Susi's Kochen Und Backen Adventures

 

My husband is by all means a great eater. I don't recall many things he won't eat or at least try once. However, he is a huge flavor person. If the food is tasteless or bland he won't touch it. I've learned over the years that big flavors and especially a good amount of spice, will make him love pretty much anything. In the early years of our marriage I tried my hand at corn chowder. It was only received lukewarm and so I figured the time had come to give this soup another go. This time around I thought I would have a true winner on my hands if I went the Southwestern route and boy was I ever right. 

Looking all over the internet for a recipe for this chowder I came to find out very quickly that most of them weren't going to cut it and would just end up being another mediocre meal. My plan was to just take bits and pieces from several recipes and come up with my own version. This soup comes with a bit of a warning though. If you are a sissy when it comes to spicy food, then this is probably not the bowl for you, but if you love a good flavorful soup with a good kick, I encourage you to read on.


I started the soup by crisping up some bacon. See, already a step in the right direction! Sauteing onions in the leftover bacon flavored grease was the next step. Flour, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin made up my seasonings. For the stock I decided to go with chicken stock since that is what I had in my freezer, but you could certainly use vegetable as well. Potatoes are then added, and again I went with flavor by using the Yukon Gold variety. Once the potatoes are cooked nice and tender in the flavorful broth, I added frozen corn which I always have in my freezer and consider one of my convenience items. To add the final touch and to make this truly Southwestern, I decided on a combination of canned diced green chiles and minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce which added a wonderful smokiness to the dish. To "cool" the palate down, I went with some half-and-half which made the soup creamy, without making it too rich. For garnish, I used the previously crisped bacon bits and fried tortilla strips which my husband ever so kindly agreed to fry for me. They are simply flour tortillas cut into thin strips and fried in some hot oil before getting a sprinkling of sea salt.

Great soup, great flavors and you will definitely get warmed through and through with a bowl of this corn-potato chowder. This dish is going into my permanent recipe file and will be made many more times throughout the colder months.


Southwestern Corn-Potato Chowder
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups chicken stock (vegetable can be used as well)
3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and medium-diced (about 1 pound)
4 cups frozen corn
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles
3 whole chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce, finely minced
2 cups half-and-half
Fried tortilla strips for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the bacon fat, and cook until onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the corn to the soup, then stir in the green chiles and minced chipotle peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, add the half-and-half and cook for another 5 minutes. Check one more time for additional salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of the reserved bacon and fried tortilla strips (if desired).

Meatloaf can garner strong reactions from a lot of people. In my experience, there are two camps, the ones that love it and always have, and the other ones that loath it, and think it's one of the worst foods ever invented, reminding them of awful cafeteria food. I tend to think that most people who have that preconceived notion have never tried a good meatloaf recipe.  In fact, I would bet that today's featured recipe would convert them all into meatloaf lovers.

Thankfully, our family likes meatloaf, even though there have been a few hits and misses over the years. Anything from sickeningly sweet glazes to plain under-seasoned and bland concoctions. And while no one ever complained much, we didn't know what a truly fabulous meatloaf should taste like until I came across Tyler Florence's version. To us, this is the "ultimate" meatloaf that everyone looks forward to when it's on the menu.


What makes this meatloaf so incredibly tasty and unique is Tyler's use of a homemade Tomato Relish both inside the "meat dough" and also as a glaze. The relish is not hard to make but does require a bit of planning ahead, since it is best not to incorporate the hot relish into your meat. In the past, I've made the relish a day ahead of time and stored it in the refrigerator until ready to use. The meatloaf itself does not call for a lot of fancy ingredients, but does use a mix of ground beef and ground pork. I usually use 93% fat free beef with the pork and the meatloaf turns out perfectly moist, but certainly feel free to use whatever you are accustomed to. Soaking the bread (which is your binder) in milk prior to adding, assures additional moisture in the loaf. And last but certainly not least, the meatloaf is covered with bacon before baking. I mean, come on, there is no way you can go wrong with this recipe at this point. I'm only advising you to use the thick-cut bacon, which can withstand being baked for 1 1/2 hours without shriveling into oblivion or turning to sawdust.

