Crab Chowder

Inspired by Maryland-style crab chowder, that is so popular in this region, here's my take on the recipe.

First, make the broth:

Get one large dungeoness crab or a few clusters of king crab legs and remove all the meat. Set this aside for later. Rinse off all the crab shells if necessary, remove the dead-mens fingers from the whole crab, and place them in a sauce pot. Add three carrots, roughly chopped, 3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped, 1 onion cut into quarters, a few crushed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp. of black peppercorns, 1 tsp. of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover this all with cold water -- have the water come no more than an inch or so over the top of all the ingredients.

Bring the water slowly up to a low boil, cover, and set the heat to low. Let it simmer for two hours. Then strain out all the veggies and shells, and let the broth sit so any remaining sediment falls to the bottom of the pot. Place all the clear, sediment free liquid back into a pot, and begin to build your chowder.

Add 2-3 tbsp. of tomato paste to the broth and stir it well until it dissolves. Add the crab meat, and then whatever veggies you like. They should all be chopped into small bite-sized pieces. I love using spinach or kale, zucchini, string beans, carrots, and whatever else I happen to have lying around the fridge.

Let this boil slowly for 30-45 minutes so the flavors meld and the broth reduces a little (which concentrates the tomato flavor). Before serving, taste to make sure there's enough salt (don't add anymore until this point -- the reduction of the broth will concentrate the salt that you've already added and that is in the tomato paste) and pepper. You can garnish with a dollop of pesto if you'd like.

Enjoy!

Quickie Minestrone Soup

It's the perfect meal or first course . . . and when time is short, you can take shortcuts and have it ready in 30 minutes or less. Here is my secret to quick minestrone . . .

32 ounces low sodium chicken broth (vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth)
8 ounces of crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbs. dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

And LOTS of veggies -- this is the time to clean out your fridge if you want -- here are some of my favorites:

escarole or spinach leaves
string beans cut into bite-sized pieces
zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes
sliced scallions or leeks
carrots, cut into small cubes
Basil leaves

Other add-ins are chick peas, white or red kidney beans, and pasta (cook it first and then add so it doesn't absorb all the broth) but if you are eating low-carb, you can skip all of these.

Bring the broth to a boil, cover and turn to relatively low heat -- the broth should continue to boil, but only just barely. Once everything is cooked through and tender, ladle into a bowl, sprinkle with grated parmigiana cheese if desired, and enjoy with or without a nice piece of crusty Italian bread.

Corn chowder

August and early September are peak season for delicious sweet corn - now's the time to make up a big batch of corn chowder both to eat now, and to freeze for the dog-days of winter when you need a taste of summer sunshine.

This recipe is susceptible to MANY variations and can be made for vegetarians or carnivores.

32 ounces of either low salt chicken broth or vegetable broth (or homemade if you have it!)
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small to medium red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 medium sized potatoes, washed and cut into small cubes
2 cups of fresh corn, cut right off the cob if possible
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 cup of 2% milk

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

1 cup diced or shredded chicken
crumbled bacon to garnish
1 cup of crab meat

In a soup pot, saute the onions, garlic and red pepper in olive oil until they become tender -- do this over low heat so as not to allow any of them to brown. They should turn soft and translucent, but not brown.

Add the corn and potato, toss to coat with the oil and veggies, and saute for another minute.

Then add the broth and pepper, bring to a boil, and then simmer over low-heat for about 20 minutes so all the flavors meld and the potato gets tender.

Add the milk right before serving and make sure the soup is hot enough, but don't bring it back up to a boil again.

This is a really hearty meal -- this and some fresh bread will fill you for the entire night.

If you want to add more flavor or protein, feel free to add chicken, bacon, crabmeat, or any other protein that strikes your fancy.

Tomato/Red Pepper/Ginger Sauce

I made this yesterday for the first time, to accompany grilled Chilean Sea Bass -- it was a HUGE hit and I could have, quite literally, eaten simply the sauce with a spoon it was soo good. And SOOO easy! Though I used it for fish, I could easily accompany any kind of meat, seafood, or even grilled veggies. I suspect it would even taste good tossed with pasta or Asian noodles.

