A Stack of Dishes

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Creamy Roasted Corn Soup Smacked with Chipotle

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Smokey Corn Soup with Apple Bacon on the side

Though this has been quite a balmy Winter here in the Northeast, I still enjoy a hearty chowder like corn soup. I love a rich creamy-sinkmyteethinto-soup this time of year. It’s also a way to get some vegetables in when it’s hard to find decent green things. I would love to tell you that I roasted ears of corn on the grill. It’s easy to imagine charring the kernels while the silks and leaves hung off the side of the stove. Seriously I could of, but I didn’t. Nope. I used frozen corn. And no noses in the air please. It’s really the way to go here.

Frozen corn has great flavor and decent nutritional value. To give it some real depth and character I laced this soup with a hearty pinch of chipotle giving it a smokey kick. Cream and cilantro finish it off with a squeeze of lime, which balanced out the creaminess with some cool and a twinkle of brightness.

But I’ll let you in on another even BETTER secret. I didn’t use any cream here either. My big reveal: silken tofu.

I got into using this when my Dad was sick and I was struggling to get nutrition into him. He could only manage small (I really mean teeny) cups of soup at a time. I did my best to make them as digestible and as power packed as possible. Dairy bothered him due to his medications, but not the tofu. He loved it, and so does everyone I make it for.

I usually don’t say it’s tofu just because folks get all incense and crunchy looks in their eyes- so what they don’t know is actually good for them.

I did use some of the bacon fat as the grease to sautee my garlic and onions- so a little bit of evil there- but roughly a tablespoon in an entire pot is no great sin. And just to be fair, I serve the bacon on the side- which gives the option for those with concerns to partake or not.

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup
serves 4 as a meal or 6 as a starter
 
1# bag of roasted corn kernels, regular is fine
4 strips natural smoked bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 block of silken tofu
.5t chipotle powder
S&P
Fresh cilantro, lime wedges and lite sour cream to serve
 
In a large frying pan cook the bacon slowly to render as much fat as possible. Reserve the bacon.
 
Allow all the fat to drain off the pan, leaving behind a nice layer and some of the bacon bits
 
Sautee the garlic and onion over low/medium heat to release the flavors until the onion are translucent and soft.
 
Toss in corn and warm the melange through. Reserve a half cup of corn mixture. 
 
Add one can of broth, tofu roughly broken up, and chipotle powder. Allow to simmer for 10 mins.
 
In batches, puree the soup and pour into a saucepan. Once fully pureed add second can of broth, stir to combine and allow to simmer until heated through.
 
Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
 
Serve with fresh lime wedges, a dollop of light sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Spoon some of the reserved corn mixture on top that has been warmed.
 
 
Enjoy!

Coconutty: Grilled Tofu on Coconut Cauliflower and Spinach with Spicy Coconut Sauce

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Grilled Tofu with Spicy Coconut Sauce

The beginnings of my move are underway. Each day is a task of clearing out another section of the loft, separating things from my past and deciding which I will carry with me into the future. This is a cathartic and exciting time. I’ve been great places and I am now on my way to something altogether new. All the things that used to weigh me down and crammed my corners are now an ever lightening load.
Finding time to cook, let alone eat, has been trickier, but when I get to the stove it’s far more satisfying. It’s the constant touchstone and keeps me grounded.
A snowy head of cauliflower has been haunting me every time I open the fridge. Can’t say this healthy cruciferous veg is my fave but it’s growing on me. The bigger challenge is there is SO MUCH of it. What to do… what to do…
Mashing steamed cauliflower is a recipe I came across about 3 years ago. It’s remarkable how tasty it is. The mellowness of the coconut counterbalances the sulphur tang in the cauliflower. I wouldn’t call this mock mashed potatoes, though some do, rather it’s a winner for what it is. There is enough flavor here to pair with some roasted chicken or pork chop, without overpowering the meal with coconut.
Before grilling the tofu I gave the slices a good juicing of lime juice. Not only does this add flavor to what otherwise is bland, but the vitamin C in the juice will aid the absorption of the iron in the spinach.
A quick reduction of the remaining coconut milk after the mashing makes a creamy decadent sauce with healthy fats. This meal may be way too healthy, but more importantly it’s really delicious.
Coconut Tofu with Cauliflower and Spinach
serves 4
 
1 head cauliflower
1 can light coconut milk
1 large bag of spinach chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lime, zest reserved
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
.5t fish sauce or salt
pinch of sugar
1 block of firm or extra firm tofu
 
 
Break cauliflower into smaller pieces and steam until just tender, not to mush. Add enough coconut milk to make a rustic mash. Add salt to taste.
 