This meatloaf has truly been a family favorite for many years and since it finally cooled down to the low 90's last weekend, my kids have been begging me to make this. There is no way I would attempt turning my oven on for this amount of time in the summer, but this ended up being the perfect weather. I always serve this dish with homemade mashed potatoes and a vegetable on the side. This time my youngest chose my  Peas and Carrots "German Style" which I have featured on my blog before. So if you like meatloaf or even if you've been on the fence about it, I'm urging you to give this very special recipe a try. It makes for an awesome Sunday dinner with loved ones!


Not Your Mama's Meatloaf
(Adapted from Tyler Florence)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

Tomato Relish (make first):
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 93 %)
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
Leave from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon

Preparation:

For the tomato relish: Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish. Let cool.

For the meatloaf: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the torn white bread in a bowl and dd the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meatloaf together.

This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet (I lined mine with foil that I oiled). Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm (mine took the full 1 1/2 hours). Rotate the meatloaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly Remove the meatloaf from the oven and it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.

I've always been a soup kind of girl. Even growing up, me and my middle sister would fight over leftover soup. My little sister on the other hand despised them and when I mentioned soup while she was visiting she curled up her nose which told me she still didn't care for them. Needless to say, we did not have soup or stew while she was visiting. My immediate family though loves a good bowl just as much as I do, and we make a dinner quite often out of it. With a salad or a sandwich on the side, soup can be a quick and quite satisfying meal.

I've tried to make various squash soups in the past, but only to lukewarm reviews from the family, so when I came across the recipe for this roasted butternut squash soup on Tasty Kitchen I wasn't sure how well it would be received. I guess I worried for nothing. This soup turned out wonderful and I only made a few small changes to accommodate our families taste. The soup starts by peeling and dicing a butternut squash and roasting it in the oven along with a celery, carrot, onions and garlic. After about 20 minutes, a couple of peeled and cut up apples are added to the mix and the roasting continues for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.


The finished roasted vegetables are added to a food processor and are mixed with a couple of cups of chicken or vegetable broth until smooth or the desired consistency is reached. Add honey, sage, salt and pepper and pulse until combined. Meanwhile, bacon gets cooked in a Dutch oven until crisp. The bacon is removed from the pan and drained on a paper towel. All but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease are drained from the pot and finally the blended vegetable puree is added to the Dutch oven with two more cups of broth. At this point, add more broth until the soup reaches the desired thickness (adding more broth for a thinner soup, or less if you like it on the thicker side). Simmer the dish for another 5 minutes making sure to taste one more time for salt and pepper.

I served this soup drizzled with sour cream and sprinkled with the reserved bacon and pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds). Trader Joe's sells a good sized bag of pepitas for a decent price, or you can just make your own. A great fall flavored soup that was incredibly rich and tasty. My husband, kids and I loved this recipe, and I know I will be making this soup several more times this season. The soup made the perfect accompaniment to toasted cheese sandwiches, and the leftovers were just as tasty the next day! This recipe would also be a lovely addition for a soup course on Thanksgiving, so be sure to give this one a try!


Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pound Butternut squash, halved and seeded, cut into large cubes
1 carrot, cut into large chunks
1 stalk celery, cut into large chunks
2 medium onions, cut into eights
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2 whole medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into eights
4-6 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried sage
6 slices bacon, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sour Cream (optional garnish)
Pepitas (optional garnish)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel and cut squash into large cubes. Place cubes into a large roasting pan. Add carrot pieces, celery, onion, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and add a good pinch of salt. Toss to coat and roast for 20 minutes in the oven. Add the apple pieces to the roasting pan and stir to combine. Return to the oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Add vegetable mixture to a food processor and blend with 2 cups of broth until desired consistency is reached. Add honey, sage, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pulse to combine. Set aside.

Cook diced bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the Dutch oven. Add the vegetable puree and two cups of broth (at this point you can add up to two more cups of broth depending on the consistency you are looking for). Taste for salt and pepper and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with crisp cooked bacon, sour cream and pepitas.

Welcome to another edition of Ice Cream Fridays. Every Friday you can look forward to a new ice cream recipe which will hopefully inspire you to break out your old dust covered ice cream maker that is hiding somewhere in a closet (yes, I'm talking about you). Since I'm always looking for inspiration and ideas, feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog or on my facebook page, and let me know what ice cream flavor you would like to see. Who knows, you might just get lucky and it will be featured the following week.