1 14.5 ounce can of roasted tomatoes -- diced, crushed, whole -- doesn't matter. (I prefer Glen Muir organic line)
2 large cloves of garlic
1 roasted red pepper (see separate recipe for how to roast one yourself, but feel free to use one from a jar as well)
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated (do not substitute dried ginger)
1/4 cup olive oil

In a sauce pan, add the tomatoes, garlic, pepper, ginger and peppers -- chop up the veggies into rough chunks. Let it simmer over medium/low heat for about 10 minutes so the flavors develop and meld a bit.

Then pour it into a blender, add the olive oil, and puree the mixture until everything is liquified and thoroughly emulsified.

This sauce can be served hot, warm, room temperature or cold. The possibilities are limitless. You could even thin it out a bit with some broth and serve it as a soup.

Stracciatella

This is a delicious Roman-style soup that is the Italian equivalent of Chinese restaurant staple egg-drop soup. The word stracciatella means "rags" and it conjures up the way the ingredients in this soup look. It's usually made with chicken broth, but can easily be made with vegetable broth for those who do not eat meat. However, I would not recommend beef or fish broth as a substitute.

It's a fabulous first course, or side dish to a lunch-time salad. But it's definitely not rich enough for a full meal unless you have a very small appetite :)

The basic recipe is so simple:

Bring 4 cups of broth to a simmer.
Beat 3 eggs together with 1/2 cup of grated parmigiana cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper.

Slowly drizzle the egg and cheese mixture into the hot broth, whisking as you go. It'll "set" pretty quickly and be ready to serve in about 3 minutes. And this is soup that should be served just as soon as it's done.

For variations, you could add chopped spinach or escarole to the soup as well. Simply saute them in a little bit of olive oil and add to the soup right before serving.

German-style Turkey Soup

So, it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, you've eaten all the turkey sandwiches and turkey leftovers that you can manage, but you still have a carcass with some meat and don't want to just throw it out. What to do? Take the dregs and make some turkey soup!

My German great-grandmother, Johanna (I took her name when I was confirmed -- she was very special to me), is the genius behind this recipe and method of not just making delicious soup, but cleaning out a lot of your leftovers at the same time!

In a large soup pot, place the following:

The remaining turkey and carcass, including the leftover skin, neck, and anything else remaining
Any leftover stuffing
Any leftover veggies that you would like in your soup, especially things like carrots
Any leftover gravy

If you are missing any of these ingredients, don't despair -- they are optional or you can put in substitutes.

To round out the pot, add the following:

1 large onion, cut into quarters (no need to peel or core it)
5 large garlic cloves, smashed (again, no need to peel)
5 stalks of celery, chopped into quarters (include the leaves on the celery -- they add flavor too!)
3 large carrots, cut in half length-wise, and then cut in half through the middle
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns

In a piece of cheesecloth, wrap the following:

If using dried herbs:

1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon sage, preferably not ground for it will seep out and muddy your soup

If using fresh herbs:

1 sprig of rosemary
5-6 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of sage

Pour COLD water over this until it just covers all the carcass and veggies. Turn the burner on medium, and let it go just until the water is thoroughly heated, but not boiling -- should take about 15-20 minutes. Once it's warn, turn it down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours.

Then place a large colander on top of a large bowl and drain out the liquid. Arrange all the meat, bones and veggies in the colander in a large cookie sheet and let it cool.

Let the liquid sit until the grease from the gravy and skin float to the top and skim it off with a large spoon. Then line a fine seive with cheesecloth and strain the broth one more time to get our remaining bits of fat, herbs, veggies, or anything else that mucks it up. NOTE: this broth will not be clear -- it's not intended to be.

Once the veggies and carcass are cool enough to handle, pull off all the edible meat from the bones, shred it into bite sized pieces and add to the soup. If the carrots still look cook, slice them into the broth -- otherwise, get some fresh carrots, peel, slice and add to the broth. You can also add any other veggies you'd like at this point.

Cook the whole thing until any new veggies are soft enough to eat, and serve the soup. I do NOT recommend adding noodles to this soup -- it's going to be very thick because of the stuffing and gravy, and really stands on its own --but if you're crazy about noodles, go ahead -- it's your soup after all!

This can also be frozen quite nicely in case you need a turkey moratorium.

Enjoy!

