Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups mushroom broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced(optional)
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Optional: Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

from Food Network Magazine

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-broccoli-cheddar-soup-recipe/index.html

BNH

Leek Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives

Directions

Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Cook Time: 1h 15min

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from Alton Brown and Good Eats

BNH

Spinach/Fenugreek Leaf Pakodas

Introduction:
This is a basic snack dish involving batter made of chickpea flour, with chopped onions and any one of many leafy greens. Delicious and easy to make (I got it right on the first try) and the recipe below is a stepping stone to more intricate ones. It requires amchoor (dried mango powder), which is a good thing to have in your spice rack (available at Indian stores) as it is used in quite a few Indian dishes. You can replace 1 tsp of amchoor with 3 tbsp of lime or lemon juice.

Ingredients:
Chickpea flour (besan) - 2 cups
Chopped spinach or fenugreek (methi) leaves - 1 cup
Amchoor (dried mango powder) - 1 tsp [Or 3 tbsp lemon/lime juice]
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - about 1 tsp or to taste
Oil for deep frying - 3 cups

Time: 15-20 min (5 prep, 15 cook)
Servings: 4

Method:
In a large mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a depression in the middle and slowly add water (I didn't have to add more than 3/4 to 1 cup of water for the 2 cups of flour, so be careful), mixing to dissolve any lumps that form. You should end up with a thick batter. Now add the greens and onions (and, if you aren't using amchoor, also the lemon/lime juice) and mix well. Heat the oil in a wok until you can smell it. Lower the heat to medium and drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the oil, four or five at a time depending on the size of your wok. Fry until both sides are browned. When removing from oil, use the spatula to squeeze out any excess oil. Transfer to paper towels to absorb any remaining oil. Keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve warm with ketchup or Sriracha sauce.

Suggestion 1: Try with other greens? Let me know how it goes.
Suggestion 2: These pakodas can also be incorporated into gravy dishes like soups. A traditional Indian favourite is yogurt soup (kadhi) with pakodas (kadhi pakoda). For use in soups, after removing excess oil, immediately soak in warm water for a few minutes. Squeeze out water and add to soup.
Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Moong Dal (Split Green Gram) Soup

Introduction:
I know I've uploaded many many dal recipes onto Hopchefs, but this one was by far the tastiest soupy dal I've made, so it deserves a mention. In this recipe, we will first fry/season the dal and then proceed to pressure cook the hell out of it until soft. It's all done in the cooker, using it like a wok when frying, then sealing it up for softening the dal.

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1 cup
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2 med
Onion, chopped - 1 med
Ginger, chopped fine - 2" piece
Garlic, chopped fine - 5-6 pods
[you can replace the above with 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste]
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Tomato, chopped - 1 large or 3 small
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 4 cups

Servings: about 6
Time: 30-45 min

Method:
Wash the dal and set aside to soak. In the meantime, heat the oil on a medium flame in the cooker. Add cumin seeds. When they sputter, add the onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Sautée until the onions are translucent and the garlic starts to turn brown. Add the tomato pieces, hing, turmeric and salt and fry for a few minutes. Now mix in the red chili powder. Cook for a few more minutes. Now drain the dal and add it to the cooker. Mix well and add four cups of water. Cover the cooker and place the weight on top. Cook for about 30 minutes or until you can smell the fragrance of the cooked dal. This recipe requires that you overcook the dal so it is soft. Just make sure the gas is never higher than medium so it doesn't start to burn at the bottom due to the direct heat. Turn off the stove. When the pressure has reduced to normal, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and season with more salt if required. Serve hot as soup or with chapatis and/or rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Spinach (or Kale/Chard/Fenugreek) Paratha

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Spinach/Kale/Chard/Fenugreek, washed, drained and chopped - 1 cup
Green chili, chopped - 2 med
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Cooking time: 20 min
Servings: 2

Method:
If you're using frozen greens, thaw them at half power. Depending on what kind of greens, how they're frozen and how powerful the microwave is, the times will differ, but keep checking every 4-5 minutes if it's thawed all the way through, and mash lightly to help with thawing. When thawed, drain the water into a separate bowl, squeeze as much of the water out of the greens as possible.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Start adding tablespoonfuls of chopped greens while mixing continuously. The water in the greens should help in kneading the dough; for extra water use the drained greens water you set aside, but add bit by bit until the dough is of the right consistency. At this point, to avoid the dough sticking to your palms, rub them with a few drops of oil and continue kneading. Add a little flour or a little water if the dough is too mushy or not soft enough. Knead into a soft ball, set aside in a covered bowl for 10 min.

Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Heat a pan and roll each piece out as thin as possible. When the pan is hot (test with a few drops of water, they should dance on the surface), place one paratha in it. With a spatula, lightly press the sides of the paratha so that bubbles form on top and the colour starts to change. Flip over and repeat the procedure. Before turning again, spread a teaspoon of oil/ghee over the top side. Repeat with the other side, repeat with the rest of the dough.

Serve hot with yogurt, chutney and/or pickles.

Note: Spinach and fenugreek are the traditional fillings for this dish, but kale and chard could probably be substituted, which may be useful for you CSA people.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Daali Thoy (Toor dal)

A very simple lentil dish with lots of ginger!

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1 cup
Ginger, chopped fine - 2" piece
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 3 med
Turmeric - a pinch
Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic, chopped fine - 3 pods
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Cooking time: 20 min
Servings: 3-4

Method:
Cook the toor dal with the ginger, green chillies and turmeric almost mushy. Pressure cooking is a preferable, cooking on the stove will take longer (40 min?). If pressure cooking, use 2.5 cups for every cup of dal. When cooked, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water based on desired consistency.

Heat the oil, fry the garlic until golden brown. Season the dal with this garlic, add salt and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Inspired by this recipe.

Delicious cauliflower soup

I was following this recipe for gobhi parathas, and serendipitously created a soup while doing so.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower, shredded (fresh or frozen) - 2 cups
Green chillies, chopped - 2 medium
Ajwain (carom) seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp

Cooking time: 10-15 min
Servings: 1-2

Method:
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Microwave on medium power for 4-5 min. Remove and add enough water to make about 2 cups. Microwave on medium power again for 4-5 min. Let cool, then strain. Between your palms, squeeze out all the liquid from the cauliflower. The remaining solids can be used as stuffing for parathas (see recipe link above). Microwave the liquid until hot and serve immediately.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan, inspired by this Manjula's Kitchen recipe.