Recently served at the 32nd annual summer Lunch on the Mountain (although we missed one year), this soup was deemed quite acceptable by all. The recipe came from Gourmet, May 1997, and was attributed to the Hotel Bel-Air in LA. This is the original recipe. However I often taken a few liberties with it depending on what we have on hand and never use as much oil as the recipe calls for.
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for frying tortillas
- 1/4 cups leeks, chopped
- 1 tbsp. cumin, ground
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. New Mexico chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. coriander ground
- 1/2 c. white wine
- 2 c. onions, chopped
- 1/4 c. celery, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 c. tomato puree
- 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 c. chicken stock
- Diced cooked chicken
- Diced avocado
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Cut tortillas into 2- by 1/4-inch strips. Fry in 4 batches until golden and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain.
- In large heavy kettle cook three fourths tortilla strips with cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and ground coriander in 1/2 cup oil over moderate heat stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add leek, onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato puree, chopped coriander, bay leaves, and stock. Bring soup to a boil and simmer, covered, 1 hour.
- Cool soup 10 minutes and in a food processor puree in batches until smooth, transferring to a bowl. Force soup through a fine sieve into cleaned kettle, pressing hard on solids and discarding them. Season with salt.
- Serve garnished with chicken, avocado, cheddar, and cilantro
With Christmas rapidly approaching I would be remiss not to share my sister-in-law’s recipe for Borscht. We have had a couple of opportunities to share this delicious Christmas Eve tradition from Mary Ann’s family and may have to adopt it ourselves.
Borscht from Kiev
Stock:
- 1 ½ pounds beef chuck roast boneless
- 1 pound beef marrow bones
- 1 pound ham bone meaty or pork hocks with added ham meat
- 1 onion large grated
- 1 carrot grated
- 3 quarts water
- 1 turnip peeled and grated
- 1 celery rib w/leaves sliced
- 3 dill sprigs
- 12 peppercorns whole
- 4 bay leaves
Soup:
- 3 beets large, peeled and grated
- 16 ounces plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1 onion large chopped
- 1 carrot slice or chopped
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups cabbage shredded
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 prunes pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- cider or rice vinegar to taste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 bacon strips
- 3 tablespoons parsely
- 3 tablespoons dill
Place meat bones, meat, water in large stock bot and bring to boil over high heat. Skim as needed. Add the remaining stock ingredients, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash, dry, peel the beets. Wrap them in aluminum foil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool, and dice. Remove the ham bones from the stock. Set marrow bones aside. Strain the stock through a fine sieve. Discard the solids. Bring the stock to a boil, add the tomatoes, salt and peppper on low heat covered. Cook the onions, carrot in a skillet for 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and continue to saute for 10 more minutes. Remove the vegetables from heat and add to the stock. Sprinkle the juice of a lemon over the beets and add them to the stock. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and home. Remove the meat from the bones, strip the marrow. Cube the meet and add all of this to the stock. Remove from heat and add vinegar to taste. Serve with sour cream, bacon, parsley, dill.
This comes from Cook’s Country, December/January 2007, with a few modifications, as usual. Sometimes I have found some perfect stuffing-sized mushrooms at Safeway.
Mushrooms
- 24 large, mushrooms, stems removed
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 recipe stuffing (see below)
- 1 recipe topping (see below)
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Set a wire rack inside a baking sheet. Toss mushrooms with oil, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, on rack and roast about 20 minutes. Turn caps over and roast about 10 more minutes.
- Cool and fill with stuffing. ( I use a spoon for this.) You can refrigerate them at this point on a paper towel-lined plate. Just before serving, press each cap into the topping mixture and bake until hot and slightly browned. Maybe 10 minutes or so.
Shrimp Stuffing
- 1/4 lb. cooked, peeled shrimp
- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 oz. cream cheese
- 2 tbsp. jarred roasted red peppers
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth.
