Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Soup doesn't seem like an instinctive dish to serve in the summer, but some soups, especially ones made with perfectly ripe summer veggies, work best when the sun is shining. One of my favorite summer soups is based on roasted red peppers, and it goes together in no time. While I won't hunt you down and scold you if you use roasted red peppers from a jar, I'll warn you - roasted red peppers from a jar ALWAYS taste like roasted red peppers from a jar. To experience this soup the way it's meant to be, roast your own red peppers - it's super easy. Click here for instructions.

Try serving this soup alongside grilled sausages, corn on the cob, and cold beers - this is summer patio food at its best!
　
　
Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 T. coconut oil or other vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cups chicken broth
3 roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 t. cayenne
1/4 t. allspice
salt and finely ground black pepper
juice and zest of 1 lime

garnish (optional)
1/4 sour cream
1 T. lime juice
dusting of cayenne
　
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has softened, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices.

Place the tomatoes in a food processor or blender with 1 cup of the chicken broth, and puree until smooth (you can add more chicken broth if necessary). Pour the the puree to the soup pot.

Now, add the roasted red peppers and another cup of the chicken broth to the blender or food processor, and again, puree until smooth. Pour this puree into the soup pot along with the tomato puree. Add the remaining chicken broth, cayenne, allspice, salt and pepper to taste, and lime juice to the soup pot. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bubbles start to form at the surface.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle a bit of the lime zest on top. If you choose to make the sour cream garnish, simply whisk the sour cream, lime juice, and cayenne together in a bowl. Using a spoon, gently drizzle it in any pattern you like on top of the soup.

Variation:  I originally made this soup with Italian-style seasonings - olive oil instead of coconut oil, and fresh oregano instead of allspice.  I posted the above version because it's my latest recipe, but to make the original recipe, simply replace the coconut oil with olive oil, omit the allspice, and instead use approximately 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, and add a few strips of chiffonade-cut basil to the lime zest garnish. 

　

Ingredient Spotlight - Soft-Shell Crabs

Soft-shell crabs.  I’ve read about them, I’ve seen them, but until my last trip to my mom’s, I never tried them.  To tell you the truth, I had no idea where to start, and I found the whole concept confusing.  “Wait – it’s a crustacean, but the shell is soft?  How do I eat it?  Is it crunchy, or is it soft?  Do I eat the whole thing, or just the legs, like regular-shell crab?  Why must they look like freaky, mutated spider sci-fi creatures?!?  BAAAHHH I GIVE UP!” …and that is the mental conversation I had with myself every time I considered buying and trying soft-shell crabs. 

Soft-shell crabs are nothing more than crabs that have shed their old shells and whose new shells are still soft…hence the name “soft-shell crabs.”  Kinda self-explanatory, eh?  What isn’t self-explanatory is how to cook and eat them, so here’s the 411.  Eating them is easy; you devour the whole thing, shell, legs, body…the whole thing.  It may seem weird to eat the shell, but it’s similar to cheese in that soft cheeses are eaten as-is, while hard cheeses have a tough rind that needs to be cut away.  Same deal with crabs, apparently.  Cooking them is also a snap, just make sure to use a direct heat method or else they won’t get crunchy (click here for a very informative article).  If, like me, you are clueless about how to prepare them for cooking, it’s simple – have your fishmonger do it for you.  That’s what I did.  However, it’s not difficult – if you insist on cleaning them yourself, click here for easy-to-follow instructions! 

Truth be told, although the websites listed above and cookbooks everywhere claim that soft-shell crabs are easy to prepare and cook, I didn’t have the confidence to give it a shot until I was at my mom’s.  I’ve never handled failure very well, and maybe this is ridiculous, but I would have been very disappointed if I tried to cook them and the end result sucked.  I probably would have cried.  Combine my fear of failure with the fact that I’d feel awful that an animal died of unnatural causes just to have me desecrate it by turning it into a shitty dish, and you’ve got a recipe for culinary paralysis.  Honestly, I think I got a much needed confidence boost by tackling a cooking challenge in the company of someone who has had my back since I was an embryo.

