Mushroom "Clam" Chowder

 OK so Anne & I eat a lot of southwestern food. And who can complain? Burritos are delicious, and we're in the right region for it to feel authentic (even the vegan version). But when I saw this recipe, I thought it was worth trying for something New England-y...

Recipe

• 12 oz mushrooms, rough chopped
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 1 sheet sushi nori (we just used seaweed snacks...)
• 4 tbsp flour
• 4 c non-dairy milk (forget what we used - soy, almond, or oat...)
• optional: green onion tops, old bay seasoning

Boil the potatoes 5-10 minutes to give them a head start. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms and green onion, and add the potatoes when they're done. Shred the nori and in it goes, then the flour - stir it all up so everything's coated in flour. Add the milk & old bay and boil for 5 minutes, then simmer 5-10 until it's at the right consistency.

Notes

While I wasn't convinced I was eating authentic New England clam chowder, I was pretty happy with how this came out. It was a bit on the thick side, so might try less flour or cook time.

Vegan Mixed Veggie Flatbreads

This pizza is from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook and it came out BOMB. I used an Almond Flour pizza dough from Whole Foods but I also just noticed they have it on Amazon. It was sooooo yummy.

Ingredients:

Simple Mills Almond Flour Pizza Dough Mix (I got it at Whole Foods but Amazon has it too)
Olive Oil
6 baby potatoes (or 3 regular)
8 brussel sprouts
1 medium carrot (or a few baby carrots)
1 medium shallot (or onion)
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
1 can white beans/cannelini

himalayan crystal salt (or whatever salt- but the crystal salt is the least likely to be polluted and has the best minerals)
ground black pepper
fresh sage (i didn't have this and it was fine without- i just used some random other herbs like oregano)
microgreens (not necessary but nice)

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 425. Line a baking pan with foil/oil

2. Chop up all veggies and put on pan. Sprinkle with some red wine vinegar and salt and pepper (I went heavy on the red wine vinegar and it was gooooood)

3. Roast the veggies for like 15 mins.

4. While veggies cooking, make the dough according to package instructions. Take veggies out of oven, change temp to whatever it says on the pizza dough box. Put just the dough in for 10 mins/15 mins till lightly brown.

5. In a bowl, mash the cannelini beans and stir in sage or some other herbs and 2 tsp of water.

6. Take the pizza dough out. Spread the Cannelini bean mash on the pizza dough as if it was sauce. Then top with the veggies :) Put in oven for 20/25 minutes until the veggies are nice and roasted and the dough is done.

7. While flatbread is cooking, put 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar in a pan and heat to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 6 mins until it becomes syruppy. 

8. When pizzas are done, drizzle the balsamic glaze over them and top with the micro greens or something green!

Lentil Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

Found another veganized favorite to try out!

Recipe
Filling
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c carrot, diced
8 oz mushrooms, diced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 1/2 c dried lentils, soaked and drained
2 c veggie broth or water
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 c frozen peas

Potatoes
5 c potatoes, chopped (~5 potatoes)
1/2 c cashews
3/4 c water
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley

• Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium-low. Add the onion, garlic, carrot & mushroom, and season with salt, pepper, and the spices. Cook 8-10 minutes until soft.
• Add the lentils, broth, tomato paste, and other liquids, and simmer until lentils are cooked, ~20 minutes. Add the peas at the end.
• Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender, ~20 minutes.
• Also meanwhile, make your cashew cream by blending them with water.
• Drain and mash the potatoes, then mix in the other ingredients.
• Put the filling in an 8x12 baking dish, and top with mashed potatoes. Broil on high for 5-7 minutes.

Crockpot Garlic Parm Chicken

Once I realized this wasn't chicken parm, it looked like an interesting crockpot option.  From here, vaguely garbled via Reddit...

Recipe

2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
lots of grated Parmesan cheese
parsley, chopped
olive oil, salt & pepper

Heat 1/3 c or so of oil in a large skillet, season your chicken with salt & pepper, and sear golden-brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.