I blame my husband for this flavor. He had checked out my open TasteSpotting site and this recipe caught his eye. He was sold then and there! I on the other hand, was not convinced about adding bacon to an ice cream. But hey, this is my blog, and I can at least try everything once, right? Isn't that what being a food blogger is all about? Trying new things and stepping out of your comfort zone for recipes that you might not have made normally? See, I knew you would all nod your head in agreement.



The ice cream starts by taking some bacon (I used center cut), laying it out on a foil covered baking sheet and sprinkling it generously with brown sugar. The bacon is baked until dark and caramelized. Once crisp, it is set aside to cool and firm up on a baking rack before chopping into little pieces.
Meanwhile I got started on the brown butter ice cream. I made a few ever so slight changes to the recipe to bring out more flavor. First up, butter is melted in a saucepan, I actually let it get brown (the recipe did not mention this step) before adding in brown sugar and half-and-half. Once the mixture is hot, you proceed as you do with any custard based ice cream. After the mixture has thickened, I strained it into the rest of my half and half and added brandy, vanilla, and cinnamon. This mixture is then chilled before churning it in an ice cream maker until thick. During the last few minutes, the cooled, caramelized bacon bits are added.

So, what did we think? Well, despite all of my reservations, I have to give credit where credit is due, this was surprisingly delicious! My husband loved this flavor (it doesn't get more "manly" than with bacon),  and my boys loved it as well. I thought the base was amazing with the brown butter flavor and I did like the crunch the bacon provided, but was slightly thrown off by the smokiness left after each bite. The only one who absolutely did not care for this flavor was my teenage daughter. She was totally revolted after her first and only bite. Will I be making this ice cream again? Maybe. In the right entertainment setting, it could be fun to serve, but I certainly won't be stocking it in my freezer. If you are adventurous go ahead, give it a try, and let me know what you think about this one!




Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream 
(adapted from Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck and as featured on TasteSpotting)
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients:

For the bacon:
5 strips bacon (I used center cut)
approx. 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the ice cream base:
3 tablespoons (45 g) salted butter
3/4 cup (170 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 3/4 cups (675 ml) half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons brandy (whiskey or dark rum will work too)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Preparation:

For the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the strip of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.  Bake for 12 -16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that's collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until deep brown (watch carefully during the last few minutes). Remove from oven and cool the strips on a rack.
Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces.

For the ice cream base: Melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Cook the butter, watching carefully, until caramel colored. Stir in the brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the half-and-half.
In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens. Pour the cooked custard through a strainer into a large bowl containing the rest of the half-and-half (1 1/4 cups). Add brandy, vanilla and cinnamon (if using) and whisk together.

Chill the mixture for about 5 hours in the refrigerator. Once thoroughly chilled pour into ice cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last couple minutes of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

There isn't much I can say about this dip besides the fact that it is good, really good. The combination of Swiss cheese, bacon, and smoked almonds is delicious. It is also a very "manly" dip. With football season only a few short weeks away, this is the perfect dip to be served on football watching days (Go EAGLES!). If football isn't your "thing", and you are more into book club meetings and a glass of Chardonnay, well then you are in luck as well since this dip tastes fantastic for any kind of entertaining.

The dip is made very quickly by mixing cooked bacon bits with cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, scallions, and of course Swiss cheese. The dish is then baked until golden and bubbly. Then, right before serving, it is topped with chopped smoked almonds. Easy enough, even my teenager could make this. You can also kick this recipe up a notch by adding a couple of teaspoons horseradish into the mixture before baking. I made sure to only add almonds down the middle of the dip since not everyone cares for them, and this gave people an option to choose with or without nuts.

I served this dip with fresh baguette slices and carrots, but any kind of cracker, flat-bread, or crostini would be wonderful served along side. This dip was very well received with everyone who tried it, and has now gotten a permanent spot in my recipe file. I know I will be making this recipe a lot in the coming months, especially considering all of the entertaining events fall will bring. I really hope you will give this dish a try, it is truly a wonderful combination that you don't want to miss out on!



