Curry Parsnip Soup

If you’ve never tried parsnips before, parsnip soup is an easy introduction. Blended up, it’s super creamy without a drop of cream, which makes my belly happy on several levels. Give it a try—it’s guaranteed super delicious or your money back. For more moving pictures of food being made, check out the Chef Buck playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552


ingredients:

1 lb PARSNIPS (chopped for soup)
1 large POTATO (chopped for soup)
1 medium ONION (chopped)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 Tbsp CURRY POWDER
1 tsp CUMIN POWDER
1 tsp CORIANDER POWDER
2 cups BROTH (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups WATER
SALT (to taste)
CORIANDER LEAVES (chopped, garnish)

directions:
In a soup pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add onions and cook for 1 minute. Add parsnips and potatoes and continue cooking until the onions are soft. Add curry, cumin, and coriander powder and mix well. Add 4 cups of liquid— ½ broth and ½ water . Bring contents to a boil, add salt, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. After a half hour the parsnips and potato should be quite tender. For a creamy texture, blend soup as desired—no milk or cream are needed. I like to leave a few chunks of potato unblended, and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Bon appétit!

Samba Sting by Kevin MacLeod at http://www.incompetech.com/. Music track used with permission Creative Commons: By Attribution and found at this link: http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Stings&page=1

Tomato Okra Recipe

Whole pod okra in a tomato gravy. Sound southern enough for you?

ingredients:
1 lb OKRA (whole pods)
1 medium ONION (chopped)
1 cup TOMATO PUREE (or 2 chopped tomatoes)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 tsp MUSTARD SEEDS
1 Tbsp CORIANDER POWDER
1 tsp CHILI POWDER
1 Tbsp white wine VINEGAR
SALT and PEPPER (to taste)
¼ cup WATER

directions:
Heat olive oil on medium heat and add onions. Cook for 1 minute and add mustard seeds. Add coriander and chili powder and continue sautéing onions for another minute. Stir in the tomato puree. Add salt. I like using puree because it’s thick and sweet and acts like a gravy. You can substitute fresh chopped tomato instead if you prefer a thinner consistency. Add fresh okra.
Fresh! Buy okra that’s bright green and firm, not soft and bendy. Small okra pods are best—1” to 2”. Okra won’t stay pretty in the fridge for too long, so use soon after buying (1-2 days). Trim the stems, but not too much—you don’t want to cut into the pod and release the watery goo. I say goo, but not in a bad way. Okra is a dry climate vegetable and stores a lot of moisture in its pod—it’s a kinda gooey moisture—that’s why cut okra is often used in soups and gumbos as a thickener.
Mix the okra into the tomato gravy. Add vinegar and continue sautéing another minute. The tomato and vinegar will cut the “slickness” of the okra. Add ¼ water, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
And that’s it. Add pepper and adjust salt as needed and serve—I find it’s a perfect side dish for blackened fish.

Bon appétit!



Samba Sting by Kevin MacLeod at http://www.incompetech.com/. Music track used with permission Creative Commons: By Attribution and found at this link: http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Stings&page=1

Truck Stop Bologna

A road trip isn't complete without a truck stop breakfast.

Spicy Pita Chips

You can't have hummus without pita chips. I mean, you can...but...

ingredients:
1 pkg. PITA BREAD
OLIVE OIL
SALT
SPICES: curry powder, garlic powder, cajun seasonings, etc. (whatever you like)

directions:
Cut pitas into triangular chip shapes. Each pita will easily yield 12 chips. Soak one side of each pita triangle in olive oil and stack pitas so the soaked side of one is stacked against the unsoaked side of the next. Press stacked chips together—this will flatten the chips and suffuse the oil throughout.
Arrange chips on a flat baking sheet. Salt to taste. Add spices—the more the better, in my opinion. I usually bake three distinct batches. Curry is probably my favorite—just salt and lots of curry on a toasted pita chip, it’s delicious. Garlic is great, too. Try some Tony Chachere's seasoning (or comparable cajun seasoning) on a chip—or simply add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper with Cumin. Whatever your favorite seasonings are, give them a try.
Bake the chips 8-10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oven cooking times vary, so keep an eye on your first batch to see how long it takes to toast them the way you like—they will burn quickly if forgotten. I like mine CRISP. One side of the pita will be thinner than the other side and some triangles may need to be removed from the oven before the other chips are done. You’ll figure it out.
And make some hummus, too.

Bon appétit!


