Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

Apologies dear food-blog followers for my slackness of posting.  It has been an incredibly hard year personally, and I kind of lost my mojo for a while there.  I have been busy with uni and other stressors, but I'm back to experimenting now!  I have another chicken and lentil recipe I'm going to try soon too, so keep an eye out for that!

Anyway, down to business.  We visited my mum's family last week, and my grandfather is a farmer by trade, who now lives in town.  This means he has a prolific vege garden, as he can't quite give up the land work!  He thus gave us a bag of leeks he'd grown, and I needed to do something with them.  

Insert genius idea here for leek and potato soup (which my parents incidentally also ate last night from the restaurant whose catering business I work for...).  I wanted to add in bacon too because we have some in the freezer and I love bacon (who doesn't!)... and here is the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp paprika
200g bacon
2 large leeks, white/light green parts, sliced thinly and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken stock, plus 2 cups water
2 medium potatoes, diced small
pepper and salt
1/2 cup cream
1 & 1/2 cups frozen peas (don't worry about thawing them)
1 tsp onion salt

METHOD

• Cook bacon in a large pan, until beginning to brown, then remove bacon onto a plate lined with a paper towel
•  Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, and toss in leeks and garlic
• Cover and cook until soft (around 5 min)
• Add stock plus water, potatoes, onion salt, salt and pepper to taste
• Cover and bring to a boil over high heat
• Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked, (around 10 min)
• (optional step) Puree half the soup in blender (leave out centre piece to allow steam to escape) then combine back in the pan
• Mash the soup gently (which I did because blending was a pain in the butt)
• Add cream and bring to a simmer
• Add peas and cook through, around 3 min
• Add bacon back in and serve

This was actually so easy to make!  It only took half an hour to cook (not counting prep).  The most time consuming part was cutting up the leek!!  And it turned out super delicious, so I'm really happy with it.  The peas and bacon just made it extra amazing!!!

Of course, you can alter it to make it vegetarian, just use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and no bacon! :)   

We had it with grainy bread and butter.  A good meal on a cold spring night (YES it's the second day of spring already!  CRAZY!)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/potato-leek-soup-with-bacon-recipe/index.html

Modified Minestrone

We won a hamper thing in a raffle, and in it were some things my family doesn't ordinarily keep in our pantry... including a can of pink salmon, and some cannelini beans.  I used up the pink salmon by mixing it with cream cheese and spreading it on crackers, which was nice for the first few mouthfuls but then go too creamy and sickly for me.

But the beans stumped me.  I didn't know what to do with them.  Then I saw Rachael Ray put them in a soup.  And I was like "hey, minestrone!"  So following Jamie Olivers basic minestrone recipe, I kind of altered it to include the random ingredients in our pantry.

Unfortunately I was slack on this one and didn't take photos (because I didn't intend to write about it really) so you'll just have to use your imagination... picture a tomatoey soup with lots of bits in it including potato, beans and pasta.... om nom nom...

INGREDIENTS
1 x400g can whole or chopped tomatoes
1 x400g can rinsed cannelini beans
4 cups chicken stock
diced ham (around 200g)
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 capsicum (bell pepper), diced
1 potato, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup small pasta
1 small tsp crushed garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp onion salt (if you have it)
1 tbsp BBQ sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (more or less depending on your tolerance)
1/2 cup grated cheese (ideally parmesan, but I didn't have any, so used Edam & Tasty - just as yum!)

sliced fresh bread to mop up soupyness

METHOD

• Heat pan with oil, and add ham, onion, garlic, carrot, capsicum, bay leaf and oregano
• Cook until veges are soft
• Add everything else except the pasta
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes
• 10 minutes before serving, add in the pasta
• Test the pasta to make sure it's cooked before serving, and taste constantly to adjust seasoning
• If the soup is too thick after the pasta is cooked, it can be thinned out with some more stock, or water
• Serve immediately with fresh bread

Seriously, I know it seems like a lot of ingredients, but it's so delicious, and really quite easy because most things all go in together.  Was delicious on a cold autumn night! :)

Homemade Hummus

Recently, I spent the weekend down in Christchurch/Timaru for my cousins engagement party, which was a lot of fun.  While I was there, my other cousin, who is very healthy and inspirational in her dedication to exercise (most unlike me... perhaps that doesn't run in the family haha), and I got talking about food, and cooking and such.

The topic of healthy snacks came up, and I'm trying to be healthier at the moment for various reasons.  We talked about hummus, and how it was a great snack, with crackers, and carrot sticks, and other vegetables in stick form.  I complained that hummus is sooooooooo expensive and my parents (who I still live with) would never buy it regularly in the groceries because it is a "luxury good".

