Kristen's Recipes

1 T. grated gingerroot

1 C. chopped onions

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 C. chopped celery

1 tsp. curry powder

1 4-oz. jar pimientos

1 tsp. chili powder

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 15-oz. can chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 tsp. black pepper (optional)

4 C. peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 C. raisins

1 29-oz. can diced tomatoes (include juice)

4 T. peanut butter

2 15-oz. cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. lemon or lime juice

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, pimientos and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, except raisins, peanut butter, and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Stir in raisins, peanut butter, and cilantro. Mix well. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

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1 lg. Bunch spinach, remove stalks
4 C. Chicken broth
2 lg. Carrots, grated
1 lg. Onion, chopped
8 Cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 C. Flour
1/2 C. Light cream
1/2 C. Whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic croutons

Chop spinach coarsely. Combine with chicken broth and carrots in 2 to 3 quart pot. Cook 5 Р10 minutes until carrots are tender and spinach wilted. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, saut̩ onion and garlic very gently over low to medium heat in butter, about 20 to 30 minutes. Onions should be very tender and translucent, but garlic should not be browned! Add flour and cook, stirring constantly 5 to 10 minutes. Combine spinach/broth and onion/garlic mixtures in food processor or blender in small batches. Puree until smooth. Clean pot and return soup to pot. Add cream, whipping cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until hot, but not boiling. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and garlic croutons.

Garlic Croutons: Use day old sourdough bread, chopped into cubes. Combine a quarter cup olive oil, a tsp. each of garlic powder, crushed dry parsley, Hungarian Paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Massage oil into bread cubes and spread on a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Store in tightly covered container.

2 6″ corn tortillas
3 T. flour
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeds and membrane removed, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 T. unsalted butter
3 C. low sodium chicken broth
2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob
1/4 C. sour cream

Shredded Monteray Jack or Cheddar Cheese
Avocado
Shredded chicken
Corn chips

Slice the tortillas into thin strips and place them in a food processor. Pulse until uniformly chopped. Add the flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Process until it is the consistency of cornmeal. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, poblano, jalapeno and garlic. Lower heat to medium and cook until the onion is transparent, 6-8 minutes. Add the tortilla mixture and stir until well combined. Add the butter, let it melt and stir to form a roux like paste. Cook 4-5 minutes stirring constantly. Do not let the mixture burn. Slowly add the half of the broth and stir until the paste is well incorporated. Add the remaining broth and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Add the corn, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Add the sour cream and cook for 10 minutes, do not let the soup boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with cheese and/or avocado and add shredded chicken if desired.

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely hopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups peeled and diced red potatoes
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock or water)
6 heaping cups fresh spinach leaves (chard or kale is good too!)
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
freshly grated nutmeg for garnish and olive oil for topping

3 T. olive oil
3 T. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 T. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
4-6 heaping cups stale bread cubes

To prepare the soup, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté for 3 minutes more. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potato chunks are cooked through. Reduce heat to low and add spinach leaves. Stir and cook spinach down in the hot broth for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and puree soup with an immersion blender. You can also blend the soup in a regular blender in batches. Just be careful not to overfill the blender when pureeing. Once pureed, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Stir. To prepare the croutons, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place bread crumbs on the parchment and set aside. Heat oil and butter in a medium saute pan until butter is melted. Add sliced garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Remove garlic from the pan and discard. Remove fat from the heat. Add thyme and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Drizzle melted butter mixture over the bread cubes. Sprinkle generously with salt and toss with your hands. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cubes are golden brown and crisp. To serve, ladle generous bowls of soup. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg, olive oil, and too many croutons.

9 cups well-flavored chicken broth
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 C. fine dry bread crumbs (Use freshly made bread crumbs for best results)
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 lemon, zested and juiced (optional)
3 large eggs
1 T. minced fresh marjoram
2 tsp. minced fresh oregano

In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a slow boil. In a bowl, combine 1 C. of the Parmesan cheese, the bread crumbs, nutmeg and lemon zest and juice and make a well in the center. Add the eggs to the well and slowly incorporate into the dry ingredients, until it comes together and resembles cooked polenta. (If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more grated cheese and bread crumbs.) Transfer the cheese mixture to a food mill or ricer fitted with the large die. Hold the food mill as high above the steaming broth as possible, and turn the handle so that the Parmesan mixture is forced through the mill into the slowly boiling broth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and top each with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and the remaining grated cheese. Serve immediately.

To make dumplings instead of noodles: Scoop up a lump of the dough and roll it into a small ball. Place the dumplings as you make them on a plate that has been sprayed with Pam. Drop the dumplings into gently boiling water. The dumplings will drop to the bottom of the pan and rise to the top when they are done. If any of the dumplings stick to the bottom of the pan, gently nudging with a butter knife will let them rise. Cook about 1-2 minutes, and then scoop out with a strainer. Place dumplings in bowls and ladle hot broth over them. Sprinkle with minced herbs and more parmesan.