In your slow cooker, toss the potatoes with garlic, thyme, some parm, salt & pepper, and a couple tbsps of olive oil.  Chicken goes on top; feel free to toss more, and sprinkle with more garlic and cheese.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 8 hours.  Garnish with more cheese and parsley.

Notes

Browning the chicken takes away from some of the appeal of one-pot crockpot recipes.  But the crispy chicken skin is pretty worth it.

I bumped up the veggie / produce quotient a bit with the remainder of a bag of baby carrots and an onion.

Awesome garlic smell; not so awesome burned crust on my crockpot...

Sausage and Cabbage

The title sums it up pretty well, actually...  An unsurprisingly British dish courtesy of The New York Times...

Recipe

1 large cabbage (about 4 lbs, green or Savoy), cored and shredded
2 lbs Italian sausage
butter, salt & pepper

Boil the cabbage in salted water for about 3 minutes; drain and run under cold water.  Butter a baking dish (they recommend 9x13x2) and layer a third of the cabbage, then half the sausage.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with butter.  Repeat with another layer, then top with the rest of the cabbage (and more butter dots).  Cover the dish with parchment paper and tin foil and cook at 300 degrees for 2 hours.  If there's still a lot of liquid, uncover.  Cook another 30 minutes.

Notes

Easy enough!  The cabbage step got a little messy - that's a lot of ruffage to cut and boil (even at about half size)!  Could use a bigger baking dish too, but the old reliable one did the trick:

They recommend serving with crusty bread and mustard, but I found it goes really well over mashed potatoes!

Caldo Verde

It wasn't pretty, apparently - not even a shot on goal until extra time ?! - but Portugal beat Croatia to move on in Euro 2016.  My sympathies may have been more with the Croats, but it still felt like an appropriate occasion to try out a new Portuguese recipe from ATK:

Recipe

1/2 lb chorizo, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
2 c broth
2 c water
1/2 lb collard greens, chopped
1 tsp vinegar
olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper

Lightly brown the chorizo in some olive oil, then set aside.  Next, cook the onion, garlic, red pepper, salt & pepper for a few minutes, then add the potatoes, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Blend about 1/2 c solids and 1/2 c broth.  In your pot, add the collard greens and simmer about 10 minutes; re0add the chorizo and give it another 10.

Add a couple tbsp olive oil to the blender and process until smooth.  Stir into the soup with vinegar, and serve!

Notes

This actually turned out pretty similar to an old favorite: stewed collards and chorizo.  In a large part, it was because of my lack of a blender - I just mashed the potatoes at about that point of the recipe.  I also used ground chorizo instead of hard sausage - wonder how much of a difference that might make...  Texture aside, caldo verde adds potatoes for a bit more heartiness, but doesn't help the broth quite as much.  It made a couple solid dinners, but writing this, it's pretty clear I need to try again closer to the authentic recipe...

Ginger-Garlic Pot Roast

I may not have a bunch of kids (or really consider myself a foodie), but this Foodie with Family recipe looked right in my wheelhouse anyway:

Recipe

3-4 lb boneless chuck roast
2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
3" ginger root, cut in half and smashed
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
4 c beef or vegetable broth or stock
2 tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce
1-2 lb small red potatoes, halved
3 carrots, cut diagonally into 1" pieces
6 green onions, trimmed of root (didn't actually include these)
salt & pepper

Stage 1: Preheat the oven and high-heat the oil in an oven-safe dish with a lid.  Salt and pepper the roast, and brown the main sides a few minutes each.  Toss in the ginger and garlic, pour in the broth, and sprinkle the soy sauce over everything.  Lid on, put it in the oven.

Stage 2: Two hours later, add the potatoes, carrots, and onions; lid it and pop it back in the oven.

Stage 3: After another hour, you're done!  Well, if you want.  Remove the meat to a cutting board and scoop out the veggies (getting rid of the ginger).  You can serve over rice or noodles, sprinkle with pan juices (thickened if you want), more soy sauce, or sesame oil.  Eat.

Notes

It's probably just as well that I didn't try to do this in my tiny apartment, because the browning part was pretty aggressive and smoky.  The recipe said to let the roast sit for four minutes untouched on each side, but after like half that time the first side (top in the picture below) was already good to go.

