9 Essentials of a cold weather puree soup

This is a base recipe that can be applied to any number of puree soups ranging from squash to potato. A puree soup is probably my go-to soup style simply because cut consistency doesn’t matter and you can use product that’s “going bad” or doesn’t look so good and still have a fantastic product.

Puree soups can also range in flavor from a deep savory to something that is light and delicate. 

Depending on what ingredients you use, you can go in a thousand different directions. This particular recipe I used carrots. I would use this recipe with four pounds of your selected product and start branching out from there.

Onions – once these babies start to caramelize, the aroma and flavor is soul-filling. It’s a little savory and sweet, yet mellow enough to not overpower your main ingredients. The onion also adds more body to the soup. Keep in mind that if you’re going for a specific color, the onion tends to lighten the color or change it to a light brown if you allow the onions to fully caramelize.

Apple – I just started using apples in my stock and soups within the last year and let me tell you - it’s a game changer! I use whole apples for this application because the seeds and core contain a lot of pectin and if you’re making this completely vegetarian/vegan it helps with adding more body to the soup. I wouldn’t use more than one per quart batch of soup, unless the apple is one of the main ingredients.

Ginger – I love putting ginger in everything… it’s so good! Just a little nob will do. I shave the skin off with a spoon and slice it thin. Cook this when you’re cooking your onions. The flavor mellows out as it sweats out in the pan, but still gives you a nice little zip. I use this mainly in this application to add some brightness in the dark coldness known as winter.

Fat – It’s all about the selection here! I think that butter is the best selection here, but you can keep in the cold spirit and render a few pieces of bacon; or use avocado or grape seed oil. I stopped cooking with olive oil because it has a prominent flavor and it loses its integrity very quickly when exposed to heat. Remember that when you sweat the vegetables that the flavor is absorbed into the oil.

Champagne vinegar – this is another great ingredient that I’ve just started using. I deglaze the pan with the vinegar so that the flavor is absorbed into the vegetables. Once cooked down, it’s more sweet than acidic, but still adds some great dimension into the dish. I just use a little splash, no more than shots worth. I chose to use this vinegar because it adds a bit of delicacy to the soup. Other varieties a such as balsamic, apple, rice wine, and sherry add depth and tend to be a bit stronger.

Salt and pepper – It is essential that you apply seasoning throughout the various stages of cooking to get the best results out of your soup. I add a liberal amount when I’m sweating out my onions. Salt draws moisture out and allows it to be absorbed into the fat which results in the flavor being dispersed through the mixture.

Stock – If you learn anything from this post it needs to be this. The secret to any sauce or soup starts with a great stock. I highly suggest making your own stock at home. However if you don’t make your own stock, I suggest getting an organic stock with low or no sodium. The ones that do have sodium in them tend to taste super salty to me and basically rules out your own tastes. With puree soups, I suggest using a vegetable or chicken stock. The flavors tend to be more neutral whereas beef or seafood stocks contain a more prominent flavor. Experiment with different brands until you find something that suits your fancy.

Blender – Essential of anything pureed. Get a good blender with a warranty, or something of the professional grade. When you’re processing your soup, do it in small batches to achieve maximum results. Otherwise you won’t be able to get a smooth puree, or you will burn the motor out of your blender… and nobody wants that.

Strainer - One thing I am a stickler for with purees is that the whole product is blended fully and pushed through a strainer. In the restaurant industry we use a chinois, otherwise known as a fine mesh strainer; but you can just use the finest mesh strainer you can find. This creates a smooth product free of any product that hasn’t been fully cooked out. In this recipe I found the skin of apples and some carrot fibers. No one wants that garbage in their soup!

Fall carrot puree soup

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

1 large onion

4 lbs carrots (medium dice)

¼ inch ginger fresh (sliced)

1 apple (quartered then cut in half)

2 Tablespoons butter

½ shot champagne vinegar

1 ½ quarts vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:

Medium sized pot

Chef knife

Cutting board

Blender

Fine mesh strainer

Rubber spatula

Ladle or cup

Directions:

1. Place the pot on medium low heat. Once hot, add the butter and allow it to melt then add the onions and ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions become translucent but not brown.
2. Add carrots and apple. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until apples and carrots start to become tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour in shot of champagne vinegar. Continue to cook until the vinegar fully evaporates.
4. Add stock. Turn heat up to medium and cover. Cook until carrots start falling apart with a fork.
5. In small batches, transfer the soup to the blender and blend. Once spoon pour into the mesh strainer and push through with the rubber spatula.
6. Garnish with parsley and tarragon mixed into ricotta cheese or yogurt, lemon olive oil, cracked black pepper and nutmeg. 

