CARAMELIZED CARROT SOUP

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Emeril Lagasse had his trademark “BAM!” Rachael Ray goes with “Yumm-o,” and Anne Burrell chimes in again and again: “Brown food tastes good!” When they are overused these expressions get on my nerves, but I can’t argue with the importance of browning your food to pump up its flavor. So, what is happening to the food? It all reduces to a series of chemical events known as the “Maillard reactions,”named after the French chemist who discovered them, Louis-Camille Maillard (pronounced “mah-yar”).

Maillard reactions involve proteins and sugars. These molecules may react with each other if they contain atoms on their surfaces with a net positive or negative charge. Proteins consist of tens or hundreds of amino acids linked together, but the constituent amino acids of a native protein are not very reactive, because they fold into a stable 3-dimensional structure. However, subjecting the protein to high energy (heat) or a basic (high pH) environment destabilizes its structure, exposing the charges of many of its amino acids. If present, a sugar will react with the charged amino acids to produce all sorts of different compounds, many of which taste great! Note that boiling water won’t do the trick: the Maillard reactions need much higher heat, like in a skillet with hot oil, or on a grill. As we all know, these are the best approaches to browning foods.

Caramelization and Maillard reactions are often used interchangeably, but this is wrong because the former refer to what happens to a sugar alone upon heating, whereas Maillard reactions always involve proteins and sugars. The two processes are cosmetically and conceptually similar, in that both produce a brown color, but they arise from different chemistry.

and… brown food DOES tastes good! 😉

That brings me to a recipe for caramelized carrot soup, in which just a few simple ingredients….

… come together to create an incredible depth of flavor. Here increasing both the heat (a pressure cooker works its magic), and the pH (baking soda to the rescue) optimizes the Maillard reactions. Chemistry never tasted so good!

CARAMELIZED CARROT SOUP (adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

1/3 cup low fat yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, chopped

salt and pepper

6 tTbs unsalted butter (divided in 4 + 2 Tbs)

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups fresh carrot juice (see notes)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with tarragon, caraway seeds, a touch of salt and pepper, and reserve. In a pressure cooker, combine 4 tablespoons of the butter with the carrots and cook uncovered until the butter is melted. Stir in the salt and baking soda, cover and cook at full pressure for 10 minutes.Carefully move the pressure cooker to the sink and run cold water over the lid until the temperature drops down and the pressure is equalized (one minute under cold water will definitely be enough). Open the pressure cooker, add the carrot juice (or a mixture of carrot juice + water), and stir to release caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender or food processor, add the ginger, the remaining 2 Tbs of butter, and puree until smooth. Season the soup with pepper and pour into bowls. Garnish with a small dollop of the reserved yogurt, sprinkle some fresh tarragon, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Don’t be alarmed by the look of the carrot/butter mixture once you open the pressure cooker. The brown bits stuck to the pan will dissolve easily and they give this soup the most intense carrot flavor ever!

The box of carrot juice I used had a little less than 2 cups so I completed the volume with water. If you have some V8 juice around the pantry, it could be a nice addition. This technique won me over, I wonder if other soups could benefit from this treatment. Caramelized broccoli? Butternut squash? Only future experiments will tell… 😉 At any rate, this will be my favorite soup recipe for the year 2011. Hands down!

ONE YEAR AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

TWO YEARS AGO: A Special Holiday Fruitcake

3Nov2011

A SOUP WITH MEMORIES OF LOS ANGELES

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Soups by sallybr

During our sabbatical year at UCLA, we often went to a restaurant in our street, Beverly Glen Blvd, right at its junction with Mulholland Drive. It was a small Italian restaurant called Fabrocini’s, almost hidden in a little corner, but always packed with folks from the neighborhood. The restaurant is affordable (for L.A. standards, that is), has an extensive menu, and the moment you sit at the table the waiter greets you with a small bowl of their focaccia. Interestingly, each time we went there, the focaccia was just a little different, as if the baker loved to improvise. We were obviously hooked!

One evening I was not very hungry and ordered a small bowl of their stracciatella soup for my dinner. From the first spoonful, I was equally hooked. Their version had spinach and a little pasta added to the basic egg-drop preparation, in a light and delicious broth. I loved it so much that before we left L.A. I wrote an email asking for the recipe, but they never even replied to it… 😦 Undeterred, I went on my own quest to make it at home, and finally found a good version on a Food and Wine magazine.

SPINACH STRACCIATELLA SOUP
(adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

1 cup tubetti, ditalini or other small pasta
1 quart chicken stock, preferably home made (recipe follows)
1 garlic clove, cut in 4 pieces
3- 4 ounces baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.

