Pear, Parsnip and Celery Root Soup

Does that title not scream Fall or what? Some of my favourite flavours are happening right now. All of you hotsummer loving folks are not going to like what I'm about to tell you but I'm so happy it's Fall! Do you hate me yet? Let me explain; I can't stand the heat. I'm sure you hate me now. I know, it sounds crazy but I just can't stand being hot. Chalk it up to growing up in the North if you will but here's another factor; Let's face it, I write about food so suffice it to say that's it's in everyone's best interest that I not prance around in a bikini and daisy dukes all summer long. That is just one reason why Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons, layers. Plus I get to bust out all of my cute jackets. Another is because I love to cook good old comfort food like slow cooked roasts, soups and stews which are all an impossibility in hot, hot heat. So with the temperatures cooling off I was finally able to get my soup on. And let me tell you, this one rocked my world. A little sweet, a little savoury and utilizing some of the best the season has to offer, this fabulously luxurious soup is already a favorite in our household.

Recipe:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 med onion, diced
1 large parsnip, peeled & diced
1 cup celery root, peeled & diced (about 2 medium sized)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 large pears, peeled, cored & diced
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup apple juice
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large soup pot over low-medium heat. Add the onions and saute about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, parsnips and celery root and saute another 5 minutes.
2. Add the wine and increase heat to bring the wine to a simmer. Simmer the wine for 6-7 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, apple juice and pears. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer slowly for about 1 hour.
3. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, add the nutmeg and remove from heat. Allow the soup to cool, transfer to a blender and puree the soup. Note that it's very important to allow the soup to cool before blending and you may have to blend in batches depending on the size of your blender. A hand immersion blender would work well here too.

Lamb Curry

Finally a conclusion to our delicious Indian dinner, lamb curry. I know many of you may not be fans of lamb and I completely understand. Lamb can be done wrong in so many ways with the outcome being dry and tasteless. If you've sworn off lamb I hope you reconsider and start with this recipe. This lamb curry is foolproof and ensures tender and succulent lamb. The reason for this is the long cooking time. Just like a beef stew, the longer you cook it, the more tender the meat will be so as long as you have a little time you really can't go wrong.

Curries in all of their forms are one of my favorite dishes. I often make a vegetarian version with chickpeas and vegetable stock in place of the beef broth but I really enjoy this lamb curry. Served with basmati or jasmine rice, it's a very comforting dish. So whether you go for lamb, beef, chickpeas or chicken, just go for it, I promise you will love it. And there you go, a perfect ending to our Indian inspired meal.

Recipe:
1 lb lamb shank, cut into 2" pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, add more to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
Alternately, to save time you can simply use 2 tablespoons premade curry powder + 1 teaspoon garam masala.


1. In a large dutch oven, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the lamb pieces to the hot oil and brown on all sides.
2. Remove the browned lamb and add the onions to the same pan. Saute onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add the garlic to the sauteed onions and cook the onions and garlic another 3-4 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't brown.
4. Add all of the spices to the onion mixture, stir to combine and saute for about 5 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
5. Add the lamb to the onion mixture along with the beef stock and bay leaf. Bring the curry to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer the curry for 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the lamb becomes very tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve over rice.

Daring Cooks October Challenge: Pho

October's Daring Cooks challenge just happened to be one of my favorite foods, hosted by one of my favorite food bloggers. Chicken Pho was on the menu courtesy of Jaden from Steamy Kitchen. Jaden's new cookbook came out this month and it is stunning. Last year I was one of the recipe testers for her book and every single recipe I tried was delicious. This Pho is no exception. Pho, which is pronounced "fuh" is a Vietnamese soup that can be made with chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. It's really the broth and the accompaniments that are the stars of this dish, they are the definition of flavor explosion. If you're feeling under the weather, Pho will surely bring you out of your funk. It is so warm and comforting. You'll notice the complexity of the dish when you read the broth ingredients below. I wasn't kidding about the abundance of flavor.


This month there was a second optional challenge which was chocolate wontons. But in an attempt to hold on to Thanksgiving glory just a little longer, I decided to try a pumpkin pie filling. The wontons were fantastic and I may just substitute them next time for the usual pumpkin pie. Okay, maybe not but I will be making them again very, very soon.

Check Jaden's original recipe here.



