Souper Bowl/Sundae

This weekend, I have been having fun in the kitchen.  Some weekends are like that, where I enjoy trying new recipes or tweaking old ones.

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I made both soup (or more accurately, a chowder), and sundaes (I will share that later this week).

My husband is originally from Massachusetts, so I had to make a fish chowder in honor of his New England Patriots.

This uses cod, and My Man gave us a little speech on the mismanagement of the cod industry in New England while we were eating this at lunch. Thankfully, our cod today was from the Pacific ocean.   ;)

Fish Chowder
adapted from allrecipes.com 
(click here to print)

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken stock (or use homemade if you have it)
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 pounds cod, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste (this sounds like a lot but this needs a lot of salt)
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and celery and saute until tender but not brown.

Add the potatoes and chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the fish and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Combine the Old Bay seasoning, pepper, clam juice and flour and whisk until smooth.  Add to the pot, stirring gently, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.

Add the evaporated milk and heat through.

Sprinkle with a little extra Old Bay, if desired, for color.

My Man really enjoyed this.  It brought him back to his mom's cooking, I think.  He just kept saying, "This is good!"

I hope that tonight's game isn't giving him indigestion, though!

Linking to:

Gobbledy Good Turkey Gumbo

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.  I enjoy taking the some dedicated time to reflect on the many ways God has blessed me and my family.

I was also particularly excited to prepare the feast this year because I haven't been in the kitchen much lately with all of the home renovation going on.

We, of course, had the traditional roast turkey and all the trimmings.  On Thanksgiving night, I made a turkey stock with the carcass and lots of onions and celery and simmered it for several hours.  I knew I wanted to make a gumbo with some of the turkey leftovers.

Traditionally, gumbo is made with a nice, dark roux.  Roux (pronounced "roo") is nothing more than a combination of fat (vegetable oil, in the case of gumbo) and flour in roughly equal proportions.  Roux is used to thicken and flavor a sauce or soup.  The lighter the roux, the milder the taste and the more thickening power it lends to the finished dish.  The roux for gumbo is dark, sometimes as dark as mahogany-colored.  I like mine to be a little darker than peanut butter, because it is difficult to get the darkest color without burning it.

Traditional roux made with oil

After all of the rich food from Thanksgiving, I decided to make a lower-fat version of gumbo that I have recently perfected.  A typical gumbo recipe has a cup of oil: that's more than 1900 calories!  We certainly didn't need those calories after all of the pumpkin pie and stuffing we have consumed lately.  My mom and her ancestors have French Canadian roots, and my grandmother used to make roux for an apple gravy (that goes with duck) using this method.  I decided to try it for gumbo, and it was a great success!

First, brown a cup of flour in a cast iron skillet in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.  The color you are going for is somewhere around the color of peanut butter.  Note that this is very...shall we say...aromatic!  Make sure you have your exhaust fan on because it does have quite a nutty smell.

I browned 2 cups of flour because I plan on making the duck with apple gravy recipe sometime around New Years.  The browned flour keeps for several months in an airtight container.

As you can see, there are quite a few lumps, so sift the cooled flour.

Next, combine 2 cups of cold turkey stock and add it to the 1 cup of browned flour, making a slurry.  Set aside.

Next, saute your veggies (called the Holy Trinity in New Orleans: onions, celery, and bell pepper) in about a tablespoon or two of canola oil for about 10 minutes over medium heat or until clear.

Add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Next, add the turkey stock and bring to a simmer.  Homemade stock is really the way to go with gumbo and soups, but you could use canned broth in a pinch.

Next, add the roux slurry to the bubbling stock and whisk well.

Add a pound of your favorite smoked sausage, sliced, and simmer for about 15 minutes..  I used Chisesi green onion sausage, which is my favorite New Orleans brand.

 If you want to cut the fat even more, you could use a smoked turkey sausage.

Add the leftover roasted turkey chunks (about 2 1/2 cups) and heat through, about 5 or 10 minutes.

If you want, you can also add okra.  I like canned okra because it is "de-slimed" and adds some color and a different texture.  I have previously tried using frozen okra and just don't like how it changes the viscosity.  Or leave it out, your call.

Serve over steamed white rice and garnish with green onions.

Reduced Fat Turkey and Sausage Gumbo
(click here to print)

8 cups homemade turkey stock (use leftover carcass) or canned low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
2 1/2 cups leftover roasted turkey chunks
1 tsp. creole seasoning or to taste
14 oz. can sliced okra, optional
several dashes tabasco sauce

Brown the flour in a cast iron frying pan in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Stir frequently until evenly browned and about the color of peanut butter.  Remove to cool, then sift.  Combine the dry browned flour with 2 cups of cold turkey stock and whisk to a slurry.  Set aside.

