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Lentil Soup Mom’s Style

8 Nov

I am a self-proclaimed non-lover of beans…  I have mentioned this to you time and time and time and time again…

But my first revelations into beans was a lentil cocido my mom made once when I used to live with her.  I just loved the flavors and I couldn’t believe I was actually enjoying eating beans BY THEMSELVES!!!  How could that be??

Last week my sister asked my mom to make lentil soup and this is the recipe she made…  I tried copying everything and watching everything as closely as possible.

 

 

LENTIL SOUP MOM’S STYLE

1 package of dried lentils
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
About 1 ½ cups of chopped pumpkin, about ½” cubes
1 can of stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
About 2 tbs olive oil
4 cups of vegetable broth
About 2 more cups of Water
1 tsp oregano
A pinch of cumin
About 1 tbs of Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
 
  1. In a large stock pot on medium-hi heat sauté the onions, peppers, carrots, pumpkin and garlic with the olive oil.    When the vegetables soften a bit add the lentils and sauté.
  2. Add the stewed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and water.  Bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Season with the salt, pepper, oregano and cumin.
  4. Let the lentils boil for about 10 minutes.  Cover the pot for another 5 minutes and turn off the stove and let the lentils finish cooking with all the heat and steam inside the pot.  
  5. Allow the soup to rest for about 30 minutes before serving.  Before that it’ll be too hot in my opinion for people to enjoy the flavors.

 

My mom, in her interest to try the soup ASAP, burned the ceiling of her mouth.  I enjoyed it a lot with fresh pieces of tomato sprinkled in on top of the soup.  It’s amazing but I actually crave these lentils… amazing no?

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Asparagus Tart

29 Oct

I have been staying with my sister in Southern Florida during the arrival of my first nephew… and I decided to make a bunch of recipes that could be quite challenging or expensive to make in Puerto Rico – challenging because not all ingredients are readily available anywhere, and when you finally find the ingredients you need they’re not as fresh as you would like or are very expensive to just try out a recipe.

 Such is the case with this tart… I had seen a version of this recipe a few years ago and now I said it was time to try it out. But of course, I can’t seem to follow a recipe to a “T”. I couldn’t remember where I had read this before or the specifics on all the ingredients.

 So I had to start all over again with a recipe all my own. I think I may need to thank Martha or someone else at the Food Network for the inspiration…

 

ASPARAGUS TART

 

 1 package puffed pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours
 1 package of thin asparagus, trimmed of the woodsy part in the bottom
 About ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese
 About 4 oz of goat cheese
 Garlic Salt and Pepper
 Olive Oil
 Some spelt or whole wheat pastry flour to roll out the pastry

 

  1.  Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Open up each sheet of puff pastry and with a little flour stretch it just a bit… enough to kind of erase the creases but not that much that the pastry sheet would not fit the baking tray you have.
  3. Using a paring knife, score a ½ inch border around the pastry sheet but be careful not to cut through the pastry.
  4. Prick the inside of the pastry using a fork. Prick especially the corners to make sure the inside will not puff up when cooked in the oven. Make sure the border you created is not pricked… you want the outside border to puff up.
  6. Scatter Parmesan cheese on the pricked portion of the pastry. Sprinkle it evenly all over the bottom. Start placing asparagus one next to the other, tips facing out and alternating one tip towards the right and the next tip towards the left. You just want to make it look pretty… no matter how you place the asparagus, it’ taste good all the same, so no worries.
  7. After you create a whole layer of asparagus on top of the pastry, sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Drizzle some olive oil on top. Afterwards, place dollops of goat cheese on top of asparagus.
  11. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes… or until the edges are puffed up and look golden brown.

 

I made this recipe the other day for my sister, brother in law, uncle, my sister’s mother-in-law, mom… everyone was impressed. The flavors are spectacular. Even my uncle who is super quiet said I graduated myself in the kitchen – he’s not used to tasting my cooking at all. My sister’s mother-in-law was so pleased she told me she wanted to learn how to make it to replicate it again at home.

This will definitely become part of my repertoire for when people come over to visit… or even to impress my next boyfriend.

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Vegetable Pot Pie

27 Oct

The casseroles I grew up with were pastelones… so when I listen on TV to recreate a food from your childhood and people mention a pot pie, I can’t really relate.  My mom told me she used to buy some frozen pot pies when we were little kids… I honestly do not recall at all.

But I have been intrigued by pot pies for some time now.  I guess I am drawn to a puff pastry topping… which in my book is always welcome. And when I saw a recipe from Ina Garten for Vegetable Pot Pie, I kind of wondered “why didn’t I think of that one on my own?”  I guess because I was intrigued about it, but without a real reference from before, it’s not something I truly crave or miss.

Now that I have been staying with my sister in Southern Florida, there’s a great abundance of winter squashes and pumpkins…  Autumn and Halloween are nearing, definitely.  And it’s also the perfect excuse to make this recipe for all the “paussy” that’s staying here.  It’s definitely a recipe challenging to make just for one.

