Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Chevre (soft goat cheese), Fresh Corn, Thyme and Potato Croutons

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Highs in the low sixties, lows dipping into the low to mid-40s, with a brisk (read cold) north wind off the ocean, no less, led to the creation of this soup last night. (That and what happened to be in fridge, pantry and garden.)  We are, in mid-June - almost the Solstice, experiencing early spring weather which includes cold north winds that can make your bones rattle, and cloudy-sunny-cloudy days with an occasional rain shower thrown in for good measure.  (The wind:  Good for the ocean becauses it causes a phenomenon called upwelling, which brings cold water up from the depths, cooling off the surface and bringing fish food with it; not so good for humans who suffer from allergies, arthritis and/or are prone to anxiety. This wind even makes cats nervous.)

Fear not, those of you living blissfully in hotter climes, for the soup you see before you is quite versatile.  Serve it up hot when it's cold out and cold when it's hot out, the only caveat being that you do have to cook it over a stove, which may not appeal to those living in 90-plus temps.  If that's the case, save the recipe for cooler weather.

Cauliflower is the main ingredient, the potato is added for thickening and making the cute little croutons, the corn kernels add interest and a gentle crunch.

The leek, fresh spring onion,

and early China Rose garlic are from our local and best-beloved farmers market.

Then there's The chevre - ah, the chevre. Made right here, 12 or so miles from my kitchen, it is soft but not gooey. It breaks into snowy-white pieces that leave streaks in the hot soup as it melts, then combines thoroughly, adding a creaminess, tang, and deep note you must taste to appreciate.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Chevre, Fresh Corn, Thyme and Potato Croutons
(Print Recipe)

Christine's original take on Potato-Leek Soup and Vichyssoise

Ingredients:

1 leek, white and light green parts only, washed and thinly sliced

1 spring onion, red or white, thinly sliced

6-7 cloves garlic, fresh if you can find it, minced

2 medium heads white cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 large yukon gold potato, peeled, cut into small cubes, about 2 cups

4 cups organic, low-sodium chicken stock, or your own home made version

Juice from 1/2 of a Meyer Lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

4-ounces fresh chevre (I used the herbed kind) broken into small pieces, room temperature

4-6 sprigs fresh thyme, left whole

White corn kernels cut from 1 ear of corn

Sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to taste

Olive oil and unsalted butter for the pan

Preparation:

Heat a large stockpot (soup pot) over medium heat. Add several teaspoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter and allow to melt.  Sauté the leek, onion and garlic until soft but not browned - you may have to adjust the heat to prevent scorching.

Add the cauliflower florets, chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups of the potato cubes, reserving the remaining cubes for the croutons (see below).  Stir the pot and bring to a low boil.

Add the lemon juice, toss in the thyme sprigs, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower and potatoes are quite tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, remove the thyme sprigs from the soup (the small leaves should have fallen from the stems by now) and, using an immersion blender*, blend the soup until it is creamy-smooth with just a few small chunks of potato lurking about. (Little chunks of potato give the soup character, in my humble opinion, but you can make it as smooth as a baby's bottom if that floats your boat.)

Stir in the fresh corn kernels now, do not heat; the soup will be hot enough to cook them within 2 minutes.

Stir in the chevre, let the pieces sit a minute or two then stir until all the cheese has melted.

Now you can taste and adjust the seasonings with sea salt and good freshly-ground black pepper.

To Serve:

Ladle hot soup into large, flat bowls, top with a few potato croutons and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

To serve cold, allow the soup to cool at room temperature for 20 or so minutes then chill, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Stir before serving, without the potato croutons. Thin soup, if desired, with more chicken stock or water.

To make the potato croutons:

In a heavy skillet, heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high.  Add the remaining cubes of potatoes and saute, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are golden brown on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Toss with a sprinkling of sea salt and remove from the heat.

While the potatoes are still hot in the pan, add a teaspoon or so of unsalted butter, a pinch of sweet paprika, and toss until the butter has melted and glazed the potatoes.  Serve as a garnish with the soup. Try not to eat too many beforehand ... 

