A while back I made this soup and posted it to my social networking profile so that I wouldn't forget it. I'm now moving it over here for others to enjoy.
6 yukon gold potatoes, washed and cubed
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large leek, dark green part and roots removed, chopped fine and rinsed
1/3 c celery, washed and chopped
6 cups chopped kale, washed
2 tsp chicken flavor better than bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
In a large soup pot, put potatoes and garlic clove. Cover generously with water and put over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving the liquid.
While potatoes are boiling, put porcini mushrooms in a 2 cup measuring cup and fill with hot water. Let soak. When tender, remove porcini mushrooms and dice. Reserve the liquid.
Once potatoes are draining, return soup pot to the stove and put over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add leek and celery and cook until very tender. Add porcini mushrooms and kale and cook until kale is wilted but still bright green.
Return potatoes to the pot, pour in reserved mushroom liquid. Then add reserved potato liquid. You want to cover generously with liquid, so you may need to add additional water. Add bouillon, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from the heat. Using an immersion blender, very carefully blend the soup until smooth (depending on how finely you chopped the leeks, celery and kale, this might take a while). Once blended, return to heat and bring to temperature desired for serving.
And an alternate option:
Alteration: Replace porcini mushrooms with 3 cups fresh cremini mushrooms, chopped. Sautee mushrooms with leek and celery. One downside is that the mushrooms float and take a while to blend. It might be a good idea to process with an immersion blender before adding liquid and potatoes back to the pot (or with only a small amount of liquid). When using cremini mushrooms, add extra water to replace mushroom liquid.
Showing posts with label leeks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leeks. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, April 19, 2010
Summer Inspiration
Summer is coming. I suppose I could say that spring is here, but thinking that summer is coming makes me even happier. Especially since I live in Maine, and spring is quite the roller coaster. A couple weekends ago it was so warm I braved a 45 degree lake to help friends put in their dock. At least, I think it was 45 degrees. It was quite cold, but sitting on the dock in the warm afternoon sun made it all worthwhile. This past weekend was... maybe in the 40s and rainy. I'm not exactly sure because I avoided going outside as much as possible, especially after I saw snow on people's cars. Snow! So, spring is here in Maine, but summer is what I look forward to.
One of my favorite summer activities is grilling. I mean real grilling, the kind with charcoal. I'm amazed at the number of people who feel that a gas grill counts; it doesn't. Gas grills are just outdoor broilers. Charcoal is real fire and imparts a flavor that gas grills will never match. I love slow grilling the most. Circle of coals, chicken split in half, basting, turning, adding coals to keep the heat going, basting, turning, repeat as necessary. This is best achieved while sipping a beer or a glass of wine and soaking up sun in a lawn chair. And now my deep secret... I don't own a grill. I've lived here coming on three years and this will be my fourth summer in this apartment. It's time to get that grill, don't you think? And a lawn chair. I don't own one of those either. Once I have those and Maine makes up its mind to be warm, I will start grilling.
In the meantime, I have found a decent substitute that gives me a charred flavor - my broiler. It's electric, so it has one up on those gas grills. No gas flavor, take that gas grills! I've also stuck with vegetable dishes. Not sure why, exactly. I love meat, but just haven't been buying it as of late. I have, however, been buying asparagus like it's going out of style. The first dish below was made for a potluck. As a friend once pointed out, vegetable dishes seem to get overlooked in the world of potlucks. The second was because I had those vegetables in my house and some soba noodles. Two different flavors from one great cooking method, the broiler.
Asparagus, Green Bean and Roasted Red Pepper
3 red bell peppers
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off and chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups green beans, trimmed and chopped into pieces
6 large shallots, peeled and sliced thick
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Move one oven rack to the top position and the second to the position just below that and set your oven to broil.
Place the red bell peppers, whole on the top rack, leaving the door open a crack.
As the top side of the bell peppers turn black, turn; continue turning until all sides are blackened.
