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.