Potatoes and leeks are a good soup combo!
If, like many, you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, then consider the ultra simple but delicious potato and leek soup. Although short on ingredients, it’s got a long list of options for making it appeal to your tastes and time. Dress it up (chilled it becomes vichyssoise) make it decadent (a little cream never hurt anyone!) or serve as is (chunky or pureed).
My personal favorite is pureed with a small touch of cream mixed in and truffle oil on top. If you’ve got a favorite version of potato and leek soup, add a comment or drop us an email.
Potato and leek soup
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 3 medium potatoes, any type, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed and sliced into thin rings
- Salt and freshly ground pepper (we used white pepper)
- 4 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
Put the butter or oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. When the butter melts (or the oil is hot) add the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring to soften. 2 or 3 minutes. Add the stock, adjust the heat so it gently bubbles, and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. At this point you may refrigerate the soup covered, for up to 2 days.
Pureed soup: carefully puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Stir in ½ to 1 cup cream, sour cream, or yogurt. Do not let it boil if you use yogurt. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with minced chives.
Vichyssoise. Make the pureed soup, but do not reheat. Instead, chill thoroughly and serve garnished with minced chives.
Recipe courtesy of Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything.
Here’s a quick fix for the weather at hand. The
wontons can be made ahead and frozen until you need them. I cook the wontons in a basic defatted chicken stock with some green onion on top. Of course, you could also add a few extra items (hard boiled egg or veggies) for flavor and variety. Just plain is good too!
Wonton Soup for Winter
- ½ lb. ground pork (not lean)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 (1 ½-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (not sesasoned)
- ½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- About 30 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
- Chicken stock
Stir together pork, yolk, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper in a bowl in one direction with your hand until just combined (do not overwork, or filling will be tough). Fill all wrappers by placing a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of the square. Brush water around edges and then fold corner to form a triangle and enclose the filling. Press edges firmly to seal.
Bring the stock to a simmer, add the wontons and cook about 3 minutes until filling is just cooked.
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet.
Wontons in waiting.
A nice winter warmer!
The other day I had a craving for macaroni and cheese – and not the stuff from the blue box. So I used an old recipe for white sauce and threw in some cheese (in this case
gruyere, cheddar and
parmesan) along with toasted bread crumbs on top. Delish! And fast.
Cheddar, gruyere and parmesan cheese and mac. Yum.
All purpose white sauce
- 2 T. butter or margarine
- 2 T. flour (all purpose)
- 2 cups milk (warmed)
- Salt (to taste)
- White pepper (to taste)
- Ground nutmeg
- Squeeze of lemon
- 10 oz. penne or other noodles
Other additions:
- Garlic (one clove, finely minced)
- Tabasco (just a few shakes)
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
Melt the butter on medium heat. When it bubbles gently, add the flour and stir well to combine. Cook the butter/flour mixture for about 1 – 2 minutes. Add the warmed milk and stir until it thickens. Add salt, pepper. If your sauce is bland, consider the lemon juice, garlic and Tabasco route (basic ingredients I use to “perk” up sauces).
Once your white sauce is made, add the cheese. Stir until melted.
- ½ cup gruyere
- ½ cup cheddar
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Note: you can use all gruyere (instead of the cheddar addition) if you prefer.
Pour over the pasta noodles and stir to combine. Pour into a casserole and top with toasted bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes or until you see the mixture bubble vigorously.
Salty and Sweet Caramel Corn
Do you crave salty or sweet?
If you ask most, they will say salty or sweet, savory, dessert or something along those lines. I for one don’t really have a preference, it just depends on my mood or the time of day. The recipe below pretty much falls into the sweet category but incorporates salty pretzels for the savory snackers out there.
I really like this recipe because it fast, easy and a great addition to your holiday repertoire. It’s almost as good as Harry and David’s Moose Munch (minus the chocolate!)
