Vegetable Mushroom Soup

I went to a friend's house last night for a small get together. Instead of ordering food or doing our usual appetizers-for-dinner, I offered to cook. Originally I suggested a mushroom-squash soup, broth based because one of my friends recently discovered that her body is having an all out battle with dairy (or maybe that should be the other way around). The other friend indicated she's less than fond of squash, so I had mushrooms as a start and had to apologize to all the squash sitting in my kitchen unused. I hope they aren't sitting there, crying to each other about how nobody wants them. (As a side note: I have a ton of squash because, when my brother and sister-in-law left for a month in France, they left me their enormous csa share which included a ton of squash).

Back to our unpaired mushrooms... While sitting around knitting (I had the day off), I was thinking through different vegetables I could use. Oh, the no-dairy friend is also not a huge fan of meat, so I was going for an all vegetable soup. I recalled a delicious soup I had a local restaurant; it had beets (immediately nixed because one of the people eating doesn't really like those) and mushrooms and a very rich and complex broth. There were a lot of tiny pieces of root vegetables at the bottom of the bowl, so I assumed they had roasted the tiny vegetables with beef, deglazed the pan, and used that as the base. Since I wasn't using beef and didn't want to roast as well as cook stove-top, I wanted to try obtaining the richness in one pan.

In the end, I selected onions, garlic, potato (russet, for the starch), carrots, and parsnips. I used a mixture of baby portabella mushrooms and shitake. I heated a generous amount of olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Once that was hot, I added the onions and garlic and cooked those, stirring occasionally until they started to brown. Then I added the potato, and again, cooked with occasional stirring, until that started to brown and stick to the bottom. Next were the carrots and parsnips, a little more browning, some salt and pepper, and then I deglazed with a little bit of red wine. Once the bottom was scraped clean of all those delicious brown bits, I added water, vegetable and beef bullion (my friend isn't averse to that), and the mushrooms. It simmered for about 30 to 45 minutes and I added some more salt and pepper. The end product was a peppery, rich broth filled with perfect little cubes of root veggies and sliced mushrooms. And it was a definite hit with all friends involved.

Vegetable Mushroom Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 large russet potato, washed and diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup carrots, diced or sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup parsnips, diced or sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup dry red wine
3 to 4 quarts water
1 to 2 teaspoons beef bullion
1 teaspoon vegetable bullion
3 cups variety of mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
When hot, add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until onion begins to brown.
Add potato, stirring occasionally until potato begins to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add about 1 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon black pepper at this point.
Add carrots and parsnips, stirring occasionally until they also begin to brown.
Pour in red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan clean.
Add water, bullion, and mushrooms and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
While soup is simmering, taste occasionally to test the levels of salt, pepper and bullion, adding more if needed.

Sheepish return...

So, a year? Wow. Basically, anyone beyond my family has probably given up checking this site for updates; even they might have abandoned me. I don't blame you. That's a long period of silence. It's not as though my kitchen is a gloomy pit of dust and cobwebs. (Truth be told, it's currently covered in dirty dishes from last night's dinner). I have no good excuse. So, after a brief "I'm sorry," I'm going to jump right in.

After a week of scrounging for meals from what I had in my house, I got paid, went grocery shopping, and made meatloaf. But, this was no ordinary meatloaf. I honestly love my mother's recipe for meatloaf; it is the epitome of comfort food when served with mashed potatoes and cooked carrots. However, beyond really wanting meatloaf, I've had a hankering for mushrooms and rosemary. There is something about those items that just screams winter. Or rather, as their scents drift through the house, they slowly wrap you in a warm blanket of aroma and whisper to you to curl up on your couch and enjoy their company. I'm so ensnared by their intoxicating combination that they play a pivotal role in my fall/winter cooking regiment. It might come to bore someone else, but I wouldn't know; I'm usually cooking for one. I have a feeling it would take a lot of coaxing from a special someone for me to refrain from their weekly use.

All this ruminating aside, let's get onto the recipe and the process. I started with my mother's basic recipe: 1 pound of ground beef, an egg, crushed cracker crumbs, salt, pepper, splash of tomato sauce, and a small finely chopped onion. My changes: I used Stone Wheat crackers instead of basic saltines (I thought their heartier flavor would go well and add more complexity) and replaced the tomato sauce with milk (a la our recipe for Swedish Meatballs). I also added: 3 portabella mushrooms which I whirred in my food processor and then sauteed with two minced shallots, a tablespoon of dried rosemary leaves crushed, pepper and salt. I chose to precook the mushrooms so that I could cook off some of their moisture. My mother's meatloaf is normally shaped into a loaf and baked in a cast iron pan on top of a circle of tomato sauce, the covered in the remaining tomato sauce. Add a loose cover of tinfoil and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. My resulting mixture was too wet to hold its own shape, so I actually used a loaf pan (ungreased) and covered with tinfoil for baking. The result: a winter wonderland of flavor and a new addition to my comfort food collection.

