† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
|
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: Oct/02/2008 7:50 PM PST
I copied the recipe straight out of the book because I like the book, but I've never made it according to this particular recipe. I usually fiddle. If you try it, let me know how it is. It does indeed say 12 kaffir lime leaves, or 6 pairs (for those who haven't used them, they're joined in pairs at the stem end). I've never known Lime leaves or tamarind to be bitter, although tamarind is definitely SOUR. Chili-tamarind paste isn't as sour as straight tamarind though. Lime peel can be very bitter, if you don't get all the white pith off. But note that the cooking time on this soup is very, very short, so there's not alot of cooking time to draw out flavors (or potentially bitter oils) from the aromatics. I think that's why the amount of ginger, lime, lemon grass etc is so large. Also, salt is more important than sugar in balancing out pucker - think margarita with salt, salt and vinegar potato chips, fish and chips with vinegar (the vinegar both balances salt and cuts fat in that one), and European-type salad dressings made entirely of lemon juice or vinegar, oil, and salt. The fish sauce and chili-tamarind paste pack loads of salt, and I always add extra fish sauce. The high dose of both salt and sour in tom kha balances the fattyness of the coconut milk. But yeah, that's why I suggest going with a recipe for Thai and Vietnamese food - it's a difficult thing to balance food so highly seasoned with sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and pungent flavors. Now I'm going to have to try this recipe without fiddling! |
 |
Posted: Oct/03/2008 2:26 PM PST
Hey Aimee, Get your drift with the lime leaves. short cooking time + a heap of salt. I would still hesitate to put 12 Kaffir Lime leaves in though.. besides the fact that would take my entire supply! I have to go to the city to get KAFFIR LIME LEAVES.. In Montreal's china town they are sold in branches. I carefully separate the leaves from the branches (I have slit open a thumb more than once on that nasty little claw at the tip of each leaf). Then I take out a very large piece of Saran wrap. Lay the leaves in a row with about an inch between. Fold the Saran over and over. Twist between the leaves, fold up the resulting ribbon, stuff it in a zip lock bag. They stay fresh and green this way for a couple of months and I can just cut off one or two leaves from the ribbon as needed. Okay, back on page 2 of this thread I mentioned that I had just found an interesting recipe for CIOPPINO and that I would post if after I had tried it. The time has come. Made it today. Will cut 'n paste it the way I found it then, at the bottom add my personal tweeks from this try or what I intend to do next time I make it. Enjoy! Gimpy2 QUICK AND EASY CIOPPINO -1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cut lengthwise in 6 wedges -1 medium onion, quartered -3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled -3 TBS. EVOO -2 bay leaves -1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme - 1/8 tsp. dried hot red-pepper flakes -1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes in juice -1 ½ c. water -1 c. full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah -1 (8-oz) bottle clam juice -1 lb. cultivated mussels -1 lb. skinless white fish fillets ie halibut, hake, or Pollack in 2” chunks -Pulse fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. -Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. -Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. -Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, and clam juice and boil, covered, 20 minutes. -Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide, 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves. **TWEEKS:1) Skip the water, there is enough liquid in here anyway. 2)Use 1/2 cup Spicy Clamato Juice instead of the water 3)Don't put in the fish and seafood till everyone is at the table. Too easy to overcook. 4) Add whatever other seafood you wish/can get. I added very thin strips of squid, and used grouper as the fish. When I can get it, I would use monkfish. The flesh is really firm and doesn't fall apart when cooked. Attachments:  |
|
|
Posted: Oct/14/2008 11:28 AM PST
