Homemade Tomato-Beef Soup with Microgreen Garnish

While most cooks use microgreens only in cold dishes like salads and smoothies, I like to find ways to incorporate their tasty goodness into hot dishes as well … especially soup.

This can be a challenge, as heat rapidly wilts the delicate greens. My secret technique to keep microgreens bright and crisp atop a steaming bowl of soup, all the way to the table? Float the freshly-snipped greens on a protective – and delicious! – layer of grated cheese, or a dollop of cool plain yogurt, just before serving.

While you can use this layering strategy for any hot soup, with any microgreens you like, I am particularly fond of peppery Oriental mustard microgreens atop hearty, homemade tomato soup.

This past week has been wintry, so I found myself craving the warmth and comfort of tomato soup.

I started with a new-to-me recipe from Onceamonthmom.com, and tweaked it to our family taste for hot stuff – adding roasted New Mexico green chilies to the mix, and topping it with sharp Cheddar cheese and the aforementioned Oriental mustard microgreens.

Here’s what I made:

Tomato & Beef Soup with Microgreen Garnish

Makes 4 Servings
Adapted from Christine @ Onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients

2 cans (14.5-oz ea) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk, canned or carton
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup peeled & diced roasted green chilies
1 pound ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup homemade chicken broth

Garnish: Grated cheese and freshly snipped microgreens

Directions

In a blender or food processor, combine diced tomatoes and coconut. Blend until smooth. Reserve.

Heat coconut oil in a large stockpot. Sauté onions and green chilies together until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add ground beef, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring to break up large chunks, until beef is browned and crumbly. Drain off excess fat.

Return stock pot with drained beef mixture to heat. Stir in blended tomato/coconut mixture and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Ladle soup into 4 serving bowls. Top each with grated cheese of choice (I like sharp cheddar), then sprinkle freshly snipped microgreens over the cheese. Serve immediately!

Note: You can substitute a tablespoon of plain yogurt (low-fat or full-fat) per bowl for the grated cheese. The yogurt should be at cool room temperature before garnishing your soup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I like Christine’s technique of blending the tomatoes and the coconut milk before adding to the soup! And when winter forces you to fall back on commercially canned tomatoes, choosing “fire roasted” tomatoes really adds color and texture to your soup.

I should note that the original recipe works beautifully for a Paleo diet. Just leave out my grated cheese if you’re Paleo-ing – what the heck, so your microgreens wilt a bit, right?

Enjoy!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Cream for Knitters
Grower, Maggie’s Microgreens
Sandia Park, New Mexico

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Margarita Chicken Recipe

I whipped this up last night, and it was delicious! Since it’s still a little cool outside for grilling – up here in the high mountain desert, that is - I baked my marinated chicken in the oven.

Margarita Chicken

I adapted this from “Mexican Tequila Marinade”, a recipe in the Marinades & Rubs cookbook by Carol Wilson.

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

1 to 2 pounds of chicken pieces (I like leg/thigh quarters)
1 to 2 tablespoons of coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) for sprinkling

Thoroughly whisk marinade ingredients in bowl or measuring cup (not metal). Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes so flavors will meld.

Trim fat from chicken pieces, then place in shallow baking dish (not metal) or plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken, turning to coat.

Seal or cover, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but no more than 3 hours.

Transfer chicken pieces to a non-metal baking dish – if you haven’t already – along with the marinade. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with coarse salt, if desired.

(I really like this crunchy seasoning on the baked chicken skin, reminds me of the salty rim of a margarita glass. If you don’t, just add 1 teaspoon of table salt to the marinade, and skip the sprinkling.)

Bake chicken pieces along with the marinade, uncovered, in preheated 375-degree oven for 55 minutes or until done.

(Note: this cooking time is for my altitude of 7,000 feet; at sea level, check for doneness after 50 minutes.)

Serving suggestions: Great served simply, with plain white or coconut rice drizzled with pan juices, black beans, and a green salad.

Grilling: This is fantastic on the grill when weather permits. Add 1 teaspoon table salt to the marinade & skip the coarse salt sprinkle. Then, instead of baking your chicken in its marinade, drain the marinade into a small saucepan & boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Drizzle over the grilled chicken at serving time.

Seafood: It’s an equally good marinade for seafood, especially shrimp or scallops. Marinate seafood in the fridge for only 30 minutes. Any longer and the lime juice will “cook” the seafood!

