Cauliflower Soup with Herbed Croutons.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen8 Comments

Fall is a fabulous season for cooking. The best fall dishes are all about warmth, richness, and substance…the kind that make you want to join our forest friends and hibernate for a while. And after you eat this cauliflower soup, you will think seriously about doing just that. Smooth, creamy cauliflower soup, lightly spiced with coriander and cumin, is even better topped with crunchy homemade herbed croutons—they’re really worth the bit of extra effort. So here’s another recipe to add to the list of easy soups that are way cheaper when homemade, but just as delicious and probably better for you (f you ignore the first ingredient).

INGREDIENTS

for soup:
3 tbsp butter, divided
olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 shallot, minced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small parsnip, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp coriander
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 head cauliflower, broken up into small pieces
stock or water
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

for croutons:
1 baguette, cut into cubes
olive oil
pinch paprika, parsley, thyme
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1 tbsp butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Add onion, shallot, carrot, and parsnip. Cook until onion is softened. Then add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the cumin, coriander, parsley, and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant (a minute or two should do it).

Then add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes before pouring in enough stock or water to just about cover the veggies. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the cauliflower is soft and tender.

Now get the croutons going. Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss the cut-up bread in olive oil, paprika, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, and spread out onto a foil-lined sheet pan.

Bake until croutons are browned and a bit crispy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter. In a bowl, whisk together flour and milk. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the melted butter, whisking constantly. Add a bay leaf to the milk mixture and continue to whisk. When the milk is just about to boil, remove from heat and pour directly into soup. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Once the soup is thickened, it’s done. But if you want a little bit smoother texture, you can puree about half of the soup and then stir the puree back in. Then top it with croutons and some chopped fresh parsley and dig in! Happy Fall.

Green Chile White Chili.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen4 Comments

Say this 5 times fast: red leather, yellow leather. Kind of hard, isn’t it? Now try this: green chile white chili. A lot easier. You have now mastered step 1 of any recipe: being able to say its name. Congratulations. Here’s some more good news: there are only 3 real steps in this recipe, and once its done, the longer this chili sits in the fridge, the deeper and richer the flavors are. So make a big pot and have some for dinner, and then save the rest in the fridge for a week’s worth of awesome chile chili lunches. Green chile white chili, green chile white chili…

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, chopped
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tomato paste
2 cans green chiles, diced
3 cans white beans (pinto, great northern, etc.)
4-6 cups water, broth, or stock
salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes: sour cream, cheese, lime juice, green onion

DIRECTIONS

In a Dutch oven or other large pot, saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Then add the garlic, oregano, cumin, and tomato paste. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Pour in the green chiles, beans, and water/broth/stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour, uncovered.

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. That’s all! Probably one of my easiest recipes.

Top your big ol’ bowl with shredded cheese or sour cream, a squirt of lime juice, and a sprinkling of chopped green onion. Yummy.

Maple and Orange Marmalade Cookies.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen4 Comments

Yesterday I posted a goodbye-to-summer cocktail. Today I’m posting a hello-to-fall cookie. Now that I’m thinking about it, apple pie would probably be the most appropriate late summer/early fall baked good, but to me, maple syrup and fall just go together. Why is that? Maybe it’s the tree connection, I’m not sure. But I do know that these cookies, from a sweet beet & green bean recipe, make me want to cuddle up with a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea and watch the leaves change. Fall is cozy and comforting and so are these cookies, so get excited – my favorite season is on its way!

INGREDIENTS

for cookies:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 generous tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup, plus 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
healthy pinch of salt

for glaze:
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1/3 generous cup powdered sugar
splash or two of water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together butter, brown sugar, syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until combined. If you’re as impatient as I am and your butter hasn’t softened all the way, no worries. Then gently mix in the egg.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 batches, stirring to full incorporate between each addition.

Using a spoon, scoop the dough in small knobs onto a cookie sheet, either floured or lined with parchment paper. They’ll spread out a bit, so leave some room between each one.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the pans around for the final 2-4 minutes of bake time. They’re done with the outsides have just barely started to brown.

While the cookies cool, mix up the glaze. First combine the marmalade and powdered sugar. Then slowly add water until it’s thin but still spreadable.

When the cookies have completely cooled, spread or brush the glaze over each one. Let the glaze harden a bit before packing them up. Share them and get ready for a change in the seasons!

Peach Gin Fizz.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen6 Comments

A retro gin cocktail? Why yes, I did watch an episode or two of Mad Men this morning. I don’t make a lot of fun ‘n’ fancy cocktails at home because it’s too hard to keep all those ingredients around, but thanks to a generously huge bottle of gin from my godfather (which I’m slowly but surely making my way to the bottom of–thanks AJ!), I’ve always got the option of a stiff gin cocktail. Lucky me. So this morning on Mad Men, when Joan ordered a gin fizz with her dinner, I was all over it. This peach version is a perky pink take on the classic gin fizz that was daintily chugged by my advertising foremothers. A great way to say goodbye to warm weather!

