Frugal Foodie Friday - Celery and Potato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While this soup is very inexpensive to make, it is less substantial than most of the dishes that have been featured on Frugal Foodie Friday. I decided to share it with you because I know there are times when even those on restricted food budgets want something special to start a holiday meal. I thought this soup would be lovely to serve as a first course on Valentine's Day or Easter Sunday and I wanted to post it so those of you who are interested have ample time to do a trial run. The soup was developed by Martha Rose Shulman for The New York Times, and the first time I skimmed through her recipe, I knew it was a keeper. I was not, however, prepared for how delicious the soup would actually be. It is a winner on many levels. The soup is a light celery puree that is thickened with a single potato, and while the combination may sound mundane, I think you'll find it works wonderfully well and will get your meal off to a festive start. If leeks and the walnut oil are not available don't stress. Replace the leeks with another small onion and bypass the use of walnut oil altogether. How do you rate a recipe that is inexpensive to make, easy to prepare and a delight to the palate? I guess that depends on the reviewer, but I can tell you this soup made my socks go up and down and its been a while since that happened. I do hope you will try this soup. It is really good stuff. Here is how it is made.

Frugal Foodie Friday - Cream of Carrot and Potato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's hard to find inexpensive starters for holiday meals, so I wanted to feature the recipe for this lovely soup before bargain hunters have their holiday menus set in stone. The recipe is an expanded version of French potato soup to which carrots have been added. The soup is mildly flavored and has gorgeous color that will brighten any table. It will certainly get your meal off to a great start. I like to make the soup the night before I plan to serve it and while I basically follow the recipe below, I do make one change that I want to share with you. I use a food mill rather than an immersion blender to puree the soup. While many prefer a perfectly smooth and velvety soup, I favor the grainier texture that a food mill provides. This is a soup that begs for salt, so be sure to adjust the final addition of salt and pepper to your personal taste. It can be served warm or cold. I do hope you will give this recipe a try. It is easy to make, as well as being easy on the eyes and pocketbook. Here is how it's made.

Cream of Carrot and Potato Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups sliced leeks or yellow onions (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
5 cups vegetable stock
1 cup plain carrot juice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Garnish: Parsley or snipped chives

Directions:
Melt butter in a 4-quart stockpot. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Add potatoes and carrots and stir to combine. Add vegetable stock, carrot juice, salt and pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in milk and sugar. Puree using an immersion blender. Add cream and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into cups and garnish as desired. Yield: 8 to 10 (1 cup) servings.

      

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Potato and Carrot Gratin

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...I wanted to bring you up to date with some news that may affect the frequency with which I'll be posting here. I have been scheduled for two corneal transplants, the first of which will occur next week. I've prepared the blog as best I can for contingencies that may follow surgery, and using a combination of old, new, borrowed and blue posts, I should be able to follow a near normal posting schedule. I think! At least that's the plan. The next few months are going to have a circus aspect about them. We are also in the process of selling our home and that leads to craziness and cooking of a different sort. I'll be featuring more recipes for breads and desserts in an attempt to keep the house from smelling like a pizza parlor and, hopefully, we'll be back on a more normal track by January. I hope all of you will continue to stop by.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our last big get-together before the first of the year is going to be tomorrow evening. I have planned a fairly elegant, but easy-on-the-cook menu, and much of what I'll be serving can be made well-ahead of time. While very rich, this potato and carrot gratin is a wonderful accompaniment to a roast or grilled meat and it can be made the day before it is to be served. There is, of course, a catch. The potatoes and carrots must be thinly sliced and you will need a mandoline or other slicing device to cut them. These are delicious when made with heavy cream, but half-and-half or light cream can be substituted if you are watching calories or counting fat grams. The potatoes can be table ready in about and hour. The recipe was developed by Alexis Touchet for the Huffington Post and I do hope you'll give it a try. You will not be disappointed. Here is how the potatoes are made.

Potato and Carrot Gratin...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Alexis Touchet via Huffington Post

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes
1 pound carrots
1-3/4 cups heavy cream
1-3/4 cups whole milk
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere (about 6 ounces)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle. Spread butter into a 15- by 10-inch (4-quart) baking dish.
2) Peel potatoes and carrots, then cut both into 1/16-inch thick slices with slicer and transfer to a 6-quart heavy pot.
3) Add cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper and bring just to a boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
4) Spread mixture evenly in baking dish, then sprinkle with cheese and bake until vegetables are tender and top is golden brown in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Yields: 8 to 10 servings.

Cook's Note: Gratin can be baked 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then refrigerate, covered. Bring to room temperature before reheating, uncovered, in a 350 F oven, 20 to 30 minutes.

