My version of fresh tomato soup

Our stand up freezer is filled with a great deal of what came out of my vegetable garden last summer.  Lots of fresh frozen white corn, pesto cubes, pureed pumpkin and a bunch of tomatoes.  In late July, one of the things I make once the tomatoes are ripe is a very rich tomato soup that screams for a gooey grilled cheese panini sandwich to eat along with it.  Although I prefer making this with fresh picked tomatoes, I have made this when I am at the grocery store and I see the produce guy removing the too soft for sell tomatoes and throwing them below his cart and into a box to discard of.  If you catch the guy or gal in a good mood, you can get them at a very small price like a dollar for the whole bag.  If it is an impressive quantity, then I take it all home to make my tomato soup.  My version is easy because you aren't having to blanch the tomatoes first to remove the skins and your not taking the seeds out because you will be using an immersion blender to make everything come together in the end as a hot velvety smooth soup that tastes amazing.

I recall giving a bowl to a friend once that had never tried tomato soup...her eyes lit up when she tried it.  Another had only had campbell's canned tomato soup, the same thing happened.  It's a good recipe.  It's one of my recipes that is somewhere between healthy and not so, because of the bacon and butter...but I use plain yoghurt instead of cream and it's still creamy and delicious.  Like yesterday's blog entree, this soup will warm you up but good...seems we all need a bit of that right now with this arctic bite in the air.

Robert's Rich Tomato Soup

3 lbs of whole tomatoes any variety - quartered

6 slices of bacon chopped

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1 large white onion chopped

2 carrots chopped

three cloves of garlic smashed slightly

3 tbsp tomato paste

8 cups chicken broth

1 parmesiano reggiano rind (Whole Foods sells em)

1 large sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp dried

5 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tbsp dried

two large bay leaves

3 fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried

1/8 tsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 cup plain yoghurt

Make a spice bundle of all the spices except the smoked paprika by enclosing them in cheesecloth and tying the ends with cotton twine and set aside

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, saute the bacon till it begins to brown

Add the butter and the vegetables to the pot and saute them till soft

Add in the chopped tomatoes, the spice bundle, the parmesiano rind, the liquid smoke, the paprika and the broth

Cook this mixture over medium low heat with the lid slightly ajar for about two hours, stirring every now and then

Taste and add salt and pepper as needed

Remove the cheese rind (sometimes it melts away completely sometimes not)

Discard the spice bundle

Puree the contents in the pot with an immersion blender for about 5 minutes or until the contents are very smooth
If you don't have an immersion blender you can transfer in batches to a blender

Add the plain yoghurt to the pot and blend another 2 minutes

Serve in large bowls with a dollop of plain yoghurt in center and with a cheesy cheesy panini on fancy bread

Stay warm all!

robert

Because I had 7 requests last night for this heart warming soup

So the irony in today's soup recipe is that last night as the temperatures began to drop, for whatever reason I began to crave this soup that someone I know made once and it was very satisfying in cold weather.  I recalled it being very simple to make.  I left a message for this person to obtain the recipe, when I didn't hear from her...I began to think about creating my own rendition of the soup.  It wasn't like I wasn't capable of creating something without using a bunch of cans of this and cans of that...not my style anyhow.  So I just went to the kitchen...as temperatures continued to drop and thought about what I liked about the soup, what characteristics it had that made me crave it out of the blue like that...its been seriously like two years since I had it.  So...I scored in a big way, because the soup I created last night was ten times better in flavor and that allowed me to sip the soup with Aaron, allow it to warm us up real good...and then at the end of a big steamy bowl...I simply curled my lips upward...allowing a very very satisfied grin to appear on my face. 

