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.
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.
To me it’s foodie heaven, 30 cooks under one roof in San Francisco frantically making dinner…together. Once all the food is prepared, everyone eats together and has a chance to taste and indulge in a really spectacular spread. Hosted each month by the founder, Marco Flavio,
Cook here and Now events promote seasonal, local produce amidst a fun, frenzied atmosphere.
The idea is brilliant: Marco provides a list of select items and those who sign up (or are lucky enough to get in the door) are on the hook for an entree, salad, main or dessert utilizing one or more of the listed ingredients. This past Sunday’s ingredients included all poultry (except chicken) lemons, kiwi, onions, chard and mushrooms. The dishes which were churned out were just plain amazing.
Pictured below are just some of the creations; there were really too many great things to capture. In addition to the great dishes, the camraderie of the cooks really make this event a winner. Next up from Marco: a pie social (but sadly it’s filled).
Swiss onion pie.
- This was one amazing lemon meringue pie.
- It’s hard to find words to express how amazing this appetizer was!
Simple but delicious cheese souffle.
Lemon tarts in flaky pastry
Flaky Pastry
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup solid vegetable shortening, or ½ cup shortening and 8 tablespoons (one stick) cold unsalted butter
Add the flour, sugar and salt to food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Cut the butter into small pieces (1 inch cubes) and add to the processor. Pulse the mixture until you have pea-sized pieces.
Drizzle 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water over the flour and fat mixture. Pulse until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. Gently press a few small pieces of the mixture together between your fingers. If the balls of dough stick together, you have added enough water. If not, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons additional ice water over the mixture. Note: the dough should look rough, not smooth, when done.
Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a thick, flat disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 6 months.
Baking the tart shells: Roll out the pasty and cut to fit the bottom of a small tart pan (or muffin cup). Press firmly and then bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (watch to avoid burning!)
Cook’s note: baking the shells upside down will result in flakier pie crust – if pressed firmly to the pan.
Recipe courtesy of Joy of Cooking, All about Pies and Tarts, Irma S. Rombauer
For better results - turn the baking process upside down!
Lemon Curd
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¾ sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Whisk together the zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs and a pinch of salt. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine (Epicurious)
Top these tarts with simple Whipped cream.
- Lemon Tarts in Flaky Pastry
The focus at last week’s market was brassica, or cruciferous vegetables. These are vegetables in the mustard family like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli or kohlrabi (basically all the things I didn’t love as a kid!) In addition, there were colorful persimmons, satsumas, and pomegranates on display. On this day, however, I had my eye on the brussels sprouts.
While I love the idea of bacon and brussels sprouts, for a change in taste and texture try roasting with just olive oil, garlic and salt. Roasting brings out the “meatiness” and depth of flavor (sometimes referred to as umami) in the sprouts. Also consider a salad of chopped roasted sprouts, cooked pancetta and hard boiled egg drizzled with a red wine vinegar dressing.
Garlicky Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, sliced into ¼ inch disks
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- Olive oil – enough to coat, about 1 T.
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the brussels sprouts into thin disks (see picture). Mince the garlic. Toss together with enough olive oil to coat (1-2 T) and add salt/pepper to taste. Roast sprouts and garlic for 15 minutes, and then toss. Roast for another 15 minutes and turn off the oven. Let rest in oven another 10 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!
Roasted brussels sprouts.
Breathe new life into chicken or turkey leftovers with Tetrazzini.
Wondering what to do with turkey or chicken leftovers? Tetrazzini makes good use of what you’ve got on hand and turns it into a savory dish of comfort for 8.
Turkey Tetrazzini
- 1 lb. spaghetti
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons dry Sherry or Madeira
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ pound mushrooms
- 3 scallions
- ½ cup diced canned or bottled pimientos (I substitute olives instead)
- 4 cups ¾-inch cubes cooked turkey or chicken breast (about 2 pounds)
- Fill an 8-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for spaghetti. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a 2 quart heavy saucepan heat 3 tablespoons butter or margarine over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, sherry or Madeira, ¼ cup parmesan and pepper. Simmer sauce, stirring, 2 minutes more and remove pan from heat.
- Cook spaghetti in boiling water until ad dente and drain in a colander.
- Thinly slice mushrooms and scallions. In a large heavy skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter or margarine over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add mushrooms and scallions and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes.
- In a large bowl toss spaghetti with sauce, mushroom mixture, pimientos (or olives) and turkey or chicken. Transfer Tetrazzini to baking dish and scatter remaining ½ cup parmesan evenly over all.
- Bake Tetrazzini, uncovered, in middle of oven 20 minutes or until bubbling and top is touched with brown. Makes 8 servings.
Recipe courtesy of the late great Gourmet magazine.
Panettone is festive whether served simple or dressed for dessert.
As we head full swing into December I can’t help but think about desserts and all things sweet. And speaking of sweets, right about now you will see stacks of panettone in your favorite grocery store (or online
!) These are the big, festive boxes loaded with fruit studded bread – perfect for desserts (bread pudding) a holiday version of french toast or mini panettone and pear sandwiches.
Cheers to the season of friends, fun and food. Enjoy!