Here's my recipe for Shrimp Pho with the pumpkin wonton recipe to follow:
2 quarts shellfish stock, see recipe below
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
2. bring the stock to a boil.
3. Add the shrimp to boiling stock and cook for 2-3 minutes, or just until the shrimp have turned pink.
4. Ladle the stock into bowls, add the cooked noodles and shrimp and serve with the accompaniments below.

Accompaniments:
2 cups bean sprouts, washed & tails pinched off
cilantro leaves
1/2 cup shaved red onions
lime wedges
Sriracha hot sauce
Hoisin sauce
sliced chili

Garnish the soup to your taste with all of the above ingredients.

Shellfish Stock:
3 lbs seafood shells, such as shrimp, crab and/or lobster
3 quarts cold water
1 lemon, halved
handful of fresh parsley
a couple of sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
10-15 black peppercorns
1 large onion, unpeeled and cut in half
3" chunk of ginger, unpeeled
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
small bunch of cilantro stems only, tied in bunch with twine

1. Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the shells. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer the stock for 1 1/2-2 hours, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface of the liquid.
4. Strain the stock through a fine colander or cheesecloth. You may have to strain the liquid a few times to ensure all of the solids are removed.
5. Taste and adjust the broth seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

*You can freeze any unused stock.

Pumpkin Wonton Recipe:
wonton wrappers
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup toasted walnuts* roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch allspice
oil for frying, such as grapeseed, peanut or vegetable

1. Mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, spices and walnuts together.
2. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each wonton wrapper.
3. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water.
4. Fold the edges of the wrapper together and pinch the edges to seal.
5. Preheat oil in a deep, heavy bottomed skillet to 350 degrees.
6. Place the prepared wontons in the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally or until golden brown.
7. Remove the wontons and drain on paper towel.
8. Sprinkle the wontons with cinnamon and icing sugar.

*To toast the nuts, place them in a frying pan over low heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant. The nuts will burn very easily so keep an eye on them.

Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Soup

This past week has been a real treat around here. Have you ever had food poisoning? No? Consider yourself very, very lucky. Now let me point out right away that it was not from anything I made. Thankfully! If it was, I would probably be compelled to throw in the towel where cooking is concerned because what we just went through was awful. Movie theater popcorn was the official culprit. Gross.

So, I certainly won't go into the details but I will tell you that I couldn't eat for three days and while I'm feeling much better today and up for a meal, I figured it was best to ease into the whole food thing. My body was seriously craving nourishment and even though it's 25 degrees outside, I figured soup was my best option.

I've heard that if you boil brown rice in water and drink the actual water that it helps soothe a sensitive stomach but sorry, that ain't happening so my second idea was a chicken, brown rice and vegetable soup. Sounded safe enough. It was exactly what I needed and it was really very tasty. I'll definitely be keeping this recipe in the back of my mind in any event that I don't feel well. But please, no more food poisoning, EVER again. And with that, all I can say is, stay away from the movie theater popcorn kids. It's just not worth it.

Recipe:
1/2 lb chicken breast, diced
1 cup brown rice, rinsed with cold water
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable stock)
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot, saute onions, carrots and celery in a little oil over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 10 minutes. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the rice to the boiling mixture and boil the rice until tender, about 20 minutes. When the rice is tender, add the chicken, thyme, sage, turmeric and bay leaf and bring the soup to another boil. At this point you may have to add a little more water to thin the soup out to your desired consistency. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover and simmer the soup for 20 minutes to bring the flavors together.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Just when I thought Summer weather was here, we got hit with a nasty, nasty cold spell. Here in Vancouver it rains all the time so when it gets cold it's the damp, bone chilling, make your joints hurt cold. Thankfully I had about 4 lbs of mushrooms in my fridge and an unwavering love affair with cream of mushroom soup. I don't make it too often, I'm not sure why because it's one my favorite soups.

When I was a kid I loved the canned Cream of Mushroom soup. It was my favorite amongst all the cans, which is not saying much. Of course we're not talking about soup from a can here. This cream of mushroom soup will restore your faith if you've lost it. This is no gelatinous tube being sucked out of the can with 4 pieces of 'real' mushroom floating around. This soup is chunky and rich and so ridiculously satisfying.

Somehow I can't help but think that mother nature was looking out for me that day. After all, what the heck else would I have done with that many mushrooms?

