My busy schedule has precluded me from cooking lately but my recent trip back to LA gave me a chance to play around in my own kitchen with my own toys again.   The inspiration came from the May issue of Gourmet magazine (a generous gift from my friend Dan that keeps on giving!).  I’ve often ordered bouillabaisse at restaurants but never tried making it before.  Reading through the recipe I noticed a few opportunities to try some new techniques that I’d learned in my cooking class.

This recipe, while it requires setting aside a little time, makes a delicious meal that is perfect for entertaining.  In retrospect there’s also a lot of room for experimenting with different combinations of seafood.  The recipe called for one whole lobster but I could only get frozen lobster tails and they ended up saving me a lot of time too!

This recipe is adapted from the May 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine

For croutons:

1/2 baguette cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 garlic clove

For bouillabaisse:

1 (1 to 1 1/4 lb.) lobster
2 large tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped fennel fronds (I also chopped and added the fennel to the stew as well – optional)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
9 cups fish stock (I didn’t have fish stock so I used vegetable stock and it was great!)
3 lbs. white fish fillets (such as monkfish, cod, red snapper, turbot, striped bass) cut into 2 inch pieces – I used 3 fillets of red snapper
1/2 lb.  small clams, scrubbed (I used little neck clams)
1/2 lb. Mussels, scrubbed and beards removed – the beard is just that part on some mussels that looks like a little bit of seaweed or something and it’s what the shells use to stick to rocks (I used 1 lb. mussels)
1/2 lb. Shrimp (recipe calls for shells on but I used frozen shrimp that had shells removed but still had tails on)

For the croutons:

To make the croutons, put the slices of baguette on a baking sheet and brush the tops with olive oil bake at 250 F for about 30 minutes or until golden.  Rub each side with fresh garlic (to do this slice a clove of garlic cross-wise and rub the cut part along the hot crusty bread – it adds such amazing flavor.)

To make the soup:

1) Put the lobster tail into a sized pot that will adequately hold the tail you have.  Place the uncooked lobster into the boiling water and then cook covered for 3-7 minutes depending on the size of the tail.  Transfer lobster to a colander and allow to cool.  (Because I used lobster tails it made the process of extracting the meat a less intensive process).  Extract the lobster meat and set aside.
2) Cook the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in oil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened, 5-7 minutes.
3) Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  Stir the potatoes into the tomatoes with the fennel fronds (and fennel if you choose to add), bay leaf, saffron, sea salt, and pepper.  Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer, covered until potatoes are tender – about 10 minutes.
4) Add the thicker pieces of fish first (have a longer cooking time) – cover and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the mussels, shrimp, lobster, and any other fish – cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5) Stir a few tablespoons of the broth into the rouille (recipe below).
6) Arrange a crouton in each soup bowl and ladle in the bouillabaisse being sure that each bowl gets an assortment of the bountiful fish.
7) Top each bowl with a spoonful of rouille (it’s spicy so be aware!).

For the rouille:

This is a bread mixture that will be added to the stew to thicken it and add a little spicy heat.

3 Tablespoons broth from the bouillabaisse
3/4 cups bread crumbs (I recommend panko which are Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons olive oil

1) Pour the broth from the bouillabaisse over bread crumbs in a bowl.
2) Mash up garlic and sea salt and cayenne in a mortar and pestle*.
3) Add moist bread crumbs w/ garlic paste – add oil in a slow stream, mashing and stirring until well combined.

*If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can just use a large knife to mince and mash.  Mashing garlic is achieved using the side of the blade on the finely minced garlic.  

Enjoy!

I had made gazpacho a few times in the past but was never entirely thrilled with the finished product.  I perused a few recipes online and did a little mixing and matching until I came up with something that looked like it would work.  I dashed out to my local grocery store to pick up a few items that I'd need such as a serrano pepper and avocado. 

Any recipe that involves a serrano pepper is macho in my books.  (I should add that I happen to be a complete wimp when it comes to hot foods but I'm trying to improve my tolerance.)  The rule of thumb with chili peppers is that the smaller they are, the more heat they pack.  Well, the serrano pepper that I bought at the store only cost 2 cents after it was weighed if that is any indication as to how small it was! 

What resulted from my gazpacho "experiment" was, in my opinion, a complete success.  The different ingredients that were inspired by a few different recipes really added great flavors – the avocado which was something I'd never experienced in a gazpacho before was delicious and the chick peas which I added for the sake of protein were as good for texture as they were for flavor. This soup can be made a day in advance as it will intensify in flavor the longer the ingredients get to hang-out together.  You can pair this gazpacho with some sandwiches, eat as is, or serve as a starter.

Macho Gazpacho

1 28 oz. can of whole fire roasted tomatoes
1 14 oz. can of chick peas, drained and rinsed with water
1 fresh vine-ripened tomato, cut into a small dice
1 red pepper, cut into a small dice
1 red onion, cut into a small dice
1/2 English cucumber, cut into a small dice
1 Avocado, cut into a small dice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Small handful of cilantro, chopped
Small handful of basil, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3 Cups of free range organic chicken stock
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon finely minced serrano pepper (feel free to add more than this if you like things hot)
1 1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1 Teaspoon sea salt, add to taste 
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Since gazpacho conveniently doesn't need to be cooked you are essentially just adding all these ingredients together, stirring, chilling in the fridge, and then eating!  So this is super simple to prepare!

1) Begin by setting aside a large bowl in which to mix this soup. I started with the messiest and more labor intensive things first, i.e. those things that required chopping.  I opened the can of fire roasted tomatoes and you can either chop them on your cutting board or just use your (clean) hands to squish them into the bowl so that they are crushed.  Add all of the liquid from the canned tomatoes and add it to the bowl as well.  Next chop the fresh tomato and add that in the bowl.  Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them in the bowl.  I learned that by rinsing the canned beans you remove about 40% or more of the sodium.  Also, you remove that syrup in which they are preserved. 