The soup will be very, very hot when removed from the heat so take great care when using an immersion blender to not splatter yourself.  If you do not own an immersion blender (and how can that be?), you can blend the soup in a food processor in small batches. Take care not to overfill the processor bowl as the hot soup will expand when being processed and could overflow the bowl.

I appeal to you lovely cooks to seek out fresh, local and organic food products whenever possible.

When you're trying to read a blog post, do you find those pop-up links that block out text annoying?  I do. That's why you won't find them on this blog.  What you will find are links to the very items I use when preparing the recipe I've made and posted.  These items are for sale in my Amazon Store and may be accessed by clicking on the icon in the sidebar.

Bon Appétit!

Copyright © 2005-2010, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Christine's Recipe for Thai-Style Sausage and Vegetable Soup

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Inspiration for this what can I do with all those vegetables lounging in the vegetable crispers? soup came from the Thai-spiced sausage I picked up at the market recently. After that the soup practically made itself.

Cilantro grows year-round in my garden, even when it snows. Just when the summer crop is winding down, little volunteers start coming up and, hardy souls that they are, manage to make it through the winter.

I didn't get a photo, but one of our local inland farmers has a kaffir lime tree and is now selling fresh-picked leaves at the farmers market. I couldn't resist buying a packet.

Add to these beginnings, some garlic, fresh ginger, lots of fresh farmers market vegetables and some lite coconut milk and there you have it. A soup full of zingy fresh flavor, bright colors, and wholesome goodness.

Christine's Thai-Style Sausage and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 Kaffir lime leaves
1 and 1/2 cups low to no-sodium chicken stock, preferrably home made
2 cans organic, lite coconut milk
12-15 crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 large red jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed, finely minced
4 Thai Style uncured sausage by Niman Ranch, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers or sweet Italian peppers, chopped small
2 carrots, pared and thinly sliced
2 small golden zucchini (from my garden!), thinly sliced
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
handful of fresh garden pea pods, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
juice from 2 small limes


Preparation:
Prepare all ingredients as specified above.
Place the chicken stock in a large pot over low heat, waiting to receive the fixins.
Sauté the sausage slices in a large, heavy skillet (I use cast iron) until lightly browned. Using tongs, transfer the sausage to the soup pot. Reserve the rendered fat in the skillet.
Sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger in the skillet over medium heat until soft and golden. Transfer to the soup pot and increase the heat to medium high. You are finished with the skillet now and all your attention should be on the soup pot.
Allow the stock to come to just under a boil and add the carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and peppers. Let these cook for about 6 minutes or until they are softly cooked.
Add the green beans and pea pods and cook for 5 minutes more.
Check to see that the vegetables are almost cooked through.
Lower the heat to medium low and add the coconut milk. Simmer until everything is done to your liking. Don't allow the soup to boil.
To finish the soup, remove the lime leaves if you can find them, add the lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Stir gently, remove from the heat and serve.

Cook's Notes:
A gentle reminder that I link to products only to help those who wish to make my recipes to the letter. I do not receive requests to link to these products, nor do I receive any remuneration for doing so.

Copyright © 2005-2009, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Roasted Autumn Soup With Potatoes, Carrots And Leeks

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It happens every fall. The days grow shorter, the nights cooler, and grilling time becomes scarcer.

With no warning, no I think I'll make soup today, suddenly I must get out the large stockpot and begin to make that quinessential celebration of autumn: Soup.

Our soon-to-be in-laws, Vyrle and Dolly, generously sent us a bag full of purple, red, yellow and russet potatoes, freshly dug from their Oregon farm and hand-carried by Miles when he flew from Portland for a recent visit. Last week I roasted a pan of those beautiful potatoes with some carrots, always making enough for company (in this case Robert and Simona) and leftovers.

At the farmers market last Saturday I picked up fresh leeks, Walla Walla onions, garlic and a fat, happy jalapeno pepper. As always - beautiful, organic, and locally grown.

And there it was: Inspiration staring me in the face.

With grateful thanks to Vyrle and Dolly and, always, to our local farmers, I offer yet another iteration of my penchant for heart and soul warming fall soup.