Rosemary and Mushroom Meatloaf

1 tablespoon oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 portabella mushrooms, minced in a food processor
1 pound ground beef (I used 85% lean)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
5 ounces Stone Wheat crackers, crushed to a fine powder (either in food processor or with a rolling pin)
1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a cast iron pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the shallots and cook until translucent.
Add the rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook until fragrant.
Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their moisture and most of the moisture cooks off.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, place beef, onion, milk, remaining salt and pepper, crushed crackers, egg, and mushroom mixture.
Mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
Place mixture in a loaf pan, pat down gently, cover with tinfoil, and bake for about an hour, or until center is cooked through and no longer pink.

Beef and Sausage Stew

I had planned to go grocery shopping yesterday so that I could make another round of chili or something else warm. Instead I sat in my apartment most of the day reading and knitting. My dirty laundry and bare kitchen mocked me the entire day. In my defense, dragging a granny cart through a foot of snow to do laundry isn't exactly fun. Especially when most of my neighbors are disinclined to shovel their walks. The snow also deterred me from shopping and since I'm going back to Wisconsin near the end of this week, there isn't much reason for me to do any major food purchasing. So, I holed up in my apartment and stayed warm while my dog barked at everything that dared make a noise outside. Magellen has a serious problem. He hates trucks in general, car doors slamming, and people talking outside. I think he has a wire loose that makes all noise seem like an impending threat to our safety. The only way to keep us safe is to bark ferociously and run to all the windows. You never know, one of those trucks might climb into one of our second story windows. Then where would we be? Choking from gas fumes and freezing from the brisk winter wind blowing through the giant hole in the wall. It's a good thing Magellen scares them all away.

...Back to more important matters, though. The stew... perhaps it was more a soup... consistency of soup because I didn't feel like thickening the liquid, but there wasn't much liquid... okay, we'll just stick with calling it a stew. Feel free to thicken the sauce, should you be so inclined (mix some cornstarch with cold water and pour gradually into simmering stew/soup). I had 3/4 of a pound of steak and about 1/4 pound andouille sausage. I had an onion, three parsnips, some carrots, and a cabinet of leftover alcohol from my 30th birthday party. The end result was good... but lacked something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I think it just needed something to balance out the earthy and spicy ingredients. I thought the sweetness of the carrots would do it, but not really. Okay, I'm being a bit of a perfectionist here. The stew was very good, but the next time I make it, I'll try to make it more balanced and let you know if I succeeded. In the meantime, make it. It's good. Maybe you could make some suggestions on how to improve it?

Beef and Sausage Stew

3/4 lb steak, cut into small cubes
1/4 lb andouille sausage, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced into cubes
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 medium onion, diced small
5 cups water, divided
1/2 c sweet vermouth
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp beef bouillon

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot.
Add steak and andouille sausage and brown on first side.
Add black pepper and stir.
Continue to brown the meat, stirring occasionally, until a crust has formed on the bottom of the pan.
Add 1 c water, scrape bottom of the pan clean, and simmer until liquid has evaporated and crust is forms on the bottom of the pan again.
Mix vermouth and 1/2 c water and pour into pan.
Scrape bottom of the pan clean and simmer until liquid has evaporated again and crust is formed again.
Add remaining water and the remaining ingredients and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan again.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, until liquid dips below the top of the solid ingredients and carrots and parsnips and tender.
Serve hot with warm bread.

Pepperoni, Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Pizza with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

There are certain dishes that I rarely use a strict recipe for. My pizza sauces fall into this category. I do use a crust recipe, since I've found one that I love. Why mess with perfection? Well, I suppose that's too much of a simplification. It did take me a few tries before I realized that I needed to reduce my oven temperature, since it runs high. I also discovered that 5 minutes of pre-baking the crust means that I can take the pizza out of the oven as soon as the cheese is melted without the crust being undone. Returning to my sauces, though, I use a rough approximation of a recipe, but I almost never make it the same way twice. I suppose this does mean that pizza can be a little hit or miss, but it's usually a hit. This is probably why I don't bother with following recipes, even if I do write them down. This becomes a problem when friends and family request my sauce recipe. Most of them don't like "add a little this" and "just a bit of that." So, I'm going to provide the specific recipe I followed for a pizza I made earlier this week for a couple friends.

