Chorizo-Vegetable and Kale Soup

There is nothing original here, just the chorizo on display. I have made Portuguese Kale Soup before, but this time I simply left all the veggies in tact, and did not puree, along with using a chicken stock for the base. Hubby likes his soup rustic.

We had another blanket of snow on the ground this morning...so its soup time!

Also I have posted a homemade Chorizo recipe on here before, so you simply take the meat and make small disk and grill them to a slight char, then add some to the broth and vegetables to help flavor it. The kale will hold its shape, but cut it into small pieces.

Garnish with more grilled Chorizo pieces when serving, but of course be careful. Mine is a bit spicy, and if your guest are not into that sort of thing, back off using it for the soup base.

Confession, I will be eating soups like this... all year long.

Tandoori Seafood Feast!

Yes it was a feast, because I ate way too many shrimps for my own good!

I selected this recipe for the 'Stick To Your Ribs' recipe exchange for my facebook group. Also my trainer, Brian and I talked about what we were making Friday, he gave me the idea for this meal.

First I preheat oven to 375 degrees, and then I prepared some basmati rice with a cilantro pesto- cilantro, onion, garlic, oil, and lime juice. Saute 1/4 cup onion in oil, add 2 3/4 cups water or veggie stock, boil. Add 1 1/4 cup basmati rice and pesto, cook about 15 or so minutes on medium heat with tight lid on. Remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes or so, then fluff rice.

Tandoori powder (2 1/2 T) mixed with oil and orange juice (traditional, lime). Mix with yogurt (2/3 C) and marinate shrimp and scallops (separate, as cooking time will vary) for an hour. Top off with cilantro, and I added some Aleppo pepper. I bought medium spice tandoori powder, and it was not hot enough. Give the seafood space to allow heat to cook at a faster time. You do not want to over cook them either. Bake 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Once you pull them out, they will continue to cook, so plate immediately. How do you know the seafood is cooked? Trust me, you do not want to over cook them.

Served over mix green and mache salad. Orange Raita is 1 orange- segments, orange juice of one small clementine, 2/3 cup yogurt, 1/2 onion- small slivers, 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, some small chopped tomato pieces, 1/4 cup oil, 1 clove garlic- finely chopped, pinch of salt. Stir and let sit about an hour before serving. Some might throw a pinch of sugar into the mixture, since I found the oranges I bought this time of year to be a bit bitter/sour. I found after it sat in yogurt, the mixture worked beautifully with the spice of the tandoori.

This was our Valentines meal part one. Next, Lamb Loin Roast with Tandoori...I opted not to have it all in one night, and I am glad; it would have been way to heavy, and I am off to the gym to a TRX class.

Happy Valentines to you and yours, and if you do not have one- take yourself out, or prepare a special meal just for you!

Traditional 'Spain' Gazpacho

Not sure I should be posting this with all the cold and snow, but I have so many posts left from our trip in September. Oh how I still long for Spain. I still feel the sunshine on my face as we sat in the open air cafes...

Once we arrived in Segovia we ate at a small cafe outside our hotel, and had a great view of the Roman Aqueduct that still stands strong in the city center.  One of my favorite meals to eat is Gazpacho. I had read that our version was nothing like their Spanish cold tomato soup.

I ask the waiter if he could tell me how they make it, and in his English he said it was a pheasant food by tradition and so simple to make. Okay, he did not tell me, but it was plain to see.

One of my 'Food Around The World' cookbooks said this basic version of gazpacho is the one most prevalent in Spain. One taste and you will feel as if you are in the countryside surrounded by olive trees, red tiled roofs and good wine.

Traditional Spanish Gazpacho

10 oz of bread
21 oz. of tomato
2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
2 red and green peppers
1 cucumber (optional)
7 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1½ tablespoon of water
Cumin (optional)

In a big mortar mash the cumin, the garlic and the soaked bread, in a plastic bowl mix the chopped onion, the chopped tomato, the oil, the vinegar, the salt and the contents of the mortar, mash it with the mixer and add very cold water to mix everything. Add salt and strain it. Keep it in the fridge until served.

Serve with the tomato, the cucumber, the pepper and the toasted bread (small dice).

Peanut Butter Creme Brulee

Or if you prefer, Pudding!

Jeanne @ The Raisin Chronicles requested I develop an easy recipe because her husband adores peanut butter, and so does mine!

With hubby traveling the past three months, I have lost some desire to put much effort into fancy desserts. Creme Brulee can be daunting cooking all those eggs over a hot bath. All this snow, I want the hot bath!

One weekend I whipped up some ganache style pudding made with dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, heavy cream and orange zest. Poured it into a pan over nuts for some candy like dessert, and cooled it. When we sliced into it, well, it was like pudding (because I added too much cream); it did not set up. Very yummy, but it gave me an idea to alter my peanut butter pudding recipe for Jeanne.

