Entries by tag: thyme
Real Chicken Soup
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium carrots sliced
2 celery ribs sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Bring broth to a simmer. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken. Reserve poaching liquid, uncovered.
In another pot saute bay leaf and onion until soft (not brown) about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, about 1 minute. Add turmeric and saute another minute. Add carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add poaching liquid and chicken, simmer 10 minutes.
Serves 3-4
Fake Chicken Soup
No poaching involved. Find a chicken substitute. I also recommend using "no chicken vegetarian" broth rather than any old vegetable broth as all broths have tomato in them and that affects the flavor of the soup. Such products can be found at Whole Foods.
Follow above recipe, after sauteing turmeric, add the chicken and saute for 4-5 minutes on med-high. Then add vegetables and herbs, cook for 5 minutes. Then add broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium carrots sliced
2 celery ribs sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Bring broth to a simmer. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken. Reserve poaching liquid, uncovered.
In another pot saute bay leaf and onion until soft (not brown) about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, about 1 minute. Add turmeric and saute another minute. Add carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add poaching liquid and chicken, simmer 10 minutes.
Serves 3-4
Fake Chicken Soup
No poaching involved. Find a chicken substitute. I also recommend using "no chicken vegetarian" broth rather than any old vegetable broth as all broths have tomato in them and that affects the flavor of the soup. Such products can be found at Whole Foods.
Follow above recipe, after sauteing turmeric, add the chicken and saute for 4-5 minutes on med-high. Then add vegetables and herbs, cook for 5 minutes. Then add broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
A little history (I know this isn't really a blog, but I thought it was worth explaining): We're getting towards the end of the summer and in a month or so these vegetables won't really be available any more so I thought it was about time we tried a ratatouille. I'd been thinking about the movie that came out a few years ago (which I only just saw last summer) and (spoiler) the exquisite dish that Remy makes for the crazy food critic at the end. But when you google or epicurious or all-recipe "ratatouille" most of what you find are dishes that combine haphazard chunks of vegetables. But eventually, I found this blog (smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-f
This recipe was originally published in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/dining/131rre
On it's own this is a super light dish and won't make a whole meal. I recommend paring it with a main course or serving it over polenta. (See knownquantities.livejournal.com/16658.ht
Here are a few tips to help with the prep:
1- To peel and seed tomatoes: www.ehow.com/how_13612_peel-seed-tomatoe
When "seeding" the tomatoes, you might end up crushing them a bit to get the seeds out. I have no idea how whoever made that tutorial got their tomatoes so clean and in-tact looking. Mine were a mess, but that's ok. Also, as you'll see below, the recipe says to reserve the tomato juices so when you seed the tomatoes do it over a fine mesh sieve or tea strainer set over a bowl/cup. You may have to slosh the seeds around in the sieve to get the juices to drain through but it is worth the flavor!
2- To cut vegetables finely: www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/how-to-u
As the link suggests, I would recommend practicing if you're not used to cutting vegetables in this way with a chef's knife. It definitely is worth it and doesn't take tons of practice -- only took me a couple of days to get the hang of it and then I cut all my veggies by hand for this recipe. The Roma tomatoes are harder to do because they're squishy so that does take some more practice. Or, buy a mandolin slicer.
Ingredients:
For the Piperade:
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (I left this out when I just made it so if you don't like onion it still works without but next time I make it for myself I'll probably keep it in)
3 tomatoes (about 12 oz total weight), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved (see link above)
1 sprig thyme
1 spring flat-leaf parsley
1/2 a bay leaf
Kosher salt
For the Vegetables:
1 small zucchini (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds (see link above or get a mandolin slicer)
1 Japanese (skinny) eggplant (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds (Note: I had a lot left over when I bought 4 Roma tomatoes that seemed "normal"-sized to me, so I think they want pretty small tomatoes for this, or just start with 3 and then see if you need more)
For the Vinaigrette:
This recipe was originally published in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/dining/131rre
On it's own this is a super light dish and won't make a whole meal. I recommend paring it with a main course or serving it over polenta. (See knownquantities.livejournal.com/16658.ht
Here are a few tips to help with the prep:
1- To peel and seed tomatoes: www.ehow.com/how_13612_peel-seed-tomatoe
When "seeding" the tomatoes, you might end up crushing them a bit to get the seeds out. I have no idea how whoever made that tutorial got their tomatoes so clean and in-tact looking. Mine were a mess, but that's ok. Also, as you'll see below, the recipe says to reserve the tomato juices so when you seed the tomatoes do it over a fine mesh sieve or tea strainer set over a bowl/cup. You may have to slosh the seeds around in the sieve to get the juices to drain through but it is worth the flavor!
