Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Perogies

There is something very comforting in a nice warm bowl of soup. Especially on days when you come home wet, tired and hungry. Again, thanks to Fine Cooking magazine, I was able to throw a couple of standard staples in my pantry to make this soup. I've kinda merged two of their recipes, which just goes to show you how versatile it really is.
To make this soup anytime, I would suggest always having these items in your cupboards: Canned diced tomatoes and a jar of roasted red peppers.


Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

• 1 Tbs of olive oil
• 1 Tbs of butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 Tbs of flour
• 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 Tbs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1 roasted red pepper, diced
• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1. In a large dutch oven, heat up oil and butter over med-low heat
2. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft (8 minutes) You want the onions to be brown but not burnt. The longer you spend time on this, the sweeter the onions will be :)
3. Add flour and stir to coat
4. Add broth, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, sugar, thyme, bay leaf and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.
5. Reduce heat, and cover. Continue cooking for 30 more minutes.
6. Remove bay leaf. Use an immersion blender or food processor to blend until creamy.
7. To top it off, I add a mixture of goat cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper a little bit of olive oil.
   

While the soup was simmering and continuing with slow cooking onions=sweet, I decided to make some perogies. Thinly slicing some onions and cooking them with some oil over a low heat in a large skillet. I seasoned with some salt, pepper and herbes de provence.
Pulling the perogies from the freezer and boiled them for about 5 minutes. Drained and tossed them in the skillet with the by now shruken golden brown and sweet onions.

Something comforting for those cold winter nights

This month's issue of fine cooking magazine has been a tempting and tasty read. So far I've tried two of their recipes and I have a feeling this issue will be dogeared and covered in stained in NO time.

Tonight I tried making their Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese. It's pretty straight forward and if you follow the instructions and TAKE YOUR TIME (which I'm guilty of NOT doing when making M&C) it turns out beautifully.

Here is my modified version (theirs feeds an army and I also used whatever cheeses I had on hand). Instead of breadcrumbs, I smashed up some garlic and rosemary croutons and I also added some nutmeg and chili powder (omitting the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce)

Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese

• 2 Tbs of butter
• 1 Tbs of olive oil
• 1 med onion finely diced
• 3 Tbs of flour
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (5oo ml) of Homo milk (heated)
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combination of old cheddar, Monterrey jack and goat cheese)
• pinch of nutmeg and chili powder
• 4 cups of small pasta (shells or macaroni)
• 1 Tbs of olive oil to coat your baking dish
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
  

1. In a heavy bottom pot, melt butter and oil over medium heat. In another pot, begin boiling water for pasta
2. Add onions and cook until they are softened (4-5 minutes)
3. Add flour and cook for 1 minute
4. Add mustard and whisk in warmed homo milk
5. When mixed, add thyme, nutmeg, chili powder, bay leaf and a pinch of salt
6. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Begin cooking pasta for 10 minutes.
7. Add the cheese to the sauce and mix until blended (don't over blend or it will get oily!)
8. Drain pasta and mix with cheese sauce
9. Add pasta mix to baking dish and top with breadcrumbs
10. Bake at 400 C for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Mini Burgers for quick and easy appetizers

I've often seen meatballs served as cute little finger foods at parties. IF you are really ambitious you can make your own meatballs, but the grocery stores now sell so many kinds (veal, turkey, chicken, beef AND veggie) that you can easily pick and choose your favorites.

Taking the meatball up a notch, I decided to make them into mini burgers. This is ridiculously easy that it doesn't really warrent a recipe step. I bought a variety of mini buns from Ace Bakery (sold at Loblaws). Simmered the meatballs in some Diana honey garlic sauce. To each burger I added some baby spinach leaves and monteray jack cheese. Easy!

Psst! I'm about to share my curry secrets :)

I love curry. There is something about it's warmth and it's smell that makes me think it's the ultimate comfort food. So, when I say curry; every family, every region and every country has their own particular recipes and secrets.

So, I'm about to share my secret Channa Masala recipe. I've brought a pot of this stuff to my inlaw's Christmas party and within minutes see it DEVOURED (also, noting there were still lots of meat dishes left over)

It's a good idea to start with a good base, so either make your own personal curry powder blend, or make sure you buy the good stuff. If you are stuck with Patak's or any other paste, then cut back on the oil (since it has so much of it already in the jar).