Drain tofu. Slice into .25″ slices and sprinkle generously with lime juice.
 
Place remaining coconut milk, approximately half a can, into a small saucepan and stir in half of reserved lime zest, pepper flakes, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer on medium low until reduced. Adjust seasoning to taste.
 
In large frying pan warm 2T olive oil and sautee garlic gently over medium heat until just cooked. Add rinsed but still damp chopped spinach and sautee. The water from the spinach with add steam and keep the spinach green and bright. Err cooking spinach on the under side to retain as much of the vitamins as possible as well as flavor.
 
Heat a grill pan on medium high. Generously oil pan and grill tofu.
 
Build the dish by laying down the cauliflower down first. Pile on the bright beautiful spinach and then lay down the tofu. Add the remaining zest into the sauce and spoon over the tofu.
 
 
 

Weds Pasta: Floppy Noodles With Fresh Ricotta and Basil Oil

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It all started with too much milk ordered for the cake business. I don’t like things going to waste, so what to do with it? Naturally, I made fresh ricotta. So crazy simple, and I know just about everyone has blogged about it- but it really is kitchen magic and a delight every time. I tried a different method today and the results were SO much better. Nice juicy curds and a greater yield. I let them drain a little longer making them a little drier, which will make fantastic ravioli.

I made the ricotta this early afternoon as our day was getting rolling. A friend of ours stopped over for an afternoon Christmas visit. Pam was so excited about the ricotta that she dragged the still draining bowl with hanging cloth for Camille to see. “Look what Gail made! and smell it!” Needless to say they were both so deeply impressed that I felt guilty about how easy it was.

After Camille left I threw together a batch of fresh pasta and cranked it out. Snap! no problem. HA! Just kidding- that was a bit of work, but sometimes….. well sometimes you have to justify all those appliances that spill out of your cupboard.  In addition to that, on the darkest day of the year, which happened to be rainy and bleak- standing over a counter cranking out pasta sounds just about right to me. It’s also something Pam and I can do together in the kitchen which is great relaxing time shared. The hardest part really is climbing under the counter to find the pasta machine and then setting it up. Once in gear it all goes quite nicely. Soon lumps of nondescript dough have turned into satiny sheets of pasta.

Rather than make traditional fettucini or linguini I opted to rough hand cut the sheets into what I considered to be rags, or ragged strips. It was fun to just have at it and end up with a messy floppy pile of noodles.

I made a simple white wine and lemon sauce and then gently tossed the noodles in with it right in the pan. I finished it off with Basil Oil that I made last week as part of my gifting series. Finally a grind of fresh black pepper and a grating of lemon zest, and Wednesday pasta it is!

Fresh Ricotta
Yielded 4c
 
1 gallon whole milk
.5t salt
6T lemon juice
 
In large pot warm milk and salt to boiling, stirring often to prevent scorching.
 
Stir in lemon and lower heat to simmer. Continue to constantly stir for another 2 mins as curds form.
 
Drain curds through a sieve lined with either cheesecloth or a open woven cotton cloth that is placed over a bowl to collect the whey.
 
The whey can be saved and used in soups etc- highly nutritious and terrible to waste.
 
Allow the curds to drain for about an hour. The longer the drier.
 
Fresh Ricotta will keep in the fridge for several days.
 
 
Fresh Pasta Dough
makes approx 1.5# of fresh pasta
 
2.75c AP flour
3 eggs
pinch salt
4T olive oil
2T water
 
In a food processor place flour and salt and pulse to combine
 
With motor running add the eggs one at a time. Process until there are even textured granules
 
Slowly drizzle in olive oil. The dough should start to come together and form a ball in the bowl.
 
Mine was not quite pulling together so I added in stages another 2T of water.
 
The result is a satiny mass.
 
Cover and rest for one hour to relax the gluten before rolling out into pasta