Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon

I've mentioned before my love of soup. I especially love soup on blustery fall days. I have a new 5-quart soup and chili pot which is just perfect for making a good-sized amount of soup to carry me through a good portion of the week. I'm trying to be good about freezing meals for my brown-bag lunches and quick, no-time-to-cook dinners. Soup works for me.

Although I like all varieties of soup, from the brothy kind to thick chowders, I have a special fondness for bean and legume soups. I could happily eat lentil soup every week, and same goes for Split Pea with Some Sort of Pork soups.

This is a good one.

Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 4 slices thick-cut slab bacon ( I used peppered bacon), cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cloves, garlic
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup carrots and/or parsnip, diced
• 1/2 cup celery root, diced
• 1 cup sweet potato, diced
• 1-1/2 cup yellow split peas
• 1-1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t smoked paprika
• 6 - 8 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (In this case, I used Better Than Bouillon's No-Chicken Base)

Directions:

1. Cook down the bacon until nicely crisp. Remove the bacon pieces and drain on a plate lined with paper towels
2. Saute the onion, parsnips, carrots and celery root in the bacon fat until softened, then add the diced sweet potato and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the cumin and split peas and stir to coat. 
4. Add the broth, reserved bacon pieces and salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1-1/2 - 2 hours. Add smoked paprika and taste to adjust seasoning and serve of follow the next step for a pureed soup.
5. (Optional) When the split peas are soft enough to your liking, fish out all of the bacon pieces, puree the soup with a stick blender or in small batches in a blender, then toss the bacon back in and let simmer for 5 more minutes and then serve.

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Snark, the Universal Seasoning.

The bigger you are, the larger target you present, so when you have your own magazine and morning talk show, you are a damned-large target. Really, Rachel Ray ought to know better than to post something like this as a recipe on the Food Network site:

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The comments people are posting in response to Late Night Bacon are hilarious. They're as funny as those found in response to the Three Wolves shirt at Amazon.

"Wow! Thank god for this recipe! I had to use toilet paper because I was out of paper towels. Luckily, I use Charmin, so there were no little toilet paper bits left behind, just like the little red bears in the commercial. Well, maybe one or two little bits, but they just added to complexity of this amazing dish. Everyone who logs onto foodnetwork.com is looking for a great recipe like this. In the words of the master herself, it was "Deelish"."

or this one:

"An unabashedly modern twist on a seemingly-unimprovable classic! I like to substitute a country-themed tea towel for the paper on special occasions. I've found it even works at 10:00 am, in case you're considering adding "Late Night Bacon" to your next book club brunch menu. When I unwrap and reveal sur la table, everyone asks "How do you do it???" Only Rachel and I know for sure ;-"

and my favorite:

"This recipe saved my marriage."

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Bacon, Leek and Gruyère Tart

I've been on a puff pastry kick lately. A few weeks ago, I used up my box of pastry to make a savory appetizer and a sweet treat Puff Pastry Swirls, Two Ways, and have been inspired ever since to try out new recipe ideas with the puff pastry. I still had some slab bacon left over from last week's haluski, and two beautiful leeks in the crisper. I remembered the block of Gruyère languishing in the cheese drawer, bought a while back when I had been contemplating making French Onion Soup. I knew that I had to combine the three in some way.

I was torn between making the classic Quiche Lorraine or somehow adding the new box of puff pastry in the mix. Well, this morning I found this recipe at BBC GoodFood for a Leek, cheese and bacon tart and I just knew I had to make it.

Wow, it is ever amazing... and rich. Next time though, I have to use goat cheese in place of the cream cheese. This recipes needs that slight tanginess from the goat cheese.

Bacon, Leek and Gruyère Tart

Ingredients:

• 5 slices thick-cut bacon
• 2 large leeks, tops cut off, washed well and coarsely chopped
  
• 2 t dried thyme or 1 T fresh thyme
  
• 1 oz Gruyère, shredded
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 oz cream cheese
• melted butter
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
   


2. Thaw one sheet of puff pastry, laying it out on a baking sheet lines with a sheet of parchment paper.
   


3. Cook the bacon until crisp. Set aside to drain on a plated lined with paper towels.
   


4. Saute the chopped leeks in the bacon fat (oh yes) until they are soft, not browned.
   


5. Add 1 t of the dried thyme (1/2 T fresh thyme) and saute another minute or so. Remove from heat and set aside.
   


6. Spread the cream cheese on the thawed puff pastry, leaving free a 1-inch border along all four sides. Sprinkle a little thyme over the cream cheese.
   


7. Brush the border with melted butter.
   


8. Spread the leeks all over the cream cheese.
   


9. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top of the leeks.
   


10. Top generously with the shredded Gruyère. Sprinkle a little more thyme on top.
    


11. Fold the edges of the pastry over and brush it with melted butter and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and nicely golden brown and delicious.
    

Gruyere Cheese- جبنة غرويير Tweet

Haluski with Spaetzle

You read that right, that's haluski with spaetzle.

