Wordless Wednesday - Hungarian Inspired Mushroom Soup

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Tomatoes Get the Brandy Blues - Brandied Gorgonzola Tomato Soup

Don't you just hate it when someone goes to a restaurant and has something really awesome; then, when they are telling you about it, they just automatically ASSUME that since you cook a lot of different things, you will just magically know how to make it?   I mean come on!   Just because I talk like Alton Brown sometimes and have read The Joy Of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Silver Spoon from cover to cover like novels, does not mean that I am capable of mind melding with every chef on the planet and simply downloading selected information from their brains.  (Although THAT would be really really really cool)

Such was the story of my mother and her Blue Cheese/Brandy Tomato Soup that she consumed at the 42nd Street Cafe in Seaview, WA (which is just south of Longbeach, WA). 

Normally I make tomato soup with my slow cooked tomato sauce and some cream or half & half.  Pretty simple really.  So I started asking questions.  I mean, obviously it had Blue Cheese & Brandy in it, but that really doesn't help much... There are at least 10 Blue Cheeses that I can name and they all taste different.  So I started asking questions like.....

"Does it have cream in it?"  She didn't know.
"Is it chunky or smooth?"  She said it was smooth (OK, so it IS pureed)
"Did you taste Basil in it?"  She didn't remember.
"Was it Brandy or Cognac?"  She didn't know.
"Did they mention what Blue Cheese was in it?"  She said no.
"Did you ask them for the recipe?"  She didn't, because she was sure that I would be able to figure it out.

(sigh)  While I am deeply touched that she thinks that highly of my culinary skills, considering that we still argue about the deliciousness of polenta and the intrinsic food value of gnocchi (cause she hates both of them), I knew right off the bat that I was not going to be able to pass off my normal tomato soup by just adding some blue cheese and brandy to it.  Thus, I have been pondering this recipe for about 2 months now.

Enter Michael Symon.....

I was watching a rerun of CHEW, thanks to my SIL for pointing me at that show, and they were covering soups.  Michael was making this Blue Cheese/Sriracha Tomato Soup.

Brain Flash!
After the smoke cleared and the scent of of Ozone dissipated, I decided to use his soup as a base... OK, all I really did was substitute the Sriracha with Red Pepper Paste, change the Blue Cheese from Buttermilk Blue to Gorgonzola Dolce and finish the soup with some Brandy.  Oh, and I dropped the Oregano...  I thought Dill would work better with my changes.

Bingo!!  It worked...  In fact, mom was licking the bottom of the pot.  Woo hoo!  So thank you Mr. Symon for pointing me in the right direction.

Brandied Gorgonzola Tomato Soup

2 TB olive oil
6 oz (170g) Red Onion, chopped (that's about 1 medium red onion)
Kosher Salt
4 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 28-ounce (794g) can San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) (355ml) Chicken Stock
3/4 cup (6 oz) (177ml) Heavy Cream
1 TB Red Pepper Concentrate (The stuff in the tube by Amore)
1 small sprig of Dill Weed (you need to fish it out later)
1/2 cup (2.25 oz) (65g) Gorgonzola Dolce (creamy Gorg - AKA: Dolcelatte), plus more for serving
2 TB Brandy (oh yeah, baby!)
Crème Fraîche for serving

Begin by heating the oil in a stock pot set over medium flame.

When hot, add the Red Onion and Kosher Salt, sweat for about 2 minutes. (The salt will force the water in the onions to release)

Add the Garlic and sweat 1 - 2 minutes longer.

Add the San Marzano Tomatoes, breaking them up a little with a spoon.

Then add the Chicken Stock as well.

Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Add the Heavy Cream and the Red Pepper Concentrate along with the sprig of Dill.

Return the mixture to a low simmer, cover and continue simmering for 40 minutes.

OK, Food Processor, Schmood Processor....  If you have a stick blender, your good to go.