RECIPE:
1 lb button mushrooms (or your favorite choice)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 medium onion, diced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
couple grates of fresh nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
salt and pepper to taste

Add butter to saucepan and saute onions on low-med heat for about 25 minutes or until translucent. Meanwhile, chop half of the mushrooms into large chunks. When the onions are ready, add the mushrooms and garlic and saute another 5 minutes. Add the wine and increase the heat to med-high. Stir the mushroom mixture while the wine is evaporating, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and continuously stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring this mixture to a slight boil and then remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool and then transfer to a blender and puree until very smooth. Chop the remaining pieces of mushroom into a medium-small dice. Return the pureed soup to a saucepan, add the thyme, nutmeg, cream, milk, S&P and remaining mushroom pieces. At this point, you can add as much water or milk as necessary for desired consistency. Slowly reheat the soup adjusting the salt & pepper according to taste. Don't bring this soup to a boil. Serve with bread or crackers.

Asparagus Soup

The weather is finally warming up around here. When things start heating up I crave something fresh, bright and sweet. This Asparagus soup from Jamie at Home is the perfect way to welcome the sun back into your life. I really try to cook with seasonal and local ingredients as much as possible. Given that one of my favorite vegetables is asparagus, I'm delighted around these times when it finally comes into season.

I had never thought of making asparagus soup before. However, when I saw the photo in Jamie's book, I knew I had to try it. Jamie's way of serving this soup is with toast and a poached egg. Well, I tried to poach an egg once for eggs benedict and it was such a disaster that I swore off poaching an egg EVER again. I regret my decision every time I see the beautiful photo in his book because it looks so good. Maybe one of these days I'll give it another shot but for now, I'll enjoy this asparagus soup with a few croutons.

I have loved every single recipe I've tried thus far from the Jamie at Home cookbook, including this soup. It is so fantastic. Simple, refreshing and perfect for Spring.

RECIPE courtesy of Jamie at Home:
1 3/4 lbs Asparagus, woody stems removed
olive oil
2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
2 quarts good quality chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Roughly chop the asparagus stalks, setting the tips aside. Heat oil to medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions, celery and leeks and saute for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and using either an immersion blender or regular blender*, puree the soup (*if using a regular blender, make sure to allow the soup to cool before pureeing and blend in batches.)Season the soup with salt and pepper according to taste. Return the soup to the stove, add the asparagus tips, bring back to a boil and simmer a few more minutes, until the tips have softened slightly. Serve the soup with a few drizzles of good quality olive oil.

Cauliflower Gorgonzola Soup

There's nothing better than combining two of your favorite foods to make one exceptional dish. That's the case for me with this Cauliflower Gorgonzola Soup. I love gorgonzola and I love roasted cauliflower, therefore, I love, love this soup. I serve this soup whenever I make an elegant dinner. It's so delicate but rich at the same time. It's surprising given the simplicity of the recipe that's there's so much depth to the soup but I suppose that's the real secret behind the delicious dishes of say, Italy and Spain, for example.

If you've never had roasted cauliflower I really urge you to try it. It's unbelievable how the flavors change, it's unlike anything you've tasted before. So if you think you don't like cauliflower, give this a try. I can however, understand if you don't like gorgonzola and if that's the case for you, this soup is delicious without it too. Like I said though, I love them both and this soup is perfection in my eyes.

RECIPE (an adaptation from Married With Dinner:)
1/4 cup butter or olive oil
1 head cauliflower
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/4 cup gorgonzola, crumbled
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break cauliflower into large pieces and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place the cauliflower in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping the cauliflower halfway through. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and saute until the onions are translucent, about 12 minutes. Add the stock. When the cauliflower is slightly browned and tender, remove from the oven, set aside 1/2 cup of the florets and add the remaining florets to the soup pot. Increase the heat and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and allow the soup to cool. Once cooled, place the soup mixture in a blender and puree until smooth (you may have to puree in batches.) Once smooth, return the soup to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the gorgonzola, remaining cauliflower florets and salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can adjust everything to your own taste; if too thick, add a little water, you can also add more cheese if you prefer. Allow the cheese to melt into the soup then ladle into bowls. A little drizzle of truffle oil is always a nice finish, should you have some laying around.

Ukrainian Borscht

Beets were a staple in my house growing up. We literally ate them with dinner every night. Being force fed a particular food so often as a child will usually lead to either loving it or hating it as an adult. Thankfully, I love beets. I mean, not only are they my favorite vegetable, they are at the top of my favorite foods list. Beets were also a staple in my boyfriend's house growing up and he also loves them. It just so happens beets are in prime season at the moment so naturally the next recipe from the book had to be Borscht.