¡Buen provecho!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

What’s for Dinner? Maple-glazed Sweet Potato Wedges (recipe)

I love it when this happens: my mom emailed me this recipe in the nick of time for dinner last night … AND, I had all the ingredients on hand. Woohoo, score!

These were delicious. Family and houseguests ended up squabbling over the last few bits in the pan, a sure test of appeal.

Here’s the original recipe:

Maple-glazed Sweet Potato Wedges

3 sweet potatoes, about 1-1/2 lbs
2 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into uniform wedges, about 1 in. wide. Whisk together the other ingredients, then add the potatoes and toss to coat.

Arrange wedges in a single layer in a roasting pan, or on a baking sheet and drizzle with any maple syrup mixture remaining in the bowl.

Roast 20 min. at 450. Remove pan from oven, and carefully turn wedges over. Continue roasting until fork tender, about 15 min. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.

My modifications:

Our rosemary plant froze to death during this month’s Arctic cold snap, so I used dried rosemary, in the same quantity because I really like rosemary. Then I also added 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. I love the combination of sweet & hot.

I planned to cook these at the same time & at the same 375 degree oven temp as my chicken pieces. So I cut the sweet potatoes into 1/4” thick slices instead of 1” thick wedges, so they’d cook faster. I took them out after 45 minutes when they were thoroughly cooked & starting to blacken just a bit around the edges. Yum.

Addendum

• Do you know the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? Kind of a trick question, but this article from Self spells out the nutritional data.
• I always use the darker “Grade B” maple syrup for dishes like this. It’s too strong for pancakes, but adds more flavor to baked goods, including breads.

Bon appetit!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

Derby Duck! My Favorite Roast Duck Recipe, That Is

 

Well, we didn't have a Kentucky Derby party this year, but we did have a Derby duck.

Not exactly traditional, nary a mint julep in sight, but festive all the same!

When we find duck at a nice price - in Albuquerque usually at TaLin Market - we love this recipe for "Roast Duck with Honey-Chili Glaze". It's delicious, easy to follow, uses ingredients I almost always have on hand, and seems foolproof.

I originally got the recipe as a magazine clipping from my mom, so I have no idea who wrote it, or even what magazine printed it. My little clipping is now creased and stained, and I just know I'll lose it eventually. And of course I've made some minor modifications over the years ... so I thought I'd share it here. That way I can always find it, and there's also a chance someone will recognize it - I'd like to give full credit!

Roast Duck with Honey-Chili Glaze

One 4-lb duck

Rub Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 T. fresh, minced)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Glaze Ingredients:
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place a V-shaped roasting rack - I like the 13x10" Norpro rack shown at left - in a roasting pan with sides at least 2" deep.

Wash and drain duck, removing neck and giblets for another use.

In a small bowl, combine rub ingredients. Rub duck with the mixture, inside and out. Cover wing tips with foil to prevent burning. Put duck, breast side up, in rack and roast for 20 minutes.

Dial back the oven to 350 degrees F and roast 45 minutes more.

Remove duck from oven (leave oven on), remove foil from wing tips, and let duck rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Pour off hot duck fat.

In a small bowl combine glaze ingredients. Baste duck with glaze mixture, then return bird to oven. Roast 15 minutes more, brushing with glaze every 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes before carving.

* * * * *

The recipe's author is obviously a health-conscious saint, tossing out all that rendered duck fat. Not me! I keep it in the fridge for future roast potatoes or hash browns, because potatoes sizzled in duck fat are sublime. In fact, I usually roast some quartered Yukon golds along with this duck, tucked around the edges of the roasting pan. Bliss!

Also: you can make a faaabulous stock from the duck carcass and neck. I freeze the stock for my next batch of gumbo.

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

What’s for Dinner"? Emeril’s Boudin with Jambalaya Grits

 

First let me confess that although I love both Cajun & Creole food, I was never all that fond of jambalaya. (I prefer Étouffée.) Guess that means I’d just never had a good recipe for jambalaya?  So I was thrilled to find Emeril Lagasse’s Boudin with Jambalaya Grits recipe on the Food Network site.

Not only did Emeril’s recipe sound quicker than Étouffée, it sounded equally tasty. I’d never thought of making jambalaya with grits instead of rice; I do dearly love grits. And I didn’t mind skipping the roux.

So I made this recipe and we absolutely loved it, but I want to note some caveats, quibbles and modifications here.

