Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Potato Soup

It's chilly out today. Not as chilly as it is further north, but for coastal North Carolina it's on the chilly side. It reminds me of soup or chili weather. Yummm!! Nothing like a pot of soup or chili simmering on the stove for a few hours. I chose a simple one for today. Homemade Potato Soup. With some cornbread or biscuits on the side, yummy, yummy!!

Potato Soup

8 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes, divided into half
2 ribs of celery, sliced
2 medium sized carrots, quartered and sliced
1 medium sized onion. diced
2 Bay leaves
1/8 Dried Thyme
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Water
Milk
Flour

Place half the potatoes, the celery, carrots, and onion in a large soup pot. Fill pan with water about 1 inch above the vegetables. Add 2 bay leaves and bring to a gently boil. Turn down and add thyme, sea salt and pepper. Let slowly cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Add additional water if necessary, but never more than what covers the vegetables as they cook.

In a separate pan cook the other half of the potatoes with a pinch of sea salt until fork tender. I cook these potatoes separate because in the cooking and thickening stage of the soup the potatoes get beat up and become small. This way, when the soup is the thickness I want it, I add the cooked potatoes and have big chunks to enjoy in the soup. If you don't care about little chunks of potato, skip this step and put all the potatoes in at the first step.

In a small bowl, put about 3/4 cup flour and add water to make a slurry. Bring soup back up to a boil and add about 2 cups of milk. When the soup is at a rolling boil, begin to slowly whisk in the flour slurry. As the soup thickens, be sure to lower the heat slightly so as not to scorch the bottom. Once the soup is at the desired thickness, reduce heat. This is where you add the potatoes that were cooked separately. Check the salt flavor of the soup. The addition of milk kills the saltiness, so a little more may be required. Let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve with a nice chunk of French bread.

Note: The starch content of potatoes designates how fast this soup will thicken. You may not use all the slurry mix or you may need to make a little more.

This is just a good old fashioned potato soup recipe. You can add things like bacon bits or cheddar cheese to give it some pop. The ideas are only limited by your imagination. :-)

Monday, November 17, 2008

A Wonderful Southern Tradition

Shrimp & Grits is a wonderful Southern tradition, initially served as a breakfast item. I love this twist on the traditional breakfast, giving it a nice elegant sauce suitable for brunch, lunch, or dinner. As a Chef, this was requested for many wedding receptions I catered.

Shrimp

2 pounds of 21-25 sized shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails off
1/8 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, cubed, dusted with flour
sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat a saute pan and add canola oil and garlic. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on shrimp and add to pan, cooking over medium heat. Cook until shrimp are done, adding butter cubes to finish it off.

Grits

Enough grits for 4 people, cooked according to directions on package (Here I am not going to specify what type of grits to use. Whatever your choice will work.)
Add two cubes of chicken bouillon to the cooking water.
Once grits have cooked, add to them 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound grated asiago cheese
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Dash of sea salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (Amount will vary depending on consistency of grits at this point. You want your shrimp to be able to sit up on top of the grits and not fall though.)

Tomato Rosemary Sauce

1 can (28 oz) dices tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep sprigs of rosemary intact and remove just before serving.

Spoon serving of grits into bowl and add shrimp. Ladle Tomato Sauce over the top for a delicious feast any time of the day.

Schoolhouse Cookies

Going through elementary school, I always loved it when the lunch menu noted that these cookies were going to be served that day. I can't remember what they were called then, I just call them "Schoolhouse Cookies". I don't believe they make them in school anymore.

Schoolhouse Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
3 cups oats
1/2 cup peanut butter

In large saucepan, combine butter, cocoa, milk and sugar. Start with the smaller amount of milk, and if the cookies are too dry in the second step, add a little heated milk. Bring this to a rolling boil for about a minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl measure in oats and peanut butter. Stir in cocoa mixture and mix thoroughly. Let cool slightly and then drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper. After they have completely cooled, store in airtight container to prevent drying out.