Born on a cold winter day when I was trying to warm from the inside, and also use up some of the cans in my pantry, this soup is spicy and comforting at the same time. With the possible exception of the jalapeno pepper, you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already.
Spicy Tomato Soup
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tsp. ground ginger (or 2 tsp. fresh, if you have it)
½ tsp. ground cumin
4 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 14-oz. can chicken broth (or 2 c. homemade broth)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
In a 5-qt Dutch oven or stock pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and saute for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the ginger. Continue to stir frequently for another 4 minutes, then add the cumin, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, the broth, the sugar and the salt and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, pureeing in batches), finely puree the soup. Serve at once.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Brunchtastic, Part 2
Another brunch favorite were these moist muffins, which showcase an unusual combination of tastes. Using the ice cream scoop to measure the batter is an easy way to create uniformly sized muffins. For added texture, you could add a handful of chopped walnuts.
Pear Cranberry Muffins
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 large ripe Bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 400°. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the sugar in a steady stream while whisking. Whisk for a couple of minutes until the yolks pale in color. Whisk in the oil and the vanilla.
Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon. Stir until there is only a little flour visible. Carefully stir in the pear and cranberries, taking care not to crush the pears, until there is no flour visible.
Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, fill each of the muffin tins to the top, dividing the batter evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the muffins from the tins and place on the rack.
Makes 12 muffins.
Pear Cranberry Muffins
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 large ripe Bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼ inch cubes
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 400°. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the sugar in a steady stream while whisking. Whisk for a couple of minutes until the yolks pale in color. Whisk in the oil and the vanilla.
Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon. Stir until there is only a little flour visible. Carefully stir in the pear and cranberries, taking care not to crush the pears, until there is no flour visible.
Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, fill each of the muffin tins to the top, dividing the batter evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the muffins from the tins and place on the rack.
Makes 12 muffins.
Brunchtastic!
Last weekend I hosted some friends for brunch. The crowd was smaller than expected due to a weekend long snowstorm, in keeping with tradition for my winter parties. I'm better than the farmer's almanac - if I'm throwing a party and it's the wintertime, it will snow.
Guests who braved the snow were treated to a bonanza of eggy and bacony delights. One of the highlights was homemade granola, which went amazingly well with the Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt.
Granola
1 c. hazelnuts
1 c. almonds
1 c. walnuts
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. With a rolling pin, crush the nuts until coarse.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the oats and stir to coat. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the nuts.
To serve, stir into yogurt.
Keeps for a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.
Guests who braved the snow were treated to a bonanza of eggy and bacony delights. One of the highlights was homemade granola, which went amazingly well with the Stonyfield Vanilla Yogurt.
Granola
1 c. hazelnuts
1 c. almonds
1 c. walnuts
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. With a rolling pin, crush the nuts until coarse.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the oats and stir to coat. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the nuts.
To serve, stir into yogurt.
Keeps for a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Cookie Swappin'
This past weekend I channelled my inner 1950's housewife and hosted my annual holiday cookie swap party. There were many delicious treats, including Susan's jam-filled thumbprint cookies. She graciously agreed to share the recipe (and also some thoughts on mid-century cookbooks). Her musings, and recipe, follow.
The recipe is super-easy. Embarrassingly-so. You should give the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook the real credit. You've got to see this thing. My mother-in-law found it when she was cleaning out my husband's grandmother's house. Ugh! There is a section at the front, explaining basics of cooking.
One part is titled: "If You Are a Good Mathematician You May Safely .. ."
And then underneath, there are two columns explaining how you can REDUCE RECIPES or INCREASE RECIPES. The first line:
"To double a recipe, use exactly twice the amount of each ingredient." Yes, the italics are in the original.
Well, the men behind Betty Crocker circa 1950 may think women are idiots, but they make a mean cookie. Here you go:
Thumbprint Cookies
Cream together 2 sticks of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites in a small bowl), 1 tsp of vanilla, and I like to add 1/2 tsp of almond extract.
Sift (they are adamant that it be sifted!) 2 cups of flour. Mix well.
Roll into balls. (My first batch were too small; they work better when they are about 1.5 inches). Dip the top in egg white, and then in some chopped nuts. (I use pecans.) The recipe says it should be an ungreased cookie sheet, but mine all had some mild sticking, requiring a bit of prodding to remove. So I defer that. . . Place nut-side-up, and bake at 375 for 5 min. Take them out at 5 min, and gently make indentations in each one. Put them back in the oven for 7-8 more min, depending on your oven.
Fill with whatever jam, jelly, or pie filling you have around. I then sprinkle with the powdered sugar for decoration, but that isn't in the original recipe.
The recipe is super-easy. Embarrassingly-so. You should give the 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook the real credit. You've got to see this thing. My mother-in-law found it when she was cleaning out my husband's grandmother's house. Ugh! There is a section at the front, explaining basics of cooking.
One part is titled: "If You Are a Good Mathematician You May Safely .. ."
And then underneath, there are two columns explaining how you can REDUCE RECIPES or INCREASE RECIPES. The first line:
"To double a recipe, use exactly twice the amount of each ingredient." Yes, the italics are in the original.
Well, the men behind Betty Crocker circa 1950 may think women are idiots, but they make a mean cookie. Here you go:
Thumbprint Cookies
Cream together 2 sticks of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites in a small bowl), 1 tsp of vanilla, and I like to add 1/2 tsp of almond extract.
Sift (they are adamant that it be sifted!) 2 cups of flour. Mix well.
