Category Archives: Main course

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

April 3, 2012 – 6:00 am

When you think of spring, which ingredients are you excited to cook or bake with?  Leeks and lemons immediately pop into my mind for some reason.  I love the traditional vichychoisse.  Such a simple soup of potato and leeks yet it so so beautiful and fun to dress up with croutons or sour cream.

I am kind of a Food Network junkie and a couple of my favorites to watch are Ina Garten and Giada.  It seems like no matter what they make, I am printing out the recipes 5 minutes later and adding as many of the recipes as I can to my weekly menu.  Ina made this soup a couple of weeks ago and she really turned up the flavors on the traditional potato leek soup.

It’s amazing how roasting vegetables low and slow in the oven really brings out a depth of flavor you never even knew was possible.  The preparation for this soup begins by roasting yukon gold potatoes, lovely spring leeks and peppery arugula until they are tender and caramelized and I finished it with rich, tangy sour cream.  Serve the soup with a crusty baguette so you can sop up all of the goodness.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: roast appetizer entree soup/stew vegetables spring

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 3 large leeks, rinsed and only white and light green parts chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup light sour cream, plus more for garnish
  • 3/4 cup fat-free half and half
  • Croutons, for garnish (optional)
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place chopped potatoes and leeks onto lined sheet. Pour oil over vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables for about 45 minutes, tossing a couple of times until potatoes are tender and onions are caramelized.

Remove sheet from oven, sprinkle arugula over roasted vegetables and return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until arugula is wilted.

Remove roasted vegetables and place them into a medium-large stock pot. Pour chicken broth over vegetables.and puree using an immersion blender. (If you do not have an immersion blender, place half of roasted vegetables and half of chicken broth into food processor and blend until smooth, then repeat with remaining vegetables and broth and place pureed mixture into stock pot.)

Place pot over medium heat and whisk in wine and half and half. Finally mix in sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup with an additional dollop of sour cream, croutons and/or chives.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

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place chopped potatoes and leeks onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes, or until tender

place arugula on top of roasted vegetables and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until arugula is wilted

place roasted vegetables into stock pot

pour in chicken broth and use immersion blender to blend until smooth

stir in half and half

then sour cream and salt and pepper to taste

serve with warm, crusty bread

Which flavors or ingredients make you think of spring?

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Uncertain Thanksgiving

November 21, 2011 – 8:00 am

My Thanksgiving plans are somewhat up in the air right now due to the poor health of my grandfather.  If grandpa stays with us a few more weeks, then it will be a celebration with the in-laws.  However, if he is relieved from his suffering in the next few days, my husband and I will be heading home to be with my family under less than ideal circumstances.  Since my holiday meal plans are uncertain, I would like to share some wonderful tips, ideas and recipes from some fabulous fellow bloggers and vendors.

Is it your first time making the turkey this year?  I’m sure you want yours to look as gorgeous as perfectly golden bird from Simple Bites.  The post that accompanies this mouthwatering photo will give you day-by-day, step-by-step instructions for roasting the perfect turkey and even how to make gravy.

(source)

I love turkey but like many of you, I also go crazy for all of the wonderful sides!  Do these Parmesan Mashed Potatoes that Lacey whipped up not make you drool?  I would love the saltiness from that cheese and they just look so fluffy and light!

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Don’t forget the brussels sprouts!  Are you a lover or do you need more convincing?  If you are on the fence, this brussels sprouts dish from A Cozy Kitchen might convert you!  Subtle sweetness from maple sugar and slight tang from balsamic vinegar.  Yes please.

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Naturally Marla over at Family Fresh Cooking has got us covered for a healthier way to enjoy our sweet potatoes.  In this recipe, she incorporates coconut milk, cinnamon and maple syrup and suggests creative toppings for your mashed sweet potatoes such as coconut flakes, dried figs and nuts.  You know I love to use recipes simply as guides and them make them my own, and Marla allows you to adapt this recipe using the ingredients that you prefer.

 

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No we have got to add a little salt to our sweet and one of my favorite salty sides is stuffing!  I don’t want sausage.  I don’t want oysters.  I want it straight up traditional just the way that Michelle that Brown Eyed Baker does it.  Her Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe has all you need:  bread, onions, sage and parsley.  What can I say?  I guess I am a traditionalist when it comes to stuffing!

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And finally, you know what my top priority is:  dessert.  Cheesecake is a dessert that I would choose last in most cases.   There is one exception the I know of and that is this Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust found on Epicurious.   I had it for the first time when I was in Guatemala on a mission trip over Thanksgiving week and it was love at first bite.  The gingersnap crust is enough to make me swoon and the cheesecake itself is lighter than most traditional cheesecakes which is why I believe it is the exception to my lack of enthusiasm about cheesecakes.

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Then there is this Caramel Apple Pie that I made last year for Thanksgiving.  You incorporate some of the caramel into the the apple filling and then also drizzle the remaining caramel over each piece as you serve it.  It takes a little more effort than your average apple pie, but the results are so worth it.

 (source:  Williams-Sonoma)

There will inevitably be some Pumpkin Cookies lying around the house for post-food coma snacking.

