Tag Archives: winter food

Split Pea Soup with Beer and Bacon

Beat the cold with this wonderful split pea soup. This recipe is from Roberta’s in Brooklyn. The cookbook was a wonderful holiday gift to myself. This soup has the perfect combination of tastes and it’s very easy to make. Although Benton’s bacon is recommended, I’ve tried it with other good quality bacon so don’t let this ingredient get in your way of enjoying this delicious soup!

From by the bay, wishing you split pea food memories!

Maryann

blog split pea soup

Split Pea Soup with Beer & Bacon

Adapted from the Roberta’s Cookbook by Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini and Katherine Wheelock. (Clarkson Potter, Oct 2013)

Serves 6

340 grams (1⅔ cups) green split peas
6 slices (about 240 grams/ 8 ounces) Benton’s bacon, diced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (12-ounce) can Miller High Life or any lager
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the split peas in a strainer and rinse them very thoroughly with cold water. Set a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Sweat the bacon slowly until it begins to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the carrot and onion to the pot and cook until they soften and the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the split peas and water to cover (about 2½ cups). Add the beer to the pot along with a couple of pinches of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook on a very gentle simmer for 2 hours, stirring regularly and adding water as needed to keep the peas covered. The consistency should be like a thick puree. If it’s not, continue cooking and stirring. It’s not possible to overcook this soup. When it’s done, check the seasoning and serve.

Lentil soup

We continue to be fighting cold weather and the flu here on the east coast. So my call to action is comfort food for strength. I think a hearty soup is the perfect answer.  I used the ham bone I had in the freezer from Christmas , I embarked on making a lentil soup that uses some of my favorite flavors, such as rosemary, thyme, red chili flakes, garlic and some dry sherry. It’s my mother’s lentil soup kicked up a few times for more flavor. I love adding just a touch of heat to the soup with the red chili flakes, and the sherry is purely for medicinal purposes! Lentils are considered a power food, it helps lower cholesterol, helps lower the risk of heart disease and it’s filled with antioxidants. So fortify your family with this delicious and warming soup.

From by the bay wishing you nourishing food memories!
Maryann

blog lentil soup

Lentil Soup

Serves 4-6


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups sweet onions finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 quarts chicken stock

1 ham bone with some meat on bone

1 pound umbrian lentils 

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup dry sherry


Directions

In a stock pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the onions until soften. Add garlic and red chili flakes and saute another minute. Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Sauté until fragrant about one minute. Add the stock and ham bone.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat , cover and simmer for approximately 1 hour. Remove the ham bone, chop the meat from the bone and add back into the soup along with the lentils, salt and pepper and simmer covered another hour. Add sherry and simmer another ten minutes. Remove from heat and serve. 

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Dried Cherry, Coconut and Chinese Five Spice Granola

I love lazy winter weekend mornings, when you just want to sit in with a cup of coffee and read the newspaper over breakfast. Home made granola is a terrific breakfast for such mornings. It fills the house with a welcoming aroma and you can make enough granola to last through the week. It’s perfect for topping your yogurt and or fruit. This crunchy granola is easy to make and delicious to eat……it takes about 5 minutes to get the ingredients mixed together and into the oven. There is nothing like a little effort with big results!
From by the bay, wishing you sweet and crunchy food memories!
Maryann

blog 5 spice granola

Dried Cherry, Coconut and Chinese Five Spice Granola


3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 1/2 cups pepita (pumpkin) seeds, unsalted
1/2 cup blanched sliced almonds
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chinese five spice powder
4 tablespoons orange blossom honey
½ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except the dried fruit into a mixing bowl, combine well. On a parchment lined sheet spread ingredients in 1 layer. Bake for 50 minutes until brown stirring every ten minutes until mixture is browned. Remove from oven and cool granola. Once cooled add dried cherries and coconut. Mix well. Keep in airtight container. It should keep about one week.


Beef Short Rib Braised in Red Wine

Well, it was bound to happen. Temperatures just plunged here on the East Coast and when the wind whips across the bay, it is bone chilling! When the weather turns that cold, I find making a nice braise that spends a few hours in the oven the ultimate comfort food. I love making braises through out the winter and one of the most rewarding is this slow red wine braise for beef short ribs. Beef short ribs are one of the most delicious and flavorful cuts of meat. It takes some love and time to bring the best out of this cut in preparation.  First, the ribs are bathed in a brine for a few hours to  add flavor and keep the meat tender while it slowly braises in the oven in a bath of red wine and beef stock with some lovely herbs and vegetables. The final step is a splash of red wine vinegar to balance against the richness of the meat.  The result is a beautiful, complex marriage of flavors. I know this sounds a little theatrical but the results are show worthy!