In a saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer with the garlic; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic using a slotted spoon, add the pasta and spinach and cook over medium heat until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the eggs, breaking them into long strands. Simmer the soup until the eggs are just firm, about 1 minute. Stir in the Parmigiano cheese. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve with additional cheese grated on top.

to print the recipe, click here

ONE HOUR CHICKEN STOCK
(adapted from Mark Bittman, and other sources)

8 – 10 chicken wings
10 cups water
1 onion, cut in half
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
4 green onions, cut in half
1 piece of ginger (1/2 inch thick)
1 bay leaf

Stuck 2 cloves into each onion half, add all ingredients to a large stock pot, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, uncovered for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the layer of foam that eventually floats to the surface during the initial stage of cooking, using a slotted spoon.

Drain the stock, discard all vegetables and meat. Let it cool slightly, refrigerate, and remove the congealed fat from the surface before using. Freeze 1 or 2 cup aliquots. Season with salt and appropriate spices when using for soups, risottos, or sauces.

to print this recipe, click here

The beginning…..

Almost at the end of cooking….

The reward… Liquid culinary gold!

I am no food snob, in the sense that I use store-bought chicken stock on a regular basis. However, for this soup to be really special, I went the extra mile and made my own. I’ve made many types of chicken stock in the past, using chicken bones, or a whole chicken. But once I found this shortcut version at Bittman’s book “From Simple to Spectacular,” I adapted it to my taste and it’s been my method of choice because it is fast and produces incredibly rich and dense stock. Usually I make my first batch when the weather turns cold, and save a few cups in the freezer.

This simple soup, with very few ingredients, definitely benefits from a home made stock, but in a pinch, I’d still use a good quality store-bought version. Do what suits you best, but make this soup, it’s a winner… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Sabu’s Spicy Coconut Chicken

TWO YEARS AGO: Poolish Baguettes

31Oct2011

SECRET RECIPE CLUB: PASTA E FAGIOLI

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Secret Recipe Club, Soups by sallybr

I am so excited about this post, because it’s my first time taking part of “The Secret Recipe Club”. If you haven’t heard about it, it is a group event in which each month you are assigned one food blog to cook a recipe from and another blogger will be matched with your blog. The assignments are distributed a few weeks in advance, but every post must be published on the exact same day and at the exact same time! How cool is that? 😉

This event grew so much that now they have 4 different groups with “reveal days” a week apart. Today is THE DAY for group D. By the way, we are all newbies in this group, this is the first reveal for our group. I was assigned the blog Tami’s Kitchen Table Talk, and you can visit her nice virtual spot by jumping here. Tami not only is a member of The Secret Recipe Club, but the hostess of group D, so of course it added a lot of hyperventilation to my first time in the event. Getting to cook from your boss’ blog, so to speak… WOW!

Tami has two kids, 8 and 13 years old, so her blog is perfect for those with young kids and/or teenagers, who must face all the stresses of an extra-busy life, and still bring a nice meal to the table. In her blog, you will find a lot of sweets, cookies, and countless options to feed the whole family. I spent quite a bit of time reading it, and finally decided to make her “Pasta e Fagioli”. First, because it is a classic Italian recipe I’ve always wanted to try. And second, because the weather is perfect for it right now. Since I have no choice but accept that the days of temps in the upper 90’s are over, I might as well make soups and stews… 😉

PASTA E FAGIOLI
(slightly modified from Tami’s Kitchen Table Talk)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pancetta, diced
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 large fresh bay leaf
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1 + 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes (with juices)
2 cups water
1 quart chicken stock
1 + 1/2 cups ditalini pasta (I used half ditalini, half elbows)
grated Parmigiano cheese for serving

Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Cook until the pancetta pieces are golden brown, add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, chopped veggies and garlic. Season everything lightly with salt and pepper (pancetta is already quite salty, so keep that in mind).

Saute everything together for a couple of minutes, add the beans, crushed tomatoes, water, and chicken stock. Increase heat to high, when boiling add the pasta, and reduce to medium heat. Cook stirring every once in a while, until the pasta is al dente (8 to 10 minutes). Remove the rosemary stems and the bay leaf before serving.

Laddle soup on bowls, and serve with a nice piece of bread, with plenty of cheese grated on top.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This was a perfect meal for an unexpectedly chilly evening, in which we almost had to turn our heating system on. One of the reasons we didn’t was this warm and soothing soup, that made us feel all cozy and comfy. Thanks, Tami! Leftovers were my lunch for the two following days. On the last day, it became almost a regular pasta dish, I did not add additional liquid, just shaved some more cheese on top and enjoyed it immensely that way too. The beans give extra creaminess and substance to the dish, and the pancetta a subtle “meaty” presence.

