Rustic Roasted Cauliflower And Parsnip Soup

Rustic

Roasted Cauliflower And Parsnip Soup 

My family doesn't love cauliflower and parsnip as much as I do but I still try serving it, especially when it's in season. I wasn't sure what their reaction would be when I called them to lunch yesterday afternoon. And after a few spoonfuls, it was unanimous that this is the "only way to make them"!

Ingredients
For roasting:
2 heads of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 package parsnips, about 4-5 sliced into quarters lengthwise
Extra virgin olive oil to coat

Pepper to taste

Salt, optional

For the soup:

About 6 cups roasted chopped cauliflower, loosely packed
About 1 cup roasted sliced parsnips, cut into quarters and loosely packed
     ~ save remaining vegetables for a side dish to another meal
1 32 oz box low-sodium vegetable stock, or 4-5 cups

2 cups milk (I used 2% lactose-free), or half and half
2 bay leaves
About 1/8 teaspoon ground sage, or about 2 chopped fresh sage leaves
About 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, or to taste
1 teaspoon butter, or preferred spread
Pepper to taste
Salt, optional
Grated Parmesan cheese

Coat vegetables in a little extra virgin olive oil, add pepper, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 400 degree for about 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. If they start to burn (time depends on size of vegetables and variations in oven temperatures), remove from oven and they'll soften more in the stock. When done, add all the ingredients listed for the soup into a large stock pot and bring to a boil then simmer about 30-40 minutes or until all the flavors have melded (vegetables should be soft). Taste the flavor to determine how much to season with sage and nutmeg. Remove bay leaves. Blend to desired consistency with an immersion blender; or let cool about 15 minutes then pour into a food processor or blender and process (don't put hot soup into a food processor/blender or it could explode out the cover and start with pulse or low, slowly increasing speed) until desired consistency is achieved. Add more milk if needed. Garnish individual servings with grated Parmesan cheese.

Here's how to make the soup and have some leftover vegetables for another meal:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim and wash 2 large heads of cauliflower and 1 package of parsnips, about 4-5 medium.

Toss coarsely chopped cauliflower and sliced parsnips with a little extra virgin olive oil, pepper to taste, and a little salt if you want but the Parmesan cheese added at the end will provide the salt.

Roast cauliflower and parsnips at 400 degrees about 20-30 minutes until fork tender. If they're burning and not quite tender, don't worry, they'll soften up more in the stock.

In a large stock pot, heat low-sodium vegetable stock, milk or half and half, butter or favorite spread, a few pinches of ground sage up to about 1/8 teaspoon. (Not much as it's a lot stronger than fresh sage. I tasted as I added.), 2 bay leaves, pepper to taste, a few pinches of ground nutmeg up to 1/8 teaspoon (again, taste for flavor and freshly ground is nice), salt to taste is optional. I avoided adding too much flavor with herbs and spices so that we could taste the big flavors of the roasted cauliflower and parsnips. Add a little, taste, add more according to your taste. Remember, the Parmesan cheese will add more flavor and saltiness at the end.

Dairy: I used lactose-free milk just to give myself a break from dairy. I used organic Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread, again to reduce the dairy load.

Bring all ingredients to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until all vegetables are tender and all ingredients have melded nicely. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Blend to desired consistency with an immersion blender if you have one. These blenders are great - there's a lot less to clean up afterwards but if using a regular blender or food processor, wait until the soup cools a little first, about 15 minutes. Then start blending on pulse or low so the soup doesn't explode, gradually increase speed if needed.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

~ * ~

Below is another favorite gadget of mine. Just place a small piece of cheese into the chamber, turn the handle and grated cheese comes right out. It's fun to put out at the table and everyone can help themselves.

From all the cheese you see in my recipes you wouldn't know that I'm lactose intolerant. Hard cheeses aren't too difficult to digest, but milk, cream, butter, and soft cheeses are.

Texture
This rustic soup looks a little chunky but that texture was intended. It's how I like soup. I like picking up a few pieces of the vegetables so I know I'm actually eating vegetables. It can be made creamier by processing it more with the immersion blender, a food processor, or a regular blender.

Leftovers
Save the rest of the roasted vegetables for another meal. Since my family really doesn't like cauliflower or parsnips, other than in the soup I learned, I may be snacking on these myself!

* * *

Variation: This recipe is pretty easy to make and tastes good this way but a roughly chopped small onion or shallot could also be roasted along with the cauliflower and parsnips if desired.

Serves: about 6 to 8, depending on appetites. 

* * *

Update: This post was on The #meatlessmonday Daily ,10/5/11!

Can You Say "Watermelon Salad" In French?

"What is this! Are we in Paris?"

The things my kids say sometimes when they see different food makes me laugh. The way they say it can make it even funnier, like when my son said this in a French accent the night he sat down to eat this.

