Week 79: Red Lentil Soup and Oat Soda Bread

I made this soup because:

-The blog I found it on made it sound like it was one of the greatest soups to ever be slurped.
-It's stinkin' cold outside. Can you say Blizzard 2011?
-Red lentils intrigue me. (Even though they were hard to find. Thanks, Whole Foods.)
-It was an excuse to use my immersion blender. What a fun tool that is.

I made the bread because:

-I love carbs.
-Sorry if you thought I had more reasons than that.

The soup was delicious. I ended up pureeing more than the recipe said to simply because I wasn't in the mood for a very chunky soup. I loved how pureeing the beans and veggies gave the soup a creamy, thick texture, but was still so healthy. It inspired me to try playing around my immersion blender with other combinations of beans and veggies. I'll let you know if I find anything great.

The bread was good for what it was. I loved that it was easy since it was a soda bread, and didn't require any yeast. Yeast intimidates me. The seeds on top of the bread were a good addition, and my favorite was the flavor of the caraway seeds. The bread was pretty dense, but was yummy warm with melted butter, or with honey. I may also be a little bitter because of the fact that I sawed into my finger when trying to slice the bread, so I may or may not be holding on to that grudge as I write this review...

SOUP Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

SOUP INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder, more to taste
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

SOUP DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add broth, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice.

BREAD Year of Yum Rating: 3 STARS

BREAD INGREDIENTS

2 cups (minus about 2 tablespoons) oat flour
~2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk, plus more if needed, and 2T. for brushing
mixed seeds - sesame, caraway, poppy

BREAD DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until everything comes together into a dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for 30 seconds or so, just long enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without many cracks or fissures. If your dough is on the dry side, add more buttermilk a small splash at a time. Now ease the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.

Brush all over the top and sides with buttermilk and sprinkle generously with mixed seeds or flour, 2 tablespoons or so. Slice a few deep slashes across the top of the dough. Bake for about 30 minutes, then quickly (without letting all the hot air out of the oven), move the rack and the bread up a level, so the top of the bread gets nice and toasted. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. It will feel very solid and sound hollow when you knock on it.

Carefully lift it out of the pan, in a timely fashion, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a good slathering of salted butter.

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Lone Star Sirloin Chili

I recently checked out from the library a ridiculous number of cookbooks with soup and slow-cooker recipes. With all of the snowy, cold weather, I have been craving these things like nobody's business. This Tex-Mex spin on chili was only made better by the fact that it contained a bottle of beer. I loved the fact that I could taste the flavor of the beer after it was cooked. I was also worried about the steak, and whether it would turn out to be tender enough. It absolutely was, my friends.

Even though this recipe required more preparation on the front end than I am used to with slow cooker recipes, the smell I woke up to the following morning after it cooking all night made it worth it.

I WILL be making this again. Maybe tomorrow since we have another snow day...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (This was the most time-consuming part of the process. I think I will ask the meat counter next time if they have a machine that might make this easier. Also, the dude behind the counter asked if I wanted the top (read: good) sirloin, or if I wanted the less expensive one. We decinded on the cheaper one since it would have 8-10 hours to get tender in the slow-cooker.)
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet onions, coursely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno (I used the whole thing...seeds and all. Don't be scared!)
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups beef broth
one 12-ounce bottle Lone Star beer (I didn't have this, so I used Dos Equis Amber. Totally worked.)
one 15-ounce can tomato puree
two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle the beef evenly with te salt and cayenne. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides.

Transfer the meat to the insert of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker.

Lower the heat to medium-low and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and saute until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, being careful to stir the mixture so the chile powder doesn't burn. Add the cornmeal and stir until blended with the other ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, whisking, and bring to a boil.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the beer, tomato puree, and beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.

Skim off any fat from the top of the chili. Serve the chili with yummy toppings like tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and chopped pickled jalapenos.

Week 74: Lemon, Chicken, and Rice Soup

First of all, let me officially acknowledge the fact that I'm a slacker. I realize that. I sometimes have little lapses in keeping up with blogging the recipes that I've been trying. I could make excuses. I could. OR I could just make it up to you with an explosion of recipes RIGHT NOW. No guarantees that they will be in order.

First off, I'm-Sick-For-the-Beginning-of-Winter-Break soup. That's not actually what it's called, but it might as well be. Why does this nasty cold wait until I have a BREAK to make its appearance? Oh well, this soup is helping me make my recovery. This soup AND expensive decongestants, AND a whole lot of Kleenex.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

I really liked this soup, and loved what the lemon had to add to the flavor. I did think that it was a little thinner than I had hoped for, and if I made it again (WHEN I make it again) I will add more "stuff" such as additional veggies and more rice, or maybe even noodles.

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oilve oil
1 onion, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup long grain brown rice, cooked
4 large egg yolks
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Prep the chicken by patting dry and dicing into bite sized pieces. Season as desired and set aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat add oil. Add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Then add the chicken to the pot and cook until lightly browned. Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Add the carrots, thyme, and rice. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and yolks together in a bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle 1 cup of the hot soup into the egg mixture, then stir the egg mixture back into the soup. Reheat over low heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a garnish of fresh parsley.