Posts Tagged soup recipe

Celery Root Soup with Caramelized Apples

I find that whenever I purchase celery root at the local grocery store, the clerks always give me a funny look.

“What is this?,” they ask, with incredulous looks on their faces. I explain to them at it’s a celery root – you know, the root of the celery plant – and they still don’t quite get it. “Celery root…” they repeat back to me as they frantically flip through their binder to find the appropriate produce code, “what on earth do you DO with it?!“

I’m not kidding you, I have this conversation 9 times out of 10 when I buy celery root.

It seems that celery root isn’t nearly as popular as the crunchy green stalks that grow from it. It would seem that I am in the minority, because I much prefer celery root. Here’s how I think of it: if celery stalks and potatoes got married and had a superchild, it would be celery root. It has all the starchy wonderfulness of a potato, with just a kick of crisp green celery flavor. It’s darn near perfect.

This soup shows off all the wonders of the celery root: it’s smooth, creamy, and comforting. And then when you add the caramelized apples on top, the whole thing just tastes like Thanksgiving. And that, my friends, is never a bad thing.

Celery Root Soup with Caramelized Apples

Serving Size: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 small celery roots, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 leeks, washed and sliced into thin rings (white and light green parts only)
1-2 stalks of celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter (1 for the soup, 1 for the caramelized apples)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cream
2 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add in the leeks and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and celery and stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Add in the cubed celery root and stir to coat. Add a bit more butter if necessary and cook for 2 minutes. Next, pour in the chicken (or vegetable) stock. Add in the bay leaves, thyme, and a dash of salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer until celery root is tender (about 30 minutes).
Remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor), purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Return the pot to the stove and stir in the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. (If you would like to thin out the soup at this point, you can add in more half and half or a bit more stock). Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed.
To caramelize the apples, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a skillet over med-high heat until it foams. Add the apples and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to brown and caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside until use. (Optional: I added some freshly ground black pepper to my caramelized apples and it was great.)
When you’re ready to eat the soup, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with caramelized apples. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Letite’s Culinaria

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http://rosemarried.com/2013/03/10/celery-root-soup-with-caramelized-apples/

Rainy Day Remedy: Duck Pho

Pho: (Pronounced: Fuh) A Vietnamese noodle soup, typically made with beef broth and thin rice noodles, usually garnished with basil, bean sprouts, and lime.

I was dithering back and forth about posting this recipe, as I was worried that it might sound fancy, complicated or inaccessible. And while I like to cook fancy food from time to time, ultimately I want my recipes to be accessible. I want to post things that you want to cook.

The thing I want to stress about this recipe is that it only sounds complicated. It really isn’t! The whole idea to make duck pho came about when I saw a recipe for Turkey Pho (made with Thanksgiving leftovers! Genius!). As I mentioned in my last post, since I didn’t roast a turkey this year, I decided to roast a duck. In all actuality, my wonderful husband roasted the duck while I was at the gym. Let me tell you, coming home to roast duck (prepared by the person you love) is a really great thing.

So, we ate the roast duck (and holy smokes, it was good) and when we were finished, we had a whole duck carcass on our hands. We had no choice but to make duck stock! And since we made duck stock, making duck pho seemed to be the next logical step. So that’s just what we did.

For the record, this recipe could easily be made with chicken or turkey. I happened to roast a duck, hence why I made this pho with duck. I don’t often roast ducks (read: this was the first time), but I do roast chickens relatively frequently, so I see a lot of chicken pho in my future. I’ve always thought of chicken pho as a better version of chicken noodle soup. In fact, whenever I’m not feeling well, all I really want to eat is pho. I’m not sure why I’ve never attempted to make it until now, I think I always assumed it was really complicated. All it requires is a bit of time to make the stock (which can simmer away while you do other things, like decorate your Christmas tree! Which is exactly what I did.), and a few key Asian pantry ingredients.

Making pho a great way to use up leftovers (whether it be duck, turkey, chicken, etc), and it’s the perfect rainy day meal. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we get a lot of rainy days in Portland. ;) But pho is the perfect remedy for rain: it fills the belly, warms the insides, and clears your head.

