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Pozole #2

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 lbs boneless Boston butt pork roast (or tenderloin)
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
  • 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 (15.5-ounce) cans golden hominy, drained
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded Boston lettuce
  • 2/3 cup unsalted baked tortilla chips
  • 2/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 2/3 cup thinly sliced radishes

Preparation

  1. Combine 1 tsp salt, paprika, and pepper. Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 2-inch pieces; trim any additional fat. Combine pork and paprika mixture, tossing well to coat.
  2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Return pork to pan; stir in water and next 7 ingredients (water through tomatoes).
  3. Remove 2 large chile and 2 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can; reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Remove seeds from chile; finely chop. Stir chile and adobo sauce into pork mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until pork is tender. Remove pork from pan using a slotted spoon; place pork in a large bowl. Shred pork using 2 forks. Add tomato mixture to pork in bowl. Let cool to room temperature; cover and chill overnight.
  4. Skim solidified fat from surface of stew. Combine the stew, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and hominy in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Ladle stew into bowls. Top each with lettuce, chips, cilantro, and radishes.

From Chris and Britta and adapted from myrecipes.com/recipe/posole-0

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Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. (¼ stick) butter
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 lb. cauliflower florets (about 5 cups)
  • 2 14 ½-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. white truffle oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. thinly sliced chives

Preparation

  1. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and sauté 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.
  2. Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and purée until smooth. Return soup to pot. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle truffle oil over. Garnish with chives.
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Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients

Matzo Balls

  • ½ cup matzo meal
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons reserved chicken fat or vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tbsps chicken stock or seltzer (which both of our mothers swear by for making the balls extra light)

Soup

  • 2 to 3 quarts prepared chicken stock (recipe above)
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • A few sprigs of dill

Preparation

  1. Mix all matzo ball ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  2. Bring 1 ½ quarts of well-salted water to a brisk boil in a medium sized pot.
  3. Reduce the flame. Run your hands under water so they are thoroughly wet. Form matzo balls by dropping spoonfuls of matzo ball batter approximately 1-inch in diameter into the palm of your wet hands and rolling them loosely into balls. Drop them into the simmering salt water one at a time. Cover the pot and cook them for 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. About ten minutes before the matzo balls are ready, bring prepared chicken stock to a simmer with the sliced carrot in it. Ladle some soup and a couple matzo balls into each bowl and top with a couple snips of dill. Eat immediately.

Makes 8 to 12 matzo balls

From smittenkitchen.com.

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Turkey Stock

Ingredients

  • 8 quarts cold water
  • 1 turkey carcass, meat removed, leaving some crisp skin on if possible
  • Mirepoix:
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 3 stalks celery with tops, chopped
    • 1-2  carrots, chopped
    • 2 small heads garlic, cut in half horizontally
  • Sachet d’epices:
    • 1 tsp. or so black peppercorns, cracked
    • 6-8 parsley stems, chopped
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
    • 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
    • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
    • 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
    • The above ingredients are placed into a 4″ square of cheesecloth and tied into a sack, or use a metal tea ball.

Preparation

  1. Break up the turkey carcass, and don’t be afraid to crack some bones in half. Put the carcass in the stockpot with the water and bring to a simmer. Periodically skim off any scum that forms. Savor the aroma of distilling turkey essence that must now be filling your house.  Let simmer for two hours.
  2. Give thanks to the pilgrims and natives. Reflect on the pilgrim times gone by when there was enough maize to go around, the world was new, and land was plenty. Try not to think about the atrocities and land stealing of later times. This is Thanksgiving! Appreciate the cake walk that is your life. If you came of age in the early pilgrim days you’d likely be starved and freezing, relentlessly hustling just to survive the winter, the rest of your family dead from the misery-laden boat ride over. Why did you sign up for this shit again? I digress. Back to the stock.
  3. Add the mirepoix and sachet; Simmer for one more hour. Don’t stir the stock at this point. The end result will be much clearer if it is not agitated while simmering.
  4. Strain thoroughly; the best way to do this is to ladle the stock out and pour it through a strainer which has been lined with a couple of layers of damp cheesecloth.  Refrigerate overnight. Skim off fat that has solidified on the surface before using.

Makes about 6 quarts of stock and one tasty jump off  for turkey sausage gumbo.

Original recipe courtesy of Gumbo Pages

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Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

Ingredients

  • 2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
  • 3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 lb yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 lb frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
  • 2 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

  1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
  2. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  3. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
  4. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Makes 4 servings.