Cheddar Beer Soup with Croutons

Who doesn't like beer and cheese? Beer and cheese are like bacon and whipped cream (or in my case, goat cheese and peanut butter) - they go well with almost everything! As my Father-in-law would say, if you can't improve something with bacon, you could probably improve it with whipped cream. We spent the next stretch of time pondering this phrase, tossing meals around, and I can't remember one dish bacon or cream wouldn't do well on.

Now, this isn't Bacon Whipped Cream soup (Anyone want to take a moment to daydream about that for a minute?), but its just as interesting. I saw this recipe on YumSugar and immediately printed it out. You don't mess around with stuff like this.

The ingredients aren't anything fancy - absolutely easy to put together. The hardest part is all the stirring - not because I have the arm muscles of a toddler, but because it was so hard to stand over the pot, the soupygoodsmell filling my nose.

Not only dreamy soup, oh no, but delicious, crunchy croutons! Make extra, because if you get them ready before your soup is done, you'll snack on them - and I'd hate for you to run out before dinner is ready!

I would recommend making this when having guests, as I had enough beer soup after one bowl... it's kind of like butternut squash soup, in that you can't eat it forever (like goat cheese or peanut butter.) :)

Cheddar Beer Soup & Croutons
c/o YumSugar
http://yumsugar.com/user/partysugar/recipes/1042371

5 tbsp. butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
One 12-ounce bottle amber beer, such as Dos Equis
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
Croutons, for garnish, recipe follows

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the carrots and leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, 10 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly.

Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beer and mustard and bring the soup to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking, until creamy and thickened, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the cheese 1 handful at a time until combined.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the croutons.

Serves 4.


Croutons

7 slices thick white bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Slice the bread into small cubes, about half-an-inch by half-an-inch.

In a large bowl toss the bread cubes with the butter, oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat all of the bread pieces.

Spread out on a baking sheet covered with foil.

Bake in the oven, checking often for 20-25 minutes.

Remove and let cool 5 minutes. Serve in a bowl alongside the cheddar cheese soup.

See the recipe...

Fragrant Fish Soup = Not a Chicken

I almost impulse-bought a rotisserie chicken.

Most times, it's the gum or candy bars, batteries or spare lint rollers that people buy as they wait in the check-out aisle. Not me. I get chickens. See, Wegmans is smart. They have a hot chicken display right there where the wee soda fridge's go. And they smell sooooo good. Omg. Sometimes I just can't help myself. This time, though, I remained strong. (Mostly because I couldn't think of a way to incorporate it into our week's meals on such short notice!)

Instead, we had this lovely Fragrant Fish Soup, found in the latest issue of Eating Well Magazine. Let me tell you, "fragrant" is the perfect word for this soup. The melding of the lemony jasmine rice with the pungent mint, fresh carrots and dainty green onions... delightful! I breathed deep and my stomach growled.

I'd never plated soup (bowled soup?) in this manner before - with the island of rice in the center, broth like a moat around it. I didn't mess up anything extra doing it, and I thought it added so much to the presentation. Sure, it's nothing new, but it made me happy. :)

You can probably already guess that I really liked this soup. I enjoyed the play of textures between the delicate fish, the soft rice, the nice chew of the carrots... and I could happily eat this again and again (and I did for lunch the next day!). That said, Dave claimed it was "missing something," but couldn't place what, other than to say it just needed MORE of everything on top. He could be on to something, for sure, but I was happy with it as it was.

Fragrant Fish Soup
c/o Eating Well Magazine, April 2008
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/fragrant_fish_soup.html

Lemony rice, delicately flavored broth and gently poached tilapia are topped with a colorful blend of vegetables and herbs. The aromatic mint provides fresh and complex flavor.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each

1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 pound tilapia fillets or other firm white fish (see Tip)
4 cups bite-size pieces arugula or watercress (about 1 bunch), tough stems removed
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
2 scallions, finely chopped

Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and juice.

Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer in another medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but not simmering. Add fish and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and break into bite-size chunks.

Divide the lemony rice among 4 bowls. Top with equal portions of the fish, arugula (or watercress), carrot, mint and scallions. Ladle 1 cup of the warm broth into each bowl and serve.

TIP: Tip: Look for U.S. farm-raised tilapia, which is usually grown in closed farming systems that limit pollution and prevent escapes. Some Central and South American tilapia is farmed in this manner as well, but avoid tilapia from China and Taiwan, mostly farmed in open systems.

Per serving: 239 calories; 3 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 2 g fiber; 230 mg sodium; 572 mg potassium.

See the recipe...

Bob's Your Uncle!

We're all friends here, right?

