Soup Mom

Arugula Corn Salad with Bacon

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:09:48 +0000

This is a salad of bold flavors, but somehow they all manage to work together well. Sweet corn tossed with peppery arugula, bacon, onion, cumin, and wine vinegar to balance the sweet corn, and you have stimulated all the major tastes your tongue can perceive. If you have a grill, and the time, I highly recommend grilling the corn (in their husks) for this recipe; the smokey flavor just can’t be beat.

Ingredients
4 large ears of corn
2 cups of chopped arugula (about one bunch)
4 strips of bacon, cooked, chopped
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
1 Cook the corn ears, in their husks, either on the grill for a smokey flavor, or by steaming in a large covered stock pot with an inch of boiling water at the bottom of the pot, for 12-15 minutes. Let the corn cool (can run under cold water to speed up the cooling), remove the husks and silk. I recommend cooking the corn in the husks for the added flavor that the husks impart. If you boil or steam the corn ears after you’ve already husked them, or if you cook them in the microwave, reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.

Basque Lamb Stew

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:06:47 +0000

My father’s been going through 20 years of old cooking magazines, looking for interesting things to cook and hoping to clear up some space on his bookshelf. Last night we enjoyed this delicious stew, pulled from a back issue of Saveur magazine.

Method
1 Combine the lamb, 3 of the garlic cloves, rosemary, and white wine in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 2-3 hours. Drain the meat, discard the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining 3 garlic cloves and set aside.

2 Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan with lid, over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Return all meat to the pot. Add onions, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, scraping browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, add roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, and red wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until juices in pot reduce and thicken slightly, about 10-15 minutes.

3 Add chicken stock, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Adjust seasonings.

Optional: garnish with fresh mint leaves (though I have no idea how “Basque” that is, it just tastes good.)

Serves 4 to 6.

As-You-Like-It Breakfast Casserole

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:04:52 +0000

On vacation, 5 o’clock pm, having too much fun to realize that nothing has been planned for dinner, fridge mostly empty, remembering that uh oh, I’m the one in charge of feeding my friend’s children that night. Oops! Open the refrigerator door, see half a dozen eggs, half a carton of milk, some cheddar cheese, leftover sausage from biscuits and gravy the day before, a little broccoli, a leftover ear of corn (cooked). Open the freezer and see half a loaf of sliced bread. Saved. Whew. The kids will not have boxed Mac-n-cheese for dinner.

Have you ever made a breakfast casserole? The basic ingredients are eggs, cheese, milk, and bread. It’s the easiest thing in the world to put together. We have a sausage breakfast casserole on the site that is one of my favorites. The great thing about a breakfast casserole is that you can add almost anything you want to the base. Italian sausage is my all time favorite, but bacon or ham will do too. Or make it veggie, with zucchini, broccoli, basil and onions. The first time I served this to the kids they insisted that it had to go on the website. The name they picked was “Open Fridge Breakfast Bake” because basically that’s what I did – opened the fridge, put everything I could find into a casserole dish, and baked it. A few days later we cooked it again (this time Reilly, the 11-year old helped) so we could get some photos. Do you have a favorite breakfast casserole combo? If so, let us know about it in the comments.

Chili Con Carne

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:32:05 +0000

It seems as if there as many ways to prepare chili as there are cooks who make chili. Ground beef versus chunks, pork versus beef, pinto versus kidney beans, beans versus no beans, red chili or green chili – the combinations, as the preferences for them, are endless. (The Wikipedia has a great write-up on chili con carne if you are interested in exploring its origins and varieties.) A few notes on this recipe. We use chuck roast because it holds up the best to long stewing. The meat and onions are cooked in bacon fat which contributes to the flavor. We include kidney beans because we like kidney beans, but you can substitute other beans or leave them out entirely. A little sugar is used to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and lime juice. The “secret sauce” so to speak of this recipe is the addition of chipotle chile powder, made from smoke-dried jalapeño peppers. Chipotle adds a smokey dimension to the chili, enhancing all of the other flavors. If you can’t find chipotle powder, Tabasco makes a chipotle pepper sauce that can be used to add some smokey flavor to the stew.

2 Tbsp red chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
3-4 Tbsp water
4 strips bacon
One 2 1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño chili peppers, stems removed, seeded, ribs removed, minced
1 14-oz can whole tomatoes
2 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 14-oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in a couple tablespoons of water
Salt
Grated cheddar cheese and chopped red onion for garnish

Spicy Breaded Chicken Wings

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:42:10 +0000

Sometime in the mid 80s I gave my father a subscription to Gourmet magazine. Looking back I think that’s just about one of the most brilliant, inspired things I’ve ever done. Not only did it launch dad into what has become a life long passion for him, but we, his family, have been the ongoing beneficiaries of his recipe research and experiments. There is always something good cooking at my parent’s house. These chicken wings are no exception. Dad found the recipe in a 1987 issue of Gourmet, for “deviled chicken wings”. They are easy to make, relatively inexpensive (wings are cheap!), and insanely good. Great for appetizers for watching the playoffs, or as a main course with a side of Spanish rice.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs* or panko
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
3 pounds chicken wings (12-14), wing tips cut off and discarded or saved for stock
*To make bread crumbs, take 2 or 3 slices of white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch pieces, pulse in a food processor or blender until crumbly.

Method
1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Oil the rack of a broiler pan.

2 In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the Dijon, oil, vinegar, dry mustard, and cayenne. In another bowl toss together the Parmesan and bread crumbs. Working one at time, coat the chicken wings with the mustard mixture, rubbing the mixture in well. Then press the wings, thick skin side down, into the bread crumb mixture. Place the wings on the prepared rack and broiler pan, crumb side up.

3 Bake wings in oven for 30 minutes, or until they are cooked through and golden brown.

Can be served warm or at room temperature. Can make ahead one day, chill, and reheat in 400°F until coating is crispy.