Borscht

While living in Vancouver, my Russian landlady - Rayla - taught me how to make her borscht. It's hearty and healthy.

• 1 to 2 lb beef/ steak, cut into chunks
• 2 Beets, peeled and cut like frech fries
• 2 Carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 2 medium yellow/cooking onions, chopped
• 1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
• 8 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled cut into chunks
• 1 head of green cabbage,
• 1 28 oz can of tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup green onions
• 3/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup basil
• 175 grams butter, for sauteing
  
• 1 cup olive oil, for sauteing
  
• Salt
• Sour Cream

Puree the tomatoes with the basil, and set aside. Fill a big soup pot 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with water, add the beef, and place on the back burner to boil. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms, adding the onions when somewhat cooked, then adding the garlic when the onions are cooked - saute for 1 more minute. In another pan saute the beets, adding the carrots when almost cooked through. Set the onion/ mushroom mix and the beet/ carrot mix aside. Saute the cabbage slowly. Skim the soup pot. Add the cabbage, potatoes, and tomato puree to the soup pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the dill, onion/ mushroom mix, beet/ carrot mix, and salt to the pot, then simmer for another 10 minutes. Ladle the borscht into bowls; garnish with green onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Mediterranean Fish Chowder with Basil Gremolata

This is a Bonnie Stern recipe from the National Post. The only change I would make would be to saute the fennel with the onions from the get-go, so that they're as soft as the fish.

"This Mediterranean main course soup gets a boost of flavour from "gremolata" - a mixture of herbs and citrus.

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• pinch hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp saffron, crushed or turmeric
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 28 oz tin plum tomatoes, pureed
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp kosher salt or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless fish fillets (eg. halibut, cod, tilapia, snapper), cut into chunks
• 3 Tbsp chopped parsley

Basil Gremolata:

• 1/4 cup packed parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Cook onions, garlic and hot red pepper flakes gently 5 minutes. Add saffron and cook 20 seconds. Add fennel and cook 5 minutes longer.
2. Add white wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and water and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes.
3. Add fish. Cook 5 minutes until opaque. Season to taste.
4. For gremolata, chop herbs very fine, chop in minced garlic, grated lemon peel and salt. Sprinkle over soup. Makes 6 to 8 servings"

Northern Italian Cooking - Class 2: Lamb, Polent, Pasta e Fagioli

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
This is a solid way to respect the rack of lamb.

• 1 Rack of Lamb, Frenched
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 sprig Sage
• 1 sprig Rosemary
• 1 sprig Thyme
• 1 sprig Mint
• Bread Crumbs
• Olive Oil
• Flour for dredging
• 1 egg, beaten
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Work the garlic into a paste. Chop the herbs coarsely. Mix garlic and herbs into the breadcrumbs with just enough olive oil to hold it together: squeeze it in your hand to see that it holds together.

Season the rack of lamb, dredge in flour, coat in eggwash, then pack on a nice even layer of breading.

Brown the rack of lamb in a large skillet using vegetable oil, then finish it in the oven at 350F for 10-14 minutes (10 minutes will be rare).

Rest the rack for 7 minutes before cutting. This will relax the muscle and allow it to re-absorb moisture.

Optional sauce: Reduce balsamic vinegar by 1/2 and then emulsify with some olive oil (2:1 oil to reduction). (NOTE: I wasn't able to successfully emulsify when I tried it... maybe there's a trick to it).

Polenta with Gorgonzola in Mushroom Sauce
This recipe has potential. The mushroom sauce is great, but the polenta itself needs some work... it's too plain and rubbery. Perhaps making it with stock or cream in place of water would help... maybe melting the cheese into the polenta, instead of layering, would do the trick.

• 250 g Polenta Flour (instant)
  
• 1.25 L Water
• 4 Portobello Mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 clove Garlic
• 500 mL Beef Stock
• Salt and Pepper

Slice the mushrooms 1" by 1/2" by 1/4" or so. Saute the onion and garlic in a pan until soft. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and continue to saute for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add enough stock to just cover the mushrooms, bring to a simmer, and reduce.

Bring 1.25L of seasoned water to a rolling boil. Using a whisk, stir constantly as you slowly add the polenta flour. Keep stirring. Never walk away from polenta. When it gets thick, splash some water into a baking dish or form, then immediately pour the polenta into the dish a little at a time, alternately layering with gorgonzola until the form is full. Let set 5 to 10 minutes, then flip onto a serving dish. Top with mushroom sauce, and drizzle with olive oil.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup
A hearty soup for fall or winter.

• 500 g Romano Beans
• 200 g Pancetta or Lard
• 1 medium Onion, fine dice
• 1 stalk Celery, small dice
• 1 carrot, small dice
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 sprig Sage
• 1 sprig Rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bunch Parsley
• Small pasta

Soak the beans overnight, then drain the next day. Alternatively, use a can of cooked beans. Dried beans will maintain their shape and texture a bit better. Rinse and drain the beans.

In a stock pot, heat the lard/ pancetta to release some fat. Soften onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Add herbs and bay leaf, beans, and water or stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are just tender: when you pinch it, it will burst.

Remove 1/2 of the beans and blend into a puree with some of the liquid. Return to soup pot and continue to simmer. Season to taste, and finish with chopped parsley.

Cook the pasta in a separate pot, and leave aside until serving. This will prevent the pasta from getting mushy.

Sweet Potato and Fennel Soup

A very simple vegetarian recipe, highlighting the natural flavors of fennel and sweet potato.