Mashed Turnips

This is a Thanksgiving tradition from the German side of my family (Mom's side) -- I must admit that as a kid, I never tried these but when I finally did, I was SO sad about all the years I missed. I've made these for many people over the years, and while they weren't happy about having to try turnips, they became converts.

Here goes -- this recipe is enough for at least 8 servings:

Get three large turnips -- get the round ones that are light orange and purple-ish on the outside. Peel them, cut in to 1 inch cubes, and put them into a large pot, cover with water (there should be at least 3 inches of water over the top of the turnips, but more is fine too), and throw in 1 tablespoon of salt.

Take 3 medium sized potatoes (I like yukon gold best, but anything is fine), peel them, and throw them into the pot whole.

Bring this up to a boil, and boil on low heat for a full hour.

Drain the turnips and potatoes and shake out as much water as you can.

If you want REALLY smooth turnips, put the mixture through a ricer. If you don't mind a bit of texture, you can use a hand masher, or even better, a stand-mixer.

Add 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper, and blend or mash until you are happy with the texture.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed -- but don't add salt at first -- the turnips and potatoes will have absorbed a good deal from the salted water. You may not need any more.

These can be made a day or two in advance and reheated either in a pot or microwave. If reheating in a pot, add a little bit of milk; if reheating in the microwave, stir after each minute to distribute heat throughout the whole dish.

Enjoy!

Chili

Keeping with my theme of great meals for cold nights, here's one for chili. The best thing about this dish is that you can make it with a variety of meats, or make it totally vegan as well.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, even lamb would be OK), or ground firm tofu or tempeh
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer (I prefer something like a pale ale -- too weak and it's just watery, too strong and it overwhelmes the chili)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of crushed tomatoes -- fire roasted ones are particularly good and Muir Glen makes a great organic version
1 can of corn (or 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernals)
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed. (If you are not a tofu fan, skip it and simply add another can or two of beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons sweet chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or more, but only if you like things hot!)
Salt to taste, but you might not need any because the canned ingredients will have plenty already.

Brown the ground meat until cooked through and broken up in to bits. When it's done, add all the veggies except the corn, and saute until they are all soft, but not browned. Then drain off any fat that has accumulated from the meat.

Add the tomato paste and seasonings and mix thoroughly. After this is good and hot, add the beer, and let it come to a rapid boil for at least 2-3 minutes, to burn off the alcohol, but leave all the taste.

Then add the beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes. Stir thoroughly, and once it bubbles, reduce to low heat, cover your pot, and let it simmer for an hour.

By this time it should be nice and thick, but with a bit of "juice" left. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or anything else you think it needs.

Serve with minced raw onion and shredded cheddar or jack cheese.

YUM!

Sweet Potato Curry Soup

Another easy, hearty, and warming soup for the cold months ahead.

Peel and chop three large sweet potatoes and put into a pot.
Add 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth (Swanson's low sodium will not disappoint)
Add one onion, diced and 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped.

Bring to a boil and simmer on low until the sweet potatoes are well cooked.

With either an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the mixture thoroughly.

Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon curry power (sweet or hot, the choice is yours) and 1 tablespoon ground cumin.

Simmer gently for about 10 minutes and then taste for seasoning. You will likely need to add at least a little salt, although there is some in the broth. If you want it a bit more zesty, keep adding some of each of the spices above.

It'll warm you up from the inside out!

Broths

So as I posted my soup recipes yesterday, I realized I should have started with broths first. There are wonderful broths you can buy in any store, but if you really want to go home-made, there's nothing like a broth from scratch. And they're easy to make. I'll start with the basic veggie broth, and then give directions for how to add various meats or seafoods. These can be made in huge batches and frozen for long periods of time so you'll always have some ready when you need it.

Basic Vegetable Broth

1 pound of whole, unpeeled carrots
1 pound of celery
1 large yellow onion
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
Bouquet garnee (details below) of rosemary, thyme and sage

Wash the carrots, slice the bottoms off, cut them in half, and then into chunks.
Slice off the bottom of the celery, wash it, and cut into chunks.
Slice the onion into quarters -- don't bother peeling it
Slice the garlic in half, exposing the middle of as many cloves as possible.

Put all of this into a large soup pot, with the olive oil in the bottom. Saute it on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until everything gets a little browned around the edges.

