Tomato & Smoked Shellfish Soup (Trina)

Tomato & Smoked Shellfish Soup

Recipe from 1 Stock, 100 Soups

by Linda Doeser

Recipe 75

You can find this recipe on page 168 of this wonderful cookbook

about taking 1 basic recipe and making 100 kinds of soup

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Basic Vegetable Stock

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Shallot

Sherry Vinegar

Sugar

Dijon Mustard

Tabasco Sauce

Smoked Oysters or Smoked Mussels

Salt and Pepper

Croutons, to serve

Serves 6

This soup was fairly simple to make. All you do is chop up the veggies and mix in a large bowl with the stock and the other ingredients.

I didn't have time to peel and seed fresh tomatoes, so I used some diced canned tomatoes.  I was also out of dijon mustard, so I substituted a yummy roasted red pepper one.  Add salt and pepper to taste and mix it together.

I have never dealt with smoked oysters before.  I have eaten the oysters that come in a regular can, and I dip them in egg and flour and fry them at Christmas.  However, these oysters in a tin were a little different.  I get a little weirded out by cold shellfish.  I am easily bothered by textures when something is cold.  I rinsed the oysters and tried to remain optimistic. 

I mixed it all together and let it chill overnight.  I toasted some bread to make croutons, and when I was ready to serve, I chopped them up and put some on top of my soup.  It looked kind of pretty.  I really, really, tried to like this soup, but I just couldn't do it. I am not having the best luck with cold soups.  Maybe I am not a cold soup kind of gal.  So I don't get discouraged, my next one will be a hot soup with no shellfish!  And, if you are not as neurotic as me, you may like this soup.  I just get weird about things.  Anyways,

Happy Cooking!

Peach Freezer Jam (Jenn)

Peach Freezer Jam

Recipe 4 from Farm to Fork

By: Emeril Lagasse

You can find this recipe on page 303

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

2 3/4 cups finely chopped peeled and pitted ripe peaches (about 2 1/4 pounds)

6 1/2 cups of sugar

2 pouches (1box) liquid fruit pectin

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 vanilla bean

I am using Heirloom Fay Elberta Peaches! These Peaches are from a local farm.  They were purchased from Chaffin Family Orchards . Check them out!

They are very yummy and super juicy.

Combine Peaches and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.

Smash your peaches to a consistency you will like.

Add other ingredients and stir. Make sure mixture is not grainy.

Spoon jam into jars. The color is so incredibly pretty! It smells so delicious.

Cover the jars and let stand for 24 hours at room temperature to set.

You may store the jam for 3 weeks in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer.

Makes 8 half pint jars. I made a double batch and did many different size jars.

I will be using some of my jam for cookies at Christmas.

  

Cucumber Shrimp Soup (Trina)

Cucumber Shrimp Soup

Recipe from 1 Stock, 100 Soups

by Linda Doeser

Recipe 74

You can find this recipe on page 166 of this wonderful cookbook

about taking 1 basic recipe and making 100 kinds of soup

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Basic Vegetable Stock

Cucumbers

Scallions

Fresh Dill

Cornstarch

Water

Green Food Coloring

Peeled Cooked Shrimp

Light Cream

Salt and Pepper

Serves 6 

This was my first soup from the book since making the stock.  I was a little nervous because it is a cold soup, and I wasn't sure how I'd like it.  However, I am trying to make the soups that have seasonal ingredients right now, and I have plenty of cucumbers outside.  I don't think I have ever peeled a cucumber before...it makes them look kind of funny.  The scallions and dill were also from my garden. 

All the veggies get simmered in the soup stock.  I used dried dill because it was late and I didn't feel like fighting the mosquitoes and other various winged insects outside in the pitch dark.

After the veggies are done, I took them out and ran them through my food processor to make them smooth.  While the pot was vacant, I cooked the little shrimp.  When it was done, I put the shrimp on a plate, and  I returned the soup to the pot.

While the soup reheated, I mixed a paste of cornstarch and water, and then added the paste to the soup.  I stirred the mixture until the soup thickened, and then added salt and pepper to taste.  At this point I added the shrimp back in.

Then, you should cool the soup for at least 4 hours.  I did mine overnight so I could eat it today.  I should mention that I knew I would be the only one home to eat the soup, so I halved the recipe, so yes, it does look like a smaller amount.  When you are ready to serve, add a whirl of light cream and enjoy cold!  Have you ever made cold soups? 

Happy Cooking!

Kosher-Style Dill Pickles (Jenn)

KOSHER-STYLE DILL PICKLES

Recipe 3 from Farm to Fork

By: Emeril Lagasse

You can find this recipe on page 294

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Fresh Pickling Cucumbers

 Sprigs of Fresh Dill/Dill Heads

Water

Distilled White Vinegar

Kosher Salt

Garlic Cloves

Bay Leaves

Dried Dill Weed or Dill Seeds

Black Peppercorns

Fennel Seeds

I slice my Cucumbers and soak them for a few hours in an ice bath. This makes them a little crisper.

