Butternut Squash Soup

I love soup. Soup is a hearty, one-dish meal suitable for any occasion, especially in colder weather. One of my wife's favorites is Butternut Squash Soup.


                           Butternut Squash Soup


5 butternut squash
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cartons chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbl. spoons butter
2 tsps. dried thyme
2 tsps. pumpkin spice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. white pepper


To peel butternut squash, divide long top from rounded bottom. Peel like a cantaloupe, from top to bottom, with a paring knife. Slice bottom in half, remove seeds, and dice into smaller cubes. Dice upper portion the same way.

In a soup pot, melt butter on medium-high heat. Saute onions until soft. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add squash and stock.

Cook 1 hour until squash is soft. Buzz soup with blender stick until creamy. (For really satiny soup, strain through a sieve to remove pulp). Add thyme, pumpkin spice, salt, and pepper. If too thick, add additional water or chicken stock. Cook twenty minutes on low heat.

When reheated, additional stock may be needed to thin out cold soup.

Top with maple cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

                                    
                                     Maple Cream

1 cup whipped cream (Bought or hand whipped)
2 tbl. spoon maple syrup

Mix thoroughly.

 

Yukon Gold Potato-Basil Soup

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy a hot bowl of soup. If, like me, potatoes are your comfort food, then there's nothing better than potato soup, unless it's Yukon Gold Potato-Basil Soup.


                  Yukon Gold Potato-Basil Soup

6 large, Yukon Gold potatoes, chunked not peeled
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 boxes or three cans chicken stock
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces butter
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsps salt  (Salt to taste if more needed)
1/2 tsp hot sauce

Wash and dice potatoes, peel and small dice carrots, and fine dice onion. heat stock pot to medium, add half the butter and sauté onions and carrots until onions wilted (3-4 minutes).  Add potatoes and stock. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Reduce heat and buzz potatoes. Leave slightly chunky, but you want a good thick soup.

Add salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer soup for 30 minutes. Add heavy cream and remainder of butter. Stir in hot sauce. Serve with shredded cheese or sour cream topping. I usually serve with cornbread muffins.

Each time you reheat, additional stock will be required.

Slow Cooker Chicken-Corn Chowder

It's beginning to cool off outside, a perfect time for soups and chowders. One of my favorites is Slow Cooker Chicken-Corn Chowder. It's quick , easy, and delicious.



                     Slow Cooker Chicken-Corn Chowder

1 chicken breast, medium diced
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2 medium potatoes, peeled and small diced
1/4 cup small diced white onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Anaheim peppers, small diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil


Add chicken, corn, potatoes, soup, stock, peppers, and onion to slow cooker. Add only HALF of salt, pepper and spices. retain other half for later. Set to Low and cook 4 hours. Add cream and remainder of spices and cook 1 hour longer.

(Anaheim peppers are not hot, but flavorful. I add 2-3 shakes of hot sauce or a dash of cayenne pepper for additional heat.)

English Cottage Pie

Let's go British for today. A quick and easy meal is Cottage Pie. The British use beef or kidney. I prefer ground beef.



                                   English Cottage Pie


1# lean ground beef
1 small white onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 Tbl spoons A.P. Flour
2 Tbl spoons dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. cinnamon (Optional)
2 Tbl spoons fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 Tbl spoon tomato paste
S/P to taste

Sauté ground beef over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrots and for 5 more minutes, and then add herbs and flour. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mix beef broth and tomato paste. Add the ground beef mixture. reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture into a 9-inch pie pan.

Potato Crust

(Instant potatoes will suffice instead of hand-mashed, but hand-mashed are tastier.)
4 potatoes, peeled and diced 
1/4 cup butter or margarine.
3/4 cup milk
s/p to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot, boil potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain, mash and add butter and milk, Salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over meat pie mixture. Cover with shredded cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Grilled Flank Steak Sandwiches

Summer grilling is the perfect opportunity to connect with friends and family, but there is no need to spend hours grilling or break the bank cooking out. Sandwiches are great for conversation. Guests aren't tied to the table. Grilled potatoes make an excellent side dish. This recipe is quick, easy, inexpensive, and satisfying.



                         Grilled Flank Steak Sandwiches



2# flank steak (should make 6 sandwiches)

Marinade mix

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbl. spoon brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Mix ingredients in plastic baggie. Add steak and marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour. Remove steak.

On medium-high grill, cook steak ten minutes on one side and six on the other side. let stand ten minutes before slicing. Slice thinly against the grain using a bias cut that exposes the inside of the steak.

While grilling steaks, wrap 3 garlic cloves in aluminum foil. Grill with steaks. Allow to cool.


Grilled Potatoes

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin, peeling on
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbl spoon fresh rosemary
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsps. salt

Bring 6 qts, water to a boil, add sliced potatoes. Cook for two (2) minutes. Allow potatoes to cool. (Can be prepared ahead of time). Toss slice potatoes in the seasoned olive oil mixture. Allow to drain. Spread out potatoes on grill. Grill for three (3) minutes on one side.


Sandwich Spread

1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 roasted garlic cloves cooked with steak, mashed and minced

Mix ingredients.

Garnish

4 large tomatoes, sliced
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, shredded

Use whatever bun or sandwich roll you prefer. Brush with olive oil and lay face down on grill until warm. Spread with Sandwich spread, add meat, sliced tomato, and lettuce.

Tortellini with Gorgonzola Sauce

This past weekend I made an easy pasta and cheese dish that received a lot of nice reviews. Tortellini with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce is a hearty meal that can be served alone or as a side dish with a meat dish.





                       Cheese Tortellini with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce

1 pkg. cheese tortellini (Fresh or frozen If frozen, allow to thaw before cooking.)
1 tsp olive oil
1 qt. heavy cream
1 tbl spoon butter
1 tbl spoon flour
5 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
4 oz  Parmesan cheese
1 tbl spoon chopped fresh basil
salt/pepper to taste



In a heavy pot, heat butter on med-high heat and add flour. Stir until mixed. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add heavy cream slowly, stirring to reduce lumps. Allow cream to simmer for 20 minutes to reduce and to cook flour in roux. Whisk occasionally.

Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, and add both cheeses slowly while stirring to prevent curdling. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring 4 qts. water to a boil. Add 2 tsps. salt and 1 tsp olive oil. Add tortellini. Cook until pasta floats. Remove from pan and drain to eliminate moisture. Add to sauce and mix.

Ladle onto plate and sprinkle with chopped basil to serve. To reheat leftovers, add 1/4 cup milk or heavy cream and heat slowly.

Easy-As-Pie Greek Pasta

Sometimes you need a break from the same old boring Italian dishes (Not to knock Italian food - I love it). Try this easy Greek pasta dish to shake up your taste buds.


                                                  
                                          Easy-As-Pie Greek Pasta

4 Greek sausages, sliced (Freeze sausages for 30 minutes to make slicing easier)
12 oz. penne or fusilli pasta
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup Feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup diced fennel
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbl spoons olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt/pepper to taste

Cook pasta per instructions (Usually 4 quarts boiling, salted water)
Preheat oven to 350.
In an oven-proof sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook sausage until almost done (about 15 minutes). Add onions, peppers, zucchini, fennel. Cook until onions soften (about 5 minutes). Add garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add olives, tomatoes, herbs and pepper flakes.

Reduce heat to medium and slowly stir in tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Add drained, cooked pasta and stir in. Cover with crumbled Feta cheese and place in oven until cheese melts and sauce thickens. (10 minutes)

Serves 4.
Serve with warm garlic bread. Try it with a nice Greek red wine. You can try Ouzo, but be prepared for a kick.