More cooking with pumpkin

Pumpkin, Galeux D'eysines Squash, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Thanks to a great harvest and a very cool cellar I still have about 6 pumpkins to change into something yummy to eat. So yesterday I searched for a new winter squash soup. I chose a recipe by Michael Chiarello. If you know his recipes you know that they are layered...many steps and lots of herbs and spices. First I made the toasted spice rub, rich with spices that include chili and cinnamon, then I roasted the squash with a syrup of spices, vinegar and fresh sage. Finally after pureeing the squash and adding it to the soup base it was ready to serve with Marscapone cheese a pumpkin seeds. The kitchen smelled fabulous all day and it made a great meal for football watching.. How 'bout them Broncos?
Bon Appetit!

Julienne Darblay!, creamed leek and potato soup with julienned vegetables

creamed leek and potato soup with julienned vegetables, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Another French cooking lesson. This soup is basically a hot vichyssoise with added julienned vegetables on top. I had a bunch of leeks in my vegetable bin and potatoes in my cellar providing me inspiration for this soup. I'll give you estimated amounts but again it is not a recipe but a method. Said to have been invented at Versailles, this soup is an elegant variation on the simple leek and potato soup all French housewives know:

4 leeks
4 TBS butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock (or water, the bouquet garni will add enough flavor to water and keep it as a vegetarian dish)
cream or creme fraiche ( 1 cup)
salt and pepper (white)
fresh and colorful vegetables, cut julienne and steamed until tender

Cut off the green parts of the leeks, wash well and reserve for bouquet garni or julienne for garnish
Cut the white parts into rounds and place them in a pot with melted butter and olive oil. Cook until soft but no extra color added. Add the potatoes, stock, bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove bouquet garni, Place soup through a food mill. Return to the stove and add the cream. Bring up to just a bubble and serve.
Place the julienned veggies on top as a garnish. Grab a fresh baguette and a glass of wine and enjoy!
More French cooking basics to come

Soupe a l'oignon, gratinee

IMG_1331, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

As these days and nights get colder a good bowl of hot soup will warm the hands and the tummy. Twenty six years ago I attended the summer session of the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. I wanted to be a student to learn the methods of French cooking.....not just collect recipes. Recipes can be found with the click of a mouse these days but methods must be learned by the senses. You need your nose to smell, your mouth to taste, your eyes to see the changes in your food prep and of course your hands for many reasons.
This is the classic Cordon Bleu recipe for French onion soup: I hope you try it. Bon Appetit!

Onions, 4, (I used what I had- 1 spanish, 4 cippolini, 3 long skinny red ones that I picked up at Spinelli's and even a shallot)
butter, 1 cube
flour, 3 Tbs
wine, white, 1 cup (choose one you would drink)
chicken stock, 4 cups (hopefully seasoned with a bouquet garni)
or add the
bouquet garni
bay leaf, 1
thyme, fresh, 3 sprigs
parsley. 4 sprigs, include stems
celery stalk with leaves, 4" piece
leek greens, 2 4" pieces
sandwich and tie with kitchen twine
and remove before serving
Gruyere cheese, grated
baguette sliced in one inch thickness,
method:
slice the onions into 1/8 inch thickness. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and add the onions. Cook of medium low until the onions are caramelized. I wish I had taken a photo at this stage but I didn't. This will take some time......up to 30 minutes or maybe even more. A dark golden color to light brown is perfect. Be careful not to burn the butter or the onions.
Add the flour and cook until the smell of the flour is gone. Then add the wine. Don't forget to pour yourself a glass at this point. Cook until the liquid is reduced. Add the chicken stock with or without the bouquet garni. Cook for about 20 minutes until the tastes are all blended. Add S & P to taste.
Here comes the fun
Oven 400 deg
Place the bread slices in the oven until toasted.(This step must be done to keep the soup from soaking in to the bread making it soggy.)
then choose a good soup bowl/tureen that will handle the heat. Remove the bouquet garni and spoon the soup into the bowl. Place the crouton on top of the soup and then add the grated Gruyere on top. Place back in the oven until the cheese melts.

