by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on October 1, 2009
This is my own pumpkin soup recipe just in time for Thanksgiving. My secret is using “3 kinds of pepper” gives any dish a deep smoky, peppery flavor with a hint of heat.
To really look cool you can serve soup in a large roasted pumpkin shell. That always gets lots of ohhhs and ahhhhs from my guests.
Ingredients:
1 large onion sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped (unless you love garlic like me and put in as much as you like)
¼ cup olive oil
1 small to medium sugar pumpkin; seeded and cut into chunks
48 oz. chicken broth
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper (imparts a smoky flavor)
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper (adds a peppery)
Dash or two of red pepper (cayenne powder, adds a small bit of heat)
Dash of nutmeg
I tsp dry sage
¼ C. butter
1 cup heavy cream or half n half
Crumbled bacon and/or chives for topping
Directions:
In a large stock pot, cook onion and garlic and pumpkin chunks in olive oil and cook over low heat until soft onion is soft.
Cover with chicken broth and cook until pumpkin is soft enough to puree.
Puree mixture.
Add butter and cream.
Add salt, 3 kinds of pepper and sage.
Heat thoroughly.
Top with bacon and chives and serve.
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by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on September 24, 2009
This is our favorite gravy and I make it every year for Thanksgiving. The spicy flavor goes so well with the Turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. I usually serve a crisp, spicy Gewurztraminer with this gravy. This is the only gravy I make for Thanksgiving now and it is a huge family favorite. I used to struggle to make gravy each year using drippings or simmering neck bones and giblets until I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks Chef Paul Prudhomme, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. This is now one of my Thanksgiving staples and as long as you can make a roux then you can have delicious gravy every time.
Ingredients:
¾ c chopped onions
¾ c chopped green bell peppers
¼ c chopped celery
¼ veg oil
¼ + 1 tlbs all-purpose flour
¾ tsp ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
¼ c minced jalapeno peppers
1 tsp minced garlic (I usually use 3 – 4 large cloves)
3 c broth (beef, chicken, vegetable or turkey)
Directions:
I usually double the recipe so we have plenty for leftovers. Fresh jalapenos are preferred; if you have to use pickled ones, rinse as much vinegar from them as possible. I use 2 peppers; 1 [...]
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by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on September 18, 2009
I love this sauce with beef or venison. You can also use a bottle of Cab or Pinot if that is what you have on hand. This Christmas I will serve it with my favorite Beef Wellington… yum… I can’t wait!
Ingredients:
6 shallots finely pureed
4 cloves of garlic finely pureed
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
3 tbsp flour
1 14 oz can chicken stock
1 bottle Wine (the best you can afford)
Pinch of dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cream
Note: Use the best bottle of wine you can afford, a good rule of thumb is that “if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it” but you should never blow your whole dinner budget on wine for sauce. This recipe makes a lot of sauce so you might want to cut it in half or make it all and freeze the leftovers for another dinner.
Directions:
Puree shallots and garlic in blender or food processor if possible or chop as fine as possible
Sauté shallots and garlic in Oil for a few minutes until soft and clear
Add the flour and sauté for a couple of minutes
Add the Herbs and wine followed by chicken stock and seasonings.
Simmer the sauces down to less than ¼ the volume [...]
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by Cheryl Wolhar on August 25, 2009
This is another family favorite and is usually served on Thanksgiving, however, this year I served the Pumpkin Soup which was also a big hit! The best thing about this recipe is that you can use it to make any “cream” soup that you want, i.e. Cream of Broccoli, Cream of Asparagus, etc… Just substitute the green chilies for any vegetable that you prefer.
Ingredients:
58 oz. fresh chicken stock
(4 – 14 ½ oz. cans if fresh is unavailable)
1 onion diced small
12 oz canned green chilies minced
½ teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup butter melted
1 cup flour
Salt to taste
1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Bring stock to a boil.
Sauté onion and green chilies in a small amount of oil on low heat until onion is soft and somewhat caramelized; add spices; add to stock and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine melted butter and flour, mix well.
Add ¾ of butter/flour mixture to the soup and whip until smooth. It will begin to thicken (If a thicker soup is desired add more of the mixture.)
To finish, add the cream slowly while stirring. Add salt and adjust seasonings.
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by Cheryl Wolhar on October 28, 2008
This bread is SO easy and SO delicious! This is the short version… it takes only 5 hours as opposed to the longer version that takes 12 hours. I actually prefer the slightly sour flavor that you get from the longer rise time but when I am in a hurry this version works perfectly.
The recipe calls for covered cast iron pot which creates a round loaf but I prefer to use this Italian covered baker for a french roll shape.
You can also add great flavorings such as lemon and rosemary, and you should experiment with whole wheat flours, but we have found we prefer unbleached white flour for a real french bread flavor.
For best results be sure to use the best unbleached, organic bread flour that you can find.
I wrapped my bread in a new dishtowel and took it as a hostess gift to a dinner party and it was very well received. It was still warm so we sliced it and ate it with butter and Gorgonzola cheese. Simply wonderful…
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 packet ( 1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil as needed
Directions:
1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir [...]
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This is my own pumpkin soup recipe just in time for Thanksgiving. My secret is using “3 kinds of pepper” gives any dish a deep smoky, peppery flavor with a hint of heat.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2a272f9f-a3d2-4450-8783-0871be205846)
