Vegetarian (or not) Tortilla Soup

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I love delicious soup in the winter.  Unfortunately my husband thinks that soup is only really suitable for lunchtime, probably because pretty much every soup I make is vegetarian (though I have branched out to chicken broth).  So Sunday lunch is often time for soup at our house.  Yesterday I decided to make an old favorite, a simple tortilla soup that can be assembled quite quickly.  Even better, the base for the broth can be made up to a few days ahead and reheated for about five minutes with the final ingredients and it still tastes good!

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Adapted from Epicurious

4 generous servings

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion (about a cup)

4 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper

2+ tablespoons of tomato paste

1 teaspoon cumin

1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (if you’re not using the optional jalapeno later)

4 cups broth (I’ve used both vegetable and chicken broth and they both taste good.  Just make sure you like the flavor of the broth you use)

Salt  (I use about a teaspoon because I love salt and the broth I use isn’t very salty.)

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro plus more to garnish

4 6-inch corn tortillas cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed  (I’ve also used pinto and they are quite delicious)

1 small zucchini, diced

1 medium jalapeno (or use cayenne above)

sour cream or plain yogurt, cilantro, lime, and tortilla chips to garnish

1. Saute the onions, garlic and red pepper until onions are soft.  Add spices and tomato paste and mix until tomato paste is well-distributed.  Add broth and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  At this point you can set aside the broth for later, combine the ingredients with an immersion blender (I like the thicker broth that results, but Zach prefers it unblended) or move right along to step 2.

2.  Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeno if using.  Taste the broth and adjust seasonings according to your preference.  I usually add some black pepper and a little more smoked paprika.  Simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.  One time Zach added some leftover chicken to his portion, and he liked it.  I also added a can of corn once and it was pretty good, but the soup seemed a little busy.

3.  For garnish, add a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, a dash of lime juice, and some cilantro.  Serve with (in progressive degrees of unhealthy) more tortillas, tortilla chips, or plain cheese nachos straight from the toaster oven.

Asparagus with Pine Nuts & Capers

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Whenever I make dinner for my whole family (parents & siblings), they are disappointed if I don’t serve this very simple asparagus dish.  I usually steam the asparagus, but the sauce also works on roasted asparagus and on haricots vert.  If this dish is your contribution to a potluck, it is best to have the sauce made separately beforehand and to assemble the recipe on location in order to avoid making the asparagus and pine nuts soggy.  The recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma Simple Classics Cookbook.  Serves 6.

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 pounds of asparagus

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (unsalted is pretty important because the capers tend to be very salty)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup capers, drained (if you have especially salty capers, it’s best to rinse them in cold water)

1/4 lb. Parmesan cheese (I like Grana Padano.  If you get the pre-grated stuff, 1/4 pound is about a cup)

1. Toast the pine nuts.  Use a skillet on medium heat tossing occasionally for a minute or two until light brown.

2. Break the tough ends off of the asparagus.  Steam until tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter.  Add the lemon juice and capers.  Season to taste with pepper.  Cook for 30-40 seconds–don’t let the butter brown.  Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon) as necessary.

4. Assemble.  Put asparagus in serving dish, cover with lemon-butter-caper mix, sprinkle pine nuts, and shave the cheese.  A vegetable peeler works great to get pretty Parmesan curls, but it tastes just as good if you grate the cheese on the large hole side of the grater and almost as good if you use pre-grated Grana Padano.  I’ve never tried Kraft Parmesan in this recipe, but I imagine it would be pretty gross.

Pork Chops with Curried Creamed Apples

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I recently threw away my 15-year-old paperback copy of Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook (the one in the plaid cover) as it had fallen into decay & ruin. I thought that I had rescued all the recipes that I used from it. Alas, I discovered tonight that not only did I not save our favorite pork chop recipe, but also it is not in the newer edition of that cookbook (which I own in the 3-ring-binder format). What follows is my attempt to reconstruct that dish. I am happy to report success, or near enough. In the original recipe, we used the electric frying pan & bone-in chops. If anyone can figure out what the settings for that would be, please add them below. Please–in that version, the chops cook in the sauce & it’s equally delicious while being less work.

