One Pot Meals | onedadskitchen

More Fun With Homemade Pizza Dough – Stromboli and Breadsticks

I still had some pizza dough leftover from what I made recently and decided to put it to use last night. I had made a pot of turkey chili, one of Michelle’s favorites but one of Sean’s least favorites. Michelle and I both like it but Sean is not a big fan and was looking for something else to eat. I decided to make use of some leftover items such as the pizza dough and sausage and make a stromboli. I have made one before using Scott Conant’s recipe and it was very good, but I decided to try something a little different this time and gave this one from Emeril Lagasse a shot.

Stromboli

1 pizza dough portion from the Food Processor Pizza Dough recipe

1/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled

1/2 cup sliced onions

1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers

1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow bell peppers

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 pound sliced ham

1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet or place a baking stone in the oven to heat.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Punch down the dough and on a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 10 inches by 14 inches. Spread the cooled sausage mixture across the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the edges. Overlapping slightly, layer the ham, pepperoni, mozzarella and half of the Parmesan cheese over the top of the sausage mixture. Using a pastry brush, paint the border of 1 long edge with the egg wash. Starting at the opposite long end without the egg wash, roll up the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.

Brush the top of the stromboli with the egg wash. Bake until nearly golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the stromboli with the remaining Parmesan cheese and return it to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the stromboli to stand for 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

The great thing about stromboli is that you can really put anything inside it. Sean is not a big fan of the peppers, so I left them out and put some extra ham and cheese inside instead. You could just as easily put leftover chicken in there or any other vegetables you may like and have on hand. You can even just do vegetables and cheese if that is what you prefer. I am guessing Sean liked it since he devoured it.

Since I still had a little bit of pizza dough left, I decided to make some small breadsticks with what I had leftover. This is a very simple way to make use of some leftover pizza dough if you happen to have some around.

Homemade Breadsticks

1 portion pizza dough from the Food Processor Pizza Dough recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll the dough into a rectangle and cut the dough into 12 to 15 thin strips. Place the strips on the baking sheet and cover the dough with a towel and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle the olive oil over the dough to coat the breadsticks. Sprinkle the breadsticks with the Italian seasoning and the Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven until they are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

You can use the breadsticks to go along with any type of meal, like spaghetti and meatballs or any other dish that you like. Michelle and I used them with our chili and they were quite tasty. They came out perfectly with just the right amount of seasoning.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes to try. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 29, 2013 in Breads, Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pizza, Side Dishes

Tags: breadsticks, breadsticks from pizza dough, Emeril Lagasse, food processor pizza dough, pizza dough recipe, Scott Conant, stromboli

The Best Recipes To Make In Your Cast Iron Skillet (PHOTOS)

27 Oct

The Best Recipes To Make In Your Cast Iron Skillet (PHOTOS).

If you follow my blog, you know how much I love using my cast iron skillet. The Huffington Post posted this article today highlighting 10 great recipes to try using your cast iron skillet. They cover everything from entrees to side dishes to dessert so you can try a little of everything. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on October 27, 2013 in Cooking, Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Equipment, One Pot Meals

Tags: best recipes to make in your cast iron skillet, cast iron skillet recipes, Huffington Post

The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup You Will Ever Make

23 Oct

I had planned to make some pizza last night, but Sean and I both had dentist appointments so we got home late. As it turns out, Sean had a couple of fillings done, so he couldn’t really eat anything anyway and asked if he could have some soup for dinner. I didn’t have any pre-made in the freezer or anything, so I had to throw something together quickly using just what I had around the house. Luckily, they are fewer things that can make great use of leftovers and household items than chicken noodle soup. All you need is some homemade or store-bought broth, some leftover chicken and vegetables, a bag of noodles, are you are good to go in about 15 minutes.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

4 cups chicken broth

8 ounces noodles

1-2 pieces leftover chicken (breasts, thighs or drumsticks), shredded

6 ounces frozen vegetables (or any leftover vegetables you may have)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil, Add the noodles and return the broth to a boil, then turn the heat down to low to simmer until the noodles are almost tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in the shredded chicken and the vegetables and heat until the chicken and the vegetables are warmed through, about 3 or 4 minutes. Serve.