And if you are looking for an easy fall cocktail to serve make some ginger simple syrup and combine it with some apple vodka and ginger ale for a festive and easy to sip on drink.

I wish you all safe travels and quality time with friends and family over this next week.  I am thankful for your readership and support.  

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Lightened up Cream of Mushroom Soup

November 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

By now you probably know how much I love soup.  One of my favorite soups that my mom made growing up is Cream of Mushroom.  This soup can be made quickly and usually without an extra trip to the grocery store.  I love that it is creamy and satisfying and yet there is no heavy cream or whole milk!

The meatiness of the mushrooms is even enough to keep those carnivores happy.  To me, the flavor of this soup is as comforting as chicken noodle, but more sophisticated due to the richness that the half-and-half and sherry add.  With the ingredients listed in this recipe, the portion is perfect for feeding two.  I recommend serving it with warm, soft bread.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored byKitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Lightened Up Cream of Mushroom Soup

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: soup/stew entree vegetables

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 8 oz. crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 cup chopped or grated carrots
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken stock, divided
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry or marsala wine
  • 1 cup fat-free half-and-half, divided
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

In a large pan or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and sautee for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened.

Add 1 cup chicken stock and sherry.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, 1/4 cup of stock and 1/2 cup half-and-half to make a thickener. Add to soup and whisk to combine. Add remaining chicken stock. half-and-half, rosemary and salt and pepper. Continue to heat and stir occasionally until soup is thickened.

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sautée onions and celery until tender, then add mushrooms

add chicken stock and sherry

whisk flour, chicken stock and half-and-half

whisk this thickener into the soup until combined then add remaining ingredients

serve with warm, soft bread

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Babybel-stuffed Meatballs

November 15, 2011 – 8:00 am

I’m declaring a savory week here on Satisfy My Sweet Tooth.  A few weeks ago, I made Vegan Gluten-free Brownies and then a few hours later proceeded to make Babybel-stuffed meatballs.  I love all food.  I don’t discriminate.

I grew up eating my grandmother’s to-die-for Italian red sauce with meatballs.  Since she is gone :( no one can quite replicate the amazing flavor of her “gravy” but I am able to take myself back to sitting around her table with these meatballs.  My grandmother did not stuff meatballs with cheese but Giada does, so I figured combining two of my favorite cooks versions of meatballs could only result in a small meaty miracle in the shape of a ball.  And I was right.

Pasta is easily my single favorite savory food and while I do not feel the need to add a protein to top my noodles, my husband is never quite content with a meatless dinner (Waah).  So, as I mentioned after experimenting with vegan gluten-free baking during the first part of the day and watching his nose turn up with the addition of each “weird” ingredient, I knew that a meaty meal was the way to his heart.

Babybel cheese wheels are a favorite of mine.  I can remember my mother packing them in my lunchbox as a child and even now when I am hungry for a snack I love to eat a couple of the Babybel Lights for a low-calorie high-protein snack.  I wasn’t sure how the Babybel would melt in the cooked meatballs, but I was pleasantly surprised when I cut into a meatball and was met with a gooey string of cheese.  Cook up some pasta with your favorite red sauce and whip up a batch of these meatballs and you will be satiated and comforted in no time.

Babybel-stuffed Meatballs

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake entree cheese meat Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3/4 cup diced onion
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper
  • 5 Babybel cheese wheels, quartered

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except egg and meat and mix to combine. Add egg and meat and mix until all of the other ingredients are incorporated evenly.

Roll mixture into small balls. Make indentation into each ball and stuff with a quarter of a Babybel. Seal meat around the cheese by rolling and place stuffed balls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake about 20 minutes or until meat is cooked to your liking.

Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese.

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dry ingredients

quarter Babybels

combine all ingredients, roll into balls and make indentation into each ball

stuff quarter of a Babybel into each ball and roll to seal

bake


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Antipasto Pasta Salad (video)

October 19, 2011 – 8:00 am

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received some great products from Newman’s Own.  I really like the Newman’s Own products that I have tried and I appreciate that they use natural ingredients.  One staple that is always in my refrigerator is Newman’s Own Lighten Up Italian Dressing with Lemon.  Their dressing is one of the key ingredients of the Antipasto Pasta Salad that I am sharing with you in my video debut!  It’s a recipe that is very customizable to the tastes of you and your family which you know I love!  I hope you enjoy it!

Antipasto Pasta Salad

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: appetizer entree pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 pound tortellini
  • 3/4 cup Newman’s Own Italian Dressing
  • 1/2 cup pitted black olives
  • 1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped
  • 1/3 cup pepperoncinis, sliced
  • 1/2 cup boccaccini (miniature mozzarella balls)
  • 1/4 pound genoa salami, sliced into strips
  • 1/4 cup red onion, sliced

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add tortellini and cook until al dente.

Drain pasta and place into serving bowl. Immediately toss with 1/2 cup of the dressing.

Combine all other ingredients with pasta.

Pour remaining 1/4 cup of dressing over pasta salad and toss to coat.

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Try to settle down.  The American Academy of Motion Pictures will be accepting Oscar nominations for several months yet.  ;)

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