I didn’t even comprehend the emotional aspect of my hesitation to cook soft-shell crabs until I sat down to write this post and asked myself, “How am I going to explain to my readers that I waited so long to try something?”  Sure, there’s tons of foods I haven’t tried, but this is the first situation where I’ve had access to an ingredient and shied away because I was afraid I’d f*** it up.  Guess what?  I didn’t.  The crabs were incredible, and if they weren’t so delicious and crunchy and absolutely perfect when paired with a cold IPA, I may have taken a moment to open up a can of whoop-ass on myself as penance for wussing out. 

Since I was a teenager, the advice I’ve given has always taken the form of a line from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song – “It’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do.”  Take this advice, especially when you’re in the kitchen or at the market.  If you want to try something, try it.  If a recipe looks complicated, conquer it.  If you don’t know what to do with an ingredient, research it.  Ask a fishmonger, a butcher, a farmer, a chef, or a friend who has an unhealthy obsession with “weird” food.  Just try it.  If you hear your little inner Yoda mumbling about “Do or do not, there is no try,” kick him to the curb.  Do try…and don’t forget to add butter. 

Soft-Shell Crabs in Beer Butter

This recipe will serve one.  If you're cooking for guests, simply multiply the proportions by the number of people you’re serving.

2 soft shell crabs

Rice flour, lightly seasoned with old bay*

¼ stick butter
1 T. minced red onion

¼ c. IPA-style beer

Salt and finely ground pepper, to taste

Lemon wedges, to serve

Rinse the crabs in cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel.  They will still remain moist, but you don’t want them dripping.  Dredge them in the seasoned rice flour.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat.  Place the floured crabs in the pan and fry 2-3 minutes per side, or until they have turned red (hint: sometimes they tend to “pop” and splatter as their natural juices are released into the hot butter – you may want to invest in a mesh splatter screen).  Once the crabs are cooked, lift them from the pan with a spatula and set them aside on a plate. 

Lower the heat under the frying pan and lift the pan from the heat source for about 20 seconds.  Place it back on the burner and add the onion.  Cook for a minute or two, then add the beer, salt and pepper to the pan.  Whisk the beer into the butter, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour this sauce over the crabs, then eat them and wash them down with an ice-cold beer.    

* You can use regular wheat flour if you'd like, but rice flour delivers a better crunch and is gluten-free.

A Stanley Cup of Clam Chowder

After 39 years, the Boston Bruins finally won the Stanley Cup. In the decade I've lived here, I've watched the Patriots win numerous Super Bowls, I watched the Red Sox "reverse the curse," and I saw the Celtics win a title, but a Bruins victory eluded me and other Boston hockey fans season after season after season. Considering that besides bacon, butter, and booze, the other thing I live and breathe for is hockey, I went a little wild celebrating on Wednesday night (Fun Fact: When Boston cops are dressed in full riot gear, they will not oblige your request for a high five). However, I didn't go so wild that I wasn't able to cook up a little victory meal for myself the next day.

Despite the fact that I went to work after staying out til 3:00am partying, and despite the fact that I had no energy and no voice left whatsoever, I found the motivation to do something that I've wanted to do for a looonnnnng time - I served New England Clam Chowder in a replica Stanley Cup. Yes, I am THAT dorky. A mixing bowl, a canister of sun-dried tomatoes, a roll of tinfoil, and a few random canned goods and spice jars later, and I had an adorable little faux-Cup. I also made a delicious batch of clam chowder containing bacon, butter, and booze!

While I daydream about serving this recipe to the B's out of the REAL Cup, you can whip up this great version of a New England classic!
　
　
New England Clam Chowder with Bacon, Butter & Booze

1/2 pound potatoes, diced
3 slices smoky bacon, chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 T. butter
splash smoky scotch
16 oz. clam juice
1/2 t. cornstarch
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. garlic powder
1 pint heavy cream
2 3-oz. tins smoked baby clams*
2 6.5-oz cans clams, or 1.5 cups cooked fresh clams
salt and pepper to taste
smoked paprika, to serve

Boil the potatoes until fork-tender; 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until it begins to crisp along its edges. Add the celery, shallot and butter, and cook until the celery and shallot have softened up. Do not let the shallot burn.