Swiss and Bacon Dip
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 slices center cut bacon, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 rounded teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
2 rounded teaspoons horseradish (optional)
1 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
Baby carrots and a selection of breads or crackers for dipping

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown bacon in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drain crisp bacon bits on paper towels.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish (if using), Swiss cheese, and scallions with cooked bacon. Transfer to a shallow small casserole or baking dish and bake until golden and bubbly at edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Top with chopped smoked almonds. Place dip on a platter and surround warm casserole with breads and carrots for dipping.

One thing I look forward to every summer is fresh corn. We eat corn year round, but when it isn't in season, I result to the frozen variety. It is most definitely not the same, and to me nothing beats the taste of fresh corn on the cob grilled with just a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Delicious! 

Since right now is prime corn season, and you can get it for fairly cheap at the local grocery stores, farmer's markets, and even road side stands, I keep my eyes open for recipes that use a good amount of it.

Looking through the newest edition of bon appetit magazine, this recipe caught my eye. Corn pesto? Now, this was a new one to me. I've made all kinds of pesto before. From the classic with basil and pine nuts, to sun dried tomato pesto and even a Walnut Pesto, which was featured on this blog before. They are all delicious, and each one lends itself to so many different applications. It is certainly one of my favorite condiments to use. So back to the Corn Pesto which had peaked my interested. It is very reminiscent of a classic basil pesto with the pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil, but also very different at the same time.

The recipe starts by crisping up some bacon. The fresh corn which is cut off the cobs (I used this gadget which works like a dream), is then sauteed in some of the left over bacon grease along with garlic. Some of the cooked corn is set aside, while the rest is added to a food processor along with freshly grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. While processing, olive oil is added through the feed tube and the mixture is blended until almost smooth.  Once the pasta is cooked, the corn pesto along with the reserved cooked corn and fresh basil is added. Cooking water from the pasta will help to achieve the desired consistency of the dish.  Finally, the pasta gets the finishing touch by adding the previously cooked bacon and more basil.

This dish was everything and more we ever hoped for. It was creamy and full of flavor, in a way it reminded me of Spaghetti Carbonara. Corn is certainly prominently featured in this recipe and shines in this dish. I served this with grilled steak and a simple side salad. This was a great meal that I will be making for sure the next time I'm entertaining. I thought it was a very unique way to take advantage of summer's corn bounty!

Fettuccine with Fresh Corn Pesto

(adapted from bon appetit)

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounces Fettuccine or Tagliatelle
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Preparation:

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Saute over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to  samll bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into a food processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

One of my all-time favorite side dishes, one that I could easily eat every week without growing tired of it, is mashed potatoes. I prefer just plain old mashed potatoes made with milk and butter, but every once in a while when I feel adventurous, I go as far as making them with buttermilk, roasted garlic or other add-ins so the rest of the family won't grow tired of them and thinks I made them something different.

This recipe I found yet again in a Cuisine at Home (love this magazine!), and on first glance it almost reminded me of my Colcannon potatoes which I like to make around St. Patrick's Day. I started this dish by switching from Russet Potatoes (which the recipe called for) to Yukon Gold. I firmly believe that if you start with a great tasting potato to begin with, you can easily reduce the butter without losing flavor. The potatoes are cooked along with the garlic, and right before draining, spinach is added to the water to wilt it down. The potato/spinach mixture is then mashed. Then butter, milk, salt, and nutmeg are incorporated. For the final touch, pre-crisped bacon bits and a little bit of heavy cream are added.

This was a fairly simple dish that was full of wonderful flavors. I served this alongside grilled sirloin steaks and fresh green beans, which made this a wonderful Sunday dinner. My whole family loved this side dish as much as the Goat Cheese Polenta I featured earlier in the week. This recipe is definitely a keeper that I will be adding to our regular dinner rotations!


Bacon-Spinach Mashed Potatoes
(adapted from "Cuisine at Home")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, pealed, smashed
1 (9 ounce) bag fresh spinach
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup milk (I used 1 %)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Saute bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Boil potatoes and garlic in a large pot of salted water until tender when pierced, about 15 minutes. Just before draining, stir in spinach to wilt. Drain potatoes, garlic and spinach; return to pot and cook over low heat 1-2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture, stirring constantly.

Add milk and butter, mash potatoes until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt, nutmeg and add heavy cream. Stir in bacon bits before serving.