bay leaf

Fat and Happy Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup

23 Dec 2011
squash soup

Would you like something rich and creamy? How about Roasted Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup? Sounds good, huh?

I like creamy soups. In fact I love creamy soups. Except sometimes I seem to like them even better when there's no cream in them. Does that make any sense?

Sure sometimes a touch of cream will elevate a recipe. That's because fat binds flavors together. It creates a sum that is greater than its parts. So I have no problem with cream. But there are other fats that do the job just as well as cream. Like butter. I have no problem with butter. In fact wasn't it Julia Child who mockingly said: "If you are afraid of cream, just use butter."? Or was it the other way around? Oh well. No matter. My point is– I am not one of those people who is afraid of fat, in any form. So if fat is called for in a recipe, and I believe it will make it better, I scream bring it on. No fear here.

In fact I am far more afraid of chemically altered processed foods that are deemed "fat free" than I am of any of the fats that God gave us. Because whenever I see "fat free" printed in big bold chemical ink on my food I have to wonder what they replaced the fat with, and how the hell they got it out. Oh, and particularly– where in God's name did they put it? But that's a digression.

I wanted to talk about "health food" my way. It's not a new concept but it has certainly fallen out of fashion.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Roasted Acorn Squash & Turnip Soup

Acorn Squash Soup
By jgreghenry Published December 22, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 (1 1/2 lb) acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 1 pn each, salt & white pepper, or as needed
  • 5 T unsalted butter
  • 2 leeks, cleaned, halved lengthwise and roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 2 clv garlic, peeled & smashed
  • 1 t sugar
  • 0.5 lb turnips, pelled & roughly chopped
  • 6 c chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pn ground coriander
  • 3 T brandy
  • 0.25 c celery leaves, as garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the squash with salt and white pepper. Place 1/2 tablespoon butter into each cavity and place the squash halves on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until tender and caramelized, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the tray.

Melt the remaining butter in a medium soup pot set over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, carrots and garlic. Sprinkle the mixture with sugar. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until softened. Add the turnips, stock, bay leaf and coriander then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and white pepper. Cover and cook another 20 minutes, until the turnips are very tender. Remove the bay leaf.

Scoop the flesh from the cooled squash halves straight into the soup pot. Using an immersion blender puree the mixture until very smooth, or use a standard blender working in batches if necessary. Return the soup to the soup pot (if using a standard blender) and add brandy. Bring the soup to a simmer and adjust the seasoning. Garnish withe celery leaves. Serve warm in individual bowls

Braise This! Cider Vinegar Chicken Thighs & Legs

21 Oct 2011
braised chicken thighs and legs
Are you listening? Because I am going to tell you what to do. Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins. Isn't it great when someone tells you just what to do? I feel qualified to do the telling because the weather calls for braising.

Braising is a cooking technique we should all master. It's not difficult and the results will make you look like an accomplished chef (not that you aren't...). This simple process has just a few foolproof steps. The end result is rich and flavorful.

The concept behind braising is this: the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat. It is then simmered in liquid on low-heat in a covered pot for a very long time.  You can choose to braise in the oven or on the top of the stove. I may be telling you what to do but I'll leave some wiggle room here for you to make this dish your own. Because, either way you will be proud of the food you bring to the table. This method of cooking is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat.

Now don't tune out. "Less expensive and tough" are not ways to describe the final product of your braising magic. Because braising makes tough, leathery meat– tender. Really! I promise.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs & Legs with Onions and Raisins

Braised chicken thighs and legs
By jgreghenry Published October 21, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken thighs with legs attached
  • 0.5 c all-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 1 t kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1 pn black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced into slivers
  • 10 sage leaves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 c golden raisins
  • 0.5 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1 c white wine
  • 0.5 c cider vinegar
  • 3 c chicken stock
  • 0.25 c flat leaf parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped

Directions

Rinse the chicken legs & thighs under cool water and pat dry. Mix together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper. Spread the flour mixture across a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed or cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and sear until a golden crust develops, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and sear until a golden crust forms on second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add the onions to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, bay leaves, raisins and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and starting to stick to the bottom of the skillet, about 5 minutes. Add wine lower heat to medium and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 8 minutes. Lower the heat further to a simmer. Add cider vinegar and simmer for 2 more minutes. Stir in stock and parsley. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.

Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the braising liquid. Cover the pan and simmer about 1 hour and 15 minutes over very low heat. Transfer the chicken to a platter and (if necessary) reduce the onion mixture to desired consistency. Serve warm.

Market Matters- Sup Picked a Pound of Pickled Peppers

21 Aug 2011
colorful peppers

This is the time of year when the Hollywood Farmers Market is literally pumped up with colorful produce. It seems all the brightest vegetal hues make themselves prominent in August. Purple plums, crimson heirloom tomatoes, and golden squash embellish the stalls with all the flair of a Hello Kitty Lunch Box!

But there is another vegetable hitting it's peak with the heat of summer. One that can pack its own heat and yet wears all these colors, and more. I am talking about peppers. Peppers in all sizes and all colors. Hot peppers, sweet peppers, or plain ole pretty peppers. They are really an inspiration to cooks like me who find creative kicks through colorful cues.

In fact one look at these peppers and Peter Piper popped in my pate! Hey it would happen to you too. Nursery Ryhmes carry potent cultural baggage.

Which got me thinking. Did you know  the phrase "Sippity Sup" started out as the title of a Nursery Rhyme?

Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Bread and milk from a china cup.
Bread and milk from a bright silver spoon
Made of a piece of the bright silver moon.
Sippity sup, sippity sup,
Sippity, sippity sup.

I feel kinda bad that I sorta usurped that poor old Nursery Rhyme. I mean it was a lesser-known Nursery Rhyme to be sure. I don't think it held much favor with Mother Goose. So it wasn't really that hard to beat the Google pants off it.

Still, there was a time when you could Google "Sippity Sup" and you'd find references to that less than popular children's poem of the same name. Then "along comes a spider" in the form of a food blogger. And guess what? Now that poor little Nursery Rhyme does not even come up on the first page when you Google that phrase. That's my fault– but it wasn't intentional. I never even knew what HTML was before I started this blog. Let alone understand how to optimize it!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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