French Onion Soup

English: french onion soup, as photographed at the Woodhaven House in Rego Park, NY. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• 4 medium onions sliced very thin
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine ( optional )
• rich beef broth.   ( I use the mcormack’s  beef flavoured ) it is vegetarian
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• old bread for the top
• grated cheese ( preferably gruyere or swiss.  ( If you do not have this kind of cheese, use mozarella and sprinkle with parmesan )

1. Sautee thinly sliced onions and garlic in olive oil until caramelized ( low to medium heat )
2. Add tomato paste and cook a little longer.  Deglaze pan with the red wine.
3. Add enough beef broth to cover the onions ( you do not want it too thin. )
4. Add bay leaf and let simmer until the onions are soft.  About 1/2 hour.
5. Adjust seasoning.
6. Pour soup into oven proof bowls.  Top with stale or toasted bread and grated cheese.
7. Place under broiler and bake until the cheese is lightly browned.  ( It will not take very long )

Chicken Curry ( the bomb )

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
• 1 tblsp. tomato paste
• 3 tblsp. soya sauce
• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger minced
• 1 tblsp lemon grass ( paste from a tube, or 2 stalks fresh )
• 2 tblsp brown sugar
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 tblsp. curry powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tsp. patak’s curry paste.
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 3 potatoes
• 3 carrots

1. Place chicken in large bowl.
2. Add  the next 12 ingredients and toss around so the chicken is covered evenly. Let marinade for 2  to 12 hours.
3. Heat a skillet, add 1 tbsp olive oil, fry chicken until browned from all sides.
4.  Transfer to a larger pot. Add the coconut milk, curry paste and chicken stock.  Let simmer on med – low for 1 hour  Add potatoes and carrots.  Cook until tender.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  You can thicken the curry with a flour water paste if you like.
5. Serve with rice, quinoa, or naan bread.

Blue Ribbon Chili con Carne

I’ve been cooking chili for a long, long time.  It was one of the first recipes I mastered.   A few years ago I won a chili cook off with this recipe.  Chili is like soup though, you add the basic ingredients and go from there.  Here’s my recipe that I would like to share with you.

Chili con Carne

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 stalk celery thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 large can stewed dice tomatoes   ( you can use whole, but you have to chop them up )
• 1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
• 2 tsp instant beef bouillon

1. Heat oil in pan, add onion, garlic, peppers and celery.  Add ground beef and cook on medium until no longer pink.
2. Add remaining ingredients adjust seasoning  and simmer on low for an hour, or transfer to crock pot and put setting on low.
3. Use leftovers for chili dogs or nachos.  It also freezes well.

Creamy Curried Chicken Soup

This one is a favourite at our house, and so easy to make.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup frozen peas  ( or fresh this time of year )
• 1 tsp pataks curry paste ( I use hot, but then again, I like it spicy )
• 2 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 litre chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 bay leaf
• parsley  ( optional )

Heat olive oil in large pot.  cut up raw chicken breast and add to oil, add garlic and ginger and cook on medium heat until chicken is almost done.  Add onions and celery, cook until translucent, add peppers, carrots and potatoes.  Cook a few minutes longer.  Add salt and pepper.  If at this point there is no more olive oil visible add another tablespoon.  Add the flour and quickly and stir until all vegetables and chicken are coated.  Pour in broth 1/2 cup at a time and whisk in.  Do it quickly so you do not get any lumps.  Once all the broth has been added turn down the heat a bit.  Add the curry paste to the coconut milk  to dissolve, then add to soup along with all the other ingredients except for the peas.  Continue to simmer, until all vegetables are tender, add peas at the very end.  Correct the seasoning.  If the soup is too thin, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup milk or cream.  Whisk into soup and cook a little longer until desired consistency is reached.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup

As some of you might know, I had a bit of a setback a few days ago.  My hemoglobin level plummeted to 66.  A normal level is 120.  My Doctor ordered me straight to the hospital for a blood transfusion.  Wow, what a wake up call that was.

After doing a lot of reading about iron rich foods etc. I’ve come up with a few recipes that I would like to share.  My friend Meike and I came up with this recipe today.  It was delicious!  Now I must tell you, I am not a big fan of Lentils.  When I was much younger I was known to put a simmering pot of Lentil soup on ” high ” so that it burned.  Here’s the recipe,  we thought it was delicious.  You can make a vegetarian version without the ham bone.

• 2cups of red lentils
• 3 large carrots
• 1 large onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 ham bone
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 large yam
• 2 potatoes
• half a can of coconut milk   ( freeze the other half for next time )
• 2 tbsp.  vegetable bouillon
• ¼ tsp sambal olek
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp patak’s curry paste
• 1 tbsp Curry powder
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste

Directions.  Cover red lentils and ham bone with water, add salt and bring to  a boil.  Dice onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and yams and add to pot.  Add minced garlic and grated ginger.  Add tomato paste, curry paste, vegetable bouillon, curry powder , coconut milk, samba olek and cardamom.  Let simmer until vegetables are tender. Take out the ham bone and cut off meat.  Dice and add it to the soup. Throw the bone to the dog.   Adjust seasonings.  You may add a dollop of yogurt to each bowl when serving.  Enjoy!