Ok...so my version of Chicken Tortilla Soup is very simple and can be very healthy depending how you go about it...i.e., plain yoghurt instead of sour cream, a small amount of cheese versus a ton or even going the route of low fat cheese...First off, We never have bagged chips in the house.  If we don't stock em we don't eat em...and there isn't anything healthy about those bagged chips...and this is the number one snack food consumed in America!  So when I need chips I simply reach into the fridge and grab some corn tortilla's, cut em in small strips and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for about twenty minutes or until beginning to brown - salt as desired.  A no brainer fix for unhealthy bagged tortilla chips.  Of course there are now oven baked varieties, but why not save a bunch of money and avoid preservatives if it's easy to do?  Ok off the health lesson soap box Robert...the cold single digit weather must have me on edge ;-)

Then there is the matter of the Rotel brand canned tomatoes...if you have em great, if not just use regular canned chopped tomatoes and add red chili and green chili powder to make spicy to your liking.  Rotel tomatoes are convenient to have around, but they are just spiced flavored tomatoes...I happened to have had a can sitting in the pantry last night, so I used it. http://www.ro-tel.com/index.jsp  I didn't even know this product existed till I left California...used by New Mexican's a great deal.  Queso is a big hit here during holidays and pot lucks. Basically it is melted cheese sauce with Rotel mixed in. 

Finally I want to hit on sour cream versus yoghurt...I have mentioned on past blog entrees about the value in plain yoghurt.  I try to follow the "if we don't stock it we don't eat it rule".  I used to be a sour cream junkie, guess I just don't want to fall off the wagon.  There are those reading this that know what I mean and it's true...when you get used to the taste of low or non fat plain yoghurt...it's amazing on baked potatoes, will add creaminess to soups in place of cream and it does superbly in today's recipe...and lets not forget the best low fat fact of all, it be healthy for your insides!  Enuf said.  Here is my recipe I made up last night.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut up into one inch pieces

1 ten oz can Rotel spicy chopped tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

3 peeled/sliced medium sized russet potatoes

one large onion chopped

three cloves garlic chopped

three carrots chopped

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp mexican oregano

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 slice bacon chopped extra finely

Tortilla strips or chips

Sharp grated cheddar cheese

Plain yoghurt or sour cream

In a large soup pot, saute the vegetables and the bacon in a small amount of canola oil till softened

add in the chopped chicken pieces and the spices

cook together for five minutes

Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of water

cook over medium heat for 45-60 minutes

Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper and chili powder if necessary

Serve this soup in big bowls, by first placing a big handful of the tortilla strips in bottom of bowl

Add a handful of the cheese and a dollop of either plain yoghurt or sour cream

Pour the hot soup on top and add another sprinkling of tortilla strips

You might also want to add chopped avocado on top*

*This was suggested last night by my friend Mary, who went home in Southern California and made my recipe...thanks Mary!

Another variation I thought of was to use some flavored tortilla chips such as red chili or blue corn as well as using a combination of cheeses at bottom of bowl

Stay warm all!

robert



An easy copycat Jalapeno Cheese Bread inspired by a very famous bakery...

I always seem to surround myself with Joe and Jane Skier.  It's not on purpose it just seems that this is the way it is...so ironic, because I am not even remotely a skier.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good snowshoe in deep freshly fallen snow wearing all the proper layers so you don't freeze to death, but I just don't understand snow skiing...irony once again wins out...I live fifteen minutes from Parajito Ski Mountain.  I recall the humility as I undertook an all day skiing class at Mammoth Lakes, California a couple decades ago, as the rest of the group I was with excitedly went about their triple diamond adventures...I had no choice but to attempt a nearly flat mountain called "sesame street run" as part of my lesson graduation ceremony that day...the last time I was on skis...we won't even get into the falling I did...ok but get me on roller blades on a beach roller blade path against those "double diamonders" and ...oh never mind, it's just not my thing.

