Soups & Stews – In Good Taste

How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree [Recipe: Pumpkin Chili]

Maris Callahan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:48:56 +0000

Let’s talk about pumpkin, shall we? I hope you aren’t sick of it yet. Since it’s mid-October, we’ve all realized by now that pumpkin is everywhere. It’s at the farmer’s market, it’s on sale at the grocery store and on almost every blog I’ve read since the end of August, there is a glowing tribute to pumpkin so complimentary it borders on pornographic. I like pumpkin just as much as the next gal, you see, but there’s nothing inappropriate going on over here unless you’re talking about the calorie consumption department in which case, I plead no contest. Whether you’re planning to write a Harlequin-style romance about pumpkin on your blog or simply roast one for a pumpkin cheesecake pie, you might need to know how to roast a pumpkin. While donuts and chocolate chip bars and scones are all reasonable uses for pumpkin puree, they won’t help you maintain your dress size until January, so I thought I’d share a more nutritious way to use pumpkin this year. I developed this recipe for a presentation I did earlier this month at the Chicago Junior League about how to prepare healthy fall recipes. Now, while I’m comfortable sharing intimate details […]

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Curried Pumpkin Soup with Crème Fraiche

Maris Callahan — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:38:03 +0000

Last week I wrote a series of Thanksgiving side dish recipes for Craft Magazine. It was a fun series, and one that challenged me because all of the recipes had to be gluten-free. I don’t have any dietary restrictions or sensitivities (unless you count the fact that I hate chocolate and peanut butter together. I do. I know I’m a freak of nature) so I rarely pay attention to whether or not my recipes are gluten free. Even so, sometimes it’s fun to think outside the box, especially when you’re facing the biggest food holiday of the year. So, if you have time, visit the Thanksgiving series on Craftzine.com for more holiday inspiration. In the meantime, I’m going to tide you over with a creamy soup, a thick consistency that tastes so much more indulgent then it is. Curry lends a deep, earthy and exotic flavor and a dollop of creme fraiche is all this soup needs to be an elegant starter to your Thanksgiving dinner. Save Print Curried Pumpkin Soup with Crème Fraiche Author: Maris Callahan Recipe type: Cooking for a Crowd, Worknight Dinners, Weekend Cooking Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 6-8 Ingredients […]

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Ratatouille with Basil & Parmesan Cheese

Maris Callahan — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:19:21 +0000

When I first learned to cook there were about three recipes that I would make with fairly consistent regularity and no, not ratatouille, but: whole-wheat beer bread, turkey chili and spinach artichoke dip. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when your skills are limited. But what if I told you that there are so many things you can make if you have even the most basic kitchen skills? If you can make chili, which basically includes browning meat, chopping vegetables and simmering tomatoes with beans, you can also make trickier-sounding Italian Beef Stew or Eggplant Caponata. Or, Ratatouille. If you think that Ratatouille is a meal named after the Disney character then I’m going to take a wild guess that you have at least three pizza delivery numbers programmed into your cell phone. No judgment. Ratatouille is actually a stewed vegetable dish with French Provencal origins. Key ingredients are tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini along with herbs and spices. Marjoram, Herbs de Provence are traditional but this version, which I adapted from the now defunct Gourmet, uses basil to add fresh flavor. So, to recap: you chop, you saute and then you simmer. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano and voila. Dinner. […]

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Hearty Winter Vegetable Soup

Maris Callahan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Winter vegetable soup made with acorn squash, kale, chicken or vegetable broth, cannellini beans and thyme, topped with parmesan cheese. When I was in high school, I was at a local diner with my mother one night and she ordered a glass of white zinfandel. The waitress, confused, told her that they didn’t have white zinfandel, but they had the “pink kind.” Well, yes. White Zinfandel is tinted pink. Similarly, black kale is actually green. Growing up, eating green vegetables meant peas, string beans, broccoli and the occasional iceberg lettuce salad. Healthy, but not a lot of variety. Over the past few years I’ve discovered just how much I like spinach (especially in spinach and artichoke dip or baked penne with spinach and sausage) as well as how well Swiss chard complements whole wheat spaghetti. And now, I can sing the praises of kale, also. This soup only takes about fifteen minutes to prepare (which I will admit, does not include wrestling with your vegetable peeler and the acorn squash) and another fifteen minutes to simmer away on the stove. Even if you have an acorn squash that fights back, it’s a quick dinner and filling for a chilly night. […]

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Black Bean Stew with Corn, Tomatoes and Green Chiles

Maris Callahan — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Did you know that you can make soup or stew in under an hour? Well, you can. You can make black bean stew with corn, chiles, tomatoes and more delicious spices in about thirty minutes (longer if you want to let the flavors bubble together for more time). It’s amazing. Stew is one of the easiest meals you can make, because all you do is throw everything in a pot or slow-cooker and you pretty much just leave it there. I made this on a Sunday, my favorite time of the week to make a pot of something that I can pop on the stove and forget about. Well, I didn’t forget about it, but it also didn’t require constant attention. The problem with most stew is that it usually has to cook for a minimum of a few hours. It, quite literally, stews. Sometimes though, and definitely in this instance, you can just open a few cans, chop an onion, season and fifteen minutes later … dinner. Well, if you want to get technical, there are a lot of steps in this recipe. The Steps One: Make stew. Two: Change into sweatpants. Three: Pour yourself a glass of wine and start […]

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