Bellygasm

Summer Lentil Soup

Let go my Lentil! I'm so excited. As a soup lover, I will choose a cup of hot savory soup over, say, a bowl of ice cream any day. In honor of the summer and the bounty of fresh vegetables, I have an easy lentil soup recipe that is so good you'll start to stock up on lentil beans (red, beluga, yellow) on your next trip to the grocery.

Depending on the stock you prefer to use, it can be a simple vegetarian lentil soup. For this recipe, I think green lentil is best because I use more tomato than in a typical French lentil soup. I always like to have as many different color on the plate, in this case, bowl as possible. Another reason why I think it's the best lentils soup ever is because it's pretty low fat so I indulge myself to multiple servings.

P.S. It actually get's better the next day so make sure to save some for leftover.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup of purple onion, diced
1 cup of white onion, diced
1 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
1 1/2 cup of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
5 cups of broth (chicken or vegetarian)
1 tablespoon of celery salt
1 tablespoon of dry thyme
4 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Celery leaves 4 garnish

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add celery and sauté for another 2 minutes. (Tip: Sometimes I like to layer in the flavors one at a time to add complexity)
4. Add garlic sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add thyme, celery salt, and 1 1/4 cup of green lentils. Stir to blend evenly.
6. Add crushed tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Stir and bring it to a boil.
7. Cover and lower heat to low-medium. Simmer for about 45 minutes.Finish with balsamic vinegar and celery leaves for garnish.

Quick & Comfy Chicken Fricassée

Do you like chicken fricassée? How about chicken dumplings? Well, I happen to love 'em both, "equally", as my mother would say when asked about her 3 children...

Last night I made chicken fricassee with dumplings for a comfy weeknight meal. It's a classic dish made easy. Rather than making my own dumplings, I used store bought DeCecco potato gnocchi which is as good as homemade. Plus, my easy chicken fricassee recipe transcends three cultures, starting with French to America and back across the pond to Italy. (I always associate chicken and dumplings with Southern comfort food.)

By the way, this melting pot of yummy soulfulness tastes even better the next day. Heck, I just filed this under easy chicken recipe as a 1-pot meal.

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time:  10 mins
Total Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

4 pounds of chicken pieces (I prefer thighs, but breasts is also good)
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed & chopped
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 cup of carrots, chopped diagnoally
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 package of gnocchi
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of bell peppers, chopped in 1-inch pieces
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Preparation

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on all sides, in separate batches to avoid crowding, for approx. 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
2. Deglaze pot with white wine while scrapping the tasty bits. Sauté onion for about 3 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, celery, carrots, cayenne, and bay leaves to sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Return chicken to the Dutch oven. Add 2 cups of broth or water, perferably heated to maintain a consistent temperature in the pot, and cover to bring it to boil before reducing to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked yet tender.
4. Remove chicken from the Dutch oven and let it cool before removing meat from bones. Cut into bit size.
5. While chicken is cooling, cook the gnoochi as instruction indicted but in only half the time (approx. 5-6 minutes). Drain and set aside.
6. Add mushroom soup and remaining broth or water. Return chicken to the Dutch oven. Add gnocchi, bell peppers, and Worcestershire sauce. Raise heat to medium-high to finish cooking gnocchi until thickened and bubbly. Stir to combine and keep gnocchi from sticking to the bottom of pot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Easy, Creamy Potato Leek Soup

I'm a big fan of soup, especially in the winter but come to think of it, in the summer too. Potato leek soup is one of those recipes that is good all year round. I often get inspired by the fresh produce at my local farm stand. When I saw these beautiful, vibrant green leeks and big russet potatoes that looked like it just came out of the earth, I immediately wanted to rush home and make a bowl of creamy (yet light) potato leek soup for lunch. Mmm...

This is about as easy as it gets for potato leek soup recipes. If I may be so bold, it's close to being the best potato leek soup recipe that you can make it in less than 30 minutes. It's low fat and hearty at the same time. Say what? Use vegetable broth in lieu of chicken, and you'll have a delicious vegetarian potato and leek soup.

Serves: 4
Prep Time:  5 mins
Total Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

2 leeks, both green and white part, rinsed well & chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound of potatoes (russet is preferred), peeled & cut to 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large pot, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and season with salt and pepper. Sauté leeks for 5 minutes or until tender and slightly brown.
2. Add potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add warm broth and bring it to a boil before reducing to simmer for about 10-12 minutes. (Tip: Whenever I use broth, I always heat it up to maintain a consistent temperature with what I'm adding to as well as to speed up cooking time.)
3. Remove pot from heat. Using a hand blender, purée the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestion: Sometimes I like to add small cubes of croutons for texture. Other times, I may sprinkle a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese or spice it up with a dash of cayenne. If I'm having the potato leek soup as a meal, I may also toast some baguette slices with a nice layer of goat cheese or chèvre. Yum..... It's really delish.

Classic Beef Stew (a la Beef Bourguignon or Beef Burgundy)

There is nothing more comforting than a plateful of beef stew in the tradition of Beef Bourguignon (aka beef burgundy). Whenever I have one of those days or just feel like spending a cozy evening at home, I make this delicious classic beef stew recipe, which is just full of umami.

Just half the recipe for a romantic dinner for 2, and serve with a nice bottle of red. It's also a real crowd pleasure especially during football and basketball seasons.

Looking at the photo just made me salivate. Honestly, I've tasted (strike that) tested many recipes, and this one is my favorite. Shh, my secret ingredient is cloves.

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours

Ingredients

3 pounds of beef chuck, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
3 medium yellow onions, quartered
2 ribs of celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup of leeks, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 large carrots, peeled & cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1 8oz can of whole plum tomatoes, rough chop with scissors inside the can
3 cups of dry red wine
2 cups of stock, preferably beef 
3 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
1 1/2 tablespoon of herbes de provence (typically includes thyme, rosemary, marjoram & basil)
2 large dried bay leaf
3 whole cloves 
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce  (optional)
1/2 pound russet potatoes, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces* (in lieu of beurre manie)
1 pound white mushrooms, brushed of debris & bottoms trimmed
Salt & pepper to season and to taste

Preparation

1. Season beef chuck well with salt and pepper. In a ziploc bag, add flour and beef to coat.
2. In a large Dutch oven, add olive oil and butter using medium-high heat. Once hot, brown beef on all sides in 3 separate batches to create nice carmelization. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 325F.
4. Add onions into the Dutch oven, sauté for 5 minutes until slightly brown. Depending on the amount of fat rendered from the beef, add a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil if needed.
5. Push aside onion and add celerys, leeks, and garlic into the middle of the dutch oven to sauté evenly, until fragrant.
6. Add cognac and let it cook until alcohol evaporates.
7. Push veggies aside to add tomatoes, bay leaves, and herbes de provence for 2 minutes to layer in flavor.
8. Return beef along with liquid released onto the plate into the Dutch oven. Add wine and bring to a strong simmer. Add broth and stir.
9. Add carrots, potatoes, cloves, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover with a lid and cook in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until beef becomes fork tender.
10. Remove from oven and place on burner at low heat. Rinse mushrooms and add to stew. Once combined, turn off heat to serve.

Note:

* In lieu of beurre manie, potatoes are used as the starch to thickening the jus (or gravy). Also, it makes it a 1-pot meal and slightly healthier with less butter. If you prefer to go sans potatoes, I recommend serving with some good pappardelle pasta. What can I say, I like my carbs.