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Frugal Foodie Friday - Potato and Cheese Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The lowly potato has been a staple in peasant kitchens for centuries, and potato soup, in one form or another, has been served as a main course or meal extender at peasant tables around the world. With that thought in mind, I'd like to welcome you to my peasant kitchen, where anything that does not bite back is fair game. I thought that this 5 ingredient version of potato soup would be a perfect feature to share with you today. This recipe first appeared in Food and Wine magazine, and while I use leeks and chicken stock when I make a pot for my crew, the recipe below is the one that originally appeared in the magazine. It calls for baking potatoes because the starch they contain helps thicken the soup. Half the potatoes are mashed or pureed to accomplish that, while the rest are left in their original state to give the soup some substance. Do not make the mistake of pureeing the entire contents of the pot. In my mind, potato soup is meant to be grainy rather than smooth. When it is completely pureed I think it becomes pasty and unpleasant, so I actually use a food mill to get the texture I want. That is a nice, but completely unnecessary step, and  if you are rushed and just want to get dinner on the table, use your potato masher or immersion blender and get on with it. I have one caution to share with the newer cooks who find their way here. Do not allow the soup to boil once you have added the cheese. It will curdle, and while that will not affect the taste of the soup, it will ruin its appearance. You can have this soup on the table in well under an hour and it is important to note that the recipe is as easy on the cook as it is on the pocketbook. I really think you'll enjoy this easy version of potato soup. Here is how it is made.

Potato and Cheese Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients:
1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops

Directions:
1) In a large saucepan, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat or, if you don't have 2 tablespoons, add enough cooking oil to equal that amount. Reduce heat to moderately low.
2) Add yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3) Remove half the soup from pan and puree in a food processor. Alternatively, mash half the potatoes with a potato masher. 4) Return puree to pan. Over low heat, add cheese and stir until melted. Remove pan from the heat. Taste soup and add more salt if needed. Serve soup topped with the bacon and chives. Yield: 4 generous servings.

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Caldo Verde - Portuguese Kale Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We managed to visit Provincetown during Bear Week and the sheer mass of humanity strolling from one end of town to the other was amazing, even for summer in Provincetown. The sight of a thousand strong shirtless males, some nicely ripped, moving in near cadence with the crowd convinced me that I'm that I'm just old, not dead. While the voyeur in me enjoyed every minute of the long stroll down Commercial Street, my inner cook was frustrated. Save for sweets and sandwiches had at the Portuguese Bakery, there was no evidence of Portuguese food in a community that I had expected to be teeming with it. There is more Portuguese food to be found on the streets of Newark's Ironbound than in this town that was settled by Portuguese fisherman. It was a disappointment, but one I knew could be remedied once I was home and had my recipes at my fingertips. So, I settled for yet another lobster and continued my discreet viewing of half-clad males. When we reached home turf, I asked my butcher to order linguica for me, so I could make some of the dishes I had pulled out of mothballs. I picked it up today and thought this soup would be  a perfect way to start our trip down (Portuguese) memory lane. This is a simple soup to make and the only way it can be spoiled is to overcook it. Simmer the soup just until the kale and potatoes are tender and you will have a peasant meal of some distinction. Let it go too long and you'll have a watery mess on your hands. From start to finish,  this hearty soup takes about an hour to prepare. Stretch it with a loaf of good bread and an amazing salad and you'll have the perfect meal to share with your family after a day on the water. Here is how Caldo Verde is made.  

Portuguese Kale Soup - Caldo Verde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Heather and Martha Zschock

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound linguica, sliced, casings removed
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut in 3/4-inch dice
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 quart chicken broth
1 pound kale, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1(15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a 4 to 5-quart soup pot set over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add linguica, potatoes, and onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add 2 cups chicken broth, chopped kale and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until kale wilts. Add remaining 2 cups broth, kidney beans, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until flavors have blended and kale is no longer tough. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

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Sausage, Potato and Fennel Soup

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...You'd be hard pressed to find a room, parking spot or reservation in town today. University graduation has packed this small city  to its rafters and sensible folks stay as far from the downtown area as they can. The Silver Fox and I are taking it a step further and we're heading to the coast until things return to normal around here. While there is one new restaurant we are curious to try, I'll be chief cook and bottle washer for most of the time we are away. The recipe I'm featuring tonight comes from Fine Cooking magazine and it is perfect for vacationers cooking in less than ideal kitchens. It is packed with flavor, quick to prepare and very easy on the palate. It's perfect for a lunch or light supper on the water. Fennel, which is readily available at this time of year, gives this soup remarkable flavor and help gives it texture as well. I usually add an extra potatoes to the pot to give it more substance. You can mash some of the potatoes in the pot to thicken the soup, but I've found it more effective to cook a potato separately, and then mash and add it to the soup as a thickener just before serving. This is very easy to make and it is delicious. I hope you will give it a try. Here's how the soup is made.