Topping
- 3/4 c. bread crumbs (I used Panko)
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
Mix together
This is a good salad. The lime dressing fits it perfectly. It was a recipe from a Cook’s Country magazine. It is especially good when topped with diced avocado, shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese, sliced red onion, and sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2 T. lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 t. ground cumin
- 1/3 c. plus 1 t. olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 T. tomato paste
- 1/2 c. water
- 2 hearts of romaine, shredded
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 4 c. corn tortilla chips roughly broken
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
(I expect you could use leftover chicken in place of the ground beef and spice things up with a jalapeño or some cayenne.)
- Combine lime juice, 1 t. minced garlic, 1/2 t. cumin, 1/3 c. olive oil, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Heat remain tsp. oil in a skillet until shimmering. Add beef and cook, breaking up clumps, until lightly browned. Add remaining garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and water and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss lettuce, tomatoes, and chips with lime juice dressing. Divide salad among individual plates and top each with some meat mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro and any additional toppings.
Here, by popular demand from the Christmas 2008 family rendezvous in Utah, are the muffins Gordon thrives on. He found the recipe in a Cooking Light magazine in July 2007. It was adapted by Charlotte Moore, M.D., from a recipe that has been around for a long time. Her recipe has been modified slightly by Gordon. It is not only delicious, but also so crammed full of healthy ingredients that your general well-being will be improved by simply reading the recipe!
- Cooking spray
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. regular oats
- 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1 T. wheat bran
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 c. plain fat-free yogurt
- 2 bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1 c. chopped pitted dates (about 20)
- 1 c. chopped walnuts
- 1 c. dried pineapple
(For fruits and nuts, you can substitute almost any dried fruits and pecans for walnuts. A 2 oz. or #16 ice cream dipper leveled off yields about 16 muffins and is much easier than spooning the dough into the muffin cups.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 16 or so muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners and metal surrounds with cooking spray.
- Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. In processor bowl, combine sliced bananas, yogurt, vanilla, and egg. Process until smooth, then pour into mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mix until just moist. Add chopped fruit and nuts and mix to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.
During our restaurant days, I bought up the rest of a pumpkin patch every year after Halloween so we could continue to make pumpkin pies until spring. I still buy pumpkins every fall, although not on quite such a grand scale. I cook them and freeze the puree. So when I saw this recipe at Whole Foods Market, it seemed like a natural.
- 1/4 c. butter
- 2/3 c. finely chopped onion
- 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
- 1/2 c. finely chopped carrots
- 1 T. minced shallot
- 3 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
- 2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 c. water
- Thyme leaves (about 1T. fresh or less dried)
- 1/2 c. cream
- Salt and pepper
- French bread
- Blue cheese
- In large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions, celery, celery, carrots and shallot. Saute until onions are soft.
- Add pumpkin, broth and water. Cook until vegetables are tender.
- Puree in a blender or processor. Return to pan and add thyme, cream, salt and pepper. Reheat without boiling
- Slice French bread and broil until golden and crisped. Sprinkle with blue cheese. Serve soup with toasts floating on top.
Serves 6
This comes from The Grains Cookbook by Bert Greene with a few changes. It is easy and doesn’t require the oven. I made it first today when it was 94 degrees outside. (Now it is 80 outside and 84 inside so I have opened the doors and windows.) If you are averse to jalapeños, use some other pepper, but jalapeños are GOOD and not very hot.
- 1 chicken (mine was about 4.5 pounds)
- 4 sprigs of parsley (abundance in the garden now)
- 2 fresh sage leaves ( I also got from the garden but a 1/2 tsp. of dried would do)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/ T. olive oil
- 1 jalepeño
- 3 slices of hard salami, chopped
- 1/2 c. white wine
- 1 c. rice
- Parsley for garnish
- Stuff the chicken with parsley and sage. Smash the garlic and rub it on the chicken. Then chop it.
- Heat the oil in a large casserole or Dutch oven. Add the chicken and brown well, about 12 minutes
- Remove the chicken. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook about 5 minutes and then add salami.