Then she goes "why don't you make some?".  LIGHT-BULB MOMENT! We already had some dried chickpeas at home from the bulk bins (MILES cheaper than the canned ones in brine), and all I needed was tahini paste (sesame seed paste stuff).  Everything else we pretty much had already!  Including a food processor that isn't used much... so yay!  A use for it!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried chickpeas (makes [supposedly] 2 cups of hydrated chickpeas)
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice (or less, to taste)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (or about 1/2 tsp pre-crushed garlic)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (although go lightly on this actually... it's stronger than I thought!)
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of water
parsley and olive oil to garnish


METHOD

• Soak chickpeas in lots of water in a large jug/bowl overnight, changing the water once or twice if you can
• Drain, then bring chickpeas to boil in a large pot with lots of water and a dash of salt
• Simmer for 30 mins
• Drain and let them cool, but try to make the hummus while they are still warm - apparently it blends better :)
• Put all the ingredients into the food processor (or blender) except chickpeas, oil and parsley
• Pulse/blend for approx 5 seconds to mix
• Add chickpeas
• Blend until it is the consistency you want - people usually go for a 'sour cream' thickness
• Taste and season accordingly
• Transfer to a serving bowl
• Chill in the fridge for a few hours/overnight
• Eat!

 So with this recipe, I learned about cayenne pepper.  And how much NOT to put in haha.  It came out very spicy.  Mum and Dad liked it a lot, so they ate it, and I also pawned some off to my friend... I hope she liked it... I haven't heard from her though... oh dear.  Sophie I'm sorry if the spicyness was too much, but I did write the warning in the status on FB asking if anyone wanted some really spicy hummus! ;)

I'm definitely making it again, cos it's relatively simple, and dried chickpeas from the bulk bins are really cheap... definitely cheaper than buying ready made stuff.  The only other cost was the tahini paste, but now that I spent NZ$8 on the jar, it'll last many hummus' to come.  :)

I'm really looking forward to playing with flavours.  I know they do pumpkin and kumara (sweet potato for non-NZ followers) from the brand I like, so I might try recreating it!  Watch this space!

ALSO: This recipe makes A LOT.  Great for if you're having a party.  If I was to make it again, I'd halve all the measurements.

Recipe Inspiration:  http://greekfood.about.com/od/appetizerssalads/r/hummustahini.htm

Curried Lentil Soup

Ok so I've been slack since being back at university and haven't had much of a chance to try my recipes, but I did manage to make this one a few weeks ago!  I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it until now!!  Plus I'm a procrastinator haha.  Took my time.

Anyway, I have a thing with lentils at the moment.  Curry and lentils, just so satisfying.  Love it.  I wanted to try this soup, and we'd had a leek in the fridge to use for a wee while (something we don't normally have in our vege drawer) so I made this on a Monday (I don't have class on a Monday, so I'm able to cook because I'm home!) for meat-less Monday!

INGREDIENT

4 cups water

2 chicken stock cubes

2 medium potatoes

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)

1 & 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

2 medium/large carrots

1 large onion

1 big leek

1 cup dried lentil

2 garlic cloves

4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

dried thyme

pepper

salt

METHOD

 

• Wash and finely mince the leek (cut into quarters lengthwise, fan the leaves apart and run under water to clean)
• Peel and finely mince carrots and onions.  Grate the garlic cloves. 
• Heat 2 tbsp oil and cook onions and carrots for about 5 mins
• Meanwhile you've got 5 min to peel and mince the potatoes
• Once the onions are 'sweating', add the leek and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes
• Add 4 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 & 1/2 tbsp tomato paste, and cook for 1 more minute
• Add the cubed potatoes, lentils, diced tomatoes, water, chicken stock cubes, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and some dried thyme to taste.
• Stir well and bring to the boil
• Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes until lentils and vegetables are well done
• Check the seasoning, and serve!

This soup was delicious and warm and comforting.  Loved it!  Served it with roti, and it was just like being back in Malaysia.  Will definitely be making this one again!!!! :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/curried-lentil-soup

Tender Beef Brisket

I've been putting off writing about the brisket I made, and I'm not entirely sure why.  I think I'm getting a bit tired of writing.  Not tired of cooking, just the writing bit.  It takes me about half an hour to do each post, and I've been too busy cooking to sit down and write about it! ;)  Plus, I often write when the TV is on in the background etc. and I've been finding that way too hard... so I need to make time to sit down without TV, just with some good music playing softly so I can concentrate on what I'm saying.  Otherwise it's all jumbled and can easily not make sense!!