Sausage, Potato and Fennel Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage (about 4 links), casings removed
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into large dice (about 2 cups)
1 medium red onion, cut into large dice
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into large dice (about 2 cups), plus 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds for garnish
3 tablespoons dry sherry
4 cups lower-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf
1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons  heavy cream
1 teaspoon  finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Direction:
1) Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring with a wooden spatula to break it up into small pieces, until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in potato, onion, and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add  sherry and stir, scraping  bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits, about 30 seconds.
2) Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce  heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
3) Add  parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and lemon zest and stir until incorporated.
4) Using  spatula or a potato masher, gently crush  cooked potatoes until most of them are mashed and  stew is somewhat thickened. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Serve hot, garnished with fennel fronds. Yield: 4 servings.

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Spicy Oven Fries

                                        Today's thought for the day can be found  here.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our neighbors were celebrating a special anniversary tonight, so I walked my whisk and skillet down the hill to make dinner for their crew. When you are removed from the day to day feeding of a family, you forget just how much food four teenage boys can consume in a single seating. Fortunately, potatoes and ground beef were in ample supply, so no one went hungry, but I must tell you that the boys went through 3 trays of potatoes, 2 pounds worth of sloppy Joes and a good-sized watermelon before they pushed their chairs away from the table. If you find yourself in a situation where you are cooking for a gang,  you might want to keep these potatoes in mind. The recipe comes from Bon Appetit and it is a preparation that defines simplicity. Unpeeled potatoes are cut into wedges, tossed in a seasoned oil and baked. The spices are nicely balanced and the finished potatoes, while more like roasted than fried potatoes, have great flavor. I let mine cook for an extra 5 minutes to insure all the surfaces would be crisp. This is a nice substitute for French-fried potatoes. Here is how they are made.

Spicy Oven Fries...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes (about 1-1/2 lb.), unpeeled, each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2) Toss potato wedges, oil, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper on a foil-lined large rimmed baking sheet to evenly coat; season potatoes with salt and pepper.
3) Roast, turning once, until wedges are golden brown and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Yield: 4 servings.










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Frugal Foodie Friday - Potato Tacos

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I usually struggle to find recipes for Frugal Foodie Friday. It can be difficult to find a dish that is both delicious and inexpensive, but this week several came my way, and I actually had trouble deciding which one I would share with you tonight. Produce is usually quite reasonable at our local Hispanic markets, but when I learned they had avocados on sale for the week, these potato filled tacos, which come from Serious Eats, became the obvious choice for tonight's feature. The Silver Fox and I had a version of these in Peru and we were both surprised at just how tasty this simple combination can be. This recipe is easier than many that are out there and it is simple enough to make for weeknight supper. I do have a couple of cautions to share with those of you who plan to try the tacos. Queso fresco is a very mild cheese and if you think you'd like something with a bit more punch, use any of the Jack cheeses in its place. While I love the avocado and tomatillo sauce that is served with the tacos, if you think it to be too mild for your taste, by all means, boost the quantity or type of chili that you use. These are best eaten while still warm and they are most excellent when served with an ice cold Mexican beer to help wash them down. If you are looking for something different to serve your family, this might be it. I hope you'll give the potato tacos a try. Here is how they are made.

Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Serious Eats

Ingredients:
Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
2 avocados
4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Potato Tacos
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces queso fresco, divided, crumbled, divided use
salt and black pepper
12 corn tortillas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1-1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Directions:
1) To make avocado salsa Cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove large seeds. Scoop out flesh and place in blender along with tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro, 1/4 cup water, and salt. Process until it is a coarse puree. Set aside. Tomatillos will keep sauce from turning brown.
2) To make potato tacos: Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander. Mash potato in large bowl, or pass through potato ricer. Mix in half of the queso fresco. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon two tablespoons of potato mixture into each tortilla. Fold each over, and secure each with one tooth pick, weaving in and out to keep each in a “U” shape.
3) To cook tacos: Pour oil into large 10-inch cast iron pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add enough tacos as will fit in a single layer, probably three. Cook until crisp and golden on each side, about 30 seconds for each, flipping with pair of tongs. When done, remove tacos, draining off as much oil as you can. Place on paper towels and repeat process until all tacos are cooked. Serve tacos with salsa, crema, lettuce and remainder of crumbled queso fresco. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.









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