What are you having for dinner? (wanna share your recipe?)

[Mee]

Cream of Watercress Soup

Couple/Few bunches of watercress, stems removed
Swipe of (vegan) butter
Pound or two of leeks
Small yellow onion
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy (cashew) cream
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & White Pepper
(Optional) Dollup of vegan coconut yogurt or Creme Fraische
(Seeeeeriously optional) caviar on top of the cream

Melt the butter in a deep sauce pan, and sweat the leeks and onions until soft but not caramelised. Add stock & cream, bring to simmer for about 30 minutes until veg are soft and base a bit reduced. Add watercress. After about 5 minutes, hit with an immersion blender, season with lemon & salt/pepper, and serve.

(Optional) I almost always add the yogurt, I only add caviar when I’ve got Japanese flying fish roe in my freezer, or I’ve just been sturgeon fishing. I only fish for sturgeon once in a blue moon. And the weather is good. Because line fishing for sturgeon is boooooooring. Most people add black sturgeon caviar via some restaurant that popularized this years back; many others add salmon roe. To me salmon ‘caviar’ is better known as “bait”. Hard pass. Shudder. But some people like it. I’m not sure why? But to each their own.

I love watercress. And love the soup. Sometimes I get a bit carried away and put a Bit of grilled or pan fried salmon In the soup plate - when we need more than soup but still want soup and not something heavy . That meal I call ‘pond filter needs cleaning ‘

 

[Friday]

That meal I call ‘pond filter needs cleaning

LMFAO... Right???

Cold smoked salmon is also pretty badass with it.

I keep thinking with a little wasabi added, & the cold smoked salmon, it would be “You don’t understand how sushi is supposed to work” soup.

 

[Mee]

LMFAO... Right???

Cold smoked salmon is also pretty badass with it.

I keep thinking with a little wasabi added, & the cold smoked salmon, it would be “You don’t understand how sushi is supposed to work” soup.

Omg that does sound amazing!

 

[Teasel]

I made gumbo, it was an epic climb of an experience due to havering the heat on too low to brown the roux and Mr burning the first one. Very enjoyable experience all the same. Next time I wanna make a seafood only one, and increase the veg content.

Butter 90g
Oil 90g
100g Plain Flour
500g Prawns
2 Chicken thighs
3 1/3 Chicken Andouille sausages
2 green peppers
3 sticls of Celery
2 Onions
Bunch Spring onions
Minced garlic - 5 cloves
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Bunch Thyme or 2 tbsp dried
Tbsp dried oregano
3 Bay leaves
Bunch Parsley
1 Beer
Seafood stock? I didn't have any nor the shells from the prawns - next time ill get prawns with shells on, and some crab and something else maybe.
Chicken stock 4 cups

Brown the andouille sausages till some of the fat is rendered, drain the sausages and pat with kitchen paper.

Brown the chicken

Chop the trinity and mince the garlic.

Get the roux to the colour of chocolate on a medium heat stirring all the time. - having now watched a YouTube video on browning the roux I know it can be done in 20 minutes, quite a bit better than the nearly 2 hours I spent on it.

Then add the trinity - celery, green pepper n onion, mix and add the garlic. Saute a few minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, sausages & chicken, stock, cajun spice, black pepper, oregano & thyme. Cook an hour

Stir fry the okra in oil for 10 minutes to reduce the sliminess.

Skim excess fat off the top of the gumbo.

Add the okra to the gumbo. Cook 40 minutes

Add the prawns, Cook for 5 to 10 minutes depending on size of prawns.

Serve with rice, topped with Filé and chopped parsley.

 

[mumstheword]

I made gumbo, it was an epic climb of an experience due to havering the heat on too low to brown the roux and Mr burning the first one. Very enjoyable experience all the same. Next time I wanna make a seafood only one, and increase the veg content.

