International Food Blogger Conference 2012 Portland

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FFwD #3: Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

By mlb, on October 15th, 2010%

Soicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

Here’s post number three for French Fridays with Dorie! I liked this soup a lot and think I’ll definitely make it again! Psssssst…Buy the book!

Stuff I learned:

1. I think my broth was thinner than it looked in the cookbook photo because I used light coconut milk. I thought the taste was still wonderful, but sometime I may try it with full-on coconut milk.
2. Triple, even quadruple the cheesecloth, or there will be peppercorns floating in your soup! Luckily, I learned this early on and re-wrapped my spices/cilantro stems.
3. Thai basil is best, but normal basil will work if that’s all you have (me! me!)
4. I diced my chicken instead of shredding it — sometimes I am just lazy like that.
5. And oh yeah, you can’t really see my noodles here, but I boiled up two servings worth of frozen udon noodles for dinner and . . . → Read More: FFwD #3: Vietnamese Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

5 comments   Asian, Cookbooks, Food Blogging Event, Soups & Stews

Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon

By mlb, on August 27th, 2010%

carrot soup

This is a great all-purpose soup. You can make it in the summer with a pound of garden or farmer’s market carrots, or any time with a bag of peeled carrots, as in the original recipe. We actually have the bag of carrot snacks in the fridge quite often and if they don’t get used for…snacks, I am often wondering how to use the bag up fast. This soup was the answer.

Usually I am so-so on carrot soup but something about the flavors here just clicked for me. It was especially good the next day, as the different ingredients had time to come together and meld. I’m also already forming a plan to use this recipe in the Fall with some butternut squash or pumpkin for the carrots!

Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit magazine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1-pound bag classic-cut peeled . . . → Read More: Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon

Leave a comment   Autumn, Comfort Food, Soups & Stews, Summer, Vegetables

The Best Roasted Vegetable Stock & What To Do With It

By mlb, on June 12th, 2010%

vegetable broth

Okay, so this is not the most season-appropriate dish ever but if you lived in Portland, you’d understand. We have been rainy and a little cold, although today and tomorrow are promising to be nice, sunny and *gasp* Summer-ish!

If you do have a day that is not so hot, this is a great thing to do with your oven and stovetop. I have even made the chicken version of the posole in the crockpot before, when it was too hot to simmer it stovetop.

The vegetable broth you do need the oven for, so either wait for a cool day, roast your veggies in the morning, or throw caution to the wind and crank up your oven in a 90 degree day!

Roasted Vegetable Stock
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine
3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, halved
1 red onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut . . . → Read More: The Best Roasted Vegetable Stock & What To Do With It

3 comments   Comfort Food, Mexican, Soups & Stews, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut & Cashews

By mlb, on February 20th, 2010%

soup

This was a recent experiment that ended up as a tasty dinner and then lunch the next day. I used a basic carrot soup recipe with ginger and lemon to start but then added a lot of other things to it (curry powder, cashews, coconut cream). It made a very interesting, satisfying soup.

My inspiration for adding all of those extra ingredients were a really wonderful bowl of soup I had a couple of years ago at The Cricket Cafe on Belmont and a recent lazy approach to dinner in the form of Pacific Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger soup.

I think you could easily substitute coconut milk for the cream (it won’t end up as creamy) but you’ll save some fat for a dessert or something. I went ahead and froze my leftover coconut cream in three batches for other recipes. That’s what I do when I open a can . . . → Read More: Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut & Cashews

3 comments   Comfort Food, Soups & Stews, Vegetables, Winter

Lentil Soup #22

By mlb, on January 25th, 2010%

lentil soup

Recently, I found myself with a bag of lentils and a dream. Or something like that. Maybe it was just a bag of lentils, a craving for soup and memories of the awesome chicken tagine of last month. So I kind of combined the two for something I like to call Lentil Soup #22 (or Moroccan-Style Lentil Soup). I’ve posted lentil soups before, but this is way different.

I used Spanish lentils for this (they hold their shape really well) but any brown lentil will work fine. So would red or green, probably.

Lentil Soup #22 (or Moroccan-Style Lentil Soup)
Adapted from a recipe by ME!
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
1 cinnamon stick
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/4 cups brown lentils
1 handful cilantro, chopped
Optional: 1/2 tsp Rogan Josh seasoning
Garnishes: more . . . → Read More: Lentil Soup #22

3 comments   Beans & Legumes, Comfort Food, Soups & Stews
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