The Souperman Affair

This week we had a special new chef, Dan! He’s been to a few soup nights, but he has never taken on the responsibility of hosting. I’m calling this event The Souperman Affair, which is playing off the name of his band, The Singleman Affair. Check them out at the Hideout (1354 West Wabansia Avenue, Chicago IL) on February 11th. We also had some post soup entertainment, the self made documentary Corey Haim, Me, Myself, and I…..wow.






Menu
Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms
Vegetable Barley Soup
Hand Pies

Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 18
*adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
1/2 ounce dried tomatoes (about 5, not packed in oil)

2 tablespoons olive oil

18 white mushrooms, stems pulled out and chopped fine and caps reserved

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1 large egg yolk, beaten lightly

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled


2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl soak tomatoes in hot water to cover 5 minutes. Reserving 1 tablespoon soaking liquid, drain tomatoes well and chop fine.

Lay mushroom caps, stems removed, face down on baking sheet either lightly sprayed with cooking spray or parchment paper. Bake them approximately 10 minutes, or until their liquid puddles underneath. Remove from the oven. Carefully pour off liquid that has gathered in the bottom of the pan, and then again, carefully, turn mushroom caps over so they are ready to be filled.

In a small skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook chopped mushrooms stems, shallots and garlic, stirring until shallots are softened. In a bowl stir together mushrooms mixture, bread crumbs, tomatoes, reserved soaking liquid, yolk, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing in reserved mushroom caps and arrange caps in a lightly greased shallow baking dish, or the same parchment-lined pan you’ve roasted your mushrooms in. Sprinkle mushrooms with Parmesan and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.

Vegetable Barley Soup
Serves 8
*adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
2 Idaho Potatoes
1 Bushel of Kale
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 zucchini, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans with juice
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with juice
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup dry red wine

Directions
Saute' onion, garlic and kale until slightly browned. Add vegetable broth, barley, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Add red wine. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. Wait to add zucchini until after 60 minutes to ensure that it doesn’t lose its texture. The soup will be very thick. You may adjust by adding more broth or less barley if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Hand Pies
*adapted from Smitten Kitchen
makes about 14 pies

We made 4 different kinds of pies.
1. Peach Bourbon
2. Apple
3. Peach Blackberry
4. Peach Blueberry

For the pastry
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces

1/2 cup sour cream

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup ice water

To make the pastry, in a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.

Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough. (I used a 4-inch cutter–if you can call a “cutter” the tin edge of the container that holds my smaller round cutters–and managed to get 12 from each dough half, after re-rolling the scraps.)

For the Peach Bourbon filling
2 pounds of peaches

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp bourbon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
One egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (for egg wash)

Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration

Peel and chop the peaches into small bits (approx. 1/2-inch dice), much smaller than you’d use for a regular-sized pie. Mix them with the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the bourbon and vanilla, if you wish.

For the Apple filling

Sautéed apples in butter and cinnamon sugar/brown sugar

For the Peach Blackberry filling

Same as bourbon peach only I added a whole thing of blackberries that I juiced through a wire mesh (around 3-4 tablespoons)

For the Peach Blueberry filling

Same as peach bourbon only I crushed blueberries in there. I also added 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons filling (use the smaller amount for a 4-inch circle) onto one half of each circle of dough. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie, and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. 

Repeat process with remaining dough. Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, cut a small slit in each and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.

Beer and Wine served

Some Soup Humor

I picked up this card over the weekend, and I thought I’d share it with all of you.

Juliana's Butcher Block

Don’t worry my little carnivores; Juliana’s Butcher Block is back! For this installment I’ve decided to make a recipe that I have been eyeing for quite some time. It is a Moroccan take on beef stew. It was delicious and very filling. I hope you enjoy!

Beef Stew with Butternut Squash and Almonds
Serves 4
*adapted from Self

Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
1 pound stew beef, cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked whole-wheat couscous
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, 2 minutes
Minced fresh parsley for garnish

Directions
Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate, leaving juices in saucepan. Add onion; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Return beef to pot; stir in squash, tomatoes, sauce, broth, cumin, cinnamon and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer until beef is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide couscous and stew among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

Sarah's Caribbean Soup Night

One of our newest soup night members, Sarah, prepared a Caribbean inspired meal for us. The main dish was a pepper pot soup, however, the focal point and inspiration came from the side dish, garlic pork. Garlic pork is a typical Guyanese Holiday dish. Eaten at least twice a year by Sarah’s family. I would like to personally thank Sarah’s mom for sharing the recipe with us (however reluctant she may have been). We loved it. The night ended in a raucous Connect 4 tournament, and Andrew was the victor.





