pasta or simply toasted slices of bread.

CHICKEN MARSALA, HOLD THE MARSALA

                                                        

I made this dish when we had some friends over for dinner. I knew that they don't drink, and was not sure that they would have easily accepted the idea that when you cook with wine, the wine evaporates and you just get the nice flavor. I didn't want to have a discussion over it. I'll make the chicken Marsala, without the Marsala. Again, nobody objected, and the dish was a big success. I didn't fret about it because I know that when I eliminate one ingredient from a recipe, I always add something else to make up for the one I lost. I just made one mistake: I used too much chicken and my biggest pan was a bit too little for the quantity. You'll need:

2 chicken breasts, sliced in cutlets and pounded thin

1 1/2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried oregano

1 lb fresh white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 tbsp oil

Flour for dusting the cutlets

1 to 2 tsp chicken gravy powder, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by marinating the cutlets in the onion mixture, with salt, pepper, oregano and lemon juice.  Let stand for 30 minutes. Lightly dust the cutlets with flour. In a non stick skillet heat the oil and start browning the cutlets in batches. Make sure that the cutlets are a very light brown. Remove to a platter lined with paper towels. Next cook the mushrooms in the same skillet until tender. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet. Add some water or chicken stock, and carefully stir with a spatula to deglaze the pan. Let reduce. If using the chicken gravy powder, add it to the skillet and stir to combine until you get a nice thick sauce. Serve.

EASY THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DINNER, II

Let's finish our menu for both dinners. For those who don't eat poultry, I made two meat dishes for the two occasions. You may think that this is too much work, but, again, as I said, if you get organized from the start, you will not be overwhelmed  and you will have all the time to enjoy the company of your guests. In fact, from where I come from, having people for dinner means that you should not spend your time in the kitchen leaving your guests to themselves. When my grandma or my mom had company everything had to be ready beforehand and they went to the kitchen only to serve the food, or supervise the cook while plating the food. Hors d'oeuvre were ready in the fridge in the serving platters to greet the guests as they arrive. You have to understand how shocked I am when I see on TV programs where people are looking for houses with "an open concept" kitchen, so they can be cooking while their guests are out there. This means that these people usually do not cook, because if they did cook on a regular basis they wouldn't like to have a sofa, or any furniture for that matters, in a space open to the kitchen with all the fumes. Have you seen the hood of your range if it's not regularly cleaned? That would be your sofa in an open concept living space!

To get organized for a big dinner is not that difficult, you only have to plan your menu, chose items that don't need individual cooking or frying, and limit the items that need to be prepared a few minutes before serving. So the best option is to chose a meat dish that can be marinated overnight and cooked in the oven with no hassle. That's what I did on both occasions.

EASY EYE ROUND

                                                      

I often choose this cut of meat because it's lean and when sliced it comes in perfect circles, so it's more attractive for children and you're not going to supervise them while eating to remove fat or cut it for them. I've tried several ways of cooking it until I managed to find the easiest way to do it. For this recipe i had to make it big to serve a lot of people, you can use only one piece of meat. You'll need:

2 beef eye rounds
3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
Salt and pepper

Rinse the meat and with a sharp knife remove the fat that is usually on the lower part of it. They say it makes it tastier, I don't think so, and it will melt and remain in the pan, so you will have to remove it eventually before you use the liquid to make gravy. So remove it from the start. The flavor will come from the marinade, not from the fat. In a small bowl, mix the onion mixture with salt and pepper, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Transfer the meat to the cooking pan. Chose one that is large enough to hold both pieces of meat without touching, and it should be high enough to reach at least half of the meat height. Cover with aluminum foil, refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove from fridge, let stand for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature then cook in a 375 degree oven undisturbed for 2 hours (I put it in the oven with the turkey). Remove the foil and let it cook for another 30 minutes. By then it should be browned on one side, so turn it in its sauce and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil until it's time to carve it. Slice the meat and arrange it in a serving platter. Use the liquid to make gravy by simply adding a couple of tbsp of flour, whisking it until completely dissolved and thickened. Adjust seasoning and serve in a gravy boat.

EASIEST ROAST EVER

                                                    

While shopping for Thanksgiving dinner I came across a different cut of beef. It was a cut from the side of the beef, where you have the ribs, but these were removed. It was about 16 inch X 10 and 2 inches high. What made me think of it was that it had almost no fat. So I bought it and took my chances. It turned out that I had made a good choice. It cooked very quickly and came out tender and delicious. You don't need a recipe for that. Simply rub it with my usual onion/garlic mix with salt and pepper, but add to it as I did a good pinch of cajoun seasoning. I thought it would give it a kick, and it did. Cover it with foil, refrigerate it overnight and cook it as the previous dish. But with this cut, be careful after you remove the foil: you have to check on it after 15 to 20 minutes, then turn it once and give it no longer than 15 minutes more. It will melt in your mouth.

AND FOR DESSERT....
                     
                                                  

I made an easy Oum Ali (original recipe on 12/3012). This time with hazelnuts, almonds, coconut and 3 (4 oz) container of peaches in syrup I had in the pantry. I prepared it the night before and put it in the oven after I removed the turkey and the meat.

EASY LEFTOVERS FIX

Just toss some chopped lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, top with slices of meat, white and dark meat from the turkey, each one on a different side, and your favorite cheese, I used Jarlesberg in this one. Use your favorite dressing and voila: you have a chef salad.