Remove the Dill weed, add the Gorgonzola Dolce and beat the whole mixture into submission with the stick blender.

Run the soup through a strainer into a clean pot.

(this will remove the tomato seeds, of which there really aren't many, cause San Marzanos are almost seedless)

Return the soup to a low flame and stir in the Brandy.

Serve with a dollop of Crème Fraîche and a sprinkle of crumbled Gorgonzola.

Honestly, I think this is the best tomato soup I have ever had!  It's amazing!  If you're not a blue cheese fan, worry not.  You don't really "taste" blue cheese... There just isn't enough in the soup.  But somehow, some way, if gives more of a back bone to the sweetness of the San Marzano tomatoes... Then again, maybe I just got too much brandy in the soup.  ;)

If you'll excuse me now, I think I need to go have another bowl...

Now THIS is what I call Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

Mangia!!
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Summer Days Drifting Away, But Oh... the Potato Salad

Nothin' tastes better, on those hot Summer days, when the grill is fired up, than the cool creaminess of potato salad. It's just summer incarnate. Sadly, yesterday was the last day of summer and, much to my chagrin, I realized that I have not made a single potato salad. How was this possible? I have absolutely NO idea. It must have something to do with Mercury being in retrograde or some other cosmic force that has kept me from realizing, and making, this harbinger of "fun in the sun". So I decide that it was time, even though it is technically Autumn now, to whip up my favorite potato salad.

I really DO love this salad... The Vons/Safeway deli use to carry something similar. In fact, when I came up with this, I was originally trying to duplicate their recipe, cause it had been discontinued. Caution.... If you don't like dill, you ain't gonna like this, cause it's gotta lotta dill in it. You might even say, it's a "dilly" of a potato salad. HAR D HAR HAR...

Dilled Potato Salad

4 lbs small Red Potatoes
3/4 Cup Scallions, sliced (although this is even better with minced Red Onion)
1 1/2 TB Olive Oil
6 TB fresh Dill, minced
1 1/2 TB Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 Cup Aioli (Sauce Aioli)
3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt
3/4 tsp Dijon Mustard
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Cut potatoes into bite sized pieces and cook until tender.

Drain and chill before continuing.

Make Aioli while potatoes are chilling. (which I actually did yesterday)

Mince onion and toss with potatoes, dill and olive oil.

In a small bowl mix Vinegar, Aioli, Yogurt, Dijon, Lemon Zest, Salt, and Pepper.

Pour over potato mixture and toss.

Chill 4 hours then devour directly from the bowl with a BIG spoon. ;)

Mangia!!
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Wonton Traverses The Khyber Pass - Aushak

I was first exposed to Afghan cuisine at a restaurant called Khyber Pass. This is my attempt at one of their dishes called Aushak. It's a delicious combination of flavor and texture. From the spicy leek wonton dumplings, to the hearty meat sauce (similar to a ragù) all offset by the minty chill of a yogurt sauce. Hey, any dish that has TWO sauces is all right by me... :)

The nice thing about this dish is that it can all be prepared ahead of time and stored. The Aushak freeze beautifully and the sauces will hold in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. It may seem a little daunting at first, due to it's three parts, but they are simple to prepare, and your efforts will be greatly rewarded.

Aushak

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Greek style yogurt
2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup Fresh Mint; Chopped
1/4 tsp dried Dill
1/2 tsp salt

Place all the ingredients in a bowl,

Stir, cover, and chill.


Meat Sauce
1 Onion; finely diced
Olive Oil
3/4 lb Ground Beef (I used Ground veal cause it was what was in the freezer)
3 cloves of Garlic; finely diced
1 1/4 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp Mace or 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground Ginger
1/4 cup Cilantro; chopped
1/2 cup of Beef Stock or Water (you might not need it all)
4 TB Tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Sauté the onions in olive oil until soft.

Add Beef, Garlic, Coriander, Mace, Ginger and Cilantro; sauté until cooked.

