The Charmed Kitchen

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I had some wonderful broccoli and wanted to make a dish for a dinner with friends. I decided to make a broccoli soup. I used what I had on hand. Luckily had some tomato juice to add as well. It added a nice touch of acidity to the dish. Just a few more ingredients and the soup was finished. It went over very well at the party. A nice first course for a chilly evening.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 qt. stock- I had turkey but chicken or even vegetable would work well.

2 c. tomato juice

6-8 cups chopped fresh broccoli

3 c. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

 hot sauce to taste

fresh grated nutmeg, to taste

Heat oil in soup pot and add onion cooking until tender. Add stock and tomato juice and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender about 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup- or puree in a blender in batches. If blending hot soup in a blender only do small amounts. Remove inner ring from the lid. Place lid on blender and then cover with a folded kitchen towel. Mixture will splash up. When smooth add the half and half and seasonings. Heat through and adjust seasonings of needed.  Serves 6.

Flaming Ghost Cake

This one is fun for Halloween. You start with a cake. Frost it with chocolate frosting and then use white frosting to make a ghost on the cake. You can make all sorts of images- cats, bats, pumpkins. When ready to serve the cake the eyes are set on fire. Fun effect. Kids and grown-ups both will get a kick out of it. Just be sure to have proper adult supervision for the kids. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Very cool blue flames. Don’t forget to turn down the lights!

Flaming Ghost Cake

1 prepared 9×13- inch cake any flavor or white cake tinted orange

2 c. chocolate frosting

1 c. vanilla frosting

3 oz. semi sweet chocolate, optional

2 empty eggshell halves, washed well and dried

2 sugar cubes

Lemon extract

Frost cake with chocolate frosting then spread vanilla frosting in the shape of a ghost. Melt chocolate in a small plastic bag. When chocolate is melted snip off the corner of the bag and use to outline ghost. Place eggshell halves in cake, round side down where the ghost’s eyes would be. Soak sugar cubes in extract and place in eggshells. When ready to serve light sugar cubes and turn off the lights. Serve 12-16.

Variations: You can use the flaming eyes effect on cat shapes, pumpkins or even bats. Practice drawing the shape on paper before frosting the cake. If you bake a larger round cake the whole thing can be the pumpkin. Just frost it with orange tinted frosting.

Chili Stew

We made this dish in class last night. It’s a great dish when time is short. It is fast to make and still has plenty of flavor. Can be served as is or topped with cheese, sour cream or chopped onions.  Perfect dinner for a “chilli” night.

Chili Stew

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small sweet pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned (drained)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 envelope taco seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

 In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the meat, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-5.

“Bat” Wings

With Halloween fast approaching I thought I’d share this recipe for bat wings. OK, not really bat wings but you already knew that. I just add black food coloring to barbecue sauce and use it to color/flavor chicken wings. I made a batch for a Halloween party a few years ago and someone actually asked if there were real bat wings. A word of warning- when you use black food coloring it will transfer to you. No matter how careful you are when you eat the wings you’ll end up with purple fingers.  Also, for the best effect keep the wings intact- no trimming off of the tips.  They look pretty cool when set out on the table. Creepy- but very tasty.

Bat Wings

2-3 lbs. whole chicken wings

salt and pepper

1 c. barbecue sauce- store bought or home made

black food coloring- handle carefully- it stains

Place chicken wings in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile in medium bowl combine sauce with food coloring. Add just a little black food coloring at a time. Too much will alter the flavor of the food. Remove wings from the oven and dip them in the bowl of sauce. Turn to coat. Place wings on a clean baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake an addition 45 minutes. You can baste them with additional sauce during the baking, if you like.  Place on a serving platter and provide plenty of napkins.

Dip wings in sauce

Return to oven to finish baking

A pile of “bat” wings

Lentil Soup

Also called Dal Soup this is a recipe I love to make when the weather is chilly. Satisfying and just spicy enough. It is a great dish to serve when vegetarian friends are over and still hearty enough for the meat eaters. The mix of spices gives it great flavor. I cook it just until the lentils are tender, but not cooked to mush. Serve with a lemon wedge to squeeze on the soup before eating.

Lentil (Dal) Soup

8 c. water

1 ½ T. ground turmeric

1 T. ground coriander

3 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ t. cayenne pepper

2 2/3 c.  Lentils, rinsed (about 1 pound)

¼ c. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 t. fresh minced ginger

1 t. cumin seed

½ t. mustard seed

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Salt to taste

Lemon wedges

Bring first 6 ingredients to boil in large pot. Add lentils; reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, in skillet over medium heat cook onions and seasonings in oil until onion starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Add this mixture to lentil mixture and cook until soup reaches desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve in bowls and garnish with lemon wedges.  Serves 8.

Potato Leek Soup

There is something very  comforting about a bowl of hot soup on a chilly day. In my Comfort Soup class last night we made several different soups. This is one of my favorites. It can be a meal all on its own perhaps paired with some warm, crusty bread.