Channa Masala (Chickpea Curry)

• 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 thumbsized ginger minced
• 1 diced onion
• 3 Tbsp of good curry powder mix
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup of cashew butter (almond or hazelnut butter is also good)
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 cups of diced butternut squash
• 2 cups of diced sweet potato
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup of chopped coriander

1. Heat up oil in dutch oven. Cook garlic, ginger and onions for about 2 minutes. Add curry powder and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until you can smell the curry
2. Add squash, sweet potato, chickpeas. Mix and cook for 1 minute
3. Add coconut milk, cashew butter and stock, making sure to scrap up any bits on the bottom of pan. Stir in about half of the coriander
4. Bring to boil, then simmer with lid on for 20 minutes
5. Spoon over bowls of rice, garnish with remaining coriander
   

The following recipe was a trial for me. It is originally known as Vij's Marinated Lamb Popsicles. Well, fresh lamb is hard to come by, but judging from what my husband told me, this sauce would go really well with it. Instead I tried chicken drumsticks, which were just as tasty (again, according to my husband :) )

Marinated Chicken Drumsticks with a Cream Curry Sauce

Meat

• 5-6 chicken drumsticks (or lamb chops)
• 1/4 cup of sweet white wine
• 2 Tbsp of grainy Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Tsp of salt
• 1/2 Tsp of black pepper

Curry Sauce

• 1 cup of whipping cream
• 1 cup of low fat sour cream
• 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1 Tsp of salt
• 1/4 Tsp of paprika
• 1/4 Tsp of cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp each of finely minced garlic and ginger
• 1/2 Tsp of tumeric

1. In a bowl, mix white wine, mustard, salt, pepper and meat. Marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator
2. Preheat a cast iron grill or BBQ to medium high. Grill chicken until cooked
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine cream, sour cream, salt, paprika, cayenne and lemon juice.
4. In a saucepan, heat up oil and saute garlic/ginger until golden.
5. Stir in tumeric and continue cooking for one minute
6. Stir in cream mixture and cook on low-medium until thickened, about 5 minutes
7. To serve, place chicken on plate and pour sauce over. Or ladle into a bowl and use it as a dipping sauce.

On a cold cold day... serve up Thai Hot Pot Soup with crispy Tofu and Shrimp

A few years ago while visiting Thailand, I was lucky enough to participate in a traditional Thai cooking class. This was amazing since I had already spent a week feasting on delicious and tasty nibbles throughout the country. One thing I learned is that the best places to eat are found in the little stands that are hidden in various alleys and streets.
Street cuisine is fresh, fast and tasty. And with our cold blistering windchill of a -25 days, a nice steaming Thai hot pot soup should do the trick.

Now, I call this a Thai Hot Pot soup instead of some authentic Thai name since I'm using the "elements" of Thai cuisine rather than an authentic recipe.

I first want to talk about some of the great vegetarian alternatives there are out there. In this recipe I used Pete's Tofu2Go Tasty Thai and McCormick's All Vegetable Chicken Stock.
I'm not a huge fan of Tofu since I can never get the flavour to properly infuse the Tofu. Pete's Tofu (or anything else like this ) is great since they mould the Tofu with the flavours inside. To add a different dimension, I also pan fried strips of this tofu to give it a crispy coating.


Thai Hot Pot Soup with Crispy Tofu and Shrimp

Crispy Tofu

1. Slice the Tofu into strips
2. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan with about 3-4 Tbsp of vegetable oil
3. When oil is shimmering, quickly take your tofu and dab in flour. Be sure not to do this flour step too early or the flour will get gummy
4. Fry Tofu for 2 minutes per side until golden brown
5. Transfer to paper towel lined plate
   
   
   

Thai Hot Pot Soup

• 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp each of minced garlic and ginger
• 1 Tbsp each of minced green onions, coriander and mint
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• 1 stalk of lemongrass (if not available half of one lemon)
• 1/2 Tbsp of Thai Green curry paste
• 6 cups of All Vegetable Chicken Stock
• 1Tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 cup of diced Butternut Squash
• 1 cup of diced Sweet Potato
• 1/2 cup of baby corn or corn kernals
• 1/2 cup of snow peas, cut in half
• 1/2 package of rice noodles
• lime zest

1. Heat up oil in large dutch oven. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute
2. Add lemongrass/lemon, green curry paste and brown sugar and cook another minute
3. Add squash, potato and cook until softened (3-4 minutes)
4. Add stock and coconut milk, bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add snow peas, corn, coriander and mint. Add rice noodles. Continue simmering for a few more minutes.
6. When ready to serve, fish out lemongrass/lemon. Add zest of lime.

Shrimp

In a small bowl, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Add zest juice of lime/ and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Add to shrimp and toss to coat. Grill or pan cook shrimp.

Assembly

In a bowl, arrange Crispy tofu and tofu/shrimp. Top with hot soup.

Crispy Tofu for Vegetarian Thai Hot Pot Soup

Thai Hot Pot Soup with Crispy Tofu and Shrimp

Cleaning out the Fridge: Ginger Teriyaki Fried Rice

There is this restaurant in Ottawa called Shanghai that serves the BEST Chinese food I've had in a long time. One of my favorite dishes is their Ginger Teriyaki Fried Rice. How much do I love it? Well, I ordered it at our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding, and we went there for some post honeymoon dindin the night after our wedding. Yeah, I may have a slight addiction when the staff recognize you. Sigh.