Add the scotch, clam juice, cornstarch, thyme, and garlic powder. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid begins to bubble. Next, add the heavy cream, clams, cooked potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the liquid is completely heated through. Do not let it boil.

Serve in cups or bowls garnished with a dusting of smoked paprika.
　
* Smoked clams are packed in vegetable oil, which takes on a dark straw color. If you want your chowder ot remain pure white, drain the clams and discard the oil, then pat the clams dry on paper towels.

No Leftovers Left Behind

These days, I've been doing a lot of cooking for one.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but solitary cooking does carry with it the drawback of having tons of leftovers, leaving me to ask myself, "Why did I feel it necessary to cook an entire pound of potatoes to make one salade nicoise for myself?" and "Why did I make about two cups of aji paste when I only needed 2 teaspoons?"  My poor roommate is probably asking, "How on God's green earth does one person manage to take up so much fridge space?!?" 

If this sounds all too familiar, it's time to set aside your gripes about logistics and volume because leftovers leave the home cook with endless possibilities.  Me?  I've got nothin' but love for leftovers, so I'll share with you some of my favorite ways to transform leftovers into entirely new and exciting dishes.

If you have leftover aji paste:

Spicy Tuna Salad

2 cans tuna in olive oil
1/4 c. sour cream
1 T. aji paste
1 T.  lemon or lime juice
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until blended.  Serve on tortilla crisps. 


If you have lots of leftovers from making Nicoise Peruvienne:

Aji Potato Salad

2 c. cooked potatoes, chilled
2 T. aji paste
1/4 c. sour cream
steamed green beans, sliced into 1-in lengths
handful chopped cilantro
splash olive oil
splash lemon juice


If you have leftover roast chicken or duck:

(Really?  Who has leftover duck?!?)

Spinach Salad with Roast Poultry

2 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. roast chicken or duck, shredded
1/2 c. soft cheese seasoned with herbs and/or garlic
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
vinaigrette

Combine ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with vinaigrette. 



If you have leftover beef or pork:

(Again, really?!?)

Fried Rice

2 T. soy sauce
2 t. toasted sesame oil
1 t. grated fresh ginger
pinch crushed red chile flakes

sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cold cooked rice (must be cold, or it will turn mushy!)
1/2 c. cooked beef or pork
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 green onions, sliced into rings


First, make the stir-fry sauce by combining the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and chile flakes in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add a teaspoon or so of sesame oil.  Add the beaten egg.  Stir-fry the egg until it is firm.  Remove from wok and set aside.  Add more sesame oil if necessary, and add the cold rice.  Stir fry until the rice begins to crisp and is completely coated with the sesame oil.  Remove from wok and set aside (you can combine it with the egg). 

Now, add the beef or pork, peas, and green onions.  Stir fry for a minute or two, then add the stir fry sauce and stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Finally, add the rice and egg to the mixture, blend until rice is coated with the sauce, and serve hot.


If you have random leftover vegetables:

Soup:
Throw them in a pot with some chicken broth, a small can of tomatoes, and a can of cannelini beans.  Simmer for 20 minutes and woohoo, you made soup!

Pasta:
Throw your veggies in a pot with some Classico brand Alfredo sauce.  Add a little cooked chicken if you'd like.  Heat up the sauce over medium-low heat, add some cooked short pasta (such as rotini), and woohoo, you made veggie alfredo!

Polenta:
Make a batch of polenta following the recipe given here, and add diced veggies along with the butter.

