Brian’s Sunday Soup (v, gf)

4 Comments April 17, 2014 Lauren

The introduction to this glorious soup should start with an introduction to my uncle Brian and aunt Liz. They are runners, scientists, urban farmers, yogis, cat whisperers, and cooks. They’ve been known to move to China and Korea to teach English. They work tirelessly to restore the creek by their home* to health. They’ve collected water in rain barrels decades longer than your ironically bearded neighbor has, and they do things like compost and march for clean energy because everyone should do those things. On top of all this, they find time to fearlessly reinvent their careers and go see St. Vincent at the 9:30 Club. They’re that cool.

So now you know a bit about the brilliantly kaleidoscopic lives that inhabit the sunny kitchen full of great conversation where my uncle Brian threw together this soup the last time we visited. The soup is as healthy and vibrant as Liz and he. “Oh, it’s just got a little of everything in it,” Brian humbly explained as Dave and I poured bowls of the stuff into our gaping faces. If we could have done keg stands over the stockpot, we would have. My sweet mama had come up that weekend to visit and she loved the soup- so did my 20-month-old curly-topped nephew! It’s a crowd-pleaser.

deftly showcasing his spoon-handling skills and Mardi Gras beads

the neph’ showcasing wicked awesome curls, spoon-handling skills, and Mardi Gras beads

I emailed Brian asking how to make the soup soon after and he gave me a true cook’s recipe- ingredients, ideas, tips, no measurements. The mark of a cook at home in his kitchen. I’ve included some of these notes. Behold, Brian’s Sunday Soup.

BRIAN’S SUNDAY SOUP

Adapted from Brian Parr

Ingredients:

1 bag of mixed beans, soaked overnight
eeoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Spice mix (edit according to your tastes): 1/2- 1 tsp coriander, 1/2-1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp-1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2- 1 tsp turmeric, rosemary is nice if you have a bush, cumin (but only a little as you know how it overpowers everything else)
1 sweet potato, diced
1 russet potato, diced
sweet corn (sometimes)
5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped into coins
5-6 stalks celery, chopped, greens chopped and reserved
1/3 cup brown lentils
1/3 cup medium pearl barley (leave out if you’re avoiding gluten)
2-3 quarts low sodium vegetable stock, or 2-3 quarts water and 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium vegetable base
1 can of diced tomatoes, optional
freshly ground black pepper
a little bit of the vinegary juice form a jar of hot pepper rings adds a nice little bite!
red cabbage, sliced into confetti for garnish
mustard greens, sliced into confetti for garnish (super important and make all the difference. Plus, they are easy to grow and have a long season)
your favorite hot sauce for serving

Directions:

One day ahead, or before you leave for work: SOAK YOUR BEANS. Place them in a bowl or pot, cover with water to a depth of 2 inches above the beans, and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. I put my bowl of beans and water in the microwave to cat-proof while I was at work. Okay, now fast-forward, cooking show-style to: perfectly soaked beans! Rinse and drain them twice. Chop your veggies on your pretty wooden cutting board, which you should care for with food-grade mineral oil, did you know?

This soup is a very manly soup (if soups can be manly), as the recipe came from Brian and Dave made it at our house. Man Soup: for men, by men. In a large stockpot, have yo’ man heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion in eeoo in the pot, Get them to the browning stage on medium to low heat and then throw in the garlic at the end. Move the onion to the sides of the pot, create a space in the middle, and add spices to ‘dry cook.’ This gets really aromatic, sometimes to the point of burning eyes and coughing, achh, ohh, ahh, hack, hack…. As they cook on medium heat, be careful not to burn- they are quite potent!!

When your spice blend is fragrant and toasty, add the beans, russet potato, sweet potato, corn, carrots, lentils, tomatoes, and barley (you read that right- don’t add the celery!). Cover with enough water or stock to come a few inches above the veggies and beans and add vegetable base, if using. Stir the soup, raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours on low, until the beans are tender.