Potato and Leek Soup

2 T. oil

2-3 large leeks

6-8 c. chicken or vegetable stock

2 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

4-5 c. diced potatoes, peeled if desired

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1/3 c. flour, optional

To prepare leeks, wash and trim off any dark green leaf tops.  Cut off bottom of leeks about ½ inch up from the root.  Split leeks lengthwise and rinse under running water fanning the layers to remove any dirt or sand.  Cut crosswise into ½ inch pieces and place pieces in large bowl of cold water.  Agitate to remove any remaining dirt and lift leeks out of the bowl. Drain.

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Sauté leeks until tender. Add stock, carrots and celery and simmer, covered until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Stir in milk and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Note: If you like a thicker soup you can mash the vegetables a little or you can stir the flour into a little cool water and stir into the soup, bringing to the boil for 1 minute. Serves 6-8.  

Overnight Red Cabbage Slaw

When I was growing up I had a neighbor, Ruth Stevens, who was like a grandmother to me. I adored her. She loved gardening and animals and had a gentle quality about her that I will never forget. I spent many happy days in her garden and learned so much from her. She gave me a version of this recipe. I was about 12 at the time. I still have her recipe, written in with her slightly shaky hand. When I look through old recipes and come across it- I always think of her and miss her even to this day.

Great time of year to get fresh cabbage either from the garden or the local farm market. I got some beautiful red cabbage from Blue Pike Farm and decided to make a salad to go with a recent dinner with friends. You can make the salad with red or green cabbage or a combination. After a few days in the fridge, if you make the combination of red and green the green cabbage will pick up the color from the red cabbage and the whole thing will look red. Because of the acidity of the cider vinegar in the dressing the cabbage not only maintains its color, I think it gets a little brighter. With the vinegar dressing the slaw will keep for at least a week in the fridge- it just gets more “pickled” over time.

Overnight Red Cabbage Slaw

inspired by Ruth Stevens

8 cups shredded red cabbage- about 1 medium head

1 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar, or to taste

1 T. celery seed

2 t. dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

Place cabbage in large bowl. In jar with a tight fitting lid place the rest of the ingredients and shake well until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cabbage and stir to coat. Cover bowl and place in fridge overnight to let the flavor blend and the cabbage soften. Salad will wilt down quite a bit. Keeps in fridge for a couple of weeks. Serves 6-8.

Ginger Spiced Cider

It’s been chilly lately and I love a mug of hot cider to warm up. I made some recently and wanted to dress it up a little. Great late at night when I want something without caffeine, too. I ended up adding ginger and cinnamon and the result was really good. Simple, too. I always keep fresh ginger in my freezer. It is frustrating to buy a piece of ginger and then find it in the bottom of the crisper drawer weeks later looking like a science experiment gone bad. Freezing it solves that problem.When I want to use it I just  take it out of the freezer, scrape off the peel and grate or slice off what I need. It keeps pretty much forever that way and I have fresh ginger whenever the mood strikes me.

Ginger Spiced Cider

2 cups apple cider

1-inch piece of ginger, sliced

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

Place cider in a saucepan with the ginger and cinnamon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes- or a little longer if you want a more intense ginger taste. Strain and serve. Serves 2.

Note: Some of the cider will boil off so add a little more if you simmer it longer or keep the pot covered to reduce evaporation. I actually like the more intense flavor when it cooks down a little.

Cider simmering with ginger and cinnamon

Succotash

I catered a party recently with a western theme. We went over menu options and the hostess ended up choosing succotash as one of the sides. I know, kind of a silly sounding name. As a kid I didn’t like it- but then I didn’t like Lima beans when I was a kid. Succotash’s main 2 components  are corn and Lima beans. After that different ingredients are sometimes added. I went my own way on this one and came up with a side dish I didn’t just like- I loved. So did the party guests. It could even be a vegetarian main dish instead of a side. My additions- butter, garlic and sweet peppers.

Succotash

2 T. butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 lb. fresh Lima beans- I used frozen

5-6 cups fresh or frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

In skillet heat butter and cook garlic over medium heat until just getting color on it- be careful not to burn. Toss in the pepper and cook 5 minutes longer- until pepper is tender-crisp. Add beans and corn and cook until heated through, stirring often. Adjust seasonings and add a little more butter, if you like. Serves 6-8.

Succotash with barbecue chicken

Autumn Sweet and Sour Cabbage

I think cabbage sometimes gets a bad rap. I know plenty of people who only eat it as cole slaw or maybe sauerkraut. It is a very versatile vegetable and can make a nice side dish sauteed with just a few other ingredients. I had several  heads of cabbage from my garden and wanted to use some as a side dish. I combined the cabbage with  a few additional ingredients, including apples, to make this. I kept this batch vegetarian but you can add cooked bacon or some diced ham. Either way it is a tasty and easy way to enjoy cabbage. Goes great with roasted meats, especially pork. I served it with a roasted chicken.

  Autumn Sweet and Sour Cabbage

2 T. oil

1 large onion, sliced thin

8 c. shredded cabbage

2 c. chopped apples and pears, peeled if desired

½ c. cider vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

¼ sugar, or more to suit your taste

salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in oil until golden brown. Add cabbage and fruit and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until cabbage is wilted. Add remaining ingredients and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasonings. Serves 4-6.

Note: You can serve this dish just as it is or you can add 8 oz. of cooked noodles when you add the vinegar for cabbage and noodles. Some people also like to make this dish with crumbled bacon or diced ham.