Would anyone be willing to start a support group with me? The "Entirely Smitten with Jamie Oliver" support group? I liked him plenty before, when he was naked or motivating troubled youth or tromping through Italy... but I especially adore him at home. (And that Gennaro?? Can we have a sub-group for him?!?!) For both Jamie and Gennaro, I am done-in by their real-person-ness. As I watch Jamie at Home, I feel like I'm there, hanging out with him while he cooks. He doesn't put on a yum-face when he tastes something, he admits when it isn't quite right and how to fix it, he slops ingredients around... his kitchen is one I long to be in and one I long to have as my very own.

Something else I like - watching him prepare this particular soup, he used a pressure cooker. Now, I don't have one, but want one someday. The recipe he provides, however, assumes you don't have one - which is nice. No weird complicated math pressure/volume/time calculations needed. That Jamie, totally thoughtful.

I wasn't sure that this version of butternut squash soup could live up to the delicious wonder that is my friend Liane's butternut soup, but it surprised me. Jamie's soup is thick and luscious and is just delightful over the Parmesan toasts (and packs a dainty but noticeable heat). I particularly like how moist and sloppy the toast becomes. I had a bit of a struggle making the them. I couldn't get the Parmesan to stick nicely to the bread and then they smoked a bit as they heated up. Of course, I wasn't thinking about it when I dished it out, but a clear bowl made for a funny presentation. Doesn't it look like the soup is just floating there?

It's been a while since I've been so excited about a new cooking show. I hope Food Network schedules Jamie at Home for a good long while. Jamie Oliver has a lot he can teach to home cooks. Personally, I'm going to try to work "Bob's your uncle!" into my day-to-day conversations.



Superb Squash Soup with the Best Parmesan Croutons
c/o Jamie Oliver, Jamie at Home on Foodnetwork.com
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_105309,00.html

This fantastic soup is best made with varieties of squash that have dense, orange flesh, such as butternut or onion squash. It's important to use good chicken stock and season the soup well to bring out the nutty, sweet flavor of the squash. Once you've mastered this recipe, you can take the soup in different ways by adding pearl barley, dried pasta, or some chopped bacon. Even the smallest amount of dried porcini. P.S. I made this in my pressure cooker the other day, with really great results - it's so quick!

Olive oil
16 fresh sage leaves
2 red onions, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1/2 fresh red chile, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/4 pounds butternut squash, onion squash, or musque de Provence, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 quarts good-quality Chicken or vegetable stock
Extra-virgin olive oil

For the croutons:
Extra-virgin olive oil
16 slices ciabatta bread
1 chunk Parmesan, for grating

Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.
Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels - you'll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, and press some grated Parmesan onto each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.

When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree* (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it's perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

See the recipe...

Gazpacho (Chilled Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Soup with Avocado)

My goodness, its hard to come back from vacation! Inertia really took hold, let me tell you! All of that laying by the pool! ;)

We weren't very consistent with our picture taking, and even then, it was all done on our cell phones... so once we're able to transfer those around, I'll share what we did photograph! I cannot wait to gush! :)

I do want to say this one little thing, though. I still cannot get over the iced tea my husband ordered at San Marco. Not specifically because of the tea, mind you. My joy stems from the fact that rather than bring him sugar or sugar substitute, they brought a little glass of simple syrup - and more with each refill! Beside myself, I tell you!

Now, on to the soup!

We'd received a TON of tomatoes in our CSA before we left for Vegas. Which is nice, because now that we've gotten so much water, the tomatoes are splitting and rotting on the vine... which means less tomatoes each week... so I'm glad we got them in while we could!

I had never skinned a tomato before... Until now, whenever I needed whole tomatoes, for a sauce or something, I always bought canned. I decided that it was time to learn, so that I could make this dreamy gazpacho with our lovely farm veggies! I am happy to report that it isn't the least bit tricky. Messy, absolutely - but that is half the fun!!!

All the veggies blended together nicely, and I love love love that I was able to slip so many vegetables into this soup. It was so so fresh and lively, delicate and simple. I highly recommend it. I am already planning my coup at the farmer's market - I'll take all the tomatoes they have! And I'll fight you for 'em!

I'm really loving my blender, too. So what if it sounds like a lawn-mower at higher speeds?

Gazpacho (Chilled Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Soup with Avocado)
From Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking
http://www.amazon.com/Dona-Tomas-Discovering-Authentic-Mexican/dp/1580086047/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2586522-1989707?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186492574&sr=8-1

1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
About 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
4 pounds heirloom tomatoes
½ white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeno chile, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 avocados, cut into ¾ inch dice, for garnish
½ bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped, for garnish

Place the cucumber in a blender and puree on a low speed until a coarse consistency is achieved. Add the vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pulse 2 to 3 times to incorporate. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.

