With the weather turning warmer you may not be thinking soup mode, but it's also a great time for garden vegetables and for seafood! I chose a fun mix of red peppers and crab and put together an easy soup for the spring and summer. And since you know I like things with a little spice to them we are looking to add some jalapenos as well to this lovely little dish. This is actually quite easy, just make sure you pay attention to TPC notes on this one. They are critical! OK Let's Prep....
Here's What You Need:
- 4 Red Bell Peppers
- 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 3 cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock) bouillon cubes work fine
- 1 Potato cubed (adds a nice thickness)
- 1 Carrot shredded (adds a subtle sweetness)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3 Thyme Sprigs
- ½ lb Lump Crab meat (really rinse it)
- Sea Salt and FG Black Pepper, to taste
- Heavy Cream
- 1 Baguette and 1 Garlic Clove (sliced toasted and rubbed with garlic clove)
Roast the peppers directly on your stove top on the open flame. If you have an electric stove you can halve them and put them under your broiler until a nice black char shows. (About 15 minutes) Let cool and then roughly chop the roasted red peppers and set aside.
TPC NOTE: The heat from the jalapenos comes from the seeds and membrane. Adjust the heat you want by either leaving them there or removing them before chopping. ALSO the fumes from the jalapenos can be a little much so be careful and REALLY wash your hands when done handling the jalapenos. I have many a painful tale to tell you about not doing that correctly.
In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil, add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves some FG pepper then one cup of stock. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onions and garlic begin to soften.
Add the carrots and potatoes and the rest of the stock. Bring to a boil again then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to soften.
Add the roasted red peppers and return to a boil. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow soup to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to a food processor or use an immersion blender or even a regular blender and puree until smooth.
TPC NOTE: When blending the soup be very careful. Do it in two batches and make sure to put a towel on top of the blender cap to hold it down when blending, as the steam will pop the top and splash hot soup all over you....IE not good.
Return to the saucepan to reheat and adjust the seasonings (Salt and pepper). Add the crab meat, and simmer the soup just until the crab is heated through. Serve in shallow soup bowls. Add some crab meat to the middle of the bowl to create a little mound. Drizzle in the heavy cream and garnish with Italian Parsley, or Chives and a little FG Pepper. Place the baguette slices around the bowl. And there you have it!
WINE NOTE: Since we are probably serving this during the warmer days, feel free to serve with a crisp white or even some champagne. Until we do this again....
Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!
TPC
On Fat Tuesday, how do we not explore the wonder and glory which is gumbo. Whether you are Cajun or Creole (and yes there is a difference) surely you can agree how amazing gumbo can be. That being said, gumbo is as personal to those who make it as "gravy" is to Italians...yes that personal. And it's in that personalization of the gumbo that makes it so wondrous. Created in Louisiana in the early 1800's gumbo is a mix of 5 culinary cuisines. And there are literally thousand of different ways to make this. Why? Well basically after you make a roux (which we'll get into) the only other must have ingredient is okra (or file powder) though I don't use either. After that....it's anything goes...well almost. OK enough of the history lesson, time to get to it. Let's prep....
First and foremost..The Roux.
This is the hardest part. Once your passed this, you're on Bourbon St. (Couldn't say Easy St. on Fat Tuesday) What you will need. Equal parts fat and flour. In this case butter and flour. 1/2 cup each (That's a whole stick of butter...unsalted always please). Over a medium heat melt the butter. Once melted, slowly stir in the flour. Stir until a nice dark brown (Darker = Deeper flavors). Immediately remove from heat and let cool. TPC NOTE: Roux is going to take a long time of constant stirring, so set aside a good 20 - 30 minutes, because if this burns even a little bit you will need to start over...ugh.....oh btw....you can also buy Roux in a jar these days, but what fun is that!
Here's what you need:
1 Onion chopped or sliced (I like a big chop , not little it gives a great rustic look)
8 Cloves Garlic chopped
1 Bell Pepper Seeded and Chopped (I sometimes go 1-2 to Jalapenos instead...yeah)
1/2 bunch Parsley (Now when I say parsley I ALWAYS mean Italian, the other is...blech)
3 Celery Stalks chopped
1 bunch Scallions chopped (Tops are best here)
Salt, FG Pepper, Cayenne Powder, Bay leave, Paprika, Sage...All to taste. Tobasco? Sure why not,but don't let it overpower the gumbo
2 lbs Andouille Sausage
4 Chicken Breasts skin removed
About 2 gallons of water (sounds more than it is, this should serve 6-8)
4 Tbsp of your tasty Roux
In a large pan brown the Andouille and set aside. Then in the same pan brown the chicken and set aside. Don't be afraid to mix the flavors here and the browning of the meat adds a nice depth. You can also skip this part and add the meats directly into the gumbo without browning them, but I like the extra depth of flavor.
In a VERY large pot add a few quarts of the water and boil. Add the roux and stir. Once it's all mixed well add the rest of the water and bring to a boil again. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the Parsley and Scallions. Add your spices to personal taste here as well (taste, taste, taste!). Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer for about 45 minutes or until everything is nice and tender.
Right before serving add the Parsley and Scallions....and if you're really crazy....add some shrimp! 5 minutes should do then kill the heat.
Serve in a bowl with crusty bread....or over rice...with crusty bread.
WINE NOTE: I'd serve with really cold beer....BUT you can use a Cab or a Zin here and be VERY happy. Want to go nuts? Pour with some bubbly.....just try it.
Until we do this again...
Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!
Enjoy, have fun....and eat well!
TPC