I am not that fond of PB, but I have to say this recipe rocks. White chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, peanut butter, and heavy cream cooked over a water bath with egg yolks then blended smoothly together with rest of ingredients and chilled. Very rich too, so small portions. Hubby loved this. He loved them all, but this I have to say was far the easiest and tasted the same. Rich and creamy from the heavy cream too. Adding sugar on top and firing up your blow torch, you can still give it a creme brulee presentation to dazzle guests.

I have only three ramekins left, so I put the fourth portion into this vintage goblet. You could make six 1/2 cup sizes for portion control. Did I say rich?

Oh and I am delayed in getting to some of your blogs, maybe because of the snow every week, but also because I have been busy writing and with my new job with the gourmet food company. I will be there eventually...

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Carbonara?

How can this be? Well I did not know what else to call it. Poetic License, creative license, who knows.

Traditional Italian Carbonara is tossed with eggs, cream, butter, Parmesan cheese and bacon, all in one smooth, creamy concoction over steaming fettuccine. So I changed a few things, and it was great with the horticot verts (cooked in veggie broth, onions, and garlic).

I traded bacon with prosciutto, added sun dried tomatoes, and used almond milk over cream (less calories), and made it gluten free with making sweet potato gnocchi (trade roasted sweet potatoes for regular in gnocchi recipe). I almost felt like we were eating loaded baked sweet potatoes, which I did bake them before making the gnocchi.

There has been a lot of baking going on in my kitchen the past few days. Gluten Free onion and cheese bread (slice on side of above plate) and black walnut and date bread with maple syrup glaze (Mary @ The Perfect Bite altered recipe). Since I did not give my neighbors or friends goodies, and was gone to MO, I decided to make them some after the holiday treats.

Hubby brings home bags of dates from Dateland, AZ when he goes to the base, so I decided to use them in some baking.We love these fresh dates!

I have been recovering from some oral surgery, busy with my book writing, and I owe Jeanne @ The Raisin Chronicles her peanut butter post, so that is coming up next!

Rib Roast/Prime Rib- New Year Day Finale

For a reason I cannot explain, I have never cooked a Prime Rib Roast on my own. So, there was a quest for the perfect New Years Day topper, and it would be Prime Rib.

I called on Nibble Me This and his 'Fire Roasted Beef Rib Roast' tips for some help. The Prime Rib called for more than just an oven baking, but screamed for a crusty smokey exterior and juicy interior.

Between Chris, his tips, and some research, the roast called for some indirect heat on my charcoal grill. I have smoked and grilled many times, so it made sense it would impart more flavor over the oven source. Packing up hard wood coals and Cabernet barrel wood chips (soaked in water) into a foil barricade that would sit to the left of the meat for indirect cooking (slow cooking-keeping the fire from being too close and over cooking the meat).

Following closely and using the Mississippi method for temperature control, I cooked the Rib Roast for almost two hours. The roast was approximate four and half pounds with the bones (two ribs) in place.  The interior was medium - medium rare, from outside in.

Our menu was- Collard greens and black-eyed peas, Mushrooms with horseradish cream and potatoes, and Prime Rib.

I agree with Chris, the 'Dino Ribs' were lip smacking good! ...and went with the mushroom horseradish cream and black eyed pea-collard green cooked in apple cider sides...did I say lip smackin; good?

Blackened Grilled Swordfish- NYE Entree

To be honest we were so full by the time the swordfish was done, and New Year's Eve still held dessert and midnight, but somehow we all managed to eat every bite. Good thing it was light. A bit summery with the pineapple and blackening seasoning- I went easy on the seasoning I got from a grill chef friend of mine, along with olive oil and a squeeze of Meyer lemon; it was summery. I admitted it was a fiery rub. I knew a few of my light weight 'spicy' eating friends would die if I made it too hot, so light all the way was the theme here.

Three and a half minutes on each side lead to a juicy perfection. One thing I cannot stand is dry and over cooked swordfish. If you buy them with some of the flesh/skin still on, no worries, because it comes right off after cooking. These were not frozen, this day's catch. The skin is rubbery to eat though, so just remove it after cooking; it does help keep the steak moist.

The summery garnish you see is simply pineapple, blueberries (not in season, but we still buy shipped in brands, and eat them with cereal), scallions, grape tomatoes, cleaned and seeded jalapeno, garlic, and Meyer lemon juice. Chop, mix, and stir occasionally- at least three hours before cooking to meld flavors.

Chris over at Nibble Me This and I laughed at how hard core we are about grilling all year long, and in the dead of winter. I made hubby go out and clean the snow off the grill, and clean it out for me- I also told him that it would be used the next day for our New Year's Day meal, and his appetite obliged. Wait till you see what Chris schooled me in for the next day's meal!

When my son and I first moved to the NE five years ago, the neighbors all keep their grills covered during the winter, while mine gets used at least five times before spring. We got lots of strange looks, before they built our separating walls. I grew up with my father grilling all year long.