There were some very good memories around that last visit to Mammoth Lakes, including a fantastic bakery filled with amazing things like whole raspberry coffee cake, big delicious muffins, flaky pastries and pull apart breads.  The bakery, called Schat's Bakery was my "triple diamond experience!"  Paul Schat's Bakery Don't go to Mammoth without stopping in...even if it's just to inhale! That group of ski bunnies are still in my life so many years later, (thank goodness for facebook!)  They will especially appreciate today's blog entree.  I became obsessed and partial to the Jalapeno Cheese Bread that Schat's Bakery made.  It wasn't till year's later though after moving over 1000 miles away, that I began trying to recreate the bread as best I could.  Through trial and error I came up with my own version.  I make this and take it to poker parties, pot lucks or I serve it in the middle of winter with my Green Chili Chicken Stew...it is a huge free form roundish ovalish loaf that vanishes very quickly.  If you live in California, you can just schlep up to the bakery in Mammoth, especially if your a skier.  But if you're at home and want to make your own, well then here's my recipe.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

(intended to be made in a bread machine but I suppose you could manually kneed this dough...results should be similar...just work the chili's and cheeses in well)

1 1/8 cup very warm water

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

1 cup grated sharp cheddar - sectioned in half at room temperature

1 cup grated swiss cheese - sectioned in half at room temperature

6 tbsp chopped Jalapeno peppers - the type in a jar - at room temperature

3 cups bread flour

1 tbsp active dry yeast

Follow your bread machines directions for placing ingredients into the bread loaf pan

Set aside 1/2 cup each of the cheddar and jack cheeses and 2 tbsp of the chopped jalapeno

Set your bread machine to the dough mode and process (this is usually a one hour cycle)

When the cycle has finished, remove the dough and place on a silicone baking sheet on a cookie sheet and form into a longish oval shape

Place into a warm area, I take a cup of boiling water and place into the microwave next to the bread dough on the cookie sheet and allow to get really huge for about 45 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

The loaf should now have expanded to nearly the entire area of the cookie sheet

With your hands, create a depression into center of loaf about 8 inches in diameter

Sprinkle the saved jalapeno and cheeses into depression and push slightly into dough

Bake for 25-30 minutes

Allow to sit for 30 minutes before either slicing or simply pulling apart with your fingers

 To Sesame Street Run!

robert



Using turkey in place of moo cow

Since March 16, 1989, when the recipe was printed in the local Long Beach, California newspaper, I have been making this healthy and muy bueno recipe.  Actually it was as a result of reading the article, that I had the first inkling to try ground turkey instead of ground beef. 

Since that time nearly twenty-three years ago, I have stocked ground turkey in my freezer.  It's a versatile meat that is lower in fat than beef, provides nutritional protein and will taste very close to beef in flavor when used in place of ground moo cow.  Before I get too carried away with my enthusiasm about ground turkey, let me talk about the recipe.  It's a meatloaf that gets stuffed with spinach, cheeses, breadcrumbs and spices so that when it gets cooked in a loaf pan, it will have a spiral like ring of the filling inside when you slice it.  You can modify the filling ingredients by using different cheeses and spicier spices but as is, it stands up exceptionally well to a good side of garlic mashed potatoes and a steamed fresh vegetable of your choosing.  Yum.

Spinach-Filled Turkey Loaf

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 cup soft bread crumbs

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup finely minced onion

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

Optional glaze: 1/2 cup apply jelly

Filling:

2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Have a sheet of heavy duty aluminum ready

Combine all turkey loaf ingredients and blend well

On the sheet of foil, pat mixture to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle

Combine all the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl

Spread filling evenly over turkey mixture

Starting with the shorter 8 inch side, roll up jellyroll style

Place the rolled loaf, seam side down in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

Prepare glaze:

In a small saucepan, heat apply jelly until melted, brush with 1/2 of the jelly

Bake for 55 minutes, brushing the remaining glaze over loaf halfway thru cook time

Let stand for 5 minutes, drain off excess liquids in loaf pan

Carefully lift loaf out of pan

Place onto serving plate and allow to cool an additional 8 minutes

Cut into eight 1 inch slices

De-licious!

robert

Tamale Masa hold the lard...