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Samba Sting by Kevin MacLeod at http://www.incompetech.com/. Music track used with permission Creative Commons: By Attribution and found at this link: http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Stings&page=1

Skillet Cauliflower Recipe

Did you ever think there was something missing in your life? Have you considered cauliflower?

ingredients:
1 head CAULIFLOWER (cut into florets)
1 bulb of GARLIC (finely chopped)
1 cup ONION (chopped)
½ cup PEPPERS (sliced)
3 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
zest of 1 LEMON
2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
SALT and PEPPER (to taste)
WATER (as needed)

directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add cauliflower florets. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle when the cauliflower hits the pan. Sear the florets for 3-4 minutes —keep them moving enough not to burn, but let them rest long enough to get a nice seared edge where possible. The florets will soak up the oil pretty quick—add water sparingly when needed.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Mix and give the onion a minute head start before adding the garlic and peppers. Add salt to taste and continue sautéing the vegetables for 1-2 minutes.
Then add ¼ water, cover, and cook 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes, add black pepper, lemon zest and juice, mix, and remove from heat.
At this point, all of your cauliflower dreams will be coming true.

Bon appétit!


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Samba Sting by Kevin MacLeod at http://www.incompetech.com/. Music track used with permission Creative Commons: By Attribution and found at this link: http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Stings&page=1

Calamari Salad Recipe

Dr. Freud theorized the squid to be the unconscious driver underlying all human action. This recipe builds on that theory, and adds carrots.

ingredients:
1 lb SQUID
½ cup CARROT (strings)
½ cup CUCUMBER (sticks)
1/3 cup CILANTRO or BASIL LEAVES (chopped)
1 tsp GINGER (minced)
1 tsp SESAME OIL
1 Tbsp extra virgin OLIVE OIL
1 Tbsp RICE WINE VINEGAR
1 tsp CHILI GARLIC SAUCE (or sub hot sauce to taste)
1 Tbsp LEMON JUICE
SOY SAUCE (to taste)
½ tsp SESAME SEEDS
SALT (to taste)

directions:
Start with 1 lb. of cleaned squid. I’ve used fresh and frozen squid for this recipe and both work well—and smaller squid work best for salad—which is something to think about when choosing your squid; buying them frozen and already cleaned is much nicer than cleaning a dozen dinky cephalopods.
Cut squid into thin rings (1/4 inch max) and boil in salted water for 25 seconds (yep—they’ll cook up that fast). Drain, then rinse under cold water to prevent overcooking (over-boiled squid can be quite rubbery).
In a large bowl, combine sesame oil, olive oil, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and ginger (also salt to taste—or dress with soy sauce). Mix well.
Add squid, carrot, cucumber, and cilantro and toss with dressing.
Add lemon juice (or substitute lime juice). Add soy sauce to taste.

Mix all, top with sesame seeds, and serve over a bed of mixed greens.
It’s light, tasty, and suctioncupalicious.

Bon appétit!

Ginger Lentil Soup

Bean soup, doesn’t that sound like all your dreams are coming true? For more video recipes check out the Chef Buck playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

ingredients:
1 ½ cups LENTILS
5-6 cups WATER (or ½ water ½ broth)
1 large ONION (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp fresh GINGER (finely chopped)
1 hot PEPPER (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
1 tsp CUMIN SEEDS
½ tsp TUMERIC POWDER
1 tsp CORIANDER POWDER
1 14 oz can DICED TOMATOES (or 2 Lg tomatoes, diced)
SALT and BLACK PEPPER to taste
CILANTRO LEAVES for garnish (coriander leaves)

directions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. When oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and allow cooking for about 1 minute. After a minute the seeds will begin to open, at this point add the onion and hot pepper and allow cooking until the onions soften and become translucent. Add ginger, coriander, and turmeric and continue mixing ingredients over medium heat.
Add tomatoes, mix, and cook with ingredients for 2 minutes.
Add lentils (be sure to wash and rinse first). Red or yellow lentils will make this dish look extra yummy. Darker lentils will taste equally as good—the dish just won’t win a beauty contest—but use whatever kind you have, ultimately, your stomach won’t know the difference.
Add water, or a combination of water/broth. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat, then cover the pot loosely and allow ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Add more water as needed, but sparingly—you don’t want your soup to be too thin. Cover pot loosely and continue cooking another 15-20 minutes.
When the lentils are soft and completely cooked, lightly blend the soup to add a creamy consistency. A hand-held stick blender works great—a few quick pulses and voilà! If a stick blender is not handy (rim shot), simply remove a few cups of the soup to a table top blender, smooth, and return to the pot. This step isn’t necessary, but do it; just do it.
If the soup is thinner than you like, continue to simmer briefly—but remember, the lentils, like rice, will continue to absorb water and thicken the soup on their own.
Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves) and serve with French bread for optimal taste satisfaction.

Bon appétit!


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