Menu

Sweet Potato Fries and Curry Coconut Dip
Cucumber Salad
Garlic Pork
Caribbean Veggie Pepper Pot Soup
Lemon Squares



Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
Oil for deep-frying
Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning

Directions

To make the sweet potato fries, pour oil for deep-frying into a large saucepan and heat it over a medium heat until it is hot but not smoking. Season the sweet potato planks with salt and pepper and deep-fry them in batches until cooked and crisp.

Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Curry Coconut Dip

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbs mild curry powder
2 cups coconut milk
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped, plus additional leaves for garnish

Directions
Use a little olive oil and add the garlic, bell pepper, and chile and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the curry powder. Stir well and cook for a further minute, then add the coconut milk. Season with salt to taste, turn the heat up to high, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce is much reduced and thick, about 10 minutes. If needed, transfer mixture to a blender to achieve a less chunky consistency. Add some flour to thicken using a whisk, if needed. Stir in the cilantro and remove from heat. Serve immediately with the sweet potato fries, generously garnished with cilantro leaves.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers, peeled 

1 tsp salt

1 small jalapeno, seeded, minced

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

Slice the cucumbers lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Slice each half into 1/2 inch pieces. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle on the salt. Toss gently and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain well.

Place the cucumbers in a serving bowl and add the jalapeno, lime juice, and garlic. Toss well. Cover and let salad sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Garlic Pork

Ingredients
3-4 lbs of pork butt
vinegar/ water mixture (3 cups vinegar to 1 cup water)
salt and pepper
garlic
thyme and rosemary

Directions

The preparation is two weeks of counter top marinating, as terrifying as that sounds, in a mixture of vinegar, garlic salt, pepper and sprigs of thyme. Take pork and cut into 1 inch chucks, salt and deposit into a 4-5 qt. airtight jar. As you add, throw in cloves of garlic that have been sliced in half, around ten. Throw in sprigs of thyme, and rosemary if you got it. Add more salt. Pour in vinegar mixture, covering all the meat, making sure meat is submerged. Close jar, and rotate a number of times to distribute. And let it sit on the counter for 2 weeks. Every other day, rotate jar around.

After two weeks, in a medium hot frying pan, add chunks of meat and rotate around until cooked evenly and a little brown. I don’t use oil, it’s your choice. I just used juice from the jar.

Caribbean Veggie Pepper Pot Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 ½ tsp ground allspice
1 sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bunch collards chopped (3 to 4 cups, loosely packed)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic, ginger and jalapeño, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften. Stir in allspice, sweet potato and carrots. Add greens a handful at a time and stir until they wilt

Add broth and bring heat to high. When broth comes to a boil, add thyme and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Squeeze in lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

Lemon Squares
Judy Munchoff’s Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter (not margarine--buy Jewel brand--cheaper)
2 eggs, well beaten (before you put them in recipe)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda)
9x9 or 8x8 inch pan (bake a little longer if using 8" pan)

Directions
Combine 1 cup flour, powdered sugar, and butter to form a dough. Press into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Beat together beaten eggs, lemon juice, sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and baking powder. Pour over baked crust. Return to oven for 20 more minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars when cool. Can be refrigerated.

Beer and Wine served

You Don't Know Spicy

And we are back! We took a week break for the holidays. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. With the absence of Sarah and Jason the souperstars enjoyed a sushi dinner for new years followed by lots of drinking. Below are some pictures from that night. I couldn't help myself; we are just so darn cute.

This week Anand had some help from his girlfriend Deepti, who was a great addition to our group. In classic Anand fashion they cooked a very spicy soup.

Menu
Edamame and Wasabi Peas
Vegetable Dumplings
Szechwan Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Carrot Ginger Soup
Coconut Cake with Ice Cream

Edamame and Wasabi Peas

Vegetable Dumplings
Makes 35 dumplings
*adapted from the food network

Ingredients
1/2 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded Napa cabbage
2 tbs finely chopped red pepper
2 tbs finely chopped scallions
2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 tbs chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bowl of water, plus additional water for steamer
35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
Non-stick vegetable spray, for the steamer

Special Equipment
Bamboo Steamer

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Cut the tofu in half and lay between layers of paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and place a weight on top (a 14-ounce can of vegetables works well). Let stand 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots, cabbage, red pepper, scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, egg, salt, and pepper. Lightly stir to combine.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the tofu mixture in the center of the wrapper. Shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Using a bamboo steamer, bring 1/4 to 1/2-inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Spray the steamer's surface lightly with the non-stick vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings as will fit into a steamer, without touching each other. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the dumplings from the steamer to a heatproof platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked.

Szechwan Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Serves 6
*adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

1/2 cup canned vegetable broth

1 cup super-chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tbs chili-garlic sauce

5 garlic cloves, minced

12 ounces dried chow mein noodles

1 tbs canola oil

8 large bok choy leaves

2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise

2 large carrots, peeled

1 bunch green onions

2 cups shredded Napa cabbage

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Mix 1/2 cup vegetable broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, chili-garlic sauce and minced garlic in medium bowl to blend well (sauce will be thick). Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 6 minutes. Drain. Rinse noodles under cold water and cool. Cut noodles into 4- to 5-inch lengths. Transfer noodles to very large bowl. Toss with oil to coat.