I was introduced to tamales from a very young age.  Like many hispanic households, they are a Christmas tradition.  My memories of my mother's sisters and cousins wearing chili stained aprons and flanking each other like a sort of motor less conveyor belt was no small event.  Some spread the tamale masa onto the corn husks, some placed the red chili pork mixture onto the masa and some folded and placed them into steamers.  Their method allowed for producing numerous dozens very quickly.  I loved the unique spicy smell of steaming tamales and then the act of peeling off the husks, revealing the tender hot reddish puffy corn masa and the delectable pork and chili within the masa.  I got to know the word Manteca even though I had no idea what it was.  I did know that it was an ingredient used when the masa was made. 

As an adult two things were ingrained into my brain, that masa had to be made with lard and that tamales were a royal pain in the butt to make, unless you did the conveyor belt method with many hands assembling the tamales.  As a result I stayed away from attempting them for many years.  When I finally made my first batch of tamales I added lard to the pre made masa mixture, soaked the corn husks, made a pork and red chili filling that did take a lot of time.  Because tamales freeze so well, I kept making them so I could enjoy them whenever I felt like it...soon I began to join the ranks of those that say tamale making is just too labor intensive. 

But I really love the corn husk wrapped delicacies and endured the work anyhow.  I wasn't keen on using lard...it's something that ads such amazing flavor, but it's not filled with amazing health properties.  Then one Christmas, a cousin of mine that lives in Santa Fe gave me some tamales that her neighbor had made.  She too loves tamales but not the consumption of lard.  She excitedly told me that these tamales were made with Canola Oil instead of lard.  I could not believe it when I tried them, the masa was delicious.  I begged for the recipe from her neighbor...it changed everything about making tamales for me!

I found out there was a tamale masa product in a bag under a brand called Maseca.  When I went to pick up the "pinkish orangish" colored bag (as she insisted) I realized I had seen this on the shelves of the Mexican Store that I frequented...but because of a horribly catastrophic experience attempting to make my own masa years earlier with a different brand, I ignored the product.  This brand, Maseca comes in two bags, the  white colored one I more commonly see at Sam's Club, Walmart and on the shelves of Mexican stores right next to the pink orange colored one which is not always available.  I tried to find out why my cousin's neighbor insisted on using one versus the other.  I was perplexed, two bags that say they are for tamales from the same company...so since I could not get an answer I called the company. Turns out, the white bag is a finer grind of the corn flour which is better for making corn tortillas versus the pinkish orange bag, which is a coarser grind and made specifically for tamale masa as the bag implies.  However, many local creaters of the delectable tamale prefer the finer grind of the white bag...oh well either works! 

I was so thrilled that the masa that I made with the same proportion of canola or olive oil in place of the lard made such delicious masa.  And because I was making it, I could alter what ingredients went in, sometimes a bit of my homemade red chili gets mixed into the masa.  I also vary the flavor using different broths, although usually I use pork broth.  I am experimenting right now with throwing in a bit of blue corn into the masa...this is very exciting for me being such a lover of tamales...the skies the limit!

I let go of the thinking that I would only make them at Christmas time too.  Now I can decide to make a batch for dinner guests, without all the work.  Within a few minutes, I follow the recipe on the side of the bag which makes about two dozen good sized tamales making sure to use Canola or Olive Oil in place of the lard.  In my KitchenAid standing mixer, I process till the masa is fluffy.  Aaron now loves tamales just about as much as me. I vary the meat from pork and red chili to chicken and Green Chili or vegetarian green chili and cheese.  The making of the filling is the only time consuming part in making the tamales in my opinion.  A hot tip!  Leftover turkey at thanksgiving makes for wonderful tamale filling.  They are easily modified to vegetarian by use of vegetable broth and eliminating the meat.  I am also creating a filling with a wild mushroom, chili and cheese filling. Oh...and the best bang for your buck as far as the dried corn husks go is either a mexican food store or Sam's Club when they have em.