1. First of all, it’s going to take most home cooks way more than 30 minutes to get this dish on the table. There’s a lot o’ chopping involved, but also I think there’s a problem with the instructions. If you’ve ever cooked real grits, by which I mean stoneground grits rather than instant grits, you know for darn sure they ain’t gonna cook “tender and creamy” in the 4 to 5 minutes Emeril advises.

He fails to specify “instant” grits in his recipe, but by golly that’s what he means. Shame on him, instant grits are an abomination. If you actually own a box, throw it out or feed it to the dogs. If you can’t find stoneground grits in your local grocery stores – that’s certainly a challenge here in New Mexico – then you can get them online. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

Once you’ve got real grits, adjust your cooking time in this step to about 25 minutes.

2.  Emeril calls for 1 cup veal reduction. Aw, c’mon! If you seriously want to pursue this, Epicurean.com has a recipe for veal reduction; just add 9 hours to your cooking time.

However, not having a ready supply of veal reduction doesn’t mean you should just skip it. That meaty flavor adds a lot to the finished dish, which I think would otherwise backslide into the bland register. Instead, I substituted a cup of good homemade beef stock, brought it to a boil with the milk, and dropped in 3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes. Perfect.

3. I did try poaching then pan-searing the boudin. I think this was pretty much a waste of time. Since you don’t eat the casing, why sear it? (Unless it’s because it looks so nekkid without a little browning, but do you care, really?) I got equally good results by microwaving the boudin, piercing the casing first to prevent explosions. You can deduct 15 minutes from your cooking time, and have 2 fewer pots to wash.

4. And no, I didn’t bother to make Emeril's ESSENCE “Bayou Blast” Creole Seasoning. Making it from scratch would add another 15 minutes to your prep time.

But you do need Cajun or Creole seasoning of some sort; use whatever you’ve got.

My personal favorite is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, shown here. And I can even buy this in New Mexico.

5.  And my last quibble: what’s up with the “Spoon the sauce over the sausage and serve” direction? What sauce? Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find any sauce in that recipe. Fortunately, we didn’t miss it.

But hey, it was delicious and I’d certainly make it again, even for company. Thanks, Emeril, this one’s a keeper!

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
Creator, Happy Hands Hand Creams for Fiber Artists
Sandia Park, NM

What’s For Dinner? Local Gringos’ Green Chile Stew

I can’t believe how many people offered to come over for dinner last night, after I tweeted that I was fixing Green Chile Stew! And it was gooood, too, heh-heh.

Since I didn’t invite any of you over to share the stew, today I realized I could at least share my recipe.

Mind you, my version isn’t completely traditional, but I think an improved variant … try it, see what you think, and post yer comments below!

Local Gringos’ Green Chile Stew

Green chile stew is an ancient dish, first attributed to the Native American people known as the Navajo, or Di’neh. Simple, hearty and filling, today this stew is a staple throughout New Mexico and Arizona, and there are dozens of different ways to prepare it.

This is my own “local gringos” version of green chile stew, diverging from traditional recipes in two respects: I add potatoes, and I don’t use tomatoes. (Why would a green chile stew be red?) But don’t be afraid to exercise your own creativity with this flexible and forgiving recipe … for more ideas, see my notes & suggested variations at the end of this post.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 6 red-skinned or gold potatoes, or enough to make approx. 3 cups peeled & diced
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves
• 1-1/2 lbs pork shoulder
• ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
• ½ to 1 cup diced roasted green chiles (to taste)
• Salt & cracked black pepper

Directions

Pour chicken stock into large Dutch oven or stock pot. Peel and dice potatoes into ½-inch cubes and promptly add to stock. Place pot over medium high heat, covered, and bring to a rolling boil.

Next, brown bacon slices in a large skillet. Remove bacon to paper toweling to drain; reserve. Tip skillet to estimate amount of bacon fat remaining: you should have about 2 tablespoons. Dip out any extra, or make up any difference with olive oil.

While bacon is cooking, dice onion into medium bowl. Peel and mince garlic; add to bowl. Trim fat from pork and cut into ½ inch cubes; add to onions & garlic. Toss to mix thoroughly.

Add pork mixture to the hot bacon fat in skillet. Season with oregano, salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

Stir to lightly brown pork cubes on all sides, and cook just until onion is softened and translucent. (Don’t overcook, it will toughen the pork.) Add the seasoned pork mixture to the pot of boiling potatoes. Stir in the green chiles, and crumble in (whatever you didn’t eat of) the reserved cooked bacon.