The idea of this strange dinner was still churning in his mind and a few seconds later he said, "Ohhhhh, it's meatless Monday!" Yes, it was meatless Monday and, yes, this was dinner since when ate a late lunch during a hike that day.

But it also was a humid day and the air was unusually still. The cool air that normally rises from the icey cold river nearby was no where to be found or, at least, didn't reach our back deck that night. This meal was a great way to beat the heat. It was light and refreshing!


To Make
I got the idea for this watermelon feta salad when my husband was watching Chef Terranova on his cooking segment, Cooking With Class, on Turn To Ten one morning and called me over to watch. Well, we tried it, really liked it, and it was fun to make. I guess I'm in the mood for stacking our meals lately!

Start with chopping or crumbling feta cheese. I used a block of feta in liquid because I think it's more moist than pre-crumbled feta. But either would be fine.

Then make the "salad" with the greens. Gently tear or chop fresh basil and celery leaves. Add olive oil or truffle oil and pepper to taste. I tried the truffle oil, but since it's expensive and I really didn't think it added a unique flavor, a good olive oil would work fine.

Slice watermelon into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut each slice into disks with a 3 inch cookie cutter or a glass with the same diameter like I did. The watermelon stuck a little but easily popped out with the help of a knife. Cut the rest into chucks for a nice snack later.

Start plating with a watermelon disk, then feta, then another watermelon disk. Top with greens and a last sprinkle of crumbled feta, which we used in place of salt, pepper to taste.

So fun and so pretty!

The kids liked it. 

We had a lot of laughs.

The dogs found a cool spot by the river.

Then we went to a play.

* * *

Watermelon And Feta Salad Recipe
adapted from Chef Frank Terranova, as seen on Cooking With Class, Turn To Ten (recipe can be printed from this link)

1 small seedless cold watermelon
1 pound good quality feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
1/4-1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped or torn (his recipe calls for 1/2 cup but I didn't have that much from my bunch of celery so I used about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil/extra virgin olive oil or white truffle oil
Pepper to taste
Olive oil to drizzle over dish
Salt to taste (optional, not necessary if using feta to top off)


Feta: crumble up by either coarsely chopping or breaking up into small pieces with your hands. Set aside.


Greens: gently chop or tear basil and celery leaves. In a small bowl, mix with olive oil or truffle oil, pepper to taste.


Watermelon: Do this last since it starts to warm up and look funky if cut up first. Slice watermelon into about 1/2 inch slices. Use a large cookie cutter, or other circular item, to cut sliced watermelon into disks.


Plate: lay a watermelon disk on each dish, top each with a layer of feta cheese, another watermelon disk, then greens. I topped with a sprinkle of feta instead salt. And if you want, drizzle a little olive oil around the plate for a final touch.

Serve immediately.

Roasted Zucchini Medallions, Cheesy Wild Rice With White Beans, Tomato Coulis

Is it a stuffed zucchini? I'm not sure what to call this vertical creation, but that's what I was thinking about when I started making dinner - stuffed zucchini. The kind we're all familiar with that's sliced lengthwise, seeded, and overflowing with our favorite stuffing.

But while looking at the zucchini I had just picked, I noticed some larger ones and my mind starting working.

And before I new it, this dish was created.

How it was done

This dish works best with a wider zucchini to get a sturdy base. But, if you can't find one, slice a regular size zucchini on a diagonal to create a large enough base to build on.

Rice
Start by cooking rice according to instructions on the package. I used a 1 cup of rice portion.

While the rice is simmering . . .

Zucchini
. . . slice zucchini somewhere between 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices. Sprinkle a little extra virgin olive oil on a baking sheet, lay out zucchini slices and sprinkle them with a little more extra virgin olive oil. Season lightly with pepper. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven and slice size.

Check zucchini after 15 minutes or so. I don't like mushy zucchini so I tested for firmness and continued roasting a few more minutes until I was happy with the results. Remove from oven and set aside.

Back to the rice
When the rice is almost done, mix in 1 can of drained cannellini or navy beans, heat through until water is absorbed (can also be added when rice is completely done - wild rice seems to take longer to absorb water so I got impatient!). Then add about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (or your favorite kind). I used Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and I thought it tasted wonderful!

I pressed the cheesy rice mixture into a small casserole dish and when cooled down a little, I used a round cookie cutter to get the shape. But, to make it simpler, the rice mixture could be scooped right out of the pan with an ice-cream scoop and placed on top of the zucchini that way.

Tomato Coulis

The tomato coulis can be made in a food processor while the zucchini and rice are cooking. I used my small food processor for convenience. 