People always say we eat with our eyes first. I cannot think of a more brilliant way to entice your senses than cooking with beets. I really don't understand how someone could not love beets. Amazing color aside, they are so fantastically sweet and don't even get me started on their nutritional benefits. I've made borscht in the past and it was good. I kind of mashed a bunch of recipes together in the hopes that I could make it somewhat authentic tasting. Let me tell you, a true authentic borscht recipe is hard to find online, there are so many variations. This recipe is so delicious and is an authentic Ukrainian borscht. My boyfriend said it tastes exactly like his Ome's so, once again, that's good enough for me.

Recipe:
1 lb spareribs
2 medium beets, diced into 1" cubes
1 cup tomatoes or tomato juice
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 head small cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 TBSP freshly chopped dill

Wash spareribs and cut into small pieces. Place in saucepan and cover with about 6 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until spareribs can be separated with a fork. Skim the scum off of the top of the water frequently. When spareribs are very tender, remove from pot and let cool. Meanwhile saute the onions on low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the beets, tomatoes, sauteed onion, cabbage, potato, bay leaf and lemon juice to the water that the spareribs were simmering in and bring to a boil. Shred the sparerib meat into chunks with two forks and add to the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or until beets and potatoes are tender, You may need to add more water as necessary. Noting that traditional Borscht is a soup, not a stew. When the vegetables are tender, remove the bay leaf, add the dill, remove from heat and serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.

Potato Leek Soup

A couple of weeks ago for the second time this winter it snowed. When I say 'it snowed,' I mean it looked like a Disney fairytail outside, it looked fake. I had never heard silence like that in my life. Nobody was venturing out into the tundra, there was not a soul (or vehicle) in sight. Naturally this type of weather conjures feelings of warmth and drinking hot cocoa while sitting by the fire. The other craving I inevitably get is for soup. I don't mean a thin delicate brothy soup, I mean something thick, hearty and stick to your bones...I'm talking Potato Leek.

It just so happens that Potato Leek is my boyfriend's favorite soup so we have a win win situation every time I make it. I've been using this recipe from Simply Recipes for a couple of years now. I love it because it doesn't include milk or cream. I've never found a need for the addition of either because the potatoes make the soup luxuriously creamy all by themselves. I also like the spiciness of the tabasco, it really takes this soup to new level. The other great thing about this recipe is that it takes no time at all. So, while I'm sitting by the fire, warming myself up and enjoying the snow, this delicious soup pretty much makes itself.

RECIPE (courtesy of Simply Recipes):
3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt & Pepper
Marjoram - dash
Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce

Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste. Add water, broth, and potatoes. Cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add dash of marjoram and chili sauce to taste - about 1/4 teaspoon.

Serves 4-6.

Chicken Stew

We had our first snowfall of the year and as a transplant from Edmonton, Alberta this means the world to me. As a rule, a Vancouver winter mainly consists of rain, rain and even more rain so when it does snow, it's a special occasion. There are two things I crave after a big snowfall and they are stew and roasts, both being either chicken or beef. In this case it was chicken stew. With my cold in the not so distant past I was still yearning for a little more of the chicken noodle soup cure but trust me, I was one too many bowls over that so I decided to make a more hearty version.

I basically went with the same ingredients for the soup and thickened it with some flour and potatoes. The result was exactly what I was looking for, a comforting robust stew that warmed me from the inside out. While I know the snow is only here for a moment and the rain is sure to fall again, I can be sure to rely on this chicken stew all winter long to warm my bones and my soul.

RECIPE:

Follow all of the same steps for this stock as the Chicken Noodle Soup stock recipe. In this case you will have leftover chicken stock which can be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for up to a week.

Stew:
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into half inch pieces
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 yukon gold potatoes, cut into half inch pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 cups chicken stock
3 TBS flour
3 TBS butter
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped very finely
1/8 cup parsley
s&p to taste

In a large pot, saute onions, carrots and celery with the butter over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add the flour to the vegetables and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the stock to the pot along with the chicken and potatoes and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer stew for about 45 minutes, stirring regularilary. Add the chopped rosemary and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Add the peas and parsley, cover and simmer another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Sick

Yup, it's sick days around here. My boyfriend and I hardly ever get sick but when we do it's nasty business. We all know there's nothing more soothing than chicken soup when you're sick but studies have shown that it actually increases the healing process. You can't go wrong with this delicious soup, whether your taste buds allow you their full advantage or not, this chicken noodle soup is a must for all of us poor little sickies out there. While the stock is simmering I'll be fiercely chugging echinacea and vitamin C in hopes of a speedy recovery, but I guarantee when it's ready, my chicken noodle soup is going to boost much more than my immune system.

