Mushroom, Leek, and Potato Soup

If I had to credit one cookbook author with teaching me how to cook it would be Deborah Madison.  I cooked my way almost entirely through Vegetarian Suppers and then moved on to The Greens Cookbook, where I found this recipe.  In this soup, mushrooms are reduced in white wine and then added to potatoes and leeks simmered in a mushroom broth.  It is already bursting with delicious flavor even before it is topped with finely chopped fresh herbs, which make it even more special. 

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

We don't have a roasting pan or even a large dutch oven and I've thought for a while that that was an excuse for not roasting a chicken at home.  Plus they sell organic roasted chickens at the store across the street for about the same price as raw chickens.

However, I was inspired when I saw that Thomas Keller has a recipe for roasted chicken made in a cast iron skillet in his new book Ad Hoc at Home.  It's a beautiful but expensive book, so I just got the idea of the recipe by reading it over in the book store and then I went home to try my own variation.  The same recipe may be made using a roasting pan or large dutch oven.

Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade

According to traditional French cooking, a remoulade should be mayonnaise with mixed herbs (parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon), capers, cornichons, and a few drops of anchovy essence.  So this may not be a traditional remoulade, but it is a healthier version that still ends up with a similar smooth consistency.

My quest to start liking fish started a couple of years ago already, and I still haven't cooked or eaten very much salmon.  I was still afraid that it would taste too fishy, and here is the dish that finally won me over for good.  The remoulade is bursting with citrus and so creamy from the avocado, making a perfect pair for the salmon.

White Bean and Pancetta Soup

The subtle flavor of thyme and the smokiness of the pureed pancetta make this a very interesting soup.  It pairs really nicely with the red pepper cumin salad from my last post spread over a toasted slice of baguette.  The soup benefits from some contrast in color and texture, and they tie together in flavor because of the use of thyme in each.  It's also a good thing that they both use thyme because you can't always buy thyme in small enough quantities so here are two recipes to help you use it all up.

Roasted Red Peppers with Cumin

This delicious and colorful salad is great served warm or at room temperature.  Put it out with warm pita and serve as an appetizer, or use it as a topping on toasted baguette slices and serve with a bowl of white bean soup.

If you have a gas range, try roasting the peppers over the open flame instead of broiling them in the oven.  It will save you the time of preheating your oven, and you can more easily tend to them by turning them often with a pair of tongs.  Just be sure to keep a close eye on them and watch out for sparks!

Onion Custard Tartlets

I think that everyone loves puff pastry.  In fact, I have a theory that butter and salt are the magical ingredients that make all food taste wonderful.  Puff pastry is really just many thin layers of dough with loads of butter in between the layers.  Ever tried working with puff pastry on a hot day?  It will completely melt into mushy, buttery mess.

That said, I don't recommend eating it all the time, but if you're looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, puff pastry is always a good way to go.  People won't be able to resist second helpings and they will say, "Wow, this is really good - what do you do to make it taste like this?"  And you will think to yourself, "Butter and Salt."  But if you'd rather not admit to your guests that in fact the great flavor comes from the loads of butter you're serving them, you could just say instead, "It's probably from the beautiful scallions I used. I found them fresh at the farmer's market today."  That could be true, too.  Your call.

Skillet Gnocchi with Greens and Beans

Making gnocchi at home is far easier than making home-made pasta.  All you need to do is bake some potatoes, mash them up and mix them with basic ingredients for a quick dough, and then form them into more or less the shape of gnocchi.  There are no specialized machines or practiced skills needed.  See my recipe for homemade gnocchi here.

If you prefer to save time though and buy the gnocchi in the store that will still be good, too.  With store-bought gnocchi (or made-ahead gnocchi) this dish will come together very quickly for a fast weeknight supper. 

Soba Salad with Feta and Peas

Soba noodles are long, thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat.  They are generally available in well-stocked grocery stores and in Japanese specialty food stores, or you can buy them in bulk on-line here.  Peas, feta, and Japanese noodles may sound at first like an odd combination, but they surprisingly compliment each other very nicely!

Spring has sprung here in New York City, for now at least.  After a long winter I always forget how freeing it feels to walk around outside without a heavy coat on.

Carrot Spice Muffins

This is the re-mix of Lena's Favorite Blueberry Muffins that I posted last month.  The "spice" comes from a combination of cinnamon, all-spice, and ground cloves.  They are extra moist from mashed bananas, which could be substituted for apple sauce.  Optional additions include raisins, pecans, or walnuts.

We've become kind of dependent on having individually wrapped muffins in the freezer, so I have lots of opportunities to experiment with different types of muffins!  I made three dozen of these so hopefully that will last at least a few weeks.

Ginger-Soy Striped Bass with Chinese Vegetables

I went to the fish counter again the other day looking to try something new. If you haven't been following, I'm sort of new to eating and cooking fish so I was excited to try something I hadn't had before.  I told the guy at the counter what I was making and he seemed pretty sure that I should get the striped bass.  It was one of the more expensive fishes, but he convinced me, saying that it was the same exact fish that some great restaurants use for this kind of dish and that it just came in fresh.  So I pretty much instantly caved.

Spiced Lentil Soup

Here is an easy soup to make, although it does take some time to simmer.  For me it was insanely inexpensive because I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen except for the canned tomatoes.  So for about $4 we had one tasty dinner for two with gluten-free walnut bread, and I'll have enough for lunch every day this week, too.

It is not necessary to puree the soup if you find you like it better chunky, but I think pureeing it adds some elegance and makes it looks nicer, too.  The spices are really what make this soup, so I really recommend buying any you don't have already and not trying to omit any of them.  Don't skip the lime juice either!  It significantly brightens all the flavors in the dish.