When the beans are tender, stir in the chopped celery. Give it a taste and add black pepper. Salt, if needed. Dip up a few bowls and top with the gorgeous, ribbony mix of red cabbage, celery greens, and mustard greens, the last of which give the soup a leafy, horseradish-like bite. You’ll be glad you did! Pass some hot sauce around. And go thank you uncle and aunt for being your uncle and aunt. It’s probably long overdue.

lovely greens and purples

Thank you, Brian and Liz, for the hospitality and the memorable meal.

Follow allez! gourmet on Bloglovin’

2 Comments March 28, 2014 Lauren

Bloglovin’? Your name is Bloglovin’?

Hey, folks! You can now follow allez! gourmet on Bloglovin’. What is Bloglovin’, you may ask? Bloglovin’s the hip and happenin’ site that allows you to follow all of your favorite blogs in one place and discover new ones. Groovy, as the kids say.

Follow me!

-Lauren

Quickie: Coconut-Chili Shrimp & Snow Pea Brown Rice “Risotto” (gf)

Lovely, Giftable Biscotti

Leave a comment February 28, 2014 Lauren

As you may be able to tell, I’ve been on quite a baking kick as of late. A new Kitchenaid will do that to you, just takes over the brain and there you find yourself two hours later, covered in flour with no memory of how you got there. Not entirely against your own will but at least partially due to a force greater than yourself. THE MIGHTY KITCHENAID.

BEHOLD

If you find yourself either in this situation (as bewitched by your beautiful appliance as I am) or just in need of a recipe for a nice baked good that can be gifted easily and mails well, biscotti is for you. We made this for the first time on New Year’s Eve, 2012 and I’ve tweaked the recipe and tried new flavor additions since then. The recipe below is a basic recipe, with several flavor options; I use it as a base for each batch of biscotti because it’s not sticky and is very easy to work with. The cranberry-pistachio flavor combo is my all-time favorite and a hit around the holidays; I highly recommend trying it. Get your coffee and tea ready and enjoy!

CORNMEAL BISCOTTI

Adapted from O, the Oprah Magazine, via Delish

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
3 eggs, divided
3 tbsp cornmeal
2 tbsp turbinado sugar
parchment paper

Cranberry-Pistachio Additions: 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, the zest of 1 large orange

Vanilla-Almond Additions: 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 3/4 cup slivered almonds, white chocolate chips or coating candy, optional

Coconut-Pecan Additions: 3/4 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, 1 tbsp melted coconut oil

Chocolate-Cherry Additions: 3/4 cup dried cherries, 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tbsp almond extract, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a blender with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy over medium speed. Scrape the bowl, if necessary. With the mixer running, add 2 eggs, one at a time, making sure they’re thoroughly blended in after each addition.

butter, sugar, and eggs will look like this

Add your chosen additions (EXCEPT for candy coating, if you’re using it) and mix on low until just combined.

Meanwhile, lightly flour your counter or a large prep board. Turn the dough out onto your floured surface and roll into a 12-inch log, flattening the log to a height of 1-inch (picture biscotti height). Beat the remaining egg and brush the log with it; sprinkle the sugar over top.

glossy, sugared, and ready to bake!

Bake for 45 minutes, until the log is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes; slice the crunchy log into 3/4 to 1-inch thick cookies when cool enough to handle. You will need a serrated knife for this. Find your inner zen at this point because slicing these and trying to avoid crumbles can really bring out the worst in a person. Sheesh.

paaaatience, my pet

Place the cookies one side down back into the 350 degree oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Set aside to cool and voila! Beautiful biscotti. If you’ve opted to use candy coating, melt it and dunk your cooled biscotti in halfway for a fancy Starbucks look. As I mentioned earlier, these cookies mail well and make great gifts or office treats… or indulgent breakfasts at home. Enjoy!