(I like to make a different version of chicken stock for this soup but of course you can use regular homemade stock. I do encourage you to try to make your own stock for this soup, it really makes all the difference and it's so easy, especially the one I use here.)

RECIPE:

Stock:
1 chicken carcass (roasted or raw, as I've said before, always keep one in your freezer from leftover chicken bones)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 sprigs rosemary
8 cups water
1/4 tsp dried thyme, (I prefer dried thyme and dried sage in this but you can easily substitute a couple fresh sprigs of each)
1/4 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves

Add all of the ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring mixture to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for an hour. Remove from heat, strain the stock through a fine strainer and set aside.

Chicken Noodle Soup:
8 cups chicken stock
2 raw chicken breasts, chopped
2 cup carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cup celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup egg noodles
salt & pepper to taste

Saute onions. carrots and celery in a large pot (preferably your stock pot, cleaned and dried) over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes or until carrots are slightly tender. Add the garlic and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and raw chicken and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the carrots and celery are tender. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes.) Add the parsley, stir together and serve.

It All Began with this Carrot Ginger Soup

So I was thinking, Halloween, Autumn, must be about time for my Carrot Ginger Soup. If memory serves me correctly, this was the very first soup I ever made. Needless to say it holds a special place in my heart. I remember feeling so proud of myself after making this at the beginning of my cooking journey because for one, before I began this trip, mac n cheese from the box was all I made and secondly, I always thought soup was hard to make. Turns out, I've come to learn that soup is probably about the easiest thing to make, especially this one. Just because it's easy to make doesn't mean it lacks in flavour though. This soup packs quite a punch, it's so delicious and warming, not to mention so good for you. Who would of thought during all those years while I was perfecting the art of making Kraft Dinner that I'd be here with a food blog, not me that's for sure. These last few years have been truly delicious and it all started with this little soup. Happy Halloween!

RECIPE:
3 cups carrots, diced
1.5 cups onions, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1-2 TBS fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 TBS butter

In a saucepan over med-low heat, saute onions in the butter until onions are transluscent (about 8 minutes.) Add carrots and salt and saute another 5 minutes or so until carrots are slightly tender. Add ginger and saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock, thyme and black pepper and bring all ingredients to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. (NOTE: Allowing the mixture to cool is the most important step in all soups before you place in the blender. Blending hot liquids will cause them to expand in the blender and explode hot liquid everywhere, I only made that mistake once!) When the mixture is cooled, place all ingredients into the blender and puree until the soup is very smooth. Once smooth, return the soup to the saucepan and reheat. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives, green onions or fresh thyme.

Fabulous French Onion Soup

My mother in law is visiting with us and I really think when she goes I'll be going through compliment withdrawl. See, she loves my cooking and hearing someone rave about your cooking everyday not only makes it even better to cook but it makes your overall day a little bit better. I guess I'm going to have to get used to the void.

I was cooking up a storm for the last couple weeks but having been blessed with some fantastic sunshine the last couple of days has meant we've pretty much concentrated on grilling. Today however brought us some rain, am I a terrible person for actually welcoming the break from the sun? Perhaps, but seeing as my boyfriend does most of the BBQing around here, I wanted to get back into the kitchen.

I haven't made french onion soup since last winter and I had no idea it was my mother in law's favorite. This is a fail safe recipe I got from one of the best recipe blogs around, elise.com but as usual, I have made some changes. I've made this recipe many times and it always turns out awesome. I still have a couple of days left to knock her socks off in hopes of stroking my ego a few more times.

RECIPE:
6 large sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups each of beef stock and chicken stock
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
Salt and pepper
8 slices of toasted French bread
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere with a little grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf. To serve you can either use individual oven-proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprink with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Making homemade chicken stock is by far the easiest way for you to kick up your cooking. Store bought stock is fine but when it's this easy to make and for the amount of flavour it imparts to your dishes, it's so worth it. We eat a lot of chicken in our house so when we go to the butcher we just buy whole chickens and cut them up ourselves. This works out perfectly because I just end up freezing the carcass so I can use it to make chicken stock anytime I want. Alternately, in the winter I make roast chicken all the time so after the meat is all carved I also put the bones in the freezer.

