Curried parsnip and scallops soup

I saw this sentence on my Facebook feed this morning: "What a nice winter we're having this spring".

How very, very true.

If you're also stuck in a frigid climate this week, you might want to give this soup a try. Extremely simple, you only need a few ingredients to make it. It is very healthy with lotsof good seafood proteins and fats, vitamins and fibers from the parsnips and just enough of a kick from the curry. If you ask me, it is a perfect combination of flavors.

Here's how you can make it!


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people as a starter, 2 people for a light dinner):
- 4 cups chicken stock (can be replaced with vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
- 1 bag of parsnips, peeled and diced
- 1 shallot, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp curry powder, reserve 1/2 tsp out of this
- 1 cup frozen scallops, thawed (you can also use fresh, of course!)



RECIPE:
- add the 1/2 tsp curry powder to the scallops, mix to coat well and let marinate at room temperature while you make the soup

- in a pot, melt the butter and saute the sliced shallot over medium-high heat until soft, then add the curry powder and cook for a minute over medium heat

- add the parsnips and broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the parsnips are soft and cooked all the way through

- after 20 minutes, puree until smooth with a stick blender then add the thawed scallops and poach over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the scallops are just cooked

Note: if using large scallops, you may want to slice them thinly before you poach them in the soup
- serve hot, sprinkled with a pinch of curry powder
- Enjoy!

Borscht (Eastern European beetroot soup)

I want to say my immense love of beets is behind the idea of this soup, but not at all! I actually do not even like beets that much. However, there is something so comforting about the piping hot vinegary taste of Borscht, not to mention the hypnotizing deep burgundy color of this delicious Eastern European soup...

I'd been toying with the idea of making Borscht for the blog (and for my tummy, too!) for a few months, when I saw a video on Youtube yesterday of a lady preparing one for her family. This was the trigger and I decided right then and there that I would be cooking Borscht for my next PITK recipe.

Here it is guys! Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
for the broth:
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, with rind
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
- 2 to 3 bay leaves (fresh or dry)
- 10 black peppercorns
- a big pinch of salt
- 12 cups of water
for the soup:
- 2 lbs of red beets
- 1/2 small head of green cabbage
- a bunch of fennel leaves (I should have used dill, but only had fennel at hand)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar (not pictured)
- a dollop of sour cream and a few dill/fennel leaves for serving (not pictured)

RECIPE:
- in a deep stock pot, heat a splash of vegetable oil and brown the pork (skin down), onions and carrots on high heat until caramelized

- season with a healthy pinch of salt, the bay leaves and peppercorns and add the 12 cups of water

- bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour

- drain the stock, discard the vegetables and thinly slice the meat against the grain after removing as much of the fat as possible

- bring the clear broth back to a simmer, then add the beetroots peeled and cubed and cook for 30 minutes on medium-high heat

- after 30 minutes, add the shredded cabbage, chopped fennel and meat into the soup and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked through. If the liquid evaporates too much, you can complement with beef broth, vegetable broth or just water

- when the vegetables are done, turn off the heat and add 1/4 cup of white vinegar

- serve piping hot, with a dollop of sour cream on top
- Enjoy!


Note: for a little extra oomph, you can serve the soup with pierogi-like mushroom dumplings (recipe coming soon)

Winter roots and squash gratin

So..... Today I am going to a late "Halloween/day of the Dead" potluck dinner with my colleagues. I decided to tweak a french staple: the Gratin Dauphinois.

I decided to use whatever winter veggies were sleeping in my fridge, and ended up using potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips and turnips.

This recipe is dead simple. No pun intended ;)

Here goes:

INGREDIENTS (about 10 servings as side dish, 6 servings as vegetarian entree):

- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 huge turnip (same size as a rutabaga)
- 1 medium yukon gold potato
- 1 medium parsnip
- 1 small carton of whipping cream (I would normally use heavy cream, but that's all there was left at the supermarket today)

- a splash of milk
- about 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (it really does make a difference to use this nutty-flavored delicious cheese in stead of cheddar or mozzarella. If you can, splurge! -it's not that expensive-)

- grated nutmeg (fresh is better, but already ground is fine too)

- salt, pepper

RECIPE:

- preheat the oven at 350F (~175C).
- wash, peel and quarter all veggies.

- using a mandolin, cut the vegetables in thin slices (~2mm thick).

Be very careful with the mandolin and protect your fingers with the guard. I promise that this is really the ONLY way to go with a mandlin. I recently discovered what it feels like to be a veggie going through that blade, and I do not recommend it... Lost the fingerprint and sensitivity on my right ring finger :(

- Put the vegetables in a thin layer on the bottom of a dish. Add salt, pepper, a little bit of nutmeg and some cheese.

Add another layer of veggies, salt, pepper and cheese. No nutmeg on that second layer. Then repeat layers only adding nutmeg every other layer (I find that if I add nutmeg on every layer, it becomes overpowering). Finish with a nice layer of grated cheese on top.

- Pour the cream and milk on top of the veggies.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

- Enjoy!