What's in a chowder? The essentials

Its clear fall is finally here! The nights are getting colder and the air is getting crisper. I found myself sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket and I was FREEZING. So I thought what better way to celebrate this change than to make chowder.

But as I was rummaging through the fridge and dry storage, I came upon one clear question: What is chowder? I’ve had the New England clam chowder – a creamy mixture filled with clams and hunks of potato. But, I’ve also had Manhattan clam chowder – a tomato based clear soup with pasta. So what’s really going on here?

The examples above demonstrate two kinds of clam chowder. However, the kind I will be exploring today is the cream based New England style – which I find to be the most fantastic of the two. I'll follow up shortly this month with the opposing style as well. 

I rummaged around some Coastal, New England, and American cook books and consulted the great and almighty, powerful internet and came to the following essential ingredients:

Mire Poux - carrot (sometimes optional), onion, celery. 

Milk thickened with a roux (fat and flour) – I saw many variations on this, ranging from cream of potato soup to half-and-half to regular milk. I would say that my preference is whole milk in this instance, but you can really use whatever… apparently. The goal is not to have a very thick soup, but rather a creamy based one. The chowder shouldn't be clumping to the spoon. It should be only slightly thicker than milk, but enough to barely coat a spoon.

Potatoes – quintessential to any New England chowder is cubes of starchy goodness. Since there are such a variety of potatoes out there, I wouldn't say you have to stick to one species - use your old potatoes! But, if you want something with a good starch content and flavor, I would say to use Yukon Gold or Red Russet. You can also get the baby russets or fingerlings for a more rustic style.

Seafood – most recipes call for some kind of seafood, but you can do it vegetarian as well. I suggest using cauliflower and mushrooms seasoned with seafood seasoning to replicate the flavor.

Using these four main elements, you can explore the endless possibilities of chowder. When adding ingredients to it, try to keep them under three because after that, it just becomes confusing as a dish.

Here’s some ideas for creative chowders that I didn't use:

Oyster and fennel

Monk fish

Clam and sweet potato

Leek and lobster

Salmon and caper

Crab and corn chowder with burnt butter and chive

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients (chowder):

1 lb. crab meat

6 ears corn (kernels removed)

1 Medium onion

2 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

8 large red potatoes (small dice)

2 shallots

3 Tablespoons butter

4 slices bacon (small dice)

1 shot sherry wine

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

8-10 sprigs of thyme

10 sprigs parsley

1 Tablespoon pepper corn

½ teaspoon whole nutmeg (about a quarter)

½-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ quart milk

1 ½ quart stock (vegetable, chicken, or clam juice)

Ingredients (burnt butter sauce):

2 Tablespoons butter

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped chive

Equipment:

Large pot

Chef knife or food processor

Peeler

Cutting board

Large wooden spoon

Measuring cups

Cheese cloth or coffee filter

Butchers twine or tea bag string

Directions (chowder):

1. Peel carrots to avoid the earthy and bitter taste from the skin.
2. Dice the shallot, onion, carrot, and celery to a very small dice. I don’t like big chunks of veggies in my chowder. If you have a food processor, buzz it until it’s pretty smooth. These ingredients are there for flavor enhancements and not a main component.
3. Put pot over medium-low heat and allow it to heat up.
4. Place bacon in the pot and allow it to render slowly. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
5. When the bacon is slightly crispy, toss shallots, onions, carrots, and celery into pot and cook until onion is translucent.
6. Add corn and cook until it becomes tender. It’s ok if you see some browning occur, just turn the heat down. At this point add the sherry and Worcestershire sauce. 
7. Roll the nutmeg, pepper, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf into the cheese cloth or coffee filter. Tie off the ends with butchers twine or tea bag strings. Add to the pot
8. Once the moisture evaporates, add the butter and allow it to melt. Add flour slowly while stirring. You’re looking for the consistency of wet sand which is why I left the measurement a little open ended.
9. Add milk slowly while stirring the mixture. I suggest half a cup at a time. It’s important to keep the product moving to avoid lumps or scorching the chowder.
10. Once all the milk has been added allow it to come up to a simmer while stirring occasionally. Then add the stock.
11. Put the potatoes in and allow it to simmer until potatoes are tender (about an hour)
12. Once tender, add the crab and serve hot. 

