Soup Days Ahead

 Fall is happening, cooler days and chilly nights, crisp leaves falling, and soup time! With these uncertain times it can be unsettling going into fall and winter in this pandemic. Soup can be a comfort food. It has been said "Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite." (from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts). I agree, soup can be calming, and it is an easy meal to fix - that's calming for the cook! 

We had this Potato Leek Soup to use leeks from our CSA bundle and paired it with ham and cheese sliders (a favorite recipe from the January 29, 2019 post) on a cool day. The cattle crew thought it 'hit the spot'. 

Potato Leek Soup        

 

3 large leeks (about 3 cups, chopped)

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups chicken broth

2 pounds potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon sea salt, less or more to taste

Pinch of dried marjoram

1-2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle of Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce

White or black pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1.    Clean and cut the leeks: Cut off the roots of the leeks. Cut the leeks lengthwise, fan them open under running water to dislodge any dirt or mud hiding inside. Cut off the tough dark green tops and discard. Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks crosswise into ¼ -inch thick slices. Place the slices in a bowl of cold water and agitate them with your hands to dislodge any remaining dirt. Then scoop out the leeks with a slotted spoon. 

2.    Cook leeks in butter to soften: Melt butter on medium heat in a 3-4 quart thick-bottomed pot. Add the chopped leeks, stir to coat with butter. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, cook for 10 minutes until the leeks are softened. Check to make sure the leeks are not browning. 

3.    Simmer the soup: Add the broth, diced potatoes, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, and a teaspoon of salt to the pot. Increase the heat to high to bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. 

4.    Puree the soup: Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme spring. Use an immersion blender or standing blender to blend about half of the soup if you want a chunky soup, or all or it if you would like your soup to be smoother. 

5.    Season the soup: add the parsley, can cook a few more minutes. Add a few dashes of Tabasco to taste. Add freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. 

(from Simply Recipes)

 

The Not-So-Common Cabbage

This is one week's half-share of the local CSA.
One head of red cabbage and one of green. 

Cabbage - not a fancy veggie. Something I buy cabbage a few times in the winter when lettuce isn't very good (or too expensive) for salads. Cabbage makes good coleslaw. Anything else? Well, when our weekly selection of produce from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) included cabbage for a few weeks, I needed new ideas!

A search came up with a couple that seemed suited for summer meals. And with a thought to next winter I also froze some for soups. Besides coleslaw, I do like cabbage in vegetable soup. Freezing cabbage doesn't sound like it would be too successful since it does have a high water content and freezing would make the cell walls break down resulting in a limp, not crisp, product. But for soup it is cooked to a tender and limp state, so freezing seems like a possibility. I cut the cabbage into small wedges, leaving a bit of the core in each to hold it together. Then blanched the wedges in boiling water for 90 seconds followed by 90 seconds in ice water. After draining the wedges I packed them into a freezer plastic bag for the freezer. We'll look forward to that addition to hardy soups next winter.

The new recipes I tried that we liked were Baked Cabbage and Cabbage Rolls. Baked Cabbage sounded unusual and strange - but surprisingly it is very good. I changed both recipes to shorter baking times, I found with really fresh and tender vegetables the baking time can be reduced. Cooking with veggies is more of an art of what works and what you like, not like the science of baking where careful measurements and times are more critical. So sometimes I take the recipe as a 'suggestion'.

Cabbage wedges ready to be baked.

Baked Cabbage: Cut into wedges and put on an oiled roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil (I use a basting brush to spread the oil in the bottom of the pan then over the top of the cabbage). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil. Lay cut bacon pieces (uncooked) on top of the cabbage. Drizzle with a little melted butter. Roast at 450 degrees, covered with foil for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and roast until the cabbage is golden brown and tender. The original recipe instructed a total of 60 minutes of roasting time. With fresh cabbage, ours was tender and even crunchy at the edges in about 30 minutes. You won't believe how good this is! (Could be the olive oil, bacon, and butter!)

Baked - crispy and a little too brown! 

Cabbage rolls ready for baking

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I adapted a recipe from thekitchenwhisperer.net to make a smaller amount and shortened the baking time.
Cabbage leaves - I pulled large leaves off the outside and cooked 10. You could cook the whole head (remove core first). Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes until leaves are softened. Cut away the thick center stem from each leaf without cutting all the way through.
Meat mixture - this is basically a meat loaf mixture.
       1 ½ pound ground beef (or 1 pound ground beef + ½ pound ground pork)
       1 medium onion, chopped fine, or 1 Tablespoon minced dried onion
       3 tsp. minced garlic
        1 tsp. kosher salt
       ¾ tsp. ground black pepper
        1 tsp. parsley flakes
        1 large egg
        ¼ cup ketchup
         about ⅓ can tomato soup (use the rest of the can to pour over the rolls)
Mix all ingredients together.
To assemble cabbage rolls: Lay a leaf down with the cut edge facing you (where the stem was) and place about ½ cup meat mixture in the middle. Fold the edges over the meat and roll the cabbage up like a burrito. Repeat until all the leaves are stuffed. If you have extra meat just roll it up as meatballs and place it in the baking pan with the stuffed cabbage. Pour the rest of the can of tomato soup over the cabbage rolls.
Bake covered for about 1 hour, until the internal temperature of the cabbage roll/meat is 165 degrees and the cabbage is tender.

