Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Supper last night was supposed to be turkey fruit salad. It didn't quite happen. Instead I made Celeriac Soup with Cilantro.

Celeriac Soup

adapted from a recipe on Recipezaar

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I left in all of the seeds in but you can remove them if you prefer a milder soup)

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 lbs celeriac, peeled,trimmed and cut into cubes

If you don't have enough celeriac substitute some potatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped or more if you like

1/3 cup milk

salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes over a medium high heat.

Stir in the cumin and season with salt and pepper.

Add the celeriac, along with the chicken broth.

Bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or just until the celeriac is cooked.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup until it has the consistency you want.

Stir in the chopped cilantro and milk.

Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.

If you aren't familiar with Recipezaar its an excellent recipe site: http://www.recipezaar.com/

I used a recipe in The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon which is one of my favorite new cookbooks.

Dairy Hollow House Skillet Cornbread (this is considered a Southern style cornbread)

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal (I have a coarse grind; I might suggest a finer grind)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower or canola)

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the pan spray.

Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.

In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the sugar, egg and 1/4 cup oil.

Put the prepared skillet over medium heat and melt the butter until it just starts to sizzle. Coat the sides and bottom of the pan with the butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly. Scrape the batter into the prepared hot pan and place in the oven immediately. Bake the cornbread for about 20 minutes until it is golden brown. Slice into wedges and serve with butter.