2)  Go ahead and chop all of the next listed ingredients and as you could probably guess, add to the bowl.  (I told you this was simple).  The only ingredient that I want to comment on is the serrano pepper.  Now, you're going to feel like a surgeon doing this but I highly recommend that you wear latex gloves if you happen to have a pair around.  The reason being is that these peppers have natural oils that are difficult to wash off completely and if you accidentally rub your eyes etc. you aren't going to be a happy camper.  I saw Nigella Lawson do this once and I adopted this method and found that it worked quite well.  Slice the pepper length-wise and scrape out the seeds and the white fleshy parts which is where most of the heat is – then finely mince the pepper.  I only added a 1/2 teaspoon because as I mentioned before, I'm a wimp.  Feel free to add as much or as little pepper as you like.  Also, taste to add more salt or pepper as needed.

3)  When all the ingredients have been added, stir and place in the refrigerator for about a half hour so that the flavors have a chance to intensify.  I like to take the gazpacho out a little bit before serving just to remove the chill.

Enjoy!

4 Medium sized leeks (or 4 medium sized fennel bulbs)
Vegetable bouillion (follow package for the ratio of water/bouillion as the amounts can vary from one brand to another – I use Knorr vegetable bouillion cubes – and I actually use a little less than they recommend: 1 1/4 cube for 5C water)
5 C water
3 Garlic cloves – peeled
Salt/Pepper to taste

1) Chop and prepare the vegetables – if using leeks I like to chop them and then let them soak in a big bowl of water so that any sand or dirt will sink to the bottom. I usually chop these vegetables into ½ inch pieces. (If you’re unfamiliar with leeks or fennel I explain them in a recent post, California Roastin’.) I add the vegetables to a big pot filled with water, bouillion and the garlic. Bring it up to a boil with the lid on and then let it simmer with the lid off. Allow to simmer for about a half hour. When the veggies are soft (use a fork to test) then they are ready to be blended.

2) If you have an immersion blender this is a great time to use it. I don’t have one so I use a ladel and carefully fill a regular blender with as much of the soup as possible – being sure to leave several inches near the top so that you don’t risk any spillage once you start blending. You’ll want to blend this until you get a nice smooth consistency but not so smooth that it’s totally pureed mush. I think it adds a nice contrast to have some of the texture of the vegetable rather than have it be completely pureed.
You may find that you have to do this blending step in several stages if you can’t fit all the soup in the blender at once. You can use a big bowl to pour the already blended portion while you add the rest of the soup from the pot to the blender. Once you’ve blended all of the soup add it back into the original pot and heat it when ready to serve. If you want to serve it chilled then you can store it in a bowl in the fridge. Or, if you plan on saving some of the soup for a much later time, you can freeze it.

I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network and loved the simplicity of the dish but had to try it for myself to see if it actually measured up in taste.

I made some adjustments to the recipe – I added a rind of parmesan cheese (something I’ve learned from Giada, incidentally). I also cut back on the broth and added more water instead. I used fire roasted crushed tomatoes in place of diced both for the smoky flavor that the fire roasted tomatoes impart to the soup and also because I love the texture that crushed tomatoes add. And finally, I added a little bit of tomato paste to add a little more sweet tomato flavor.

I served this soup with some grated parmesan cheese atop and of course some fresh baked bread that I picked up at the Italian market around the corner. I also brought out some Italian butter that I purchased last weekend at a specialty food store. I’d been waiting for a special occasion such as this to debut this delicious import! I have to say the cool sweet butter on the warm crusty bread was the perfect accompaniment to the deep rich spiciness of the lentil soup.

There are not a lot of ingredients in this dish and the beauty of soups is that once everything makes its way into the pot you’ve got a great meal waiting for you! Soups also have the advantage of improving with time – I can’t wait to try this soup tomorrow for lunch with another hunk of crusty bread!

Here’s the recipe with my alterations:

Green Lentil Soup with Thyme

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium yellow onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Carrots
2 Stalks of celery
1 14oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/3 C green lentils
1 Qt. (32 oz) Low sodium chicken broth (try to find organic, free range)
Small handful of fresh thyme
2/3 Cup small tube-like pasta (I used some pasta I had in my cupboard which worked well called ‘Ditali Lisci’)
4 C water
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
Rind of parmesan cheese (this is not imperative here but adds a great dimension to soups, start saving the rinds from parmesan cheese and store in freezer for such occasions)
Grated parmesan cheese to top soup

1) In a large pot begin heating the olive oil (medium heat)
2) Chop the garlic, onion, carrots, celery stalks and add to the pot – stir occasionally
3) When the onions look translucent and the carrots and celery have had a chance to lose their raw flavor (5-8 minutes), add the can of fire roasted tomatoes and stir. Then add the lentils and stir again.
4) Add the chicken broth and water.
5) At this point season with salt and pepper (start with a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and then taste later on and adjust to your liking).
6) Add the thyme and rind of parmesan – when soup comes to a boil turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer with the lid on for half an hour.
7) Add the pasta about 10 minutes before serving to allow time for pasta to cook and again check the flavor of the soup and add salt/pepper if necessary.
Grate parmesan over soup before serving and enjoy!

Unless you’re serving a big crowd this pot of soup could easily provide several meals worth – freeze serving sizes in tupperware and enjoy this comforting dish another day.

For the original recipe see: Giada De Laurentiis – Lentil Soup

Technorati Tags: lentil, soup, thyme