Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup

Question:   What do a group of parents do when their adult children return back to their busy lives at university, work, or travels after the Christmas holiday?

Do we feel let down after all of the great times shared over the week?  Do we sit around and reminisce fondly about all of the laughter, wonderful meals, lively dinner conversation, awkward family gatherings, and the traditions that our kids happily participate in year after year: Witmiller Christmas, pre-Christmas drinks at Ethels, the boxing day road hockey game?

Answer:   Heck no!! We grab our dogs and skis and head for the hills- of Ellicottville!

 Our recipe for surviving a touch of post-Christmas stress disorder is surrounding ourselves with friends, fresh air, exercise and some great food and wine!!

With plenty of snow on the ground, we didn't want to tie ourselves to the kitchen, so simple and quick were the qualities that we were looking for in a great meal this weekend. Cedar Plank Salmon is one of our go to dishes under these circumstances. The preparation involves a marinade made from ingredients that are found in most pantries, and the grilling time is super quick. We served it with a lovely coconut rice and grilled butternut squash.

Cedar Plank Chili Lime Salmon

1 large salmon filet about 1 inch thick, or more

For the Marinade:

Juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon grated gingerroot

1 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 cedar plank, soaked in water for ½ hour

In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients.  Pour over the salmon and marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the barbecue.  Pat dry the cedar plank, and brush the smoother side with a little more sesame oil.

Place the salmon skin side down directly on the heated grids, and place the prepared plank on the grill beside it, oil side up.  Grill the salmon for 2 minutes, then wiggle a spatula between the skin, which will stick slightly, and the flesh.  Place it on the plank, close the lid, and reduce heat to LOW.  Scrape the skin off the grill and dispose of it.  Check salmon for doneness after 20 minutes.

Grilled Butternut Squash

½ butternut squash, sliced ½” thick and peeled

¼ cup thai sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon mirin

Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, sesame oil and mirin in a small bowl.  Brush this mixture on the prepared squash slices.  Lay the squash on the top rack of a preheated grill, and cook about 10 minutes per side, or until just tender, brushing on more of the sauce as needed to keep it moist.

Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup

                                                                 
This soup was also a quick meal. While one of us grilled the chicken thighs and tortillas, the others chopped the vegetables and prepared the base of the soup. Once we added the chopped, grilled chicken thighs to the soup and set it to simmer for 15 minutes, we assembled the garnishes and set the table for lunch. This was the perfect meal to enjoy between a morning of down-hill skiing and snowboarding and an afternoon of cross-country skiing through the woods.

4 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped cilantro stems

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

6 cups chicken stock

1 small tin tomato paste

1 chipotle pepper, diced

3 cobs corn, kernels cut off the cobs

3 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 can Bush’s  Sweet Mesquite Black Beans

For Garnish:

2 avocados, cut in chunks
Sour cream

Grated cheddar cheese

Chopped cilantro leaves

Grilled corn tortillas, broken

Vegetable oil, for brushing the tortillas

Lime wedges

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH, then reduce temperature to MEDIUM LOW.  Place the chicken thighs on the grill, turn once and cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.  Remove the skin and chop into 1/2” pieces. 

In a large dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil on MEDIUM, and add the onions, celery and both kinds of peppers.  Cook until the vegetables are almost tender.  Add the garlic, cilantro stems, cumin and coriander, and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the chicken stock and tomato paste.  Bring to a simmer and add the chipotle pepper, corn kernels, and chopped tomatoes.  Simmer until the corn is cooked, and add the black beans and the chicken.  Heat until steaming hot. 

Meanwhile, brush the corn tortillas with vegetable oil, and place on a heated grill set to LOW.  Cook until heated and crisped, about 4 minutes, turning often.  Let rest until cool enough to break into pieces.

Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls, and garnish as desired.  Squeeze lime juice over the soup for a nice bright flavour.  

 

We are not so virtuous that we did not enjoy these fabulous souffles, served with orange Grand Marnier sauce

Finishing the weekend off with a 2 1/2 hour ski through the hills and valleys of Holimont!

A Montreal State of Mind

This week’s menu was inspired by our trip to Montreal where we visited with Andy, Reid and Teddy.  Steak Frites are ubiquitous in that city!  The first night we joined some friends at L’Orignal, a French-Canadian restaurant in Old Montreal, before going to see The Game of Love and Chance which Teddy has been working on as Assistant Director with Matthew Jocelyn.  The play will be running in Montreal at the Centaur Theatre through the end of March, and will then move to the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto from April 16-May 12.

The next day we went our separate ways to fawn over our respective kids.  Kris and Andy visited with friends, and went to dinner at Le Boucan, a Montreal Smokehouse in Andy’s neighbourhood.  There she tasted their smoked tomato soup and got the inspiration for a series of smoked vegetable dishes....from soups to dips. 

Andrea and Ted took Reid out for a birthday dinner at Bistro Cocagne, right around the corner from his apartment.  The best dessert that night was a kind of deconstructed lemon meringue pie in a glass that we have tried to replicate here. 

Our quick breakfast spot of choice both days was Cafe Vasco Da Gama, where they serve the most delicious yogurt with honey and berries and hot chocolate that transports you to Paris.

To share our fun and inspiration at home, we got together on Saturday night and cooked up a storm for our friends and family.

We like to make use of every corner of the smoker!  Hence, we created these delicious smoked vegetable recipes for our dinner and smoked everything at the same time. Even if you are not so inspired, we urge you to throw on some extra red peppers,  tomatoes or garlic heads when using your smoker. They can always be frozen and used at a later date to add rich smokey flavor to soups, dips or stews.

