Friday, November 18, 2011

Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup

I was looking for something to do with some cauliflower and stumbled across this simple soup recipe from Saveur.com. 





Paprika-Spiced Cauliflower Soup


1/3 cup flour 
½ tsp. kosher salt 
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 
1 egg 
1 ½ tbsp. Hungarian hot paprika 
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 
6 cups vegetable stock 
1 small head cauliflower, large stem removed, cut into florets 
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and finely chopped


In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add in 2 tbsp. butter and using your fingers, rub into flour until pea-size crumbles. Add egg, and stir until dough forms. Refrigerate until ready to use.


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Heat remaining butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the paprika and onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.


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Add vegetable stock, cauliflower, and carrot. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked but still hold their form, about 15 minutes. 

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Using a small spoon, portion out and drop all dumpling dough into simmering soup. Boil for a couple more minutes until the dumplings are cooked.


Top with parsley.



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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Brussel Sprouts in brown butter

Here is another easy preparation for brussel sprouts.

Brussel Spouts in Brown Butter
Brussel Sprouts, halved
Oil
Butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy skillet, cast iron works best, heat oil and toss with the brussel sprouts. Cook for about 5 minutes until they are nicely browned.

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Remove the brussel sprouts and add the butter to the pan. Heat over medium low heat until the butter begins to turn brown and takes on a nutty smell.


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Add the brussel sprouts back to the pan and toss with the butter and season with salt and pepper.

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Spinach Souffle

I recently found myself with a bunch of extra egg whites. A savory souffle is a perfect way to use them. Serve with a salad and some bread and you have a great meal. Here I used this recipe, but replaced the sweet potato with spinach.

Start by sauteing the spinach.

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Then drain, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

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Mix the spinach into the base.

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Enjoy!!

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pita Bread

Making pita at home is surprisingly easy. It only takes a handful of ingredients and a bit time. Its a great thing to do with the kids too. I found this recipe on one of my favorite bread baking sites the Fresh Loaf.

Pita
3 cups flour (I used half whole wheat half white)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbs oil

Measure out all the ingredients and add to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

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Mix for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, and let rest about 90 minutes until doubled.


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Divide the into 4 larger or 8 small balls. Let rest about 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat oven to 400 degrees.


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Roll the dough out into a large circle about 1/4 inch think. Bake for about 5 minutes until puffy.

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