I forgot the green onions/wasn't sure if they were the same as scallions and which of those were sitting in the fridge...  But I added a few from our bounty of apples, since apple-ginger is a thing, right?

My relatively small roast (2.8 lbs, I believe) came out pretty well-done, so it could use some pan juices to restore some moisture.  The flavors didn't penetrate the lump of meat as much as I might have hoped, but the potatoes and carrots more than made up for it - they were amazing (and the apples added a touch of sweetness)!

Overall, there's nothing very labor intensive; the hardest part is the anticipation.  The roasting ginger and garlic smell awesome!  And it makes a great, hearty meat & potatoes dinner (or for me, a few dinners).

Chicken Hash

Upstate cooking lab is in full swing.  Today's afternoon session was a nice Martha Stewart brunch option:

Recipe

1/2 a chicken breast, cut into 3/4" cubes
12 oz small red potatoes, boiled and quartered
2 ears-worth corn kernels
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, minced
4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c chicken (or veggie) stock
salt, pepper, evoo

Step zero is to get your potatoes boiling...  Heat a skillet up high.  The first thing in is your chicken; brown for a few minutes, then set aside.  Add a few tsps oil, then the potatoes go in until golden-brown, a few minutes, then set aside.  Add another tsp oil, then the corn, scallion, and jalapeno, just a couple minutes until the corn is dark brown in spots.  Next, add the tomatoes and cook a minute or so.  Then add the stock and chicken, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add the potatoes, and you're ready to go.

Notes

Martha's hash is a little upscale - you don't just plop things into a skillet one-by-one (or all at once) - you'll have some extra bowls to clean.  That said, this was a really nice one.  Everything browns up nicely to appropriate degrees...  I didn't follow the measurements too closely, eyeballing the amounts for pretty much everything.  Didn't effect the final product.  Fresh corn is a great element (I'm less of a tomato fan, but realize that's just me).  When I added the stock, whoosh it boiled almost immediately, but kept things from drying out too much.  All in all, Martha knows what she's doing.

Korvgryta

Pronunciation unclear, korvgryta is a Swedish sausage casserole.  Like other Scandinavian dishes, it's straightforward meat-and-potatoes; it may not be as tempting to poor Jansson, but that's a matter for a future post.  Here you go:

Recipe

1 lb sausage meat
2 onions, sliced
2 apples, sliced
4-5 potatoes, cooked and sliced

Start by boiling your potatoes.  Remove the sausage meat from the casings and brown in a heavy skillet.  Remove sausage but leave drippings; cook the onion.  Once they're golden brown and transparent, add the apple slices and cook briefly.  Butter a casserole dish and layer the potatoes, sausage, and onion/apple.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

Everything cooks separately, but it's the half-hour or so baking in the casserole that lets the flavors meld together wonderfully.  I don't think you have to be too selective with your choice of sausage; our jalapeno-cheddar added a nice spicy and (obviously) salty element to the mix.  The original recipe said it made four servings; we one-and-a-halved everything, and it stuffed four people nicely with a little left over.

Not much green in the recipe, so it needs a side for a well-rounded meal:

Sjomansbiff

I assume that translates from the Norwegian roughly to "sea-man's beef"; according to the newly-inherited 70's-vintage Scandinavian cookbook, it's Norwegian sailor's stew.

Recipe

1 1/2 lb round steak, cut into 8 thin slices
3 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, sliced
6-8 medium potatoes, sliced
1 pint light ale
salt & pepper

Heat a skillet with the butter and brown the steak slices.  Remove, then saute the onions, sprinkling with some salt and pepper.  In a larger saucepan, layer the meat, onions, and potatoes.  Pour over any pan drippings and the ale.  Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about an hour and a half.

Notes

From skimming through the Scandinavian recipes, I conclude that (perhaps outside of fish, which I didn't check as closely at first) the cuisine is less about distinctive seasonings and flavors, and more about hearty, Viking-approved meat and potato-type meals.

