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Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

When a recipe comes from a reputable source, if it’s good it ends up on countless food blogs. That’s the case with this tomato soup recipe, which I recently found on America’s Test Kitchen’s web site. They’re an arm of Cooks Illustrated.

Their test cooks have devised a method for making a rich, creamy soup with no cream. I was skeptical, but as I said, the recipe has been floating around the blogosphere for awhile now so I decided that it must be worth a try, and indeed it was.

They use sliced white sandwich bread to thicken the soup. Now before you get all squeamish, consider this: bread has been used as a thickener in Italy for generations in their Italian Bread Soup, otherwise known as Ribollita.

If you’re a fan of Nordstrom’s Tomato Basil Soup but don’t like the fact that it’s laden with cream, make this and you won’t have to feel guilty when you accompany it with grilled cheese sandwiches. By the way, the original recipe does not call for basil, which is one of the predominant flavors in the Nordie soup. If you like basil, top each bowl with some slivers before serving.

Creamless Tomato Soup

2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes with their juice
1 t. brown sugar
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into small pieces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 T. brandy (optional)
salt and pepper
fresh basil or chives

Heat oil in a Dutch oven, add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and break up tomatoes with a potato masher or fork into pieces no bigger than 2 inches. Add brown sugar and bread and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until bread is beginning to break down, about 5 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth. (You can also use an immersion blender.) Return to pot and stir in chicken broth and optional brandy. Bring to a simmer, add salt and pepper to taste along with basil or chives. Drizzle each serving with extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4

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Posted in Articles, Recipes, Soups / Stews | 1 Comment »

Moroccan Quinoa Stew

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

I’ve been experimenting with quinoa so much lately that I’ve almost emptied my large bag of Costco quinoa. This high-quality source of complete protein has been a revelation, one which I will henceforth be unable to abandon as a mere culinary trend.

Where has quinoa been all my life? I certainly didn’t eat it when I was growing up in Sacramento, California. Indeed, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) didn’t appear on my radar screen until several years ago, when a vegetarian Weight Watcher member mentioned it at our meeting. I was hesitant, obviously, because it’s taken me these two years to finally give it a try. As I said, it will be a kitchen staple from now on.

Here is a meatless (since it is a complete protein, there’s no need for meat!) adaptation from Bon Appetit, which I only slightly tinkered with. Believe it or not, I simplified it, which, when you read the list of ingredients, may seem implausible. Yes, the list is long, but take a good look–it’s mostly spices.

If you opt for the full 1/2 t. cayenne, you’ll be in for a very spicy treat. For a tamer version, cut it down or out altogether. The remaining combination of spices is absolutely brilliant. I’ve made this twice already, it was so good!

Stew

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. sweet paprika
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 t. but beware, that makes this dish pretty fabulously hot)
1 cup water
1 14-1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 T. fresh lemon juice
3 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1-in. cubes
2 cups peeled carrots, cut into 3/4-in. cubes

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (I buy pre-rinsed quinoa at Costco)
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c.onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. turmeric
2 c. water
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

For the stew: heat oil in a large pot and add onion; saute until soft, about 5 min. Add garlic and cook 1 min. Mix in paprika, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger and cayenne pepper.

Add water, tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (You can prepare this a day ahead and reheat it.)

For the quinoa: Rinse quinoa and drain. Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan; add onion and carrot. Cover and cook until vegetables being to brown, about 10 min. Add garlic, salt and turmeric. Cook 1 min. Add quinoa and cook another 1 min. Add 2 cups water; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 min.

If you’ve refrigerated the stew, re-heat it and stir in half of the cilantro. Spoon quinoa onto a platter, forming a well in the center. Spoon the stew into the center and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Serves 4

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Posted in Articles, Recipes, Soups / Stews, Vegetables / Side Dishes | 2 Comments »

SC* Provencal Beef Stew

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

January is prime diet season, which means that diet, exercise and plastic surgeon ads are hitting the airwaves 24/7. (The latter are for those of us who don’t want to bother with the first two!)

I’ve said this before but it can’t be stated too many times: there is no magic pill for weight loss. There is no program, whether it offers pre-made meals or arm bands that register how many calories you’ve burned, that can do the hard work for you. Furthermore, very few diet plans provide the skills that lead to sustained weight loss (maintenance) over the long haul (a lifetime).

So, what’s an overweight person to do? It’s not glamorous: you’ve got to change the way you eat, not for the time it takes to lose the weight but for the rest of your life. Ouch. That hurt, didn’t it?

This beef stew bucks tradition by featuring zucchini instead of potatoes.

Along with all the ads for weight loss programs, there’s also been a lot of press regarding the virtues of eating more fruits and vegetables. And it’s no surprise that these are the very foods that aid in weight loss and maintenance. Because of their abundance of fiber and water, they fill you up, and they’re healthy to boot.

