Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I have been roasting vegetables for many years, and when I just want a simple side dish, I’ll toss my prepared vegetables with a little olive oil and seasonings and pop them into a very hot oven to roast. Some of my favorite vegetables to roast are broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and winter squash. I had a big bowl of leftover roasted cauliflower in the refrigerator this past week and decided to turn it into a creamy soup.

Ingredients:

1 Large Head of Cauliflower, or 8 Cups, Cut Into Florets

4 Teaspoons Olive Oil, Divided

Salt & Pepper To Taste

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

3/4 Cup Chopped Onion

4 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Garnish:

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Pancetta

1 Cup Whole Grain Bread, Cut Into Pea Size Pieces

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Leaves

Method:

1.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.      Toss the cauliflower with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3.      Spread the cauliflower onto a baking sheet, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown and tender.

4.      While the cauliflower is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the pancetta over medium heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

5.      Add the breadcrumbs, stirring to mix with the oil and pancetta, then cook, stirring often until the crumbs are crisp and golden, about 5 minutes.

6.      Season with salt and pepper, toss with the parsley and set aside.

7.      Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan, and cook the onions and garlic over medium low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

8.      Add the broth and water to the onion mixture and bring to a boil.

9.      Add the cauliflower to the saucepan, and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

10.  Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

11.  Add the heavy cream to the pot and then puree until smooth and creamy in batches.

12.  Return the soup to the pot and keep warm.

13.   To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls, then top with a couple of tablespoons of the garnish.

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Prawns & Basil Green Curry

Prawns & Basil Green Curry

Green curry is a Central Thai variety of curry. The name "green" curry derives from the colour of the dish, which comes from green chillies. The "sweet" in the Thai name (wan means "sweet") refers to the particular colour green itself and not to the taste of the curry. As this is a Thai curry based on coconut milk and fresh green chillies, the colour comes out creamy mild green or, as this colour is called in Thai, "sweet green". Its ingredients are not exactly fixed.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 cup Thai Kitchen® Coconut Milk

1 tablespoon Thai Kitchen® Green Curry Paste

1 tablespoon Thai Kitchen® Premium Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 fresh chile, seeded and minced

4 kaffir lime leaves, minced (optional)

12 ounces prawns or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup Thai basil, chopped.

Method:

1.   HEAT oil in large skillet or wok on high heat. Add onion and ginger; stir fry 3 minutes or until onion softens. Add coconut milk, green curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chile and lime leaves; cook 4 minutes, stirring until well blended.

2.   STIR in prawns; cook 2 to 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat. Stir in basil.

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Tom Ka Kai

Tom Ka Kai (Chicken Soup)

In Thailand, most tom kha kai recipes typically include coconut milk, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chilli peppers, coriander (or dill weed), straw mushrooms (or shiitake or other mushrooms), chicken, fish sauce, and lime juice. Fried chillies are sometimes added, and this creates a smoky flavour as well as texture, colour, and heat; however, they are not added so much that they overwhelm the soup. The key is to get a taste balance between the spices.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I use a stir-fry mix of mushrooms with shitakes, oyster mushrooms, and portabellas)

3 green onions, sliced (divided)

1 stalk lemongrass

1 inch fresh galangal root or 1 inch gingerroot, grated

2 red chilies (more or less to desired heat level)

6 cups chicken stock (use good quality here)

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

fresh cilantro

fresh basil leaf

Method:

1. In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat the oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. I often make this is a wok on the stove.

2. Salt the chicken and add to oil, tossing to brown all the pieces. Cook about 3 minutes or until outside is browned, but not necessarily cooked all the way through.

3. Add mushrooms and toss. Allow to cook until some of the moisture is cooked out and the mushrooms are soft. Turn down heat to medium-low.

4. To prepare the lemongrass, slice and mince the lower portion and reserve the stalk to flavor the soup. You can use a food processor for this, or just mince it by hand. The woody upper portion of the stalk will be removed later, so don't chop it up, simply score it by making a few superficial cuts in it to allow it to flavor the soup.

5. Add the whites of the onions, reserving the greens. Add the minced lower portion of the lemongrass, grated galangal, and chilies. Toss until just warmed through.

6. Add the lemongrass stalk, lime leaves, chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and remaining onions, reserving just a few for garnish. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend well.

7. Taste test and adjust flavors as follows:.

8. Not salty enough - add more fish sauce.

9. Too sour - add a little more brown sugar.

10. Too spicy - add more coconut milk.

11. Not spicy enough - add more chilies.

12. Ladle into 4 soup bowls and garnish with remaining onion greens, cilantro, and basil.

13. Variations:.

14. Add more vegetables such as some sliced red bell peppers with the mushrooms.

15. Serve over wide rice noodles for a main dish serving.

16. Make vegetarian by increasing mushrooms in place of chicken and substituting vegetable stock.

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Samgyetang

Samgyetang

Samgyetang (Korean pronunciations a variety of gunk Korean soup, which primarily consists of a whole young chicken and Korean ginseng. The dish's name literally translates as "ginseng chicken soup" in English. Samgyetang is traditionally served in the summer for its supposed nutrients, which replaces those lost through excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot summers in Korea.

Ingredients:

Small chicken (Cornish hen)

1/4 cup of sweet rice

a dozen cloves of garlic

green onions

a few jujubes

1 or 2 small ginseng roots

Method:

1.Wash and rinse your chicken in cold running water.

2.Soak 1/4 cup of sweet rice for 1 hour.

3.Stuff the chicken with the sweet rice, a ginseng root, a few jujubes, and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Place it in a pot.

4.Pour water into the pot and boil it over high heat for 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface Then pour in more water and boil it over medium heat for 40 minutes.

5.When it cooks properly, the chicken will be easily pulled apart by chopsticks.

6.Serve it with salt and pepper and kimchi or kaktugi.

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African Chicken Peanut Stew

African Chicken Peanut Stew 

Chicken, sweet potatoes and peanuts are one of those magical flavor combinations that make me feel all warm and happy, especially because I never would have thought to do this 20 years ago, when I met some fellow University of Wisconsin students from Ghana who made this stew at their apartment. Chicken groundnut stew is, in various forms, common all over West Africa, and this is my version, inspired by my colleagues at UW.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large yellow or white onion, sliced

A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly

2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Salt and black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method:

1.      Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

2.      Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

3.      Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

4.      Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

5.      Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

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