This one fits right into that category.  Beef, onions, potatoes, ale, and butter - not even playing around with any veggies.  In a way, it's a little frustrating to have the meat and onions close to done, and then put it all in a pot to sit for over an hour.  I'd recommend a tasty ale, since the potatoes especially pick up the flavor.  Not sure the exact way to slice the meat either - a slanted cut would make thinner slices but take up more space to brown...  I'll definitely play around with more of these recipes - and get a little more adventurous - but for now a simple start.

Peruvian Lomo Saltado Steak & Potato Stir-Fry

Thanks to the little bro, I got to try out a few meals via Plated. As for my review of the service...  The meals I tried were all pretty good, and (though I wasn't paying attention to the difficulty) simple enough to put together.  Somewhat surprisingly, the estimates (usually ~45 minutes) were right on point, where a lot of recipes tend to be overly optimistic. The variety of meals is excellent, with more than a half-dozen options, and always multiple ones that look good to me (e.g., not vegetarian).  Of the four I tried, two were great for a change from my regular style of cooking, while the other two I could easily see myself going back to.  First one below...  Ultimately, I won't stick with Plated.  I don't need a subscription - I have enough recipes I want to try on my own.  Plus, the amount of packaging seems wasteful, especially with ingredients like butter, soy sauce, or sriracha that I have plenty of.  A good experiment, though.  So, back on point, here's one recipe:

Recipe

10 oz (inside round) steak
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp aji amarillo (the one thing I'm not sure how to replicate post-Plated)
1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 red onion
1 green bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes
cilantro
1 cloves garlic
1/4 c red wine
1 packet soy sauce (a tsp maybe? will have to confirm)
oil, salt & pepper

Thinly slice the steak (1/4 inch slices) (against the grain), season with the spices and aji amarillo, and marinate for at least 10 minutes.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, cover with water and a pinch of salt, and boil until soft (at least like 5 minutes).  Slice the onion (thinly), slice the pepper (1/4 inch slices), and chop the tomatoes (1/4 inch pieces).  Heat some oil, season the steak with salt & pepper, brown the meat on both sides, then set aside.  Heat some more oil, then add the potatoes, onion, pepper, and (smashed) garlic.  Saute until starting to brown, then add tomato until it starts to soften.  Last, you add the red wine and soy sauce, and simmer until reduced by half.  Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

My main mistake here was not to get the skillet hot enough to get a good brown on the meat - I don't always have the cojones (as the Peruvians might say) to get some real heat (and smoke) going in the apartment.  The overall dish ended up a little mushy without a real nice crisp meat element.  Very tasty though!  Worth another try...

Not that I was looking for it, but this one must have been one of their gluten-free options (unless they package the wrong soy sauce...).

Potatoes & Kale

A nice and healthy way to enjoy some farmer's market bounty:

Recipe

1 lb medium red potatoes
4 c shredded kale
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender, then (peel and) slice.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the onion until starting to brown.  Add the kale, toss until it wilts, and saute about 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, heat, season, and serve.

Notes

As sides go, it's pretty hearty - if you're not too hungry, it might do for a light meal.  The picture from the original recipe seems to be more of a mashed potato configuration; mine was definitely chunkier:

Potato & Bacon Soup

Guy Fieri provided me with a great way to work through a big bag of potatoes and the summer's backlog of bacon-of-the-month:

Recipe

4 large potatoes (or more smaller potatoes)
12 slices bacon
1/2 c flour
6 c milk
5 oz cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp chives, chopped
sour cream
salt & pepper

Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees until cooked through and soft, about 45 minutes.  Once those are close to done, slice the bacon into thin strips (lardons - thanks Guy).  Crisp them up in a thick-bottomed pot, then remove but leave the drippings.  Stir in the flour and cook a minute.  Add the milk and whisk together, then cook about 15 minutes, until thick and bubbly.

Scoop out the insides of the potatoes and mash them into the milk mixture.  Add in most of the bacon and cheese, and some salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and serve with more bacon and cheese, plus chives and sour cream.

Notes

This one goes simply enough, not a ton of prep and everything goes in phases.  The one tricky bit was the potatoes.  Obviously, they took longer to bake than the 45 minutes, then were very hot to get out of the skins.  Next time, I'd probably just skin them before baking - not sure why that isn't the default.

