Maryland Crab Soup

Ingredients:

group #1
4 cups crab stock
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, sliced into coins
9 oz fresh or frozen lima beans
1 large russet potato, diced
3 tablespoons Old Bay
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes

group #2
1 cup sliced cabbage
1 cup diced green beans
9 oz fresh or frozen corn kernels
9 oz fresh or frozen peas
16 oz blue crab claw meat


Directions:
Place the ingredients from group #1 in a 6 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add the ingredients from group #2. Stir. Continue to cook 1-2 additional hours.

My thoughts:

January is National Soup Month!

Can you believe that I have lived in Baltimore all my life and until very recently, I hadn't made Maryland Crab Soup? I've had it plenty of course but never have tried to make it myself. Traditionally it is simmered on the stove-top (or occasionally, outside on a burner) but I thought I'd try my hand at a slow cooker version. Honestly, I liked it better than the stove-top version I made first and have had in the past. It somehow tasted fresher and the flavors were deeper. The fact that it was much easier to make was just the icing on the cake. Or the lima bean in the soup so to speak.

Anyone in Birmingham, AL?

I'm going to be in Birmingham Thursday-Sunday for Food Blog South. Anyone want to meet for dinner at Hot & Hot Fish Club on Thursday night?

Robust Vegetable Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 leeks, sliced (white parts only!)
3 cups broccoli, broken into florets
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 turnips, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish



Directions:
In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the vegetables. Saute a few minutes just until the vegetables start to soften. Pour in the broth and add spices. Simmer covered for 20 minutes then remove the lid and simmer until the liquid has reduced a bit and the potatoes and turnips are soft. Using an immersion blender or working in batches using a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. Whisk in the cheese and horseradish.

My thoughts:

 January is National Soup Month! 

This is one of those times when I wasn't 100% sure what I threw together would turn out, much less be delicious. Luckily for me (and my husband who had to eat it) it turned out better than I could have imagined. I was going to make a more straightforward leek and potato soup but then I spotted some turnips I forgot I had and tossed them in. Since turnips add a peppery bite to most dishes, I thought I'd highlight that and add other sharp tasting ingredients like horseradish, mustard and very sharp cheddar. The final product wasn't pungent (thank goodness!) but it was rich, hearty and pleasantly robust. The perfect soup for a cold winter's night.

Mustard Rubbed Pork with Melted Apples and Vegetables

Ingredients:
2 3/4 lb boneless pork roast
3/4 lb Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb rutabaga, peeled and cubed
2 Stayman apples, sliced
1/2 lb pearl onions
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup hot mustard*
2 tablespoons hickory syrup
1/2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, whisk together the mustard, syrup and horseradish until smooth. Rub into all sides of the pork. Place the pork in a dutch oven and surround it on all sides with the vegetables and apples. Sprinkle with vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 1/2 hrs or until fully cooked.

*I used Hot Mister Mustard

My thoughts:

While this might be a bit of a homely meal, it is a tasty one! The mustard-hickory syrup** based rub really sealed in the juices and flavored the apples and vegetables as the meal cooked. As the name suggest, the apples nearly melted away! I liked scooping up what I could of the apple and adding it to each bite of pork. So good! And easy! I don't do many one pot meals but this one makes me wonder why not. The only trick is to make sure that your potato and rutabaga are in medium to small sized cubes so they cook evenly and will be fully cooked by the time the pork is done.


**One could sub in maple and I think it would be fine but I love the smokiness of the hickory syrup I bought.

Homemade Shrimp Stock

Ingredients:
shells and heads from 3 lb medium shrimp
4 stalks of celery
2 lemons, cut up
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 large onion, cut up
1 spring fresh or dry thyme

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large (8-10 quart) stock pot. Add water until the pot is nearly filled.

After about 3 1/2 hours or until the liquid has reduced about 1/3, strain into a large bowl. Cool immediately by placing the bowl in an ice filled sink. Refrigerate overnight, then skim off any scum that rose to the surface. Package in air tight containers, freezer bags or pressure can to store.

My thoughts:

I always get a number of comments/emails whenever I call for a seafood stock and since I was making one today, I thought I'd take a minute and write up what I did. Some times I vary the flavors a bit (depending on if I know what dish it is going to go into etc) but this is what I do most often. Shrimp stock adds better flavor to a seafood dish than water or chicken stock. It is a little time consuming but it is hands-off time and you are rewarded with a golden stock that smells richly of shrimp. 

Rosemary Potato Swede Mash

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 1/2 lb swede (aka yellow turnip, rutabaga) 1 onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary salt freshly ground black pepper Directions: In a large pot, bring water to a full boil. Add potatoes, swede and onion. Cook until tender the potatoes and swede and easily pierced with a fork. Drain and return to pot. Add butter and sour cream. Mash.

My thoughts:

I don't think Americans eat enough rutabaga (or as it is called elsewhere, swede. I don't know why not, it adds a peppery flavor to dishes and is a great way to add extra vegetables to things like soups or mashed potatoes without changing the texture.

Chicken & Waffles

Ingredients:
for the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut up

marinade:
1 small onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot sauce

batter:
2 cups Wonder (or other superfine) flour
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot sauce




for the waffles:
2 1/4 cup flour
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs



peanut oil (for frying)

Directions:
The night before you want to fry the chicken: place the chicken, onion, garlic, 1 1/2 cups buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce in a marinating container or resealable bag. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat 1 inch of peanut oil in a 14 inch cast iron skillet.

Place the Wondra flour in a shallow bowl. Place the flour, paprika, garlic powder, pepper and salt into a second shallow bowl and whisk together. In a third shallow bowl, beat the eggs, hot sauce and buttermilk together. Dip the chicken pieces in the Wondra flour, then the egg mixture then the flour. Dry the chicken in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towel lined plates.

for the waffles:
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Follow the instructions included with your waffle iron to complete the waffles. For most large, Belgian-style waffle irons you would use 1 cup of batter for each waffle. I love my waffle maker. You can keep the waffles warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve if needed.


Yield: 4 large Belgian-style waffles

My thoughts:

Continuing this year's theme of the 1930s with chicken and waffles. While chicken and waffles certainly were not entirely new inventions of the 1930s, the popularity of them soared when Wells Restaurant in Harlem opened in 1938. It really is a fun combination. The Wells Restaurant served the waffles with a variety of syrups (rum, mint, spiced, clove-maple, orange and raspberry)but I served mine with the delicious hickory syrup I bought at the apple butter festival in West Virgina.