4 boneless pork chops

1-2 tbs butter

1 large apple, cored & chopped (does not need to be peeled)

roughly the same amount of chopped onion (or a bit less)

3 oz cream cheese (a little less than half of what is now the standard pkg)

1-2 teas. curry powder

2 chicken boullion cubes

1 cup apple juice or water

1. Set broiler to high. Lightly grease top rack of broiler pan & arrange pork chops on it. Broil 3-4 inches away from heat for 10 minutes, then turn them over & broil 10 minutes more. If the internal temperature has not reached 160 degrees, or if you want them more browned, keep cooking 5 minutes more.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter & cook apple & onion until onion is clear. Add everything else, cook & stir til cream cheese has melted & mixture gets bubbly. It will thicken upon cooling. Serve over pork chops & enjoy!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

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This is a terrific addition to any meal, especially Italian. This recipe comes from the New Best Recipe, although I’ve adapted it to use potato flakes (I have quite a few of those on hand). The result is terrific–very moist and flavorful. You can also experiment with different toppings: sliced olives, sundried tomatoes, different herb assortments, parmesan cheese, etc. It’s definitely a repeater!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread with Olive Oil

3 1/2 c. flour (can substitute up to 1 1/2 c. with whole wheat flour)
1 c. warm water
1 1/2 t. yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. mashed potatoes (either from flakes or previously cooked and mashed)
2 T. olive oil plus more for the pans

In a standing mixer or small bowl, combine 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. water and the yeast. Cover tightly with plastic and let stand for 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring on the low setting, and then, with the paddle attachment, knead for 5 minutes, until the dough comes together and is smooth.

Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for one hour, until puffy and doubled. Meanwhile, prepare a 10 x 15″ rimmed cookie sheet pan by generously greasing it with oil (alternately, you can place the dough on a larger pan and stretch it to app. 10 x 15″). With wet hands (the dough will be sticky), turn the dough onto the cookie sheet. Spread it as well as you can (you may have to let it rest 15 minutes, covered, and then stretch it some more), and then cover it again with plastic wrap and let double, about 45-60 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Right before baking, with wet fingers, makes dents in the dough to hold olive oil and herbs (you can use the tips of your pointer and middle finger). Then drizzle olive oil and fresh rosemary on top of the bread (or any other fresh herb, or parmesan cheese, or olives or sundried tomatoes, etc.) and sprinkle with coarse salt, to your taste.  Bake for 23-25 minutes, until the bread is browned.

Serve warm from the oven.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

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Rex and I tried this new soup tonight from Cooking Light, and we both liked it quite a bit. Honestly, I like that it’s made

Cooking Light's Picture

from sweet potatoes and carrots, which are two vegetables that I usually have on hand, making this a great standby dinner and a great repeater. I think I might reduce the amount of liquid in it next time by about 2 c., but the other reviews on Cooking Light didn’t mention that, so it’s probably a personal thing. Other reviewers also commented that they doubled the spice in the soup, but I liked it as subtle as the recipe calls for.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

  • 3  tablespoons  butter, divided
  • 1  cup  chopped onion
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
  • 4 3/4  cups  cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 3 1/2  cups  water
  • 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 3  cups  chopped carrot (about 1 pound)
  • 1/4  cup  half-and-half
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
  • 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Move onion mixture to side of pan; add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to open space in pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 1 minute or until butter begins to brown. Add sweet potatoes, 3 1/2 cups water, broth, and carrot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Place half of soup mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup mixture. Stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 2 teaspoons sour cream and 3/4 teaspoon parsley.

Mulligatawny Soup

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I tried a couple more Indian recipes last week to find some more good ones. This soup is a definite winner. I can’t remember having something exactly like it before–it turns out a pretty orange color, the lentils are pretty muted, and the flavor is great. It’s also vegetarian, though you can add 1 1/2 lbs. of  chicken breast with the vegetables (remove before blending, cube it, then add it back to the soup after blending) or 2 lbs. of cubed leg of lamb with the lentils, if you’d like. This recipe comes from The Best International Recipe book from America’s Test Kitchen.

Mulligatawny

Spices
1 1/2 t. garam masala (McCormick is a good brand)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground turmeric

Soup
3 T. unsalted butter
2 medium onions, minced
1/2 c. sweetend shredded or flaked coconut
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
4 t. grated or minced fresh ginger (doing this on a box grater works well)
1 t. tomato paste
1/4 c. flour
7 c. low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you prefer)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 c. brown or green lentils (not red!)
2 T. cilantro, minced
Plain yogurt, for serving

1. Combine spices in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the spices and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the onions and coconut and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Sitr in garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until combined, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth.