Directions (garnish):

1. In a hot pan, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter until it begins to brown. 
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about a minute. 
3. Add chives and lemon. 
4. Spoon on top of chowder

Button Mushrooms

Growing up, I hated mushrooms. They were kind of slimy, earthy, and smelled of gym socks. How could anyone possibly like these things on anything? As far as I was concerned, the entire fungi industry was a conspiracy created by a bunch of whack-jobs.

Fast forward a few hundred years and I love mushrooms! They can be delicate, yet savory and crispy at the same time. You can make something as simple as a mushroom risotto and utilize the entire mushroom to the fullest. Now, since going through various fine dining restaurants and culinary school, I’ve developed a few methods for cooking them.

There are a few things you need to understand first:

Mushrooms are a fungus. Therefore they grow off of a food source, as opposed to using chlorophyll to absorb the sunlight. The mushrooms you buy in the grocery store are grown in a decaying matter and you don’t want that flavor competing with your delicate beauties. Rinse them off! I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it makes a huge difference. Let them dry out on a towel on the counter or baking sheet before executing a cooking process.

High water content. Clocking it at over 90% water, the mushroom has a lot of flavor to concentrate into one little morsel. The point of this cooking process is to extract the moisture in the most efficient manner. The ingredients I chose to use really accentuate the mushroom and allow it to conform easily to another dish or standalone by itself.

Super absorbent of flavors. As moisture escapes, it leaves a void to be filled by flavor. By filling it with fat (which is less dense than water) you are able to allow more flavor to be absorbed into the mushroom. You can mess around with different ingredients until you find what best suits your taste buds, but I find this to be an all-around winner.

Remove the stems. I’ve found that some places will keep mushrooms on the shelves for a really long time and still sell them, and then they continue to sit in the fridge for another week or so. You can’t really tell when a stem is going to end up tasting woody, and that completely ruins a mushroom more than a mushy one. So just throw it into the compost pile or stock pot.

Today I’m sharing what I feel is a fool-proof way of making those basic button mushrooms and the most delicious addition to any dish. I use them in omelets, frittatas, pizza, Stromboli, and casseroles. These also make a great addition to any stir-fry or sauté dish.

BONUS: combine with caramelized cauliflower for a meat substitute in tacos or quesadillas. It tastes and feels just like steak!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 packs button mushrooms (about 2 lbs) rinsed and stemmed

30 sprigs of fresh thyme (lemon thyme preferred) or sage

Salt (smoke sea salt preferred)

Pepper (fresh ground)

½ stick butter or ½ cup garlic infused oil

Directions:

1. Cut mushroom caps into 6ths. Start with a half, and then make two cuts in the center of one half (making a “V”). The idea here is to make all the cuts roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
2. Put a cast iron or heavy gauged pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, place a 2 Tablespoons of butter in the pan and allow to melt.
3. Toss the mushrooms into the hot pan. Make sure that mushrooms have about ½” of space between all of them. You may need to do a few batches to complete the whole task.
4. Throw in about 10 sprigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Feel free to go a little more liberal on the salt than you usually do, it aides in extracting moisture from the mushrooms.
   
5. Move mushrooms around occasionally until all sides are dark brown, but not burnt.
6. Add more butter if you notice that the browning process is slowing down after 5 minutes or so.
7. The result will look like this once it's cooled.
   
    

The Miracle Plant known as the stinging nettles

With all this pollen floating around, the seasonal allergy symptoms are in full swing. I have the wonderful opportunity to be on the receiving end of this deal which results in my nose getting white girl wasted all over my lip sweater. As much as I loved being a raging snot monster, I knew this new look had to go!

I’ve tried tons of different over-the-counter medications and even supplements, but it just felt like more trouble than it was worth. Furthermore, it just made me feel so off my game. So I did some research into some herbal remedies, because I’m really not a fan of popping pills and having more side effects than actual solutions.

After a few hours of hunting around, I arrived on the histamine packed Urtica dioica; commonly known as the stinging nettle.