This is a hearty soup that is traditionally eaten after an evening at the theatre or Christmas shopping. It is one of my favorites but will leave you smelling like a roasted onion the next day. I don't eat this often because I am a dental hygienist and work very close to people.
BUT:
Sunday night as I was wrapping Christmas packages I got a call from my "boss". He fired me .....I'm not sure why but said I didn't "fit in" with his other staff members.
It was a pretty shitty day after that so I resorted to kitchen therapy. And I didn't much care what I smelled like the next day.
This soup was perfect to comfort me and bring back great memories of my 6 weeks in Paris so many years ago.

Green chili!

green chili, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Around Thanksgiving my daughter's family and I went up to Winterpark Colorado for a playday in the snow. With a ravenous appetite we stopped in for lunch at a soup restaurant. I ordered the green chili remembering how much I enjoyed it last time I had it which was probably over 10 years ago. An old boyfriend of mine (who grew up in Denver) taught me how to make this famous regional dish. Last week revisiting my family for Christmas we decided to make it again. The essential ingredients are 1) a whole (organic) chicken poached then torn apart and the cooked meat put back in the chili. 2) green chilis, use whatever is available. We have fresh chilis all year round in California but choose from Anaheim and Poblano for flavor; Jalepeno or Serrano for heat....canned if you cannot find any fresh. but always green; 3) tomatillos if you can find them 4) any other "green" vegetables you have 5) white beans or pasta to hearty up the mix. Garnish with sour cream; avocado, tomatoes (or salsa) chips, lime wedges and cilantro.
This is a fresh flavorful and hearty soup..good for cold winter days and nights or warm January days like the 75 degree day we're having in Orange County today.

Method:

In a deep soup pot, wide enough for a whole chicken, place 1 onion (cut up), 4 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf and 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme. Place the washed whole chicken in the pot and cover with water to the level of 1 inch above the chicken. Bring to a boil and then a simmer for 1 hour, skimming off any "foam" that may rise to the top. After an hour remove the chicken to cool (in Denver we simply put it outside in the snow....that worked quickly) Remove the bay leaf and any remnants of herbs. Reserve the chicken stock. It will be the liquid for your soup.
In a soup pot place olive oil and saute another onion ( I also added 3 leeks), 4 cloves of garlic, celery and fresh chilis until tender. Add at least 1 quart of your freshly made stock. Add uncooked pasta, tomatillos and any other green vegetables and bring to a simmer. Add cooled chicken which has been torn apart into bite size pieces and any fully cooked beans that you want to add.
When everything is an even temperature season as you like it.

Serve with:
sour cream or Greek unflavored yogurt

lime wedges

cilantro
avocado
tomatoes (yellow or green) ok red is ok too. or salsa (Ryan make your own!)
tortilla chips

and a white cheese

Margaritas or beer may be essential
Ole! and Bon Appetit

Corn and chowder with shrimp

corn chowder, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Try this great chowder on a cold afternoon or night. We had it for Christmas Eve dinner with a chicken salad (actually no shrimp the first time). Yesterday I made it again because it was so good last week:
Ingredients:
Bacon...4 slices
onion ---1 chopped
leeks....3 chopped
celery...3 ribs chopped
carrots...2 large, sliced
potatoes...1 cup chopped
corn...3 ears fresh or 2 cans/ 1-2 cups frozen
chicken broth...3-4 cups
1/2 & 1/2...1-2 cups
shrimp..1 lb precooked, or lobster or nothing

method:
In a large soup pot cook diced bacon until fat is rendered. Add leeks, onions and celery and saute for about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of chicken broth, carrots & potatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes or a little soft
Add the fresh corn and continue cooking 2 minutes. Add more chicken broth if needed.
Add precooked shrimp and half and half and cook only until all ingredients are the same temperature. Of course you don't want to overcook the shrimp.
Season to taste and serve.

