Happy 2011

Can you guess what one of my 2011 resolutions is? My reasons for not posting for 2 months are plentiful and varied, but I hope to rededicate myself to cooking and posting in the coming year. Typically I aim for one post per week but in November and December I found myself caught up in exam period craziness, lacking a photographer who was caught up in his own end-of-term chaos, and with a dearth of kitchen inspiration due to a series of bombed recipes. Plus, I was elbow deep in these:

(Christmas Cookies 2010: Coconut-Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Pistachio and Cherry Mexican Wedding Cakes, Grasshopper Squares, Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread, Sugar Cookies)

20 dozen cookies later I was more than ready for something savory. I finally hit on this successful recipe for wild rice chowder right before we left for a 10 day trip to Florida. But now that we’re home I’m back in the cooking groove and am happy to report that I’ve already discovered a few more delicious recipes to share with you in the coming weeks.

This soup reminds me of a more healthful (though admittedly slightly less delicious) version of a wild rice and mushroom soup my mom has made for many years. I made a few modifications, most notably streamlining the cooking process to allow the rice to cook in the same pot as the vegetables. I also made some swaps and additions based on the vegetables I had on hand. This recipe is adaptable like that and you can easily switch out anything that doesn’t suit your particular tastes.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful 2011 and hope you are too. I will see you again soon… promise!

P.S. This cookbook is an absolute treat for vegetarians and quasi-tarians (my invented term for myself) alike. I highly recommend it!

A Twist on Chicken Noodle

Say what you will about Rachael Ray, she does have some really clever ideas. This is one that I just love. Chicken noodle is such a homey soup. If you do it right though, it can be a decent amount of work for a meal that we usually crave when we want something comforting and simple. This recipe uses some interesting shortcuts, like using ground chicken to make meatballs instead of cooking and shredding a whole chicken. And you know I love the idea of using gnocchi instead of a more traditional type of noodle. Hopefully there are enough cold-weather days left wherever you live to give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Not Your Momma’s Chili

Italian Wedding Soup

I’ve been unable to forget this recipe even though it has been more than a week since I made it. It has been unseasonably cold here which means that I have difficulty planning any meals that don’t involve soup or roasted chicken. I’m trying to pull myself out of this habit, but I let myself fall big time when I grabbed this recipe out of my soup file. I know it doesn’t look like anything special: meat, mirepoix, spinach, pasta. But there is something so satisfying about it… I think it’s umami. And the spinach. The spinach sealed the deal for me.

I halved this recipe and even though it says it serves 10, I wish I’d made the whole batch! I know… two people, ten servings, I must be crazy. But lunch! I only got to eat it one day for lunch! I am very picky about reheated soups that involve meat, but this soup was one that was better after an extra day or two.  I used ground sirloin as specified but used chicken sausage. I can never resist the array of fresh chicken sausages in the Whole Foods case. This time though, that was a mistake. I should have realized that mixed meat meatballs just wouldn’t really work and recommend that you stick to one or the other. Also, a long pasta like penne just didn’t seem to be the right fit in a soup with other large items like meatballs, so I used ditalini instead.

So on your next chilly night (or for those of you cold-climate folks who are doomed to an infinite stretch of chilly nights) dish yourself up some of this soup. Mmmmmm….

Is It Time For Soup Yet?

For a while, it was soup weather. It sure doesn’t feel like it this week with highs in the 80s every day. But it was cooler last week when I tested a new soup recipe that I thought would be a shoo-in for my lunchbox this winter. It ended up being mildly successful. I used the best canned tomatoes I could get and that took care of the tinny flavor. However, having already mentioned my aversion to white sandwich bread, I used a demi baguette for both the croutons and the binder for the soup. I think the crumb of the bread was a little to large or that I didn’t guess correctly on how much to use, because it ended up being a little, well, bread-y. However, as far as the basic recipe goes, I think it could be better than good with a few more tweaks.

Dog Days of Summer

As you can probably tell by the steep decline in posts this week, school is back in session. We spent our last free weekend at the beach, where we soaked up as much sun as was possible through the clouds, took walks in the sultry heat, watched an assortment of our favorite Olympic events, and ate lots of great food, which I’ll post about later. On the drive back we dropped by a produce stand off I-40 and picked up peaches, tomatoes, and watermelon. I’ve missed the farmer’s market six weeks straight and it’s been killing me. For our first full week at home in quite a while I needed some good fruits and veggies, so the roadside stand would have to do. Since I was juggling being back at work and having family in town (my little brother just started college down the road!) I decided that our bounty of tomatoes would make a great no-cook meal of gazpacho. This is the recipe my mom uses and it’s another one that’s perfect in my eyes, so no amount of cajoling could get me to try anything else. We serve our gazpacho with toppings of sour cream, chunks of fresh vegetables, and croutons. It’s got a very garlicky bite, so cut back on the garlic if that’s not your thing. We love it.

Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon

Long, long title for a good, good recipe. Last night we were watching a chowder throwdown on Food Network. Bobby Flay and co. were making all sorts of seafood chowders (gross!) so when Jeff said “Let’s have chowder,” I didn’t really know what he meant. He knows I won’t cook monkfish and eel chowder – I gag just thinking about it! Catching his mistake quickly (ok, maybe it was the evil eye I gave him) he clarified: “You know, corn chowder or something.” Now, that was an idea I could get into. I had this recipe in my bulging “to try” files and since I already had fingerlings from the market on Saturday, all I needed to buy was corn and bacon. I pureed the specified amount and enjoyed the final texture, which was very chunky. If you prefer something with less crunch to it, I would advise you to puree more. The flavor was nice and sweet, well complemented by the smoky bacon. I cooked 3 slices instead of the 2 called for in the recipe. I added cilantro to the top of mine because, well, I love cilantro on anything and I know it goes well with corn. It was great!

Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon
Serves 5

2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 3/4 cups diced onion
3 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
8 ounces (1/4-inch-thick) rounds fingerling potato slices
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn, chopped thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, milk, half-and-half, and potatoes; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer 2 cups potato mixture to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth; return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in salt and black pepper; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

From Cooking Light