Duck Pho
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Leftovers from 1 roast duck (i.e., 1 duck carcass, wings and legs included)
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise pods
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 sprigs fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 dried shittake mushrooms
Salt, to taste
Thin rice noodles

Garnishes:
Bean sprouts
Sriracha
Hoisin sauce
Lime wedges
Green onion, sliced thinly
1-2 jalapenos, sliced thinly (seeds included)
Cilantro (and/or Thai basil)

Remove any leftover meat from the duck, set aside for use in the pho.

To make duck stock (pho soup base): Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Cook the onion, until starting to brown, 5 minutes or so. Add in duck bones, and fill the pot with cold water. Add in star anise, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, cilantro sprigs, garlic, and shitaake. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow the stock to simmer for 1-2 hours.

Strain the stock into another pot. Add in fish sauce, salt, and ground pepper to taste. Start with the addition of fish sauce, and add salt afterwards if needed (fish sauce is very salty). If serving pho immediately after making stock, allow stock to simmer over low heat on the stove. Add in duck meat and sliced green onions, and allow to cook in the broth for a few minutes before serving.

To assemble pho: Cook rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain, and place an equal amount of rice noodles in each bowl (I made 4 servings) and pour the hot broth (with duck meat and green onions) over the noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts, lime wedges, jalapeno slices, cilantro, Thai basil, and a hefty dose of Sriracha.

Note: I had about a quart of duck stock leftover after 4 large servings of pho were consumed.

On Thankfulness & Chili with Vegetables.

It’s November, and most of the world is quickly falling into a holiday frenzy. The chaos has begun and I want no part of it. I want peace, and rest, and quiet. I want to stay home and read books. I want to cook warm, cozy dinners and spend time with people I love. I want to be thankful.

The holiday season is a mixed bag of emotions for me. There is so much I love about this time of year (food, family, traditions, celebration, etc), but it is easy to get lost in the madness of it all – to get stressed out about finances, juggling family, menu planning, gift giving, and all that stuff.

And I’m guilty of it, just as much as anyone else. I’m a perfectionist who thrives on stress and it is so easy to let myself get carried away. So, I’m trying something new this year. I’m finding one new thing to be thankful for every day. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I take a minute to remind myself of all the good in my life.

I am happy, I am healthy, I am alive.

I’m married to my best friend and he loves me. A lot.

I have the best family (and a whole bunch of wonderful friends).

I have the best cat and bunny on the planet.

I am blessed.

And today, I’m thankful for chili. (It may sound trite, but it’s true!)

More specifially, I’m thankful for leftover chili. I made a giant pot of this chili earlier in the week, and I’ve had a bowl of it for lunch every day this week. I love having leftovers for lunch! I’m not sure why a post about chili prompted me to be thankful, but somehow I think it’s fitting. There’s nothing glamourous or exciting about a pot of chili. Quite the contrary, chili is the humblest of foods. But, sometimes the simplest foods are the best. Chili is comforting, nostalgic, and perfect for cold November evenings. It might not be pretty, but it sure is delicious.

Growing up, my mom made a classic chili with ground beef, tomato paste, onions, and kidney beans. I think her secret ingredient was tomato soup, but whatever it was, it worked. I love my mom’s chili. However, this is not my mother’s chili. This is more of a cross between a standard chili and a hearty vegetable stew. It has all the makings of a classic chili (ground beef, beans, tomato), but it also has Delicata squash, poblano and red peppers, carrots, celery, and fennel. This chili is rich, hearty, and filling.

I must thank Nadine from the Dundee Dirtbox Farm and CSA for giving me the idea to put all these fantastic vegetables into chili. It had never occured to me that Delicata squash (with their skins left on, no less!) would be delicious in chili. But, Nadine made this chili for a potluck birthday party for my dear friend Mari, and I loved it. I took mental notes about what all she had included in the chili, so that I could re-create it at home. And then I promptly re-created Nadine’s chili at home a few days later (I couldn’t wait, it was that good!).