Cover it with cold water -- the water should just barely cover the veggies -- no more than 1/2 inch over them.

Add the salt and pepper.

To make a bouquet garnee, take fresh or dried thyme, sage and rosemary, and tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. Add the cheesecloth to the pot.

Bring this all to a low boil and then turn onto low heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Strain everything through a fine sieve and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.

If you want to make meat broths, follow the variations below:

Chicken -- brown 4-6 chicken thighs in the olive oil and then add the veggies to brown some more. Then follow directions above. You could also simply add a chicken carcass from your latest roast chicken. If you're not ready to make broth when you have the roast chicken, you can put it in a ziploc baggie and freeze it for at least amonth or two until you're ready.

Beef -- get a half-pound of beef bones from the butcher or your supermarket, or save them when you buy bone-in steaks. Brown them in the oven for 30 minutes on 400 degree heat before you add them to the stock, and then follow directions above, but omit the sage from the broth.

Fish/Seafood -- add fish carcasses, shrimp shells, crab shells, or lobster shells to the veggie broth recipe, and omit the sage and rosemary. Use parsely instead.

When making any of the broths that are not veggie broth, you'll likely have some fat in the broth. If you want to remove it, wait for the broth to cool and it will all float to the top so you can skim it off. If you boil these broths too fast, you might also get some "scum" in the broth from the marrow in the bones. You can do a second straining, lining your sieve with cheesecloth and most of this will be removed.

Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

Another really easy soup recipe -- this one can be ready in 30 minutes -- Rachel Ray, eat your heart out!!!

48 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth (Swanson's is my favorite)
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 large cloves of garlic, peeled
2 large leeks, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Tastefully Simple Seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup cream (optional)
Crumbled bacon and/or shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Add the potatoes and garlic cloves to the broth, along with the seasoning salt and pepper, and boil gently for about 15 minutes. While that's cooking, dice the leeks and clean and dry them thoroughly ( they can often be sandy and gritty - -a salad spinner works really well), and saute them in the olive oil until they are tender. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, add 1/2 of the leeks and puree the soup. An immersion mixer works perfectly, though you can also use a blender. If you use a blender, only fill it half way, open up the hole in the top, and cover with a towel so steam can escape, but the soup won't. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher if you'd like your soup to be chunkier. Once it's blended, add the rest of the leeks, and the cream if you so desire.

As a final garnish, you can add some crumbled bacon and/or shredded cheese if you want to add a few more flavors.

If you don't have the Tastefully Simple seasoning salt, just use regular salt to taste, but it won't be as good :)

Split Pea with Ham soup

Fall is here and that always puts me in the mood to make big pots of soup. Nothing is more comforting to make and eat. I'll add other soup recipes as the months go on, but let me start with this one.

1/3 pound of smoked ham
1 tablespoon each of Tastefully Simple Onion, Onion and Garlic, Garlic seasonings
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
1 bag of dried split peas
48 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth (Swanson's is my favorite but use whichever one you like best)
1/4 cup of cream (optional)

Heat up the olive oil over medium heat and when it's warm, add the ham, which should be chopped into fairly small pieces. Let it cook for a while -- till it starts to toast and brown, and leave some yummy brown bits on the bottom of your pan. Once it becomes nicely browned, add the Tastefully Simple seasonings and toast them for a minute (try a taste of them too -- it's delicious!!!), and then add the peas, stirring to coat them all with the oil. Then add the broth and pepper, bring it up to a low boil, cover the pot, and turn it down to a very low simmer. Cook for at least 90 minutes and every half hour, stir the soup until it reaches the texture you like best. If you cook it for 3+ hours, it'll be very smooth, but some folks like it with the peas a bit more in tact. If the soup gets too thick, just add water until it reaches the desired texture. You can also add water when reheating if you need to thin it out. If you'd like the soup to be extra rich, add the cream just before serving, but you won't miss the extra calories if you don't take this last step.

If you don't have the TS spices, see my previous blog post about how to order them. In this soup, the really are better than using real onion and garlic -- trust me, I've done it both ways! BUT, if you want to be a purist, then dice one small onion and 4 cloves of garlic and add them to the ham once it's browned up. Cook until they are also slightly brown and soft, but don't let the garlic get too brown, or it will get bitter.

Enjoy!