Cory's Spicy sausage and tomato soup "Dang tasty"

Spicy sausage and tomato soup

Brown 1/2 lb sausage
Take out and add
1 tbs olive oil
1 large clove garlic diced
1/2 white onion diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper diced
8 small carrot diced
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Sauté for 8 min
Add 1 cup red wine and deglaze pan
Reduce wine by 1/2
Add sausage back to pan
Add 2 cans diced tomatoes
Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Add 1/4 tsp cayenne
Add 4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
Salt and pepper
Bring to a boil and add 6-8 oz of Acini Di Pepe pasta

Simmer for 15 min and serve in a bowl with a dollop of sour creme and garnish with chopped green onion.

You could easily reduce the amount of sausage and add crab claws and prawns in at the end. Oh that would be tasty. 

Clark's BMT Sandwich, Roasted Tomato Soup and Basil Oil Drizzle

Basil, Mozzarella, Tomato (BMT) Sandwich with Roasted Tomato soup and basil oil drizzle

8 thin slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese

8 thin slices of fresh ripe tomato

Approximately 1 ½ cups packed fresh basil chiffonade

8 slices of either a brioche or challah bread or your favorite sandwich bread 

1 ½ to 2 cups Balsamic vinegar reduced to 2 Tbls balsamic molasses

¾ cup mayonnaise

Mix 2 Tbls of the balsamic molasses into the mayonnaise and mix well. Spread on 4 slices of the bread, enough to give a hint of the creamy balsamic flavor, but not over powering. Place two slices of tomato on each of the slices of bread with the mayo so the tomato gets the balsamic flavor. Salt and pepper to taste. Then place two slices of mozzarella on top of the tomato and a generous sprinkling of the sliced basil. Top with the other slice of bread and grill in a frying pan or Panini press until golden brown and oozing with melted cheese. Slice and enjoy. Especially good for dunking in your soup. (This sandwich is also good with a couple slices of crispy bacon on the sandwich)

Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil Oil Drizzle

Approximately 3 lbs of very ripe tomatoes (use a variety of types and colors if available)

4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

6 cloves of fresh garlic peeled

4-6 stems of flat leaf Italian parsley

2 stems of fresh rosemary

1 whole small onion sliced

½ cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 quart of chicken broth

1-2 Tbls sugar or enough to take any bitter edge off the soup during final seasoning

1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Cut the tomatoes in half, slice the onions, peel the garlic cloves and spread evenly all of the pieces on one or two flat baking sheets. Spread the herbs evenly over the tomatoes and onions and then drizzle the olive oil over all of the ingredients being sure everything gets some oil. Use more if necessary to ensure everything gets some oil. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and a few grinds of the fresh pepper.

Place the sheets into the oven until everything gets a bit of black char. The herbs will char quickly, but the tomatoes take longer. Approximately 30 min.

Heat the chicken stock until almost boiling. Then place all of the ingredients from the roasting pan into the blender. Remove the stems from the rosemary and thyme. Add enough of the hot chicken stock to blend the contents smooth. Then place in a soup pot. Add additional chicken stock until the soup is the desired consistency (slightly thick, hearty and rich). Salt and pepper to taste and add a small amount of sugar to get the right balance and remove any slight bitter flavor.  Add a bay leaf and let simmer on the stove top for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve in your favorite bowls topped with a drizzle of fresh basil oil.

Basil Oil

2 cups packed fresh basil

1 large clove of garlic pressed through garlic press

½ cup of olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt

Rinse basil and pat dry. Put into blender with the garlic salt and oil and blend until basil is well mixed but not a smooth puree. Place into a small frying pan or pot and heat until the oil just starts to shimmer and sizzle a bit. Then turn off heat and allow to sit until room temp. Place two layers of cheesecloth in a mesh strainer and allow the basil oil to drip through into a small bowl.  Either use a spoon or place into a small squirt bottle to drizzle a swirl onto the surface of each bowl of soup.

Serve hot with the BMT sandwich and enjoy.

(note: if you like your soup silky smooth, you can run it through a fine mesh strainer after reaching the final texture, but before the final seasoning. Personally, I like it rustic)

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado

serves 3-4

Ok so this looks pretty strange but believe me its pretty good. This is a dish from Peru, they love to cook with cilantro, lime, and garlic which for me is a perfect fit. I have never seen a recipe for this but i loved to eat it when i was down in South America so I tried to recreate it from taste. So basically it is a steak and potato stir fry. First you lay down a bed of rice with some home made french fries on top. Once that is done you add on everything else on top and enjoy. Its simple and pretty cheap but has a lot of flavor.


