Happy Thanksgiving.....

If you're at all like me, right about now you've settled into the comfy part of the couch and secretly unbuttoned your pants so that you can breathe!  You swore you were not going to overeat this Thanksgiving, but here we are.  Once again.  Which is why you're going to want to make this tomorrow.  It's intended to be a vegetarian dish, but if you have an overabundance of turkey to use up, you could definitely throw it in here.

This is a really hearty soup that is high in fiber and low in calories (without the turkey!) which makes it perfect for the next few days.  So you'll feel better about yourself.  And not feel guilty about all of the upcoming Christmas parties you'll be attending.    Whatever works, right?


I found this recipe on what has quickly become my favorite twice-weekly email.....The Dish from Food and Wine (click on the link to subscribe).  There's usually a theme to the email and it's chock full of great recipes, weekly meal planners, wine tips, etc.  Anyhoo, this one was from Mary Ellen Diaz, who went from being a chef in a gourmet restaurant to running the First Slice Soup Kitchen in Andersonville, Illinois.  This is based on a brothy tortilla soup that's full of bulgur, barley and brown rice and spicy Latin flavors, which she says "do well on the street".

Everyone loved this soup.  It's filling, healthy, and most importantly.....tasty!  And depending on the dried peppers you choose, it can be as spicy or as mild as you like it.

Here's the recipe:

Spicy Grain Soup

Recipe by:  Mary Ellen Diaz

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup pearl barley
Water
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
1/2 cup bulgur
1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 ancho or dried mulato chiles—stemmed, seeded and broken into 2-inch pieces (use gloves to handle any spicy chiles)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 quarts vegetable broth (I do not like the taste of vegetable broth, so I used chicken broth.  I realize this doesn't make it vegetarian, but....I don't care!!)
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
6 cilantro sprigs, plus 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 medium zucchini, finely diced
1 medium parsnip, finely diced
1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds (I eliminated these.  Couldn't find them)

DIRECTIONS:


In a medium saucepan, cover the barley with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 35 minutes; drain. Return the barley to the pan and cover. In another medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain the brown rice and add to the barley.

In a medium bowl, cover the bulgur with 1 cup of hot water. Cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, 10 minutes.

In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil. Add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, cilantro sprigs and allspice and season with 1 tablespoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pan.
Add the mushrooms, black beans, carrot, zucchini and parsnip to the pureed soup and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the barley, rice and bulgur and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro and serve.

NOTES
One Serving 368 cal, 14 gm fat, 1.4 gm sat fat, 29 gm carb, 11 gm fiber.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Birmingham is a BIG tennis community.  For a city our size, we get to see some major tennis talent play right in our own back yard.  While we don't yet host a major men's or women's tour event in the span of the past 13 months, Birmingham was the site for a Davis Cup match vs. Switzerland and in just a few short weeks a Fed Cup match against Russia will be held downtown.  So, I think it's just a matter of time before we build a facility that would draw a tour event here.

       

In the meantime, we get to see the future stars of the tour play in satellite events.  Like these three.....that's TJ, Shannon and Jennifer.  TJ and Shannon are here from Australia and Jennifer is from New York.  They're really fun girls and boy can they smack the shit out of a tennis ball.  A friend of mine agreed to house them for the week and they all came up here for dinner last night.  So much fun!

I'd love to be able to tell you I fed them this asparagus soup, but those girls burn more calories in a day than I do in a week and, well, asparagus soup wasn't what they were looking for last night!

But if you're looking for something delicious to make with all of that beautiful Spring asparagus that's flooding the markets right now, this is a great choice.  I first saw this recipe in the new edition of Cook's Country magazine and was intrigued, but then another blogger mentioned the same soup and I was sold.  It uses frozen peas to boost the green color and also add a touch of sweetness.  It's fresh and creamy and would be a great addition to your Easter menu!  Give it a try.

Here's the recipe:

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Cook's Country

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs asparagus, stem ends trimmed (this equaled two bunches for me)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
salt and pepper
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Cut tips off asparagus spears and chop stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.  Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add asparagus tips and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Set aside.

Add remaining butter and asparagus, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in peas and parmesan.  Puree soup in blender (I used food processor) in 2 batches and return to pot.  Stir in cream, lemon juice and asparagus tips and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days.


And if you happen to be in the Jackson, Mississippi area next week, head out to see TJ, Shannon and Jennifer play.   It's some great tennis!

Barefoot Bloggers - Shrimp Bisque

I seriously considered not posting that picture. I mean, does that look appetizing to you? A bowl of brown, lumpy, well.....I won't go there. But then I went to the Food Network site to get a copy the recipe and saw their picture. Not any better. I figured this was just one of those times when you scratch your head and say, "How could something that tasted that GOOD, look so bad???"

And, wow, did this taste good. So good, that I didn't even mind the partially pureed texture. The only thing I'll do differently next time is roast a few extra shrimp for a topping....just so when I serve it at my next dinner party, people will know exactly what they're eating. And won't immediately push it away because its so damn ugly.

Thanks to Jennifer of Our Blessed Home for this week's BB pick. Great choice. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts this week and especially seeing their pictures!!

Here's the recipe:

Shrimp Bisque

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.