Italian seafood stew

I first noticed this recipe in Giada’s Family Dinners a few months ago, but wanted to wait to make it until corn was in season. I started seeing fresh corn in the markets a couple weeks ago, and moved the recipe to the top of my list. The dish combines an assortment of seafood with fennel, corn, shallots and potato.

For the seafood, I went with littleneck clams, mussels, salmon, sole and pink hopper shrimp. You can use whatever variety of seafood that you like; I think scallops would be a great addition.

The seafood and vegetables are cooked in white wine, tomatoes and fish stock. I love that this is a one-pot meal; all you need is bread or a salad and you’ve got a great dinner.

Half hour chicken gumbo

For all you purists out there, I will acknowledge that this chicken gumbo is not exactly traditional. However, it’s quite delicious considering it only takes half an hour to make!

This recipe starts with a quick roux of oil and flour. Once the roux has started to darken, red peppers, garlic, onions and oregano are added. The next step is to add some water, sliced sausage, frozen okra and cooked shredded chicken. The roux thickens the liquid and adds complexity to the stew.

As always, I made a few changes to the original recipe. I used chicken stock instead of water, and added about a tablespoon of tomato paste and a few dashes of hot sauce. These extra steps don’t take any more time, but added a lot of flavor.

Like I said before, you may not find this version of gumbo in New Orleans, but don’t let that deter you. I typically serve this with rice, but you could also bake some cornbread to go alongside.

Plantain and sweet potato soup with chipotle crema

I bought a green plantain a few weeks ago and left it on the counter to ripen. It took a long time, but finally it started to turn yellow, then took on some black patches (black plantain = ripe plantain). I typically just sauté plaintains until browned in a little bit of oil, but wanted to do something different this time. I decided on this recipe from the Mesa Grill cookbook for sweet potato and plantain soup.

I read the ingredient list before I went grocery shopping, but didn’t bother to actually read the cooking instructions. The recipe looks fairly simple because of its short ingredient list, but the cooking process is actually quite fussy. I didn’t have the patience to follow the recipe, so I improvised. Instead of roasting the sweet potatoes and plantains, I just cut them into small pieces and cooked them directly in the chicken stock. The original recipe also called for pureeing the plantains, adding them to the liquid, then pureeing everything again when the sweet potatoes are added. That seemed unnecessary to me, so I just pureed everything together a single time at the end.

I went with the suggested garnish of chipotle crema, and I happened to have pepper oil and herb oil in the house, so I used those too for some added color. I wasn’t about to heat up a big pot of oil just to fry a plantain for garnish, so instead I cut some small cubes of plantain and sautéed them in a small amount of oil until browned and crispy.

If you look at the ingredient list, you’ll notice that this soup is on the sweeter side from the plantains, coconut milk and sweet potatoes. It’s important to add a generous amount of salt to cut some of the sweetness, otherwise it almost tastes like dessert! The soup had a very nice, almost velvety texture from the pureed potatoes and plantains.

Pumpkin soup with cinnamon creme fraiche

When the holidays roll around, I always buy more canned pumpkin than I actually need. I love to use pumpkin in desserts, but I also look for ways to incorporate pumpkin into savory dishes.

I saw this recipe for pumpkin soup in the Mesa Grill cookbook and thought it would be a great way to use a can of pumpkin. The pumpkin puree is combined with chicken or vegetable stock and seasoned with salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. A dose of chipotle puree contributes some heat, and both honey and maple syrup are added to round out the flavors. The soup can be put together in minutes, and is dressed up with a drizzle of cinnamon creme fraiche and toasted pumpkin seeds.

The recipe calls for a fair amount of cinnamon – Mexican canela to be exact. If you can find canela, I would highly recommend using it. I buy canela in bark form and grind it myself. You can make the recipe with other varieties of cinnamon, but it won’t be exactly the same. If you haven't yet converted to grating your own nutmeg, I would encourage you to give it a try. All you need is a whole nutmeg and a microplane. It's slightly more work, but makes a huge difference in flavor.

I liked the addition of toasted pumpkin seeds as a garnish; they added a nice crunch. The next time I make this, I'm going to try topping it with candied pumpkin seeds, I think that would be even better.

On a completely unrelated note, someone gave me 3 pounds of blanched sliced almonds. What should I make with them? Please leave a comment or email me with your ideas.

Winter squash soup with bay scallops

When I made this winter squash dish a few weeks back, I intentionally bought more butternut and kabocha squash than the recipe called for. I used the extra squash to make a really simple soup. I sauteed some shallots in a little olive oil and added cubed squash, salt, pepper and water. I simmered the mixture until the squash was really tender, pureed it in the blender, and then added lemon juice to taste. I froze the soup for later use.

