The Soup of the Union

Even with the state of the union, the souperstars still made time for soup. This week Kaitlin hosted soup night. She put together a great fruit inspired menu, with pomegranate, apricots, and blood oranges. I don’t know about you, but when I hear pomegranates, I always think of the Greek myth of Persephone, how eating pomegranate seeds sealed her fate as queen of the Underworld, and also explains the turning of the seasons. I wish the seasons would turn a little faster. Chicago has been brutal.

Menu
Kale and Pomegranate Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Armenian Apricot Lentil Soup
Blood Orange Tart


Kale and Pomegranate Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Serves 4
*adapted from 101 cookbooks

Ingredients
8 oz. whole grain linguine
2/3 cup pistachios, toasted

1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
 (Save a couple large kale leaves to garnish your serving platter)
1 pomegranate, just the seeds

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you are waiting, break the pasta into 1 1/2-inch segments and make the pistachio sauce by pureeing 1/3 cup of the pistachios, garlic, salt and olive oil with a food processor. Set aside.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously and cook the pasta per package instructions - be careful not to overcook. At the very last second, add the kale to the pot of boiling water, and IMMEDIATELY drain the pot. You don't want to overcook the kale to the point that it is listless. Run cold water over the pasta and kale, using your hand to work the cold water through the kale and pasta. Toss gently with a spoonful of the pistachio sauce and now spin the pasta and kale dry in a salad spinner to toss off any remaining water.

Just before serving, toss the pasta with a big spoonful of the pistachio sauce and 1/2 of the pomegranate seeds, taste and add a bit of salt if needed. Turn the pasta out onto a platter lined with a couple kale leaves (optional), and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and pistachios on top. Finish with another drizzle of the pistachio sauce if you like.

Armenian Apricot Lentil Soup
Serves 8-10
*adapted from 101 cookbooks

Ingredients
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tbs ground cumin

3 cups red lentils, rinsed

10 cups water

12 oz. dried apricots, chopped

salt

Directions
Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium heat, then stir in the onions and carrots. Sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and stir well. Decrease the heat, cover, and let the vegetables sweat for ten minutes.

Add the lentils and pour in enough of the water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for twenty minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Add more of the water as needed as the lentils soften and expand.

Remove from the heat, stir in the apricots and any remaining water, and season with salt. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Take care not to over salt this soup. The right amount will bring out the flavor of the apricots but leave the onions in the background. Garnish with almond slices. Serve hot.

Blood Orange Tart

*adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup plus
2 tbs granulated sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick plus 1 tbs unsalted butter, the stick cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

3 tbs ice water

8 to 10 blood oranges (about 5 oz each) [I only needed 7]

1 large egg yolk mixed with 2 tbs of water

Deep, Dark Salted Butter Caramel Sauce, for serving (recipe below)

Directions
In a food processor, pulse the 1 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the baking powder and salt. Add the stick of cold butter and pulse several times, just until it is the size of peas. Sprinkle the dough with the ice water and pulse just until moistened crumbs form. Turn the crumbs out onto a work surface, knead once or twice and pat the pastry into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to an 11-inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper–lined flat cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until chilled.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Thinly slice 2 of the oranges crosswise; remove the pits. Transfer the orange slices to a plate. Working over a sieve set over a bowl, cut in between the membranes of the remaining oranges, releasing the sections into the sieve. Remove the pits and gently shake out as much juice as possible without mashing the sections; you will need 1 cup of sections. Reserve the orange juice for another use.

Arrange the orange sections on the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the oranges. Using a paring knife, thinly slice the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the oranges. Fold up the pastry over the oranges, leaving most of the oranges uncovered. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Arrange the orange slices on top, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry all around. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on top. Freeze the tart until solid, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the tart directly from the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is deeply browned. Transfer the cookie sheet to a rack and let the tart cool for 30 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment paper onto the rack and let the tart cool completely. Serve with the Deep Dark Salted Butter Caramel Sauce (below).

Deep, Dark Salted Butter Caramel Sauce 
Makes about 1 1/3 cups of dessert sauce

Ingredients
1 cup sugar

6 tbs salted butter
1/2 cup plus two tbs heavy cream, at room temperature

Directions
Melt the sugar over medium to moderately high heat in a larger pot than you think you’ll need–at least two or three quarts, whisking or stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it heats evenly. Cook the liquefied sugar to a nice, dark copper color. Add the butter all at once and stir it in, before turning off the stove and pour in the heavy cream (The sauce will foam up quite a bit when you add it; this is why you want the larger pot.), whisking it until you get a smooth sauce.

You use it right away or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. Serve over everything.

Beer and Wine served

SOPA

This year I have really been trying to put out more butcher block recipes, because lets face it, meat is awesome. Well my carnivores on this installment I made a spicy chicken and quinoa soup. It turned out great. Enjoy!
















Spicy Chicken and Quinoa Soup
Serves 6
*adapted from Soup Chick

Ingredients
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, halved
2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

1/2 lb fresh arugala
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

1 lime, juiced
1 large jalapeño chile, minced include seeds
1 red pepper, chopped

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 scallions, white and green parts, finely diced
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Corn Tortillas, toasted in oven with olive oil

Garnish
Avocado, cubed
Cilantro
Goat Cheese (queso fresca is another option, but I was out. In the end I really liked goat cheese)

Directions
In a stockpot over high heat combine the broth, chicken, bay leaves, and the halved garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Remove garlic and bay leaves and set the stock aside.

In another large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and minced garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the arugala, cilantro, chipotle peppers and jalapeño, cook for 5 minutes. Add lime juice. Add the strained stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to simmer, add the quinoa, red peppers and scallions, and cover. Simmer for 35 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, use two forks to shred the chicken. Pre heat oven to 375 and lay tortillas out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes. When the soup has cooked for the full time, uncover, add the chicken and black beans, and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Serve hot with toasted tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and goat cheese

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