Some of you may be shuddering in horror at the thought of haluski made with anything but homemade noodles, potato dumplings or egg noodles, but the way I see it, as I browsed through recipes of "authentic Slovakian haluski," no one could agree on what noodle/dumpling/potato addition was right. So I said, what the hell, spaetzle are a noodle-type dumpling, right? I like to walk on the crazy side sometimes.

The verdict: It was fantastic!

The spaetzle soaked up all the flavor of the dish without being too doughy. I used fresh-cut slab bacon from the butcher's counter instead of packaged bacon, and I have to say, I think that made a huge difference. If it makes sense, that bacon tasted more "bacony" than any other bacon I've ever had. Its saltiness complemented the cabbage's sweetness perfectly.

Adding the caraway seed was a last-minute inspiration, but it worked. I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow after the flavors have melded even more.

Haluski with spaetzle

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1 head of green cabbage, cored and chopped coarsely
• caraway seed
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• caraway seed
• cooked, buttered spaetzle*
  

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon until nicely crisp, then remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
2. To the rendered bacon fat, add the sliced onion and cook over medium-high heat until they start to soften.
   
3. Sprinkle some garlic powder over the top and then add the chopped cabbage.
4. Cover to let steam. Cook for five minutes covered, and then stir to be sure it is cooking evenly. Add a little bit of salt, pepper and caraway, stir and cover again.
5. Let it cook down, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft but not limp. It should still have a little bit of bite to it.
   
6. Add the buttered spaetzle, and combine well. Let it cook for a minute, then add the reserved bacon pieces.
   
7. Taste to check the seasoning and then serve.
   

Spaetzle

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground caraway seed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, caraway seed and nutmeg.
2. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.
   
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the dry ones.
4. Combine well until smooth. This will be somewhere between a dough and a batter, and it will be quite thick. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
   
6. To form the spaetzle, press the batter through your handy-dandy spaetzle press into the water, one batch at a time, cooking for about 5 minutes, until the spaetzle is all puffy and have floated to the top of the pot. stirring gently to prevent sticking.
   
   - If you don't have a spaetzle press, you can use a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon.
   
7. Scoop out the spaetzle with a slotted spoon and set in a bowl to rest.
8. Add a small pat of butter and stir well.
   

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Mushroom Onion Quiche with Bacon

Quiche is one of my favorite lighter meals, though it seems absurd to call something made with heavy cream, eggs, and cheese then folded into a rich, buttery pastry crust "light." A little of this dish goes a long way, however, especially when accompanied by a large green salad.

This quiche can be served warm or cold.

Mushroom Onion Quiche with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1 pastry crust for 9-in pie*
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (½ oz.) packet of dried porcini mushrooms - reconstitutes to 2 oz.
• sherry
  
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 ounces cheese, grated (1 ½ cups) - traditionally, this dish would call for Gruyère, but a nice sharp cheddar also works nicely in this dish
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms to reconstitute them. Let them sit for 30 minutes, then strain and chop them coarsely. Set aside.
   


2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle, or, press the pastry dough into a tart pan or 9-inch pie plate, pressing the dough into corners.
   


3. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes if the crust seems to be oily or greasy. We want the fat in the crust to be cold when it goes into the oven.
   
   If you do put the pastry in the fridge to chill, be sure to take it out and let it sit on the counter so the dish can come to room temperature. Putting a cold dish into a hot oven spells disaster.
   


4. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the pastry with a circle of parchment paper or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges.
   


5. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or ceramic pie weights. Bake first for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.
   


6. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.


7. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute.
   


8. Add the chopped, fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid.
   


9. Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and continue to cook over medium high heat until all the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
   


10. Add a dash of sherry and cook until that evaporates as well.
    


11. Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread the mushroom and onion mixture over the cheese, crumble some bacon on top of that, top with remaining cheese and bacon.
    


12. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese.
    


13. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.

* Pastry Crust for 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
   


2. While the blade is running, add only enough of the ice water until the dough begins to form a ball. You can test this by grabbing a small handful (when the food processor is turned OFF and unplugged) and squeezing it: If it doesn't hold together, then add more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, pulsing until it is just incorporated, then test again.
   
   Be sure not to overwork the dough, or pastry will be tough. We don't want to build up the gluten in this dough, we just want the fat evenly distributed and the dough to hold together when we roll it out.
   


3. Once the dough holds together well, take it out of the bowl of the food processor and shape it into a compact ball. Then, flatten it into a round disc. Wrap the disc of pastry in plastic wrap and put that into a plastic bag and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
   


4. When you are ready to roll out the dough, take it out of the refrigerator and, on a well-floured surface, roll it with a floured rolling pin until it is approximately 1/8 inch and 12 inches in diameter.
   


5. Transfer it to your pie plate or tart pan.
   

Notes:

• This pastry crust recipe is a basic, all-purpose crust which can be used interchangeably between dessert pies like apple or pumpkin and quiches.
  


• Here is an easy way to transfer a pastry crust to the plate without it ripping:
  
  
  
  • Starting with one outside edge, roll the crust onto the rolling pin until it is all curled around it.
    
  
  
  • Unroll it into your tart pan or pie plate.
    
  
  
  • Trim off the edges and you're ready to blind-bake the pastry
  
  
  
  

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