Potato Bacon Soup

Yay Fall!! I've been thinking about creating a potato soup for years, finally got around to it yesterday and it was worth the wait. My boyfriend and I are gladly taking it to work every day this week.

1 Leek, white and light green part diced finely
6 slices of Bacon, roughly chopped
5 medium to large Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 cups Chicken stock
2 tablespoons Flour
2 cups Cream (I guess you could use any percentage of milk if you care about the fat content)
1/2 cup grated desired cheese

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add leek and bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Blend flour and 1/2 cup of the milk together. Slowly add to potato mixture, stirring to combine. Add the remaining milk to soup. Increase heat and stir constantly until it boils and thickens (constant stirring prevents milk skin forming on top).

Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Coconut Shrimp

2 tsp lime juice and zest of a lime
1/2 cup dried coconut, medium to small flakes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup golden rum
1 tablespoon honey
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine coconut, milk, rum and honey. Add lime juice and zest. Add shrimp and mix till coated. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Soak 4 wooden skewers for 15-20 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from fridge and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a grill pan over high heat, coat surface with olive oil. Remove shrimp from marinade and skewer through each shrimp twice (tail and body) with five shrimp per skewer.

Place on grill and cook till pink on both sides and cooked through.

Note: most of the coating is lost when shrimp are skewered, next time I'll coat with dry coconut before going on the grill.

Roasted Red Pepper sauce and Turkey Meatloaf

This post is rather behind, I made this weeks ago and never had a chance to update. I guess late is better than not at all.

I had a bag of red peppers that I needed to use and went on a search for recipes, I came up with this.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce


3 large red bell peppers, roasted and chopped
1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Roast the peppers: place your oven rack at the top position and preheat the broiler for a few minutes.  Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and slide under the broiler.  When peppers are nicely brown and beginning to char, use tongs to turn them a quarter turn.  Continue to broil on each side until completely roasted and the pepper starts to collapse.  The entire process takes about 15 minutes.

When the peppers are roasted, remove the sheet from the oven and immediately pull up the sides of the foil over the peppers and crimp the edges closed.  Allow peppers to rest in the foil for at least 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Pull apart the stem and seeds and the skin should slip off easily.  Discard.

In a blender blend together the bell pepper, the oil, the lemon juice, the vinegar, the cayenne, 1 tablespoon water, and salt and black pepper, to taste.

Turkey Meatloaf:

1 package of lean ground turkey
2 slices of day old french bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped and sautéed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl to combine well. Place meatloaf mixture on foil and shape into a long football. Place pan in centre rack of oven and cook for about an hour, temperature should read 165˚F.

Warm sauce in a small saucepan on medium heat until it comes to a boil and thickens slightly, 5 minutes or so. Spoon over sliced meatloaf.

Egg Rolls Away

I decided to make egg rolls this afternoon because I had some wrappers in my fridge. I didn't just want to make one kind in abundance, so I decided to make two varieties and freeze for later use.
The first was a take on a traditional egg roll, the second was desert. Recipes as follows.

Traditional Egg Rolls
Inspired by the Food Network
Ingredients:
(I used a food processor to chop all ingredients finely)
2 Tablespoons Canola oil, plus more for frying
1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 chiles, stemmed and chopped
1/2 pound of ground pork
1 cup shredded cabbage (I used a coleslaw mixture)
4 tablespoons soya sauce
1 cup mushrooms
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water to create a slurry
salt and pepper
1 cup scallions
1 package of egg roll wrappers
1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup water

Directions:
Heat oil in wok or skillet over high heat. When hot add the garlic, ginger and chiles and cook for 2 minutes but don't burn. Add pork and fry till heated through, 3-5 mins. Add cabbage, soy sauce, mushrooms ans sherry and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry and mix well, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl, add scallions and let cool.

Place the point of the wrapper towards you, brush with egg mixture. Place 1/4 cup of filling about an inch or two from the corner in front of you. Fold corner up just to cover filling, take sides and fold in, continue rolling to enclose mixture completely. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a tea towel till all rolls are complete.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or dutch oven to 350˚F, add the egg rolls 4-6 at a time and fry for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve with hot mustard or sweet and sour sauce.

