Been on a soup kick lately, as a friend gave us some homemade soups and we liked having them in the fridge so much we wanted to have soup on hand after we finished them.
We have quite a lot of dried beans in our cupboards (my fault mainly - I love beans of all kinds). So, why not make a bean soup with cannelinis, that awesome Lacinato Kale at City Market and some of my favorite sausage?
Start by soaking your beans overnight. I used 1 cup dry cannellini beans. If you would prefer to use canned beans, you can - just increase the amount of beans to about 3 cups and omit the cooking step on day 2. To soak your dry beans, just place them in a container and cover with plenty of water and place in the fridge overnight.
The following day, drain the beans and place in a pan, covering them with plenty of fresh cold water. Add a bay leaf, some thyme, rosemary and a little salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are soft. Drain them, removing the bay leaf and any floating herbs and set aside.
Sweat (cook over a low heat so as to soften with no color) 1/2 onion (diced), 1/2 carrot (diced) and 1 rib of celery (diced) in butter until soft. Add a piece of chorizo (you decide how much - I used about 3 inches but more is always better with chorizo), diced, and saute (cook over medium-high heat so it colors) until it releases its oils and turns everything orange. Add the reserved beans and 1 quart of chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Take 1/2 bunch kale, remove the ribs and chop coarsely. Add it to the soup and continue to simmer until cooked through (5-10 minutes). Check the seasoning of your soup, adjust with salt and pepper as necessary, serve, and enjoy! I like to sprinkle a little parm cheese on mine...
Note 1 - Chorizo is a traditional Spanish sausage made from pork, paprika, salt and sometimes garlic. If you cannot find it in the specialty deli section, substitute your favorite sausage. Don't expect it to turn everything orange. Just cook it through.
Note 2 - Kale is great. If you have never tried it, get some for this soup. If, however, you can't get it or don't like it, you could use spinach or Swiss chard.
Note 3 - Any kind of white beans could be substituted. Actually, any kind of beans at all. Just make sure they are cooked until soft.
Note 4 - Soaking your beans is not essential. If you have dried beans and have not soaked them by the time you want to start making your soup, just go ahead and cook them as for day 2. They will take longer to cook but it will still work.
Note 5 - Thyme and rosemary are not required in the bean cooking water. A bay leaf is however recommended.
Note 6 - Metric info: 1 cup = 240ml; 3 inches = 7.5 cm; 1 quart = about 1 litre.
Showing posts with label stock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stock. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Lobster and Shrimp Stock
I make this stock every time I boil lobsters. I save shrimp shells in the freezer when I cook shrimp (do not keep for too long, and smell them before using them as they can go bad in there), and use them to augment the stock.
When you boil lobsters, save the shells and the water used to boil them.
In a hot pan, with a little oil, 'toast' the lobster and shrimp shells (try to add the shrimp shells as dry as you can) until all of the shrimp shells change color. Add mirepoix (rough chopped celery, carrots and onions) and sauté (cook over medium-high heat) until softened. Add some tomato paste, and sauté until rust-colored. Add the water in which you boiled your lobsters - enough to just cover the shells. Bring it slowly to a simmer. Simmer 45 minutes. Strain through your finest strainer and/or cheesecloth.
Lobster stock is great in seafood risottos, stews and soups. It can be made with all lobster shells or all shrimp shells (which would obviously be a shrimp stock; this will be milder in flavor). If no lobster cooking water is available, use water. When used, your stock will need to be seasoned. Taste as you go...
When you boil lobsters, save the shells and the water used to boil them.
In a hot pan, with a little oil, 'toast' the lobster and shrimp shells (try to add the shrimp shells as dry as you can) until all of the shrimp shells change color. Add mirepoix (rough chopped celery, carrots and onions) and sauté (cook over medium-high heat) until softened. Add some tomato paste, and sauté until rust-colored. Add the water in which you boiled your lobsters - enough to just cover the shells. Bring it slowly to a simmer. Simmer 45 minutes. Strain through your finest strainer and/or cheesecloth.
Lobster stock is great in seafood risottos, stews and soups. It can be made with all lobster shells or all shrimp shells (which would obviously be a shrimp stock; this will be milder in flavor). If no lobster cooking water is available, use water. When used, your stock will need to be seasoned. Taste as you go...
Braised Lamb Shanks
We made this at work yesterday. Braising is one of the easiest ways to cook - just a few simple steps, then set it and forget it. It is an awesome technique for any meat that requires long low and slow cooking - the kind that would be tough if you just roasted it.
Anyway, the steps for a basic braise are:
1. Season (heavily, with salt and pepper) and sear the meat over a high heat - this is best done in the pan in which you will be braising the meat. Get the pan hot. Add a little oil and then the meat. Do not crowd the pan and do not move the meat until it is well browned. At that point, roll it to brown the other sides. Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside.
2. Turn the heat down to medium, pour off most of the fat in the pan (discard) and add vegetables. The usual suspects are carrots, celery and onion (in a 1:1:2 ratio), cut into a 'dice' - good sized cubes, no need for accurate cutting here - the culinary term for this mix is 'mirepoix'. Cook the vegetables in the oil until browned.
3. Add a small amount of liquid to the pan and scrape the bottom while heating - this is called 'deglazing'. Most often the liquid is wine, but water or stock could also be used. Deglazing removes and dissolves the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan (culinary term: fond), which improves the flavor of the braising liquid and ultimately your meat.
4. Return the meat to the pan, then add more liquid (to just cover the meat) and suitable flavorings. This liquid could be stock water, wine or beer, and the flavorings usually include herbs and spices. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer. Cover and either keep on a very low heat on the stovetop, or (if your pan is oven-safe) place in a 300-325F oven.
5. Allow the braise to simmer until the meat is tender and falls away from the bone. The amount of time depends on the type and size of the meat, and usually is in the region of 1.5-4 hours.
So, returning to the lamb shanks. I usually deglaze with red wine, and then add lamb stock or the liquid from the last braise (if you have either - at work we braised several batches so we were able to reuse the braising liquid for the second batch), or water. For flavorings, I like to use lemon zest, black peppercorns (whole) and rosemary, and a bay leaf. I also add salt to my braising liquid (if you intend to reduce it later, be very sparing with the salt). I prefer to braise in the oven (it maintains a low simmer more effectively - boiling is bad for a braise), and I start checking the shanks after 3 hours.
Once your lamb shanks are braised, you can serve them over a suitable starch. Mashed potatoes are simple and soak up the braising liquid nicely. You can either serve the braising liquid as it is (but be aware - it will be fatty!), or you can thicken it a little (e.g. with roux - melt some butter in a pan, add an equal volume of flour and cook, stirring, until it turns light brown. Add to the sauce over the heat and stir with a whisk while bringing to a simmer. Simmer a few min.). The other option, if you are able to cook them the day before, is to remove the shanks from the braising liquid when done, strain the vegetables from the liquid (use your finest strainer), allow it to cool at room temperature for an hour or so, then chill it in the refrigerator. The next day, you'll be able to scrape the fat off the top of the braising liquid (this can be discarded). Reserve some of the liquid to reheat the shanks in (enough to cover them in a small pan), and reduce the rest - that is, bring to a boil and allow to boil until enough water evaporates so that it thickens a little. Taste and season carefully if necessary. Reheat the shanks gently in the reserved braising liquid and serve over the mashers with the reduced sauce.
The general technique for braising can be used for other meats. When I cook beef short ribs, I use mirepoix, red wine, beef stock, bay leaf, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and thyme as a base and braise for 4 hrs. Other examples of braises are Coq au Vin, Irish Beef Stew and Beef Burgundy.
Anyway, the steps for a basic braise are:
1. Season (heavily, with salt and pepper) and sear the meat over a high heat - this is best done in the pan in which you will be braising the meat. Get the pan hot. Add a little oil and then the meat. Do not crowd the pan and do not move the meat until it is well browned. At that point, roll it to brown the other sides. Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside.
2. Turn the heat down to medium, pour off most of the fat in the pan (discard) and add vegetables. The usual suspects are carrots, celery and onion (in a 1:1:2 ratio), cut into a 'dice' - good sized cubes, no need for accurate cutting here - the culinary term for this mix is 'mirepoix'. Cook the vegetables in the oil until browned.
3. Add a small amount of liquid to the pan and scrape the bottom while heating - this is called 'deglazing'. Most often the liquid is wine, but water or stock could also be used. Deglazing removes and dissolves the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan (culinary term: fond), which improves the flavor of the braising liquid and ultimately your meat.
4. Return the meat to the pan, then add more liquid (to just cover the meat) and suitable flavorings. This liquid could be stock water, wine or beer, and the flavorings usually include herbs and spices. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer. Cover and either keep on a very low heat on the stovetop, or (if your pan is oven-safe) place in a 300-325F oven.
5. Allow the braise to simmer until the meat is tender and falls away from the bone. The amount of time depends on the type and size of the meat, and usually is in the region of 1.5-4 hours.
So, returning to the lamb shanks. I usually deglaze with red wine, and then add lamb stock or the liquid from the last braise (if you have either - at work we braised several batches so we were able to reuse the braising liquid for the second batch), or water. For flavorings, I like to use lemon zest, black peppercorns (whole) and rosemary, and a bay leaf. I also add salt to my braising liquid (if you intend to reduce it later, be very sparing with the salt). I prefer to braise in the oven (it maintains a low simmer more effectively - boiling is bad for a braise), and I start checking the shanks after 3 hours.
Once your lamb shanks are braised, you can serve them over a suitable starch. Mashed potatoes are simple and soak up the braising liquid nicely. You can either serve the braising liquid as it is (but be aware - it will be fatty!), or you can thicken it a little (e.g. with roux - melt some butter in a pan, add an equal volume of flour and cook, stirring, until it turns light brown. Add to the sauce over the heat and stir with a whisk while bringing to a simmer. Simmer a few min.). The other option, if you are able to cook them the day before, is to remove the shanks from the braising liquid when done, strain the vegetables from the liquid (use your finest strainer), allow it to cool at room temperature for an hour or so, then chill it in the refrigerator. The next day, you'll be able to scrape the fat off the top of the braising liquid (this can be discarded). Reserve some of the liquid to reheat the shanks in (enough to cover them in a small pan), and reduce the rest - that is, bring to a boil and allow to boil until enough water evaporates so that it thickens a little. Taste and season carefully if necessary. Reheat the shanks gently in the reserved braising liquid and serve over the mashers with the reduced sauce.
The general technique for braising can be used for other meats. When I cook beef short ribs, I use mirepoix, red wine, beef stock, bay leaf, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and thyme as a base and braise for 4 hrs. Other examples of braises are Coq au Vin, Irish Beef Stew and Beef Burgundy.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Simple Chicken Stock
Faced with the remains of a supermarket pre-roasted chicken in the refrigerator this morning, I decided to make stock. After picking most of the meat from the bones (this will be used for another meal), I placed the bones in a stockpot with some scraps I had saved in the freezer (from cleaning multipacks of chicken breasts - I trim off cartilage and tidy them up before portioning and freezing them). I added a bay leaf, some chopped up onion, celery and carrot, a sprinkling of coriander seeds, some parsley stems and some dried herbs (thyme would be ideal but I could not find any in my pantry so I used poultry seasoning instead). I then added cold water to cover by just about an inch, and set the pot on the stove over low heat. The water is allowed to come to a simmer and then the heat reduced to maintain it. It simmered for about 2 hours. I prefer 3, but time was a little short. At the end of the simmer, I removed the bones and strained out the vegetables using 2 sieves, the second having the smallest holes. Cheesecloth would have been even better but I am out...
The stock is then cooled rapidly (I put cold water and ice cubes in the sink, pour the stock into a metal bowl and sit the bowl in the water, stirring the stock occasionally. Once cooled, it can be portioned into suitable containers (I use quart yogurt pots with lids) and refrigerated. After a few hours, the fat should have settled on the top. Remove and freeze until needed.
This stock is way tastier than canned chicken broth, but has far less sodium (almost none), so make sure you check the seasoning when you use it, and add more salt if needed. It is great in risottos, soups, sauces, stews - anything requiring a liquid where a chicken flavor would be appropriate.
Note that starting with cold water, heating gently and not stirring are all techniques that reduce the cloudiness of stock.
The stock is then cooled rapidly (I put cold water and ice cubes in the sink, pour the stock into a metal bowl and sit the bowl in the water, stirring the stock occasionally. Once cooled, it can be portioned into suitable containers (I use quart yogurt pots with lids) and refrigerated. After a few hours, the fat should have settled on the top. Remove and freeze until needed.
This stock is way tastier than canned chicken broth, but has far less sodium (almost none), so make sure you check the seasoning when you use it, and add more salt if needed. It is great in risottos, soups, sauces, stews - anything requiring a liquid where a chicken flavor would be appropriate.
Note that starting with cold water, heating gently and not stirring are all techniques that reduce the cloudiness of stock.
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