I read an article in the paper last week that had a quote from An Expert In These Things saying there's really no such thing as multi-tasking - people think they can multi-task, but they really don't. Instead, they just move inefficiently from one activity to another.
Um, what?
Clearly the Expert In These Things has never observed a Parent In Action. Today I made an amazing beef stew, and it took me about an hour and a half from start to finish to pull it all together. In that same 90 minutes, in 3-5 minute chunks while meat was browning or veggies were cooking, I also emptied the dishwasher, folded some laundry, organized an arts and crafts box, put away 5 bags of various household items from Target, and put two boys down for naps. But no, no multi-tasking here...
The beef stew was a variation on Ina Garten's. So delicious! (No surprise there, we love almost all of her recipes, no matter how vaguely I follow them). This is the first time I've made it, and it's now a winter staple for us. Here's the recipe, with my notes and variations.
Parker's Beef Stew
2 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine (Note: Of course you want to use a wine that's good enough to drink, but not one so pricey you can't stand to pour it into the stew instead of your glass. I found Ravenswood Zinfandel at our grocery store for $8.49 this week (!), and it was the perfect wine to use in this.)
3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered (Note: I used baby Yukon gold potatoes and didn't peel them. The skin is so thin and tender on these they just need a scrubbing and they're all set for you.)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
14 1/2-ounce can beef broth (Note: I used Kitchen Basics beef stock rather than canned broth, and I used the entire box, which was 32 ounces.)
1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary (I don't have any fresh rosemary left from my herbs, so I used 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.)
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
Planning ahead alert! Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the browned beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.
Heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the saute pan and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute. Add carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 more minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty saute and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper (Note: Holy Spicy, Batman! Next time, I would leave out the additional salt, since the stock and Worcestershire sauce make it savory enough, and would use just slightly less than one teaspoon of pepper. The stew I made tonight with the original amounts had some serious kick to it).
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275 degrees F. Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.
***
The original recipe says "serves 6," but that is surely only true if you're serving 6 linebackers. With salad and bread, this would easily serve 8-10. Happy eating!
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thawing Out
Okay, how's everyone doing with their New Year's resolutions? We are trucking along here, and doing surprisingly well with upping our vegetable intake.
Here's what has worked:
--Setting out raw vegetables (sugar snap peas, baby carrots, sliced green pepper, cherry tomatoes) with ranch dressing for boys (including DH) to munch on while I cook dinner. This has the added benefit that it seems to draw DH to the kitchen where I'm able to put him to useful work setting the table, pouring drinks, etc.
--Serving two vegetables every night. I've noticed that my boys seem to like a variety of things on their plates, so I've been making it a point to make at least two things be a vegetable.
--Adding more vegetables to things we already eat. Easy example: tossing more vegetables onto our weekly homemade pizza.
***
Savannah is finally thawing out after 2 weeks of temperatures in the 20's. I wasn't sure I was going to survive. For those of you still below freezing, here's a wonderful, though very imprecise recipe for roasted vegetable soup. It's one of our favorites, and everyone, even my 2 year old, inhales it. The basic instructions are this: take 2 half sheet pans. Fill each with a single layer of diced vegetables, any combination you have on hand of cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and butternut squash (basically, use up all your odds and ends of veggies - a great recipe to make at the end of the week). Toss the vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt, and a little less liberally with pepper. Roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Once they are nicely cooked (browned and tender all the way through), dump them in a large soup pot, and add 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend with your handheld blender until you reach the desired consistency, adding more chicken stock as needed. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Heat through and serve hot. Freezes brilliantly.
***
I read a quote by a food critic this week that made me think she's been spying on our dinners: "Meals with small children do not end; they disintegrate." Truer words were never spoken. Can someone please explain WHY, when there are 2 children, and 2 candles to blow out, they have to fight over who blows out the one on the right?
Here's what has worked:
--Setting out raw vegetables (sugar snap peas, baby carrots, sliced green pepper, cherry tomatoes) with ranch dressing for boys (including DH) to munch on while I cook dinner. This has the added benefit that it seems to draw DH to the kitchen where I'm able to put him to useful work setting the table, pouring drinks, etc.