This is good without the shrimp....may be even more fabulous with lobster!
Bon Appetit!

Mushrooms in sherry shallot broth

mushroom soup, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Another soup! A pretty fast preparation time, too. I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine October issue. The shallots mild flavor complement the mild and earth tones of the mushrooms. I used all portabellas...some little ones and 1 big one. But use any kind of mushrooms you have or can find.
1 lb mushrooms cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped shallots
butter
sherry
thyme
4 cups chicken broth

Saute the shallots in butter until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1 tsp fresh thyme. Cook until mushrooms are lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Add 1 cup sherry and bring to boil, stirring. Add chicken broth, cover and return to boil, then simmer 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a garnish of thyme and flat leaf parsley.
Bon Appetit!

Butternut squash soup with crispy prosciutto

butternut squash soup, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

OK as promised soup and salads for a while...
I love butternut squash soup. It is so complex to the palate for a simple pureed soup. This recipe is from Williams-Sonoma' s Thanksgiving menu for this year and it is divine. They have a new jarred butternut squash puree. It is $12 and probably worth every penny but it is not difficult to do at home. I roasted a whole butternut squash in a 400 deg oven for about an hour. First cut a few slits in the side with a sharp knife so it won't explode in your oven. That would truly be a mess and not only would you have to clean your oven but you would also have to buy a new squash. Let cool and scoop out the insides after removing the seeds. Then proceed with the recipe. This soup has the unique flavor of butternut squash, the savory flavors of the traditional soup herbs and vegetables and the added twist of pear which gives the soup a little sweetness but adds a unique flavor of its own. Try it for your Thanksgiving or before.

Oh..The soupspoon on the right is a very old piece of hotel silver that I have enjoyed collecting over the last 15 years. I just took several pieces to be re-silvered. Silver plate does wear thin after a while and this is the first time I have tried replating any. I just picked up about a dozen pieces today and they are beautiful. Recycle, repurpose...call it what you want but I am really pleased.

Yellow cauliflower soup

Yellow cauliflower soup, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

This soup is a family favorite. My daughter, Whitney, loved this soup when she was still living at home. It is hearty for a vegetable soup and really simple. My ingredients:
1 head yellow cauliflower ( yellow has more antioxidants than white)
1 qt. chicken stock....homemade or purchased
3/4 cup smoked Gouda cheese, grated

Break the cauliflower into flowerettes and steam for about 10 minutes or less. Place half of the flowerettes in a blender with some chicken stock and puree. Then add the remaining half. Return the puree with the remaining stock to a saucepan and heat until warm enough to eat. Add the grated cheese and continue to heat until melted. You won't need much if any salt if you add the cheese. Maybe some pepper. My chicken stock has some herbs and pepper so I add very little pepper at this stage.
Whitney made this soup this week too. She added potatoes. It was more creamy & hearty.
Without the chicken stock....puree cooked potatoes and cauliflower and the result will be much like mashed potatoes.
Notice:
no butter
no milk or cream
Bon Appetit!

leek and mushroom and bean soup

leek and mushroom soup
Originally uploaded by cabanagirl

The Farmers' market had beautiful baby leeks and I wanted to pair them with beans for a hearty soup on the first cool day we have had this season:
1/4 cup olive oil
6-7 baby leeks
2 stalks celery
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms, any variety
2 cups cook beans, I used cranberry beans, a very hearty bean
1 quart chicken stock....very key. Use a good one..better yet make your own
green vegetable, I had some fresh green beans, but bok choy would be terrific
grey salt with 5 pepper blend for seasoning

Saute leeks and celery in olive oil
Add mushrooms and saute 2 minutes longer
Add stock and bring to a simmer
Add cook beans and greens and cook until greens are tender
Season
Enjoy!