The medical uses for this stinging plant include the following:

                Hay fever

                Arthritis relief (extracted)

                Internal bleeding

                Poor circulation

                Improve urinary tract

The great thing about these plants is that you can find them pretty much everywhere on the east coast. I found these particular ones behind a golf course. I would suggest when harvesting these to find somewhere off the beaten path, or at least out of the way of any lawn clippings and chemicals. I utilized just the tops of the plant, instead of the entire stem; these are the newest part of the plant and the needles aren’t as prominent.

Remove over 97% of pathogens with this natural solution 

You may be kind of scared consuming something that stings, probably thinking that you’ll be stung in your mouth and down your throat. However, freezing or blanching it will eliminate the sting. The remainder is a refreshing combination of green that tastes bounces between the rind of a cucumber and depth of spinach with a few floral notes.

CAUTION!! Wear gloves (rubber, plastic, vinyl while handling raw product) to prevent being stung. It’s not like it hurts much, I would compare it to having a paper cut while you’re cutting lemons.

After creating a batch and consuming one “dose,” the results were amazing! I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night to blow my nose or even have sinus pressure. I really couldn’t have been happier that something right in your backyard works so well.

The methods of preparation I researched were a pesto like sauce, or a tea. So I developed a method that results in both!

I’ve found that treating these like you would basil or spinach works best. You can pretty much do a straight substitution in any recipe, depending on the quantity you have. I’ve also found that mixing them with some fresh wild chive is quite delightful as well!

To make the tea, all you need to do is keep the liquid you cooked the nettles in and add some honey to it so it sweetens up. Add as much sweetener as you deem fit. You can also add to regular tea, you just want to consume about a cups worth for every dose.

Once the leaves are cooked, simply substitute them in your favorite pesto recipe. You can also throw this in soups (think Italian Wedding or pureed soup), pasta salads, sandwiches, or stuffed in pasta. It’s really easy!

What you’ll need:

1 cup (packed) nettles

Small pot

Water

Strainer

Container for liquid

Directions:

1. Fill pot with enough water to roughly cover the tops of the leaves
2. Bring the water to a boil
3. Add nettles once water is boiling
4. Remove from heat and allow it to steep for four minutes.
5. Strain leaves from water by pouring over a strainer.
6. Keep the hot liquid, which is now the tea.

Green oil

As a fair warning, the utilization of this post is for plating and finishing dishes and isn’t necessarily a staple you need to maintain. But anyway – GREEN OIL! In the professional world, we have a number of go-to color and flavor enhancing oils, of which the green variety is most used for plating accents. But if you use all herbs or scallion tops, it becomes its own flavoring agent, and the color becomes secondary.

Now, you don’t have to follow my specific recipe; however, I would suggest you follow my methodology. You can experiment by adding whatever you want to it in order to achieve the desired flavor or tint. The more you add, the more intense it becomes.

This method also blanches the product, making it greener. You can blanch in water and add to cold oil, or use this hot infusion method (which I prefer).

This oil will also maintain its color and flavor for about 3 weeks or so before the integrity starts going downhill, but it’s still good! Don’t throw it out after that point. It’s just not going to be the best product you’ve ever made, that’s all.

Anyway…

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups oil (use neutral oil like grape seed, canola, or blended for this infusion)

2 cups parsley (or herbs of your choice) chopped

1 bunch scallion greens (chopped)

1 handful spinach

1 Tablespoon salt (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pot until it reaches about 150 degrees. Use your thermometer to determine the heat OR start off with a low heat and slowly bring up the temp and feel it with your finger. It should be pretty warm, but not hot when ready.
2. Once oil is hot enough, transfer to a blender.  Add remaining ingredients.
3. Blend for a solid 3 minutes, or until everything is incorporated and the mixture turns a very dark green.
4. Find a container that is more than 2 cups (the amount of liquid) that can also fit inside a bigger container that you have. Put the small container inside the larger one and surround the smaller one with ice.
5. Suspend a strainer in your ice lined container; make sure it’s supported by the large container, while being suspended above the small one. This will cool the liquid down and stop the cooking process.
6. Pour your mixture into the strainer. Push through the oil through the strainer with a small ladle or rubber spatula until the green oil remains in the small container.
7. Remove and wash the strainer.
8. Remove the green oil from the small container and transfer to another container. Return the small container to the large one.
9. Return your strainer to its previous suspended position. Line the strainer with a coffee filter. Pour your green oil into the lined strainer and let strain through for about three hours.
10.  