Tonight I pulled the soup out of the freezer and combined it with some bay scallops and bacon to make a great dinner. I cut up the bacon into small pieces and cooked it in a large pan until it was browned and crispy. I removed the bacon from the pan and drained it on some paper towels. I discarded most of the fat left in the pan, leaving just enough to cover the bottom and turned the heat up to high. I threw in the bay scallops and sauteed them until they were just cooked through. The scallops were seasoned with some salt and a squeeze of meyer lemon juice.

To assemble dinner, I ladled some of the thawed and reheated soup into a shallow bowl. I topped the soup with a pile of scallops and some bacon. This was a really nice flavor combination - a little bit of smoke and salt from the bacon, and sweetness from the scallops and winter squash.

Kabocha squash and fennel soup with candied pumpkin seeds

I received Sunday Suppers at Lucques as a holiday present, and this is the first recipe I've made from the book. Kabocha squash and fennel are caramelized in the oven and pureed with toasted ground fennel seeds, onions, fresh thyme, butter, chile de arbol and chicken stock to make a thick soup. This soup has a complex flavor from the sweetness of the squash, earthiness of the fennel and heat of the chile. The recipe says to serve the soup topped with creme fraiche, but I used the sour cream that I already had on hand.


The candied pumpkin seeds are amazing - the seeds are lightly toasted in butter and coated with sugar, paprika, toasted cumin, cayenne, kosher salt and a touch of honey. They have a great balance of sugar, salt and spice.


This is a fun twist on your standard winter squash soup, it will definitely be going into the regular rotation. I am also planning to try the pumpkin seed coating on some walnuts or pecans.

Curried zucchini soup

This recipe is from the Everyday Food Cookbook. This soup was so easy to make, and the ingredients were really cheap! A combination of onions, garlic, curry powder, zucchini and potato are cooked together and pureed in the blender. The potato gives this a really thick and creamy texture without adding any fat. The garnish of toasted almonds adds crunch. I made this a day in advance and it reheated beautifully.

Stewed lentils and tomatoes

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa at Home. I think it was intended to be a side dish, but I served it as a main course. The dish starts with carrots, onions and garlic sauteed in a little olive oil. Chicken stock, canned tomatoes, fresh thyme, curry powder, salt and pepper are added to the vegetables and the liquid is brought to a boil. Next, the lentils are added and simmered for about 30-40 minutes. This was a very healthy dish, and it had a nice flavor. I think we both agreed that it was a little heavy on the tomatoes. Next time, I'll use a 14 ounce can instead of a 28 ounce can.

Curried lentil, chickpea and swiss chard stew

This is another recipe from Vegetable Harvest, and it was a winner. French green lentils, onions, chickpeas and swiss chard are simmered together in a broth flavored with curry powder, cumin and cayenne. The stew is garnished with a dollop of greek yogurt. The french green lentils really made the dish. The lentils can be hard to find in regular grocery stores, so I ordered them online. The swiss chard came from a plant in our garden which is about 6 feet tall!

Cream of asparagus soup

This recipe is from the Everyday Food cookbook. Shallots are sauteed in butter, and flour is added to the mixture to create a thicker soup base. Fresh asparagus, water, salt and thyme are added to the shallots and the whole mixture is brought to a simmer. Once the asparagus is tender, the soup is transferred to a blender and pureed until smooth. Lemon juice and heavy cream are stirred in at the end. The nice thing about this recipe is that it made enough for me to freeze a few servings. To freeze this soup, omit the lemon juice and cream. These ingredients should be added in when you reheat the frozen soup.

Everyday Food - hot and sour soup

I love hot and sour soup. I always insist on ordering it whenever I go to a chinese restaurant. When I saw this recipe in the Everyday Food cookbook, I decided it was time to learn to make it myself. It was actually really easy! Chicken broth is seasoned with soy sauce and red pepper flakes. The sour flavor comes from rice vinegar which is mixed with cornstarch to create a thicker soup. The recipe calls for thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms and tofu - I added in a can of shredded bamboo shoots. An egg is lightly beaten and poured through a slotted spoon into the soup to create threads. I finished this off with a splash of sesame oil and sliced green onions.

Lentil and meatball soup

I got the idea for this soup from Cucina Ebraica. The tomato sauce really adds a lot of flavor to the broth. I used small brown italian lentils, but french green lentils would work too. I keep small cooked meatballs in the freezer. You could use frozen meatballs or make them fresh and simmer them in the broth for a longer period of time to cook them through.

