Monday, November 28, 2011

Curried Potato & Pea Soup

I found this recipe in a magazine at my MIL's house. We made it last night and it was delicious! I had it for breakfast and it was even better! I only made a few minor adjustments that I note:

Curried Potato & Pea Soup
makes 4 cups - 40 mins

Sweat in 2 Tbps unsalted butter
-8 oz yellow potatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced

Stir in
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- pinch of red pepper flakes

Add
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp sugar
-1 cup frozen peas
- Juice of 1/2 a lime (or two small)
- salt to taste

My changes were that we added extra potatoes and BEFORE adding the peas, we took the immersion blender and made the soup a bit chunkier. We didn't blend all of it, but enough to give it more body. Add the peas after that if you don't want them blended. Enjoy!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Turkey Pita

I had lunch with a friend the other day and she made the most delicious sandwiches. I rarely make myself a sandwich for lunch - lack of creativity, ingredients, time, etc...but this was so good it made me want to start trying.

It would be perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers, too.

Pita
Shaved turkey (or leftover roasted turkey)
Bean/alfalfa sprouts
Red grapes, halved
Feta cheese
Greek salad dressing

So, so yummy!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A Fall Soup

I got this recipe from my mother in law.  I haven't actually made it myself yet, but I've tasted it as she graciously made us a big pot of it this week.  The thing about this soup is that, in addition to being tasty, it is super filling especially for a soup.  My MIL got this from The Wall Street Journal but I don't see a title for the recipe on my copy.

2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 t fennel seeds, coarsely ground with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder
7 whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 - 2 lbs butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed yields about 5 1/4 cups
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 3/4 c chicken stock
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
2/3 c mascarpone cheese

In a medium pot set over low heat, heat 2 T olive oil with garlic and fennel seeds.  Squeeze tomatoes over the pot to break up the flesh and catch all the juices in the pot.  Cook over low heat stirring often for 8 minutes or until tomatoes begin to turn dark red.  Turn heat to medium-high and stir in squash and potatoes.  Add enough stock to just cover the veggies and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer covered for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to make just the veggies are just submerged.  Once veggies are tender, remove from the pot and mash with a potato masher.  Soup should be thick and creamy like risotto.  Ladle into bowls.  Garnish with Parmesan and a few dollops of mascarpone cheese and if desired some additional olive oil.