Anyway, back to the food.  Brisket is a cut of beef (from the neck, I believe) where there is a lot of marbling in the meat, so you have to cook it looong and sloooow so that it melts the marbling stuff and the meat falls apart.  I've mostly associated brisket with Jewish cooking in the past, and I've never cooked it before and had no idea where to start.  I think this Jewish stereotype comes from The Big Bang Theory possibly, where Howard's mom is legendary for her brisket.

I searched on Pinterest for brisket recipes, and came up with two possibilities I could use.  First was one that used an entire bottle of ketchup mixed with a packet of onion soup, and baked slowly for 4 hours.  The second one is the one I used.  I chose it because I liked that it used a range of ingredients (while still being simple), and I didn't trust the simplicity of the first one.

INGREDIENTS

1 brisket (we used 1.1kg, which is smaller than the original recipe suggested, but it was still good - lots of sauce!  They said around 1.8kg)

2 large onions

2 medium carrots

10 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole

2 cups tomato juice

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

salt and pepper

baking paper and tin foil

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
• Season the brisket with salt and pepper and place in a LARGE glass/ceramic oven proof dish (9x13 size, the original recipe suggests)
• Top with diced onion, carrots, and garlic cloves, and sprinkle with some more salt and pepper
• Pour over tomato juice, beef stock and wine, making sure it comes up at least halfway on the brisket; if not, add some more broth(the size we used was small, the sauce covered the whole thing! LOL)
• Cover with a rectangle of baking paper that sits just inside the edges of the pan
• Cover the dish tightly with tin foil
• Put in the oven and leave for 3 & 1/2 to 4 hours
• Remove from the oven and take off the covers carefully (watch out - the sauce bubbles madly!)
• Use tongs/fork to make sure the meat is tender (it will come apart easily along the grain of the meat if it is!), and cut into 4 or 5 manageable chunks (if brisket was whole to begin with) and let cool slightly
• Pour the sauce into a saucepan and cook at a high simmer for 5 - 10 mins over medium-high heat, to cook off any remaining alcohol, and to reduce and thicken the sauce for more concentrated flavours, stirring occasionally
• Mix 3 tablespoons cornflour with 3 tablespoons cold water, and add to the sauce to thicken more if necessary
• Put the sauce and brisket back together, and serve!

So this turned out like a casserole, and it was delicious.  We ate it with potato bake and steamed green vegetables - broccoli and peas.  In the sauce, the wine wasn't overpowering or anything, and the garlic cloves were like little nuggets of gold hidden among the meat!  The onion and carrot was a nice change in texture, and the meat itself melted in my mouth.  Delicious!  Going to make this again if we ever get another cheap cut of brisket!!

Recipe Inspiration: http://tummyrumblr.tumblr.com/post/4988668577/pimpin-aint-easy

Creamy Garlic Pasta

This was one of the first recipes I found to try when I decided to embark on my culinary adventure, because I was looking for something easy and different to do with pasta that didn't involve tomato (as all my pasta sauces seem to!), and I was thrilled to find this creamy sauce which doesn't need cream (because we don't keep cream on hand all the time!).  However, it's taken me this long to feel like making it.  I don't know why, I just haven't felt like it up until now.  

Today I was keen for a big bowl of fettucine, and for once we had fresh garlic on hand (rather than crushed garlic from a jar!) so I got to use that too.  Mum said she's kinda over curry (I haven't made it that much so far!) so didn't want leftovers from last nights spinach, kumara and lentil dahl.  So I decided that being a chilly pre-Autumn day, comforting creamy pasta would be a winner for lunch! :)  And it was SO EASY!!!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter/oil/margarine

2 garlic cloved, minced

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 pack of pasta, cooked according to directions - I used about 500g (dry) of fettucine

grated cheese to top

METHOD

• Cook pasta according to packet directions (takes about the same amount of time as cooking the sauce!)
• Melt butter and add garlic in a medium saucepan and cook on medium for 1 minute
• Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly
• Stir in stock and milk, and cook stirring frequently until sauce boils and thickens
• Add parsley, salt, pepper and cheese
• Stir until cheese is melted
• Toss hot pasta with sauce and serve immediately, topping with more cheese if desired

This turned out really well, if not a little dry (possibly because I used almost twice as much pasta as the original recipe suggested - oops!  If you prefer your pasta saucy, either halve the pasta, or double the sauce ingredients!).  But it was nice, not too creamy, not heavy, and packing a mean garlic punch!!!  I will definitely make this again, although in future I will possibly make my own adjustments to it, and maybe throw in some onions and vegetables for a more balanced meal.

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-garlic-penne-pasta-43023