Christine's Roasted Autumn Soup with Potatoes, Carrots and Leeks

Serves 8-10 as a main course

Ingredients:

16 small, medium and large garlic cloves, peeled, left whole

1 large Walla Walla onion, coarsely chopped

2 medium leeks and 5 small leeks (or whatever you have on hand to equal about 3 cups chopped), white and light green parts only, cleaned, sliced lengthwise, coarsely chopped crosswise

olive oil for the pan

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-dry Vermouth for de-glazing the pan

10 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock (I used Pacific Foods Vegetable Broth, produced in Oregon

6 heaping cups previously-roasted potatoes and carrots, coarsely cut

1 rather large jalapeno pepper, charred, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, leave whole

Juice from 1 very large Valencia orange, strained

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Have a large stockpot ready on the stove.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly oil a large baking pan, add the onion, leeks, and garlic and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue roasting another 15 or 20 minutes or until the vegetables become golden brown and caramelized.

Remove the pan from the oven and scrape the vegetables into the stockpot. Immediately pour the Vermouth into the hot pan and scrape up all the browned bits, pouring it all into the stockpot.

To the stockpot add the broth or stock, potatoes and carrots, chopped jalapeno pepper, chopped oregano and thyme sprigs.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes.

Pour in the orange juice and stir to blend. Taste and add more kosher salt and pepper if necessary.

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Fish out the now-bare thyme sprigs; they will have left their herby leaves in the soup.

If you have an immersion blender, get it out now. If not, you can puree the soup in small batches in a food processor.

With the immersion blender on 3, begin blending the soup taking great care not to splatter it on you. It's very hot. As you blend, the soup will thicken. Stop blending when the soup is the consistency you desire. If using a processor, place 2-3 cupfuls at a time in the bowl and pulse until it reaches the consistency you desire. Repeat. (See how easy it would be if you had an immersion blender?)

To Serve:

There are any number of ways one can serve this soup. One of my favorites is to add a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream thinned with cream, then sprinkle the dollop with fresh thyme leaves and/or toasted almond slices. Another way is to stir a cup or two of buttermilk into the soup just before serving. Don't let it boil, however, or it will curdle. Me and Mr CC: we like our soup unadorned, straight from the pot, with good crusty bread, a fresh-from-the-garden tomato and cucumber salad, and a glass of deep red wine from the southwest of France. Mais oui!

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Spring Vegetable Soup For Weekend Herb Blogging

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A direct consequence of my having gone back to work full time is that I don't cook as much (or at least not much that hasn't been done before.) Which results in my not posting as much. Which eventually results in the DT's brought on by blog withdrawal. This week then, just when I was giving myself a good talking to about getting back to cooking and posting recipes, I dislocated a tendon that runs down a groove between shoulder and elbow (the name of which eludes me), rendering my right arm useless and me in blinding pain. I didn't even know that tendon existed let alone that it could be dislocated. Moreover, I'm not really sure exactly how I did it, as the pain didn't start until long after I'd thrown my sweet horse her evening flake of hay (which I've been doing for many years so go figure.)

So now my excuse is not so much that I'm working full time, but that it's hard to cook with one and a half arms (the elbow to fingertips part works just fine as long as the upper arm is glued to my ribs.) Quel dilemma. Coinciding with this tendon fiasco is the fact that Mr CC is away at a conference, offering sympathy by phone yet unable to give any help at all.

Even with full use of body parts, there is something about being home alone that quells the more creative cook side of me. Throw injury into the mix and I definitely turn into a simpler-is-better-certainly-easier-and less-painful kind of cook. Take this soup for instance: Thawed chicken stock brought to a simmer with fresh, organically grown vegetables tossed in plus garbanzo beans and there you have a healthy one-pot meal that takes just a few minutes to prepare, with minimal clean up. If you make enough of this it will carry you into the next day's lunch when you can sprinkle it with a chopped, hard cooked egg.

I finished a book recently that talked about the need for Americans to eat less processed, packaged, refined foods and eat more whole foods, especially those containing omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds, walnuts and salmon are the most well-known foods high is this essential nutrient, but leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collards are also a good source as are strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower and scallops.

Chard, beet tops, broccoli and spinach came from my garden just moments before being washed, chopped or shredded and tossed into the soup pot. The rest of the vegetables came organically grown and snapping fresh from our local co-op. I had a small amount of Neiman Ranch Uncured Applewood Smoked Ham which, as you may imagine, gave the soup a lovely smokey depth. The gruyère practically begged to be added ... I couldn't say no.