Saute the onion, celery, and bell pepper in oil over medium heat until clear, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two.  Add the remaining 6 cups turkey stock and bring to a simmer.  Add the slurry and whisk well, then add the sausage and simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes.  Add the turkey chunks and heat for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, then add the creole seasoning, tabasco, and okra (if using).  Heat through and serve over fluffy white rice.

Gobble it down!

Linking to:

Hunk of Meat Mondays
Mangia Mondays
Tuesday Talent Show

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Everyday Tastes

Momtrends

This Chick Cooks 

Savory Sunday

Tasty Tater Soup

My Man is the grocery shopper in the family.

That hasn't always been true, but when I went back to work, I told him he had to pick up one of my weekly chores, and that's what he chose.  (Drat, why couldn't it be laundry?  I hate doing laundry.)  He does a great job of keeping the freezer and pantry stocked (maybe too good sometimes).  He also finds it a challenge to get the lowest price on frequently-used items.  He especially goes a little nuts when whole chickens are on sale, and he cuts them up and freezes them for me.

I know, I know.  I am blessed to have a man who likes to do these things!

So anyway, I had several packages of frozen chicken backs he had saved for me to make into stock, which I did over the weekend.  (If you have ever wondered what the difference is between chicken stock and chicken broth, check out this link.)  I froze several quarts of homemade stock for later but used some to make this delicious potato soup.  I like this recipe because the seasonings lend an interesting, complex flavor to what can sometimes be bland fare.  I don't remember the original recipe source, but I've been making this for at least 10 years.  I make a quadruple batch of the seasoning mix below and keep it in an airtight container to save time when I make it again later.

Baked Potato Soup
(click here to print)

1/2 lb. bacon, cut crosswise into pieces
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock (homemade preferred)
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (divided use)
Minced green onions for garnish

Seasoning Mix:
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. celery seed or celery salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Fry the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until crisp.  Remove to paper toweling to drain.  Reserve 1 to 2 Tbsp. of the drippings and saute' onion until golden brown and tender.

Stir in flour and seasonings and cook for several minutes to toast the flour slightly.

Gradually add the chicken stock, whisking constantly.  Bring to a boil, then add potatoes.  Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add milk and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and heat through.

Do not boil or milk may curdle.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with additional cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onions.

This soup is Mmm, Mmm Good.  Wait, that might be plagiarism...

How about this?

Spud-tacular!

Linking to:


Chef in Training

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Everyday Tastes

Mangoes & Chutney

Momtrends

This Chick Cooks

Simply Delish Saturday

Chili & Cornbread: Quick as a Mix

I like the Two-Alarm Chili kit and Jiffy cornbread mix that you can get at any grocery store, but here are two recipes that are as quick as a mix--as well as fresher and tastier!  Plus, you can control the heat and calorie count somewhat!

Firehouse Chili
(click here to print)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (leaner is better)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes (spicy tomatoes and green chiles--I use Mild)
1 14-oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 16-oz. can pinto or kidney beans (I like pintos)

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat and add onion, garlic, and ground beef.  Stir to break up the beef and brown lightly.  Drain off the oil.

 
Add seasonings, Rotel, tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer.  Cook for about an hour, covered.  If it gets too thick, add a little water or tomato juice, if you have it.  Stir in the pinto beans and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with:

Quickie Cornbread
Adapted from this recipe
(click here to print my version)

1 stick butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 tsp. lemon juice added to sour it)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in the microwave, about 1 minute on high.  Remove and vigorously stir in the sugar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Combine buttermilk and soda and add to mixture.  Stir in cornmeal, salt, and flour until no lumps remain.

Pour into a well-greased 8x8" pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Ole'!

Souper Snappy Tomato Soup

Tomato soup has never one of my favorites until I had the Tomato Basil Soup at la Madeleine.  It was so creamy and flavorful and homemade tasting, very much unlike the red-and-white canned version!  I have made a copycat  of their recipe before and it is very good, but it contains heavy cream.  I'm trying to lose a little weight and wanted to try a tomato soup without cream.  Cooks Illustrated is the source for this version which uses white bread to add body.  Because it comes together in a snap, I classify this as a ch-eat!

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup
Source:  Cooks Illustrated Magazine
(click here to print recipe)

2	T. extra virgin olive oil (original recipe called for 1/4 cup but I cut it back)
1	medium onion , chopped (about 1 cup)
3	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
	pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional--I used 1/4 tsp.)
1	bay leaf
2	28-oz. cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1	T. brown sugar
3	large slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	T. brandy (optional--I omitted)
1/4	cup chopped fresh chives or green onion tops

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf.

Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain.

Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer half of soup to blender. Process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup. 

Return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives or green onions, and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.

I estimated that this makes about six 12-oz. servings with about 170 calories per serving.

I don't have an immersion blender, but using it to blend the soup in the pot would be ideal if you own one.  I thought I would give an electric mixer a try instead.  EPIC FAIL.  Take my word for it.