Creamy Winter Veg Soup

It’s the week before Christmas, and in light of what happened this past Friday in Connecticut I think everyone is slowing down and enjoying time with their loved ones.  I don’t really talk about politics on this blog, but I will mention that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the grieving families who have lost a loved one.

Whenever I feel melancholy or overwhelmed, I do like a warm bowl of soup.  It’s comforting, and a perfect way to end a cold winter day.  This one is extremely easy, and does not take too much time, or many ingredients to make.  As each of you hurry to get all of your Christmas shopping done, plan your holiday meals, and decorate your homes- also take the time to make some warm soup (such as this one!) and enjoy it with your family and friends.

Also, a note on the new bowls.  We received these as a wedding present (all different colors) from our friends- Ben & Brittany- from Anthropologie, a colorful bowl for a gloomy evening!

Creamy Winter Veg Soup
Fifth Floor Kitchen Original

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 bulb fennel, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4-5 turnips, peeled & chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 large potatoes, cooked OR 3 cups mashed potatoes
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups of water
1/4 cup of parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Then add in the onion, sauté them until they are translucent, for about 5 minutes.  Then add in the leeks, bulb fennel, turnips, salt and pepper.  Cook while stirring for about 10 minutes, or until the fennel is soft.  Then add in the potatoes, broth and water, cook for another 15 minutes.

Puree the soup using a blender.  Pour back into the large pot, cook for another 10 minutes, feel free to add more salt or pepper.

Ladle soup into bowl, sprinkle with parsley & enjoy with a slice of fresh bread!

Buckwheat Crêpes with Corn Salsa

I’ve been changing up where I’m getting recipe inspirations from.  During the summer there are so many fresh ingredients that I want to use and try, so I tend to look into magazines rather than cookbooks.  At the beginning of this summer I decided to subscribe to Food & Wine and Bon Appetit.  Both provide great food articles, recipes and restaurant recommendations for when you travel.  Where do you get your recipe inspirations from?  I’d love to hear some new ideas!  (cookbooks, magazines, blogs, etc)

Below is one of the recipes which I found in Food & Wine, and I’m so glad I saw it.  At first it was a bit intimidating since I’ve never made a crêpe!  I worried that it would come out super thick- like a pancake and not be edible.  But I tried- and by the 3rd one I got the hang of it.  And if I can do it, so can you!

This made a perfect lunch and dinner- fantastic for leftovers!  I’ll definitely make more of these in the future, but just change up the filling to do something different.  These are a lighter and tastier alternative to a tortilla.  You can make them a day or two ahead- they keep well in the fridge!

Buckwheat Crêpes with Corn Salsa
Adapted from: Food and Wine (August 2012)

Crepes:
2 cups skim milk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Salsa:
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
3 ears of corn, corn kernels sliced off
1/4 cup chopped parsley
cooking spray or melted butter
about 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped chives

To make the crepe batter mix together, in a blender or food processor, the milk, eggs, butter, buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt.  Keep the batter to the side until you are ready to make the crepes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  On a baking sheet toss the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are slightly drained.

In a skillet, melt the butter and then add the leeks.  Cook them over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then add in the jalapeño and corn kernels, cook for about 2 minutes.  Next add in the tomatoes and parsley, cook for 2-3 minutes.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet, and spray it with cooking spray or brush it with melted butter.  For each crepe use about 1/4 cup of batter, pour it into the skillet and swirling it around to coat the pan.  Cook over medium heat, until the top is dry and the bottom is lightly golden, about 2 minutes.  Then flip the crepe over and cook for 1 more minute.  Transfer the crepe to a plate to cool off.  Repeat with the remaining batter, which should make about 10-12 crepes.

To serve, spread the crepe onto a plate.  Then spoon the salsa onto the center of the crepe.  Sprinkle the goat cheese and chives on top, and then roll each crepe into a cylinder.

Food Matters Project #18: Tomato, Leek & Brie Tart

One of the things I love about the Food Matters Project is how you can adapt the recipes and make them your own.  This weeks focus was on tomatoes, but here in DC they are not yet in season.  So I pondered how we could make changes to the recipe (from other bloggers, and Pinterest!).

This weeks recipe was chosen by Nicole, from The Giving Table.  Nicole’s previous blog, Cooking After Five, was one of the first that I ever read.  Although Cooking After Five has been archived, she now focuses on The Giving Table and Eat This Poem.  She has a wonderful voice and inspiring recipes.  Most of all, she encourages her readers to stay informed on sustainable farming, healthy eating, food policy and hunger.  Finally, her beautiful pictures are not to be missed!

Nicole chose Mark Bittman’s recipe- Savory Tomato Crisp- from The Food Matters Cookbook.  Check out Nicole’s Savory Tomato Crisp, or all other bloggers posts here.

In this recipe Mark Bittman suggested to roast tomatoes, and then add a topping of bread crumbs, rolled oats and cheese.  I will definitely have to try this recipe, although it might have to wait a couple more weeks.  I still wanted to do something with tomatoes- we bought some greenhouse grown Farmer’s Market grape tomatoes.  So a tart became my inspiration, we could still have the baked tomato, along with some cheesey flavor.

 

Tomato, Leek & Brie Tart
Inspired from: The Food Matters Cookbook (page 423) & SweetSugarBean

This recipe is great because you can add the vegetables that you want- so if there are no leeks or tomatoes around, add in what you have in your fridge.  This is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Crust
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
½ stick of butter
2-3 tbsp cold water.

Filling
3/4 cup chopped Brie cheese
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped leeks
3 eggs
1 jalapeño, minced (optional)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor.  While it’s mixing the ingredients, slowly add water by the tablespoon.  Once it starts forming a ball, do not add any more water.  Place it in parchment paper and keep it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface.  Once it’s the size of your baking dish, place it gently inside.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Chop or break apart the brie cheese, sprinkle it onto the tart crust.

In a bowl mix together garlic, leeks, eggs, jalapeño, whipping cream, salt and pepper.  Once it’s all mixed together, pour over the brie cheese into the tart.  Sprinkle tomatoes on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the tart is lightly browned.

Barley with Stuffed Portobellos

This past weekend Sam and I drove into Virginia, it was beautiful to see the rolling hills- especially with the leaves beginning to change colors.  Absolutely breathtaking.  This means fall is here, summer has officially ended.

While living in the midwest I noticed that fall tends to come and go quickly.  School starts, football games begin…and winter abruptly begins.  Here, in Virginia, fall lingers.  I’ve learned to love it- it gives us more than enough time to try out many warm, filling and familiar dishes.

Whenever I’m in the mood for a natural, earthy flavor when cooking dinner I tend to add mushrooms into the dish.  Sometimes we’ll make a portobello mushroom burger- there are so many flavors in each bite.  So when I saw this dish in Vegetarian Times– I knew we had to try it.  Each bite has the perfect blend of leeks, pine nuts and portobello mushroom; the barley allows this dish to be a very filling dinner.

Barley with Stuffed Portobellos
Adapted from: Vegetarian Times (Oct 2011)

cooking spray
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 lb fresh spinach
4 oz goat cheese, chopped and softened
3 tbsp pine nuts

Cook 1 cup of barley in about 2 cups of water until it is tender.  Drain, and divide between 4 plates.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Brush mushrooms, on both sides, with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Also, sprinkle the mushroom caps with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper.  Arrange the mushroom caps on the baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes.  Turn the mushrooms over and roast for another 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to soften.  Once the mushrooms are done, plate them on top of the barley.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Then add onions, leeks, garlic and thyme.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the leeks are tender.  Then, add spinach and cook for another 10 minutes until the spinach has wilted.  Finally, stir in goat cheese and pine nuts.  Keep stirring until all of the cheese has melted and has been incorporated into the mixture.  Remove from heat and add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of pepper.

Finally, fill each portobello mushroom with the leek-spinach mixture until it is spilling out.