From by the bay wishing you lovely slow braised food memories!
Maryann

 


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Beef Short Rib Braised in Red Wine

Serves 4-6


For Brine

1 tablespoon pink peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup coarse sea salt

6 cups water


For Braise

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds beef short ribs

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 cups leeks, chopped in rings using the white and light green parts only

1 cup fennel, chopped ( remove fronds, stem and core) 

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

1 bottle dry red wine

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper


Directions

In a large stock pot add the ingredients for the brine and bring to a boil, dissolving the sugar and salt. Cool completely then add the beef short ribs , cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and remove meat from the brine pat dry and let come to room temperature , before proceeding with making the braise. Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a sealed plastic bag. Add beef  short ribs into the bag and coat with the flour mixture. In a large Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the floured beef short ribs until browned. Remove browned meat into a bowl and place to the side. Add remaining olive oil to a pan and sauté the leeks and fennel until both start to soften. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute a minute . Add the fennel seeds, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Sauté until fragrant about one minute. Add the tomatoe paste. Deglaze with the wine and stock . Add light brown sugar , salt and pepper and then add the meat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat , cover and simmer until very tender but meat still on the bone, approximately 3 hours. Skim any fat from the sauce and then  add one tablespoon red wine vinegar and simmer another ten minutes. Remove from heat and serve with soft polenta or mashed potatoes.

Eggnog Pudding

Well the holidays are officially done and I would venture to guess that just like me , you are probably looking at various leftovers when you stare into your refrigerator. As I looked at the carton still half filled with eggnog, I considered several different uses and landed on making some pudding. This was a quick and delicious way to use what was left and give new life to the holiday eggnog!

From by the bay wishing you rich and creamy food memories!
Maryann
blog egg nog pudding
Eggnog Pudding
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cups eggnog ( if you don’t have 2 cups of leftover eggnog , use milk to get 2 cups of liquid)
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional: nutmeg to sprinkle on top of the pudding
Directions
In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch. Mix well until smooth and set aside. Place into a saucepan eggnog and sugar on medium heat and bring liquid to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Add the cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken, it will have the consistency of soft pudding and start to bubble at the edges. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and continue to whisk to keep the pudding smooth. Pour into 4 serving dishes. Cover the top of each pudding with plastic wrap to prevent from forming a skin on top, pressing wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding. Place into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours before serving. Sprinkle with nutmeg when serving.

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Potato Soup with Small Dumplings

There is nothing better on a blustery cold day then a warm bowl of soup. I have fond memories of my grandmother taking out her dutch oven on such days and making this soup from the staples she always had in her pantry. Her original recipe didn’t include the bacon. I happened to have some bacon leftover in the fridge and decided to use it. You could just as easily not use the bacon and just throw all the ingredients for the soup into the pot and simmer away, making this about as easy as any soup you could make. If you are feeling up for it by all means take the extra steps to fry the bacon and saute your onions and celery, the results were delicious. What really makes this potato soup so magnficent to eat, is not the bacon, it’s the dumplings you simmer into the soup at the end. Again, these are no fail dumplings just stir and drop into the hot soup to simmer into yummy small white balls soaked with the flavor of the soup. It’s the perfect comfort food to warm you from the harsh cold of winter.From by the bay wishing you warm potato food memories!
Maryann
blog potato soup
 
Potato Soup with Small Dumplings
Serves 6
Ingredients for soup
4 ounces thick bacon, chopped
6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
5 cups water
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3-4 cloves
optional: chopped parsley for garnish
Ingredients for drop dumplings
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
In a Dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon onto paper towel and set aside. In the bacon fat saute the celery and onion until softened. Add the potatoes, water, salt, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove the cloves out of the soup. With a potato masher, puree most of the vegetables.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick for your preference you can add some water and continue to simmer. To make the dumplings, combine the egg, water, salt and flour mixing until smooth. Drop by teaspoonfuls into the boiling soup. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and crisp bacon pieces.