Place a saucepan filled about halfway with water over high heat and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Stem the tomatoes and slash an X into the skin at the bottoms. Submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen the skins, drain, and immediately plunge into the ice bath. Drain again, then peel off the skins. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze the tomatoes into the strainer, using your fingers to extract as many of the seeds as possible. The goal is to remove and discard the seeds while reserving the precious juice in the bowl.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the tomatoes and their juice and the onion, garlic, and jalapeno to a blender. Puree on high speed until liquefied and smooth. Pour into the bowl with the cucumber puree, stir well, and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary (cold soups will often need more salt than hot soups).

Cover and place the soup in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, until well chilled. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with the avocado and cilantro. This soup can be refrigerated in a plastic container for up to 2 to 3 days, but is best enjoyed within 24 hours of preparation.

See the recipe...

Summer Squash Soup with Basil

Whoa baby. You are going to see A LOT of South Beach Diet phase 1 dinners over the next few weeks.... so be prepared! We're going on our Anniversary Vacation soon, and we plan to eat as fancily as we can afford while in Vegas... so... we need all the spare calories we can get! (That, and I imagine the bulk of our days will be spent lounging at the pool... in swimsuits... you see where I am going with this?)

So anyway, Dave suggested we do the SBD... and initially, I hated the idea. I still remembered the first time, years ago, that we did phase 1... and how cranky and miserable we were... sure, we both lost a delightful amount of poundage... but still... No cereal or crackers or ice cream? Fiiiiiine. I was resistant, very resistant, but realized that this was what he wanted to do, and I'm the one that makes the food.. so... by default.. I had to go along for the ride, too. (And considering all the stuff *I* get *him* to do... its only fair!)

All that aside, what's different this time around is that we have better resources. I have two more SBD cookbooks (and they rock) and we have a far better understanding of how to cope with our various cravings... so... bring it on! (and it helps that in the last week, we've both slimmed down) (yay motivation)

Anyway, this soup recipe has a skoshy bit of flour in it, and it was on our menu before our rules had been established, but I think that it mostly still counts... its vegetable and stock based, and the flour itself plays such a minor role... Sure, I'm rationalizing... but whatever.

The recipe didn't call for curry or Cayenne pepper, but I added them at the end, after I'd blended everything together. I thought it needed a little something, and I knew squash soup and curry were friends. This recipe was also useful for us, because it allowed me to cook up all the yellow squash my mom brought over, so that I didn't incur any guilt letting it rot. Thanks, Mom!

Quick, easy, tasty, and healthy. I'll take it.

Summer Squash Soup with Basil
Recipe courtesy of Curtis Aikens, via Food Network

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¼ lbs zucchini, crookneck or pattypan squash, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups Summer Vegetable Stock
½ cup julienned basil
1 ½ tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½ tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Sour cream or plain yogurt as an accompaniment

[Added curry and cayenne pepper to taste.]

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, add zucchini and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp tender. Then add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and flour together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

See the recipe...

Garlic Scape Soup

I am a little late to the Super Natural Cooking party, but I have to say, better late than never! :) I'd ordered Heidi Swanson's book over a month ago, but I'd gotten about 8 books at the time, so its taken me a while. I really love the easy style of the book, as though Heidi is right there with me in my kitchen and while I'm less familiar with some of her ingredients, the finished products look so amazing, I'm happy to seek them out.

Tonight's secret ingredient wasn't hard to come by. I received my first garlic scapes in my CSA box two weeks ago, and I've been hooked ever since. Anytime I saw them, I bought more. So many more, I'd amassed quite a pile!!! I was flipping through Super Natural Cooking and landed on the Garlic Scape Soup recipe and jackpot noises went off in my head (not in a creepy way).

This soup was flavorful and earthy and such a vibrant green (that my camera couldn't quite capture). The flavor of the scapes was delicate and friendly - I'd bee worried that it would be too garlicy, and thus a little scary. I was happily surprised and I'm thrilled we have lots of leftovers!!!

Garlic Scape Soup
From Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Natural-Cooking-Incorporate-Ingredients/dp/1587612755/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6815521-7348005?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182220708&sr=8-1

2 tablespoons clarified butter or extra-virgin olive oil
2 dozen garlic scapes, flower buds discarded and green shoots chopped
3 large russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ½ inch dice
5 cups vegetable stock or water
2 large handfuls spinach leaves, stemmed
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
Chive blossoms, for garnish (optional)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the scapes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to break down.

Remove from the heat, add the spinach, and puree using a hand blender. (If you must use a conventional blender, be careful; the hot liquid can burst out the top and make a huge, potentially painful mess. Try leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Cover the top with a kitchen towel and blend in batches at low speed.) Season with the lemon juice, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk in the cream for a silkier texture. If the soup tastes flat, add salt a few big pinches at a time until the flavors really pop. Serve garnished with the chive blossoms.

Serves 4 to 6.

See the recipe...