Anywho, I think I've managed to get a good copy of this dish. Even though Fried Rice sounds like an easy dish to make, I always made the mistake of cooking everything at once, which inevitably makes everything soft and mushy. By cooking each component one at time allows it to brown and cook properly. The best way to do this is to cook on high: this will give the right texture and crispyness to your veggies, won't make them soggy. This in my opinion is THE best nutriotional way of cooking veggies (as opposed to boiling or steaming.. yuck!)
This cooking technique makes it ideal for a split menu.

I call this a cleaning out the fridge dish because really, you don't need all these vegetables. Sometimes I'll raid my crisper and just add stuff that is on its last legs. I use my rice cooker to cook my rice. If you don't have one, that's okay, as long as it is day old rice. I have used freshly made and old rice and the older rice just seems to withstand the whole cooking process better.

Ginger Teriyaki Fried Rice

• 2 Tbsp of canola oil
• 1 cup of meat of your choice (cooked/leftover chicken/beef strips, shrimp if raw, that's okay)
• 1/2 Tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 1 thumb size piece of ginger finely minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups of cooked rice (brown or white)
• 3 cups of veggies (I use baby corn, water chestnuts, carrots, celery, broccoli, bokchoy and snow peas)
• 1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup of Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 Tbsp of Chinese Chili sauce (the one with the Rooster)
• 1 green onion finely sliced
• 1/4 cup of freshly chopped coriander (optional)

1. Heat up your wok or skillet. If you are using uncooked meat, make sure they are cut small and equal sized to ensure even cooking. Season meat with sesame oil, salt and pepper and cook until almost done (It will continue cooking later on). If using cooked meat, skip this step.
2. Remove meat and wipe out wok.
3. Meanwhile, whisk your eggs in a small bowl with salt, pepper and some of the green onions.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp of canola oil. Add eggs and allow to set. You are basically making an omelet. Once set, break up into pieces using your spoon or spatula.
5. Remove eggs amd wipe out wok.
6. Heat remaining oil on high in wok. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute (be sure not to burn!)
7. Add your veggies and saute for 2-3 until they begin to soften. Move veggies aside and pour soy sauce, chili sauce and teriyaki sauce.
8. Add rice to center of bowl. Quickly mix in veggies and add in your cooked eggs. Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minute.
9. Add remaining green onions and coriander, cook another minute.
10. Take out half of fried rice and set aside (this is now your vegetarian meal). In wok add in your meat and mix.

Help me! A vegetarian is coming to my house and I don't know what to do!

Okay, before heading for hills and collecting a basket of grass for us, let me say a little something. For some reason, when I'm invited to a dinner party and I mention I'm a vegetarian, a look of polite horror crosses their face. I didn't say I was allergic to air/water and your cat. I only don't want to eat a big chunky piece of meat.

A lot of people put undo stress on themselves, wondering "What on earth can I serve this person". Here is a list of things you probably, no... DEFINITELY shouldn't do.

1. Make extra salad. "That should be good enough right?" WRONG!
2. Pick the meat out of the dish. "They won't notice right?" WRONG!
3. They can eat the side dishes. "I made mashed potatoes and peas". Nice sentiment, but hardly palate pleasing.
4. "Some hippy sold me a tofu slab. I can just put that right on the plate". Not really wrong, but no fun either.

I'll use this weekend as an example of what you CAN do.

My inlaws came to vist and they, like my DH love their meat. I made a Beef Roast with a rich gravy. There is a great article about this in my favorite magazine Fine Cooking http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/articles/braising-is-quick-choose-right-cut.aspx?ac=ts&ra=fp.

The side dishes I chose to make is where you can be creative and more importantly, feed your vegetarian guest.

Some of these dishes have already appeared in my blog: Tomato and Zucchini gratin, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Braised Sugar Snap Peas and a Rapini and Cannellini toss. All great side dishes with lots of flavour and colour. Here is why:

1. Gratins. These are elegant simple dishes that can be made ahead of time. They present well, heat well and are excellent way of packing lots and lots of veggies for those who don't like it. Also, they can be a wonderful light main for lunch or in this case, a vegetarian
2. The ravioli was just something I had in the freezer from my last batch. Throw them in hot water, a quick butter cream sauce and we are done
3. The peas were easy to make. I braised them in a skillet with a little water. Braise until all the water has evaporated and toss in some good olive oil and a 1 tsp of Oregano
4. Rapini is loaded with vitamins and will keep that vibrant green for a while (unlike Broccoli which can turn a pale sad green with overcooking). Toss in some beans for protein and you've got yourself a classic Italian dish.

And most importantly, everyone is happy :)