In the end, the potatoes fit nicely into the soup.  Except for a few slightly undercooked lumps, we actually had a nice, thick broth with a ton of flavor:

Root Veggie Mashed Potatoes

Look, if you've got some potatoes you just want to use up, boil 'em up and smash 'em and serve with ur meats nom nom.  I thought this rigorously-tested Cooks Illustrated recipe was worth trying though - a little extra effort, but some new tastes and probably vitamins and stuff in there.

Recipe

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut into small chunks
1/2 lb your combination of carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery root, etc., cut into small chunks
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1/3 c broth
3/4 c half and half
1 tsp thyme

Start by crisping up your bacon in a large saucepan, then remove but leave the grease.  Put in your root vegetables and brown, then stir in the potatoes, broth, and a sprinkle of salt.  Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and everything is nice and crushable.  Mash gently (you want chunks, not puree) and mix in the bacon (if you haven't eaten it all in the meantime), thyme, and half and half.

Notes

This one will come down to the balance of liquid.  You want your potatoes to cook through softly but not end up soggy.  I didn't quite nail it the first time, but the flavors were still very rich (OK, it was mostly bacon but I'm sure the carrot and turnip (my combo) helped).  Here it is with a bit of the night's protein, baked salmon:

Steak alla Pizziaola

This recipe came from the folks at Lodge, makers of fine cast-iron cookware.  And lovers of good meat and veggies:

Recipe

Meat
4 strip steaks

Plant (& Fungi) I
1 onion, sliced
3 red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp capers

Plant II
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
3 sprigs thyme
a sprinkle (or a few) of red pepper flakes

salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 and your (Lodge, of course) skillet medium-high with some olive oil.  Sprinkle the steaks with salt & pepper (or Montreal seasoning), and brown about five minutes per side.  Set the steaks aside, replenish the olive oil in the skillet, and in goes the first batch of plant (and fungi).  Saute for about 7 minutes, then add the second batch, stir up, and cook a few more minutes.  Put the steaks on top and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Notes

There's a ton of chopping (you want the potatoes small so they soften; at least you don't have to dice the garlic), but well worth it - chop everything in group I into a big, beautiful bowl of plant (and fungi) parts before you get started.  The small-ish steaks I used came out pretty well done, but still delicious!  Make as much as your skillet can hold (OK, so about as prescribed) because it's good left over

Cider Beef Stew

Have you ever had a six-pack of hard cider and not wanted to drink it?  No?  Me neither.  But sometimes you want to mix things up and see what else you can do with that sweet nectar.  In one of those situations/moods, I was looking for some guidance for marinating a buffalo steak in cider, and happened across a list of Woodchuck-sponsored cider recipes.  This is the first one I had a chance to try:

Recipe

1 lb stewing beef
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp allspice
2-3 tbsp oil
1 bottle cider
2 tbsp ketchup
1-2 onions
1-2 potatoes
1-2 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
mushrooms (optional; I had 'em so in they went)

Place the flour, salt, pepper, and allspice in a plastic bag, then add the beef a few pieces at a time and shake to coat.  Brown the beef in the oil.  Add the cider and ketchup, cover and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours.  Toward the end, chop the onion, potato, carrot and celery - no need to go too fine here - then add and simmer for 30 more minutes.

Notes

After this first test, I'll definitely hit that list of cider recipes again.  I wasn't always 100% sure on the recipe - it didn't seem like enough liquid to stew the meat and then soften all the veggies.  Not everything will be submerged, but even so the potatoes steam to a nice softness while the carrot and celery add some texture.  The end result was a  bit on the sweet side - maybe just from the special summer edition though, and a dryer cider might complement the allspice better in the meat.

In any case, beef stew seems to be a pretty simple concept overall.  It's definitely something I'd improvise with the liquid base and produce I have on hand.  Cider's definitely not a bad option!