--Serving two vegetables every night. I've noticed that my boys seem to like a variety of things on their plates, so I've been making it a point to make at least two things be a vegetable.
--Adding more vegetables to things we already eat. Easy example: tossing more vegetables onto our weekly homemade pizza.
***
Savannah is finally thawing out after 2 weeks of temperatures in the 20's. I wasn't sure I was going to survive. For those of you still below freezing, here's a wonderful, though very imprecise recipe for roasted vegetable soup. It's one of our favorites, and everyone, even my 2 year old, inhales it. The basic instructions are this: take 2 half sheet pans. Fill each with a single layer of diced vegetables, any combination you have on hand of cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and butternut squash (basically, use up all your odds and ends of veggies - a great recipe to make at the end of the week). Toss the vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt, and a little less liberally with pepper. Roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Once they are nicely cooked (browned and tender all the way through), dump them in a large soup pot, and add 2 cups of chicken stock. Blend with your handheld blender until you reach the desired consistency, adding more chicken stock as needed. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Heat through and serve hot. Freezes brilliantly.
***
I read a quote by a food critic this week that made me think she's been spying on our dinners: "Meals with small children do not end; they disintegrate." Truer words were never spoken. Can someone please explain WHY, when there are 2 children, and 2 candles to blow out, they have to fight over who blows out the one on the right?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Soup's On!
I suppose, if there is one redeeming factor about cold weather, it's the fact that I love soup. Love to make it, love to eat it, love to serve it to lots of oohhs and ahhs. Here's a souper easy (ha! I do crack myself up!) recipe. Serve with a green salad for dinner, and this is wonderful warmed up the next day for lunch. Mmmmm.
Pasta E Fagioli
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced (Confession - I use the jar of already minced garlic. Egads! Is that terrible? I rarely use the fresh stuff unless I'm making a homemade salad dressing or roasting it)
14 ounce can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (be sure to avoid Merely Average beans) (just kidding)
14 ounce can diced tomatoes, juices and all
8 cups chicken stock (this is a great recipe to use your homemade stock, but if you don't have any, just use 2 boxes of Kitchen Basics stock)
1 cup small shell pasta (or your favorite shape - since we live by the water, we're partial to shells around here)
1 package (4 links) of sun-dried tomato & mozzarella sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces (That flavor is totally optional. This is the brand I usually grab at the grocery store, but use whatever pre-cooked sausage or kielbasa you like the best)
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the veggies begin to soften. (Actually, I never test them to see if they're beginning to soften. I just cook them about 5-10 minutes, stirring them every few minutes, and then figure that's about right) Add beans, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about an hour. (If you are cooking a day ahead of time, this is the time to pop it in the fridge, and then finish it the day you're eating it). Add the pasta and simmer another 8-10 minutes. Toss in the sausage, and cook until heated through (another 3 or 4 minutes). Because the pasta will absorb a good bit of the stock, this comes out a thick, hearty stew. So yummy.
Stay warm everyone!
Pasta E Fagioli
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced (Confession - I use the jar of already minced garlic. Egads! Is that terrible? I rarely use the fresh stuff unless I'm making a homemade salad dressing or roasting it)
14 ounce can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (be sure to avoid Merely Average beans) (just kidding)
14 ounce can diced tomatoes, juices and all
8 cups chicken stock (this is a great recipe to use your homemade stock, but if you don't have any, just use 2 boxes of Kitchen Basics stock)
1 cup small shell pasta (or your favorite shape - since we live by the water, we're partial to shells around here)
1 package (4 links) of sun-dried tomato & mozzarella sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces (That flavor is totally optional. This is the brand I usually grab at the grocery store, but use whatever pre-cooked sausage or kielbasa you like the best)
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the veggies begin to soften. (Actually, I never test them to see if they're beginning to soften. I just cook them about 5-10 minutes, stirring them every few minutes, and then figure that's about right) Add beans, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about an hour. (If you are cooking a day ahead of time, this is the time to pop it in the fridge, and then finish it the day you're eating it). Add the pasta and simmer another 8-10 minutes. Toss in the sausage, and cook until heated through (another 3 or 4 minutes). Because the pasta will absorb a good bit of the stock, this comes out a thick, hearty stew. So yummy.
Stay warm everyone!
Monday, December 28, 2009
You Say You Want A Re(s)olution
Okay readers, any food resolutions this year? I have one: Up our veggie intake. I've written before that since DH and I don't always like the same vegetables, I can be a little lax about serving them around here. But this year I'm going to make a bigger effort to find common ground, get us out of our peas/sweet potatoes/salad rut, and make vegetables have a bit more of a starring role at the dinner table. Added bonus - searching out more vegetable ideas and recipes gives me something to write about!
I got a jump start tonight. I made one of our favorites, homemade tomato soup, for dinner. But I upped the nutrition a smidgen by adding some of the carrots that Rudolph and friends didn't polish off last Friday night. It was great with the carrots - just slightly sweeter, but if I hadn't told you, you would never have known. I've posted the recipe before, but here it is updated, with the carrots included. This makes 8 large servings.
Classic Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste (I like Muir Glen brand)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
32 ounces chicken stock
2 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes in juice (My favorite tomatoes for this soup are the Cento brand tomatoes)
In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add onion, carrot, salt and pepper, cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add thyme, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Use your immersion blender to puree the soup, making it as chunky or as smooth as you prefer. I actually like mine pretty smooth. Taste for seasonings - need more salt and pepper? Add it in. Serve hot. (Note - when I give this to my boys, I actually mix it with some milk, roughly 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup of soup. It cuts the acidity, making it a more mellow taste, and cools it off).
Perfect on these chilly nights we've been having!
I got a jump start tonight. I made one of our favorites, homemade tomato soup, for dinner. But I upped the nutrition a smidgen by adding some of the carrots that Rudolph and friends didn't polish off last Friday night. It was great with the carrots - just slightly sweeter, but if I hadn't told you, you would never have known. I've posted the recipe before, but here it is updated, with the carrots included. This makes 8 large servings.
Classic Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste (I like Muir Glen brand)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
32 ounces chicken stock
2 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes in juice (My favorite tomatoes for this soup are the Cento brand tomatoes)
In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add onion, carrot, salt and pepper, cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add thyme, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Use your immersion blender to puree the soup, making it as chunky or as smooth as you prefer. I actually like mine pretty smooth. Taste for seasonings - need more salt and pepper? Add it in. Serve hot. (Note - when I give this to my boys, I actually mix it with some milk, roughly 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup of soup. It cuts the acidity, making it a more mellow taste, and cools it off).
Perfect on these chilly nights we've been having!
Monday, November 2, 2009
For Better and For Worse
One of the most amazing things to me about having kids is how much better, and how much worse, certain events are with them. I'm talking about things that otherwise barely registered with me in my pre-kid adult life. Two classic examples: Halloween (for better) and Fall Back (for worse).
As an adult, I never really cared one way or the other about Halloween. It was cute to see the kids around the neighborhood, and I sometimes remembered to buy a pumpkin for the front porch. Very occasionally we would go to a costume party and sort of half heartedly dress up in something at the last minute. But for the most part it just didn't really matter all that much. Now that we have kids, though, the whole month is a celebration. Picking out pumpkins, carving with friends, settling on a costume after much agonizing over it, getting boo'd and driving around like maniacs trying to find someone to boo, school parades, trick or treating - it's all so, so much better through the eyes of children, and I love it.
***
Time changes, on the other hand - let me just say I am seriously contemplating a move to that little section of Indiana that doesn't mess with this stupidity. So much worse when you have kids. You have to adjust not just yourself, but your entire household, which is comprised mainly of people who cannot tell time and surely in their short little lives have never managed to just suck it up and push through. In fact, I actually think the fall back change is harder because it's not an extra hour of sleep, it's really just an extra hour of parenting schedule-screwed, cranky and sugar-crashing little children. Thank goodness for Mondays and the retreat of my much quieter office...
