Potato & Leek Soup with Garlic Toasts

On yet another frigid winter day in Florida a bowl of soup sounded good. After being asked the question of whether I like leeks or not and what would I cook with them, my question of what to cook for dinner was answered. A simple soup made of leeks, potatoes and stock would be very satisfying and help me feel ready for the night. You could make this a vegetarian dish by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken or boost up the protein by adding in some lightly cooked bacon.

Leek & Potato Soup

* 1 T Bacon Fat or Olive Oil
* 4 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced (3 cups)
* 5 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
* 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into small chunks
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Clean and Slice Leeks.
Wash between the layers well. Dirt likes to hide in here.





2. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan or stockpot over low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes.



Add garlic and thyme; cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in broth, increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.


2. Pour the soup through a strainer set over a large bowl. Puree the leeks in a food processor or blender until smooth, adding some the broth if necessary (or if you have a immersion blender Just puree in the pot).


Return the puree and broth to the saucepan. Add potatoes and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash the potatoes thoroughly with a potato masher.(or if you have a immersion blender Just puree in the pot).



3. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper. Return to low heat and heat until hot, but not boiling. Serve hot or chilled.



On the side slice some bread on a bias and brush each side with Olive Oil. Toast the slices under the broiler till crisp. When they are properly toasted take them out of oven and rub a cut clove of garlic on the toasts and sprinkle with some sea salt.


Serve together with a good beverage of choice.

Wanna smoke a fattie?

I do! Wish I could everyday. Now before your imagination takes you back to your hippy days I am talking food and not brownies.

In the BBQ world a fattie is sausage that has been stuffed with some imaginative list of ingredients. People get incredibly inventive and I am constantly humbled by the ideas they come up with. Here I tried to keep up and since it was around the Thanksgiving holiday I used that for inspiration.

I figured that a fattie using some turkey sausage with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce was just right for a BBQ Thanksgiving holiday feast.

The sauce in the works.
2 bags of Fresh Cranberries, 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1 VERY large table spoon Smitties rub (Thanks Rich. ).


Let it cook down.


and just a lil more


Some serious good sauce which will be a part of the Thanksgiving fattie.

Rolled out 2 lbs of turkey and hot sausage.


Filled it with Spicy Cranberry sauce, Stuffing and a bit of gravy.


Rolled it up tight.


Will go in the smoker later with 3 racks (well partial) of ribs rubbed and ready to hit the smoker.


The ribs are on and Bloody Mary's flowing. Tis a good day.

The ribs on.


Looking good


Thin blue smoke flowing.


1 hour in and everything is looking good! loving the smell of cherry smoke.


Yes I know this is about smoking a fattie. Why the ribs? Well whats the point of firing the smoker up for one little item. Might as well fill it and get more done. Now back to the fattie.

Added the fattie!


I am loving the sight of a full smoker.


2 Hours in. Gave em a lil basting with beer and cider vinegar.


Going to wrap the ribs in some foil and hit with some cranberry bbq sauce. I did not use all the cranberry sauce in the fattie so I added some tasty homemade bbq sauce till I enjoyed the flavor.


Time to wrap 3 hours in... For those who do not know a good general rule of cooking spare ribs is 3-2-1. 3 hours in the smoker. Wrap with a splash some liquid (beer, cider, bourbon or anything that could add a flavor you like) 2 hours wrapped and then unwrap and cook for for one more hour. This varies from rack of ribs to rack of ribs though.


Here is the fattie with some cranberry sauce. It got a bit overcooked on the bottom. It was just too close to the vent and had too much heat on it.


Almost time to take the ribs off...


Dern I am getting hungry!!!


The final product. Very tasty!!!

Artichoke & White Bean Soup

If you want a great meal with little cost and little work here is an excellent recipe I tried. Two wonderful ingredients come together with a little stock and garlic to make a very silky smooth but filling meal. The bread really tops it off perfectly.

Artichoke & White Bean Soup

Ingredients
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans,rinsed
• 1 garlic clove,minced
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh mint for garnish
• Fat-free croutons, for garnish
Preparation
1. Puree artichokes and beans in a food processor.




Instead of sauteing the garlic I just added it to the puree. The result was a strong garlic flavor :D


Before step 2 I also strained the puree.


The result was a reduction in fiber from the artichokes.


2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the puree and broth and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with mint and croutons.



Garlic-Tomato Toasts

Pan con tomate, a classic Catalan tapa, is delicious alongside most soups or stews. Or serve with thinly sliced prosciutto and Manchego cheese for a tasty appetizer.
2 servings | Active Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
• 2 slices whole-wheat country bread
• 1 small clove garlic, cut in half
• 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small plum tomato, cut in half
• Kosher salt & coarsely ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
1. Grill or toast bread. Rub one side of the toasted bread with the cut-side of a garlic clove half and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Rub with the cut-side of a tomato half. Sprinkle with kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper.