Spring Vegetable Soup

Christine's original recipe

Ingredients:

4 to 6 cups home made chicken stock or a good packaged organic stock

20 shelling peas (about), shelled

1 bunch asparagus, stalks peeled if tough, cut into bite-sized pieces

Several small stalks broccoli, stalks peeled if tough, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cups thinly sliced greens, such as chard, kale, spinach and beet tops

1 can organic chickpeas (garbanzos) drained

1/3 cup each uncured (no nitrites or nitrates) ham and gruyère cheese, cubed (optional)

kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the vegetables, garbanzos and ham, if using, and simmer until just tender.

Add the cheese, if using, and allow it to melt slightly.

Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with a delicious crusty artisan bread.

Even though I didn't add any herbs to my soup, and even though I'm not showcasing any one vegetable, I'm sending this post along to my friend Kalyn as my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging - because this soup features a mix of fresh vegetables that are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, an essential and woefully lacking ingredient in so many Americans' diets. Kalyn created WHB over two years ago and it's still one of the most popular food events in the blogosphere. Click here to see how to enter, and while you're at it, peruse Kalyn's blog for some über healthy and tasty recipes. And if you'd like to see another dish that is loaded with omega-3's, look at what Kirsten of Kirsten's Home Cookingcame up with recently. Zowie!

And by the way, my arm is healing, somewhat slowly but nicely, and I should be back to cooking up a storm soon.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Squash, Yam And Leek Soup With Blood Orange Juice

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Even though I'm a fair weather kinda gal, I have to admit that winter does have its good points. Setting aside for the moment that it lasts far too long, winter brings us some very earthy, high in fiber vegetables: Think hard-skinned squashes, rutabagas, turnips, leeks, carrots, beets, celeriac and potatoes, to name just a few. And then winter tops it off with beautiful kales, chards and citrus. Yes! Just when you think your teeth may fall out from lack of vitamin C, in the middle of winter citrus comes to the rescue. The many varieties of tangerines, oranges, and grapefruits alone can perk up a mid-winter meal like nobody's business.

The juice of blood oranges gave this comforting, wintery soup the perfect touch of brightness.

Squash, Yam and Leek Soup with Blood Orange Juice
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 very large garnet yam, peeled and cubed (yields approx. 2-3 cups)
1 extremely large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (yields approx 6-8 cups)
3 leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned and cut into 1-inch slices
1 cup shredded carrots (left from making the carrot cake which is coming up next)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced (more is better)
4-6 full stems of fresh thyme
1/2 cup extra-dry vermouth
4-5 cups organic vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly squeezed juice from several blood oranges
olive oil for the pan

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place all the vegetables and garlic in a large, lightly oiled roasting pan. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Lay the thyme sprigs over the top of the vegetables.
Seal the pan with aluminum foil and roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender. Shake the pan from time to time to keep anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You want the vegetables to roast gently and not get very browned.
During the last 10 minutes of roasting, remove the foil from the pan, strip the thyme leaves from their stems, discarding the stems, stir the vegetables gently and put back in the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Remove all the contents of the pan to a large soup pot.
Deglaze the roasting pan with the vermouth and pour that into the soup pot.
Add 1/2 of the vegetable stock plus the allspice to the vegetables.

Using an immersion blender, start blending the vegetables, adding stock as needed, until it's all velvety smooth. You can add more or less stock, depending on the consistency desired.
When the soup is smooth, stir in the blood orange juice. Adjust with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Cook's Notes:
I didn't measure the vegetables so am guessing as to how many cups I had of both the yams and squash. I'm pretty sure the squash weighed about 5 pounds.
Smooth with just the errant small piece of squash here and there, should you wish for total smoothness, you could put the soup through a food mill or a chinois.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Heart Healthy Lentil Vegetable Soup

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I've got to be quick about this as I'm late for the roundup at Heart of the Matter. Brought to us by Joanna, Ilva, and Michelle, this great blog offers up healthy, low fat, good-for-you recipes from bloggers around the world. Our mission for HotM 11 was to come up with a heart healthy soup. Joanna will have the roundup posted in the next few days so be sure to visit. I know there will be some fantastic recipes there that you'll want to try for yourselves.