***
This Saturday, in what may have been the first of a new annual tradition, we had a bunch of friends over so that we could protein load the kids before embarking on the trick or treating activities. We had macaroni and cheese, ham and cream cheese roll ups, and fruit for the kiddos. For the adults I made a huge batch of lentil and sausage soup and served it with homemade bread. My soup recipe is almost embarrassingly easy, and because it's one of those soups that tastes better the next day I made it Friday afternoon, and then just warmed it up on Saturday. This is adapted from Ina Garten's recipe in her Paris cookbook. Her original version with my notes is below.
Lentil and Sausage Soup
Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (Note: My grocery store doesn't carry green lentils, so I just use regular brown ones. Still delicious. Also, because I like to make a huge batch of this soup in order to have enough leftover to freeze, I do 1.5 pounds of lentils.)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large) (I don't do the leeks - below - because I just find leeks way too high maintenance since they can be so sandy. Instead I do 4 large onions. And I try to do the sweet onions (Vidalia if you can find them) rather than just the normal yellow onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I never have any fresh thyme left from the herb garden by the time it's cool enough to be thinking about making soup, so I just do 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots) (I love carrots in soup, so I actually double this and use 8-10 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth (I keep an extra quart of stock on hand, in case the soup gets too thick since I increase some of ingredients. For reasons I do not understand, I've never had to add more, but you don't want to risk it)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick (Let's all be honest here - the sausage is the best part! I put in 2 pounds so that no one's bowl lacks for plenty of it.)
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. (It just occurred to me - perhaps the reason that I never need the extra stock is because I always, always get distracted with another project and soak my lentils much longer than 15 minutes. I've probably gone and halfway cooked them so they don't use up as much of the stock.) Drain. In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
I just put leave this simmering on the stove with bowls and spoons for people to help themselves. Entertaining this way truly could not be any easier.
Happy eating!
As an adult, I never really cared one way or the other about Halloween. It was cute to see the kids around the neighborhood, and I sometimes remembered to buy a pumpkin for the front porch. Very occasionally we would go to a costume party and sort of half heartedly dress up in something at the last minute. But for the most part it just didn't really matter all that much. Now that we have kids, though, the whole month is a celebration. Picking out pumpkins, carving with friends, settling on a costume after much agonizing over it, getting boo'd and driving around like maniacs trying to find someone to boo, school parades, trick or treating - it's all so, so much better through the eyes of children, and I love it.
***
Time changes, on the other hand - let me just say I am seriously contemplating a move to that little section of Indiana that doesn't mess with this stupidity. So much worse when you have kids. You have to adjust not just yourself, but your entire household, which is comprised mainly of people who cannot tell time and surely in their short little lives have never managed to just suck it up and push through. In fact, I actually think the fall back change is harder because it's not an extra hour of sleep, it's really just an extra hour of parenting schedule-screwed, cranky and sugar-crashing little children. Thank goodness for Mondays and the retreat of my much quieter office...
***
This Saturday, in what may have been the first of a new annual tradition, we had a bunch of friends over so that we could protein load the kids before embarking on the trick or treating activities. We had macaroni and cheese, ham and cream cheese roll ups, and fruit for the kiddos. For the adults I made a huge batch of lentil and sausage soup and served it with homemade bread. My soup recipe is almost embarrassingly easy, and because it's one of those soups that tastes better the next day I made it Friday afternoon, and then just warmed it up on Saturday. This is adapted from Ina Garten's recipe in her Paris cookbook. Her original version with my notes is below.