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2011 has been to climb aboard the fruit and vegetable bandwagon, and to that end I’ve decided to highlight more fruity, vegetably recipes on Hungry Poodle. Don’t worry, I won’t go crazy in this endeavor. Following is an example of the type of recipe I will focus on. It’s a Provencal beef stew adapted from Cooking Light, and it’s loaded with onions, carrots and zucchini rather than heavier, starchier vegetables. Think of if as a kinder, gentler beef stew, if you will.

Yes, it’s yet another slow cooker concoction. I’m still in the throes of my new slow cooker. The original recipe called for adding the zucchini at the beginning, but I chose to add it halfway through to keep the zucchini from disintegrating during the long cooking process.

Because it has no potatoes, this is a lighter version of stew that goes down easily. I actually preferred it because I was able to enjoy a crusty roll with my portion and not feel like I’d overindulged in carbs.

2 t. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
2 T. tomato paste (I buy mine in a tube and keep it in the fridge)
3 bay leaves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups sliced zucchini (I sliced mine fairly thick)
2 cups sliced carrots

Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 t. salt and pepper and coat with flour. Brown beef in skillet on all sides. Place beef into slow cooker. Add onions and garlic to skillet and saute 5 minutes. Add wine to pan and scrape to loosen browned bits. Place onion mixture in slow cooker. Add broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme and tomatoes to slow cooker; top with carrots. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Uncover and add zucchini and cook until beef is tender, another 2 to 4 hours. Stir in remaining salt (or to taste) and pepper. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Serves: 6 (each serving is 1 1/3 cups)

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Posted in Articles, Meats, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Soups / Stews | 1 Comment »

SC* Vegetable Chili

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Yesterday I began planning our Thanksgiving menu without a working kitchen. I am not panicking. I have been told that my kitchen will be functional after this weekend, but in the meantime, I am sourcing fully cooked turkey dinners. It is not that I distrust my husband. Rather, it is because, after 29 years of marriage–our wedding anniversary will fall, ironically, on Thanksgiving day–I have been down this remodeling road with him before. We have a history of failed deadlines.

In the interest of civility, I will segue to the vegetable chili I made yesterday in the slow cooker, from a recipe I adapted from myrecipes.com. The original version called for double the amounts I used here. If you want that much chili, go for it.

It’s a good counterpart to the beef chili I posted last week, plus it features an interesting variety of vegetables. I don’t usually add mushrooms to chili but they lent a meaty taste that I really liked.

As we gear up for a plethora of fat-laden holiday meals and treats, it’s a good idea to have some low fat, delicious recipes under our belts to help keep us more or less on track. This chili comes in at only 124 calories for a one-and-one-half cup serving. Whew. Something that doesn’t break the calorie bank. Nice.

1 large carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 (8-oz.) package mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 T. chili powder
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (6-oz.) can tomato juice
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (15-oz.) cans white, black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn

Saute carrot, celery and onion in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray until onions are tender. Add mushrooms and zucchini and continue to saute for about 3 minutes. Add chili powder, basil and pepper. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add tomato sauce, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, beans and corn. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Season to taste with salt.

Leftovers can be frozen for up to two months.

Serves: 6

* Slow Cooker

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Posted in Articles, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Soups / Stews | 1 Comment »

SC* Beef Chili

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

My slow cooker hasn’t had time to cool down this last month while our kitchen has been in the throes of painting, et al. Last week I made beef chili, adapted from the Cooking Light Slow Cooker cookbook. It’s what you’d expect from a classic chili–lots of beef and beans and little else to confuse the issue. Yes, it was low fat, but it tasted sinfully meaty. I’d forgotten how good classic chili can be, especially when served with saltines.

I’m going to make a vegetable chili tomorrow, so both sin and virtue will reside together in the slow cooker category on hungry poodle.

Champ likes chili with sweet gherkins and saltines

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine, or water
1 T. chili powder
1 t. sugar
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 16-oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used a 27-oz. can Bush’s Kidney beans)
1 14-1/2 oz. can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers

In a large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef. Add onions, bell pepper, red wine, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender. Place mixture into a slow cooker and stir in beans and tomatoes. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

I altered this recipe and used 1 1/4 lbs. ground beef and a larger 27-oz. can of kidney beans. I also added extra spices (1 1/2 T. chili powder and 1 1/2 t. cumin) and two cans of tomatoes instead of one, to accommodate the larger quantities of beef and beans.

If you use Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, be sure to cut up the large tomato chunks with a pair of kitchen scissors when you pour them into the slow cooker. If you like hotter chili, you can use Rotel tomatoes instead.

What I’m getting at here is that you can alter the amounts of this chili according to your tastes, either using more or less beef, and more or fewer beans.

Condiments? Shredded cheddar cheese, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, jarred pickled jalapenos (for those who like it spicier) and chopped green onions.

Serves: 6 (each serving is 1 1/4 cups)

* Slow Cooker