If you want to go make this soup vegetarian-friendly, simply omit the pancetta, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken broth. It will still be wonderful, I guarantee it.

Tami, it was nice to “meet” you through this event, I will be reading your culinary adventures from now on!

Note added after publication: at the end of this post you will find a little icon with “Links in collection” – just click on it to see the full list of blog posts from our group, all published this morning, at 7am US central time. And if you want to see who got my blog, click here to visit Jenni’s site… She made one of my favorite recipes! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Mesmerizing Lemon Bars

TWO YEARS AGO: Pizza Napoletana

21Jun2011

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

This post is a bit nostalgic, as this was the last recipe I made in the nano-kitchen, but we left L.A. before I had a chance to write it up. A very simple recipe designed with the idea of using ingredients hanging around before our departure from California. It turned out so delicious! Plus, it was a nice match for the weather we were having then. Now that the thermometers are wonderfully stuck in the high 90’s, the thought of soup is not particularly appealing, but this one would work equally well chilled.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

8-12 ounces of grape and/or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 shallots, cut in half
1 garlic clove, unpeeled
kalamata olive oil (or another olive oil of your choice)
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
vegetable stock (or water)
2 Tbs orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
chives for garnish

Place the tomatoes, shallot pieces and garlic in a bowl and add enough olive oil to just coat them lightly. Transfer them to a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper, set the tomatoes with the cut size down. Sprinkle some salt and pepper all over, and a splash with balsamic vinegar.

Roast in a 425F oven for 20-25 minutes, until the tomato skins and the edges of the shallots start to get brown. Remove from the oven, let it all cool slightly, and using gloves peel off the skin of the tomatoes (you can leave them on if you don’t mind their texture in the soup). Squeeze the garlic out of its peel, and transfer it together with the tomatoes, shallots and any liquid accumulated in the pan to a food processor. Process it until smooth, pour into a sauce pan over medium heat, and add enough vegetable stock to give a consistency you like. Let it come to a gentle boil, add the orange juice, orange zest, taste for seasoning, and serve with chives sprinkled for garnish.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I had a mixture of grape and cherry tomatoes that needed to be used, and a couple of yellow grape tomatoes went into the mix too. Feel free to improvise, nothing can go wrong with this soup: add different types of herbs, or go for a cumin or cayenne blast. I had planned to make some parmiggiano crisps to serve with the soup, but the electric burners in the nano-kitchen failed, and I was left with a big lump of cheesy mess. Once the weather cools, I’ll revisit this soup – cheese crisps included – and add some mushrooms to the roasting pan. I bet a roasted tomato & mushroom soup will be very flavorful.

ONE YEAR AGO: Turkey Meatballs

TWO YEARS AGO: Focaccia

2Mar2011

WINTER STRIKES BACK, IT’S TIME FOR SOUP!

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Recently I read a very interesting article by Marcella Hazan, in which she rants against the current trend of under-cooking vegetables and pasta in many restaurants. You can find the article here. I couldn’t agree more, there is a fine line of perfectly cooked food – particularly veggies – that preserves some bite and freshness. Err in either direction and you’ll get mushy, gray food or warm crudites. Not sure which would be worse. 😉

With that thought in mind, it is surprising that a soup that simmers zucchini for 45 long minutes could be so perfect, but it is. Until now, my default zucchini soup was from Chocolate and Zucchini, a version that adds a touch of sesame in the form of tahini paste. With this curried zucchini recipe, I found a serious contender for the number 1 spot. I will consider that a tie, and enjoy them both!

CURRIED ZUCCHINI SOUP
(adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)
receita em portugues na proxima pagina

4 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs raw rice
salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

Add the zucchini chunks, shallots, curry, ginger, and mustard into a saucepan. Pour the chicken broth over it, add the raw rice, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Puree the mixture using a hand held blender, or pass it through a food mill. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, taste it and add more if you like it richer.

The soup can be served hot or chilled.

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Until I tasted it, I wasn’t sure I would like this soup, thinking the zucchini would have lost all its brightness from the long simmering. The first spoonful got my silent appreciation, suddenly interrupted by Phil’s words “wow, this soup is really good!” With heavy emphasis on the “really.” The curry and the ginger perform some kind of magic to restore a sense of freshness to the zucchini, which retains a nice green color. I reduced quite a bit the amount of heavy cream called for in the original recipe, but indulge if you prefer, and go for one and a half cups of it.

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate Bread (this one melts in your mouth….)