I brushed with a little oil prior to broiling. I like the taste and color I get this way.


Tomato and garlic ready to rub on the toast.


Once the garlic is rubbed on I added a light drizzle of Olive Oil and sprinkled with a bit of Black Sea Salt.


The plated soup ready to eat. Just added a slight drizzle of olive oil on top of the soup.




An excellent meal and I was impressed how much flavor the bread gets from the tomato and garlic. Damn that was good!!!

A quick Dinner...

Hoppin John, aka. by my friends as a quick Hoppin Jeff, can be a satisfying meal. Serve it alone, over rice or over some good buttered egg noodles.

There are many recipes but this is how I like it. For time saving purposes you can buy pre-cut onion and bell pepper. I did tonight as I did not feel like spending much time prepping. The recipe calls for one onion and one bell pepper. The pre-cut containers typically contain more then a recipe calls for. It won't hurt to add more to the recipe. If you won't use the pre-cut veggies before they spoil just throw them all in. Its just more flavor.

The recipe.

Quick Hoppin John

1 Smoked Kielbasa (Sliced in bite size pieces) or 1lb diced Ham
2 14oz cans Black eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Diced onion
1 Diced pepper
14 oz Stock (More if wanted)
Assorted herbs to taste.
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, preferably hot (see Tip)

Saute onions and peppers in oil until softened.
Add meat, peas and tomatoes.
Add Stock, herbs, vinegar and paprika.
Cook till meat is hot.
Serve over rice.

Quick Simple and tasty!

Now for variations. Instead of oil add a layer of flavor with some bacon grease. After cooking bacon I strain the grease through a coffee filter and save the grease. It adds a bit of flavor and a subtle bacony scent.(bacony is a new word)

Here is a sample picture of the ingredients.


Veggies Sauteed and Tomatoes added.


Herbs going in.


A bowlful of Hoppin Jeff over some rice.


This is a quick easy to cook meal. It will warm you on a cold night and fuel you through your day. Enjoy!

Non Traditional Shepherds Pie

My chili from the previous blog was made with the intent of leftovers to be used in the manner described below.

Shepherds Pie! Not a traditional version but an excellent version none the less.
After the chili sat for a day (Doesn't it always taste better the next day?) I covered the bottom of a baking dish with a thick layer of the chili.



To it I added mashed Sweet Potatoes to completely cover the chili. The Sweet potatoes (5) were just boiled till tender, then mashed with a 1/2 stick of butter and a good splash of butter milk. A sprinkling of shredded Cheddar was added as well.


I baked at 350 for @45 minutes till I noticed some bubbling from the chili and the cheese was all melted. Then I turned the heat to 400 for 10-15 minutes till that bubbling was rapid. I finished the cooking with the broiler to get that nice golden brown crunchy cheesy topping Or GBD as my culinary instructors once called it. (Golden Brown & Delicious)



This was a very satisfying bowl of Shepherds Pie on a very cold Florida night. With it I served a Sam Adams Imperial Stout and dessert was a wonderful hot chocolate with a healthy splash of Irish Cream.

Chili, A new Recipe

Chili

* 1 pound beef round, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (or more)
* Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
* 3 onions, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons ground cumin
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 Cinnamon Stick
* 12 ounces dark beer
* 1 Can Chicken Stock
* 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (Organic Italian Crushed)
* 8 sun-dried tomatoes, (not packed in oil), snipped into small pieces
* 2 bay leaves
* 3 19-ounce cans beans, rinsed (kidney, pinto and great northern)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons lime juice

Preparation

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with another 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add onions and bell peppers; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Add garlic, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, paprika and oregano. Stir until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
3. Add beer, stock and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, for about 3 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, cinnamon stick, sun-dried tomatoes, bay leaves and reserved beef. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4. Add beans; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chili has thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Simmering.



Decided to play and added a stick of cinnamon to the simmering chili. I am loving the scent so far.

Tomorrow I am going to make a version of a shepherds pie but with the chili and mashed sweet potatoes. Baked with some shredded cheddar on top.

Added a trio of beans. Great Northerns, Pinto and kidney beans. Usually I am not a fan of beans in chili but like I said I am trying some new stuff tonight.



A quick rough chop on some Cilantro.



and added to the chili.




A finished bowl of Chili never tasted better. No sour cream, rice or cheese needed.

A side note. I had some leftover Cuban Pulled Pork. I added it to the Chili as well. Added a nice flavor and texture.

Always feel free to modify a recipe to suit your tastes.