Cooker’s Pot

You’ll Need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
4 cups chicken or beef stock
Juice and pulp of 1 lemon
1/2 cup lentils
1 cup sweet corn kernels
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Procedure:

In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium heat and add onion, carrot, and celery and saute, stirring , until vegetables have wilted and are fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add stock, lemon juice and pulp, lentils, and cornand bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. In a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, combine garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric and hot pepper sauce, then grind into a paste. When stew is ready, add paste and stir well to combine. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Serve hot. This mixture is good with warm pitas or topped with plain low-fat yogurt.

You’ll Need:

1 (4-5 lb) whole chicken, rinsed, giblets and excess fat discarded
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2-3 stalks celery, cut into 3-4-inch lengths (including any leaves)
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, rinsed (use stems, too)
salt (to taste)
6 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
water
5-6 potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into bite-sized chunks (any kind) or cooked rice

Procedure:

1. Place chicken in 6-8 quart stockpot. Add onion, celery, parsley, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
2. Fill pot with water to cover by 2-3 inches. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, skimming foam from surface.
3. Simmer for 1 hour, checking to be sure soup is still simmering and to make sure level doesn’t drop too low (if it does, add more cold water, bring back to simmer, and cook a little longer).
4. Remove chicken from soup and let sit, covered, until cool enough to handle; continue simmering soup in the meantime.
5. Remove meat from bones and return bones, skin, etc to soup. Refrigerate chicken meat.
6. Continue simmering soup. Soup may be simmered for another 1/2 hour or so, or may be simmered for a few hours - the time at this point is quite flexible. Just keep checking the broth level now and then; add cold water and return to simmer if it drops too low.
7. Taste and correct seasoning.
8. If using potatoes: about 30-45 minutes before serving, strain broth through several layers of cheesecloth. Discard vegetables and bones. Clean pot to remove particles. Return broth to pot, add potatoes and chicken meat, and bring to simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
9. If using rice: about 15-20 minutes before serving, strain broth through several layers of cheesecloth. Discard vegetables and bones. Clean pot to remove particles. Return broth to pot, add chicken meat, and bring to simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes or until chicken meat is heated through. Place rice in bowls; ladle soup over rice.
10. This soup may be defatted if you make it in advance, cool quickly in an ice bath, and chill in the refrigerator. Once chilled, the fat will solidify on the surface and may be skimmed off. At this point, the broth may be frozen for later use (with or without meat, and without potatoes or rice), or it may be heated and served.

You’ll Need:

1 cup canned cannellini beans
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 ounces kielbasa sausage, sliced thin
1/2 small onion, slivered
3 leaves kale, rinsed and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

In a saucepan, place the cannellini beans, garlic, sausage, onion and kale with just enough water to cover. Season with 2 teaspoons of parsley, thyme and salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately garnished with Parmesan cheese and remaining fresh parsley.

You’ll Need:

2 quarts vegetable stock
9 ounces noodles, fresh or frozen
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
1 small zucchini, cut chunky
1 small yellow squash, cut chunky
Salt and pepper to taste
Basic Vegetable Stock
1 medium sweep potato, peeled
1 bunch celery
1 pound carrots, unpeeled
1 large onion
1 acorn squash, peeled
1 large apple, peeled
1 medium pear, peeled
3 ounces tomato paste
1 small zucchini, unpeeled
1 small yellow squash, unpeeled
1 medium turnip, peeled
1 medium corn cob
Sage, to taste
Thyme, to taste

Procedure:

Bring stock to a boil. Add noodles and cook per package directions. Two minutes before noodles are done add remaining ingredients.

Basic Vegetable Stock: Coarsely cut all vegetables. Place in stockpot. Pour water to cover and add seasonings. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until all vegetables are mushy.

Allow to cook, strain vegetables through cheesecloth, and discard “much,” retaining the broth. Makes about 2 quarts.

You’ll Need:

1/2 bolillo-type bread, in pieces
1/4 cup milk
5 tomatillos, cleaned and quartered
8 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 kg ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
50 g chihuahua-style cheese, cut in small cubes
the following is for the stock
4 large tomatoes, quartered
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 small onion, quartered
1-2 chipotle chili
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4-5 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf

Procedure:

1. In a small receptacle, soak the bolillo in milk for 5 minutes. Grind well the onion and garlic in a mortar.
2. Add the tomatillos, mint, cumin, and grind together until it forms a paste. Add the mixture to the ground beef, salt and pepper, and mix well with your hands. Form Albondiga meatballs about 4 cm in diameter with a piece of the Chihuahua cheese inside. Set aside.
3. To make the sauce, blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles and water in a blender to a puree.
4. In a large pot, heat the oil and then add the puree. Let it boil around 8 minutes and then add the stock, bay leaf, and salt to taste Bring to a boil again. Reduce the flame and let it cook 5 minute. Add the Albondigas and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Spicy!

You’ll Need:

2 cup Apple juice or cider
2 cooking apples, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup Raisins
2 Inches stick cinnamon
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tbsp Brandy

Procedure:

In 2-quart saucepan combine first 4 ingredients. Cover, simmer 15 minutes or till apples are tender. Stir in sugar and brandy. Cover; chill. Remove stick cinnamon before serving.

You’ll Need:

2 lb fresh green asparagus, trimmed, and cut into 2″ pieces
8 cup water
4 tbsp butter
1 cup minced yellow onions
1 cup minced leeks, white part only
Salt and freshly-ground white pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Creme fraiche
6 hard-boiled quail eggs, halved
2 oz caviar
Chopped chives

Procedure:

Add the water to a saucepan and season with salt. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and drain, reserving the water and asparagus. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and flour. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked asparagus and reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, or until the asparagus are very tender. Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth. Remove and strain, discard any leftover fibers. Add the liquid back to the saucepan and whisk in the cream. Reseason with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and chill the soup completely. Garnish each soup with a drizzle of creme fraiche, 2 quail egg halves, caviar and chives.

You’ll Need:

1 1/2 lb Avocados
2 1/2 cup Stock chicken
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon peel, grated
1 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 lb Shrimp

Procedure:

Peel, pit, and cube avocados. Puree in blender or food processor. Add stock, buttermilk, lemon juice, peel, and garlic and process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Rinse and drain shrimp. Ladle soup into chilled bowls and garnish with shrimp and parsley. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

You’ll Need:

2 teaspoons butter
1 onion, sliced
1 cup chicken or beef broth
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 avocado, peeled and sliced
8 tortilla chips

Procedure:

Melt margarine in small saucepan over medium heat. Separate onion slices into rings and saut? in butter until golden. Add seasoned broth and cilantro leaves. Stir to blend. Lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Pour into heated soup bowls. Add avocado slices and tortilla chips.

You’ll Need:

2 avocados
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
3 to 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp Tabasco
2 ounces smoked salmon

Procedure:

Peel and pit the avocados and in a blender blend them with the lemon juice, the sour cream, 3 cups of the broth, and the Tabasco until the mixture is smooth, adding enough of the remaining 1/2 cup broth to thin the mixture to the desired consistency. Transfer the soup to a bowl, season it with salt and pepper, and chill it, its surface covered with plastic wrap, for 1 hour, or until it is cold. (The soup will discolor if kept for more than 6 hours.) Stir half the salmon, chopped, into the soup, divide the soup among chilled bowls, and garnish it with the remaining salmon, cut into strips.