1 head fennel
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
thyme
water
salt and pepper

Cut the head of fennel into quarters. Reserve the fennel leaves. Remove the tough core and sweat it with the onion, 5 minutes. Chop and add the rest of the fennel (minus the leaves); sweat for about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and cook until softened. Then add enough water to just cover the vegetables, along with thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Reserve half the solids, puree the rest, then replace the solids. Finally, mince and add the fennel leaves.

Potato Asparagus Soup

I spotted some leftover asparagus in the fridge, then set off to make a cream of asparagus soup. I ended up making a vegan variation, using potatoes for creamy texture:

• 1 bunch long asparagus, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 russet potato, peeled and grated
• 1 small cooking onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups water
• chicken soup flavoring
• salt
• pepper
• small pinch oregano and rosemary

Sauteed the onion, added the garlic and sauteed for a few seconds. Added the potatoes and heated for a few minutes, added the water and chicken soup flavoring, brought to a boil, and simmered for 30 to 35 minutes, then blended. Adjusted the salt, and added the oregano and rosemary.

Somehow this soup reminded me of a squash soup... the starch from the potatoes, with the fibre of the asparagus, I guess. Not bad, not great... mom suggested adding some chiffonaded lettuce, like Julia Child does in her pea soup.

Roasted Pepper Soup

I found some gorgeous peppers at the clearance section of the local grocer - 5 for $1... no bruises or mold or anything. I was in the mood to make soup to accompany the fresh rosemary and kalamata fougasse...

I started it off with a traditional miropoix of diced onion, carrot, and celery, sweating on low heat in a pot with a dash of oil. Once softened, I added some freshly minced garlic and then cooked it for another few minutes.

Meanwhile, the peppers were broiled in the oven below until slightly blackened. Removed them from the oven, placed them in a bowl, and covered it so that they would steam in their own moisture for 10 minutes, then removed the skins.

Placed the peppers into the pot, added a bay leaf, a pinch of each thyme, oregano, and basil, enough cold water to cover the solids by 1/2," and half a bouillon cube. Brought it to a boil, and simmered for 5 minutes. Removed the bay leaf, blended until smooth, seasoned, and garnished with some finely sliced fresh red and green peppers.

The result was nice. I can't think of any major improvements, and if it aint broke don't fix it.

Hot Guacamole Soup

I got Sitwell a book of Soup recipes for his birthday, since he seems to be into making soups lately. Tonight we made a simple, hot guacamole soup...

The recipe was thus:

• 3 ripe avocados, in chunks
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
  
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• optional: salsa, tortilla chips for garnish

Starts off with the avocados and 3 cups of stock getting pureed finely in a blender. Next, the soup pot is heated with some olive oil, the garlic and cumin are added and sauteed briefly, and the puree is added along with 3 more cups of stock... simmered for a couple minutes, then the cilantro, lime juice, sour cream (omitted), salt and pepper are added... simmered for 1 minute, then served with garnish.

The result was brilliantly green. It seemed thin at first, but was actually pretty filling. Sitwell added some canned corn, salsa, and hot sauce to his bowl. He decided that next time it also needs some beans and tortilla chips.

Summer Squash Soup

Yesterday I picked up about 5lb of summer squash (aka zucchini squash) for $1 in the clearance bin. I didn't know what they were until I asked at the cash register, but I knew they'd result in something interesting. Turns out their title is warranted; their flesh is much like zucchini, but their aroma, size, and colour resemble squash.

I've been getting all sorts of fruits and vegetables from the clearance bin lately, not so much because of the low cost, but because it poses a challenge: ingredients I may not normally pick up that are ripe and need to be used pronto.

So I surfed the web for some ideas and came across this recipe, from a vegan blogger, which really caught my eye:

Sunny Summer Squash Soup
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small hot pepper, seeds removed and chopped
2 ribs celery, strings removed and chopped
2 medium (12-14 ounces) gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
1 1/2 pounds small yellow squash, chopped (or young zucchini)
1 pinch white pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
salt and white pepper, to taste (optional)

In my version I used 2 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, chili pepper seeds, no celery, 1.5 to 2 lb of summer squash, 1/2 pound of Yukon golds, and around 4 cups of mushroom broth from 1.5 bullion cubes.

Sauteed the garlic and chili seeds briefly, added the onions and sauteed until soft and lightly browned, added the potatoes and summer squash - both diced, suteed for 5 to 10 minutes until softened and excreting juices, then added the broth and simmered for 20 minutes. Reserved 1/2 of the solids, added some cream of wheat to the remaining portion as a thickener, blended to a fine puree, then replaced the reserved portion. Finally, I seasoned it:

The flavor combination was brilliant. Oregano worked great by itself. Then I tried a little turmeric - gave it some nice colour and added a bit of depth. Then I slowly added tahini until there was a subtle sesame nuttiness... wow! Didn't have any nutritional yeast on hand, but I bet it could also work.

French Garlic Soup

I made this one last night for dinner. It was easy, but delicious. It's very similar to French Onion Soup, so I'm calling it French Garlic Soup.

Take whole cloves of garlic, slice them up, and sautee them in olive oil until lightly browned (about 5 cloves per serving). Toss the garlic into a boiling pot of beef broth, and simmer for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, cover a slice of baguette generously with parmesean cheese then toast in an oven. Strain the broth to remove the garlic slices. Place the toasted baguette into a bowl, and pour the hot broth over it. Garnish with sliced green onions. Enjoy.