Hello KeyWee, I finally got around to making your SNOWED IN TACO SOUP. It's a real winner! I am really slow on the uptake. Just noticed this recipe was posted a year ago! Posts: 722 Posted: Nov/09/2007 11:52 AM PST Anyway, I did what I was invited to do.. I tweaked it. TWEAKS: 1)Substituted pork for beef for dietary reasons. 2)Omitted black-eyed peas… couldn’t find any at our grocery stores. 3)Used fresh green beans.Canned green beans - NOT! 4)-Substituted Classico Spicy Red Pepper sauce for the tomato sauce cuz I didn’t have any Hunt's Tomato Sauce in the house just then. 5)-Used a fresh cherry pepper + ½ canned Chilpotle pepper in Adobo, seeds removed, chopped fine instead of canned green pepper. That made the taste rich & deep but muuuch toooo hot! 6)Cut the heat with juice of 1 lemon + 1 orange. Also put a quartered peeled potato in during the simmering, removed it after. 7) Added 1/2 a head of roasted garlic + Mexican seasonings (1/2 tsp.cumin, 1/2 tsp. coriander, 1/4 tsp.turmeric, 1/4 tsp. fenugreek) for depth. 8)–Finally a big double handful of julienned Romaine, and a big bunch of snipped fresh cilantro just cuz I thought it was needed. Next time, will cut the Classico Red Pepper Sauce by half. It was excellent but a little on the hot side. My entire family was here for Thanksgiving. Though the soup wasn't on the menu, they got into it. Loved it. All want my version of the recipe. Feel proud! Thanks Keywee! gimpy2 |
 |
Posted: Feb/18/2009 6:29 AM PST
Tomato Basil Soup I have an abundance of tomatoes off of my one black plum tomato plant. So, I'm going to be trying all kinds of tomato recipes. I made this soup last night and the wife and I both agreed that it was excellent. I used a couple of recipes that I found online as inspiration. This recipe serves two. 1 1/4 pounds plum tomatoes - halved and cored 8-10 whole garlic cloves 1 diced small yellow onion 1/4 cup Olive oil 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 pint chicken stock 2 tablespoons of butter 2 bay leaves about a 1/3 cup of heavy cream(I used half&half cause we're on a diet) 7-8 large, chopped fresh basil leaves Salt & Pepper Optional: Cayenne pepper to taste Fresh Grated Parmessan, Pecorrino Romano, or Parmeggiano Reggiano Preheat oven to 450 degrees Place the tomatoes, garlic, onioins, dried basil, and garlic oil in an aluminum-lined baking dish large enough so they are spread out evenly. They can be slightly bunched up if you don't have a large enough dish. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and toss. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until caramelized. Remove tomatoes from oven and use the aluminum foil as a "pouch" to lift tomatoes and juices out of the pan and into a 3 qt stock pot. Pour in 3/4 of the chicken stock, add butter, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced by about 1/4. Add basil leaves to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you should wait until it cools and puree in a food processor. Return soup to low heat and add cream and adjust consistency(only if needed) with the remaining chicken stock. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.* If you are going to add cheese, add it once the soup is served into bowls. *You may want to go easy on the salt mentioned earlier, depending on the cheese you use. If you are going to add cayenne pepper, keep in mind that it is VERY spicy. I love the stuff, but my wife prefers to go easy on it. You can add the pepper at any point once the soup is in the stock pot or in the serving bowls if everyone has different opinions on spiciness. |
 |
Posted: Feb/18/2009 7:53 PM PST
I love soups also. Here is one that we love. White Bean and Pasta Soup 1 1/4 cups dried "Great Northern Beans" 1 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces 1 large onion, chopped 3 ribs celery, chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dreied oregano leaves 2 quarts water 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes,u undrained 1/3 cup small pasta (abc's, or stars) salt and pepper to taste shredded cheese, of your choice Sort and rinse beans. In a large pot, over high heat, bring beans and water to a boil. Lower heat, to simmer. Cook beans until tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Discard all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease. Saute' onion, celery, and garlic until tender. Add the onion mixture to the beans. Stir the oregano, and tomatoes to the beans, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in bacon. Serve with shredded cheese. |
|
|
Posted: Mar/05/2009 1:49 PM PST