Butter 90g
Oil 90g
100g Plain Flour
500g Prawns
2 Chicken thighs
3 1/3 Chicken Andouille sausages
2 green peppers
3 sticls of Celery
2 Onions
Bunch Spring onions
Minced garlic - 5 cloves
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Bunch Thyme or 2 tbsp dried
Tbsp dried oregano
3 Bay leaves
Bunch Parsley
1 Beer
Seafood stock? I didn't have any nor the shells from the prawns - next time ill get prawns with shells on, and some crab and something else maybe.
Chicken stock 4 cups

Brown the andouille sausages till some of the fat is rendered, drain the sausages and pat with kitchen paper.

Brown the chicken

Chop the trinity and mince the garlic.

Get the roux to the colour of chocolate on a medium heat stirring all the time. - having now watched a YouTube video on browning the roux I know it can be done in 20 minutes, quite a bit better than the nearly 2 hours I spent on it.

Then add the trinity - celery, green pepper n onion, mix and add the garlic. Saute a few minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, sausages & chicken, stock, cajun spice, black pepper, oregano & thyme. Cook an hour

Stir fry the okra in oil for 10 minutes to reduce the sliminess.

Skim excess fat off the top of the gumbo.

Add the okra to the gumbo. Cook 40 minutes

Add the prawns, Cook for 5 to 10 minutes depending on size of prawns.

Serve with rice, topped with Filé and chopped parsley.
View attachment 59006

I've always wanted to try making gumbo. Thanks for this.

 

[Teasel]

Cool @mumstheword I found these videos really helpful - I wish I had seen the one on cooking the roux before I made mine!

 

[nursenurse]

Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Red Lentil Soup with Moroccan Flavors

Food52 Site.

food52.com

Made this as a base tonight to take to work. I roasted the veggies rather than simmer them. I added the spices to the pan for the last ten minutes of roasting, gave everything a good stir. It was all I could do to not eat the whole thing. Pureed everything but the lentils, added the puree and the dried lentils to one of those vacuum freezer bags along with three stock pots of Knorr Swiss chicken, I will add water in the north and cook everything up. Thinking of taking along some dried chick peas and cooking them there, add to the soup for extra protein. This is a really simple and flavourful soup whether you prepare it the way i did, or follow the recipe as written. I used dried Harissa and Ras el hanout.

 

[Teasel]

Veggies roasted in ras el hanout is one of my favourite things, so delicious hey

 

[blackemerald1]

Chicken wings & legs. Asparagus and green beans fried in butter. Scattered with almonds.

 

[LuckiLee]

White Chicken Chili

1.5 lbs. Chicken breast, bite size pieces.

1 large onion, chopped.

1 large yellow pepper, chopped.

1 clove garlic.

2 cans white beans. (Great Northern/navy beans/cannellini beans. I mash one can in their liquid to thicken it a bit)

2 cans chicken broth.

1 - 4oz. can green chilies.

Salt
white pepper
cumin

In large pot cook chicken in 2 tablespoons oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add onion, yellow pepper and beans. Mix. Add broth and canned chilies. (I don't use the whole can) Add spices and stir well. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes.

To thicken add heavy cream OR cornstarch/milk. (I always use corn starch because I never have cream in the house)

Serve with bread, salad or over rice to stretch it farther.

J loves it. I love it because it's easy to make. Enjoy!

 

[nursenurse]

One of the things that has gone the way of toilet paper during covid where I live is chopped green chilies. Weird what we run out of.

 

[NikkiGAPEACH1970]

@nursenurse - Umm, that sounds yummy! Yes, we have Rotel in different varieties where I live. A friend from college introduced me to queso made with Rotel and Velveeta. It is sinfully delish! In a glass dish, combine cubed Velveeta cheese and a can of Rotel, and microwave. If memory serves, I stirred the mixture every minute or so. I used to serve this with unsalted Charles Chips. ?

Violet Butterfly grateful to find your post! @ nursenurse it’s been 7 years since I was on the forum! In 2013 I was in a horrible relationship with an Army man/PTSD and you advised me to leave.. he was mentally abusive/liar. Long story short I ended that relationship in 2015 and got my line back! I’m happy and at peace.. thank you so much for your support !! I hope all is well and safe— Nikki