A Soup Affair

Thai sweet potato bisque

 On this do-nothing October weekend I have defied the odds and done something: cook! Soup is on the menu and it's going to be a doozy, due to the multitude of soup recipes I've found that I must try. Ruedi is sporting his baking hat and is all over the bread. One cannot experiment with soup without plenty of crusty bread.

First off is a Thai-inspired sweet potato bisque. For those of you who don't do spicy, omit the jalapeño. Heat or no heat, you'll still get a delicious soup. I opted to add sambal oelek in addition to the jalapeño because I'm on a heat kick. After tasting this soup I added minced basil to it. I felt it needed a bit more oomph and basil was the ticket.

Italian parsley soup with ricotta spaetzle

Following this, I experimented with an Italian parsley and ricotta spaetzle soup. Spaetzle is a German pasta or dumpling which is often served as a side dish. This time, it was added to a clean-tasting, but flavourful soup. The recipe calls for watercress leaves, but I had spinach on hand. Just make sure to trim your greens' stems well to avoid the stringy remains in your blended soup.


Thai Sweet Potato Bisque

From: http://jillyinspired.blogspot.ca

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper, halved and seeded
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1, 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 6 reduced salt bouillon cubes
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top of the soup
• 6 cups of water
• Canola or coconut oil for cooking
• 14 oz can of coconut milk (I chose light)
• Sea salt to taste
• Lime zest from half a lime
• 2 T, minced fresh basil
• To serve, wedges of lime, basil (thai if you have it), ground cinnamon and sea salt

Method

Place the red pepper face down on a foil-covered cookie sheet and broil on high for 10-15 minutes. The skin should be blackened at that point, but if not, keep broiling until blackened. Remove from cookie sheet and place in a bowl, covering to allow to steam for a few minutes longer. Once cooled, remove the skins, chop and set aside.

In a large pot, saute the onion and jalapeño in a little oil until the onion has softened. Add the potatoes, ginger, bouillon cubes and water to the pot. Cover and bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Add a dash of cinnamon to the pot. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add the lime zest, basil and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with lime wedges and any combination of the seasonings mentioned in last bullet of the ingredients section. While this soup can be served immediately, it ages quite well. 

Italian Parsley Soup with Ricotta Spaetzle

From: http://www.playinwithmyfood.com

Serves 4-6

For the Soup

• 3 T olive oil
• 2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 large red potato, peeled and diced
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 bunch of watercress, washed with stems removed (I used spinach)
• 2 cups fresh italian parsley, washed with stems removed
• 1 t sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add onions, sautéing until softened, but not browned. Add the potato and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. If the mixture starts to stick, add a little stock to loosen the vegetables. Add the spinach, parsley, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Set aside while you make the spaetzle.

For the Spaetzle

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• 1/4 t ground all spice
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Sift the flour, salt and pepper in one bowl. In another, whisk in the remaining ingredients until blended. Add the flour in batches until completely combined. 

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Spoon some of the batter into a colander placed over the pot (I used a slotted spoon since I didn't have a colander with large enough holes). Push the batter through the colander. The batter will drop into the pot in chunks and once blanched, rise to the top of the pot. With a slotted spoon, scoop the spaetzle out of the pot and into the soup. Continue cooking the batter until all of it has been blanched. 

I ended up with more spaetzle than I knew what to do with, so I set some aside for other, yet to be determined uses. This soup can be eaten immediately. I topped mine with a bit of leftover parsley and served with some crusty parmesan french bread.

Pesto Pea Salad

I know this blog is drowning in salad recipes, but I'm hoping they are as useful to others as they are to me. I enjoy creamy potato and pasta salads, but am well aware that they are loaded with mayo, other hidden fats and sugars. This version of a pasta salad supplements some of that mayo with yoghurt, which not only offers more in the way of food value, but reduces the fat content too. Go for 2% greek yoghurt and you'll cut out even more fat (although, I did not do that here!). While pesto is loaded with olive oil, again it is a better alternative to mayo as far as nutritive value. I did the unthinkable and fattened up this bad boy with parmesan and prosciutto. I am ok with this decision. I was a delicious one.

Adapted from: http://soupaddict.com/

Serves 6 

Ingredients

• 350 g of dried pasta
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 cup greek yoghurt
• 2 T mayonnaise
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 1/4 radishes sliced
• grated parmesan to garnish
• pepper to taste

Method

Prepare the dressing by combining the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pesto and mixing well.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for approximately one minute. Mix the pasta with half of the salad dressing, adding more to taste as per your preference.  Finally, add the vegetables and toss well. I topped my salad servings with fresh pepper, parmesan and some leftover prosciutto.

Char Kuey Tiao

Malaysian goop....goooood goop.

That's what I said: Char Kuey Tiao. This dish is otherwise known as Penang fried noodles and while my version looks like a little turd-like, it tastes like a symphony of seafood and spices.

