We’re Cooking: Creamy Cauliflower, Celeriac and Celery Soup with Pancetta

Sometimes just playing in the kitchen is fun.  I had an idea to make a celery based soup the other night with fresh celery stalks and celeriac (or celery root).  While I was at the store gathering ingredients I noticed beautiful, enormous heads of cauliflower was on sale for a dollar each….I had to buy, resulting in the whole head going into this soup with onions, garlic, and lots of celery.  Finished with just a bit sherry and cream and topped with crispy bits of pancetta, this was a delicious delight.
Optional addition, baby enoki or clamshell mushrooms cooked in a bit of white wine, sherry and thyme in the fat from the pancetta.

Recipe:

Creamy Cauliflower, Celeriac and Celery Soup with Pancetta
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into bit size pieces
1 large celeriac, outer layer removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bunch celery, ends trimmed, cleaned and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 large stem rosemary
5 stems thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon each salt and pepper
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (to your taste)
2 tablespoons Sherry
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup fat-free half and half or heavy cream
3 oz chopped pancetta
2 oz enoki or clamshell mushrooms (optional) with 1 tablespoon Sherry, 1/4 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven to medium heat.  Add the onion and celery and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring to coat the veggies in the oil.  Add the celeriac and cauliflower, stir to coat and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes with the wine.  Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the bay leaves.  Tie the rosemary and thyme in a bundle with kitchen twine, add to the pot with the lemon juice and zest.  Stir to incorporate everything together.  Add the stock and bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes to an hour.  Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a small saute pan over medium high heat until crispy.  (I don’t add oil to the pan, the pancetta is fatty enough.  If you feel you need a bit of oil to get the cooking started add just a touch.) Scoop the crispy pancetta onto a paper towel lined plate and top with another towel to soak up any fat.  Set aside.
If adding the mushroom garnish, drain a bit of the fat from the pancetta pan and add the mushrooms to the pan over medium heat.  Let cook for about a minute then add the wine, Sherry, thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, then scoop out of the pan into a bowl and set aside.
After the soup has simmered, remove the herb bundle and bay leaves.  Turn the heat off an let cool for a few minutes.  With an immersion blender or food processor slowly blend the soup to a silky, creamy consistency.  Bring back up to a simmer and add the Sherry and the cream, whisking both in slowly.  Whisk in  the parsley.  Add 1 tablespoon of Sherry vinegar and taste.  If you like the taste, serve; if you need a bit more acidity, add the additional tablespoon.  Adjust any final seasonings.  Serve in big soup bowls topped with the pancetta and mushrooms with crusty bread for dipping.

Tickets On Sale For Our April 29th Anniversary Party!!!

This year it is all about Spain as Dallas Uncorked leaps into our 9th year of bringing entertaining, educational and unique wine events to our Dallas members.

April 29th we’ll lead you through an evening of Spain with Chef Andrew Ormsby creating extensive tapas while Cava flows in celebration, followed by a paella fest created on his massive paella pans acquired while he was traveling and cooking through Spain.  Spain’s leading grape, Tempranillo will be featured as well as a classic white Sangria.  Spanish flamenco and classic guitar music will fill the air as we celebrate this 8th anniversary through the evening at the long table dinner under the stars at Chef Ormsby’s Studio.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Charity:Water and the Meadows Museum at SMU for their dedication to arts education and appreciation centered around their extensive founding collection of Spanish art. The Meadows Museum houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain.  Tickets available via our website, www.dallasuncorked.org

We’re Cooking: Chop Salad with Beet, Basil and Thyme Vinaigrette

I am a salad girl, enjoying one almost every night, at home or out, on its own or often topped with a grilled piece of juicy salmon or luscious shrimp.  I love fun salad combos, as fresh ingredients really just need the proper platform (or platter in this case) to allow them to shine.  Our local Central Market has put in a top notch juicing station with 20 different varieties of juice from 50 different combos available each day.  I love it as this is the easiest way to make sure you are getting a good amount of veggies in the diet every day.  One of my favorites is their garden blend with spinach, carrots, parsley, garlic and a base of beets.  Some people shy away from the beet….I love them.  It made me start experimenting with beet juice on its own, which I made by just roasting a beet then pureeing it and straining it through a sieve.  Mixing this juice with fresh basil and thyme (two flavor punches in any salad), champagne vinegar and a touch of olive oil made a healthy and flavorful dressing for this crunchy, savory salad of a rainbow of veggies.

Recipe:

Chop Salad with Beet and Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
For the salad:
5 oz mixed baby greens
5 oz baby spinach
1 English cucumber, chopped in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4 inch half moons
1 small fennel bulb, shaved
7 radishes, shaved thin
1 yellow tomato, sliced thin
1 large red tomato, sliced thin
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 red pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch square pieces
1/2 yellow pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch square pieces
4 oz feta, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons beet juice made from 1 whole beet, peeled and chopped then wrapped in foil and roasted in a 400 degree oven until soft.  Cool, puree and pushed through a sieve to extract as much juice as possible.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each Salt and pepper

Preparation:
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight sealing lid.  Secure the lid and shake vigorously to make sure everything is well combined.  Set aside until ready to use.  Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl (big enough to be able to toss the salad in the bowl) except the feta.  Add about 1/2 of the vinaigrette to the salad and begin to toss to coat with the dressing using salad tongs.  Add additional dressing to your taste.  Plate the salad individually, topping each serving with a good sprinkle of the feta; or serve family style with the feta sprinkled over the top of the whole salad.

