Ho Ho Ho Soup and Starters
December 8th 2010 07:24
:
A Chef's Christmas Part 1
Link: www.essencecatering.ca/
It's that time of year... mum and dad have the tree decorating fight, uncle Bobby drinks 1 too many tumblers of festive spirit and falls on the cat, mmmm Christmasy!!!
Weather man is calling for 40-50 cm of snow on Sunday (2 feet in the USA) and it's -8 this morning(-17 with the wind chill). I had to pry the boy from under his duvet with a snow shovel, and the girl is talking about bringing her duvet on the school bus.
In my business it's work, work, work leading up to the big day, and the lady of the house is working nights at the hospital. We're all talking (and salivating) about all the snow and our newly tuned ski/snowboard equipment.
Naturally that all gets me thinking about cooking a fantastic Christmas dinner. Here it is, with recipes no less.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Smoked Ham Hock or Smoked Turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
625 ml (2.5 cups) chopped onions
4 garlic cloves mashed to a paste
1 kg (2.2 lbs) butternut squash
1.5 litres (5 1/2 cups) good quality stock (chicken or turkey)
2 smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey thighs/legs
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
Preheat oven to 375. Slice squash in half and remove seeds and "guck". Smear with butter, a tbsp of brown sugar pper half and 2 tsp of Garam Masala spice mix(cinnamon, cloves, cardomom, mace, nutmeg and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until tender and just starting to brown around the edges.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add the stock and bring itto a boil. Add the ham or turkey, reduce heat and simmer until the meat can pull away from the bone and your kitchen smells delicious.
Scoop the squash from it's skin and add it to the stock and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the meat when tender, allow it to cool for a few mintues then tear it away from the bone into bite sized chunks that will fit on a soup spoon, and reserve.
Puree soup in blender or with an immersion blender(BEST KITCHEN TOOL EVER) until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add thyme, ginger and orange peel. Add the meat, stir, reheat, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Option- add a dollop of creme fraiche or thick greek plain yogurt that has been whisked with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Next blog will include Lobster ravioli, Duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes, Three root pie and ...
Please check out the link to my catering job.
Enjoy the soup
Chef Phil
Weather man is calling for 40-50 cm of snow on Sunday (2 feet in the USA) and it's -8 this morning(-17 with the wind chill). I had to pry the boy from under his duvet with a snow shovel, and the girl is talking about bringing her duvet on the school bus.
In my business it's work, work, work leading up to the big day, and the lady of the house is working nights at the hospital. We're all talking (and salivating) about all the snow and our newly tuned ski/snowboard equipment.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Smoked Ham Hock or Smoked Turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
625 ml (2.5 cups) chopped onions
4 garlic cloves mashed to a paste
1 kg (2.2 lbs) butternut squash
1.5 litres (5 1/2 cups) good quality stock (chicken or turkey)
2 smoked ham hocks or smoked turkey thighs/legs
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
Preheat oven to 375. Slice squash in half and remove seeds and "guck". Smear with butter, a tbsp of brown sugar pper half and 2 tsp of Garam Masala spice mix(cinnamon, cloves, cardomom, mace, nutmeg and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until tender and just starting to brown around the edges.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add the stock and bring itto a boil. Add the ham or turkey, reduce heat and simmer until the meat can pull away from the bone and your kitchen smells delicious.
Puree soup in blender or with an immersion blender(BEST KITCHEN TOOL EVER) until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add thyme, ginger and orange peel. Add the meat, stir, reheat, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Option- add a dollop of creme fraiche or thick greek plain yogurt that has been whisked with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Next blog will include Lobster ravioli, Duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes, Three root pie and ...
Please check out the link to my catering job.
Enjoy the soup
Chef Phil
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