Delectable Pork Tamales

1 bag Maseca brand Tamale Masa flour (it will say "para tamales")

Make sure it is the Pinkish Orangish colored bag

1 package of dried corn husks

Canola or Olive Oil (follow recipe on bag for portion)

Pork Broth (created from the pork butt roast you will cook)

One Boneless Pork Butt Roast - any size..the bigger the roast the more filling you will have

(it freezes very well)

15 dried red New Mexican Chili Pods

5 large dried Ancho Chili Pods

3 bay leaves

2 tbsp dried mexican oregano

1 tbsp whole cumin seed

1 tbsp ground cumin

10 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp salt

The Meat

First get the meat started, this will take the longest

Place the butt roast into a large pot and cover with water

Add the bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic - smashed slightly, 1 tbsp salt, the whole cumin seed and 1 tbsp of the oregano

Cover the pot and cook on medium low heat for about three hours or until the meat falls apart easily

Remove from pot and allow to cool and shred the pork roast with two forks

Reserve all of the broth, discarding the bay leaves, the cumin seeds and the garlic cloves

The Corn Husks

Using a tall plastic container with a lid - I use an oval shaped one that works perfectly

Place about three dozen corn husks into pitcher, standing on end, add boiling water to cover and carefully place lid onto container set aside
Be sure to soak a few more husks than you will need, to allow for a possible ripped husk or for combining two together if one is too small

The Red Chili

Be careful handling your dried chilis. I don't use gloves  but it's often suggested to avoid accidentally touching your eyes, nose or well you have heard the stories...oh and red chili has great staining properties so be careful in handling...or use an apron.  My blender is white so a soak of bleach and water does the trick ;-)

Take  the  dried  chili pods and split them open and remove seeds and stems

Place the pods onto a cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees only for about three minutes...you don't want  to burn your chili pods

Place pods into a big sauce pot add water to 3/4 full and add in remaining garlic cloves - slightly smashed and 1 tbsp of dried oregano

Cook on medium heat for 50 minutes

Place all the chilis and garlic into blender and add about 1/3 of the chili water
Blend till smooth, add more of the cooking liquid till the red chili sauce is a good velvety smooth consistency...not too thick not too thin

Taste...add salt and pepper to taste

If you feel you need more garlic taste, add granulated garlic

Set sauce aside

When you have finished shredding the pork, place into a large pot with 3/4 of the red chili sauce to the meat

Add the ground cloves and the ground cumin, mix well

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste

Cover pot and allow to cook on low to allow flavors to blend and intensify

Follow directions on side of tamale masa bag to make a batch of tamales or double

as I often do if you want to make about 4 dozen
I find the best most efficient way is in a stand up mixer, but you can mix in a food processor too...you want the masa to have a fluffy consistency

Assembling the tamales

Create a work space on your kitchen counter where all will be within easy reach: 
a cutting board for assembling,

a bowl with the prepared masa, the container with the soaked corn husks
 (leave husks in hot water do not drain)

a bowl with the pork mixture and a spatula

Take a softened corn husk, shake off excess water

Place on board with flat end toward you and with curl face up

Place about 1/4 cup of masa onto husk and spread out evenly onto lower 2/3 of leaf

Place approximately 2 tbsp of filling on center  of tamale on top of masa

Visualise the unfolded tamale in thirds
Fold right side to center and left side to center

Fold top point down and place tamale onto a plate, seam side down

Repeat till all masa is used up

Freeze any remaining meat in airtight container or make another batch of masa and soak more corn husks

Within a deep steamer insert, stand all tamales on closed end so that open end is facing up

Make sure you have water in bottom of stock pot just below where steamer bottom sits

Cover and steam for 1 hour at medium heat

Allow to sit for 30 minutes
Take  the remaining red chili and take some of the left over pork meat and mix with the chili
Water it down with more broth it should be a bit watery in consistency
Add salt and pepper to taste
Pour over peeled hot tamales if desired

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Remaining tamales can sit in air tight container for three days then freeze

I find the best way to rewarm tamales is by steaming

I have a microwave steamer that works perfectly whether from a frozen state or fresh