Roll into balls. (My first batch were too small; they work better when they are about 1.5 inches). Dip the top in egg white, and then in some chopped nuts. (I use pecans.) The recipe says it should be an ungreased cookie sheet, but mine all had some mild sticking, requiring a bit of prodding to remove. So I defer that. . . Place nut-side-up, and bake at 375 for 5 min. Take them out at 5 min, and gently make indentations in each one. Put them back in the oven for 7-8 more min, depending on your oven.
Fill with whatever jam, jelly, or pie filling you have around. I then sprinkle with the powdered sugar for decoration, but that isn't in the original recipe.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Carbo Loading with a Side of Spinach (for strength)
I'm off to work the overnight this evening. In addition to lots (and lots) of caffeine, I need a hearty dinner to start off the night. Tonight it was a pile of whole-wheat spaghetti with some sauteed spinach on the side.
Spaghetti al Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper, a traditional Roman dish) for one
1/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
Salt for the pasta water
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Salt the water and bring it to the boil. Instead of putting the lid on the pot, place your pasta bowl on top to warm the bowl. Careful when removing it; it will be hot.
Cook the pasta to al dente. Put the olive oil in the pasta bowl. Drain the pasta and place it in the bowl. Put the cheese and pepper on top of the pasta. Toss with two forks. Add sea salt to taste. Enjoy!
Spinach with Pine Nuts, Garlic, and Lemon for one
1 tbsp. pine nuts
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 c. baby spinach
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Warm a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently. When they begin to brown and turn fragrant, remove them from the pan. Add the olive oil to the pan and let it warm for a moment. Add the garlic and cook for about twenty seconds, until it begins to brown and turn fragrant (sound familiar?). Add the spinach to the pan, tossing it frequently with tongs, until it wilts. Add the lemon juice, and remove from the heat. Toss with the pine nuts.
Spaghetti al Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper, a traditional Roman dish) for one
1/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
Salt for the pasta water
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Salt the water and bring it to the boil. Instead of putting the lid on the pot, place your pasta bowl on top to warm the bowl. Careful when removing it; it will be hot.
Cook the pasta to al dente. Put the olive oil in the pasta bowl. Drain the pasta and place it in the bowl. Put the cheese and pepper on top of the pasta. Toss with two forks. Add sea salt to taste. Enjoy!
Spinach with Pine Nuts, Garlic, and Lemon for one
1 tbsp. pine nuts
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 c. baby spinach
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Warm a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently. When they begin to brown and turn fragrant, remove them from the pan. Add the olive oil to the pan and let it warm for a moment. Add the garlic and cook for about twenty seconds, until it begins to brown and turn fragrant (sound familiar?). Add the spinach to the pan, tossing it frequently with tongs, until it wilts. Add the lemon juice, and remove from the heat. Toss with the pine nuts.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
No really, bacon DOES make everything better.
A huge hit at any cocktail party I have ever had, this appetizer would be a great addition to any holiday spread. Adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Small Plates cookbook. Easily doubled, and I would recommend doubling the amount of these bad boys!
Roasted Dates with Parmesan and Bacon
1/4 lb parmesan cheese
4 T. low fat cream cheese, room temp
36 pitted dates
12 slices bacon, each cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Preheat oven to 400F and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan and cream cheese and mix until smooth.
Slice each date along one side to make a pocket and insert 1 tsp of the cheese filling. Wrap a piece of bacon around each stuffed date. The bacon should cover the opening in the date and overlap slightly. Secure the date with toothpicks. (Can be refrigerated overnight; return to room temp for about 15 minutes before roasting.)
Using tongs (or just being really careful), place the dates on the hot baking sheet. Roast until the bacon is crisp, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Roasted Dates with Parmesan and Bacon
1/4 lb parmesan cheese
4 T. low fat cream cheese, room temp
36 pitted dates
12 slices bacon, each cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Preheat oven to 400F and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat. In a small bowl, combine the parmesan and cream cheese and mix until smooth.
Slice each date along one side to make a pocket and insert 1 tsp of the cheese filling. Wrap a piece of bacon around each stuffed date. The bacon should cover the opening in the date and overlap slightly. Secure the date with toothpicks. (Can be refrigerated overnight; return to room temp for about 15 minutes before roasting.)
Using tongs (or just being really careful), place the dates on the hot baking sheet. Roast until the bacon is crisp, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Bacon Makes Everything Better
Bacon is in that special family of foods that make everything better. (Other members include cheese and frying.) Here they dress up Brussels sprouts. I don't have the same animosity for Brussels sprouts that many do - I pretty much never met a green vegetable I didn't like, except maybe for broccoli rabe (sorry, Mark Bittman) - but I can see why some people dislike them. If cooked incorrectly, they retain a certain bitterness. Here, though, they are tender and substantial after soaking up the chicken stock. This recipe works well as a side dish for a special dinner, but also can stand on its own as a light supper, perhaps with a bit of pasta and olive oil or some crusty bread.
Brussels Sprouts Lardons
2 T. olive oil
6 oz. thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
3/4 t. coarse salt
3/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
Heat the olive oil in a 12" skillet and add the bacon. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to the fat in the pan. Saute over medium heat for another 5 minutes, until the sprouts are lightly browned. Add the chicken stock. Lower to heat and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.
Serves 6 as a side dish, 3 as a main course.
Brussels Sprouts Lardons
2 T. olive oil
6 oz. thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
3/4 t. coarse salt
3/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
Heat the olive oil in a 12" skillet and add the bacon. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to the fat in the pan. Saute over medium heat for another 5 minutes, until the sprouts are lightly browned. Add the chicken stock. Lower to heat and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.
Serves 6 as a side dish, 3 as a main course.
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