Inspiration on 'Roids - New England Nicoise, Nicoise Peruvienne

Yup, this bacon, butter, steak, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, and pork rind-loving blogger is writing an entire post about salad.  But I'm not writing about rabbit food; I'm writing about new twists on an old favorite, and I'm writing about a salad that is substantial enough to take center stage.  I'm writing about Salade Nicoise.  No lightweight, this French classic contains potatoes, green beans, hard-cooked eggs, olives, tomatoes, tuna and anchovies, nestled in a bed of rich butter lettuce and dressed with tangy dijon vinaigrette.  This is not a dish that will leave you hungry. 

So what happens when this French salad meets ingredients native to my side of the Atlantic?  Magic.  Pure magic happens.  The two salads I created were not planned; rather, I got a boatload of inspiration during one random food shopping excursion and decided to try something new, and the results may be two of my favorite creations to date. 

It all started with a batch of purple potatoes. 


Purple potato cross-section


We've all seen red and yellow potatoes, but purple ones are far less common, at least here in Northern New England.  However, in Peru, the potato's homeland, potatoes come in a variety of colors spanning the rainbow.  When I saw purple potatoes at the market, I loaded them into my basket.  I had no idea what I'd do with them, but I never worry about that until after I'm home and all my groceries are put away.  I started to think - I could boil them?  I could bake or roast them?  Potato salad?  Boring, boring, boring.  I then started to scan my brain for recipes containing potatoes where the color would really stand out, and I came up with salade nicoise.  I felt wicked smart until I thought, "Purple potatoes in a salad?  So f***ing what?"  I knew color alone wouldn't lift my dish from ordinary to extraordinary, but then it hit me - I could add a little aji.  Aji is a traditional Peruvian condiment made from chiles, garlic, and olive oil, and it turns everything it touches to gold.  OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's really damn good.  Once I had aji on my brain, my ideas started snowballing until I realized that I could replace tuna with ceviche, another Peruvian specialty.  And just like that, I created a recipe. 

I couldn't wait to test my recipe, so I ran to the store to pick up all the ingredients I'd need for the ceviche, the aji sauce, and the salad itself.  Cod?  Check.  Chiles?  Check.  Tomatoes?  Check.  Wait - what's that in that bin over there?  Ohhh Lord...I found fiddleheads. 



Fiddlehead

For those of you who don't live in Northern New England, fiddleheads are the edible fronds of young ostrich ferns.  You cannot visit a market in Maine during late spring without seeing at least one basket of fresh fiddleheads.  When steamed or lightly boiled, they retain their bright grass-green color and crunch, and they taste like a green bean/artichoke hybrid.  And face it - they look wicked awesome! 

Back to my market trip - I saw the fiddleheads and knew I had to have them.  While picking through the basket for the smallest, most tightly coiled fiddleheads, my mental wheels began turning and trying to come up with a plan for the fiddleheads.  They're good with just a little salt, pepper, and butter; they're great with hollandaise, and they can replace green beans in any dish.

Waaaiiittt a minute - green beans are used in salade nicoise...use the fiddleheads instead of green beans, and voila!  New England Nicoise.  Hmm, what other ingredients scream "New England?" and would also work in a salad?  Duhhh, lobster!  I'm sure the other market patrons were quite amused seeing this tiny little girl talking to herself out loud and stopping dead in her tracks to turn around and go pick up another ingredient when the light bulb went off over her head, but that's how I roll when inspiration skyrockets.  I whirled around the store like a madwoman, throwing ingredients into my basket and at the same time writing memos to myself on my iPhone so I wouldn't forget my ideas. 

Getting inspired was the easy part.  The hard part was the prep work, especially for Nicoise Peruvienne, which is a recipe within a recipe within a recipe.  While nothing in these recipes is difficult, the process is time consuming.  The most important part of preparing this dish is your mise en place, which is a fancy-schmancy chef term meaning "having one's $#!t together."  Once all the prep work is out of the way, this salad goes together in under 10 minutes, but if you try to assemble it while boiling potatoes, cooking eggs, making vinaigrette, etc., you'll be making a lot of extra work for yourself, and the process will be needlessly stressful. 