1 cup of rice
1 medium red onion ( i used white for this but red is way better)
1 serrano pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
2 roma tomatos
2 medium sized cloves of garlic
2 medium  potatoes
1/2 tea spoon cumin
1/2 cup of loose cilantro leaves.
1 Lime
10 oz of steak (chuck, sirloin, rib eye depending on your budget)
Salt the fries and the vegetables to taste


1. Cut meat into strips and then put meat in a bowl to marinate in the juice of half of a lime.

2. Put the rice on to cook, add a little bit of garlic salt to the rice.

3. Cut the potato into fries, cover the bottom of a pan in canola or vegetable oil and pan fry the potatoes. Make sure you do not over cook them or the dish will be hard to eat. They should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

4. Brown the meat with all of its juices and marinade, then add the sliced onion, minced garlic, and diced serrano to the pan.

5. Once the onions are al dente add the cumin, tomato slices, salt, half of your cilantro leaves, and the other half of your lime. Cook until the tomatoes just start to get soft.

6. Make a bed of rice with the french fries on top then add the stir fry mixture on top, make sure to get some of the juice on top so it gets the rice moist, then garnish with the rest of your cilantro.

Clark's Famous Chicken Pot Pies

Clark’s Famous Chicken Pot Pies

4-5 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium sized chicken breasts or 4 chicken tenders, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery, diced
1/2 a large yellow onion, diced
2 medium yellow potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used white cooking wine)
24 oz. chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 – 1/2 cream (until the correct thickness)
1.5 T butter & 1.5 T flour for roux
1 sheet prepared puff pastry dough (found in the freezer section)
4-5 individual aluminum pie pans (see pictures below)
1 T fresh lemon juice and the zest from 1/2 a lemon

Instructions:

Okay. I find the process to work the best if you get all your ingredients cut before you start. So dice your veggies so that they are all the same size, and cube your chicken in pieces that are slightly larger than your vegetables. Mince the garlic.

In a medium-sized pot, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat and add your carrots, celery, & onions to the oil. Cook until they start to soften (approx. 6-10 minutes, stirring frequently). For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add your garlic and herbs.

Next, add your white wine to the vegetable mixture and boil until at least half is absorbed (approx. 1 minute).

Add chicken broth, boullion cubes, and potatoes, and boil until the potatoes are almost done (slightly al dente), stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, take your sheet of prepared pastry dough and roll it out so it is big enough to cut out 4 circles. I rolled mine out to the size of my cutting board, and then placed my pie tins on it upside-down so I would know how big to cut. Make sure you leave some extra room so you can wrap it around the edges. *Keep checking your potatoes.

Back to your pot. Once the potatoes are almost cooked, reduce to a simmer, and add the chicken. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft). Don’t overcook or you’ll have tough chicken!

While the chicken is cooking, quickly make your roux by melting your butter on the stove, and then adding an equal amount of flour to it. It should be a light brown color.

As soon as the chicken is done, slowly add in the roux while whisking constantly. Mixture will be thick.

Now add your cream until you have reached the desired consistency. Add lemon juice & zest, season with salt & pepper, and remove from heat.

Place your pie tins on a baking sheet, and ladle your mixture equally into the tins, making sure not to fill them up too high.

Now, use an egg wash (one whisked egg with about 1 teaspoon water) to stick your pie dough to the tin. Brush the top of your crusts with the egg wash, and use a fork to poke holes in the top for venting.

Stick in the oven at 375 F until the tops are browned (10-15 minutes). Enjoy!!

The IRONFROGS looking for the other four to complete the recipe

Decadent Baked Hot Chocolate

Not my original but sharing a secret recipe with you for your next special dinner. You make them like crème Brule and end up with a slightly crisp top, a creamy pudding in the middle and hot chocolate liquid on the bottom to finish up. Use good chocolate for melting, not baking chocolate. Yum!
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

9 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, to taste

What To Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange four 1-cup ovenproof coffee cups, mugs or 8-ounce ramekins in a baking or roasting pan.
2. Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Stir eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then set bowl over simmering water. Stir until warm to the touch.
4. Remove from heat. Beat egg mixture with an electric beater until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Gently fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture.
5. Spoon batter into cups. Add enough very hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until the tops lose their glossy finish, 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Puddings may be refrigerated for up to one day. To reheat, bring them to room temperature and then set in a 350-degree oven until warm, about 5 minutes.