That’s all there is to it. We actually made use of some leftover chicken gravy I had on hand and added that into the soup as well to act as a thickener and really make it nice. Sean loved it and ate all of it so fast I never even had a chance to take a picture of it. The nice thing is that you can do this same thing with just about any kind of leftovers you may have. You can use rice instead of noodles, use beef broth or vegetable broth instead of chicken, simply add some frozen tortellini and spinach to the broth for a spinach tortellini soup, use beef instead of chicken or just use all vegetables and some herbs along with the vegetable broth and you can make yourself a nice vegetarian soup. The options seem nearly limitless when it comes to making a quick soup if you just want something fast and satisfying. You can serve this with a side salad, just some crunchy bread or even have soup with a sandwich for a fast dinner or a great lunch (I had a tuna sandwich with mine).

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I hope to get to the pizza tomorrow, I have some ribs planned for Friday, and I also have a cinnamon bun recipe I want to try, so there’s always more to check out. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 23, 2013 in Cooking, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews

Tags: chicken noodle soup, chicken soup, easy chicken noodle soup, leftover chicken, soup variations

Meals with Family and Friends, Part 3 – Fall Vegetable Risotto

19 Oct

As I have said in previous posts, we did some entertaining over the last couple of weeks so it gave me the opportunity to try out some new recipes. One thing I made when we had a friend over for dinner was a nice gluten-free dish of Fall vegetable risotto. I have gotten more ambitious lately in trying to make risotto and I think for the most part it has turned out pretty well with good results. There is some work and care that needs to go into the dish, but the results are quite worth it. This original recipe is from Williams-Sonoma, though I did alter it slightly and omitted the blue cheese from the recipe and substituted Parmesan cheese instead. We’re not big blue cheese eaters here in our house, but I have included it in the original recipe here.

Fall Vegetable Risotto

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

10 ounces Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 pound shitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (optional)

in a saucepan, bring the chicken or vegetable broth to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until they are a bright green color and almost tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat on the broth to low.

In a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until it is a golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the arborio rice and stir until the rice turns opaque, about 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add about 3/4 cup of the warmed broth and adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles and is absorbed slowly. Cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking, adding the broth about 3/4 cup at a time and stirring frequently until the rice is just tender but slightly firm in the center and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Mix in the Brussels sprouts, blue cheese and a generous amount of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Spoon the risotto into warmed shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with the walnuts (if using), and serve.

A couple of notes about this recipe. As I stated, I used Parmesan instead of a blue cheese and I think the results were fine. I also omitted the walnuts as well but feel free to add them in if you like them and want the added crunchy texture. I also substituted water for the white wine in the recipe and it was fine. Finally, I could not get my hands on any shitake mushrooms locally so I just used sliced white mushrooms instead. I think they worked out well though if you can get shitakes, I would use them as I like the look and flavor of them myself. The risotto came out nicely and was very creamy. I loved the flavor of the Brussels sprouts in the mix and everyone seemed to enjoy the dish, I actually used this as a side dish to the meal, but this could be a meal all on its own if you were going for a meat free meal and just serve this with a salad on the side and I think it would be nice. It could then be vegetarian if use vegetable broth and gluten-free.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. There is still plenty more to come, as always. Thanks for following along and if you ever have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment here, or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter or at my email address of IguanaFlats@msn.com. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 19, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Rice, Vegetarian

Tags: Fall vegetable risotto, risotto recipe, vegetable risotto, williams-sonoma

You Can Never Have Enough Chicken Recipes – Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots, Potatoes and Thyme

16 Oct

Okay, I know I just posted a braised chicken thighs recipe the other day, but I decided to make another one for dinner on Monday anyway because we had a lot of chicken thighs on hand and because the recipe sounded too good to let go by. I found this one from Williams-Sonoma and saw that it was simple to make and looked like it would taste great so I gave it a try. What was even better about this one is that it is basically a one pot meal so you have everything together in one dish for easy preparation and clean up.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots, Potatoes and Thyme

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Sweet paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 pound red-skinned potatoes, quartered

8 carrots, halved lengthwise and then cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

1 1/3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and then generously with paprika. In a heavy large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the onion to the frying pan and stir. Add the potato quarters and the carrots. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper and saute them until the vegetables are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the flour mix and stir the vegetables to coat them well. Gradually mix in the broth and vermouth or wine, stirring as you add the liquid. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to stir frequently. Return the chicken to the pan and bring everything to a boil.

Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally, about 25 minutes. Mix in the thyme. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the chicken and vegetables among 4 warmed plates and serve.

I did make a couple of substitutions in this recipe. i did not have any red potatoes on hand, so I used some Yukon Gold potatoes instead and I think they turned out just as well. Also, I rarely use wine or vermouth when cooking unless I think it will really make a difference, so I just used chicken broth where the recipe called for the wine and I think it turned out quite well. You can also use gluten-free flour where the flour is called for in this recipe if you want to make it a gluten-free meal. One thing to consider when trying to make gluten-free is that if you are using store-bought broth, check the ingredients to make sure there is no flour or other gluten products in the broth; many broths do use them so you want to be sure. I loved the sauce that went with the chicken in this meal and the paprika gave the chicken great flavor with a little bit of a kick to it. The whole meal was done in under 40 minutes, which made it even better.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again to see some more recipes. I promise, I am making other things this week besides braised chicken thighs. I have a couple of new recipes I am trying out tonight, so check for those in the coming days. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 16, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Poultry

Tags: braised chicken, braised chicken thighs, braised chicken thighs with carrots potatoes and thyme, chicken thighs, one pot meals, williams-sonoma

Great Fall Soups #2 – Classic Corn Chowder

13 Oct

We had made a couple of different soups this week that were great for dinner and lunches. Yesterday. I posted the recipe for the bean and barley soup we made. Today, it is the classic corn chowder we made for dinner one night. This recipe comes from the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook, but I did modify it slightly to fit a little better with ingredients we had on hand and make things a little easier. While you can still get fresh corn on the cob this time of year, it is not as good as the nice local corn we see in the summertime months here in New York. We used a combination of fresh and frozen instead, even though the recipe calls for all fresh. We also used bacon instead of salt pork mainly because that is what we had on hand. I think the taste worked out just as well anyway.

Classic Corn Chowder

10 ears corn, husks and silks removed ( or three 1-pound bags frozen corn kernels)

3 ounces salt pork, rind removed, cut into two 1-inch cubes (or 3 slices bacon, diced)

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken broth

12 ounces red potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Using a paring knife, cut the kernels from 4 ears of corn. You should have about 3 cups of kernels. Grate the kernels from the remaining 6 ears of corn on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl, then firmly scrape the pulp remaining on the cobs with the back of a butter knife or vegetable peeler. You should have about 2 cups of grated kernels and corn pulp.

Saute the salt pork in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, turning with tongs and pressing down on the pieces to render the fat, until the cubes are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. If you are using bacon, saute the bacon until it is crisp and then remove it from the pot and reserve. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the butter and onion, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 12 minutes. Remove the salt pork and reserve. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add the chicken broth. Add the grated corn and the corn pulp, potatoes, milk, thyme, bay leaf and reserved salt pork or bacon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the reserved corn kernels and heavy cream and return it to a simmer. Simmer until the corn kernels are tender and yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

Since we used mostly frozen corn, here is what we did with the first step. We 2 cups of the frozen corn and about 1/4 cup of water and ran it through the food processor for about 30 seconds to create the corn pulp and juice that is used in the recipe. We then used the rest of the frozen corn kernels in place of the corn taken off the cobs. We also used the immersion blender towards the end of the cooking to blend up some of the soup itself to make it a bit smoother while still retaining much of the corn itself. I think it turned out very well and we got a bit of a thicker chowder, which I really liked. It was even better the next day for lunches.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for more recipes. I have some beer braised chicken, a London broil with horseradish sauce and some homemade Parker House rolls still to come, among many other recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 13, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews

Tags: classic corn chowder, Cook's Illustrated classic corn chowder, Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, corn chowder

A Great Fall Soup in the Slow Cooker – Slow Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

12 Oct

With the cooler weather coming upon us now, that means more of an opportunity to make soups and make some good use of the slow cooker. We made a couple of different soups this week, and the first one allowed me to use some of the dried beans I had picked up that were on sale this past week. I had picked up bags of black beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans and lentils, so I had plenty to work with as I looked for a recipe where I could use different types in one soup. I came upon this recipe from the Food Network for a bean and barley soup in the slow cooker and it sounded perfect.

