The "dead" of Winter brings...

It's the middle of January.  The "dead" of winter as it's referred to in some literature. Nothing much "dead" about this winter in my house!  From late night root vegetable roasting that sends a heavenly scent throughout my mini Winchester Mystery House, to pop up dinner parties bringing together old friends and new; nope, nothing "dead" about THIS winter.

After working all day in an industry where nothing is ever what it appears to be and the word "creative" has little to no real meaning anymore, I find comfort in knowing that when I open my fridge and cupboards there is ALWAYS something delicious, patiently waiting to be created.  

I think about food, pretty much all day long... how many different types of chowders can I come up with?  How do I want to use that lovely black onyx cocoa powder I received as a hostess gift from an amazing chef colleague?  It's going to rain later this week, should I grill all the halibut I have ahead of time? What type of sauce should I make to go with it? What sides? Why halibut at all?

See what happens?  It's like a type of food turrets.  I find it gets much worse during the Holiday Season.  Much.

Enough about me and my mental state... let's get on with giving you some recipes you really need to try super soon!

Yummy Corn Chowder with Bacon and Scallops

Whatcha Need:

6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

15 ounces of frozen sweet corn, thawed (it's about 3 cups)

3 cups whole milk

1 lb red potatoes, cleaned and diced

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp minced chives

Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Tabasco

1/2 lb medium sized sea scallops (preferably fresh)

How to do it:

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderately low heat until crisp, 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and reserve. Add the onion and celery to the pan. Cook over low heat until softened, 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree 1 cup of the corn with 1 cup of the milk. Add the corn puree to the saucepan along with the remaining 2 cups each of corn and milk and the potatoes. Simmer over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream, chives and the reserved bacon. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco and keep warm.    

In a large skillet, heat the reserved 2 tablespoons of bacon fat until shimmering. Add the scallops, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Ladle the soup into bowls; top with the scallops and chives and serve.

Crowd Pleasing Tomato Bisque

Whatcha Need:

2 Medium Carrots

2 stalks celery

6 tomatoes (roughly chopped)

1 large onion

1 bunch fresh basil

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tbsp unbleached flour

2 X 26 oz cans of chopped tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock (broth is fine for this)

4 bay leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups whole milk ( or I like to use heavy whipping cream)

How to do it:

Cut carrots, celery and onion into large chunks and pulse in a food processor til finely grated.  In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat and cook veggies until soft and translucent, ( 3 to 4 mins), stirring only occasionally.  Add flour and cook until flour is absorbed, about another minute.

Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, all the basil, salt and pepper.  Simmer soup uncovered over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let cool 15 mins.  Remove the bay leaves then emerge an emulsifier in the soup and process until just smooth.  Leave some texture.  Return to stove and add the milk (or whipping cream) and heat through for 5 minutes.  Garnish with a basil leaf.

Red Lentil Soup

Whatcha Need:

3 tbsp butter, canola or olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium red potatoes, ½” cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 t allspice

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/8 t ground cloves

1 quart vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups dry lentils

1 cup roughly chopped spinach or kale

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

How to do it:

Heat the butter/ oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery and potatoes. Cook till tender. Mix in the garlic. Continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes then stir in spices.

Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in the lentils. Add water, increasing the amount as necessary to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and stir in the spinach/kale. Cook, stirring occasionally, 35 to 45 minutes, or till the lentils are tender. Mix in the cilantro. Continue cooking about 5 minutes, or to desired thickness. Serve hot and garnish with some extra chopped cilantro.

Very Special Hot Cocoa

Whatcha Need:

2 cardamom pods
2 cups milk
1/3 cup crushed chocolate
4 tbsp condensed milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp rosewater
 Crushed rosebuds for topping

How to do it:

Break the cardamom pods, place the seeds in a saucepan. 
Pour the milk in the saucepan and place over medium heat.

Once the milk is warm, add in chocolate, condensed milk and cocoa powder. 
Using a whisk, stir until chocolate is melted and cocoa powder is dissolved.

Add in rosewater and take off the lid. Let the hot chocolate sit for a minute then fill the cups. Top with crushed rosebuds.  Very fancy!

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