Add 1/4 a cup of the Beef Stock and simmer slowly until the Stock is reduced by half.

Stir in the tomato sauce, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for five more minutes.

Add more Stock if the mix starts to look dry.
It should be as thick as a Ragù alla Bolognese (thick but not dry).

Cover and set aside in refrigerator.
The meat will absorb the flavors while resting

Dumplings
1 bunch of Green Onions, Green Parts ONLY and chopped finely
2 cups sliced Leeks; white and light green parts
Olive oil
1/4 cup Cilantro; chopped
1 tsp dried Chili Flakes or 1 inch Red Pepper Paste
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1/2 pkg Wonton Skins
1 egg, lightly beaten and mixed with a teaspoon of water (wonton glue)

Sweat leeks and green onions gently in oil until soft but not brown.

Meanwhile, combine cilantro, salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

When leeks are soft, add them to the cilantro mixture and toss.

Place a teaspoon of filling on a wrapper, dab the edges of the wrapper with a thin layer of egg, fold the wrapper onto itself to form a triangle, and press firmly to seal.

Dust dumplings with flour and place on a flour sprinkled baking sheet.

Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap until ready to cook.
You can also freeze the aushak on the tray, then move them to a freezer bag and return to the freezer for several months.

Bringing it ALL together
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Place Beef sauce over low heat to rewarm.
Drop Aushak into boiling water, cooking for 1 minute if fresh and 2-3 minutes if frozen.
Drain Aushak and move to a plate.
Spoon warmed meat sauce and chilled yogurt sauce over them, in any configuration you like, from complicated, like above, or simple like below.


Mangia!!
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Move Over Bagel, Now There's Something Flatter - "Bagel and Lox" Pizza

This has got to be the most decadent pizza I have ever made. Also the most bizarre. It was inspired by the Smoked Salmon pizza created by Wolfgang Puck. It would make a fantastic appetizer, but I ate the whole thing and am now suffering from the dreaded "Pizza Coma" due to it's richness.

As usual this is not really a recipe, all things are to taste.

I was originally going to use Japanese Wasabi Caviar but, much to my chagrin, it had vacated my refrigerator. Evidently I had disposed of it at some point and forgotten about it. This left me with the lumpfish caviar I had picked up at IKEA a couple weeks ago for a whopping $2.59.

I also used Lox instead of Smoked Salmon and Leeks instead of Red Onion. The end result was kind of an Italian-esque Bagel & Lox... Mighty Tasty!

Bagel and Lox Pizza

Pizza Dough
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Leek
Crème Fraîche
Mascarpone (You can use the "light" cream cheese)
Dill Weed
optional - Lemon Zest
Thinly sliced Lox
Cracked Black Pepper
Optional - Lumpfish Caviar (or Wasabi Caviar)

Still very simple really.....
Roll out your dough, brush with olive oil and lay down some leek rings and par-bake the crust for 4-5 minutes.

In the meantime per pizza you will need to mix 3TB Crème Fraîche with 1 TB Mascarpone, adding dill to taste and maybe even a little fresh lemon zest. (but I was out of lemons)

Remove from the oven and use a knife to puncture any bubbles in the crust.

Spread the Cream mixture over the leeks then lay down the Salmon (I wish it had been sliced a little thinner) and hit it with cracked black pepper.

Return to the pizza stone for 4 more minutes
Remove and top with little dollops of caviar. (I still think Wasabi Caviar would have been better)
As always, the best part...

Eating it!!

Mangia!!
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A Little Slice of Italy - Pancetta & Leek Ricotta Tart

My friend Dajana, in Italy, has some fantastic recipes. I have a special love for Italian cuisine, so when Dajana told me about this Pancetta-Leek-Ricotta Tart on BakeSpace, I was all over it. I had a problem though, my tart pan was much too big. And while the Tart was delicious!! It was a little thin, and ended up a little over done. It tasted SO good that it didn’t really matter to me, I ate the whole thing anyway.. :)

While out running errands on Saturday, I came across an 8.5 inch tart pan for only 3.99, so I bought it. This is a much better size than the 11 inch tart pan I had used before. Oh yes, I made it again, as soon as I got home. Trust me… It’s THAT GOOD!!