Shepherd's Pie

I mostly think of shepherd's pie as pub food, but apparently it was a(nother) occasional family dish as well.  In any case, I figured a hearty combo of lamb, potatoes, and some veggies was worth a try.  Courtesy of my Best Meat Recipes cookbook:

The Recipe

Filling
3+ lbs lamb shoulder chops, cut away from bone and into 1 in pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 1/4 c chicken broth
1/4 c red wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme, chopped
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 c frozen peas, thawed

Topping
2+ lbs russet potatoes, cut into 1-2 in cubes
6 tbsp butter
3/4 c milk
2 egg yolks

salt & pepper

Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high and brown the lamb (probably in 2 batches, extra 1 tbsp oil per batch).  Remove lamb to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and cook the onion and carrot until (onions are) soft.  Add the garlic, flour, and tomato paste.  A minute later, broth, wine, and Worcestershire, then the thyme and rosemary.  Cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, 25-30 minutes.  Then stir in the peas.

Meanwhile, get the topping going - cover the potatoes in water, sprinkle salt, and bring to a boil.  Once potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes), drain and return the pot to low heat.  Mash in the butter, milk, and egg yolks.  Season with salt and pepper.

Now you combine everything in a large baking dish or (a couple) pie plates.  Pour in the lamb mixture.  Drop gloops of potatoes around the edges, sealing in the filling.  Bake at 400 degrees until the top is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes

This dish went over well.  It was a good bit of work, but fed a decently-sized group, several of whom helped prepare.  We went heavy on the herbs (although maybe not on salt & pepper), and also used Chipotle Tabasco sauce instead of Worcestershire in the spirit of using what was on hand.  I personally was not sure it was much better than the sum of its parts.  I would do it again, though; not sure it's worth the effort in smaller, more personal quantities.

"Creamy" Potato Leek Soup

(courtesy of Alex Jamieson of The Great American Detox)

*This is a lovely soup remarkable for it's creamy texture and luscious flavor all achieved WITHOUT cream or dairy of any kind!!!  The secret lies in the Yukon Gold potatoes--a favorite of the famous Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and his Wonder Dog King...

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4'' slices

2 cups chopped yellow onion

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cubed into 1/2'' cubes

4 cups vegetable stock

2-3 tsp fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a 4 qt. pot over medium heat and add the oil.  

Add the leeks, onion and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent. 

Add the garlic and stir well.  Cook for 1 minute more.

Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the soup from heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot OR ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time.  Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary until smooth and free of chunks.  Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all the soup has been blended.

Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through.  Serve hot.   

NOTES:

If once were not concerned with adhering to the Detox plan, once could potentially add some super crispy bacon and bring the soup to a whole other level...

Spanish Potato Bake

I dug this recipe up for a "non-traditional Thanksgiving" cooking evening.  Unfortunately in that friendly competition it couldn't take the prize over some of the hardcore meat/bacon dishes, but it turned out well, got pretty positive feedback as a great side.  It's pretty hearty, could make a vegetarian entree as well.

Recipe

Sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp hot Spanish (smoked) paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
16 oz tomatoes
Bake
1 1/2 to 2 lbs potatoes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow pepper, chunked
1 courgette (a.k.a. zucchini), chunked
10 oz sliced mushrooms
2 onions, sliced
3/4 cup grated Manchego or other cheese
handful of green olives, chopped

Start by boiling your potatoes, whole or in halves to go quicker.  They should be soft but hopefully still a bit firm.  Let cool and slice.

Saute the onion, then add courgette, pepper, and mushroom and saute another 15 minutes.  Then stir in the olives.

Blend the sauce ingredients together.

Then you layer into an oiled casserole dish - (half of the) potatoes, veggies, sauce, cheese, and repeat.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook another 15.

Notes

I do have a couple notes that might be helpful.  I've usually erred on cooking the potatoes pretty long, since even ones a bit on the mushy side work better in this combo than undercooked.  "Courgette" means zucchini.  And I haven't blended all the sauce ingredients, just minced everything pretty well - again, I figure everything's supposed to be a bit lumpy and uneven.  And Manchego may be a little more expensive, but worth it!  Think of the final product as less of a lasagna than a zesty potato salad?  Observe: