soup

Duo Of Spinach Cream

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When I was a Kid, the only vegetable I hated more than onions was spinach.
Now, a few short years later, Onion soup (cream or french) and spinach soup
are some of my great favorites, be it as a soup course, main course or snack.
Tonight, cream of spinach was calling and I answered 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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To serve, top with chicharones (crispy pork rind) and / or butter-sauteed shrimp

: blanch spinach in salted water

: shock in ice water

: drain

: saute onions and garlic in butter

: add potatoes

: deglaze with white wine

: add chicken or vegetable stock, simmer until potatoes are soft

: add spinach, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, fresh;y grated nutmeg, maggi seasoning, bring back to simmer

: add heavy cream

: blend with stick blender until smooth

: To serve, top with chicharones (crispy pork rind) and / or butter-sauteed shrimp

: Cream of spinach with shrimp

: cream of spinach with chicharones (crispy pork rind)

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Asian Inspired Duck & Udon Soup

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This soup is my “to go to” soup when I have leftover duck or goose (yesterdays roast duck) . It is quick and easy and oh so delicious. The vegetables and noodles are interchangeable with any vegetables and pasta you might have at hand, such as cabbage, bok choy, shiitake or spinach, or egg noodles, rice noodles, mung bean noodles. Use whatever is at hand and tickles your fancy 🙂
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Chop up the carcasse and other leftover bones and bits of meat and simmer with garlic, ginger, salt, lime slices, a bit of sugar and sriracha sauce for 45 minutes. Skim of all foam which rises during this time. Strain stock and discard solids. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Place hot udon noodles and blanched vegetables in a serving bowl, top with sliced duck pieces and cover with broth. Drizzle with some hot chili oil. Serve with a side dish of hoi sin sauce and sriracha sauce to dip the duck.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Asian Inspired Duck & Udon Soup

: Mise En Place

: Simmer Stock

: Strain Stock

: blanch vegetables

: Asian Inspired Duck & Udon Soup

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Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Flour Dumpling’s ( A “Light” Saturday Lunch )

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When I encountered Jamaican dumplings for the first time in the early seventies, I would never have imagined that I will ever like them, having been raised with southern german-style dumplings, which are very light and airy (if done correctly).
So when I saw these tough little dumplings, (resembling in shape Schwaebische Bubespitzle), I was skeptical, to say the least. But, while living in Jamaica in the eighties, I have come to love these Jamaican dumplings, but again – in order to be appreciated, they must be properly prepared, simmering for a long time in a flavorful stock, stew or soup .
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Irie, Mon 🙂
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Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Dumplings

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: Jamaican Black Bean Soup & Dumplings

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Ingredients :

Stock of your preference, veal, chicken, beef, pork, vegetable
Black beans, soaked overnight
Onions, diced
Celery, diced
Bacon, diced (substitute with salt pork if preferred)
Garlic, paste
Spicy sausage, pork, veal or beef
Assorted chilis, select according to your preferred heat level
Tomatoes, diced
Cumin,
Kosher salt,
Black pepper, freshly ground
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Goose fat, rendered (use your favorite fat, canola oil, olive oil, butter, duck fat, goose fat, etc)

Method :

Saute bacon in fat until rendered, add onions, garlic, celery, chilis and sausage and saute until fragrant, add tomatoes, stock and beans. Season lightly with cumin, salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are “waxy”. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, place soup into serving bowl, top with dumplings and sprinkle generously with cilantro .

Dumplings :

Mix flour, water and salt into a smooth dough, roll small pieces into finger shaped noodles and simmer in stock until cooked through. ( Usually like o cook them straight in the soup, but for a nicer presentation I cooked them separate this time for better pictures 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Irie !

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Rum Laced Iced Berry Soup

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What a gorgeous sunday afternoon by the lake. Perfect temperature outside, a good book to read (WHISKEY BEACH, by Nora Roberts), great rock in the background (Big 105.9) and this wonderful concoction of berries, yoghurt and rum, topped with a bit of whipped cream.
Ahhhhhhh 🙂

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Life is Good ! Cheers !

Rum Laced Iced Berry Soup

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Tomato Bisque With Buttered Cauliflower

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A couple of day’s ago I made a big batch of my beloved tomato bisque. It served me well as late night snack for a few day’s, the last one last night, when I added some buttered cauliflower and ate it with a good chunk of sourdough bread, indispensable for wiping the bottom of the bowl to make sure one get’s the last drop and nothing is wasted 🙂
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Blanch the cauliflower rosettes, then saute lightly in butter. season with kosher salt and white pepper. To serve, pour bisque in bowl, add the cauliflower and sprinkle with finely sliced scallions.
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Recipe for ” Tomato Bisque ”
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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Tomato Bisque With Buttered Cauliflower

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Cream Of Broccoli “Bella”

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” Cream of broccoli and potato, with parmesan and fontina ”

Soup can be so many things.
– Boring. Unimportant. Uninspired 😦
– Good. Great. Warming. Satisfying. Amazing. Unforgettable. Pretty. Flavorful. Addictive. A Treat. Not to be missed 🙂
“Bella” means beautiful in Italian, therefore: Bella the soup. Bella the dog 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Cream of Broccoli and Potato, with Parmesan and Fontina “

: Bella

Ingredient’s :

Broccoli, cut into small florettes, blanched
Broccoli stock, reserved from blanching the broccoli
Potato,   small chopped
Onion,   julienned
Garlic,   paste
Heavy cream,
Parmesan,   finely grated
Fontina,   coarsly grated
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Chili flakes,
Butter,   to saute

Method :

Saute onion and garlic in butter until fragrant. Add potatoes, stock and seasoning. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Add broccoli, reserve some for garnish. Bring back to simmer. Remove from heat, add cream and parmesan. With a stick blender, blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning if neccessary. To serve, add a few broccoli florettes, sprinkle with fontina and chili flakes. Share with a loved one. (Bella adores this soup, I guess because of the cheese) 🙂
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Curried Lentil Soup With Pork & Pork

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” Curried lentil soup with pork, vegetables, potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, chilis and chicharones (the other pork) ”

Last night it was a bone chilling 68 F outside, (this is Florida, folks),
so this one-pot meal provided much needed heat and comfort 🙂
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Ingredients :

Pork butt, diced
Chicken stock,
Lentils, any color will do
Bell peppers, diced
Onions, diced
Potatoes, diced
Celery, diced
Carrots, diced
Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Garlic, paste
Chicharones,
Butter, substitute with olive oil if you prefer
Kosher salt,
Cayenne,
Maggi seasoning,

Method :

Saute onions, carrots, celery, sun dried tomatoes and garlic in butter until onions are translucent. Add curry powder, saute slowly for 30 seconds. Add pork, chicken stock and seasoning. Simmer until pork is tender. Remove pork, set aside, cover so it does not discolor. Add lentils to stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and peppers. Simmer until tender but not falling apart. Blend one quarter of the soup until smooth and thick. Return to pot, add pork and heat through. Adjust seasoning if required. To serve, sprinkle with chicharones.

Bon Appetit ! Stay Warm !
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” Zuppa Pavese “

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There was a time when this was on nearly every Italian restaurant’s menu.
Unfortunately, over time, it was watered down at most places to a thin,
packaged chicken broth with a thin slice of white bread, an egg yolk and
a bit of crappy cheese sprinkled on top. Of course people stayed away from that crap.
However, when properly done, with love ( and a good appetite ), this soup is
pure soup-heaven.
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All about Zuppa Pavese
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Ingredients :

Chicken stock, seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg (or beef stock if you prefer)
Sour dough bread, thick sliced
Roasted garlic paste,
Whole egg, very fresh
Pecorino romano, (or parmigiano reggiano if you prefer)
Italian parsley, chopped

Method :

Spread some roasted garlic paste on bread, saute or grill on one side until golden.
Remove, sprinkle finely grated cheese on the other side, gratinate until golden.
Meanwhile, heat your serving dish until very hot. Heat your broth until simmering.
Place bread in serving dish, individual portion or family style, one large slice per person.
Carefully crack one egg on each slice.Ladle soup over eggs, careful not to break them.
The eggs should be covered by the broth. Sprinkle cheese and parsley on top.
The soup is now ready to serve, but if you like your eggs more done, bake in oven a few
minutes until the eggs are done to your liking.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Lion’s Head Soup ” ( Shr Za Tou )

>Today I made a soup for dinner which is traditionally eaten during the cooler months of the year. But I figured it is cold somewhere in the world, even if it isn’t so in Miami, so what the heck, bring it on. Besides, I turned the a/c down a bit so all was fine 🙂
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All about LION’s HEAD SOUP
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Ingredients :1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound mung bean noodles, soaked
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 chinese black mushroom
1 red radish, finely sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger root, paste
2 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 head napa cabbage, sliced coarsely
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoons sesame oil
salt. to taste
cayenne, to tasteMethod :
1. Mix the ground pork, egg, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, salt, cayenne and half of the scallions together in a bowl.
  Use your hands to mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
  When the oil is hot, saute the napa cabbage and mushrooms until cabbage begins to wilt, about one minute.
  Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
3. Shape the pork mixture into tennis ball size balls.
  Add them into the boiling stock. When the last ball has been added, cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes, depending on size of dumplings .
  When dumplings are done, (at this point, they should be very light and delicate in texture) remove from heat and add noodles and seasoning to the soup.
  To serve, garnish with remaining scallions and cilantro, drizzle with sesame oil and chili oil..Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Potato, Cheddar & Bacon Soup ”

This soup hit all the right buttons when I was craving
a simple, quick, delicious meal on labor day evening.
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Ingredient’s:

Potatoes, diced, blanched
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Bacon, julienned
Onion, diced
Garlic, paste
Green peas, blanched
Heavy cream,
Chicken stock,
AP Flour,
Butter,
Salt,
Cayenne pepper

Method :

Sautee bacon, rendering fat, until crisp. Remove onto absorbent paper, reserve.
Add butter to bacon fat, add onion, garlic and flour. Saute until onion and garlic
are translucent without darkening flour. Add stock, whisk to avoid lumps and
bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cheese
and craem until texture is smooth. Add potatoes, green peas, salt and pepper
and, while carefully stirring, reheat until hot.
( You don’t want to mash up the potatoes and peas)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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