S'more Egg rolls
Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup of chocolate pieces
Half a bag of mini marshmallows, microwaved
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup graham crackers crushed

Directions:
Take an egg roll wrapper and place with point facing towards you. Mix egg with 1/4 cup of water and brush all edges of wrapper. Take a handful of chocolate pieces and place 2 inches above bottom point. Add a large spoonful of melted marshmallow. Fold bottom point just over filling and then fold both sides in, fixing and tucking neatly. Roll wrapper up till roll is completely sealed, place on parchment lined tray covered with a tea towel till all rolls are completed.

In a preheated oven at  375˚ for about 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and graham crackers.

Mmmm Pizza.

Go figure, I post about craving pasta and come home to make pizza? Similar flavour palate, different craving all together. the hardest part about this pizza is waiting for the dough to mix for 1 1/2 hours.

Simple Pizza
1 large batch of bread machine pizza dough
2-3 cups homemade sauce (I didn't measure, I just made) - mixture of sundried and vine tomatoes, onion, garlic, roasted red pepper and pesto
30 slices of pepperoni
Handful of basil leaves
3 cups of cheese mix: mozzarella , cheddar and parmigiano
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flour  and cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Take two pizza pans, coat with thin layer of cooking spray and dust with flour. Split dough in half and work into a circle by stretching with one hand while pulling dough over knuckles of other hand. Coat middle of each pizza with a layer of olive oil, this prevents moisture build up and soggy crust. Spoon sauce onto pizza evenly. Chop basil leaves into a chiffonade (ooo fancy cooking word for thin strips) and toss on top of sauce. Place half of pepperoni on each pizza, cover with cheese and top with the remainder of pepperoni.
Cook on middle racks of oven for 20-30 minutes, switching top pizza for bottom pizza half-way through. Top with fresh grated parmigiano, cut and serve. Buon Appetito

Craving... pasta

My Godparents are Italian, so I was raised on homemade pastas and sauces. Watching my Godmother cook was always fascinating. She would show me what she did, serve an 8 course meal whenever we visited and would send us home with enough leftovers for days. I get serious pasta cravings because of it! I found this recipe one day and tried it in hopes of creating something worthy of my heritage. This is what I am thinking about right now. I might as well pass this on to you!

From Williams-Sonoma

Bucatini all' Amatriciana

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/3 lb. pancetta, diced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 lb. ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded
    and diced, or 2 cups chopped canned plum
    tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt, to taste
• 1 lb. dried bucatini, perciatelli or spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

Directions:

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta renders some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, adding a little water if the sauce becomes too thick. Season with salt. Remove from the heat.

Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 12 minutes or according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, reheat the sauce gently over low heat.

Drain the pasta and return to the warm pot. Add the sauce and 1/4 cup of the pecorino cheese. Toss well. Divide among warmed dishes. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

An earful of corn... frittering away

 When I was a child, every summer we would drive to Athens, Ontario and attend the "Corn Festival". An old steam engine was used to boil the water and corn, and it was delicious. My favourite part of the festival, tho, was the Corn Fritters. Friend doughnuts with corn kernels in the middle and rolled in cinnamon or sugar were truly the highlight of my summer. When I recently purchased more fresh Ontario corn than I could use in one week, my first thoughts were of those corn fritters of my youth. I sought out a recipe from The Food Network and worked at making it my own. I didn't coat my fritters in cinnamon/sugar tho, I served them with dinner in a corn inspired meal.

Bowl full of Corn Goodness

Corn Fritters:
Serves 2 Dozen
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 ears of corn
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
Pour 2 inches of oil into a dutch oven, heat oil to 325 degrees F.

Peel, desilk and remove corn kernels from 2 ears of corn (chop bottom of corn cob evnly so it stands on end and run knife down each side to remove kernels).

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl beat eggs slightly and mix with milk. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture, stirring well. Stir in butter and corn.
Drop corn mixture by tablespoon (using another spoon to remove all mixture from spoon in one continuous motion), or using a small ice cream scoop, into hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once, or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.