 

VEGETABLE POT PIE

1 stick of butter
2 medium onions, diced
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced
½ cup spelt flour + ¼ cup additional for the puff pastry
2 cups organic vegetable broth
4 tbs of heavy cream
1 large baking Idaho potato
1 medium butternut squash
2 small carrots
About 1 cup of asparagus, sliced small – left over from the asparagus tart I had made earlier in the week
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Olive oil
1 sheet puffed pastry

 

  1. In a medium sauce pan filled with salted boiling water, parboil the potatoes and the butternut squash pieces for about 10 minutes.  Take them out and set them aside.
  2. Bring that same salted water to a boil again and par-cook the asparagus and carrots for about 5 minutes.  Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and fennel and sauté until softened and translucent for about 10 minutes. 
  4. Add the flour and stir it all together and allow the flour and butter to cook thru about 3-5 minutes.  Slowly, add the stock and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Add the heavy cream.
  5. Add the cooked potatoes, butternut squash, asparagus and carrots.  Mix well to combine.  Add the parsley and allow to cook for a few additional minutes.  Cover and turn off the stove.
  7. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
  8. Take the thawed puffed pastry and roll it out a bit to fade as much as possible the creases.  Measure the ramekins or the pot where you will bake the pot pie and cut the puff pastry about ½” over the size of the mouth of the ramekin.  
  9. Spread a little of heavy cream over the rim of the ramekin to make the puff pastry to stick to the edge of the ramekin. 
  11. Make a few slits on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.  Brush a bit of extra heavy cream over the puff pastry to make it golden brown in the oven.
  12. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper… this is important because the filling will boil and might spill and you do not want that to be on the bottom of the oven.
  13. Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry on top is golden brown.

 

I served this with a side salad… but you can even enjoy the filling without the pastry.  It’s a delicious stew all its own.   My sister was wary of the fennel and it really adds a nice dimension of texture and flavor to the filling.

A pot pie still does not represent in my mind the epitome of comfort food, but definitely its something I have learned to appreciate and enjoy… hopefully many more times in the future.

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Broccoli Rice Burrito

15 Oct

I am telling you… broccoli is everywhere and cheap.  So I need to cook off all this broccoli before it goes bad on me.

As the official caterer to my mom and aunt while my grandma was in the hospital, I decided to make something they would both enjoy, knowing how picky and particular my aunt is about vegetarian food.  She says she likes it… but then she has certain rules like she only eats avocados with rice…  go figure!!!

These burritos are super easy to make… their portable and can be eaten warm or at room temperature.  But warm are better in my opinion.  Perfect for a picnic, brown-bag lunch and even to bring to someone in the hospital…

 

BROCCOLI RICE BURRITO

½ broccoli head, florets only
½ cup cooked whole grain rice
2 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup of toasted walnuts
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
8 slices of tomato
4 tbs of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 whole grain flour tortillas or flatbreads

 

  1. In a medium covered skillet with about ¼ cup of water, add the cooked rice and the broccoli florets.  Cover the skillet and over medium heat that bit of water will steam both the rice and the broccoli.   After about 10 minutes, just turn off the stove and the rice and broccoli will be done.
  2. Drain any excess water, but there usually isn’t any every time I make it this way.   In that same skillet add a drizzle of olive oil, the cream cheese, parmesan, walnuts.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
  3. You can warm up the tortillas or the flatbreads if you’d like… I do it on the oven or in a skillet, depending on which ones I’ll use.  Sometimes, the flatbreads are just perfect as is.
  4. Place about ¼ cup of rice on each tortilla/flatbread.  Spread 1tbs of tomatillo salsa over it.  Top with the baby spinach and tomato slices.  Roll up the tortilla/flatbread and wrap in parchment paper before you put any aluminum foil over it.   This way you’ll be able to stick them in the oven to warm up and they’ll stay warm for a while.

               

 Both my mom and aunt loved these burritos…  My mom had hers with a slice of avocado on the side, as she is in my camp that we will eat an avocado any time, any place without any restrictions whatsoever.  But you can certainly add the avocado inside the burrito if you’d like.

Hope you like them too…

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Spicy Asian Noodles

7 Oct

Has this ever happened to you… that you see or hear a recipe that calls your attention and realize you have ALL the ingredients in your fridge and pantry to make it that same night?

That’s exactly what happened when I learned this recipe.  I saw it once and said to myself “This is what I am having for dinner tonight”.  Of course, I changed up the recipe so that I would be able to handle the spiciness.  My spice tolerance has improved, but not thaaaaaaat much.

 These noodles were originally Szechuan Asian Noodles from Ina Garten, but my version is just Spicy Asian Noodles.  The spiciness comes from the ginger and the pinch of red pepper flakes, a new addition in my pantry.  If you prefer no spice at all, just omit them.

 

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/8 cup honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
2 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

 

  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, place in a food processor the garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and the ground peppers. Puree the sauce until smooth.
  3. Drain the pasta in a colander, and return the drained pasta to the same pot and toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

This tastes to me very much like pad thai… so it’s a good facsimile.

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