Potato and Corn Cowder

Here is a simplified version of this recipe from Peggy Lampman's Dinner Feed website, recipes which also appear on annarbor.com. In her recipe she roasts the corn and adds garnish, which no doubt would add to it, but this simpler version was good and went a long way.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, chopped (3 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
5 vegetable stock
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 chopped chili pepper
2-3 pounds frozen corn* or 4 cups fresh corn kernels
Splash of hot sauce (your choice, we used chipotle)


Directions

1. In a large pot, heat oil over low heat. Sauté onions, with a pinch of salt, 5 minutes or until just tender and fragrant. Stir in potatoes, stock, garlic; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

2. Continue simmering soup until potatoes are tender. With blender, purée half of soup. Stir in corn. Simmer until corn is just heated through, about 3 minutes.

Rock Lobster Bisque

Here's a lobster bisque recipe that may have a slightly unconventional flavor, I replaced cognac with beer, based on what I had around. Turned out to be pretty delicious anyway.



8 ounces chopped, cooked lobster meat (fresh or canned)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup flour
3 cups half and half
3/4 cup of beer
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1-12 ounce can diced tomatoes (including liquid)
1 clove chopped garlic
1 diced onion
1 tablespoon basil

1. Heat olive oil in saucepan, saute onion and garlic.
2. Puree tomatoes (with liquid), lobster base, and 1/2 cooked onion and garlic. Set aside.
3. Add lobster and beer to remaining 1/2 onion and garlic. Let simmer 3-4 minutes.
4. In a separate saucepan melt butter, add mixture of flour, cayenne pepper and pepper, stirring constantly until until it clumps up.
5. Add tomato puree flour mixture, mix well so that flour mixture gets broken up.
6. Gradually add cream, while stirring, until sauce thickens and is well mixed.
7. Stir in lobster mix and basil. Stir occasionally on low heat for 10 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe is a recommendation from my mom, who got it while watching Good Morning America. It's by Chef Emeril Lagasse. My mom made it, said it was good, so Steve and I tried it out last night. If you're expecting the Velveeta-type liquid cheese-style broccoli cheese soup, you'll be disappointed; however, if you want something a bit more sophisticated and subtle that tastes like real food, this will hit the spot. Also, it's easy and quick.

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c thinly sliced onions
1 T sliced garlic
1 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
5 c chicken (or vegetable) stock
4 c broccoli florets
1 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oil, add onions, garlic, salt, and cayenne. Saute till onions are soft and translucent. Add chicken stock, bring to boil. Add broccoli, cook till fork-tender. Remove soup from heat, cool slightly. Then blend it in batches, adding some cheese to blend up with each batch. You're done!

Really Simple Potato Soup

Thanks to a deal on Michigan potatoes at our local big-box grocery ($1.50/10 pounds!), we've been searching out good potato recipes (feel free to share some of your own). Below is a potato soup recipe that is particularly simple.

What You Need:

• 3 pounds (about 5 large) russet potatoes
• 3 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 2/3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup(s) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Steps:
Peel, rinse, and cut the potatoes into thirds. Place them in a large pot with water to cover, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very soft -- about 45 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Mash them with a potato masher until smooth. Add the sour cream and butter and stir until melted. Add the milk, pepper, and remaining salt and bring the soup back to a simmer. Garnish with shredded cheese.

Variations:
The original recipe calls for bacon and scallions as garnish -- we skipped both these, though only the bacon on ethical grounds. Also, I'm not sure if this would work, but I might try blending the potato/sour cream/butter mixture for a smoother soup.

Ambiance:
Best made when peeling potatoes sounds more appealing (a-peeling?) than grad-school reading.

"The quintessential fall soup"

This soup is from a new cookbook that I got for my birthday called Clean Food by Terry Walters. The recipes are organized seasonally, so the ingredients they call for are only what is generally in season. From the fall section, I made Apple Squash Soup. It was simple and so yummy!

Apple Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chunked
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup (rice) milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt

Peel squash, cut in half, remove seeds. Cut into 2-inch pieces. In large pot over medium heat, saute onion in oil until soft (about 5 minutes). Add squash, apples, stock, milk, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Cover; bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree with blender or food processor. Cool slightly, season with salt and serve.

Recipes from a Sister

The recipes below are from my sister Erika. There were some technical difficulties in posting them, so they're coming from me (Hillary), but they're actually from her.

"This first one is a recipe a good friend and I found years ago. At first it sounded strange, but one night we decided to try it and it became a favorite snack while we cooked together or as an appetizer with company.

Roasted Red Onion with Thyme and Butter

Get 6 equal sized medium red onions. Remove the first layer of skin. Then cut off the core end of the onions to give them a flat base and make two deep cuts nearly but not all the way through the onions in the shape of a cross, so that the onions are nearly quartered. Push chopped and freshly grounded fresh thyme in between the layers of the onions, followed by generous amounts of butter. I usually get quite a bit in there so that the onions look like little flowers with the layers separated with butter. When I've patted butter into a couple layers I sprinkle with coarse salt, then squeeze the whole thing as close back together as possible. Then individually wrap the whole onions in tin foil and place in an earthenware dish. The dish will catch the dripping butter, but individually wrapping not only holds the onions together but also heightens the flavor because it keeps most of the butter sizzling in the onions instead of immediately dripping off. Place in oven at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Onions are ready to come out when they are tender and literally begin to melt in your mouth. Sprinkle with Parmesan, pepper and perhaps a little more salt to taste. The petals can be eaten by themselves, or on fresh baguette. Yummy!

When my father was stationed as a medic during Vietnam he got a lot of recipes from the locals. this one is for Joak, a thick rice soup. It has meat in it, but I could see substituting veggie broth for the chicken stock and tofu for the pork.

Joak

1 cup rice

1 tsp salt

5 quarts chicken stock

1 pound ground cooked pork

2 stalks green onion

12 water chestnuts

1 tbs dark soy sauce

Rinse rice and soak over night. Mince onions and chestnuts then mix with soy sauce, salt, and cooked pork. Bring stock and rice to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 2-3 hours until thick and creamy. Then heat up and add the pork mixture in teaspoon sized balls for about 5 minutes or until the balls are cooked through. Adjust seasoning to your liking and serve."