Lentil and Sausage Soup
Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (Note: My grocery store doesn't carry green lentils, so I just use regular brown ones. Still delicious. Also, because I like to make a huge batch of this soup in order to have enough leftover to freeze, I do 1.5 pounds of lentils.)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large) (I don't do the leeks - below - because I just find leeks way too high maintenance since they can be so sandy. Instead I do 4 large onions. And I try to do the sweet onions (Vidalia if you can find them) rather than just the normal yellow onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I never have any fresh thyme left from the herb garden by the time it's cool enough to be thinking about making soup, so I just do 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots) (I love carrots in soup, so I actually double this and use 8-10 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth (I keep an extra quart of stock on hand, in case the soup gets too thick since I increase some of ingredients. For reasons I do not understand, I've never had to add more, but you don't want to risk it)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick (Let's all be honest here - the sausage is the best part! I put in 2 pounds so that no one's bowl lacks for plenty of it.)
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. (It just occurred to me - perhaps the reason that I never need the extra stock is because I always, always get distracted with another project and soak my lentils much longer than 15 minutes. I've probably gone and halfway cooked them so they don't use up as much of the stock.) Drain. In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
I just put leave this simmering on the stove with bowls and spoons for people to help themselves. Entertaining this way truly could not be any easier.
Happy eating!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Chill Chasers
What a glorious fall weekend in Savannah - crisp and cool during the day, chilly at night. Love it. After I saw the weather forecast I had grand plans of taking advantage of nap times this weekend to make chicken stock and pumpkin bread. Instead, I spent it scrubbing floors due to a sick dog and rewashing and refolding three, yes, three, baskets of clothes that were already clean until they were christened by a vengeful cat (apparently, shutting him in the laundry room with the aforementioned dog did not please His Highness). Awesome. Can't think of anything I'd rather do on a sunny, 65 degree day.
Despite all that fun, I did manage to make a huge pot of butternut squash soup. And all I have to say is: Yay for me. We spent late afternoon/early evening today out on the soccer fields and playground, and didn't come home until it was downright chilly outside (ok, around here that means it was high 50's, but we were all seriously shivering). Walking into the house to the smell of soup on the stove that just had to be reheated for a minute and served with quick grilled cheese sandwiches...such a treat.
I love, love, love this recipe. It's quintessential fall to me, with the squash and apples, and for those of you who are planning ahead for the holidays, it's perfect for Thanksgiving. I've already popped half the batch into the freezer to serve at lunchtime on Thanksgiving day, since we always do the Big Meal in the evening. (Atlanta Mom likes to make a batch to have with turkey sandwich leftovers the next day.) But be forewarned: it's time consuming to make and my kids, who are generally great eaters, don't like it - probably because it's a bit on the spicy side. That said, it really is worth trying.
Ina Garten's Butternut Squash Soup:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples) (Note: I can never find big McIntosh apples, so I find I need about 7 of the little ones)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice
Directions
Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Peel the squash (note: for some reason, butternut squash leaves some kind of weird residue on my hands that I can't easily wash off. I have taken to wearing latex gloves when I peel the squash. I know - that sounds like the kind of instruction that would promptly make me abandon the recipe altogether, but don't let it scare you off! If you don't have a little box of latex gloves around the house, you should. You'll be surprised at just how handy they are. Why, I went through about 10 of them just this weekend because the dog...never mind), cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. (I don't know Ina has against an immersion blender, because all her recipes call for this method when there's a soup to smoothed out. Just use your immersion blender here and you don't have to get your food processor dirty. If you don't have an immersion blender, put it on your Christmas list! Best kitchen tool ever. Seriously.)
Pour the soup back into the pot (or, if you have very cleverly used your immersion blender, just leave it there where it belongs).
Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
Happy eating!
Despite all that fun, I did manage to make a huge pot of butternut squash soup. And all I have to say is: Yay for me. We spent late afternoon/early evening today out on the soccer fields and playground, and didn't come home until it was downright chilly outside (ok, around here that means it was high 50's, but we were all seriously shivering). Walking into the house to the smell of soup on the stove that just had to be reheated for a minute and served with quick grilled cheese sandwiches...such a treat.