2. Stir in the carrots and celery, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in a blender in batches until smooth and return to a clean pot. Add the lentils and return to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt. Soup can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins

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I’ve been on a bit of a chocolate fix lately–which actually isn’t too typical and may have something to do with images of Valentines, being 31 weeks pregnant, or whatever. So, for the first time, I actually wanted to bake something like unto Costco’s chocolate muffins. Strange craving, I know.  I tried this recipe from the Joy of Cooking and it is terrific. All the muffins were all gone within 2 hours of coming out of the oven, so a definite success  (the morning glory muffins I made last week lasted the whole week. Que ce que c’est? I ended up eating almost all of them). I didn’t post a picture because my mint chips exploded (too old? the brand?) and the appearance was not worthy of documentation, despite their taste. Incidentally, the only difference I found when comparing this recipe to popular chocolate cupcake recipes, was that cupcakes had 2 eggs, and sometimes 4 T. more of butter.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I substituted this for 1/3 c. dutched cocoa)
1 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk (or 1 c. milk with 1 T. lemon juice, set aside to sour for 5 minutes)
1 t. vanilla
8 T (1 stick) butter, softened
1 c. light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 c. chocolate chips (mint chips work great too)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners. Melt 2 oz. of chocolate and let cool (do this for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave in a glass bowl, or on low heat on the stove).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt (and cocoa, if using instead of chocolate above).  In another small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamed and then add the brown sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes. Add the egg, and beat for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the bowl afterwards. Then, stir in the chocolate until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Stir just until combined.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, being as equal as possible. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the middle of the oven, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, and then remove to a rack to cool completely. You may want to double this recipe.

Brussels Sprouts 2

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After several suggestions from people who all gave practically the same advice, I realized the secret to brussels sprouts is to make them the same way as I make the best broccoli in the world.   That recipe works for everything!  Well, almost everything.  Not radishes.  But then I think roasted radishes may have been a misdirected vision on my part.

My one tip is to cut the brussels sprouts in half and cook them with the open side facing down for the first 10 minutes or so, then turn them to open side up for the last 10-15 minutes.

Update on Multigrain Bread

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Thanks to a terrific Christmas gift from my husband, I’m now able to update and add some pictures to former posts. I love this multigrain

Multigrain Bread

bread; it’s our daily sandwich bread, and I find myself talking to others about it so frequently that I thought I’d add this picture to an earlier post.

As I’ve continued to make this bread, I’ve decided to make a change to the original recipe: I double the recipe and then bake it up into 3 loaves, rather than four. The same thing can be accomplished by 1 1/2 x’s the recipe, and then only baking 2 loaves, instead of what the recipe suggests should make three. Otherwise, the loaves turn out small. But, making many loaves of this bread is not a problem if your mixer can handle it: this recipe freezes beautifully.

Multigrain Bread from America’s Test Kitchen

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

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I was looking at Cooking Light and saw a recipe for Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies (click here if you want it), when I was inspired to

Fudgy, delectable things

create my own variation, using my favorite brownie recipe and my favorite flavor, almond extract (and also because sometimes I can’t be bothered with all the accommodations in making a baking recipe “light”). So, I came up with this, and I’m already a little addicted to it (meaning I’ve made it twice in the last week). I thought there may be someone else out there who would love this combo as much as I do. Note: these are not cakey brownies at all–they are quite dense and fudgy.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 T. unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c. flour
1 c. walnuts or pecans (optional, of course)
Cheesecake Filling
8 oz cream cheese (or neuchatel, if you prefer), softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 t. almond extract (or vanilla extract, if you aren’t using cherries)
1/4 c. marashino cherries, chopped, or your favorite preserve (raspberry, cherry, strawberry, caramel sundae topping, whatever!)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil (a great choice for this recipe), or greased aluminum foil, allowing the foil to hang over the pan by 2″ on the sides (so that you can pull the brownies out easily).

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and the butter until smooth and combined. Take off heat and allow to cool.

While the chocolate mixture cools, make the cheesecake filling. Combine the cream cheese, 1/3 c. sugar, egg, and extract in a mixing bowl (it’s important to have the cream cheese and egg at room temperature, or the mixture will curdle. You can warm cream cheese in a microwave, sans the wrapper, of course, and you can warm an uncracked egg in a bowl of warm water). Whip at high speed until combined, and no lumps remain.

When chocolate mixture has cooled, stir in the 2 c. sugar and vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and nuts, if using, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Then, dollop the cream cheese mixture over the brownies, at various intervals and sprinkle the chopped cherries (or dollop on the jam) around the pan. With a butter knife, swirl the mixture by making ribbon-candy waves one direction in the pan, then turn the pan, and make the waves the other direction. Swirl until your satisfied with the design:) Cook the brownies in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a couple of crumbs. Place the pan on a rack to cool, and then remove the brownies with the aluminum-foil handles. Refrigerate the extras (they’re even better the second day–more fudgy!) Let me know if you like these!