I knew today's video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because it's traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.
I had a few theories. I figured the greens probably represented money, and symbolized hopes that the bride and groom would enjoy a prosperous union. The soup's signature mini-meatballs were a tougher nut to crack.
How could taking large, virile, normal-size meatballs and shrinking them down to dainty little shriveled dumplings serve as a metaphor for marriage? I just don't see a connection. Well, come to find out (according to two reliable sources; Wikipedia, and my friend and fellow About.com Guide, Kyle) the name has nothing to do with people getting married.
Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.
So, the soup ended up being a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. What better choice for a first course at your Italian-American wedding reception than something called Italian Wedding Soup?
That should give you enough soup-related cocktail party conversation material for a while. Whether you fondly remember this from weddings past, or you've never had it or heard about it before, I really hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 quart beef broth 1 quart chicken broth Note: A little more or little less broth will not affect the recipe 1/3 cup pastina or other tiny pasta 1 bunch kale salt and pepper to taste For the meatballs: 1 1/4 pound beef 1 egg 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup cream 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
When you make homemade beef stock, and you have Gruyere cheese in the fridge that needs to be used up, you know French onion soup is in your future.
Such was the case today, and I so thoroughly enjoyed this amazing bowl of soup, that I decided to rerun this French Onion Soup video recipe. I thought this may inspire a few of you to give it a go. Enjoy!
I can't believe I haven't posted a video recipe for cream of mushroom soup! It's such a classic cool weather staple, and quite simple to make – as long as you have a few hours to spare.
The secret to this deep rich potage is a long slow caramelization, the key to unlocking the mushroom's magic. Oh, and by the way, I mean that literally. Mushrooms are by far the most mysterious and magical things we eat.
Scientists still don't really understand how and why they grow like they do. While every other food you eat gets its energy from the sun, Agaricus bisporus, the common button mushroom, does not. Some believe mushrooms are powered by the moon, which I find fascinating to contemplate.
This is a very minimalist formula, and meant to transform the browned bits of fungus into pure earthy essence of mushroom. You can use whatever exotic mushrooms you can get a hold of, but it works quite well with the ubiquitous white button mushroom. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 pounds white or brown button mushrooms, sliced 1 yellow onion, diced 1 rounded tbsp flour 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied into a bundle with kitchen string, plus some picked leaves to garnish 2 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole 4 cups chicken broth or stock 1 cup water 1 cup heavy cream salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
I arrived back to San Francisco late last night, weary from traveling, and my very busy week in NYC, and despite planning to sleep in, I woke up very early, excited to finish this amazing cream of cauliflower with blue cheese fritters video recipe.
Either that, or I'm still on east coast time. Soup is not usually a subject associated with thrilling culinary experiences. Soup is comforting, soothing, soul-warming – not something that chefs normally day-dream about. This soup was a different story. It may be the single greatest soup I have every made.
Sometimes an idea for a recipe pops into my head and even before I make it, I have a pretty good idea on what the results will be like. But, when I went over this combination in my head, I really had no idea how successful it would be. To say I was happy with the results would be a serious understatement.
I was pretty sure blue cheese would be a nice addition to cauliflower soup, but the challenge was what would be the best delivery system for the sharp, funky cheese. I looked at many fritter recipes, but nothing was inspiring me. Then, for whatever reason, I thought about Pâte à choux.
Pâte à choux is an old-school, eggy pastry dough used to make things like éclairs and cream puffs. I though this would make a much lighter fritter than the traditional flour and baking powder versions, and that certainly turned out to be the case.
The dough fried up perfectly – beautifully golden brown outside, yet tender and moist inside – the perfect enclosure for the molten blue cheese. The combination of these light puffs and the earthy soup was magnificent. I can't remember ever being so happy eating a soup.
I really hope you give this a try, and even if you can't summon the courage to make the fritters (what's wrong with you?), I still think the soup alone is well worth making. Enjoy!
Ingredients: For the fritters (a small batch - about 12 fritters): 1/4 cup water 2 tbsp butter 1/4 cup flour pinch of salt 1 egg 2 oz crumbled, very firm blue cheese
For the soup: 1 onion 2 tbsp butter 1 clove garlic salt to taste 1 head cauliflower 1 quart water or stock nutmeg to taste cayenne to taste 1/2 cup cream
Michele and I stopped for some Korean food on the way home from a thoroughly enjoyable trip to Berkeley Bowl. Sahn Maru, in Oakland, CA, is one restaurant that will never have a customer send back a bowl of soup for not being hot enough!