Lentils, one of the world's healthiest foods, celeriac, sunchokes, carrots, celery, rutabagas, onions, garlic and Meyer lemon juice for some pizazz. Fabulously healthy ingredients all gently cooked together in a vegetable stock. What more could you want on a cold winter's day? A hint of olive oil is used to sauté the onions and garlic, otherwise there is no added fat. The combined tastes of all the vegetables is so good that I didn't even add herbs - just a touch of kosher salt.

As you can see in this photo, I added some local canned albacore, a slice of whole wheat walnut bread, and topped the dish with grated parmesan but these can easily be left out without sacrificing taste. In fact if you left out the tuna and the cheese, this would be perfect for vegan friends and family.

So let's get to it. This recipe is easy as pie: You count the ingredients in the photo above and use that much for a very large pot of soup. Cut the amount in half and you will still have enough for two plus leftovers for your workday lunch.

Heart Healthy Lentil Vegetable Soup

Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
6 Celery stalks with some leaves, sliced thin
4 Rutabagas, peeled and cut into chunks
4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks
5 or so sunchokes, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1-2 teaspoons olive oil for the pan
3 quarts good, organic vegetable stock
1 heaping cup lentils, washed and picked through for debris
1 can gourmet canned albacore tuna (optional)
juice from 2 Meyer lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
shavings of parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation:
Have a heavy skillet and a large soup pot on the stove.
Put the soup pot on a back burner, put in the vegetable stock and bring it to a simmer, covered.
Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until they are soft. Add the garlic and sauté a few minutes more until the aromas come up and they are softly cooked then add them to
the vegetable stock.
Add the lentils to the stock and cook for about 15 minutes until beginning to soften.
Add the rest of the prepared vegetables to the stock and bring to a simmer. Allow to everything to cook gently until all the vegetables are tender and the lentils are done.
Add the Meyer lemon juice then the kosher salt and pepper to taste

To your good health!

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Farmers Market Soup

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All the vegetables showcased in this soup were locally, organically grown and bought at yesterday's farmers market: Carrots, celeriac, red bell peppers, cipollini onions, garlic and mushrooms. We served this to two weary travelers who arrived from the rainy Northwest craving a warm, hearty soup. Now how did I know that?

To bring out the sweet goodness of the vegetables, they were first sautéed to a golden brown then added to the hot stock. Hot steamed rice and grated Midnight Moon aged goat cheese from our local Cypress Grove Chevre were offered along side as additions to the soup as each person desired. Crusty Brio Whole Wheat Walnut bread rounded out our mostly locally-sourced meal.

Farmers Market Soup
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
2 quarts vegetable stock, preferrably homemade
2 cipollini onions, peeled and cut into small dice
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 large celeriac bulb, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut as above
3 portobello mushrooms, gills removed, sliced then cut as above
1 bay leaf, fresh if you have it, dried if you don't
2 teaspoons freshly dried thyme
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Begin by putting the vegetable stock in a large stock pot with the bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat while you prep the veggies.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of good olive oil.

When the skillet is hot, reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until they've softened.

Add the carrots and continue to sauté until they are just barely tender, taking care that the onions don't burn.

Scrape all this into the pot of vegetable stock and add a bit more oil to the skillet.

Sauté the garlic and the celeriac next. Don't let the garlic burn. When the celeriac has reach a golden brown, add the mushrooms and sauté a few minutes more until the mushrooms are tender. Place all of this into the stock pot.

Next, sauté the bell peppers in the pan with a little more oil if needed and add them to the soup.

If you happen to have a glass of white wine on hand you can deglaze the skillet at this point, scraping up all the delicious browned bits then adding it all to the soup pot.

If you don't have a glass of white wine on hand, don't whine. Just ladle a bit of the stock out of the soup pot into the skillet and proceed.

Let your soup simmer until all the veggies are tender and you're done.