Really, there’s not much else I can say about this recipe. At the end of the day, this is merely a loose set of guidelines for making a great pot of chili. It isn’t rocket science, it’s just chili. But it’s really good chili. Feel free to get creative with the recipe and add (or subtract) whatever you desire. Heck, use this chili as an excuse to clean out your fridge! It’s that kind of recipe. And it is exactly what I needed this week. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, I needed a humble bowl of chili.

And for that, I’m thankful.

Chili with Fall Vegetables

Note: This ingredient list is based on the vegetables I had on hand, but feel free to include whatever you want! I also threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes that I’d frozen, but I didn’t include this on the ingredient list as I wasn’t sure how many people would have bags of frozen cherry tomatoes! Also, you’ll notice this recipe does not use stock or liquid of any sort. The juices from the canned tomatoes & vegetables were enough for my chili, but if you feel yours is too thick you could add a bit of water or stock.

2 lbs lean ground beef
3 cups (canned) whole tomatoes in sauce (or fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 small delicata squash (or 1 medium/large squash)
1 poblano pepper
1 red pepper
2-3 small carrots
2-3 stalks of celery
1 small fennel bulb (or 1/2 of a large bulb)
1 bay leaf
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1.5 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablesoon tomato paste
Salt & pepper, to taste

*Optional: This chili is good with a dash of cumin powder, if you happen to have some onhand.

Halve the squash and remove seeds with a spoon. Roughly chop into 1″ squares. Note: If you’re cooking the chili for a long time (1.5 hours or more), you can leave the skin on the Delicata squash (if using any other kind of squash, you must peel it). But, the Delicata skins are thin (and tasty) and can be left on if you’re cooking the chili for a while.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add in diced onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook with onions until the beef is cooked all the way through (and browned). While the meat is cooking, stir in chili powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, chop all vegetables. Remove seeds from the Poblano and Red Pepper.

Once the meat is browned, add in all canned tomatoes and juices. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add in the rest of the vegetables (squash, celery, carrot, fennel, etc) and stir coat with tomato juices. Add in bay leaf and tomato paste.

Cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, at least an hour. Add in the kidney beans 30 minutes prior to serving (I add them later, as I don’t want them to break down and become mush). Taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary before serving.

Garnish with grated cheddar cheese and avocado.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I love winter squash, I really do. But at this point in the year, I start to grow a little tired of squash. All you locavores out there know exactly what I mean. The bountiful harvests of summer are long gone, and we are left with squash, squash, and more squash. I may be exaggerating ever-so-slightly, but you get the idea.

So, it is precisely at this time of year – when I feel myself despairing at the thought of eating one more squash – that I come back to my favorite squash recipe: a simple curried butternut squash soup. All it takes is one bite of this soup and I forget my wintertime woes. It doesn’t matter how many other ways I attempt to prepare winter squash, I always come back to this recipe. There is just something so special about it. The curry powder and cayenne add a subtle (and delightful) spice, while the maple syrup brings the perfect amount of sweetness and balance to the soup. The secret to this particular soup is roasting the squash first, as the roasting really coaxes the most flavor out of the squash.

So, I’ll keep this short and leave you with this little tidbit: There is a brightness to this soup that I can’t quite explain. It makes me happy. And even though my heart is set on summer, this soup makes the winter seem not quite so dark.

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup fennel bulb, diced (about 1/2 a bulb)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled & cubed
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream (*can easily be omitted to make recipe vegan or dairy-free)
2 tsps (or more) of your favorite curry powder
2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Roast the squash: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cubed squash with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread into an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes).

2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add in onions & fennel and cook until tender, 5 or 6 minutes. Stir in curry powder and cayenne and cook for one minute more. Add in roasted squash cubes and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add in stock, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs.

3. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. After this time, remove the bay leaf & thyme springs and blend thoroughly (with an immersion blender, food processor, etc).

4. Once blended, gently stir in cream and maple syrup. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Add a dash more curry powder, if you so desire. Let simmer on the stove on Low for a couple of minutes. Garnish with fresh ground black pepper, or a dollop of creme fraiche.