Return pot to boiling. Adjust heat and maintain slow boil, uncovered, for 45 minutes to one hour, or until liquid is reduced by approximately half and stew is thickened to your preference. (Test the potato cubes: they should be done, but not falling-apart mushy.) Taste for salt and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve hot with fresh cornbread and a green salad.

Notes:

The starch from the potatoes I use thickens the stew, and adds a slightly earthy flavor that I like. Red-skinned “new” potatoes, or Yukon golds, work best at holding their shape in soups and stews, I’ve found.

If you want a more traditional version – or you don’t happen to have potatoes on hand – you can use flour as a thickening agent instead. After dicing the pork, shake the cubes in a bag with flour to coat, then brown them in the skillet.

In this recipe, there’s really no substitute for roasted Sandia or Anaheim green chiles. Here in New Mexico, of course, it’s easy to get locally-grown and freshly-roasted green chile peppers, especially the hallowed Hatch green chiles. Outside the Land of Enchantment, look for canned or frozen in grocery aisles; or, you can order them fresh, canned or frozen online.

Many, many people make this stew starting with water instead of stock. But I’m a firm believer in the magic of homemade stock: it adds depth and dimension to the finished soup or stew, transforming “good” to “great”. I make stock all the time and keep a supply in the freezer for just such an occasion.

And personally, I never add any vegetable or meat to any soup or stew without browning or sautéing it first; my grandpa taught me so and I’ve stuck to it. I also believe that my method of seasoning the meat and vegetables during the browning step, before adding them to the liquid, yields richer flavor.

Variations:

While I prefer to make green chile stew with inexpensive cuts of pork like shoulder or Boston butt, this stew is often prepared locally with beef or lamb instead. If I were to substitute either red meat for the “white meat” pork, I probably would add tomatoes. Say, a 16-oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes? I wouldn’t use tomato paste because I don’t like its overly sweet taste.

Once your sautéed meat & veggies are combined into the boiling stew pot, you could also throw in a cup or so of cooked or canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Posole (cooked hominy) is also a tasty addition, but takes the stew in a different direction – posole is a whole ‘nother conversation!

I love using bacon and its rendered fat in this stew. But if you’re more virtuous than I, skip the bacon, substituting 2 tablespoons olive oil.

This recipe also works well as a slow cooker dish. Start with only 6 cups of chicken stock; combine stock, potatoes and browned pork mixture in a large slow cooker. Cook 7 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high. If too much liquid remains in the pot at the end of the cooking time, remove cooker lid and cook on high until liquid is reduced.

~ * ~

Local Gringos Green Chile Stew recipe © 2009 by Margaret Briggs. This recipe is my original creation, which I’m sharing here for you to use for your own personal enjoyment. Just don’t re-publish it in any form without my permission, okay? Contact me directly via email.

What's for Dinner? Lemon-Garlic Roast Salmon

We don't eat out often. Partly out of frugality, partly from lack of choices in our rural area. So I cook dinner just about every night ... which means every afternoon about 3:30 I start wondering what the heck I'm gonna fix!

Part of my goal in writing this blog is to create my own cooking journal, documenting recipes I liked (or didn't like), strategies and sources. 

And, I'd like to share them with those of you who might also be wondering what the heck you're gonna fix tonight?

Last night's solution: Lemon-Garlic Roast Salmon

Salmon is one of the few reliable seafoods we can get up here in the high-mountain desert (I have no idea why), so I'm always on the lookout for new ways to cook it. 

I found this recipe in Lynne Rossetto Kasper's emailed newsletter, "Weeknight Kitchen". I subscribe to her newsletter, and also recommend her radio show and/or podcast, The Splendid Table.

This is a loosely-Greek-inspired marinade of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, comino and chile powder (or paprika) that I used for salmon, but Lynne says works well with other fresh fish. 

I liked the chile powder with the salmon, but if you've substituted a more delicately flavored fish, paprika might be a better choice. Especially Spanish smoked paprika, mmm ...

Anyway, it's a short (20 to 30 minute) marinade, then quickly oven-roast the fish with its marinade, less than 15 minutes.

I skipped the potatoes from her recipe -- didn't have time, and I wanted something lighter. Instead I made buttered orzo with freshly grated Parmesan, and steamed broccoli.

Quick, tasty, and a keeper for our dinner rotation!

--MaggieBelize

Designer, kNotes for kNitters

Website, www.LocalGringos.com

Sandia Park, NM