Saturday, October 24
Today we went to visit our friends Janine, Raj and 2 of their sons who live on a farm in New Glarus, Wisconsin. They have goats for milk, goats for wool, sheep, 2 pigs, a turkey, chickens and ducks. Janine is a great cook and planned a wonderful menu:
Tex Mex Stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon, homemade tortillas, black beans, coleslaw and pumpkin crunch for dessert. Pumpkin crunch is a truly decadent dessert.
I brought Autumn Harvest Soup. This is adapted from a combination of several different recipes from A Veggie Venture, Recipe Zaar, and Meals Matter.
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (1 box organic)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
2 apples, chopped (3 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 red pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 carrots, peeled and diced (3 cups)
1 stick celery, diced
1 large Yukon gold potato, diced
1/4 cup currants (these were great, don't skip them, raisins would work too)
1 tablespoon curry
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
1/2 -1 cup half and half (fat free is OK) to thin the soup if its too thick to desired consistency
Garnish with fresh chopped parley (optional, I forgot)
Sour cream
Saute the onions, celery and red pepper in the oil or butter until the onion is softened and translucent. Do not brown. Stir in the curry powder, then add the carrots, apples, potatoes and bay leaf. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, currants and thyme. Bring soup to a boil, cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Use immersion blender to puree as much as desired. We like our soup with a few chunks so I don't totally puree it. Add some 1/2 and 1/2 or coconut milk if the soup is too thick. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve garnished with dollops of sour cream.
This soup is excellent. There were 6 of us for lunch. This was the first course and there wasn't a drop left.
I also brought Cauliflower Cheese Pie
(adapted from Recipe Zaar and Food Network)
Potato Crust:
2 cups shredded potatoes
1/4 cup grated onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped (I actually used a small head of purple cauliflower and some romanesco from our farm)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Crust:.
Combine the grated potatoes, onions, salt and egg.
Pat it into a well-oiled 9-inch pie pan, building up the sides of the crust with lightly floured fingers.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until browned.
After 30 minutes, brush the crust with a little oil to crisp it and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Filling:.
Saute onions and garlic in butter & oil for 5 minutes; add the basil and cauliflower and cook, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spread 1/2 the cheese into the baked crust, then the saute, then the rest of the cheese.
Beat the eggs and the milk together and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes until set.
Tex Mex Stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon, homemade tortillas, black beans, coleslaw and pumpkin crunch for dessert. Pumpkin crunch is a truly decadent dessert.
I brought Autumn Harvest Soup. This is adapted from a combination of several different recipes from A Veggie Venture, Recipe Zaar, and Meals Matter.
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (1 box organic)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
2 apples, chopped (3 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 red pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 carrots, peeled and diced (3 cups)
1 stick celery, diced
1 large Yukon gold potato, diced
1/4 cup currants (these were great, don't skip them, raisins would work too)
1 tablespoon curry
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
1/2 -1 cup half and half (fat free is OK) to thin the soup if its too thick to desired consistency
Garnish with fresh chopped parley (optional, I forgot)
Sour cream
Saute the onions, celery and red pepper in the oil or butter until the onion is softened and translucent. Do not brown. Stir in the curry powder, then add the carrots, apples, potatoes and bay leaf. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, currants and thyme. Bring soup to a boil, cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Use immersion blender to puree as much as desired. We like our soup with a few chunks so I don't totally puree it. Add some 1/2 and 1/2 or coconut milk if the soup is too thick. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve garnished with dollops of sour cream.
This soup is excellent. There were 6 of us for lunch. This was the first course and there wasn't a drop left.
I also brought Cauliflower Cheese Pie
(adapted from Recipe Zaar and Food Network)
Potato Crust:
2 cups shredded potatoes
1/4 cup grated onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped (I actually used a small head of purple cauliflower and some romanesco from our farm)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Crust:.
Combine the grated potatoes, onions, salt and egg.
Pat it into a well-oiled 9-inch pie pan, building up the sides of the crust with lightly floured fingers.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until browned.
After 30 minutes, brush the crust with a little oil to crisp it and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Filling:.
Saute onions and garlic in butter & oil for 5 minutes; add the basil and cauliflower and cook, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spread 1/2 the cheese into the baked crust, then the saute, then the rest of the cheese.
Beat the eggs and the milk together and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes until set.
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