Pepperoni, Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Pizza with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce

2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp basil
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 whole cloves
5 dried rosemary leaves
1 red bell pepper
1 8 inch link pepperoni, sliced thin
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c water
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
butter or shortening for greasing
1 baseball sized ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into about 12 pieces

Preheat oven to 500 degrees (or less if your oven runs hot).
Heat oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until it just starts to brown.
Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are glistening and have released juice.
Add tomatoes, basil, cinnamon, cloves, and rosemary leaves.
Simmer, stirring frequently, until reduces to a good spreading consistency. You don't want the sauce to be watery, since that will make your crust soggy. Turn off the sauce once it has reached the consistency you want.
While the sauce is simmering, blacken the skin of the bell pepper. To do this with an electric stove, turn a burner to high. Using an oven mitt to grasp a long pair of metal tongs, hold the bell pepper over the burner (about 1 to 2 inches from the burner). As each side blackens, set the bell pepper down and adjust the tongs grip on the pepper to expose an unblackened side.
Once the entire bell pepper is blackened, set aside to cool.
Once bell pepper is cool, cut off the stem end, slice in half lengthwise; remove seeds and slice into strips.
Heat a skillet over medium heat.
Add pepperoni slices in one layer.
Cook until pepperoni starts to curve, then flip over.
Cook on other side for 30 seconds, then remove pan from heat.
Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
In a microwavable measuring cup, heat the water for 2 1/2 minutes.
Be careful when removing water from the microwave, as it may be at boiling point and can boil over.
Add sugar to hot water and stir.
Add yeast to sugar water and stir.
Allow yeast mixture to sit for 8 minutes.
As yeast mixture is sitting, grease a jellyroll pan with butter or shortening.
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and press down.
Use more butter or shortening to grease the top of the parchment paper.
Stir yeast mixture, and then pour into flour mixture.
Stir with a fork until just mixed.
Use your hand to finish mixing (you want to remove the dry parts but not over-knead the dough).
Roll dough between your hands to create a log the width of your jellyroll pan.
Place in the center of the jellyroll pan and use your finger tips to slowly and gently press the dough evenly all the way to the ends.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, spread with sauce. Top with pepperoni, bell pepper and cheese.
Put pizza back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Slice and serve hot.

Breakfast Review - Bintliff's American Cafe

So, I mentioned that Kurt, Jen and I were going to try to go to Bintliff's American Cafe. Well we ended up going twice. The food was wonderful and I really love the atmosphere. The color scheme is eggplant and cream, which gives a cozy feel while allowing it to be properly bright for a brunch cafe. They play jazz and the walls are decorated with old photos and documents from 1800s grocery stores and sailing logs. While waiting for a table, you can enjoy a cup (or three) of their Coffee by Design blend. Jen was happy to discover that they will give you soy milk for your coffee, even when you're standing waiting. The menu is full of creative and tempting options. The first morning Kurt and I both ordered the Eggs Benedict and Jen ordered the Vegetable Hash with an English muffin. The mountain of vegetable hash was perfectly cooked so that the vegetables were done without being overdone. The eggs Benedict was absolutely perfect! You know how most times, when you order this dish, the hollandaise sauce is an obscene yellow goop over undercooked eggs and slightly burnt English muffins? Well, at Bintliff's the sauce is thin, flavorful, and I believe freshly made. The eggs were perfectly done and the muffin was crisp and perfectly browned. Their three potato hash is also divine. It's a combination of sweet potato, red potatoes and either russets or Yukon gold. Besides fresh thyme, there was a spice in them that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it reminded me of one of the warm flavors in jerk seasoning - perhaps allspice? Jen and I shared one of their chocolate chip macadamia nut pancakes. It was fluffy without dissolving in the syrup and there were just the right amount of chips and nuts to add flavor without being over powering. Kurt ordered the fruit plate. He was disappointed to find that it was half melons. Other than my mom, nobody in my family is a fan of melon. Seeing that Kurt hadn't eaten half his fruit, our waiter did not charge us for it. We were so happy with the meal that we went back the next day, even without a reservation.

The second morning I had the Raspberry Almond pancakes, which were delicious, with a side of maple sausage and eggs. The sausages were so large, I could have shared them with someone else and gone without the eggs. Now I know. Kurt had their Georgia Pecan Carmel waffle, which he enjoyed. Jen had their Dark Chocolate waffle with a side of medium rare steak. Once again we were all full to the brim and completely satisfied with our meals. Now I know why everyone waits at Bintliff's for their brunch. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in the area.