While peppers are roasting, mix the asparagus, green beans, shallots, oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet; make sure to coat everything well with the oil.
When you turn the peppers to the last side for roasting, place the other vegetables on the rack below the peppers. (It's good if the peppers drip onto the other vegetables.)
When peppers are done roasting, remove from oven and place in a bowl of cold water; move the other vegetables up to the top rack and leave the door open a crack. Stir occasionally.
Peel skin off peppers, seed and chop. Be careful because the air inside the peppers will be very hot and steamy!
Place peppers in a bowl.
When other vegetables are done and slightly browned, add to the bowl with the peppers and stir.
This really good served over quinoa.
Asparagus, Snap Peas, and Leek
2 large bunches asparagus, ends snapped off and chopped into 4 pieces lengthwise
4 cups snap peas, de-stringed and rinsed
2 leeks, dark green tops and root trimmed off, sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced into 1/2 inch pieces - rinse
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 package soba noodles (enough for 4 servings)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
Set oven rack to the top position and turn your oven to broil setting.
Mix asparagus, snap peas, leeks, olive oil, salt and pepper and then divide between two 9x13 inch cake pans.
Place pans in the oven on the top rack, leaving the door open a crack.
Stir occasionally.
Remove vegetables when tender and slightly brown.
Drizzle with soy sauce and mix.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add soba noodles.
Cook for 4 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
Place noodles back in pot, drizzle with sesame oil and toss.
To serve, place 1/2 serving of soba noodles in a bowl and spoon vegetables over the top.
One of my favorite summer activities is grilling. I mean real grilling, the kind with charcoal. I'm amazed at the number of people who feel that a gas grill counts; it doesn't. Gas grills are just outdoor broilers. Charcoal is real fire and imparts a flavor that gas grills will never match. I love slow grilling the most. Circle of coals, chicken split in half, basting, turning, adding coals to keep the heat going, basting, turning, repeat as necessary. This is best achieved while sipping a beer or a glass of wine and soaking up sun in a lawn chair. And now my deep secret... I don't own a grill. I've lived here coming on three years and this will be my fourth summer in this apartment. It's time to get that grill, don't you think? And a lawn chair. I don't own one of those either. Once I have those and Maine makes up its mind to be warm, I will start grilling.
In the meantime, I have found a decent substitute that gives me a charred flavor - my broiler. It's electric, so it has one up on those gas grills. No gas flavor, take that gas grills! I've also stuck with vegetable dishes. Not sure why, exactly. I love meat, but just haven't been buying it as of late. I have, however, been buying asparagus like it's going out of style. The first dish below was made for a potluck. As a friend once pointed out, vegetable dishes seem to get overlooked in the world of potlucks. The second was because I had those vegetables in my house and some soba noodles. Two different flavors from one great cooking method, the broiler.
Asparagus, Green Bean and Roasted Red Pepper
3 red bell peppers
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off and chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups green beans, trimmed and chopped into pieces
6 large shallots, peeled and sliced thick
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Move one oven rack to the top position and the second to the position just below that and set your oven to broil.
Place the red bell peppers, whole on the top rack, leaving the door open a crack.
As the top side of the bell peppers turn black, turn; continue turning until all sides are blackened.
While peppers are roasting, mix the asparagus, green beans, shallots, oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet; make sure to coat everything well with the oil.
When you turn the peppers to the last side for roasting, place the other vegetables on the rack below the peppers. (It's good if the peppers drip onto the other vegetables.)
When peppers are done roasting, remove from oven and place in a bowl of cold water; move the other vegetables up to the top rack and leave the door open a crack. Stir occasionally.
Peel skin off peppers, seed and chop. Be careful because the air inside the peppers will be very hot and steamy!
Place peppers in a bowl.
When other vegetables are done and slightly browned, add to the bowl with the peppers and stir.
This really good served over quinoa.