Hi folks, Been gone a long time becoming a bionic woman. Now have new bionic knee and a whole lot of hardware to hold my ankle together. While I was away my e-mail went nuts and started cloning all my incoming mail in infinite numbers. Jammed up the whole works. Still trying to get that fixed. So, short of smoke signals or the phone, can't seem to communicate with anyone. Love the new soups and will get around to trying a few. Don't have much in the way of new soups. This one has been on my books a while. Crecy is a gastronomic term for anything with carrots in it. This one is not dietetic but pretty good anyway. The only really new thing I have is a killer spicy Thai peanut butter sauce that goes with grilled shrimp and coconut rice. If anyone is interested I'd be thrilled to share it. P.S. I posted this recipe on the thread called: Peanut butter with.. enjoy! Gimpy2 (the handle doesn't fit anymore, anyone have a suggestion for a new name?) CRÈME DE CRECY -4 c. peeled & chopped carrots -1 c. chopped Spanish Onion -1 c. peeled & chopped turnip -3 peeled & chopped celery sticks -1 finely chopped garlic clove -2 TBS. butter -5 c. chicken broth (2 cans) -1/2 tsp. mixture of Allspice, nutmeg & - cinnamon -1 c. 15% cream -In a pressure cooker, melt butter. Sweat the onions 5 minutes. -Stir in the turnip, celery and garlic. Simmer, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes. -Stir in the 5 cups chicken broth and the spices. Bring to a boil -Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are mash tender. -Cool to room temperature. Puree with immersion blender. **Save it in this format. -When you are ready to serve the soup, reheat it and stir in the cream. -Taste, salt & pepper …adjust other seasonings if needed. |
|
|
Posted: Mar/21/2009 12:42 PM PST
Gimpy again folks, I just found a new soup to add to this great collection. It's fairly easy to make.I tried it for the first time this week and I think it's a keeper. ENJOY! HARIRA - ½ lb. Finely cubed lamb -2 TBS olive oil - 1 large onion minced -2 cloves garlic minced - ½ tsp. ground coriander -1 tsp. ground cumin - ½ tsp. turmeric - ½ tsp. ground ginger -1 TBS. Harissa - 1 cup chick peas -2 cups vegetable or beef broth -1, 14oz can Italian tomatoes -Juice & grated rind of 1 lime -salt & pepper to taste -fresh snipped coriander leaves to garnish -In a heavy soup pot brown lamb in olive oil. Remove and set aside. -In the same pot, brown the onions and garlic, adding more oil if needed. -Return browned lamb to the pot. Stir in all herbs and spices including Harissa.. -Heat, stirring, till you can smell the spices. -Stir in grated lime rind and juice, chick peas, broth and Italian tomatoes -Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. -Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. -Ladle into a serving bowl, garnish with snipped fresh coriander leaves. -Serve with pie wedges of crisped Pita bread. I’ve been told it’s the 1st food traditionally eaten to end the fasting at Ramadan. OOps! Sorry, wrong photo. donno how to delete it. Attachments:   |
|
|
Posted: Mar/22/2009 9:31 AM PST
Mmmmmm, Moroccan. I love Moroccan food, there's so much flavor packed into it. Congrats on your bionic knee, Gimpy!! |
|
|
Posted: Mar/23/2009 10:26 AM PST
Hi Aimee! Glad to see your name on a posting again. Oh so the Harira is Morrocan is it? Knew it was arab, but didn't know the country of origin. Have you tried this soup of something close to it before? I went roaming through the recipe threads yesterday and found someone desperate to find you to ask about what to do with wild boar meat. It was quite an old posting, so figured you hadn't known it was there. Though she had finally winged it and made all the right choices, I did my best to answer her, not just about wild boar, but the basic facts and rules about how to tackle any game meat. You might want to go have a look-see on the thread called "wild pork". I'm still having problems with my Incredimail.. it's a mess. A nice cousin of Luc's was good enough to cut off Incredimail from the server and set my comp up so I could go get my mail directly from the server. Far from ideal situation and I sorely miss Incredimail, but it's better than nothing. Stay in touch, Gimpy2 |
|
|
Posted: Mar/24/2009 6:25 PM PST
Yeah, I took a little break from my online life this winter - I'm still pretty much off the social network sites but I find myself back here as I'm outside in the dirt more! I have a new job as a food writer-correspondant for our local paper and it's keeping me working at the computer... so I don't have that "come home from running around like crazy at work and veg in front of the computer to relax with a beer" thing going on any more. Also, the more sites I socialize on, the less work I get done while I sit here. BAH, I've got to give up this mystery plant thing but it's so FUN. I just assumed the Harira is Moroccan because harissa is Moroccan in particular, and the combination of that, lamb, and chick-peas in a saucy soupy prepration is pretty standard for the country. But I wouldn't, like, bet a thousand dollars on it or anything. Do you have Paula Wolfort's "Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco"? It's a great book if you like that kind of thing. |
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