- 8 cups popped popcorn (microwave popcorn, light)
- 4 cups oven-toasted rice cereal squares
- 2 cups miniature pretzels
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine popcorn, cereal, pretzels and pecans in a rectangular bowl. Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil over entire surface. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook without stirring 5 minutes. (Mixture should continue to bubble gently over surface.) Remove saucepan from heat. Quickly add vanilla and baking soda, stirring carefully. Pour over popcorn mixture in bowl, and toss until well coated. Bake 30 minutes, stir after 15 minutes.
Transfer popcorn mixture to a large piece of parchment paper. Cool completely, breaking mixture into clusters as it cools.
Yield: 15 cups.
Recipe passed along by my mom who knows I crave all things sweet and have the cavities to prove it!
Peanut sauce perfection!
A good friend of mine who is an adventurous traveler and cook showed me how to make this simple Indonesian peanut dressing (gado gado) for rice and vegetables. I’d drop by her house, perch on a barstool and watch (with amazement) as she concocted this truly flavorful dish right before my eyes.
It occurred to me at one point that this peanut dressing would be the perfect foil for Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. Keep some of the basics on hand and you’re ready to entertain at a moment’s notice.
Note: the peanut dressing can be found at most Asian food stores – you won’t find it at Safeway (unless someone there is reading this here!) It’s a big timesaver because it contains the herbs and spices which will make a big difference in the final taste of your sauce in one “block” of ingredients.
Ingredients
• Package of peanut dressing (enak eco) or gado-gado
• ½ cup of boiling water
• ¼ cup of coconut milk (or to taste – more if you want the sauce to be creamy)
• 1/8 cup tamarind soup base (adds a sour flavor)
• 3 t. lime juice
• Sambal olek (to taste – more if you like it spicy)
Take the package of peanut dressing, cut into cubes. Add the boiling water, let sit until the cubes begin to soften. Stir until smooth.
Add the coconut milk, tamarind, lime juice and sambal olek. Adjust seasonings to taste, serve with Vietnamese fresh spring rolls.
Recipe courtesy of J. P.
The recent “pizza toss” morning session at the SF Food and Wine Festival seemed simple enough. We show up, watch a pizza making demonstration, take a few notes and leave. Oh, and devour about 6 pieces each before leaving (all before 11:30 am!)
The people at the helm were none other than a few Bay Area pros from Delfina, Pizzaiolo and the Grand Café. Each had a slightly different perspective but altogether the final results were outstanding. During the demonstration the crowd was introduced to traditional Neopolitan style (simple crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) plus an Alsatian delight called Flammekueche. The latter was basically a flatbread, run through pasta rollers to render it thin and topped with various items like sardines, capers, smoked salmon and figs.
I guess I thought I knew a lot about pizza, but for those who are serious about their craft, it’s anything but “just dough and sauce”. There’s the 00 flour (made in Italy, perfect for crust) the need for San Marzano tomatoes and a fair amount of discussion about olive oil in the dough (“don’t need it” seemed the concensus although it appears in most recipes!) Charlie Hallowell of Pizzaiolo also discussed the ideal oven temperature (somewhere between 750-800 degrees) which requires the removal of the temperature gauge in a standard oven (“not really recommended” joked Hallowell.)
Where did pizza get it’s start? According to Wikipedia, the origin of the word is unclear but first appeared around 997 in Medieval Latin. Of course most people know it started in Naples in the 16th century. What some might not know is that at the time pizza was a baker’s tool, a dough used to verify the temperature of the oven. It was only later that the “dish of the poor people” was sold in the streets and considered something befitting a recipe or of value.
Given the popularity – and variations – of pizza worldwide, it’s no surprise that the chef’s at last week’s event are so enthusiastic about their craft and product. No longer just a baker’s tool, it does make me wonder whether “poor food” sparks the eventual culinary trend to become mainstream and if so, what’s next?
Fig flammekueche made by the Grand Cafe’s Sophiane Benaouda
