Minestrone is like the summer version of meatloaf (for carnivores) or frittata (for vegetarians). You just open the fridge and start pulling out all the stuff that needs to be used up before it spoils.
Today's version had:
Carrots
Fennel
Onion
Garlic
Kernels from 1 cob of roasted corn
about 1/3 can of leftover black beans
A couple of handfuls of a wild rice blend
Swiss Chard stems
Celery
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 diced banana pepper
Some dried oregano, basil and red pepper flakes and a bay leaf
Seasoned to taste with salt
Garnished with fresh oregano
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Roasted Corn Chowder
When you can't find what you want, sometimes you have to just whip out the knife, open the fridge, and start piling stuff up.
I had 4 leftover ears of roasted corn. They badly needed using. Usually I don't think about making soup-type stuff when it's 90 degrees out, but every once in a while it calls to you. That and the leftovers.
I like use my mandoline to strip corn from the cob. Yes, you can use a knife. If you don't mind flying bits of milky corn everywhere. With a mandoline, you just set depth and slice away. It's really quite slick!
If you don't have fresh corn, don't worry about it. Take frozen corn and push them around in a skillet with a tiny bit of fat, like ghee or oil. You don't want much oil because you don't want to saute, you are really looking for carmelization. I got about 2 1/2 cups of corn off my 4 cobs, so shoot for that amount. Set the corn aside.
First set of ingredients:
2 T Ghee or oil
2 or 3 medium-sized leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced and cleaned
1 small clove garlic, minced
saute until the aromatics are tender.
Add:
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
Milk-enough to just cover the mixture
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp salt
2 or 3 grinds of black pepper
Red Pepper flakes to taste-I used about 1/2 tsp
1 tsp dried basil (Because my mom thinks corn on the cob should be eaten with basil. She's right.)
Bring this to a simmer and allow to cook until potatoes are tender. Then remove the bay leaf and, using an immersion blender or potato masher, mash up the mixture. Leave it a little lumpy. Some might like to take this out of the pot and blend in a blender, but I don't like to do this, as it tends to make the potatoes too starchy.
Add:
Corn kernels
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Heat through, maybe 5 minutes.
There you go!
I had 4 leftover ears of roasted corn. They badly needed using. Usually I don't think about making soup-type stuff when it's 90 degrees out, but every once in a while it calls to you. That and the leftovers.
I like use my mandoline to strip corn from the cob. Yes, you can use a knife. If you don't mind flying bits of milky corn everywhere. With a mandoline, you just set depth and slice away. It's really quite slick!
If you don't have fresh corn, don't worry about it. Take frozen corn and push them around in a skillet with a tiny bit of fat, like ghee or oil. You don't want much oil because you don't want to saute, you are really looking for carmelization. I got about 2 1/2 cups of corn off my 4 cobs, so shoot for that amount. Set the corn aside.
First set of ingredients:
2 T Ghee or oil
2 or 3 medium-sized leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced and cleaned
1 small clove garlic, minced
saute until the aromatics are tender.
Add:
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
Milk-enough to just cover the mixture
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp salt
2 or 3 grinds of black pepper
Red Pepper flakes to taste-I used about 1/2 tsp
1 tsp dried basil (Because my mom thinks corn on the cob should be eaten with basil. She's right.)
Bring this to a simmer and allow to cook until potatoes are tender. Then remove the bay leaf and, using an immersion blender or potato masher, mash up the mixture. Leave it a little lumpy. Some might like to take this out of the pot and blend in a blender, but I don't like to do this, as it tends to make the potatoes too starchy.
Add:
Corn kernels
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Heat through, maybe 5 minutes.
There you go!
Ought I?
I've been hanging about all day, mulling over the 5 or 6 ears of leftover roast corn in the fridge. Thinking I made a corn chowder some time ago that had roasted corn in it. It rated a "we should have this again" from hubby. The problem? Can't find the recipe.
So I've been googling off and on, while reading "Street Lawyer," by John Grisham, and watching "Ugly Betty" reruns on Netflix (hey! It's summer! I don't HAVE to do ANYTHING!). And I can't really find anything.
Surely I blogged about said corn chowder when I made it...so I came here to my blog and did a search.
Nothing.
But Guilt. I've not written since April. Maybe I ought to do it again some more? Write on the blog?
Ought I?
So I've been googling off and on, while reading "Street Lawyer," by John Grisham, and watching "Ugly Betty" reruns on Netflix (hey! It's summer! I don't HAVE to do ANYTHING!). And I can't really find anything.
Surely I blogged about said corn chowder when I made it...so I came here to my blog and did a search.
Nothing.
But Guilt. I've not written since April. Maybe I ought to do it again some more? Write on the blog?
Ought I?
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