Slow-Cooker Bean and Barley Soup

1 cup dried multi-bean mix or Great Northern Beans, picked over and rinsed

1/2 cup pearl barley

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 medium carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning herb blend

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled if large (optional)

One 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice

3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Put 6 cups of water, all of the beans, the barley, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and porcini mushrooms, if using, in a slow cooker. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands over the slow cooker to break them down, and add them with their juices. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese, and stir until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle each serving with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I love a hearty bean soup and this one, with the different beans in, has awesome flavor. It was nice and thick with very flavorful broth from all the vegetables. Adding the spinach and cheese towards the end is a great way to add flavor and make it even more flavorful, but if you wanted to leave them out and just have the bean and barley soup I think it would be just as good. Serve it with some nice crunchy bread and you have a great vegetarian or meatless meal. The soup itself tasted even better the next day after it has had a chance to set and the flavors have melded together even more than the first day, so it has made for some great lunches as well.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another soup recipe as I will go over the nice corn chowder that we made this week. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 12, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Slow Cooker Meals, Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

Tags: barley soup, bean and barley soup, food network, slow cooker soup recipe, slow-cooker bean and barley soup, vegetarian soup

Comfort Food For Fall Weeknights – Chicken Pot Pie

03 Oct

We all love the classic comfort food dishes but sometimes we just don’t have the time to put in to make them during the week. Who wouldn’t love a nice pot roast dinner on a weeknight? Unfortunately, few of us have the time to pull that off unless you want to give it a try in the slow cooker. I did come across a great comfort food recipe from Williams-Sonoma the other day that you can make even easier by making use of some leftovers or store-bought items. This recipe for chicken pot pie has you making your own crust. If you don’t have time to do it, you can always use a store-bought crust to do that and save yourself even more time.

Chicken Pot Pie

For the Pie Dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Salt

6 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons cold butter

About 1/3 cup cold water

For the Filling:

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup corn kernels (from 2-3 ears)

2 tablespoons butter

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

To make the dough, stir together the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening and butter until a coarse meal starts to form. Toss with a fork while adding enough water for the dough to clump together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and peas and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a colander and drain, then transfer them to a bowl. Repeat the process with the corn, cooking it for 1 minute.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Stir in the broth, wine, half-and-half and parsley and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, peas and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate.

On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round about 1/8 inch thick and large enough to fit over the pie plate. Brush some of the egg yolk mixture in a 1-inch border around the edge of the round. Place the round, egg side down, over the filling, and press the dough to the rim of the dish. Crimp or trim any overhanging dough and brush the surface lightly with the remaining egg yolk mixture. Cut a few slits in the center of the top of the pie to vent the steam.

Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Just a few notes about this recipe. You can always use store-bough pie dough for this to save you time. I keep a package of pie dough on hand regularly in case I want to make a quick pie or something like this. You can also use frozen or leftover vegetables in this dish and vary things up, using whatever vegetables you have on hand. I put some green beans in with mine. As for the chicken, if you have leftover cooked chicken already you can save yourself another step and just heat it through in the skillet before adding the flour. You can use a rotisserie chicken instead if you have one of those as well. The meat from the chicken thighs is great for this because it is flavorful and tender, but use what you have to make things easier for you. Sean really liked this recipe and had 3 plates of it for dinner that night. The gravy created for the chicken and vegetables has really good flavor to it. By the way, I omitted the wine (I usually do in recipes) and used extra chicken broth instead and it turned out just fine.The leftovers were great for lunches too.

That’s it for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I still have a roast beef recipe to try, Another Oktoberfest recipe using sausages, and I picked up a turkey breast the other day so I need to do something with that as well. Check back and see what comes along. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 3, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Leftovers, One Pot Meals, Poultry

Tags: chicken pot pie, chicken pot pie recipe, comfort food recipe, williams-sonoma

Soup Day Number Two – Moroccan Lentil Soup in the Slow Cooker

27 Sep

I probably don’t make good enough use of our slow cooker. I always say I am going to use it more but somehow it just seems to slip my mind. The problem I have is that our kitchen is small so it is not a piece of equipment I can keep on the counter and remember to use often. It is usually when I see a recipe I like that makes use of the slow cooker that it jogs my memory. That is exactly what happened with this soup recipe that I found from A Year of Slow Cooking. This recipes uses 3 different kinds of beans, which I love, and some interesting spices to create this one pot meal.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

1 cup dried lentils

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrots

28 ounce can diced tomatoes and juice

4 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 inch ginger, peeled and grated

Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot to the slow cooker and sprinkle over the bottom. Drain and rinse off the lentils, garbanzo beans and pinto beans and add them on top of the vegetables. Grate the ginger on top of the beans and then add in the garam masala, cayenne pepper, cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir in the broth or water and the diced tomatoes plus the juice. Stir the mixture to blend everything together.