Asparagus, Snap Peas, and Leek
2 large bunches asparagus, ends snapped off and chopped into 4 pieces lengthwise
4 cups snap peas, de-stringed and rinsed
2 leeks, dark green tops and root trimmed off, sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced into 1/2 inch pieces - rinse
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 package soba noodles (enough for 4 servings)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
Set oven rack to the top position and turn your oven to broil setting.
Mix asparagus, snap peas, leeks, olive oil, salt and pepper and then divide between two 9x13 inch cake pans.
Place pans in the oven on the top rack, leaving the door open a crack.
Stir occasionally.
Remove vegetables when tender and slightly brown.
Drizzle with soy sauce and mix.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add soba noodles.
Cook for 4 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
Place noodles back in pot, drizzle with sesame oil and toss.
To serve, place 1/2 serving of soba noodles in a bowl and spoon vegetables over the top.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Savory Citrus Cornish Hens with Mashed (Sweet) Potatoes and Leek Butter
I am continually amazed by how opening yourself to new people can be so rewarding. A woman who volunteers for my employer asked me to show her daughter around while they were in town this weekend. I had met the mother during a work trip and found out that we had a common home town. We had a great conversation, so when she asked me to spend some time with her daughter, I didn't hesitate to say yes. I was not disappointed. Her daughter was outgoing and full of surprises. I love people like that. She was honestly sweet and open, too. As a close friend's mother has put it, "Wisconsin people are good people," this girl included. As an end to the weekend, I invited her and my close friend over for dinner. Not knowing her likes and dislikes, but knowing that she had ordered chicken when we went out earlier in the weekend, I decided on Cornish Hens (well, the store only had huge chickens that were not going to cook fast enough). I made this up as I went, not to say it's original, the flavor combination is common, I think. The entire meal included individual Cornish Hens stuffed with lemon, garlic, rosemary, and capers, mashed sweet potatoes and potatoes with leek butter, cooked carrots, and asparagus.
Savory Citrus Cornish Hens
4 Cornish Hens, rinsed and patted dry
1 lemon, sliced thin
8 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tbsp capers
2 long sprigs rosemary
4 tsp oil
freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Separate skin on breasts of hens from the flesh.
Slice four lemon slices in half and slide half a lemon slice between the skin and flesh of each breast.
Divide remaining lemon slices between the cavities of each bird.
Divide garlic, capers, and rosemary between each bird, stuffing into the cavity.
Rub the breast of the birds with oil, then rub with black pepper and salt.
Bake until done, between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours.
Mashed (Sweet) Potatoes and Leek Butter
2 large yams, peeled and cubed
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 leek, white only, sliced in half, then thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 c butter
Place yams and potatoes into a pot, cover with water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until tender.
Rinse leeks well and set to drain.
When potatoes are nearly done, heat small skillet and melt butter.
Add leeks and cook until tender.
Drain potatoes and return to pot.
Pour in leeks and butter and mash to desired consistency.
Serve hot.
Savory Citrus Cornish Hens
4 Cornish Hens, rinsed and patted dry
1 lemon, sliced thin
8 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tbsp capers
2 long sprigs rosemary
4 tsp oil
freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Separate skin on breasts of hens from the flesh.
Slice four lemon slices in half and slide half a lemon slice between the skin and flesh of each breast.
Divide remaining lemon slices between the cavities of each bird.
Divide garlic, capers, and rosemary between each bird, stuffing into the cavity.
Rub the breast of the birds with oil, then rub with black pepper and salt.
Bake until done, between 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours.
Mashed (Sweet) Potatoes and Leek Butter
2 large yams, peeled and cubed
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 leek, white only, sliced in half, then thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 c butter
Place yams and potatoes into a pot, cover with water.
Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until tender.
Rinse leeks well and set to drain.
When potatoes are nearly done, heat small skillet and melt butter.
Add leeks and cook until tender.
Drain potatoes and return to pot.
Pour in leeks and butter and mash to desired consistency.
Serve hot.
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