I've had Char Kuey Tiao while in Malaysia (and out of it) and was craving that noodley, seafood stirfry once more. I doubled up on the seafood, but I don't think it caused any harm to the dish. My challenge next time is to get the noodles fried in such a way that they don't combine into a noodle goop. This did...I overcooked the noodles, making them starchier than anticipated and very sticky. I also veered off the authentic path a little and added veg to the dish (carrots, to be precise). Peas would be lovely in this too. I know it becomes a little less authentic, but I'm looking at noodle goop here as I make my decision. Authentic disappeared ages ago.

Adapted from: http://mykitch3n.blogspot.ca

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 250 g flat rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions
• 16 shelled, raw prawns
• large handful of clams
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sprouts (your choice)
• 1 carrot, finely shredded
• 5-6 chive stalks
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 T cooking oil
• 2 T chili paste
• 2 t sugar

Seasoning

• 1 t fish sauce
• 1 t soy sauce
• 1 t oyster sauce

Method

In a pan on high heat, add garlic and oil and let cook for a few seconds. Mix in the chili paste and sugar and let cook for another few seconds. Add prawns and clams, stirring well and let cook for about thirty seconds. If either of your seafood choices are already cooked, add them to the pan a little later, when you add the eggs. Add the cooked noodles and seasoning, tossing well. Stir in the eggs and let sit for a few seconds. Add the sprouts, carrot and finally the chives, mixing with the rest of the components.  

Spoon onto individual plates and serve. Goop is good!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Had a little bit of a cookathon the other week that produced some interesting results. True to form, not everything worked out the way it should.  Anyways, due to my fear of all things flour-related, I had a little help with this dish from my resident baker Ruedi. Needing and forming dough takes patience and technique: I'm fresh out of both.

The gnocchi itself was doughy and delicious. I would most certainly create it again. The sauce, however needs an overhaul. There isn't enough flavour or substance to bother with it again. Next time I might attempt the creamy sage sauce recipe I just found here: http://www.foodrepublic.com .

I've attached both the gnocchi and original thyme sauce that it went with for you to consider. Grating some of your favorite cheese on the finished dish does enhance the flavours of the sauce a bit, so I'd encourage to pour on the cheese.

Adapted from: http://www.simoneanne.com

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the gnocchi:

• 1 lb sweet potato
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup chick pea flour
• 1/2 t salt

For the sauce:

• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 T lemon juice
• 2 T chopped fresh thyme
• 1 T olive oil for sautéing
• Salt and pepper 

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potato for 30-45 minutes or until well cooked and soft all the way through. Peel and discard the sweet potato skin. Let the potato cool completely.

Place the sweet potato in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the flours and salt. Knead the dough well, adding flour to assist in handling it. Avoid adding more flour than necessary, as it makes the dough tough.

When you can easily handle the dough, separate it into four segments and roll each part into long strands approximately 3/4'' in diameter. With a fork, cut each strand into 1 inch segments. If you'd like to make the segments look like gnocchi pieces, press a fork into them and round out the edges with your fingers (I opted not to). You can store these in the fridge for 2-3 days.

When ready to cook the gnocchi, boil a pot of water just as you would when making pasta.When the water boils, add a pinch of salt and the gnocchi. Keep the water simmering and stir occasionally to prevent the gnocchi from sticking. When they float to the surface of the water, let the cook for another 5-10 minutes to taste.

Sauté the onions in oil for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the lemon juiced and thyme and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix with the gnocchi, adding grated cheese to top off the dish if you like (I do!).

Basil, Goat Cheese, Tuna, Red Pepper, Spinach and Mozzarella Orzo

I might obsess about food a little...


Mmm, maybe a lot. I don't know of too many individuals that mull over their meal plans as much as I do, although I know my female colleagues definitely talk about what they should have for dinner near the end of the day. If I don't have a stocked fridge, I feel naked in the food department. At times like this you may here remarks such as:
"Well, I guess I should just raid the vending machine, because that's as good as it gets tonight for this cook".


The reality is usually quite different, although I didn't feel that way when I got home last night. We had goat cheese, mozzarella, rice, orzo, old spinach, two red peppers, half an old shallot, some fresh basil I had forgotten about and many other ingredients. I had been dying to do something with a can of tuna we bought for a backcountry hike and never used, so this recipe took shape pretty quickly. 


My new cast iron skillet (perfect murder weapon, by the way) was coated with olive oil so that the garlic and shallots could saute themselves silly. While this was happening, I let the red pepper roast face down on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the garlic and shallots were sauteed, I added the goat cheese and chicken stock to the pan. Once the cheese had melted the orzo went in and was tossed to mix with the cheese sauce. The spinach, chopped roasted red pepper and tuna followed about 2 minutes later to mix with the other flavours. I topped this off with some grated mozzarella and basil and mixed them in well. Salt and pepper was added to taste. Call it a modern day tuna casserole.


Serves 4-6


Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 150g of goat cheese
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups orzo cooked
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach, packed
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
• 3 T basil, chopped
• 1 can of tuna
• salt and pepper

Orzo Leftover Special

This is a great weeknight meal, when all you have is ten minutes and little patience to do anything crazy in the kitchen. All ingredients can be swapped out for other, like-ingredients, so get creative with this one. Enjoy!