Cover the slow cooker and cook the soup on low for 8 to 10 hours. Before serving the soup, use an immersible blender to pulse and blend some of the vegetables and beans together. This will help to give the soup a better texture and meld some of the flavors together.

This recipe makes a good bit of soup, so you will have leftovers for lunches or another dinner, or you could even freeze some to use as an emergency dinner for another weeknight when you don’t feel much like cooking. Garam masala is a spice blend commonly used in Northern Indian cooking that mixes together pepper, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. It really adds some nice flavor and fragrance to this dish. All of the spices work well together and give great taste to this soup and using the immersible blender really helps to give it a velvety smooth texture to finish off with. If you use vegetable stock or water in this dish, you can make it vegetarian. You get plenty of protein from all of the beans in the dish and I have had some for lunch after the dinner we had of this soup and the flavor does seem to get even better. If you want to save yourself even more time with the slow cooker, chop your vegetables the night before, get everything prepped on your counter, and then you can just throw it together in the morning before you run out the door to start your day.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I still have lots I have been working on, including a new roasted chicken dish I tried last night. I also have some other great recipes from the Cooking Channel, Food Network, Food Republic, Cook’s Country and Williams-Sonoma that I will be trying over the next few days and weeks, so check back for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 27, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Slow Cooker Meals, Soups & Stews

Tags: A year of slow cooking, bean soup, lentil soup recipe, Moroccan lentil soup, soup recipe, vegetarian, vegetarian soup

Soup Season in Full Bloom – Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

26 Sep

The weather has started to get a little more Fall-like around here the last few days so I had planned to make a couple of soups this week to fit the occasion. Soups make a great dinner because they are filling, delicious and nutritious all in one. I had bought a butternut squash at our friend’s farmstand this past weekend and then I found this great recipe from Michael Chiarello for a different butternut squash soup recipe than I had made before. It makes use of some different spices to give a different flavor and roasting the squash with some of these ingredients really added something to the meal.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

For the Toasted Spice Rub:

1/4 cup fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chili powder

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the Roasted Squash:

3 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large squash)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup dark molasses

2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced carrot

1 cinnamon stick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups Roasted Winter Squash

1/2 cup half-and-half

For the spice rub: Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, turn on the exhaust fan above your stove, add the red pepper flakes and toss the mixture vigorously. Immediately turn the mixture out into a bowl to cool.

When the mixture has cooled, place it in a blender or spice mill with the chili powder, salt and cinnamon and blend until all the spices are evenly ground. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place.

For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, halve lengthwise and discard any of the seeds. Cut the squash into 1-inch diced pieces. Place the squash in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and add the sage, sugar, vinegar (keep your face back when you add the vinegar), molasses and the toasted spice rub. Mix well and allow it to simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well. Transfer the squash to a heavy, rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place the squash in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until it is very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set the squash aside until it is cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are still runny.

Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth. You can use the squash immediately or refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.

For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot and cinnamon stick and saute until the vegetables are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until it is smooth, then simmer gently, allowing the flavors to meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Puree the soup in a blender, in batches if necessary, until it is smooth. Return the soup to the pan and re-heat it gently. Add the half-and-half and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.

A couple of things about this recipe. The toasted spice rub makes quite a bit of spice mix. If you think you will use it again later on, it’s great to have on hand. I cut the recipe in half and still had plenty leftover so you can do that if you don’t want a lot of spice mix. You can use the squash puree for other things as well if you didn’t want to make soup with it. I think it would be a great side dish for chicken or turkey just as it is. You could also use other winter squash if you prefer, like acorn squash, and I think it would do just as well. The soup itself has a very roasted, toasty flavor to it. You can certainly taste the spices coming through in the soup but they do not over power the dish at all. I loved the creaminess of the squash and found it to be a very hearty meal. If you use vegetable stock or water instead of the chicken stock, you can make this a vegetarian meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another soup recipe I just tried. This one was made in the slow cooker and can also be a vegetarian dish, so check back for that one tomorrow. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!