Smoked Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Smoked Garlic and Smoked Jalapeno Peppers

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

8 roma tomatoes, halves and seeded

2 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded

1 head of garlic, cut top third off

4 tbsp olive oil(2 tbsp for basting smoked vegetables and 2 tbsp to sauté leeks and onions)

1 onion, diced

1 leek, chopped

2 shallots, diced

2 bay leaves

 2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp coriander

 1 tsp horseradish

2 litres chicken or vegetable stock

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 leek,  julienned and fried, for garnish

Prepare Broil King Keg and it set to cook at 200⁰F.  Place 2 handfuls of soaked hickory chips on top of  the coals.  Brush the surfaces of the prepared vegetables with olive oil.  Place the tomatoes on a foil lined tray. Layer tomatoes and other vegetables on the racks in the smoker.

Smoke for 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, sauté leeks, onion and shallots in 2 tbsp olive oil for 4 minutes in a large stockpot. Add thyme, bay leaves, coriander, horseradish and stock. Set on low heat until smoked vegetables are ready.

When smoked vegetables are softened, remove them from the smoker. At this point, it is easy to get them out of their skins and into the stockpot!  Scoop  butternut squash flesh out of its skin, peel skin from tomatoes, squeeze garlic  cloves out of the skin and dice jalapeno peppers.  Add to stock and cook on low for 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper.

Since we were making Frites(French fries) , we decided to take advantage of the hot oil and fried the julienned leeks for 4 minutes in hot canola oil at 330⁰F. These were a beautiful garnish for the soup.

Sweet and Spicy Smoked Red Pepper Dip

2 red peppers,  seeded

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded

5 cloves smoked, roasted garlic (see above)

1 shallot

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare Broil King Keg as above, and smoke the peppers and garlic for 2 hours.  Remove the jalapeno peppers and garlic and set aside.  Leaving the red peppers on the grids, open  the vents of the smoker and increase the temperature to 500⁰F.  Cook peppers for a further 5 minutes.  This allows the skin of the red peppers to blacken.  Remove the peppers and peel off the skin when cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, gently sauté the chopped shallot in 1 tsp olive oil for 1 minute. Add cumin and cook until shallot is translucent.  In a blender or food processor, combine peeled red peppers, chopped jalapeño peppers, garlic, shallots, lime juice, honey and parsley. Puree until a smooth paste forms.  With processor on, slowly add ¼ olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Refrigerate.

Smokey Eggplant Dip

2 eggplants, halved and brushed with oil

1 head garlic, with top 1/3 removed and brushed with oil

2 shallots, minced

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp harissa  (spicy North African pepper sauce –adjust to taste)

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Smoked chipotle chili pepper, to garnish

Prepare Broil King Keg as above and smoke the prepared eggplants and garlic, cut face up,  for 2 hours. Depending on the size of the eggplant, longer time may be required. If the flesh is not soft after 2 hours, turn up the heat a bit and cook for an extra 15-20 minutes.

Peel eggplant and chop into one-inch pieces. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skins. Combine all ingredients in the food processor and chop coarsely. Add more olive oil, if required. Place in a bowl and garnish with olive oil and a dusting of smoked chipotle chili pepper.

Steak Frites

New York Strip Steaks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Veal demi-glace

Prepare the steaks by brushing them with olive oil and sprinkling them with salt and pepper. 

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to MEDIUM.  Clean the grids with a wire brush, then coat them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. 

Follow the charts below for Perfect Grill Marks and for steak done exactly to your liking. 

                                                                                                                                                    

For the Frites:

Russet potatoes, scrubbed (about ½ potato per person)

2-3 litres canola oil

Kosher salt

Cut the potatoes into ¼” strips.  Soak them in a large bowl of cold water for ½ hour.  Drain and rinse the potatoes once more, before drying them on a towel-lined baking sheet. 

On the side burner of the barbecue, heat the oil to 330°F in a large stock pot.  Cook the potatoes in 3 batches, until barely tender and not yet browning, about 3 minutes.  Lift them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon or small sieve, and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining 2 batches.

Increase the temperature of the oil to 360°F.  Cook the fries for a second time in 3 batches as before.  This time, sprinkle them generously with kosher salt and place them in a warm oven or barbecue until all the batches are cooked for a second time. 

 

Serve with Smoked Garlic Aioli.

Smoked Garlic Aioli

1 head garlic, smoked until completely soft

Pinch kosher salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 ½  cups mayonnaise

Mash the smoked garlic and salt with a fork in a medium bowl until it forms a paste.  Add the rosemary and mayonnaise.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavours to blend.

Lemon Meringue Verrines

A verrine is a layered dessert presented in a glass vessel. This version is both gluten and dairy free.

For the Lemon Curd:

Juice of 4 lemons

¾ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/3  cup coconut oil

In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, eggs and egg yolk. 

Whisk continuously for about ten minutes, or until it is pale and thick. Slowly incorporate the coconut oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until melted.

For the Meringue:

4 egg whites

6 ounces sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place a clean bowl from a stand mixer over simmering water.  Combine egg whites and sugar, and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Remove it from the water bath and beat it on high with the whisk attachment until cool.  Add the vanilla, and beat until combined.

Spoon the lemon curd into the bottom of a pretty stemmed glass.  Spoon the meringue into a piping bag, and top the lemon curd with the meringue, making sure to cover the edges and the whole surface.  If you have a kitchen torch, lightly brown the top of the meringue. 

Garnish with a cookie and a raspberry.

Serves 10

Catherine Coulson and Debbie Robson

 

To cap off the evening, we joined our friends at the Legion where Deb Robson and Catherine Coulson had organized a fun evening of dancing, raffle prizes and toonie toss, all to raise money for their upcoming Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.