2- To cut vegetables finely: www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/how-to-u
As the link suggests, I would recommend practicing if you're not used to cutting vegetables in this way with a chef's knife. It definitely is worth it and doesn't take tons of practice -- only took me a couple of days to get the hang of it and then I cut all my veggies by hand for this recipe. The Roma tomatoes are harder to do because they're squishy so that does take some more practice. Or, buy a mandolin slicer.
Ingredients:
For the Piperade:
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (I left this out when I just made it so if you don't like onion it still works without but next time I make it for myself I'll probably keep it in)
3 tomatoes (about 12 oz total weight), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved (see link above)
1 sprig thyme
1 spring flat-leaf parsley
1/2 a bay leaf
Kosher salt
For the Vegetables:
1 small zucchini (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds (see link above or get a mandolin slicer)
1 Japanese (skinny) eggplant (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4-5 oz), sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds (Note: I had a lot left over when I bought 4 Roma tomatoes that seemed "normal"-sized to me, so I think they want pretty small tomatoes for this, or just start with 3 and then see if you need more)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
For the Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon of reserved Piperade (see below)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (the recipe recommends thyme flowers, chervil, thyme -- I used thyme, parsley, and oregano since I had those on hand)
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
For the Piperade:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down. Roast until skins loosen, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.
2. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in a medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet. (I'm assuming they mean an iron-cast skillet (what other kind of skillet can you put in the oven??) and I think this would probably be best to make in a skillet if you have one, but since I didn't I just used a pie pan and that worked fine too.)
1 tablespoon of reserved Piperade (see below)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (the recipe recommends thyme flowers, chervil, thyme -- I used thyme, parsley, and oregano since I had those on hand)
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
For the Piperade:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down. Roast until skins loosen, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.
2. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in a medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet. (I'm assuming they mean an iron-cast skillet (what other kind of skillet can you put in the oven??) and I think this would probably be best to make in a skillet if you have one, but since I didn't I just used a pie pan and that worked fine too.)
For the Vegetables:
3. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Down the center of the 8 inch skillet, arrange a strip of alternating slices over the piperade, overlapping so that 1/4-inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets vegetables mound slightly towards the center. Repeat until the pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed.
4. Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover with foil, crimping edges of foil over the sides of the pan to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. (Yes, this seems like you're going to bake all the flavor out of the dish after this long, but believe me that will not be the case and the 2 hour time is accurate.) Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown). If there is excess liquid in the pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (So here, if you're using a pie pan instead of a skillet, check the ratatouille after about 1 1/2 hours, if it seems liquidy, uncover and bake for another hour uncovered.)
At this point, the dish may be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in a 350-degree oven until warm.
For the Vinaigrette:
5. Combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
6. To serve, heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. (I forgot to do this step and it was still good. Probably would've been better with a bit of broiling, though, to get a bit of a caramelized taste.) Slice in quarters and very carefully lift onto a plate with an offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byladi into a fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot. (Also failed on the presentation of this one).
Notes: Original recipe from Gourmet 2002, but I've made it vegetarian and changed the proportions significantly--in the original I found the couscous to tomato ratio to be way too high. I used dried thyme but the other herbs fresh and I think it's worth it because they really contributed to the taste. Makes 5-6 servings
Ingredients:
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
Directions:
Ingredients:
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)
6 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For couscous6 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 8-oz box Israeli couscous (1 1/3 c)
1 3/4 c hot water
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 3/4 c hot water
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Halve tomatoes length-wise and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour.
- About 15 minutes before tomatoes are done, make the couscous.
- Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a 2 qt sauce pan, stir in couscous and saute until golden brown (apprx 5 min).
- Slowly pour in hot water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover.
- Simmer for 12 min or until liquid is absorbed.
- Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
- Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, and roasted tomatoes.
makes 6 servings
2 c diced, peeled rutabaga (2-3 medium)
2 c diced, peeled parsnips (about 3)
2 c diced, peeled butternut squash
2 onions, diced
1-2 potatoes, diced
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Possible substitutions:
- yams for rutabaga. The end result is something sweeter, and is delicious when served with a little honey on top. Just adding yam in addition to everything (2 c, peeld and diced) is good too.
- kabocha for butternut squash, again slightly sweeter.
- rosemary for sage, a small variation that changes the entire flavor.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients in bowl; toss to coat. Transfer to large, shallow baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (until vegetables are tender and just beginning to take on color).
- Sprinkle with herbs and serve hot or warm.
Comments
I'm a food blogger and I share some of my posts on my live journal account but it never seems to attract any views?
Best Wishes
Kevin