Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Today, I want to share a very autumn-appropriate recipe for Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup. In France, it is known as vichyssoise and served cold, but it's also perfect for eating hot on a cool night. I loved the aromatics that filled my kitchen as I sauteed the leeks and fennel, and the creamy consistency of the finished product. Amazingly, there is no dairy in this soup - instead, a final trip to the blender gives the soup its smooth texture. I paired a bowl with a slice of rosemary bread from a bakery and went to "it's-almost-fall" heaven for a minute.

Potato, Leek, and Fennel Soup
from The Bon Appetit's Fast, Easy, Fresh cookbook

2 T. butter (1/4 stick)
2 c. sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 c. sliced fennel bulb, fronds chopped and reserved for garnishes
4 14-oz cans low-salt chicken broth (or substitute homemade)
2 lbs. red-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and fennel and saute until leeks are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return to pot. Rewarm soup if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish each with reserved fennel fronds if desired.

Fettuccine, Linguine, Martini, Bikini...

It was a cold winter Saturday and I had a bit of time at home on my hands. I decided that a nice plate of pasta with homemade sauce sounded fabulous, so I paged through my cookbooks. I decided on a recipe from a Real Simple cookbook I have for Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce. It's not too complicated a recipe. The most unusual ingredient is the pancetta, but even that was easily procured from Raley's grocery. I tweaked it to make it non-dairy and cut out the wine, and it came out delish! Best of all, there were leftovers for lunch, as well as enough to freeze and use later. Sometime in the next 3 months, I'm going to have a really easy dinner waiting for me in the freezer.

Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups beef broth
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the beef and cook until brown. Drain mixture and return to pan. Add the beef broth and the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Serve with cooked fettuccine. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

"I Yam What I Yam!" -Popeye

Food has been my lifelong passion. Baking is my favorite, but I enjoy cooking in general. As a single women, however, upon arriving home after a full day’s work, after dealing with clients and answering phones and typing till my fingers were numb and trying to placate my boss, I wasn’t always motivated to whip up a gourmet meal on ordinary weeknight. A dinner of a hot dog or a Lean Cuisine or takeout was a fairly regular occurrence.

However, now that I’m married, I feel a renewed desire to be in the kitchen. When I make dinner, I'm not just serving myself but the person I love most in the world, and cooking is one of the main ways in which I express love for people. I try to maintain a balance between cooking food that will make my husband happy and food that will keep him healthy, convincing him to consume as many phytonutrients as possible by making them as palatable as possible.

I also have to take into consideration Paul's allergy to mushrooms and my IBS, which rules out dairy, food with a high fat content, some vegetables, articifical sweeteners, and any fried foods. (Basically, anything that makes life worth living is out.) Entrees are usually easier for me to decide upon than side dishes. If anyone has any favorite recipes, by all means, please share! As for me, I decided to share with you my favorite easy, non-dairy, healthy side dish: Whipped Yams.

A note on yams: Remember, sweet potato flesh is yellow, paler, and dry in texture. Yam's flesh is darker and closer to an orange hue, and naturally sweeter and moister than sweet potatoes. Yams aren’t the famous superfood that sweet potatoes are, but they are still rich in vitamin A and contain more Omega-3 fatty acids than sweet potatoes. If you’d like to substitute sweet potatoes for yams, you may, but you will probably need to add more brown sugar and liquid to achieve the desired flavor. You may also need to use a hand mixer to achieve the smooth texture.

Stacy’s Whipped Yams (serves 2):

Take 2 small yams, or one large, halved yam, wash and pat dry.

Bake at 400F for about an hour, or until the flesh becomes soft to the touch. (This will make it easy to whip by hand.)

In a medium bowl, place ½ T. Butter, 1 T. Brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.

Slice open yams and scoop out flesh into the bowl. Using a fork, whip together until smooth, adding 1-2 T. Vanilla soymilk, rice milk, or almond milk to add moisture. (This imparts a delicious vanilla flavor and aroma.) Excellent served with ham or pork!