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
4 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
Celery Bunch
3 large white onions, peeled and halved
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
8 cups water
2 cubes vegetable bouillon

In a large saucepan or soup kettle over medium-low heat, place the olive oil, leeks, celery, onions, fennel, potatoes, salt, and pepper, and cook and stir until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have begun to soften, about 10 minutes. Pour 8 cups of water over the vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and drop in the vegetable bouillon cubes. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the cubes, until the vegetables are tender and the potatoes have begun to thicken the soup, about 30 minutes.

2 T. butter
1 C chopped yellow onion
1/2 C chopped celery
2 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
4 C chicken broth
4 ears white or yellow corn on the cob
1/2 C half-and-half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 10.75oz can cream of celery soup
1/4 C chopped red bell pepper

In a heavy-bottomed 4qt stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and potatoes and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the broth and boil the vegetables over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft. Meanwhile, cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife; place each corn cob in the middle of a large bowl to catch the kernels and juice. Add the corn to the soup and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the half-and-half, salt, pepper and the cream of celery soup. Stir well to combine. Simmer until hot Serve immediately. Garnish with the bell pepper.

2 T. Butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp. Salt
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1/2 C. dry white wine
1 pound mushrooms, roughly sliced or chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced for garnish (optional)
6 cups mushroom stock – recipe follows
2 slices bread, any kind
1/2 C. light cream
Pepper
Chopped chives, parsley, or tarragon, sliced sautéed mushrooms for garnish

Heat the butter in a soup pot until it foams; then add the onion and salt. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes to soften the onion, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, parsley, and cook 2 minutes more. Pour in the wine, raise the heat, and reduce it for another 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stew them with the onion over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, giving them a stir partway through the cooking. Pour in the stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat, add the bread, and simmer for 20 minutes. Let the soup cool slightly; then either briefly puree it in a blender, leaving small pieces of mushroom, or puree it longer, making a smooth, creamy soup. Heat the soup again and stir in the cream. Taste it and season with more salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with the fresh herbs or crème fraîche in each bowl. I saute some sliced fresh mushrooms and add them to the soup just before serving.

Wild Mushroom Stock

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1-1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced or chopped (optional)
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, chopped into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 C. leek greens, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (optional)
4-6 thyme branches or 1/4 tsp. Dried thyme
2 bay leaves
6 branches parsley, roughly chopped
3 sage leaves or large pinch dried sage
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. Salt
9 cups cold water

Cover the dried mushrooms with 1 C. hot water and set them aside. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the vegetables, herbs, garlic, salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Next add the dried mushrooms and their soaking liquid plus the 9 cups cold water, and bring to a boil; then simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve. Use it as is or return it the stove and reduce it further to intensify the flavor as much as desired. Generally it takes about 15 minutes at a slow boil to reduce the volume of liquid by 1 cup.

¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2½ cups half and half (half and half is a half cream, half milk mixture found next to the heavy cream)
2½ cups milk
1 Tablespoon chicken base, or two chicken bouillon cubes crushed
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2½ cups chopped rotisserie chicken (cooked chicken breast will work)
½ cup cooked and chopped bacon
1 cup cubed ham
2 cups grated Swiss cheese

In a large sauce pan melt butter and then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Add the half and half, milk and the chicken base. Heat for a few minutes and then add the cream cheese. While continuously stirring, bring to a boil and add chicken, bacon. and ham. Take off heat and stir in Swiss cheese. Bring back to the stove on low heat and stir until cheese is melted.

2 T. sesame seed
2 tsp. salad oil
1/2 lb. ground lean turkey or ground lean pork
1/4 C. finely chopped sour pickles (cornichons or dills)
Peanut sauce (recipe follows)
6 C. fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 package (8 to 9 oz.) fresh fettuccine
2 C. chopped green onions (including green tops)
1/4 C. finely chopped roasted, salted peanuts
Thin green onion slivers, including tops (optional)

In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir sesame seed until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Add oil and ground turkey to pan; stir over high heat until meat is crumbled and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Mix pickles and peanut sauce with meat; add broth and cover pan. When mixture is boiling, uncover, add fettuccine, and stir to separate pasta; when boil resumes, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is tender to bite, about 3 minutes total. Stir in chopped green onions. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with sesame seed, peanuts, and green onion slivers. Eat with chopsticks or a fork and spoon.

Peanut sauce: In a bowl, stir to blend 3 T. each peanut butter, soy sauce, Asian (toasted) sesame oil, and sugar; 2 T. rice vinegar; and 1 tsp. (or to taste) hot chili flakes.

1/4 C. (1/8 lb.) butter
1 C. minced white onion
1 C. diced (about 1/4 in.) celery
1 head garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and minced
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 red thin-skinned potato (about 8 oz.), peeled and diced
3 C. fat-skinned chicken broth
1 pint half-and-half
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Salt
Bacon, Croutons or Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

In a 4- to 6-quart pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add onion, celery, and garlic and stir frequently until vegetables are very soft but not brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add diced potato and chicken broth and stir over medium-high heat until boiling; reduce heat and simmer until potato pieces are very tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Add the half-and-half and stir until hot. Add white pepper and salt to taste.