Easter 2011

My third annual, highly anticipated (!) Easter post. Pretty self-explanatory...potato salad recipe here. Disappointingly soupy deviled eggs--the orangy ones with sriracha.

Rice & Potato Soup

First, I thought you might enjoy a shot of this hitchhiking carrot which met its demise in this soup.

What to say about this soup...excellent carb-y comfort food! The tomato paste & cheese rinds add a lovely savoriness, without being overly tomatoey or cheesy. Please keep in mind that if you leave the cooked rice in all that liquid, it starts to disintegrate after a day or so. So if you're not eating all the soup at once, cook the rice separately and add in small quantities to each portion just before serving. Adapted from Lidia's Italian Table (Lydia Bastianich, of course).

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch cubes (approximately--don't worry about these sizes too much)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2 celery stalks, diced

2 teaspoons tomato paste

10 cups hot chicken broth

2 two-inch square (or whatever size) Parmesan rinds

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup long-grain rice

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

In a deep, heavy 4-5 quart pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (Potatoes might stick a bit, turn down heat if the bits are getting too dark.) Stir in carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, about 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add tomato paste and stir to coat vegetables.

Add broth, cheese rinds, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, scraping up any bits of potato on the bottom, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover pot and coot until potatoes begin to fall apart, about 40 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until rice is tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cheese rinds. Stir in parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste. Lydia suggests you chop the cheese rinds into bitty pieces and add them back to the soup. I kinda like it...though not all rinds age so well. Taste a bit before you decide if you want to add it back into the soup or toss.

My bag of Parmesan rinds I keep in the freezer.

Beef Summer Sausage

I like meat. I wouldn't say I eat a lot, but every once in a while you need some spicy, garlicky summer sausage, right? And unlike many other cured meats, this comes together in just one day! One ingredient you do have to go out of your way for, however, is this Morton's Tender Quick. I had to order it online because I couldn't find it in stores. Once I tried what I thought was an adequate substitute (probably the tenderizer) and it was a disaster! The smallest bag is like 5 pounds or something and if you only use a tablespoon at a time it will last forever--but it's worth it! This is adapted from a recipe I found online several years ago (here is the original).

2 pounds ground sirloin

1/2 cup water

1 + 1/2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon (or more) finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Morton Tender Quick (NOT tenderizer)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together. Divide into 2-3 parts and roll each into a firm cylinder. Place each on a sheet of aluminum foil with the shiny side against the meat. Wrap so the seam side is up and refrigerate for 24 hours. Punch holes with a fork into the bottom of the rolls. Place on a rack set into a rimmed pan and bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes.

Spaghetti (I think)

This recipe card is on par with "Tunafish Samwich"...a real hot mess! We had spaghetti about once a week growing up, usually with a piece of American cheese on top, and I no longer eat pasta this particular way. (In other words, I got my fill of it as a child!) But I still can't throw out the recipe...

FYI, the first line specifies "Chef Boyardee" sauce. Important!

Damn Good (Tomato Kidney Bean) Soup

It strikes me that this recipe isn't that different than the chili I posted previously, except blended and without the meat. Oh well, I'm pretty boring that way. This is just so tasty--and spicy, depending on how much heat you want to add--and so simple that I can't help but post it. It's also excellent reheated. Originally from Best Ever Soups (which I should probably get), but I saw it via http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/02/kidney-bean-soup/.

olive oil

2 onions, diced

2+ cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 14-oz. cans kidney beans, drained

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

salt & pepper to taste

lemon juice or vinegar to taste

Saute the onions in a soup pot with the olive oil until soft, 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for another minute. Stir in spices and roast for a minute or so then add tomato paste. When this is combined, add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice or vingar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly and blend (it's handy to have an immersion blender here, but you could use a regular blender as well.) Add a dash of lemon juice or vinegar (or some sort of acid) just before serving.

The original recipe also has a guacamole garnish, which is nice but not essential. Click on the Macheesmo site above if you want that recipe.

Basic Fall Chili

One time I made this recipe for someone and they were surprised to learn that you didn't need 27.5 ingredients and 3.5 hours of simmering to make chili. The flavors may not be quite as complex, but this is the recipe I grew up with and, most of the time, its simplicity suits me just fine!

As I look closely at the recipe card, I see "parley"--which I assume is "parsley." This is very odd as I don't recall ever using parsley! We often served this over rice and then sprinkled grated cheese and saltines on top. I know, very authentic!

1 onion, diced (and maybe some garlic if you're so inclined)
1 pound ground beef or turkey
28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice
14-ounce can kidney beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt, pepper, cayenne, additional cumin to taste

Saute onion (and garlic) in olive or vegetable oil over medium heat. When soft, add meat and break up somewhat. Cook until browned, then dump in everything else. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon, and simmer 10-15 minutes--or longer to reach desired consistency.

Cheesy Tomato & Bread Soup

This is kind of like when you dunk a grilled cheese sandwich into your tomato soup. But the tomatoes are fresh (a must, thus a very summery recipe!), the bread is sourdough, and the cheese is Parmesan (I shudder to think what would happen to American cheese in this). A very thick soup results. Besides the wonderful taste, I also like the fact that this recipe uses Parmesan rinds. I usually have a bunch of these in my freezer, and they add richness to many soup recipes. Recipe adapted from Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals.

4 lbs. very rip beefsteak or Jersey tomatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks

kosher salt, fresh pepper, sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced

1-2 stalks celery, finely diced

3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth

1-2 Parmesan rinds

1 large or 2 small loaves of day-old sourdough bread

4-8 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

fresh lemon juice

basil oil or pesto (optional)

Thirty minutes before you want to start cooking, mix tomatoes with salt, pepper & a pinch of sugar; set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion & celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic towards the end. Stir in the tomato paste and another pinch of sugar, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock and cheese rind(s), raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, season with salt & pepper, and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat and simmer until the tomatoes break down completely, about 40 minutes.

Remove and discard the cheese rind. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes [the original recipes calls for the crust to be cut off, but I usually leave most of it on since I like the texture it adds]. Add them to the tomatoes and stir to break down, cooking for about 15 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese, starting with a little and adding more until you get the consistency you like--too much and it can get a little gloppy, in my opinion. Douse with a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

I happen to have just made fresh pesto last night, but I'm conflicted about whether or not to use it--the tomatoey goodness is pretty spectacular all on its own! Your call...

Lots of tomatoes!

Lots of bread!

Lots of cheese!