Cut bok choy, peppers, carrots and onions into matchstick-size strips. Add shredded cabbage and vegetable strips to noodles. Toss with enough peanut sauce to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Carrot Ginger Soup
Serves 6

*adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 leeks, including tender green portions,
 thinly sliced

6 carrots,
 peeled and thinly sliced

1 red potato, about 1/2 lb., peeled and
 coarsely diced

1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

5 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange zest

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Sour cream for garnish (optional)

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

I strongly recommend to use blood orange slices as palate cleansers for this meal.

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until just slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, potato and ginger and sauté until the vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes more.

Add the stock, cover partially and simmer until the vegetables are completely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Using an immersion blender, mix until the desired consistency is reached. Set the pan over medium heat and stir in the orange juice and zest. Season with salt and white pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of mint.

Coconut Cake with Ice Cream
Serves 8

*adapted from Moroccan Recipes

Ingredients
2 cups grated coconut
¾ cup evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 oz. butter
2 tbs lemon rind

Directions
In a 2-quart saucepan combine coconut, evaporated milk, and sugar. Simmer gently until soft ball is formed in cold water. Add butter and lemon rind. Cool to room temperature in the pan. Beat as you would fudge until thick and glossy. Pour into a square (8 x 8-inch) pan lined with wax paper. Chill and cut into 1-inch squares. Serve with ice cream and a sprig of mint.

Wine served

Beer Served

Feliz Navidad!

Happy Holidays friends. This week was Jason’s turn. For his first turn he made a soup night first, Fish Soup. Fish Soup with a Latin influence. It was excellent.

Menu

Brie and Pear Quesadillas
Red Chile Seafood Soup
Sugar Cookies and Egg Nog

Brie and Pear Quesadillas

Ingredients

butter

tortillas

brie

shredded mozzarella

pears

Directions

Slice brie and pears into thin slices. Butter Tortillas. Place brie, mozzarella, and pears on a tortilla. 

Place another tortilla on top, making a sandwich. Toast quesadilla in a medium skillet, until cheese is melted. Cute like a pizza and serve hot.

Red Chile Seafood Soup 

serves 12

*adapted from Rick Bayless

Ingredient

4 tbs olive oil

6 guajillo chiles

2 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted flavor)

4 garlic cloves

12 cups chicken or fish broth

8 medium yukon gold potatoes (each cut into 8 pieces)

4 large sprigs fresh epazote

3 tsp salt

2 pounds mussels (scrubbed and debearded)

2 pounds raw catfish cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup chopped cilantro 

lime wedges

Directions
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in soup pot over medium. Add 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into large pieces and stir fry until they have changed color slightly and are very toasty (30 seconds to a minute) don't over toast the chiles or the soup will be bitter. Scoop up the chiles and transfer to a blender. Pour diced tomatoes in juice into the blender

Add 4 garlic cloves peeled to the soup pot and cook over medium, stirring frequently, until golden (about 7 minutes). Transfer the garlic to the blender and process until smooth. Set a medium mesh strainer over the pot and work the tomato-chile mixture through it (be patient!). Return the pot to medium high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until thick about 6 minutes

Add 12 cups of broth, potatoes, and epazote. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes). Add 3 teaspoons salt.

 

Just before serving raise the heat to medium high and add mussels and catfish. Boil briskly until the bivalves have opened (usually about 4 minutes). Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Sugar Cookies
Makes 18 cookies
*adapted from Real simple

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the cookies
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and (unless otherwise specified in an individual recipe) refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Heat oven to 350° F. On a floured surface, roll out each disk ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes and place on parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until firm.

Bake until just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Decorate with Frosting (see recipe below) and sprinkles.

Frosting
Milk
Butter
Powdered sugar
Food Coloring

In a mixing bowl add a generous amount powdered sugar. Add a small amount of milk and butter and mix using a mixer. Add more milk and butter until you get your desired thickness. Separate frosting into bowls. Then use a few drops of food coloring to create different colors.

Egg Nog
Serves 6
*adapted from Martha stewart

ingredients
4 cups milk
1 1/3 cups sugar
12 large egg yolks
1/2 cup bourbon, (optional)
1 cup chilled heavy cream
cinnamon and all spice or nutmeg

Directions
In medium saucepan, whisk milk and sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Whisking constantly, pour hot mixture into yolks in a slow and steady stream.

Return mixture to pan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, 20 to 25 minutes; do not let simmer. Quickly strain into a bowl. Stir in bourbon, if desired, and cream. Cool completely; cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with spices

Beer Served

Wine Served

Coffee and Baileys