Get your jars ready. Make sure they are sterile.

Place the Dill Heads in the sterile jars.

Add the sliced cucumbers. Pack the jars with as many cucumbers as you can. While you are getting your jars ready, start the brine.

Add all the ingredients to a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. When the brine is complete add 3 of the garlic cloves  from the brine to each jar. Then add the brine to each jar. Seal the jars and let sit out for one hour. Then refrigerate.

You know have wonderful refrigerator Kosher Dill Pickles.

 Cold and Crispy Garlicky pickle slices.

These pickles will last 3 months in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 pints 

Basic Vegetable Stock (Trina)

Basic Vegetable Stock

 Recipe from 1 Stock, 100 Soups

by Linda Doeser

You can find this recipe on page 10 of this wonderful cookbook about

taking 1 basic recipe and making 100 kinds of soup

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Sunflower Oil 

Onion

Leeks

Celery

Potato

Carrots

Parsnips

Turnip

Bay Leaves

Parsley

White Wine

Makes 4 cups 

This stock is the basic recipe from which all the soups in the book are based.  I followed it pretty closely the first time.  I did not include turnips because I am kind of burned out on those after the spring harvest.  First I chopped the potatoes, onions, and celery.  You can see them simmering in the pot.

After the first veggies are softened, in go the root vegetables.  Next is the bay leaves, parsley, and white wine.  I love the smell of the wine cooking off the veggies.  When the alcohol has evaporated, add water and bring to a boil.  Then you are going to let the stock simmer for over an hour.

It looks and smells fantastic.  I had to switch to a larger pot after this picture because I tripled the recipe.  I wanted to make enough to make 3 recipes off one batch.  Not all of the recipes take the same amount of stock, so I had to look ahead and add up how much the first 3 soups I wanted to make needed. 

After the soup has simmered, I put it through a strainer.  I pressed gently on the back of the veggies with a spoon to get as much broth out as possible.  Look at the beautiful golden color of the broth!

After it cooled off, I put it into glass jars with these neat plastic twist on caps. They are reusable and can be used in the freezer.  I think they are neat for when you make something and can most of it, but keep on for the fridge. Unfortunately, I think I let mine simmer too much over the hour, and it evaporated too much of the water.  I was hoping for 12 cups but only got 9 cups.  Next time I won't cook it so long, or I'll add more water.

This stock can be adapted to use the veggies you have on hand in your garden or fridge.

Happy Cooking!

Roasted Tomato Tapenade (Jenn)

Roasted Tomato Tapenade

Recipe 2 from Farm to Fork

By: Emeril Lagasse

You can find this recipe on page84

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Tomato's

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Sprigs of Thyme

Sprigs of Rosemary

Sprigs of Marjoram

Garlic

Red Wine Vinegar

Kalamata Olives

You will need a glass dish for roasting the tomato's in. Add the tomato's cut into quarters, Olive oil, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.

Arrange the herb sprigs into a shallow baking dish. Add the tomato's and add a little of the garlic to each of the tomato's.

Make sure after you add the garlic, you flip the tomato's over with the tomato skins up. Cook for 20 minutes in a preheated oven of 450 degrees. Until the skins look crackly.

Remove the tomato's from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Place the tomato's and garlic on a cutting board and discard the herb sprigs. Chop the tomato's finely. Add remaining vinegar, oil and chopped olives to a glass dish with the tomato's and garlic. Cover and refrigerate  until ready to use. It lasts one week in the refrigerator .

I used the Tapenade on a crusty baguette. I also added a little Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish and a few basil leaves. You may also use on crackers or as a spread for vegetable type sandwiches or as a pasta sauce. 

This recipe made enough to be spread on 1 whole baguette. The flavors of the roasted tomato's and the Kalamata olives were fabulous. I thought the flavors would be to strong, but my family loved them.

This is a great appetizer to serve at a cocktail party!

Enjoy!

Cheesy Herbed Popovers (Jenn)

Cheesy Herbed Popovers

Recipe 1 from Farm to Fork 

By: Emeril Lagasse

You can find this recipe on page 6 of his wonderful cookbook about Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh

These are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Butter

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Eggs

Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Whole Milk

Heavy Cream

All-Purpose Flour

Fresh Chopped Mixed Herbs

Cheddar Cheese

Makes 12 Popovers

You will need a muffin tin to cook your Popovers in. Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano on the bottom. You then add the batter half way. Cheddar Cheese comes next, with the remaining batter covering the cheddar cheese. 

Excuse my messiness! I am definitely a messy cook! They still look great! Bake for about 15 minutes on 450 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees for another 10 minutes.

Fresh from the oven! They have a little puff at the top! Popovers smell so delicious as they cook!

They taste almost like a quiche, yet they are lighter and airy! My family loved this recipe! We will make these for breakfast when we are on the go! 

A popover is a light, hollow roll  made from an egg batter similar to that used in making Yorkshire Pudding. The name "popover" comes from the fact that the batter swells or "pops" over the top of the muffin tin while baking. 

Enjoy!