To serve, fish out the bay leaf, line up the steamed rice, the grated cheese, the soup pot, serving utensils, bowls and soup spoons and let your guests dish up to their heart's content. A basket of crusty artisan bread at the table will be appreciated. A glass of deep red wine can't hurt.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Corn And Thyme Soup With Seared Chicken Thighs And Roasted Asparagus

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The last of the season's corn and some wonderfully earthy, spicy fresh thyme from my garden were the culprits that got me thinking, during last night's chilly evening, that I would make soup.

I love thyme. It's the herb I will reach for or go pick when I want a deeply satisfying, down home flavor that speaks of cold nights, blissful blue-sky days, and the shortening of those days that makes us want to snuggle up with a comforter (be it down or significant other) in the evening. The scent of thyme in my kitchen is comfort in and of itself. Pair it with a simple soup and I'm just comfy all over.

Then there's corn. Such a versatile vegetable: it shines in fritters to savory flans then delights in making taste buds dance in sweet puddings; from stuffings to soups and stews, on the cob dripping with butter or sliced off the cob paired with grilled prawns, corn satisfies. It humbly plays second fiddle to so many things I make yet without it the dish would seem incomplete.

I've thrown many good things into this soup, but the crisp corn kernels and the pungent thyme are the ingredients being showcased for Kalyn's second anniversary celebration of Weekend Herb Blogging. WHB has got to be the longest running food event in the blogosphere and I'm happy and proud to be a part of it. Click here to read about how it all got started. Click here to read about this month's anniversary event. Join in the fun - vote for what you think will be the most favorite vegetable and the most favorite herb of 2007, then submit a recipe using one of your faves of each between now and October 14th.

Corn and Thyme Soup with Seared Chicken Thighs and Roasted Asparagus
Christine's original recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup sweet onion, chopped kind of small (I used one small sweet onion and one cipollini)
1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed, chopped small
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
5-6 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs
1 pound asparagus, oven roasted
4-5 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium, fat-free chicken broth if purchased (See Cook's Notes)
1 tablespoon, or more, fresh thyme, chopped fine (dried thyme works well also)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sauteed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil (more if necessary)
1 tablespoon Earth Balance or butter
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry Vermouth

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the washed asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a few sprinkles of kosher salt.

Roast asparagus in the hot oven for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan occassionally.

Remove from the oven when just beyond al dente and slightly browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, using a deep bowl to catch the corn, with a sharp chef's knife, cut the kernels from the corn cobs. When the kernels are removed, extract the corn milk from the cobs by using the back of the knife and running it up the corn cobs. Set aside.

Have a large soup pot ready to heat and receive ingredients.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and earth balance.

When the oil/butter shimmers, add the chopped onions and saute for about 5 minutes or until they soften.

Add the garlic and give a quick stir. When the garlic aroma tickles your nose, add the red and jalapeno peppers to the skillet, stirring and sauteing for about 5 minutes more.

Add the thyme to the skillet and stir to coat the veggies.

Add about 1 cup stock to the skillet and stir to loosen any brown bits that may have stuck to the pan. Pour all of this into the soup pot.

Add the corn and corn milk to the soup pot along with the rest of the stock and heat gently on medium low heat. Maintain the heat under the skillet.

In the skillet, over medium-high heat, saute the chicken thighs, adding more olive oil if needed, until the thighs are golden brown all over and almost fully cooked.

Remove the thighs from the heat and let rest for a few minutes before cutting into bite size pieces.

Immediately upon removing the thighs from the skillet, deglaze the pan with the vermouth, scraping up the browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. Pour the fond and vermouth into the soup pot.

Add the thigh pieces to the soup pot and keep at a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Cut the roasted asparagus into 1 to 2-inch pieces and toss into the soup pot.

Adjust the seasonings, adding more thyme, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Ladle into deep, warmed bowls and serve with crusty artisan bread.

Cook's Notes:

This soup may be made vegetarian or vegan with just a few small adjustments:

Omit the chicken thighs, of course.

Use Earth Balance exclusively (vegan).

Instead of using chicken stock, gently boil the de-kerneled corn cobs in 6-8 cups of water with a sprig of fresh thyme for about 25 minutes. Strain the stock (you should have about 4 cups) and continue with the recipe.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

My Life At The Moment

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Lest anyone thinks I've fallen off the face of the earth, I haven't.