I did have to change it a little, I was out of Bacon and all I had was regular Pancetta, so I added Alder smoked salt to the filling in an attempt to give it a little bit of a smokey flavor. I made 2 additions as well, You see, Danielle was talking about her crispy Panko breaded chicken earlier on BakeSpace, so I decided to sprinkle some Panko on top of the tart for a little bit of a crunch, and I had a small amount of cremini mushrooms in my refrigerator that really needed to be uses, so I added them this time.

I don’t think the addition of mushrooms really improved the flavor in anyway, but I felt better about using them than just throwing them out on Monday. I hate wasting food. The Panko did provide and interesting textured crust without adding a whole lot of extra flavor or muddling with the deliciousness that is this tart. Seriously, you gotta try it.


I am going to give out my recipe for pate brisèe, but if you are not big on making your own pastry dough, by all means grab a box of ready-made pie crust in the refrigerator section, or use a 9 inch prefabricated “pie crust in a tin” from the freezer section, whichever you prefer.

I have already cut everything in half, this will make one 9-13 inch pie shell, I know the measurements look a little complicated, but as I said, I already cut it in half, thus what was 1/4 cup is now 2 TB

1 1/4 cups + 2 TB AP Flour
2 TB cake flour
1/2 cup un-salted butter, VERY cold, and cut into very thin slices
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
Approximately 1/4 – 1/3 cup very cold water (This will vary)

Slice your butter fairly thin, then place in the freezer.

Mix the flours and salt with a whisk together very lightly.


Add slices of butter and work the butter through the flour with your finger tips or a pastry cutter.

If butter becomes too warm in your hands, place bowl back in refrigerator. You still want to be able to see butter in the flour.

Add the ice-cold water and mix very fast with your hand just enough that the dough coheres.

Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the gluten relax a little.

For the Tart Filling:
1 TB Olive Oil100 g (3.5 oz) Pancetta Affumicata (Smoked Pancetta or American Bacon) I just used 4 oz1 leek (see below)200 g (7 oz) Ricotta (13 TB or a little over 3/4 cup by Volume)2 eggs20 g fresh dill (chopped) (5 TB by volume or a heaping 1/4 cup)30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/4 cup volume)Smoked Salt(Optional) 2 oz Sliced Mushrooms(Optional) Zest of 1 Lemon(Optional) 1/4 cup Panko(Optional) Additional 2 TB grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
Before I get started, I want to mention Leeks. I buy my leeks at Trader Joe's, even though they are technically more expensive per lb, however, I get more leek... Check this out. $2.69 at Trader Joe's (top) or $1.89 per lb in the Mega Mart (bottom). I get more leek for my money, even when the Mega Mart leek is cleaned up, I get about 1/2 the amount (white part only of course, cause the green parts are bitter) that I get with a Trader Joe's leek. Just some food for thought. If you are purchasing grocery store leeks, you may want to pick up 2 instead of 1.

Clean and slice the leek and mushrooms.
Chop the Dill
Cook diced pancetta with 1 TB of oil in a skillet at medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add sliced leek and cook for 2 minutes at low heat.

Add mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let it cool.
In a bowl, mix Ricotta, Eggs, Dill, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, smoked salt and black pepper.
Here is where I added the Zest of one lemon, just because I felt like it...
Meanwhile, roll the pate brisee out on a lightly floured board and line your 8.5-9.5 inch tart pan.
By now, the Leek/Pancetta mixture should be cool enough to mix with the ricotta and pour into the Tart shell, leveling with a spoon.
If desired, sprinkle the top with the Panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350 F) for about 30 minutes.
Serve warm.
Mangia!!~~