Focaccia! Deep-dish Focaccia! (v)

Leave a comment February 18, 2014 Lauren

Dave and I were fortunate enough to visit the most beautiful place in the world recently: the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. The island is 2/3 national park (whaaa!), has beaches varying from pristine white sand with aquamarine water to grassy turtle habitat to all smooth, gray rock, it’s dotted with Dutch and Danish sugar mill ruins, and it’s crisscrossed with challenging and well-maintained hiking trails. The fact that the majority of the island is a park keeps the riff raff out (airports, huge all-inclusive resorts, restaurant chains, shopping malls) and that’s helped the wildlife, flora, coral, and sea life stay healthy and breathtaking. It’s pretty much the real-life Neverland. I know this because the people of St. John each have a glinting glimmer of Lost Boy in their eyes.

Neverland, I tell ya

We fell in love the moment we arrived and swam, hiked, and ran over as much of the island as we could during our stay. We snorkeled daily, swimming with hawksbill turtles, myriad tropical fish by the school full, barracuda, rays, and even a large eagle ray. Rarely have I come back from a vacation in better shape than I left, but that was definitely the case coming home from St. John. And while the scrubby Missouri hills of home can’t compare to the vertical, emerald green volcanic mountains of STJ, I am determined to forge a hiking habit this summer, ticks be damned. Each day after hiking and swimming, we’d head to better-than-they-have-to-be food and drink spots like the Fatty Crab (order the Recession Special), Sam & Jack’s, Vie’s Snack Shack for conch fritters, Skinny Legs for burgers, live music, and shots with locals, and Asolare (go straight to the bar to meet Kim, master mixologist). I’m telling you, if you’re an outdoorsy nature lover who also enjoys outstanding and creative food, people, and drink, St. John may very well be the island for you. It certainly stole our hearts.

Outside of physical exertion and rum-swilling good times, a highlight of our trip was an incredibly romantic dinner Dave booked with Ted’s Supper Club, a well-known private chef service on the island. We were agog watching Ted cook. A-freaking-GOG. The skilled and professional Chef Ted whipped up an unforgettable meal of salad, dumplings, scallops, fish, veggies, lava cake, and a deep-dish focaccia bread with pesto and tomatoes cooked in cast iron that held us over for days. The focaccia really made an impression on us and I vowed to make it when we got home. That was in January; we have refined our humble approximation over three tries since. I present to you: Lauren and Dave’s deep-dish St. Louis focaccia by way of Chef Ted of St. John. Hearty. Delicious. Bring a hunk on a hike.

DEEP-DISH FOCACCIA

Humbly and reverently adapted from Ted’s Supper Club and Italian Food Forever

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tbsp (3 packets) instant yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Italian seasoning
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp pesto
2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Parmesan cheese, optional (recipe is vegan without)

Directions:

Note: I let this bread rise three times, so go into this knowing that it’s is a time-consuming recipe, even with the speed-rise method I recommend. Mostly hands-off time, but still. In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, salt, Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and yeast. Add 1 cup of warm water and stir until combined. Add the remaining cup water, 1 tablespoon pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir the rest of this in well until the mixture resembles a shaggy ball. This takes a bit of manhandling and you could take care of this step in a Kitchenaid with the hook attachment if you’d like.

I was lazy and didn’t take a picture of this step. Shame, shame! Enjoy this map of Neverland instead (available on etsy).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter or prep board and knead for about five minutes, until the dough is smooth and uniform. You may want to have your hunky husband take care of this step as you watch him admiringly from the other side of the kitchen, what with his being all rustic and manly and kneading the dough and all. Shape the dough into a ball. You’ll be very happy with how pretty it looks at this point. I’m happy for you, too. Ted would keep a small chunk of dough from his most recent focaccia as a starter, which we have begun to do as well. This helps the dough develop a yeasty, sourdough flavor, so tear off a hunk and refrigerate for your next batch if you plan to do the same. In a large, clean, glass mixing bowl, add 1 tbsp of the olive oil and place your dough in the bowl, turning to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside.

