Name: Garlic Ancho soup URL: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/garlic-and-pasilla-chile-soup Summary: A great and fairly easy soup to make. Ingredients: 4-5 ancho chiles. The original recipe calls for 3 large dried pasilla chiles, which I couldn't find. The ancho chiles I used are sold as Pasillas under the Milpas brand name. 1 quart hot water 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped 1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch dice (I used a Roma, it was the only ripe tomato I could find for a reasonable price. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican Salt Herb croutons. The original recipe calls for 1 cup 1/2-inch dice of country bread or baguette, but that's going a little over board in my opinion, unless you happen to have a stale baguette laying around. 1/4 cup of fresh cotija cheese. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream. That would have been fine, except I had the cotija, and didn't have either of the other. 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses. The original recipe does not call for molasses, but I find that a small amount of blackstrap provides a lot of depth without much sweetness. In this case, the molasses cut the slightly bitter aftertaste of the chiles without ruining the chile flavor. Instructions: In a large bowl, cover the chiles with the hot water; set a small plate over the chiles to keep them submerged. Let soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Make sure all the chiles are completely submerged. Stem, seed and coarsely chop the chiles. Strain the seeds from the soaking liquid and save it for simmering the soup. If you're making your own croutons, preheat the oven to 400. Onions and Garlic: In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped chiles and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato, oregano, a pinch of salt and the strained chile soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover the soup and simmer gently over low heat for 20 minutes. If you do have a stale baguette, make your own croutons. In a cake pan, toss the diced baguette with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread in an even layer. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender, batching if your blender isn't big enough or burly enough. Return the soup to the saucepan, bring to a simmer and season with salt. Ladle the soup into bowls. I like to run very hot water over the bowls to warm them up first. Top with crumbled cotija cheese (or creme fraiche, sour cream), avocado, cilantro leaves and croutons and serve. Prep time: 50 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Number of servings: 4 Calories: 400 Fat: 50 Protein: 25 Recipe type: Dinner Diet type: vegetarian Culinary Tradition: USA Southwestern Wine: The wine recommendation comes directly from the article cited above. I don't partake, so you're on your own here.
Dried purple-black pasillas give this soup a chocolaty note, ideal with a rich, mocha-inflected red from the south of France. The Costieres de Nimes region, just south of the Rhone Valley, is known for its robust red blends in wines like the sweet, plummy, Syrah-based 2001 Chateau Lamargue Grande Reserve or the spicy 2001 Chateau de Campuget Tradition, a blend of Syrah and Grenache.
Variation: The original recipe called for pasilla chiles, for ancho chiles have been substituted. The ancho is a fine chile in itself, a little easier to find in the grocery store, not quite as piquant while retaining all the flavor, and just a little easier to skin out in hot water. The dried pasilla tends to have a tougher skin, which can add a slight bitterness unless all the skin is removed. 4 Stars ------------ Name: Steel Cut Oats with Cardamom URL: http://tinobox.com/wordpress/work-at-home/cooking-with-cardamom/ Summary: Cardamom spiced oatmeal makes a great breakfast cereal. Ingredients: * 1/2 cup steel cut oats * 2 cups water * 1/2 tspn cardamom seed, shelled but not ground * Butter and honey to taste Instructions: * Add cardamom to water, bring water to full boil. * Add oats to boiling water, stirring for 5 minutes. * Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or longer, soften oats to personal preference. * Serve with butter and honey to taste. Prep time: 20 minnutes Recipe type: Breakfast Number of servings: 2 Diet type: Vegan Diet restriction: None Diet (other) None Culinary Tradition: USA General 5 Stars ===== Name: Blue Corn Pozole URL: http://website-in-a-weekend.net/hrecipe/ Summary: Hearty soup for cold evenings. Ingredients: * 12 oz blue ozole corn * 6-8 Chili Pods * 2 lbs. cubed beef * 3 cloves minced garlic * 1/2 oregano * 1 tsp salt Instructions: * Soak corn in non-reactive container overnight * Boil corn for 2 hours * Add meat, chile pods, salt, oregano, garlic * Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, done when meat and pozole are tender Variation: If you make this Vegan with tofu, cut the tofu into small pieces because they swell. Also, you may find that the tofu tastes better when marinated ahead of time. Add a little bit of olive oil to make up for the lack of fat in the Vegan recipe. Cooking time: 1 hour Number of servings: 4 Diet type: Diet Restriction: Culinary tradition: USA Southwest 4 stars