I love, love, love this recipe. It's quintessential fall to me, with the squash and apples, and for those of you who are planning ahead for the holidays, it's perfect for Thanksgiving. I've already popped half the batch into the freezer to serve at lunchtime on Thanksgiving day, since we always do the Big Meal in the evening. (Atlanta Mom likes to make a batch to have with turkey sandwich leftovers the next day.) But be forewarned: it's time consuming to make and my kids, who are generally great eaters, don't like it - probably because it's a bit on the spicy side. That said, it really is worth trying.
Ina Garten's Butternut Squash Soup:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples) (Note: I can never find big McIntosh apples, so I find I need about 7 of the little ones)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice
Directions
Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Peel the squash (note: for some reason, butternut squash leaves some kind of weird residue on my hands that I can't easily wash off. I have taken to wearing latex gloves when I peel the squash. I know - that sounds like the kind of instruction that would promptly make me abandon the recipe altogether, but don't let it scare you off! If you don't have a little box of latex gloves around the house, you should. You'll be surprised at just how handy they are. Why, I went through about 10 of them just this weekend because the dog...never mind), cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. (I don't know Ina has against an immersion blender, because all her recipes call for this method when there's a soup to smoothed out. Just use your immersion blender here and you don't have to get your food processor dirty. If you don't have an immersion blender, put it on your Christmas list! Best kitchen tool ever. Seriously.)
Pour the soup back into the pot (or, if you have very cleverly used your immersion blender, just leave it there where it belongs).
Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
Happy eating!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Something to Noodle Over
First, I suppose I should be grateful that it's took so long: we had a full 4 weeks of school before my kids (aka the walking petri dishes) brought home a cold. But here I am, with one kid recovering, one in the midst of it, and a scratchy throat of my own that I keep telling myself could just be from being up half the night listening to little coughs on the monitor (Whatever. I am so getting sick.).
It's times like these that I really, really appreciate a stocked freezer, because it's like having someone bring you dinner just when you need it the most.
So here's my advice to you - consider yourself forewarned that if you don't have this cold yet, but you have kids, it's coming your way. Take the time this weekend to stock up that freezer, and here's what should be at the top of your list: Chicken Noodle Soup. This recipe freezes beautifully, and nothing hits the spot more when you're under the weather.
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
4 quarts homemade chicken stock (or you can use Kitchen Basics stock if homemade is impractical this weekend)
2-3 cups chopped celery (I like lots of veggies in my soup, so this is heavy on the celery and carrots - do a small dice for both of them so you don't end up with big chunks of veggies)
2-3 cups diced carrots
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups uncooked egg noodles (I use whole wheat egg noodles in this)
Salt and pepper
In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook until tender, stirring often. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook the veggies another 10-15 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and noodles, cook 10 minutes more until noodles are cooked through. Taste for seasoning. Maybe more salt and pepper? A little fresh parsley? You decide, but don't spend too much time on it. With that stuffy nose you're not going to be able to tell anyway.
It's times like these that I really, really appreciate a stocked freezer, because it's like having someone bring you dinner just when you need it the most.
So here's my advice to you - consider yourself forewarned that if you don't have this cold yet, but you have kids, it's coming your way. Take the time this weekend to stock up that freezer, and here's what should be at the top of your list: Chicken Noodle Soup. This recipe freezes beautifully, and nothing hits the spot more when you're under the weather.
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
4 quarts homemade chicken stock (or you can use Kitchen Basics stock if homemade is impractical this weekend)
2-3 cups chopped celery (I like lots of veggies in my soup, so this is heavy on the celery and carrots - do a small dice for both of them so you don't end up with big chunks of veggies)
2-3 cups diced carrots
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups uncooked egg noodles (I use whole wheat egg noodles in this)
Salt and pepper
In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook until tender, stirring often. Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook the veggies another 10-15 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and noodles, cook 10 minutes more until noodles are cooked through. Taste for seasoning. Maybe more salt and pepper? A little fresh parsley? You decide, but don't spend too much time on it. With that stuffy nose you're not going to be able to tell anyway.
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