Peach Gin Fizz | KellyintheKitchen | 4 shots of gin, 1/2 peach, 1 lime, tonic water, ice

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

4 shots of gin
1/2 peach, sliced
1 lime, juiced
tonic water (I used diet tonic water, whatever that is…)
ice

*I like to make these in mason jars. Besides being so cute, they also have the dual function of cocktail shaker and cocktail glass! It’s all about multi-tasking.

DIRECTIONS

Take two mason jars and place the peach slices inside. Pour two shots of gin into each one and add the lime juice. Screw the tops onto the jars and shake well. If you like, add a few ice cubes before shaking.

Throw in some ice cubes if you haven’t already and top it off with tonic water. Garnish with a little slice of peach and enjoy the last days of summer!

Silent Black Bean and Chorizo Soup.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen2 Comments

Beans, beans
The musical fruit
The more you eat,
The more you toot…

Beans. They taste great and are so good for you, but sometimes, ahem, they make you regret eating them. I ate a lot of beans in college, and because I loved my roommates, I worked long and hard to figure out a way to prepare beans so that they would no longer be the “musical fruit” of the children’s rhyme. When I finally was successful in producing an indigestion-free bean, I named them “silent black beans”—they were musical no more! This black bean and chorizo soup is a variant on my original Silent Black Bean Soup; the chorizo is such an amazing addition that I’m not sure I’ll ever make the original version again! So prepare your beans using my tested and roommate-approved method and enjoy a bowl of silent black bean soup, secure in the knowledge that “the more soup you eat, the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal”…silently, of course.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry black beans
4 cups water
1 tbsp vinegar
chicken stock (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 Mexican chorizo sausages
1/2 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, washed and sliced
2 carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS

First, the beans – these need to be prepared a day in advance. Pour the dry beans into a large bowl and cover with water. Pour in the vinegar, mix it around a bit, and let the beans sit for 18-24 hours. The water will gradually turn a purply wine color.

Once the beans have soaked, rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Then place them in a Dutch oven or other large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes.

After two minutes of boiling, remove beans from heat, drain completely, and rinse again under water. Pour beans back into the pan and cover with two inches of water or chicken stock. Add bay leaves and bring back to a boil.

Turn down to a steady simmer (or even a low boil) and cover.

Meanwhile, add a splash of oil to a saute pan over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and done. Remove from pan, leaving some of the juices behind to cook the veggies.

Place onions, celery, and carrots into the pan with the chorizo fat, and stir. Cook until all the veggies are softened. Remove from heat.

Now we start assembling the soup. Add the cooked veggies to the bean pot, along with the cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Continue to cook until the beans are tender; this took me at least 2 hours of cooking.

Once the beans are tender, remove the bay leaves. If you want, you can puree the soup at this point. I like to puree most of it, with a bit of chunkiness remaining, for texture.

Finally, stir in the chorizo you set aside earlier.

Serve hot and garnish with parsley or cilantro, sour cream, and maybe a few crumbled up tortilla chips. And let me know if you’re brave enough to eat this before a date!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen5 Comments

There are certain recipes that all chefs should know how to prepare. Some are grand and time-consuming, like coq au vin or borsch, and others are simple and versatile, like cream scones or chicken stock. Often these types of recipes are all about getting the technique right, which can be much more difficult than it sounds. I always have a couple of difficult recipes that I’m working on, trying a few times to make sure I’ve got them right before I post anything about them. Luckily for me, homemade mayo was one I got right the first time! It takes a strong arm, a steady hand, and a good eye, but it really isn’t so difficult when you get down to it. A whisk here, a few drops there, followed by a bit of frantic whisking-while-pouring, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful homemade mayonnaise. Crispy golden brown Brussels sprouts are the perfect accompaniment to this garlic mayo, but you’ll definitely have some leftovers on you hands, so go crazy and mayonnaise it up while you’ve got this beautiful fresh stuff around. Chicken salad sandwiches maybe? Or BLTs spread with a generous glob of mayo on perfectly toasted wheat bread? If there ever were a time to be glamorous and indulgent with your food, it’s when you’ve got access to your own homemade mayonnaise.

INGREDIENTS

for Brussels sprouts:
a few handfuls of Brussels sprouts, the smaller ones halved and the larger ones quartered
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk, room temperature (raw egg warning blah blah blah)
1 tsp vinegar (I used white vinegar)
3/4 tsp dijon mustard
not quite 1 cup oil (I used a mixture of olive and canola, with a bit more olive than canola)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread in a single layer on a foil-lined pan. Bake until slightly crispy and browned.

While the Brussels sprouts cook, mix up the mayo. Whisk together egg yolk, vinegar, and mustard. Whisking constantly, add a few tiny drops of the oil mixture at a time until the mixture emulsifies. Add the rest of the oil in a steady stream until it’s all incorporated into a smooth, pale yellow mayo.

 

At this point, whisk in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic.

That’s all! Scoop the mayo into a ramekin and serve it as is, at room temperature, or cool it off in the fridge for a while. Serve as a dip with the hot Brussels sprouts. You’ll have a lot of mayo leftover, so do something amazing with it (it won’t last as long as preservative-y store-bought mayo so use it up quick!).