As with many things in spring, gardens need tending, animals need surgeries (what?), taxes need doing, and a house needs putting in order after several months of painting and tile work. I'm still here. Eating simply and tending to the needs of things and critters around me.

I do have a few recipes waiting in the wings - I used the remainder of the Blue Squash to make a filling for Stuffed Mexican Hat Pasta and then used the remainder of that filling to make another delicious soup with roasted asparagus and crab. If that doesn't have you drooling, wait until you try the Mediterranean Red Pepper Sauce I whipped up recently.

As for the animal surgeries: my 17-year old calico cat was whisked (by me) to Sacramento this past Saturday where veterinarian son Josh operated on her lower eyelids which had turned in and were causing her a great deal of pain. She's recovering quite well and is warm and cozy here in my office.

Clown dog, Skip, presented me with an hugely swollen muzzle when I returned from the valley on Sunday which has been determined to be an abcess that will be lanced this week. He's currently on meds and even with a fever acts like everything in the world is so very groovy and "do you wanna play? Now?"

One last thing. I know I haven't been visiting my blogger friends lately (you know who you are) but I want you to know that all of you are in my rss reader and I see what you're cooking up daily. My life should return to somewhat normal soon and I look forward to "seeing" all of you in person.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved.

Blue Squash Soup

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March left yesterday with a swish of her skirts, bringing a mix of fog, mist, rain and sun. Typical for our part of the world. In March, some days we're in T-shirts, the next jackets. Yesterday we wore jackets.

And Jeffrey painted the breakfast room in tones of the pink and peach seen in the beautiful Australian Blue Squash that my sister Cynthia brought over this past Thanksgiving.

The gray, misty (we call it "spitting") day called for something filling, warming and light, in keeping with the longer, only slightly warmer days.

As I gazed at the colors taking shape on the walls of the breakfast room, the two squashes that had been sitting on the counter lending color inspiration, began to morph into a smooth yet rustic, spicy vegan soup right before my eyes. It was time.

I'm only sorry I didn't get this to Kalyn today in time for Weekend Herb Blogging. Oh, well. There's always next week.

The measurements for this soup are a bit whimsical. I just put things together until the soup came together. See the Cook's Notes below for further elucidation.

Blue Squash Soup

Christine's original recipe

Ingredients:

4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, sliced thinly lengthwise, then sliced crosswise

1 tablespoon good olive oil

2 teaspoons Earth Balance

4 cups well cooked squash, mashed with a fork

1 tablespoon good curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon kosher salt (or to taste)

4 to 8 cups vegetable broth (depending on how thick or thin you like your soup)

2 cups organic, unsweetened soy milk

6 basil leaves, torn or cut chiffonade

freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the prepared squash and the vegetable broth in a stock pot and stir.

Place over medium low heat.

Saute the shallots, garlic and red bell pepper in the olive oil and Earth Balance until cooked through and slightly golden brown.

Add the curry powder and cinnamon and stir until the spices release their aromas and are incorporated into the veggie saute.

Add the saute to the squash mixture and stir.

Raise the heat under the stock pot to medium. When the soup simmers, add the soy milk, stir to blend and cook for about 10 minutes. Do not boil.

Add the salt and pepper and check for taste.

Add the basil and cook for about 5 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and blend,using an immersion blender for a more rustic soup, or a regular blender for a smooth soup.

Serve, eat and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:

I cut and seeded the squash, cut it into quarters, placed in a large roasting pan with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the pan, covered with foil and baked at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours. You will need to let the squash cool before scooping the pulp from the skins. One could use canned squash, but fresh is really best.

Any of the saute veggies could be cut finer. This is just the way I did them because I was working out the preparation method as I was cooking.

The liquids may be varied as your whimsey desires.

The soup was delicious before the soy milk was added. I used soy because it's vegan (Jeffrey's here) and I wanted to add a bit of healthy creaminess.

The basil could be chopped fine, if desired, and some of it sprinkled on top as garnish.

A swirl of creme fraiche just before serving would make an elegant presentation if you're not cooking vegan. I, myself, am trying to cook heart-healthy these days and am avoiding dairy fats.

And lastly, the soup may look like baby food but, trust me, your taste buds will wake up and dance.

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved.