Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall is here. Finally is time for chicken noodle soup, or any kind of soups. But this day was a chicken noodle soup kinda day. I had just got back from a visit to a cold and windy Denmark, and I needed some warm comfy soup. 

My mom made this type of soup often in the winter months. Well, we didn't have noodles in the soup. We had the traditional Danish soup dumpling (melboller), boiled meatballs (kødboller), and supperis. But in a busy family it is so much easier to cook some noodles and be done with it. 

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 5 organic chicken wings
• 1 whole organic chicken
• ½ celery root, + the green top, chopped in large chunks
• 3 carrots, sliced in large chunks
• 2 leeks, sliced in 3 big chunks
• 1 onion, quartered skin on
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3 liter (12 cups) water

Filling:

• 2 cups shredded chicken meat (from wings and chicken)
• ½ celery root, finely diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 leek, white part, thinly sliced
• 2 cups egg noodles, cooked according to package
• chili pepper, diced - optional

Directions:

Heat oil in a large heavy pot. Cook the chicken wings till they have a deep brown color all over. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot, this will make the wing boil instead of browning. Transfer wings to a plate.

Add onion, carrots, celery and leek to pot. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned. Add tomato paste, cook while stirring until the tomato paste is heated through, 1-2 minutes. Add about a cup (2 dl) of the water to deglaze the pot, so you get all the brown bits dispersed. Add wings, chicken and the celery greens and the rest of the water. You want to cover all the chicken with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let the soup simmer for 1½–2 hours until the chicken is falling off the bones. Skim the soup occasionally, to get a clear soup. Remove chicken and vegetables, and strain soup into a clean large heavy pot.

(Now you have a great homemade chicken stock. If you want a more concentrated stock, reduce the stock to about a third. The stock can be frozen for later use.)

Remove the meat from the bones, save the meat, and discard the bones.

Add carrots, leek and celery to the strained soup, and let it simmer until tender, about 2-5 minutes. Add the meat and let it heat through.

Serve the soup in heated bowls with some cooked egg noodles. I always cook the noodles separate, so they don't get to mushy if you want to save the leftovers. 

Enjoy!

Tomato Soup with Blue Cheese Croutons

Tomato Soup with Blue Cheese Croutons

I have had a love Love LOVE relationship with tomatoes all my life. I can eat tomatoes anytime, anyhow, anywhere. Ok, I'm not a big fan of Bloody Mary's, but no rule without exceptions. I blame the love of tomatoes on my mom. She told me that she craved tomatoes when she was pregnant with me. She would buy a bag of farm fresh tomatoes at the farmers market, and they would all be gone by the time she got home. Maybe I can blame the red/ginger/strawberry blond hair on the tomatoes too????

Well, I do love tomatoes, and I certainly love tomato soup. I can eat tomato in all kinds of weather. Here is a new take on a classic roasted tomato soup. The fennel, gives a nice depth to the soup. I really love the creaminess of this soup, without adding any cream to the soup. This might be contributed to my Vitamix blender. I  will never go back to my old blender. 

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1800 g fresh tomatoes

• 1 fennel

• 1 onion

• 4 garlic cloves

• olive oil, for roasting

• 600 ml chicken or vegetable stock

• salt & pepper to taste

• a drizzle of a good thick balsamico

Blue cheese croutons:

• 150 g day-old bread,

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 50 g blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash tomatoes and cut into halves. Peel onions, wash fennel, and cut them in quarters. Place it all on the baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle with olive oil. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Cut up the bread in bite sized cubes and toss them with the olive oil, spread the croutons on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast the croutons for about 5-7 minutes until light golden. Spread the blue cheese on the croutons, and bake then for another few minutes until the cheese has melted into the croutons. Make these while the soup is simmering.

In a large pot heat a little bit of olive oil and cook the minced garlic until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Transfer roasted vegetables with the roasting juices into the pot and add stock. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Purée the soup in batches in a blender* until smooth. (You can also use an immersion blender.) Season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve the soup immediately with blue cheese croutons. 

Enjoy!

*Be careful when blending hot liquids, it can make the lid pop off, and you may risk getting serious burns on you skin. You can remove the small cap on you blender lid and cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel. You need to hold on to the lid and towel, while blending. This will let the steam from the hot soup escape and avoid the lid from popping off. You can also get blenders like the Vitamix, where you can blend hot liquids, without any hassle.

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Crispy brussels sprouts - who knew? I first had them New Year's Eve, when we dined at Manresa, a 2 stared Michelin restaurant, on opening night for Manresa after a dreadful fire in July 2014. The crispy brussels sprouts was served on top of a porcini mushroom dish. I really liked the texture and taste. So when I browsed for ideas for a garlic soup and stumbled upon this recipe for garlic-potato soup at the blog How sweet it is  with crispy brussels sprouts on top, I knew I had to try it. 

The soup was a hit in my house, and will be on the menu again soon. 

Served 6-8.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 pounds (1.3 kg) russet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 5 cups (1.25 liter) chicken stock

• 4 roasted garlic bulbs

• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

• salt & pepper to taste

Brussels sprouts crisps:

• 10 brussels sprouts, clean outer layers only

• 750 ml vegetables oil, for frying

• salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in a large pot. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and enough stock to cover them - I used 5 cups (1.25 liter). Bring it to a simmer, put a lid on and cook until the potatoes are tender and starts to fall apart, about 20 minutes. 

Crispy brussels sprouts:

Remove the outer leaves from the brussels sprouts, carefully clean and dry them, set aside.

Heat vegetable oil to 325-350 ℉ (165-180℃) in a pot. (use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature.) Add the brussels sprouts leaves a few at a time and fry until crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Transfer the soup to a blender,* work in batches. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the blender. Puree the soup until totally creamy and smooth. Return the soup to the pot and gently heat it with the cream. Season the soup with salt and pepper. 

Serve the soup in bowls with the crispy brussels spouts on top and sprinkled with red chili flakes.

Enjoy! 

*Be careful when blending hot liquids, it can make the lid pop off, and you may risk getting serious burns on you skin. You can remove the small cap on you blender lid and cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel. You need to hold on to the lid and towel. This will let the steam from the hot soup escape and avoid the lid from popping off. You can also get blenders like the Vitamix, where you can blend hot liquids, without any hassle.

Dungeness Crab Soup

Dungeness Crab Soup

#SpisLokalt

Madblokkerudforfringen nr. 6

Spis lokalt giver jo meget god mening. For mig giver det god mening at spise det der er i sæson, lige meget hvor i verden du bor. Vi ved jo alle at en tomat smager bedst når den tages solvarm af planten. Eller at de bedste jordbær er dem man selv plukker. Men vi har vænnet os til at man til enhver tid kan få både tomater og jordbær, men det betyder at vi får frugter der ikke smager af ret meget, man kan foranlediges til at kalde dem kønsløse. Hvad værre er, vi belaster miljøet, når fødevarerne skal transporteres over lange afstande.

Da jeg flyttede til Californien, skulle jeg vænne mig til at sæsonen for frisk frugt og grønt blev udvidet, men også at jeg ikke længere kunne få fat i ting jeg før havde kunnet få. Jeg savner hyldeblomster, hyldebær, solbær og stikkelsbær. Men samtidig fik jeg foræret et kæmpe udbud af blandt andet citrusfrugter, som jeg slet ikke kendte til. Det er stadig en stor luksus for mig at kunne gå ud i haven og plukke appelsiner og citroner til husbehov det meste af året. 

Photo by Kelvin Yue/iStock / Getty Images

En anden ting jeg lærte var at sæsonen for dungeness crabs starter sidst i november, lige omkring Thanksgiving. Denne krabbe er en gudespise. Jeg plejer at købe dem forkogte i Whole Foods Marked, hvor de gør dem klar til servering. Når jeg kommer hjem damper jeg dem, til de er rygende varm, og serverer dem med koldt smør, brød og en god tør hvidvin.

Men der er jo ikke meget ved at lave et indlæg med det, så jeg valgte at lave en krabbesuppe, lidt a la en hummersuppe, bare knap så tyk. Jeg har valgt at bruge californsk olivenolie, Dungeness crabs, Organic Straus Heavy Whipping Cream (fløde) og en pinot grigio fra vores lokale vingård Picchetti. 

Til 6 personer som forret.

Ingredientser:

• 4 Dungeness krabber (Jeg brugte 3 hele krabber og skallerne fra 1)

• 3 spsk olivenolie

• 3 fed hvidløg, hakket

• 2 gulerødder, hakket

• 2 stilke blegselleri

• 1 fennikel, hakket

• 3 kviste frisk estragon

• 3 spsk konc. tomatpure

• 50 ml cognac

• ½ flaske tør hvidvin

• 500 ml fiske boullion, eller vand og en boullionterning

• 300-450 ml piskefløde

• friskpresset citronsaft , efter smag

• cayennepeber, efter smag

• salt, efter smag

Fremgsangsmåde:

Fjern kløerne og kødet fra krabberne, og sæt det i køleskabet indtil lige før serveringen.

Varm olien godt op i en stor gryde. Kom krabbeskallerne i og steg dem ved høj varme i 3-4 minutter. Tilsæt gulerødder, selleri, tomatpure, hvidløg, porre, fennikel og estragon og forsæt med at sautere i endnu 10 minutter. Tilsæt cognacen og antænd den. (Jeg gør dette udendørs, da jeg ikke ønsker at have brand i køkkenet.) Når flammerne er dødet ned tilsættes hvidsvin og fiskeboullion og evt lidt vand, så det dækker krabberne. Lad suppen simre i 25 minutter, sluk for varmen og lad den trække i yderligere 10 minutter, før suppen sies. Jeg sier suppen af 2 gange. Først igennem en pastasigte og derefter igennem en mere finmasket sigte.

Smag på suppen. Hvis du ønsker en mere koncentreret smag, så kog suppen ind. Husk at suppen stadig skal have en del fløde, så det skal være en kraftig suppe.

I mellemtiden koges fløden ind til det halve. Tilsæt fløden til suppen og smag den til med salt, cognac, cayenne og citroinsaft.

Server suppen i opvarmede tallerkener henover en krabbeklo og lidt krabbekød. (jeg damper kløerne og kødet i et par minutter før serveringen).

Velbekomme!

The English version: 

Dungeness Crab Soup

Serves 6 as appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 4 Dungeness crabs (I used 3 and shells from 1, all pre-cooked)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 fennel, bulb only, chopped

• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 50 ml cognac

• ½ bottle dry white wine

• 500 ml fish stock or water and 1 bouillon cube

• 300-450 ml heavy whipping cream

• freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

• cayenne, to taste

• salt, to taste

Directions:

Remove the claws from the crabs and remove the crab meat from the shells. Refrigerate claws and meat, until serving.

Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Put the shells in the hot oil and brake them with a wooden spoon. Sauté the crab pieces for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, tomato paste, garlic, leeks, fennel and tarragon and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes. Pour in the cognac and  ignite it. (I do this outside, to prevent a fire in the kitchen.) When the flames have subsided, pour in the white wine and enough fish stock or water to cover. Boil the soup for 25 minutes, remove from heat, let sit to rest for 10 minutes before straining the soup. I strained the soup in two steps. First straining through a colander, removing the large pieces, and then straining through a fine-meshed strainer. Taste the soup. If you want a more concentrated soup, reduce the soup, by simmering it, until you have the desired taste. Remember the soup will be diluted by the cream, so you need a strong base soup.

Meanwhile boil the cream until it has been reduced by half. Add the reduced cream to the base soup. Season the soup with salt, cognac, cayenne and lemon juice. 

Serve the soup in heated bowls over some crab meat and a claw. (Heat the meat and claw by steaming it for a few minutes.)

Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

It's no secret we love spicy food, and here in the fall we love eating soup for dinner. Tortilla soup combines all the things I love in Mexican cooking: Chipotle, salsa, avocado, cilantro and fresh hot tortilla chips all in one.

If you want a more filling soup you can add more vegetables and some cooked rice, or serve the soup with a slice of good bread.

Ingredients

• 4 6-inch (small) corn tortilla, preferably a little old and dried out
• ¼ cup (1 dl) grape seed oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper w. some of the adobo sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock (or 4 cups water + teaspoons chicken base
• 1 can (14 oz/400-450 g) tomatoes
• rotisserie chicken, shredded
• ¼ cup (1 dl) lime juice
• ½ cup (75-100 g) sweet yellow corn

Toppings

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• creme fraiche or sour cream.
• tortilla strips

Directions

Starting with fresh tortilla, you need to do this extra step:

Place the tortilla on a baking sheet and bake them at 200°F (95℃) for about 10-15 minutes to dry them out a bit.

Cut dry tortillas into ¼-inch (¾ cm) wide strips. Heat oil in a wide pan. Working in batches, fry the tortilla strips in the oil, until crisp and lightly browned. Let excess oil drain from the tortilla strips on a paper-towel-lined plate.

In a large pot or dutch oven sauté the onions in a splash of oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped, powdered chili, stock, canned tomatoes and salt. Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and corn, and cook until heated through.

While the soup simmer, dice the tomato, chop the cilantro, peel and deseed the avocado and slice it. Cut the lime into wedges.

Serve the soup scalding hot in small bowls, with the topping you like.

Enjoy!