Author: Heidi Lee (Page 49 of 96)

Direct from Jamburritos’ “Cajun Grille” and Chef Michael Brown!!! The traditional celery, onions, bell peppers, and okra make this a Creole-style vegetarian gumbo rather than Cajun gumbo. However you slice and dice it (celery, onions, Creole or Cajun), try this gumbo and bring a bit of the old South into your kitchen!

Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Okra, cut 1/2″ thick
• 1 cup Collard Greens, cooked and drained
• 1 1/2 quarts Vegetable Broth
• 3/4 cup Corn Kernels, roasted
• 4 tablespoons diced Onions
• 2 tablespoons diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Diced Celery
• 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped Parsley
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• Tabasco Sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-duty sauce pan for about 7 minutes on a medium to high flame. Whisk in flour and stir briskly making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the mixture from sticking and burning.  Continue to stir until the mixture turns dark brown in color.
2. Add dice onions, diced celery, diced green bell peppers, minced garlic. and chopped parsley and stir thoroughly. This is the Roux for your Gumbo.
3. Add vegetable broth stirring the mixture briskly to  dissolve the roux. Then add the cut okra, roasted corn, and collard greens. Add Cajun seasoning and tabasco to taste. Reduce the temperature to low and let cook for 1 hour.  
4. Serve under your favorite rice. 

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I met and played on the radio with Chef Michael Capuano when we did our broadcast from Local Breeze.  Seriously, he is one of the coolest dudes I’ve met and we hit it off instantly. Although we didn’t have time to load up this recipe on the day, I took one look at this soup and decided it just HAD to be a part of our collection.
Chef Mike is very passionate about his food, the restaurant, and life in general.  It’s a great place to hang and, TRUST ME, you’ll love the food.  Oh, want to know a secret??  He made this up on the fly…now that’s talent!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 2 – 28 oz. cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 6 red bell peppers, fire-roasted and peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced with seeds
• 2 C. vegetable stock
• 1/2 C. chipotle crème fraiche (recipe follows)
• 3 T. EVOO
• 1 T. 40 Mesh Cumin
• 1 t. Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 t. Ancho Chile Powder
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley for Garnish

1. Heat the olive oil. Add the onion and shallot and sauté until softened, then add the garlic.  Do not allow garlic to brown.  Reduce heat and add tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, chile, spices and stock.  Cook until vegetables are softened and remove from the heat.
2. Puree the vegetables using an immersion blender.  Pass the soup through a medium-meshed sieve over a serving bowl.  Press on the pulp and discard any remaining solids.  Season to taste with salt and Pepper.  Add a dollop of chipotle crème fraiche and garnish with parsley. Yield: ~2 qts

Chipotle Crème Fraiche:

Stir 1/2 cup crème fraiche with 1/2 of a chipotle in adobo and one clove garlic minced extremely fine; season with S&P.

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In honor of the holiday this weekend, you guessed it—Bunny Stew! This recipe is an Into the Soup variation of one of Jamie Oliver’s favorite recipes from ‘Cook with Jamie’. He playfully calls it ‘Tender-as-You-Like Rabbit Stew with the Best Dumplings Ever’—we call it a great conversation piece with family and friends! BTW, why does everything taste like chicken?

Yield:  6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

 For the Dumplings:

• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 14 tablespoons butter, softened
• Milk

For the Stew:

• 2 rabbits, preferably free-range or organic, each jointed and cut into 10 pieces
• Flour
• Olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp Butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 10 slices of bacon, finely sliced
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 9 ounces mushrooms (field, shitake, or oyster), cleaned and torn
• A large handful of baby onions, peeled
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 pints chicken stock
• 1 cup beer (or more chicken stock)

1. For the Dumplings, mix flour, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper and butter in a mixing bowl. Add enough milk just to make a soft dough. Roll the dough into a big sausage shape and cut it into 18 equal-sized pieces. Roll these into little balls in your hands and place on a tray in the refrigerator.
2. For the Stew, preheat oven to 350 deg F. Coat each rabbit piece with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat a deep oven-proof pot, about 12 inches in diameter, with a little olive oil and a couple tablespoons of butter, add the rabbit pieces in batches and cook for about 5 minutes until golden on all sides. Do not crowd the pan! Place the browned rabbit pieces on a plate; set aside.
3. Add celery and carrots to the pot (if you need more oil or butter, add it!); sauté until just starting to soften. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the bacon (because bacon makes everything better!) and the rabbit pieces. Continue cooking until the bacon is crispy (a few more minutes). Keep stirring the mixture so the rabbit does not overbrown. Add the rosemary sprigs, mushrooms, and onions and continue frying for another 10 minutes, by which time the meat will be nicely colored and the veggies will be very soft.
4. Mix in a tablespoon of flour, pour in your beer and chicken stock, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Place dumplings on top of the stew with about 1/2 inch between them. The dumplings act as a kind of lid, allowing the stew to retain moisture and not to boil dry. When perfectly cooked they will crisp up on the top and stay bun-like and soft on the bottom. Drizzle them with olive oil and put the pot into the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes.

*Note: Give the rabbit a try (!!), but, if you’re not fond of rabbit, feel free to substitute with chicken.

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The soup of the week is direct from Chef Jared Porter of The Parlor. Jared loves minestrone because it’s a year round soup.  He likes to change the
vegetables with the season, and change the “starch” portion of the dish from season to season as well.  In the version provided below, he uses chickpeas for added protein (in winter, use beans and pasta for a heartier feel). Whatever the season, minestrone is totally YUM!

Chef Jared Porter’s Minestrone

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1ea  Leek, rinsed, diced bite size
• 2ea. Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2ea. Carrots, sliced
• 1ea. Zucchini, diced bite size
• 2stalks Celery, diced bite size
• 3oz. Fennel, diced bite size
• 3oz. Bell Pepper (mixed colors), diced bite size
• 3oz. Asparagus, chopped bite size
• 3oz. Fresh Peas
• 11/2qt Vegetable Stock
• 16oz Quality canned Tomato, chopped or crushed by hand (or fresh when in season)
• 16oz Canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), drained and rinsed
• Pinch Chili Flakes
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large saucepot, over medium heat.  Add leeks, garlic, carrots, zucchini, celery, fennel, and peppers.  Cook vegetables for approx 10 mins.
2. Add stock, tomatoes, chickpeas, and chili flakes.  Bring to a boil.  
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20-25 mins.
4. Once the soup has simmered for 20-25 mins, add the peas and asparagus and simmer for another 5-10, or until the peas are slightly firm.  Season with salt and pepper.

*Tip: A great way to finish this soup before serving is to add some  chopped herbs like parsley, thyme or oregano.  Along with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of great olive oil, really set it off.

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