If you come across fiddleheads or purple potatoes, do try these two salads.  They are delicious, fun to make, and both are guaranteed to be great talking points if you serve them to guests. 



New England Nicoise

2-4 cups butter lettuce, torn
1/2 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
2 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 hard-cooked eggs, quartered lengthwise
1/2 lb. fiddleheads, steamed
1 lb. cooked lobster meat, chopped
8 black olives, pitted
vinaigrette

Boil the potatoes and steam the fiddleheads in advance.  Let chill for at least two hours. 

Assemble the salads.  Fill 2 large bowls with equal amounts of lettuce, then arrange the potatoes, tomato, and egg in a decorative pattern along the edge of the bowl.  Add the fiddleheads and lobster meat to the center, then dress with desired amount of vinaigrette.


Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, smashed
1 t. dijon mustard
2 T. tarragon vinegar
1/3 c. olive oil
salt & pepper

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least an hour.  Remove the garlic clove, whisk again, then use to dress New England Nicoise. 

Nicoise Peruvienne

2-4 c. butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise
2 hard-cooked eggs, quartered lengthwise
1/4 lb. green beans, steamed
2-4 purple potatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 cups ceviche
aji vinaigrette

Begin prep at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours, ahead.  Prepare the ceviche style whitefish, hard-cooked eggs, and the aji vinaigrette (recipes below).  Boil the potatoes and steam the green beans, let both cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until it is time to assemble the salads. 

Assemble the salads.  Fill 2 large bowls with equal amounts of lettuce, then arrange the tomato, avocado, and egg in a decorative pattern along the edge of the bowl.  Add the potatoes, green beans, and ceviche, then dress with desired amount of aji vinaigrette. 



Ceviche

1/2 lb. cod or other firm whitefish, cut into chunks
1 serrano chile, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a nonmetallic bowl.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge, stirring occasionally.  Marinate at least 4 hours; preferably overnight. 


Aji Vinaigrette

1T. aji sauce (recipe below)
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. olive oil.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended.  Use to dress Nicoise Peruvienne.  Any leftover vinaigrette can be used on chicken, fish, potatoes, vegetables, rice...you name it. 


Aji Sauce

5 habanero peppers (can use a milder pepper if you can't take the heat of habaneros)
2 cloves garlic
1 T. chopped cilantro
salt & pepper
splash olive oil

Combine ingredients in a blender and puree until a thick, consistent paste is formed.  Use in Aji Vinaigrette.

Tamarind + Margaritas = TamaRitas!

What would you do if you had about a pound of tamarind pods in your fridge? Probably not a question you're likely to hear if, like me, you live in New England, but this is a question I had to ask myself. When I created my Spiced Beef with Tamarind recipe, I wanted to use real tamarind rather than concentrated paste from a jar, so I bought a one-pound box. I only needed about 4 pods for the recipe, so I had a lot of tamarind on my hands. Quick - what could I possibly create that would use up the rest of the tamarind?

Not knowing how long homemade tamarind paste can be stored, I was reluctant to use my fruits simply for for that purpose, but I drew a blank on other recipes I could create. What could I do with my tamarind that would be consumed immediately and not linger in my fridge?

Oh, yeah - drinks! Drinks don't last long in the Bacon, Butter & Booze household. I did make tamarind paste (click here for instructions), which I watered down and used as a base for a my favorite summertime drink - margaritas, or in this case, Tama-Ritas! I added a little New England touch to the tamaritas using just a splash of blueberry syrup, which not only gave it a more complex flavor, but sweetened up what would otherwise be a pretty sour drink. These drinks may not be the most aesthetically pleasing cocktail out there, but boy, do they taste great!

　
Tama-Ritas

4 T. freshly made tamarind paste
1.5 c. cold water
2-3 oz. tequila (depends how strong you like your 'ritas)
splash triple sec
splash blueberry syrup (Stonewall Kitchen makes a good one)

kosher salt to rim glasses

Combine all ingredients except the salt in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into 2 margarita glasses rimmed with salt.