Lentil and meatball soup
Serves 3

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, small dice
1/2 cup carrot, small dice
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of water
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup small green or brown lentils
12-14 small cooked meatballs (you can also use raw meatballs)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until onions start to turn translucent. Add the carrot and celery, saute for 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add lentils, chicken stock, water and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add in meatballs, simmer for about 5 more minutes or until meatballs are heated through. If you're using raw meatballs, you may need to cook them longer. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, garnish with chopped parsley.

Seafood stew

I wanted to do something a little different for dinner. I hadn't cooked shellfish before, and mussels were on sale, so I decided to do a seafood stew. You can use a different combination of seafood or add fish to this recipe. I served it with homemade bread that had just come out of the oven.

Seafood stew
Serves 2
1/2 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 lb squid, bodies cut into rings
6-8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 lb scallops (I used small bay scallops)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/2 of a lemon
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add shallot and red pepper flakes and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and tomato sauce to the skillet. Add the mussels, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the seafood, season with salt and peper and cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp is opaque. Stir in parsley and squeeze the lemon over the seafood. If needed, season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Everyday Food - carrot and ginger soup

This soup is from the latest issue of Everyday Food magazine. Carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and fresh ginger are cooked and pureed with chicken broth to make a smooth and creamy soup.

I found the recipe to be a little bland as written, so I added another tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of cumin powder. That helped quite a bit with the flavor.

Root vegetable soup

This soup was inspired by a recipe for white vegetable soup in the Mustards Grill Napa Valley cookbook. My version primarily uses root vegetables, and the result is a creamy soup with a unique flavor. This recipe freezes really well - if you're planning to freeze it, omit the milk/cream and add it to the reheated soup just before serving. You could garnish this soup with bacon, fresh herbs, pesto or croutons.

Root vegetable soup
Serves 4

3 small leeks or 1-2 large leeks, white parts only (use the dark tops to make vegetable stock)
1 small white onion
1 medium parsnip
2 medium turnips
1 one pound celery root
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of milk or cream
salt and pepper

Slice leeks thinly. Peel all of the other vegetables and cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Saute the leeks and onions in the olive oil until softened and onions are translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and a pinch of salt and pepper - saute for about 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender in two batches. Add more salt and pepper to taste, stir in milk or cream.

Shrimp and crab chowder

It's dungeness crab season here in California, and I'm trying to make the most of it. For this chowder (which served 2 people), I picked the meat from 1 crab that was a little over a pound. I used the shells, along with shrimp shells and lobster shells, to make a stock for the base of the chowder.

I sauteed some onions and garlic in a little butter, and added a small amount of flour as a thickener. I added the stock and 2 peeled, diced potatoes. The soup simmered until the potatoes were tender. Then I added about 1 cup of medium sized shrimp, the crab meat, and 1/2 cup of frozen corn. After the shrimp were cooked through, I took the chowder off the heat and added some fresh chopped dill.

Giada's family dinners - pasta e fagioli

This week I'm featuring food from Giada's Family Dinners

We really liked this soup.

Pasta e fagioli

I added some tomatoes because I had them around, and I also added a piece of parmigiano reggiano rind to flavor the broth. I removed the rind before I added the pasta.

Butternut squash and apple soup

This is such a good recipe. It's really healthy, and best of all, you make it in the crockpot. I make a large batch and freeze smaller portions of it for later use. It freezes beautifully.

Leftover turkey? Apparently not.

When I planned our menu for this week, I assumed we'd have leftover turkey from Sunday that I could use in my white chili. Five adults + one miniature schnauzer + a 10 lb turkey = no leftovers!

Luckily I had some chicken that I cooked last week and froze. Here are the ingredients for my white chili:

Clockwise from top, white beans, roasted poblano pepper, ground coriander diced yellow onion, roasted hungarian pepper, cumin, chicken and minced garlic. Turkey stock, salt and pepper not shown.

I found the hungarian pepper at the farmer's market. You can really use whatever peppers you prefer - bell pepper or canned diced chiles work great. To roast the peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds and veins. Stick them under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes or until the skins are blackened. Place the warm peppers into a plastic resealable bag - the steam will help the skins come off. After about 15 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag - the skins should peel right off. Roasted peppers freeze well - if you don't have the time to go through this process, you can buy jarred or frozen roasted bell peppers at Trader Joes.

To make the chili, saute the diced onion in a small amount of olive oil until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and enough chicken (or turkey) stock to cover. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until heated through. Garnish with any of the following - avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips. If you don't have leftover chicken on hand, use turkey. Or brown some ground chicken or turkey in a skillet and proceed with the recipe. One can of beans and about a cup of meat made enough chili for two generous portions. You can scale the recipe accordingly.