- Return chicken to the pot and pour the stock and wine over the chicken. Heat to boiling. Turn down and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Stir in the rice around the chicken and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice is done.
- Serve with chopped parsley to garnish.
A couple of years ago my neighbor, who is a vegetarian and a great cook, gave me Madhur Jaffrey’s award-winning cookbook, World Vegetarian.I was looking for a recipe for beans (because they’re good and good for you) and came across this one. It is delicious and perfect for a cool fall day. I served it with a cucumber and radish salad with sour cream, and some of my sister-in-laws homemade wheat bread. Perfect!
- 1 med. onion, halved and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 T. curry powder
- 2 big tomatoes, chopped
- 1 1/2 T. peanut butter
- Salt
- Pepper
(The recipe says to peel the tomatoes and use smooth peanut butter. I did not do either and it worked out just fine! By the way, I believe Whole Foods has the world’s best peanut butter.)
- Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain.
- Put beans in a pot with 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, partially covered, for 40 to 60 minutes or until just tender.
- While the beans are cooking, heat the oil in a flame- and ovenproof-casserole. Add the onion and stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, then the curry powder and tomatoes. Cook 7 to 10 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Put the peanut butter in a small bowl. When the beans have finished cooking, remove about 6 T. of their liquid and add the to peanut butter. Empty the beans and their remianing liquid into the casserole with the onion garlic, and tomatoes. Stir in the peanut butter mixture, salt, and lots of pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 2 hours, until very tender.
Many years ago a recipe for vegetable burritos appeared in a Sunset magazine. Over the years its has been modified and we used it as a very popular vegetarian entree at the restaurant.
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
- 1 green pepper, julienned
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 4 zucchini, 1/2″ slices
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and wedged
- 2 T. salad oil
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed
- 1 7 oz. can diced chiles
- 2 oz. sliced olives
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 6 oz. jack cheese (with jalapeños if you want)
- 6 oz. cheddar cheese
- 10-12 flour tortillas
Condiments (optional)
- Taco sauce
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Sliced scallions
- Sunflower seeds
- In 12" skillet, saute onion and garlic until limp. Add veggies and spices. Simmer covered until vegetables are barely tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Shred cheeses, and when vegetables are done, stir in half of both cheeses. Turn into a shallow casserole and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
- Heat tortillas wrapped in foil in the oven for about 20 minutes, or wrap in plastic and microwave about 2 minutes. Spoon veggie mixure in tortilla and roll up. Serve with condiments.
At the restaurant we filled the tortillas and then put the cheese on them and put them under the broiler.
This comes from Cook’s Illustrated, May and June 2006. The premise is to make chicken salads with creative vinaigrettes instead of mayo. I made this version with a slight change and have ideas for a few variations. There are two other variations in the magazine, each with a different twist, that sound equally delicious
The recipe called for 5 cups of shredded roast chicken. I poached a chicken breast the Chinese way instead by covering it with cold water, bringing it to a boil, turning off the heat, covering it, and letting it sit for about 20 minutes. I wish I had also thrown in the some of the beautiful red bell pepper we had in the frig.
A vegetarian version of this using tofu instead of chicken would also be very tasty with the tofu soaking up the piquant flavors of the dressing.
- 1/2 c. canola oil
- 3 T. peanut butter (calls for smooth but I used crunchy)
- 1/2 c. lime juice (3 or 4)
- 2 T. water
- Salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 t. grated fresh ginger
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 t. hot pepper flakes
- 1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut in matchsticks
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
- 3 T. cilantro, minced
- 5 c. shredded chicken
- 1/2 c. roasted peanuts, chopped
- Puree oil, peanut butter, lime juice, water, salt, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and pepper flakes in a blender.
- Add cucumber, carrot, scallions and cilantro to vinaigrette; toss. Add chicken and toss. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Serve over salad greens sprinkled with peanuts
|
|