We’re Cooking: Cointreau Strawberries and Cream

We aren’t really bakers.  Gary does his masterful creme brulee, but anything that you really have to measure and bake just doesn’t work well in our kitchen…we are more of the add a dash here and a pinch there kind of people.  I have been dabbling in desserts lately though that are relatively simple, don’t require a lot o precise measurements, have a big wow factor, and have low sugar and fat levels compared to something bought at the pastry shop.  We made this simple strawberries and cream recipe the other night for a dinner party.  I have done something similar with balsamic vinegar before, but this time I used a good dash of Cointreau instead of vinegar, as well as the juice and zest of a blood orange to really drive the orange flavor home. Add in fresh herbs and just a touch of freshly ground pepper and you have a sweet and savory dessert.  Light and delicious!!

Recipe:

Cointreau Strawberries and Cream
Ingredients:
2 pints strawberries, hulled, cleaned and cut into halves or quarters depending on size (you want each piece to be about the same size)
1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Zest and juice of 1 blood orange + segments of an additional blood orange for garnish
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:
Several hours prior to when you would like to eat the berries begin to macerate them by pouring them into a deep bowl.  Add the 1/4 cup sugar, liqueur, orange zest and juice, mint, basil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Stir well to incorporate all the flavors.  Refrigerate.  Continue to stir the mixture every 20 minutes or so until ready to serve.  The strawberries should be softened when ready to serve.  30 minutes prior to serving place a mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes, then remove and add the cream, remaining sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl.  Using a hand held mixer or whisk begin whipping the cream until very stiff peaks are formed.  I like the cream to be nice and firm, but whip it to your desired consistency.  Add more sugar if you like.  The berries will be sweet so keeping the sugar in the cream keep this nicely balanced.  To serve – layer the berries into a glass or serving dish, add a dollop of cream and garnish with a blood orange segment and a sliver of mint.

We’re Cooking: Seared Swordfish with Serrano Ham and Tomato Olive Chutney

In anticipation of going to Spain in early March I am embracing cooking with more Spanish influenced ingredients…..Serrano ham, Marcona almonds, loads of olives and of course olive oil, as it is as present and representative of the country as it is in Italy.  We had some friends over for Valentine’s Day who love a good, but healthy meal as much as I do.  This recipe could work with any flaky white fish.  I had originally intended to get halibut but couldn’t find any that looked good so went with swordfish instead.  The texture and rich flavor of the fish stood well on its own, and married to the Mediterranean flavors of the chutney beautifully.  Wrapping the fish with the ham and slowly warming it through kept the fish moist as we enjoyed our salad course and added just a nice, light, salty bite to the meal.  We served ours on creamy polenta with herbs, made with chicken stock instead of water to give it some extra flavor and finished it with just a touch of fat-free half and half to keep the side virtually fat free.

Recipe:

Seared Swordfish with Serrano Ham and Tomato Olive Chutney
Ingredients:
For the fish:
2 pounds swordfish, make sure the blood line is still bright red.  You can keep the skin on the fish to keep it moist while cooking, just remove before serving.  Should be two large pieces that you will cut in half for 4 portions.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
4 – 6 slices Serrano ham

For the sauce:
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
1 small zuchinni, chopped thin
1 stalk celery, choppped fine
1/2 red pepper, chopped thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped olives, we used a combo of garlic marinated Manzanilla olives and Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 large canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
1 can roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or water

Preparation:
To make the sauce:  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat.  Add the onions, zucchini, red pepper, celery  and cook for 5-7 minutes as the veggies start to soften.  Add the garlic and season with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes.  Add the dried spices, rosemary and thyme, anchovy paste and tomato paste.  Stir to coat and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the olives, capers and tomatoes (with their juice) and stir well to incorporate into the sauce.  Add the Sherry wine and vinegar, lemon juice and stock and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add the basil and cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve on top of the fish.

To make the fish:  Pre-heat oven to 250.  Season both sides of the fish liberally with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven safe saute pan over medium high heat.  Lay the swordfish in the pan and squeeze 1/2 lemon over all of the fish.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Flip the fish over, squeeze the other half of lemon juice over the fish, and cook on the other side for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Sprinkle each piece of fish with a bit of lemon zest, then very carefully (the fish and pan are both very hot) wrap each piece of fish with a piece of ham (or two if the fish is large).  You want to ham to completely cover the top, so wrap it so the ends touch underneath the fish.  Place the fish back in the pan, with the ends of the ham facing down, under the fish, and place in the oven.  Warm through for about 5 minutes, but we had it in for about 10 minutes and the fish was moist, the ham had just started to crisp a bit, and the overall flavor was incredible.  Serve on top of polenta or saffron rice with the sauce on top.