Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder. Well, it looks like summer is officially over, at least in my house. The pool is closed, the days and especially the nights are already a bit cooler, I've got one that's started back to school, with another going next Monday, and I can't say I'm really going to miss it. Living in Virginia, we get four full seasons, which I love and can't imagine living without, but what I could live without is the nasty, oppressive humidity (although you never lack an excuse to eat Rita's Ice!). So bring on fall in all it's colorful glory and the filling, fantastic food that comes with it! To kick off my Welcome to Fall party, I came up with a hearty, spicy chowder. Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder 2-4 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, finely chopped 2-3 cups Corn (fresh off the cob or frozen) 1 cup Leeks, sliced 1 large Vidalia or other Sweet Onion, chopped 5 Sweet Potatoes, roasted and cubed 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2 Tbs Thyme 2 Tbs Margoram 2 boxes Chicken Stock (32oz each) 8-10 slices of Bacon 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Lentil Soup with Braised Ham Hock. This was a viewer request from a while ago for an easy lentil soup recipe. The key ingredient for my version is the smoked, and amazingly delicious, “ham hock.” For those of you not familiar with this piece of pork, here’s what Wikipedia, had to say (It’s Friday and I was feeling too lazy to actually explain what a hock was myself). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “A ham "hock" is the end of a smoked ham where the foot was attached to the hog's leg. It is the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone and the associated skin, fat, tendons, and muscle. This piece is generally comprised of too much skin and gristle to be palatable on its own, so it is largely used to be cooked with greens and other vegetables in order to give them additional flavor (generally that of pork fat and smoke), although the meat from particularly meaty hocks may be removed and served.”
Ingredients: Pastafazool – Italian Soul Food at its Best! The dish we are making today is really called “Pasta e fagioli,” “pasta and beans.” But, is (mis)pronounced and (mis)spelled by most Italian-Americans (me being one) as "Pastafazoo.” As I mention in the clip, if there is ever a Soul Food Olympics, this simple and hearty Italian meal of beans and macaroni should be that country’s entry! There are so many different kinds, ranging from very soup-like to thicker stew-like versions. Some have meat, some don’t, some have tomato, some don’t, etc. The pasta I decided to use is called “Orecchiette,” which means “little ears” due to its shape. Country Ham and Split Pea Soup - It's Been a Long Time Coming. I can't remember the last time I made ham and split pea soup. It's probably been 10 years, which is remarkable since it's my favorite cool weather soup. I just don’t understand why I haven’t made it in so long.
I've made bean soup, lentil soup, rice soup, and potato soup dozens of times each over the last decade, but not split pea. I've had leftover ham around countless times. I've ordered it in restaurants, so it's not like I forgot it existed. Making a batch never crossed my mind. Anyway, the important thing is that I made it, and it was everything I remembered homemade ham and split pea to be - a hearty, soul-warming bowl of dull green brilliance. Ingredients:2 tbsp butter1/2 onion, diced2 ribs celery, diced3 cloves sliced garlic1 lb diced ham1 lb split peas1 quart chicken stock2 1/2 cups water1 bay leafsalt and pepper to taste.
Cotechino - Happy New Year All Over Again! Cotechino is a large, Italian pork sausage traditionally served to celebrate the New Year. Indigenous to Modena (yes, that Modena – home to the great balsamic vinegar), its thick casing is pierced all over with a knife, after which it's gently braised in a pot of lentils until done. Sound good, right?
But wait, there's more. After the sausage is cooked, it's sliced into round "coins," which are then fried crisp in a pan, and used to garnish the lentils. Everything about this recipe sounds great, so when Michele and I happened upon a nice, fat cotechino in Chris Cosentino's Boccalone, in the San Francisco Ferry Building, I knew the cranberry bean and Swiss chard soup I was making that day was going to have a guest star. As you'll hear me whine about in the video, a huge rainstorm hit the city right in the middle of the recipe, and I didn’t make the correct adjustments to the camera. That said, this post is not about the soup, it's about how to use the cotechino. Ham and Potato Soup – Tuberlicious!
This title is dedicated to all those who chimed in on our root vegetable gratin video to let me know that a potato is a tuber, and not a root, even though I mentioned that fact in the video and the post! Bless your hearts. ;-) I know we did a black bean soup not too long ago, but I had a piece of leftover ham that needed to be used up, and this time of year you just can’t have too many soup recipes.
In addition to being a proven antidote for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the recipe is definitely filling enough to serve as a main course. The version I presented here is a little on the lighter side, but by adding more meat (including bacon, sausage, etc.), and finishing with cheese, you can significantly increase its heartiness. By the way, if you do want to finish this with some nice sharp cheddar, or perhaps a pepper Jack, do NOT add it until you’ve turned off the heat.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb gold potato (or any other kind will work) 1 onion 1 carrot 1 celery8 oz diced smoked ham cayenne. Lentil Stew with Sausage Recipe. Polish Hunter’s Stew Recipe, Bigos Recipe. 1 Pour hot tap water over the dried mushrooms and submerge them for 20-40 minutes, or until soft. Grind or crush the juniper berries and black peppercorns roughly; you don’t want a powder. Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks, about 2 inches.
Cut the sausages into similar-sized chunks. Drain the sauerkraut and set aside. Clean off any dirt from the mushrooms and cut them into large pieces; leave small ones whole. 2 Heat the bacon fat or vegetable oil in a large lidded pot for a minute or two. Working in batches if necessary, brown the pork shoulder over medium-high heat. 3 Put the onion and fresh cabbage into the pot and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is soft. 4 Add the mushrooms and cook them without any additional oil, stirring often, until they release their water. 5 You should not have enough liquid to submerge everything. 6 Bigos is better the longer it cooks, but you can eat it once the ham hock falls apart. Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew Recipe. We use savoy cabbage for this recipe, but you could use regular cabbage, or even collard greens or dinosaur kale.
If you want to make this stew vegetarian, leave out the sausage and double the beans. Method 1 Heat the olive oil on medium-high heat in a large (8-quart), thick-bottomed pot. Add the sausage, breaking it up into pieces as you put it into the pot in a single layer. When the sausage has nicely browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. 2 Add the minced onion (save the sliced onion for later) and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Once the onions give up some of their water, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. 3 Add the white wine and the beans and bring to a rolling boil. 4 Add the water, stock, salt, cabbage, sliced onion half, bay leaves and browned sausage.
To serve, sprinkle on chopped parsley and grated cheese. Kentucky Burgoo Recipe. Spicy Pork Stew with Chickpeas and Sausage Recipe.