Ahora comer los deliciosos tamales!

robert



a quickie for peanut buttter junkies

For over twenty years I have been making an amazing peanut butter cookie that only involves three ingredients and one of them is not flour.  This recipe is for those of us that love peanut butter cookies alot.  It's absolutely the easiest cookie recipe you could throw together short of using frozen cookie dough.  It's a great recipe because the ingredients are standard staples in most of our kitchens.  Aaron and I can be sitting watching a movie, and I can jump up to mix up the cookie batter and have fresh peanut butter cookies within minutes.  I had an entree earlier this month for a very healthy cookie...I can't say that about today's recipe, but it surely will appeal to us peanut butter junkies when we need a good fix.

Quick 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter  Cookies

1 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Mix the ingredients just till mixed
Drop from a teaspoon onto a baking sheet
Flatten each mound slightly with your fingers

Bake in an oven heated to 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes

ENJOY!

I have modified this recipe several ways such as:

adding chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, cinnamon, red chili powder

Peanut Butter Junkies Unite!

robert

Hot Book's of Cook's...

My cookbook fetish is bigger than my kitchen allows for...this makes it difficult because if I want to introduce more to the kitchen, then I ultimately have to perform the difficult task of eliminating some of those books that I may have been excited about when they hit the shelves, but now, sit neglected up on a shelf over my oven, between old issues of Cook's Illustrated Magazines and an electric wine bottle opener I picked up off the Sam's Club clearance shelf...I go thru this cycle of cook book frustration now and again.  I do have foodie friends I sometimes bestow them upon...and then there is that inner fear that I am going to off load them and then renewed interest will rear it's head...and then it will be too late! 

There is something about a cook book being tangible that is desirable to me, but now you can either use an IPad, Kindle, IPhone, IPod, Kobo or a whole lot of other E Readers to read from the plethora of cook books that are out there...and there are a lot of em.  If this intriques you...the sky is the limit!  You can have a whole cookbook at your fingertips within minutes.  Sadly all too often I have been to Ross or TJ Maxx and have seen a cook book slashed to a few dollars and the book just came out half a year earlier...it's a cruel ruthless existence these book's of cook's have to endure sometimes...Have a look at these three unique and fun ones...see if any grab your fancy, you can go to your kitchen right now and see which can leave to make room for new books...unless you have a palatial kitchen...if you do...I just might despise you...  :-)


Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo
by Guadalupe Rivera, Marie-Pierre
Beautiful illustrations highlight this delightful treasure house of Mexican recipes and fascinating anecdotes of Frida Kahlo. Guadalupe Rivera, Frida's stepdaughter, has gathered here favorite recipes for more than 100 authentic Mexican dishes, that Frida Kalho served to family and friends over the course of her life. This wonderful collection also contains family photographs and some wonderful reproductions of her paintings. Ignacio Urguiza transports the reader, through his glorious photographs, to many of Frida's favorite places, including her blue house in Coyoacan. Urguiza's photos of exotic dishes and settings are visually stunning.
http://www.amazon.com/Fridas-Fiestas-Recipes-Reminiscences-Frida/dp/0517592355

A Painter's Kitchen-Revised Edition: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O'Keeffe by Margaret Wood
The book is a fun read as well, since the Introduction allows us to learn why she liked certain foods, disliked eating out, what she grew in her large vegetable gardens and how her kitchens were laid out and what they had in them. http://www.amazon.com/Painters-Kitchen-Revised-Recipes-Kitchen-Cookbook/dp/1878610619/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296272605&sr=1-1

Like Water for Chocolate
 by Laura Esquivel
The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. A sumptuous feast of a novel
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=10463598020&keyword=like+water+for+chocolate&qwork=3946381&isbn=9780552995870&qsort=p&page=1

Oh! and a hot tip about buying cookbooks on the internet, Alibris.com is a website with a huge huge huge collection of used books and specifically cook books...check it out  http://www.alibris.com/