Panettone Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce
Sauce:
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup amaretto liqueur
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Bread pudding:
- 1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
To make the sauce: bring the cream, milk, and sugar to a boil in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, mix the amaretto and cornstarch to blend and then whisk into the cream mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. (The amaretto sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Warm before serving.)
To make the bread pudding: lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm amaretto sauce and serve.
Recipe courtesy of the Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis
Two layer cheesecake with cranberry orange compote
Growing up our Thanksgiving table was full of the usual items like turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberries….from a can (insert sound of record scratching or nails on a chalkboard here.) If I close my eyes I can still see the indentations in the jelly-like stuff and the wobble every time someone bumped the table leg.
Although I actually admit to eating and liking the cranberry jelly then, I now find myself hoarding bags of fresh cranberries when they appear in stores. Well-suited to the freezer, cranberries are versatile (desserts, meat dishes) healthy and just plain delicious.
Below is recipe for cheesecake composed of two layers; one a traditional Philly cheese and the other a blend of sour cream and Greek-style yogurt. It’s the perfect carrier for the tangy, sweet cranberry orange topping. Enjoy!
Two layer cheesecake with cranberry orange topping
Graham cracker crust
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 3 ½ oz. graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
First layer
- 2 – 8 oz packages Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Second layer
- 1 1/4 cups sour cream
- 2/3 cup thick Greek-style yogurt
- 2 ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cranberry orange topping
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 t cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- ½ teaspoon grated orange peel
Preheat oven to 375. Finely grind the graham crackers in a food processor. Melt the butter and pour over the graham cracker crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Beat the ingredients for the first layer together thoroughly. Pour over the base and smooth on top. Place on baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until just set. Set aside for 20 minutes to firm up.
Mix the ingredients for the second layer and spoon evenly over the first layer. Return to the oven for 10 minutes then take out and cool.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
For the topping, stir sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium; add cornstarch mixture and simmer. Add cranberries, cook until beginning to pop, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in orange peel. Cool completely.
Cheesecake recipe adapted from Fiona Beckett’s Cheese. Cranberry orange topping courtesy of Epicurious.
- Fuyu, Fennel and Arugula Salad
If you are like me, you’ve seen persimmons at your local grocery store or farmer’s market and wondered about their uses. Many people will tell you they know someone who loves them but “you have to get them at the right stage of ripeness”.
To set the record straight, there are two basic versions seen most often in our area (Bay Area, CA). They are the hachiya and fuyu. The hachiyas are often used in baking (breads, cookies) and yes, this variety must be fully ripe for enjoyment. When fully ripe they will feel almost like jelly in their casing. We’ve used these for flavoring ice cream and they impart a delicious, mellow flavor along with a beautiful orange color.
The Fuyu are sturdier with a thick skin. The nice man at the farmer’s market said many people covet these for use in salads and I can now see why. Peeled, thinly sliced then adorned atop salad greens the fuyu add substance to salad (a little like avocado in texture) and color to your dinner palette. The flavor pairs well with stronger flavors like arugula or rocket and citrus.
If you’ve got an idea for using persimmons, please share it by posting a comment. The more the merrier!
Fuyu Persimmon, Fennel and Arugula salad
Dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons rice wine or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (or orange juice concentrate – thawed, if you want a stronger flavor)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- ½ cup olive oil*
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- Salt
- Pepper
Mix the orange juice, vinegar and Dijon. Gradually pour in the olive oil while whisking briskly. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the greens.
Cook’s notes:
*walnut oil can be substituted for a milder flavor
Salad
- Fennel – sliced thin
- Persimmon – sliced thin
- Arugula
- Slice red onion (optional)
- Toasted hazelnuts (optional)
Fuyu Persimmons
Chile de Arbol and Tomatillo Salsa
Summer at the farmer’s market is a rush for foodies like me: everything I like is in season and looks great on the stand. With the onset of colder weather the produce at the farmer’s market still looks good, there is just less to choose from and I feel like I need to get a bit more creative.
Last week, nestled between the cilantro and garlic a few tomatillos caught my eye. Returning home I dug out a recipe inspired by a family friend – Eloisa – from Mexico. The heat of the chiles de arbol – which are pretty commonplace in any supermarket – and the tang of the tomatillos are a powerful duo which together create a wallop of flavor.
If you are seeking tomatillos at your local farmer’s market or store, they look like small green tomatoes encased in a papery shell. Tomatillos are part of the nightshade family whose members are usually poisonous to humans with the exception of some species (tomatoes, potatoes and the rarely seen gooseberry).
Eloisa’s Chile de Arbol and Tomatillo Salsa
- 1 ¾ cup tomatillos
- 5-8 chiles de arbol
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 – 2 cloves garlic (to taste!)
- ½ cup cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste!)
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Lime juice (from ½ a lime)
Boil the tomatillos until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain. Remove the stems from the chiles. Toast the chiles until they are lightly blackened. Note: be careful as they will burn quickly. Puree with the tomatillos in a food processor or blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend. Season with additional salt and lime.
Cook’s note: chile de arbol in dried form can usually be found in the International section of your grocery store.
If you have a favorite salsa recipe and would like to share it, please post a comment.
