Cream of Asparagus Soup
20 03 2010
I had two pounds of asparagus sitting in my refrigerator and some homemade vegetable stock, so Voila, Cream of Asparagus soup. Also, I wanted to play with some flavored olive oils I have from EVOO marketplace in Denver to see what kind of hit flavor combinations I could create. Last night we splashed in oils like Persian Lime and Meyers Lemon as finishing touches. We stirred them in and ate right away. The flavors were subtle but distinguishable. We tried a stronger flavor like White Truffle, and found that it made a nice contrasting accent to the asparagus, especially if you like truffles. I was going for a more complimentary and blended flavor with the Persian Lime. So this morning, I whisked in a tablespoon of the Persian Lime oil into about 3 cups of leftover soup. I reheated it and then let it sit for a few hours. I have to say, the Lime flavor was more prevalent and was a wonderful accent to the asparagus. Just letting the soup absorb the flavor of the oil over time made a huge difference. Of course, this soup is fantastic even if you don’t have fancy specialty olive oils. This would make a wonderful starter to an Easter dinner.
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Tags: asparagus, EVOO oil
Categories : Soup
Exciting News about Olive Oils and Vinegars
18 03 2010I have a new culinary discovery about which I am so excited, I could not wait to blog about it. On March 6, I posted a blog about EVOO marketplace (see my link) and their fantastic olive oils and vinegars. Well, I really did not understand the value of my new discovery until now. Today I met with the owner, Mick Major, to discuss the possibility of my designing recipes for him using his products. The end result was he sent me home with 12 assorted oils and vinegars, and I began to play.
I made a panini sandwich for my son with Chipotle oil, turkey, mayonnaise and mustard. He loved the subtle smokiness of the chipotle and the little spice it added to his otherwise normal sandwich. For my husband, I created a vegetarian panini. First, I grilled some zucchini slices brushed with EVOO Garlic Oil and sprinkled with smoked sea salt and pepper. I spread some mayonnaise and garlic oil on the bread. Then put in some cheddar cheese, tomato slices and the grilled zucchini. I toasted the sandwich in my panini pan. Finally, I tossed some mixed baby greens with a mixture of EVOO’s Persian Lime oil and Peach Balsamic Vinegar. I put this in the sandwich right before serving. The flavors were amazing! I really think I am on to something! Read the rest of this entry »
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Categories : Uncategorized
Vegetable Pot Pie
17 03 2010
Whenever I look in my refrigerator and find a plethora of vegetables, I know it is time to make a vegetable pot pie. Use your favorite savory pie crust recipe. I use my recipe I learned in Paris. It is one I teach in my cooking classes because it is hard to describe the process to make it on paper. Making pastry is truly getting the feel for it. This recipe for Pot Pie is a little unusual because I add saffron to the sauce. It adds a little gourmet touch over the basic white sauce found in most pot pies. The other night, I experimented with throwing in some of the cooked vegetables from a Moroccan stew and they add a whole new dimension of flavor. Also, I did not have any fresh mushrooms so I soaked some dried shiitake and sliced them. I added some of the soaking mushroom broth to the sauce instead in addition to vegetable stock and omitted the cream. So the moral of the story is to experiment when making a pot pie. Any filling goes so look in your pantry and refrigerator and see what you can come up with. Please report back if you have a great success story.
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Tags: broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, Potatoes, squash, zucchini
Categories : Main Dish
Salt-Crusted Beets with Horseradish Sauce
17 03 2010
I found this recipe online and had to try it. I have seen fish cooked before in a salt crust to retain moisture, but I had never thought about roasting vegetables in a salt crust. Being curious, I had to experiment. I tried using a very coarse sea salt instead of kosher salt and I was not completely successful. I could not get the large crystals to stick to the beets. So I do recommend using kosher salt instead. Despite a partial failure, the beets still turned out moist and the horseradish, thyme and orange imparted a lovely flavor. My husband loved them. The first night I served them warm, sliced with the horseradish sauce. The next night I cut them up and used them in the Spaghetti with Greens and Beets recipe. Both ways worked great. These beets would also be lovely in a green salad.
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Tags: beets
Categories : salad, Vegetable side dish
Spaghetti with Beets and Greens and Garlic Chips
16 03 2010
Spaghetti with Greens and Beets
I had to use up some Swiss chard, beet greens and leftover roasted beets I had so I came up with this recipe. You could use any greens such as kale, spinach, or collard greens. I like a mixture of the hardy bitter greens and the tender greens like chard or spinach. This spaghetti turned such a beautiful pink color that even my boys commented on it. My husband’s comment was mainly “outstanding!”. If you don’t have roasted beets, you can omit them and just make it a spaghetti and greens recipe. You can drizzle oil over the beets and wrap individually in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour until tender. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: beets, garlic, Greens
Categories : Main Dish, pasta
Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Quinoa
14 03 2010
I love the flavors of Morocco, particularly a good tagine served over couscous. I saw this idea to use quinoa instead of couscous and I thought that would be great for people who are gluten-free. I discovered quinoa makes a perfect substitute. Remember, when making a stew, you can substitute any vegetables you have on hand. This stew also would have been good with some garbanzo beans in it. You can make it less spicy and then add harissa in, (a Moroccan chili paste), to your own liking. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: carrots, quinoa, squash
Categories : Main Dish
Tuna, Fennel, Avocado and Blood Orange Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
14 03 2010
I made this salad last night as the starter course to my meal. It makes a beautiful beginning to a dinner party. I discovered that my son really loves gourmet composed salads like this and the smoked trout salad I made last week. I will have to get more creative with salads in the future. I made this dish to use up a whole bunch of blood oranges I received in my weekly delivery of organic produce. This is also yummy with smoked salmon (hot smoked not cold) instead of the tuna. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: avocado, lettuce, oranges, tuna
Categories : salad
Enchilada Sauce
12 03 2010
This recipe goes nicely with the Tofu, Broccoli and Spinach Enchiladas. It is quick and easy to make using a commercial salsa.
½ onion
1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
3 cloves garlic
3 to 4 tablespoons commercial hot salsa
1 red bell pepper, charred, peeled, stemmed and seeded (optional)
1 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and buzz until smooth.
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Tags: garlic, tomatoes
Categories : Sauces/salsas, Southwestern/Mexican
Tofu, Spinach, Broccoli Enchiladas
12 03 2010
This is a wholesome enchilada recipe that is delicious made with either corn tortillas or whole wheat flour tortillas. I used the following Enchilada Sauce to cover but any salsa will work. This is great served with homemade guacamole and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt on top. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: spinach, tofu, tortillas
Categories : Main Dish, Southwestern/Mexican
Italian Salad Dressing
12 03 2010
This is an easy dressing that is delicious and will keep about 1 week in the refrigerator.
1 large tomato
1 clove garlic
¼ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh basil
½ tsp fresh oregano
½ tsp Celtic sea salt
In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
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Tags: garlic, tomatoes
Categories : dressings
Katherine
vegoutgourmet.com 