Eating local - roasted carrots, beets, and potatoes from CSA,
tossed salad with radishes from CSA, cabbage rolls - cabbage
from CSA and beef from our ranch. 

I even found a quote about cabbage I like. From Mark Twain, "Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." Humble as the cabbage may be, it can be tasty in a variety of ways.

Cooking the PC Way

The new trend in food preparation is PC - not 'politically correct' or 'personal computer' - but Pressure Cooking, specifically with an Electric Pressure Cooker. I bought one of these new appliances last winter but hadn't been too adventurous with it. After a couple of classes with Chef Alli, I'm trying lots of new recipes beyond my weekly prep of steel cut oats.
The electric pressure cooker is not your grandmother's pressure cooker! No need to clear the kitchen for fear of an explosion or to do guess work for the time and pressure. The electric pressure cooker does cook with pressure and steam within a sealed pot which allows the food to get hotter than the normal boiling point and to cook faster. Most foods cook three to ten times faster than conventional cooking.
That said, the time factor can be misleading. Times given in instructions and recipes may not allow for the time it takes for the cooker to build pressure before cooking time starts, or for the time to allow for a natural release of pressure (if used instead of a quick release).
It is safe and easy to use. The simplest have high and low pressure selections. Others may have selections for various types of food. The timing is preset but can be adjusted.

Here's the soup I served with sandwiches for the family after a long day of travel and moving work. I had prepared the ingredients ahead of time so it all went into the pressure cooker pot and cooked very quickly.

SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

 1 Tbs. curry powder

¼ tsp. five spice powder*

¼ tsp. cinnamon

2 ½ - 3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, cut in half, seeds removed, and flesh cut into chunks**

1 yellow onion, diced

2 Granny Smith apples, cored, seeded, and diced

3 carrots, chunked

2 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar

1 Tbs. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 bay leaf (optional – I left this out so I didn’t have to fish it out later!)

1-2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root

3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

zest and juice of 1 orange

1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

sour cream, for garnish

pepitas (or sunflower seeds), for garnish

*Don’t have 5-Spice powder in your cupboard? I didn’t either. Here’s a substitution recipe: 3 Tbs. cinnamon, 6 star anise or 2 tsp. anise seeds, 1 ½ tsp. fennel seeds, 1 ½ tsp. whole black peppercorns, ¾ tsp. ground cloves. Combine in a coffee or spice grinder.

**Choose a butternut squash with a long neck. The seeds are in the bowl of the squash and the neck will be all usable vegetable. Cut off the ends of the squash and prick all over with a fork. Microwave for 3 minutes 30 seconds to soften it for easier peeling and cutting. Peel, cut open and remove seeds from large part at bottom with a spoon. 

Place all ingredients except garnishes into pressure cooker pot; lock lid into place and choose high setting for 20 minutes. When times goes off, perform a quick release to remove all pressure from pressure cooker; remove lid and let soup cool slightly. Use immersion blender to puree soup; or process soup, working in batches, in food processor until smooth. Garnish and serve. 

Slow Cooker Method:

Place all ingredients except garnishes into greased slow cooker; cook on the lowest heat setting for 6-7 hours or on high heat setting for 3-4 hours. (Vegetables are done when they are very fork-tender.) Use immersion blender to puree soup; or process soup, working in batches, in food processor until smooth. Serve soup garnished with sour cream and pepitas or sunflower seeds.

And about those Steel Cut Oats - I make a week's work on Monday and stack the bowls in the refrigerator for a quick breakfast. Into the pressure cooker pot (I spray the pot with oil first), put 1 cup dry steel cut oats and add 3 1/2 cups liquid. Most PC recipes call for water, I think oats made with water are not too tasty. Because dairy products tend to be 'iffy' in the PC, I use about 3 parts milk and 1 part water. That seems to keep the milk from overheating too much but still has a rich flavor. Stir to combine the liquid and oats a little, seal the lid and set the timer for 6 minutes on high. I let the pressure release naturally after cooking and this allows more time for absorbing the liquid and softening the oats. For my breakfasts, I divide the oats between 5-6 bowls, sprinkle with brown sugar, dried cranberries and sliced almonds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Easy breakfast! 

Bacon-Cheeseburger Chowder for Comfort Food

It always seems like February is the longest month! I'm tired of Winter, and we haven't had the bad, bad weather that so many are  having. Glad I don't live in the New England area. But this time of year  a good soup that is comforting and warm is always welcome.
This recipe is hardy, but not hard to put together. It combines many favorite flavors - beef, veggies, cheese.

Bacon-Cheeseburger Chowder

1 pound ground beef (or more)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups milk

1 pound potatoes (about 2 -3 medium), peeled and chopped

1 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium beef bouillon granules

12 oz process cheese (Velveeta), cubed (about 2 ¼ cups)

3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a 6-qt stockpot, cook beef, onion and pepper over medium heat for 6 - 8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender, breaking into crumbles; drain. Add garlic to beef mixture; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour  until blended. 

Gradually stir in milk. Add potatoes, water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

Add cheese; stir until melted. Sprinkle servings with bacon. 

Serves 6 - 8.