Dans Gourmet Restoration

Potato Leek Soup, with Pan Roasted Garlic, Wine, and Bacon So Lynne and I went to a totally cool winter Farmers Market, at the old Velvet Mill in Stonington, Connecticut. ( I HIGHLY recommend this if you live here – everything from fresh local meat, eggs, produce, sauces, jellies, jams, artwork….. a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.)  We picked up some fresh, organic sweet leeks, and a loaf of fresh sour dough bread…. And I thought…. Well – what else besides potato leek soup?  We also picked up a bottle of green curry pineapple satay hot sauce from Dragon’s Blood Elixir hot sauce – dragonsbloodelixir.com.  This guy had awesome hot sauces – I really liked the sweet potato hot sauce!  I had Lynne try some – forgetting that her tolerance for heat is infinitely lower than mine…… oops)  We had the grand daughter with us – no I didn’t have her try any!  It was a nice morning for sure!  Anyway… the soup. Most tater soup recipes are pretty similar – pota...

Just made this again tonight - was really good!  I made a few changes to the following recipe: I used baby bok choy instead of spinach.  I chopped the leaves, and added to the broth, and I pre roasted the stems, after quartering them.  I also added a can of coconut milk to it.....  I used fresh made chicken broth, made from the bones, wings and thighs of a roasted chicken we made the night before last.  Great recipe - kind of a kitchen sink thing - you can add whatever you want to it and it still tastes good! Thai Lime Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 1 sm pkg Shitaki mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 2 tsp fresh ground ginger root ( to taste - a little goes a long way) 3 tbs fish sauce ( to taste - again, a little goes a long way) 1/4 tsp yellow curry powder 1 tsp Thai seasoning (totally optional - I keep this around normally) zest and juice from 2 limes 2 tbs fresh rough chopped cilantro 3 tbs fresh rough chopped basil 3 cloves ga...

Yummy and relatively low calorie! Ok, time to loose the weight!!  Been saying that for years, and been cooking like Paula Dean for years..... and I am still fat.  Trying to make some..... healthier..... recipes that still taste good. This was quite tasty, and only about 600 calories per serving.... mostly because it has about 4 tbs of olive oil in it.  But NO butter!!!  This was pretty much a "whats in the pantry" dish - feel free to change things around!  Olive oil, basil and garlic powder measurements are..... approximate... lol. Ingredients: 3 hot turkey Italian sausage sliced into 1 inch chunks...( Ok, kind of an oxymoron, I know.. but .... think HEALTHY) about 2 cups frozen tri color peppers 2 heads of garlic, tops cut off ( about 3/4 from the bottom) 4 tbs olive oil, reserved about 1 inch around, whole wheat spaghetti garlic powder - 1 tsp dried basil 2 tbs, reserved 1 tsp salt fresh shredded Parmesan cheese Directions: Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.  ...

Ok, two days after Thanksgiving and you are sick of looking at the bird and the leftovers.  Hopefully you haven't tossed the bones, because that is truly nectar on the hoof... well claw....  Assuming you are like me, and save EVERY chicken carcass, turkey carcass, ham bone and lobster shell to make stock out of, you still have the ole girl in the fridge.  GREAT!!  My carcass was so big, had to split it up between my 8qt stock pot and my 5.5 qt Le Creuset pot.  This soup is SO simple, I have never actually written the recipe down - primarily because it changes every time, depending on what I have on hand.  Here is the recipe - the best thing about this is you can put whatever you feel like into it and it will taste awesome!  Here is the recipe for the stock: Turkey Stock: I had to split the bird into two pots 1 Turkey carcass after it has been picked clean, including any jellied fat from the platter - plus wings, and leg/thigh bones 1 Bouquet Garnis - o...

Comfort food at it's best! Ok, so it's been a while since I have posted..... mea culpa.  Been busy with a new job, and more than a little bit lazy!  So I am making a New Years Resolution....... yes I know it's not new years yet..... just time for a change!  I will try and  put at least one post per week up on the blog - and I hope to make them a little more .....cooking..... oriented - not just recipe oriented.  Let me know what you think. So, today was a Sunday, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, and windy as hell.  Ok, that doesn't mean testicles for you dirty minded folk out there - in the 1800's,  a "brass monkey" was the square of brass screwed into ship's deck that held a stack of cannon balls.  When it got cold, it contracted, and the balls rolled all over the place.... hence the saying "cold enough to freeze..."  Well, you get it.  Today's history lesson. What did I say about cooking...???  lol.  Ok, so...

Had some chicken thighs kicking around, and wanted to do something different.  Decided to whip up a home made Thai style BBQ sauce.  I tend to keep a bunch of Thai and Asian ingredients around, so it was pretty simple.  This recipe only makes enough to baste and marinate 4 thighs ( about 2/3 cup, so plan accordingly) Ingredients: 4 tsp Sirachi Sauce 4 tbs Thai sweet red chili sauce 2 tbs lime juice 4 tsp honey 1 tsp basil flakes 1 tsp garlic powder Mix ingredients in bowl.  Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours in about 1/2 the sauce.  Grill over indirect heat until chicken is at least 160 degrees by the bone, brushing occasionally with the sauce.  Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Made this the other night – mostly out of stuff I just had laying around.  Very good flavor, really simple to make.  Cod is a very bland fish, and readily takes to strong flavors – the combination of the hummus and the olives with the crunchy breadcrumbs was awesome.  I served it over wilted spinach and sautéed mushrooms, with some cous-cous.  Give it a try! Ingredients: 1lb fresh cod 3 tbs roasted red pepper hummus 1 pkg sliced mushrooms, divided ½ bag fresh spinach ½ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tsp butter, melted 3 tbs butter, reserved 1 tsp garlic powder 8 kalamata olives, minced fine 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tbs lemon juice Instructions: Pre heat oven to 375 degrees Finely mince about 8 or 9 of the mushrooms. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, butter, mushrooms, ½ lemon zest, and olives until well combined. Lightly brush a 9x12 baking dish with olive oil.  Place fish in dish.  Evenly coat the fish with the hummus.  Spread bread crumb mixture over the hummus...