Either way, make lots of stock and freeze it so you always have it on hand. James Barber was the host of one of my favorite old cooking shows from way back called the Urban Peasant and he had a great chicken stock tip. Pour cooled stock into ice cube trays and then freeze so you can just pop a few cubes out as needed, how clever of Mr Barber, a true visionary.

RECIPE:
leftover bones from one chicken
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
1 large white onions, quartered
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
couple sprigs thyme and rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place all ingredients in a large stockpot. Pour in only enough cold water to cover and allow it to come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer partially covered for about 2 hours. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering and stir occasionally. After about 2 hours. remove the pot from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the chicken and vegetable solids. Place the strained stock in a covered container and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the stock from the fridge and with a slotted spoon, skim off the fat that has solidified overnight. Refrigerate the stock for up to one week or freeze for 3 months.

Game Day Chili

My boyfriend loves football, I love cooking and we both like a good time so this makes us prime candidates for a tailgate party. So far in my life I have yet to attend one of these parties because I live in Canada and tailgating hasn't quite caught on here. I would love to be one of those couples that pull into the stadium parking lot, spark up the grill, plug in the crockpot and drink beer all day long, but for now, one can only dream.

My tailgate dish would be chili. I've been making the same recipe for a couple of years and it's always a huge hit. The best thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it any way you like. For example, for a delicious vegetarian option just omit the beef and add extra carrots, corn and black beans. If you don't like ground beef you can substitute ground chicken. Whatever way you make this chili be prepared to hear major cheers from the stands.

RECIPE Adapted from Allrecipes:
1lb lean ground beef
1/4lb bacon, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 can of your favorite beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS dried oregano
2 TBS ground cumin
1 tsp tabasco
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 TBS white sugar

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and brown ground beef, remove from pot, drain and set aside. Next brown up bacon in the same pot, remove, drain and set aside. Add onion to the same pot with a little leftover bacon grease and saute until translucent (about 10 mins.) Add the celery, green peppers and garlic, saute apr. 5 mins. Stir in tomato paste and saute another 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add diced tomatoes, beef and bacon. Drain and rinse all beans with water and add to pot. Season with all of the herbs and spices, stir to blend then partially cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate and serve the next day.

To serve, ladle into bowls, you can top with sour cream, salsa, green onions, cheese and/or corn chips.

Seafood Gumbo

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my adoration for southern cuisine around here before. There's just no denying the complexity of flavours and for the most part, family recipes that have been passed down through multiple generations. I love this because everybody does it differently, no two recipes are the same. I also really enjoy a dish that takes some time to make, you know like chili, stews and in this case Gumbo.

This was my first time making Gumbo, I omitted the usual addition of sausage and strictly went with seafood. Gumbo is a perfect example of a recipe that literally has hundreds of variations and this usually scares me a little because it can be a serious hit or miss. So I spent a lot of time doing my research and ultimately came to the conclusion that the two most important parts of a great Gumbo are the roux and the stock (in this case shrimp stock.) Now that I've made it I have to agree and being in on this little secret has put me at ease because neither are hard to do. The Gumbo was really easy to make and it was bursting with flavour from the slow cooking. No miss here, it far exceeded my expectations, it was sensational!

RECIPE loosely adapted from Gumbo Pages:

Shrimp Stock:
8 cups shrimp shells
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 lemons, halved
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 TBS whole black peppercorns
2 tsp salt
16 cups cold water

Rinse the shrimp shells quickly under cold water and place them in a stockpot with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool thoroughly, strain and refrigerate. You can easily freeze leftovers after they have been cooled.

Seafood Gumbo:
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound okra, trimmed and sliced
8 cups shrimp stock
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb fresh lump crab meat, picked over
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
3 cups cooked long grain white or brown rice

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium and add the flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it's the color of peanut butter. Just before the roux reaches the proper color, stir in the vegetables. When the vegetables are tender (about 5 mins.), add the stock, salt, peppers, thyme and bay leaf. Stir until the roux is dissolved, and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, adding more stock if you need to.

Add the shrimp, crab meat and fresh lemon juice about 5 minutes before serving, cook over low heat just until the shrimp turn pink and the crab meat is warmed through. Serve in large bowls over about 1/2 cup of cooked rice per serving.

Makes 6 servings