Serves 4

• 2 cups dry orzo
• Ham, deli meat and/or bacon (pick a fatty meat if possible as the fat will season the dish)
• Bunch of asparagus chopped into one inch pieces
• Chives, chopped into small pieces
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Cook the orzo according to package instructions, drain and set aside. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the asparagus. This should take no more than a minute and the asparagus will turn a vibrant green when ready. In a large frying pan, heat the hameatcon (whatever meat you've chosen) until the fat releases and can coat the pan. Add the asparagus and chives and stir well, coating it with the juices from the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the orzo into the pan and mix well. Remove from heat and divide into four bowls. Add freshly grated parmesan to each bowl. 

Kale & Orzo Salad

Sadly I don't have any pictures of this salad, but there are so many things to love about it! For one, it includes kale, a difficult vegetable to eat raw due to its tough texture and bitter aftertaste, but one loaded with vitamins, fibre and other nutrients. Soaking the kale in lemon juice and chopping it in small pieces makes this a salad-lover's dream. This recipe includes everything under the kitchen sink, so you get a great mix of flavours as a result. I didn't have hemp seeds or sun-dried tomatoes, so I left them out this time. The salad was still deeeeeelish.

Adapted from: http://www.staradvertiser.com

Serves 8

• 5 cups kale leaves, stems removed
• 4 T lemon juice
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 carrot, sliced into thin 2-inch matchsticks
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t turmeric
• Pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup hemp seeds (optional)
• ½ cup toasted nuts, such as almonds or macadamia nuts
• 1 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
• ½ cup sun-dried tomato strips
• 2 T toasted sesame seeds
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cups cooked orzo pasta
• ½ cup feta cheese
• Flaky sea or kosher salt, to taste

Slice kale into thin strips, cutting crosswise. The result should be about 2- to 4-inch strips. Place these in a bowl with the lemon juice. Rub the juice into the kale and let sit for 2 to 4 hours in the fridge. Place sliced onions into a bowl with balsamic vinegar and let marinate for at least one hour.

Remove onions from vinegar and discard any liquid left at bottom of bowl. In large serving bowl, toss kale with onions, carrots, celery, oil, cumin, turmeric and pepper.

Add sunflower and hemp seeds, nuts, cherries or cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, sesame seeds, sesame oil and orzo. Toss again.

Add feta cheese and toss lightly to disperse ingredients throughout the salad rather than leaving them sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Taste and add salt, tossing lightly to combine. 

Grilled Pork & Noodle Salad with Basil, Cilantro & Mint

The sambal oelek was a gift from my soon-to-be mother-in-law and its flavour is distinct. Nonetheless, you could substitute this with chili sauce if need be. If you don't have a mandolin, please put this on your list of must-haves next to good health and working organs. A mandolin is simply a chopping device that makes repetitive, thin-cut work all the more pleasant. It's typically a $30 tool although I went all out and bought the $60 version.  

Serves 6


Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living's April 2011 edition

• 2 t sambal oelek 
• 3 T plus 2 t nam pla (fish sauce)
• 1 T plus 1t of safflower oil
• 1, 14 oz pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 T sugar
• 1 T finely chopped red chili
• 5 oz rice vermicelli
• 1 english cucumber sliced in thin strips lengthwise (preferably with a mandolin)
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled and cut into match sticks
• 1 small shallot sliced thinly lengthwise
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

Rub sambal oelek, 2t nam pla and 1t oil over pork to coat completely. Let marinate in refrigerator, covered for at least one hour. Heat grill to high. Grill pork, rotating often, until charred on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140F; about 20 minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Whisk together remaining 3T name pla, 1T safflower oil, lime juice, sugar and chile in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and add to the bowl with sauce.  Thinly slice port on the bias and add to bowl along with cucumbers, carrot, shallot and chopped herbs. Toss well to coat.

Pasta with Prawns & Capers & Fattoush

Meals are like outfits: coordinating courses so that they compliment one another makes for a fabulous ensemble. Tonight was a combination based on what I found on the web that I liked: a fattoush-type salad and some pasta with prawns in it. The result was good, but a great meal would have been better paired. Anywho, the meal's biggest advantage was that it took all of 20 minutes to make. 


http://angielivestoeat.blogspot.com

• 4 servings of dried spaghetti or other type of pasta
• Shelled prawns approximately 300grams
• Handful of capers in brine
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1 chili, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Olive oil
• Grated parmesan to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Cook the pasta as per package instructions and drain. Heat oil in a frying pan and saute the prawns until the flesh is white, remove from the pan. Return pan to the heat and add the mushrooms, garlic and chili and brown. Pour in the white wine and let it boil to evaporate the alcohol. Add the pasta, prawns and capers to the pan and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and some freshly grated parmesan.

Fattoush

Inspired by a fattoush had in town at a Lebanese restaurant with an ambiguous name I can't remember.  Way to inform the reader!

• 1 English cucumber cut into large chunks
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of dried pita chips (I get these at a Greek specialty store, but you can find them boxed as crackers at your local grocer)
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsley 
• 1/2 cup of kalamata olives
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and toss. Mix the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl and add to the salad. Toss and serve immediately.