Chop one tomato. It's the perfect time to make this with fresh garden tomatoes coming in along with the zucchini. Add tomato pieces to the food processor, a small shallot and 1 large basil leaf like I used, or 2 medium, or 3 small. Salt and pepper to taste. Garlic would have been great but I didn't have any. Other herbs would be nice also, like oregano and/or parsley.

Set rice mixture aside. Don't refrigerate - I think it dulls the tomato flavor. The zucchini and rice can be made ahead but I think making the tomato coulis before serving will produce the freshest flavor.

Make it look pretty and serve!

Medium rare inside = perfect!

* * *

Leftovers

My daughter made her own creation one night with some of the zucchini medallions and coulis - she added leftover salsa, Parmesan cheese, and torn bread! And the rice mixture was a side dish with lunch one day. The last bit was lunch by itself another day.

Sweet Potato And Apple Soup Garnished With Sage Goat Cheese For Meatless Monday

Add to that title . . . And With A Maple Syrup Swirl!

Sounds delicious, but this post isn't so much about sharing a great recipe as it is about how I saved a botched dish.

The Mistake

This was the first dish I had made with the sweet potatoes. It was a gratin of sorts.

It looked great. But like I said, it tasted bland, bland, bland. So the pretty looking but pretty bland dish was wrapped and stayed in the fridge for a day until I decided to turn it into soup.

The Fix
To make the soup, I sauteed a large shallot and a celery stalk in a little oil olive. When tender, I added the rest of the botched baked sweet potato and apple dish (omitting the oranges), some vegetable broth, and simmered with a cover for 30 minutes.

After simmering for 30 minutes, I pureed the soup with an immersion blender. Seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. The soup seemed a little watery, so I simmered it uncovered until it reduced a little.

Sage Goat Cheese  

I minced two large leaves of fresh sage and mixed them with 2 ounces of softened goat cheese (the cheese softened while I prepared the soup). I spread some over toasted sourdough bread. 

Done!

Before serving, I swirled in a little maple syrup. 

 My son didn't like the soup. Well, three out of four isn't bad!

Ingredients and Method
Because of what happened here, it's hard to put an actual recipe together.  But these are the ingredients and this is probably the method I'd use to make this soup.  And it's really a lot easier than it looks!

1 large sweet potato, or 2 regular size,
    mine was a Jewel and was really large
1 or 2 apples
    I used 2 med golden delicious apples, with skins, because
    the sweet potato was so large
Olive oil,
    enough to coat so apples and sweet potatoes won't stick to pan
1/8 ts coriander,
    I chose coriander because of it's hint of sage, but why not try
    cinnamon, nutmeg or your favorites
1 large sage leave, minced, or 1/8 ts of ground sage
1 medium shallot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
32 oz. vegetable stock (could use less since I had to simmer it longer to reduce)

Peel and coarsely chop sweet potatoes and apples into similar size pieces. Toss with olive oil to coat. Spread over pre-heated baking sheet and bake until tender, 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes. Check to make sure bottoms are not burning, maybe give them a toss. Meanwhile, saute in medium sauce pan diced shallot and celery in olive oil (or butter) until tender. Add sweet potatoes and apples, vegetable stock and simmer in covered pot for 30 minutes. Puree with immersion blender (or pour into food processor), if consistency is too watery, simmer until reduced to desired consistency. Or, if it's too thick, add more stock or water. Makes 4+ servings.

This recipe gave me the idea to use celery and onion (I prefer shallots):  http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-sweet-potato-apple-soup-00000000006606/index.html

Rotini With Zucchini And Cannellini In Parsley Walnut Pesto

Here's a pasta dish I put together on a Meatless Monday a few weeks ago.  A quick meal using up what was available in my kitchen that day.

Julienne the zucchini about the length of the rotini and saute in a little olive oil for a few minutes until crispy tender, not mushy.  Season with a little salt and pepper if you'd like.

  

Boil one pound of Rotini and start making the pesto.

Pesto:  I didn't have basil or pine nuts on hand, so I used parsley and walnuts. I browsed around to check my portions while I made this, and liked this recipe, http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/parsley-walnut-pesto-3625.  Mine varies a little. 

In a food processor, add 1/2 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil), 3/4 cup walnuts. Pulse a few times, then blend in 2 cups torn parsley leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, fresh lemon juice (from half a lemon), pulse to blend and adding up to about 1/2 cup of pasta water (or oil if preferred) as needed to achieve desired consistency. 

After draining the pasta, mix in pesto, zucchini, and a can of drained cannellini beans for added protein.

While mixture sits a few minutes to build flavors, brush olive oil onto slices of Italian bread and toast under a broiler.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and rub toasts with garlic.  Slice and serve with pasta. 

With a potato peeler, shave fresh parmesan cheese over the top.  Season to taste and serve it up.