Now, for the rising process: I use a rapid-rise method for this bread, and it works wonderfully. Place a measuring cup (I use the same glass measuring cup I measured the water with) and microwave for about a minute thirty, until hot. Leave the cup in the microwave, and place your covered dough bowl in next to it. Close the microwave and let the dough rise until doubled, about 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on this- take a picture on your phone for reference if you want to compare size. After the dough has risen, punch it down with the backs of your hands until the built-up gas has been released, then fold over itself, coating with the oil in the bowl, and cover again with the plastic wrap (I had to reach out to an expert baker friend from high school on this step via Facebook; I ❤ social networking). Let the dough rise a second time, punch down a second time, and let the dough rise a third and final time. Whew. This will take an hour to an hour and a half total. You will be handsomely rewarded for your patience, I promise.

doubling

Now! Preheat your oven to 425. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a cast iron pan, coating the bottom and sides. Remove the dough bowl from the microwave, punching down the dough a final time. Spread the dough out evenly in the pan with your fingers. Don’t you feel homey and capable? You should. Poke a few holes in the top of the dough, spread the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon pesto, and sprinkle with Parmesan, if you’d like.

Bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack of your oven, turning once. THIS STUFF IS DELICIOUS. We cut it into squares because we eat too much at a time otherwise but slices work, too. Top with a mix of hearty vegetables, or serve with marinara, meat sauce, or soup. Or just eat it plain and dream of the islands as you enjoy your lovely creation by the fistful. Così buono!

Allez! Gourmet: 2013 In Review

Takeout Fakeout: CBW Steamed Veggie Bowl with Quinoa (v, gf)

Herb-Rubbed Salmon with Savory Oat Groats & Kale (gf)

2 Comments December 18, 2013 Lauren

My next stop on the one-way kale train I’ve been lately on was a tasty and versatile savory grain recipe. It was a win-win because of the kale and because I heart savory cooked grains. We were given a generous amount of groats from my husband’w coworker, who bought them by mistake. After Dave made them for breakfast several times with milk, cinnamon, and berries, I thought to myself “self, I bet we could get rid of these more quickly if I paired them with dinner.” And guess what? Well, there were still a LOT of groats left and we’re not quite through them and there are only two of us for Pete’s sake, but the new dish helped us slog through.

I served this with salmon rubbed with my favorite herb rub and cooked in cast-iron. The fish can be grilled or broiled, so cook it however you’d like. The rub takes well to each of those cooking methods. If you don’t have kind coworkers to bless you with a windfall of oat groats, you can find them in the dry goods sections of health food stores or in larger grocery stores. You can usually buy them loose. Also, the groat recipe is vegan!

SAVORY OAT GROATS AND KALE (v, gf)
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 leeks, sliced into matchsticks and rinsed well in a colander
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup oat groats
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 large bunch kale, deveined and chopped into ribbons
cracked black pepper
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, the leek matchsticks, and 3 cloves of garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the carrot and the groats, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the stock, water, and salt and bring to a boil; when boiling, reduce heat and cover, cooking for 25-30 minutes.

before….

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium in a deep saucepan. Add the kale and garlic and saute about 3-4 minutes, until the kale has wilted. When the groats have cooked their 25-30 minutes, stir in the kale and garlic, cracked black pepper to taste, and the crushed red pepper. Voila! All done! I like to serve this dish with lemon wedges on the side.

….after!

HERBED SALMON RUB

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp dried minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
salmon fillets, 1-inch thick, skin on
olive oil

Directions:

Okay, now for the fish! Heat your skillet over medium and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Add all rub ingredients in a food processor and blend well. This makes enough rub for a few go-rounds, so save what you don’t use in the fridge. You’ll be glad you did, this is good stuff right here.

Rub the salmon on both sides with olive oil. Take 1-2 tsp seasoning per filet and rub that onto the salmon flesh. Place the fillets in your skillet, skin side down, and cook 3-4 minutes, until about halfway done (you’ll see the color changing from dark pink to light). Flip over and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and flaky. If you’re grilling or broiling, prep the same way but don’t flip. This rub is so flavorful, surprisingly so. It’s almost the only way i make salmon at home- I hope you like it! What rubs do you use on fish? Let me know what you think in the comments below.