Pickled spicy carrots

This week I found myself elbows deep in carrots. They were just everywhere! So, I decided that it was time we went on an adventure; and what better way to do that than with a pickle?! 

This recipe was influenced from a spicy Thai beef dish I did at The White Dog Café in Philadelphia. It's not the exact recipe at all, but I really like taking something sweet and turning it spicy. The complexity that results just dances across your palate. 

As mentioned before in previous posts (sweet-pickled jalapenos) pickling is a method of preservation that can extend the shelf life for months in an opened jar – even longer if it’s sealed properly. So this was my go-to method for utilizing these carotenoid packed roots.

This recipe calls for the hot pickling method (as opposed to a cold pickle) because the heat from the liquid not only preserves it through the acidity, but it blanches the product in the jar. I’ve found this to be beneficial with whatever I’m pickling that has the color red, orange, or yellow. You’ll see that once the heat is applied that the color intensifies and becomes super bright.

So what do you do with spicy pickled carrots?

Glad you asked!

To start off, simply add them with some pickled red onion and pickled Anaheim peppers to create a little pickled veggie salad. Toss in your favorite oil (make it Asian and use sesame!) to coat it; and season to taste. It’s not necessary to add anything to it though, they’re fantastic by themselves.

You can also serve these on the side or on the top of a dish; I’ve been favoring it with my eggs lately. I’ve found that they really bring out some wonderful characteristics when matched with a grilled or seared piece of beef or fish.

I would encourage you to substitute them in stir fry’s or any hot recipe where you see carrots. The vinegar, spices, and salt will provide a flavorful base for you to build off of.

TIP: If you add these at the beginning, they will break down further and caramelize. The vinegar will also reduce and become sweet. However, if you add them at the end of the cooking process, they will maintain their integrity and brightness and bring a little pop to the dish.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons pickling spice

2 Dried chiles

2 Tablespoons sea (or pink Himalayan) salt

¼ cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar in the raw (or honey)

2 cups water

3 carrots (shaved)

Directions:

1. In a medium sized saucepot or small pot, slightly toast the pickling spice and chilies on a medium heat. You should be able to start to smell the aromatics when it’s ready
2. Add your vinegar and water to the pot.
3. Add salt and sugar to the liquid and bring to a boil.
4. While the liquid is waiting to boil, shave your carrots down with a vegetable peeler. I took the top layer of skin off of them, then continued to shave down until there was hardly anything left.
5. Place the shaved roots in a jar. Place that jar on top of a dishtowel or something soft to act as a barrier with the counter and to catch any spills.
6. Once boiling, strain the liquid into a container and then pour it into the jar with the carrots. You can also strain right from the pot into the jar (if you feel so brave to do so).
7. Put the lid on your jar and pop it in the fridge. Allow to sit for at least 8 hours (ideally overnight) before using.

Almond-Cinnamon Granola

I’ve been on a big granola kicker lately. This post is about my latest variety that is pretty basic flavor profile, but it’s really awesome and easy to make.

This particular variety has been the most popular among my roommates. It’s not too sweet, maintains a crunchy aspect through milk and yogurt, and has a great cinnamon flavor.

I didn’t have sliced almonds when I was making this, but please feel free to use them instead of the hand sliced ones that I used. This will create a larger garnish and more texture than this picture depicts.

You can also substitute any nut (for almond) and any spice (for cinnamon) to create your own unique granola. I suggest the following: walnut-honey, coconut-coconut oil, chestnut-maple, pistachio-agave, macadamia-orange blossom honey, and cashew-raw honey.

I’ve also found myself adding more nuts, dried fruit, coffee beans, and chocolate to the mx to make a grab-and-go trail mix.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

½ cup quinoa

3 Tablespoons flax seed

3 Tablespoons hemp seeds

1 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2/3 cup maple, honey, or agave

2 Tablespoons **apple butter**

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

½ cup butter

1 Tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt

Directions:

1. Combine: oats, quinoa, flax seed, hemp seed, and almonds in bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 225°F
3. Combine: cinnamon, sweetener, apple butter, vanilla, butter, and seasalt in a sauce pan. Heat until butter is melted
4. Pour warm mixture over dry mixture. Mix until incorporated.
5. Transfer to a sheet/cookie tray lined with foil.
6. Place in oven for 2-3 hours, until tips of some items become slightly brown.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Store in an airtight container in a dry space for up to three months.