Lamb Chili

Mary Anne came over tonight for dinner and knitting. ...Do I sound like an old maid yet? We went to the grocery store without any idea what we wanted to eat except that I knew I wanted something warm. I’ve been feeling chilled and tired lately and warm food seems to help. I guess that’s just the normal for winter. She suggested soup, which I’ve been eating a lot of lately. I wanted something else and Mary Anne suggested chili. Okay – so it’s basically soup, but in my defense, it’s thicker, more substantial, and basically hearty and warm – just what I wanted. Knowing that I spent some money this weekend, she hesitantly suggested making it with lamb; since lamb wasn’t that much more than the beef, we did opt for it. And instead of the tomato juice I usually use, she suggested with whole tomatoes. We hit common ground with crushed tomatoes and a can of tomato paste. We both enjoy a lot of beans as well, so we picked up a can each of black and kidney beans. The resulting soup was thicker than my family’s recipe, without being the seasoned meat dish of some people’s preference. And least anyone fear that I am a hermit, we did end up going out afterwards. There is a great beer bar in town with a casual atmosphere and intriguing mix of patrons. It has both great drinks and entertaining people watching. We even ventured into a conversation with complete strangers – look at us make acquaintances!

Lamb Chili

1 lb ground lamb
2 small or 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 habanero, stemmed and chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 large can crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
½ tsp oregano
pinch of cumin

In a soup pot, brown the lamb meat. If there is a lot of extra moisture in the meat, simmer off the excess liquid.
Add onions, pepper and habanero to pot and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent.
Stir in tomato paste.
Gradually add crushed tomatoes.
Mix in chili powder, oregano and cumin.
Simmer for ½ hour, stirring frequently.
Serve hot with a hearty whole grain bread.

Rosemary Chicken with Mashed Yams and Parsnips and Sauteed Spinach

This morning I'm headed to Bintliff's American Cafe with Kurt and Jen. I have tried most of Portland's brunch cafes, but not this one. I've heard great things about their food. We had tried to go once before, a while back, but it was weekend brunch rush hour and Jen was already hungry, so we decided to go to another restaurant that I frequent and had never experienced a wait at. Enter the "never" curse. We had to wait just as long at the second cafe and also got the table right by the door, so we had to keep our coats on. I seriously don't understand people who walk into a restaurant during the winter and hold the door open while having a conversation with the people behind them about whether they'll eat there or not. The waitress also wasn't very attentive. I have high hopes for Bintliff's, since we made a reservation this time!

Last night, I made another meal to continue my attempt at more vegetables. This time I pan cooked some chicken thighs with rosemary and garlic, mashed yams (for sweetness) and parsnips (to balance out the yams), and quickly sauteed some spinach with garlic in oil so that it was wilted but not soggy. I hate overcooked greens. The meal was very colorful, which is always so appetizing, and the flavors balanced I thought. (Though, I didn't realize my brother doesn't like squash and yams very much, so I should have increase the amount of parsnips to yams for his taste preference). The meal came together quickly, which was nice since Jen was hungry when they arrived and I hadn't started to cook yet. Oops. Kurt also told me that when he makes a quick sauteed vegetable after cooking meat, he'll just throw it into the meat pan (meat removed). It saves a pan and adds more flavor to the vegetables.

Rosemary Chicken with Mashed Yams and Parsnips and Sauteed Spinach

2 tbsp oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tbsp rosemary
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 yams, peeled and diced
6 parsnips, peels and sliced
1 bunch spinach, washed well

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add smashed garlic cloves and rosemary and allow to cook for a minute.
Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides and add to the pan.
Leave these to cook until you can see that it is cooked half way up and side facing down is thoroughly browned.
While first side of chicken is cooking, put the yams and parsnips in a pan and cover with water.
Bring yams and parsnips to a boil, then reduce heat and low boil until vegetables are tender.
When chicken is cooked half way up, turn over and allow to cook the rest of the way. Do not turn the chicken frequently, or the outside will overcook and the inside will take longer to come to temperature.
Yams and parsnips should be done before the chicken - drain and then mash.
Cover with a lid to keep warm.
When meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the largest chicken thigh reads 180 degrees, remove chicken from pan and place on a serving platter.
Add spinach to the meat pan and saute until just wilted.
Remove spinach from pan and put in a serving bowl.
Put mashed yams and parsnips in a serving bowl.
Serve hot.