Directly below, you'll see the iPhone video I took of our spicy soft tofu soup. My phone was off at the time, so this was after it had cooled for a minute! It was the hottest soup I've ever been served.
When I posted to YouTube, I was amused to see that many others had filmed this same soupy scene, so I gathered a small collection. There is something mesmerizing about watching this soup boil in the cast iron pots. Below these, I've posted a video recipe for how to make this super-delicious soup! (you just need to find the pots!)
This video recipe is my fairly weak attempt at the famous Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup, Pho. As I shopped for the ingredients, I had a nice package of beef oxtail in my hand, but since I was just making a small batch, and I already had two beautiful beef shanks in the basket, I decided to not get them. That was a mistake.
While this beef noodle soup wasn't bad, it wasn't spectacularly great which is what Pho should be. The signature of this soup is a very rich, deeply flavored, collagen-infused beef broth. I overestimated the beef shanks, and it was lacking exactly what the oxtails would have added.
Also, to add to this Pho's fauxness, I went pretty light on the spices. Real Pho has more of the aromatic spices you'll see in the video. I also didn’t add the extra sliced beef that is traditional, like brisket, flank, and thinly sliced, rare filet mignon. I also didn’t char the ginger, which is recommended. I also didn't pronouce Pho correctly - I say, "Pho," when it's actually more like, "Fuh." Despite all this, I still had a pretty nice beef soup, but it really made me crave a real Pho.
Don’t get me wrong, I encourage you to make this recipe - the technique you'll see is fairly accurate, but I advise you to add a couple pounds of oxtails, and maybe twice the spices. Also, for homework, find the nearest Vietnamese restaurant and order a bowl of Pho so you can see what we are trying to do here. Enjoy!
Ingredients: (these are not what I used in the video, but what I wish I did): 2 beef shanks, and 2 lbs oxtails 1 tbsp oil 1 onion 2 whole cloves 6 clove garlic 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp whole coriander 1 cardamom pod 6 whole star anise 6-inch piece ginger sliced, (browned with the beef) 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 3 quarts water (some will evaporate, you'll have about 2 quarts strained)
In the bowl: rice noodles, prepped bean sprouts sliced jalapenos sambal chili sauce fresh lime wedges fresh herbs - basil, mint and/or cilantro optional: thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin
Get some what? Compliments on your cooking, of course! This video recipe shows a new salmon technique I've been using lately, where the moist, fatty salmon belly portion is used to top the thicker, leaner part of the filet.
This really produces a fantastic piece of salmon, and when paired with a simple potato and leek chowder, would make a terrific Valentine's dinner idea. You can tell this was designed for some kind of special occasion by the green onion ties.
I normally avoid such contrivances, but when done in the context of cooking a Valentine's meal for the object of your affection (also, the object of your affectation), it seems very appropriate. The fact that you (seemingly) went through so much extra effort will convey a certain something about your other talents and abilities.
This is not a recipe for beginners. Having stated that, I will say that there's no good reason why this will not work even if you are a novice cook. The key is to watch the video 6 or 7 times, take a few notes, and secretly practice it before the main event.
It doesn’t get any better than being able to do a home cooked meal for your Valentine. Think of the savings, the privacy, and what many bachelors call the "home field advantage." But, there are a few things to consider to maximize the experience.
Find out about any food allergies beforehand. A trip to the emergency room will not impress your date or her grotesquely swollen face. Also, no scented candles! This salmon recipe isn’t as good when eaten in a room that smells like "Lavender Rain."
Lastly, if things seem to be going well, about halfway through dessert, lean over and say, "Would you like to put in your breakfast order now?" If she smiles shyly you know you're in business - if she gets insulted and leaves, you get to finish her dessert - it's a win, win. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 small or 2 large portions: 2 center cut salmon fillets, "pin bones" removed salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 tsp tarragon mustard 8 green onions 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 slice bacon, sliced 1 clove garlic 1/2 tsp butter 1 leek, chopped, 1 1/2 cups diced Yukon gold potatoes 3-4 cups water, or as needed pinch cayenne red chile sauce to garnish, optional
I knew today's video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because it's traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.
Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.
