Curried Avocado Soup

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I love avocados in any form. I will cut them in half and eat them as is, I will put them on toast or in salads, whip them into salad dressing, I have even made gelato out of them. I have a favorite cucumber and avocado soup that is pleasantly mild and flavorful, but I had never thought about the addition of curry. While perusing the July 15th issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I cut out a recipe for Curried Avocado Soup, and had the opportunity to try it this week. I think this is one of my new favorite ways to eat an avocado. I seriously made moaning sounds with every bite. If you like avocado like I do, you need to give this a try.

Curried Avocado Soup

Slightly adapted from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 15, 2020

2 medium-ripe Haas (dark-skinned) avocados

2¼ c. vegetable stock, divided*

1 to 1½ t. curry powder

¼ - ½ t. salt, or to taste

¹⁄8 - ¼ t. white pepper

½ c. heavy cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Split the avocados in half with a knife and remove the pits. Set aside one half. Scoop out the insides of the other 3 halves with a spoon and blend with 1 cup of the stock in a blender or food processor (I used the latter) until smooth. Stir in the curry powder, salt, pepper, cream and the remaining 1¼ cups of stock. Chill.

When ready to serve, garnish the soup with thin avocado slices that have been cut from the remaining avocado half and dipped in lemon juice.

*If you don’t have vegetable stock, chicken works as well.

J’s Pitaria House Salad

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I love salads, all kinds, from sweet to savory. I like simple chopped salads, I like lettuce-free vegetable salads. I also quite enjoy Greek and other Mediterranean-type salads, so when I spotted this one in a recent issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I had to make it. It is refreshing, crunchy, and loaded with flavor and nutrition. I served mine in a clear bowl so all of the pretty layers could be seen. I also emulsified my vinegar and oil in a Ninja personal blender, adding salt, pepper, and a smidge of prepared yellow mustard. If during these gray days of winter, like me, you’re dreaming of a getaway cruise down the Mediterranean, your face warmed by the sun, make this salad. Even though you’re not there visiting, at least you can savor the flavor.

J’s Pitaria House Salad

From J. Pitaria Mediterranean Restaurant

Yield: 1 large serving (2 smaller servings)

1 medium, ripe Roma tomato

½ large red bell pepper

1/3 of a 10- or 12-inch English cucumber

½ small red onion, 2-inches or less in diameter

¼ c. feta crumbles

1/3 c. fresh chopped parsley

2 to T. extra virgin olive oil

1/6 of a large lemon, seeded, cut lengthwise into a wedge

Wash and core, then cut the tomato into 3/8-inch cubed pieces. Place in the bottom of the serving bowl.

Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs, and then dice into ½-inch square pieces. Cover the chopped tomatoes with pepper pieces.

Cut the English cucumber into quarters and then into 3/8-inch pieces. Spread evenly over the peppers.

 

Cut the red onion into chunky pieces, about 3/8-inch. Layer on top of the cucumbers. Scatter the feta cheese over all.

Trim the woody stems from the parsley bunch, then finely chop leaves and fine stems. Place a mound in the center of the salad.

 Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over all. Add the lemon wedge to the bowl and serve. 

  

Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

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If you are anything like me, i.e. someone who enjoys reading new recipes, then you are probably as eager as I am every Wednesday for the food section in the local paper, whether you read it digitally or a hard-copy. And, if, also like me, you are a fan of pimento cheese, have I got a recipe for you!

Juniper, a Southern Table and Bar, in downtown St. Louis offered up their recipe for this zippy, flavorful pimiento cheese that is baked. Like all pimiento cheese, it is easy to put together, and, as I always do, make it easy on myself by using Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Peppers rather than roasting my own (as they suggested in their recipe). One taste, and this quickly rose to my top five favorite pimiento cheeses, in a list that boasts more than two dozen varieties.

Here is my adaptation of their recipe. While this one is baked, it is just as good cold, and has as many uses as you can imagine, including being stuffed into celery, dolloped on top of a burger or hotdog, added to a steaming bowl of chili or tomato soup, or simply as the hot dip that it was intended. Juniper includes pickles among their dippers, as well as a type of bread that is similar to pita or to the Indian bread naan. Choose your favorites here. There is no end to the way that you can enjoy this.

Juniper Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip
Slightly adapted from the original in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Yield: 8 servings (as if!)

1 Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Bell Pepper, minced
¼ pound yellow cheddar cheese
¼ pound white cheddar cheese
¼ cup Duke’s mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika (no substitutions!)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
1 tablespoon garlic-dill pickle juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons cornbread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley

The dip is baked and served in cast iron at Juniper, which helps it retain heat. You may use individual 6- or 8-ounce ramekins for this appetizer. Adjust the timing of the baking accordingly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, or 325ºF for glass pans.

Grate the cold cheddar cheeses using the large holes on a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grating disc. Toss the cheeses together in a mixing bowl. Add the diced red peppers and fold into the cheese.

In a separate mixing bowl, blend the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir the mix into the cheeses. Add hot sauce and pickle juice and stir to blend evenly. Taste. Add salt if needed.

 

Transfer the mixed dip into a 1-½ quart baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and top with cornbread crumbs. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly. Top with chopped parsley. Serve with assorted pickles, breads or crackers.

Brio Tuscan Grille's TOMATO BISQUE

No matter the season, when it comes to comfort food, soup in particular, nothing satisfies like tomato soup. It was probably one of the first soups most of us experienced. It was creamy and warm and comforting and flavorful, and that soup eating experience stayed with us our entire lives. Now, as an adult, there is no more soup in a can for me, I make my own. 

I have a lot of good recipes for tomato soup, but this is one of my favorites. It's from Brio Tuscan Grille and was published in the Post-Dispatch years ago. Every time I make it and serve it, people go crazy. It's rich and caloric, so the best way to serve this is in a cup (or a Lotus Soup Bowl). It's a must try, so relax, put your feet up, and enjoy a delicious bowl of homemade tomato bisque on Sip Some Soup Sunday.

​TOMATO BISQUE

Makes 8 (1 cup) servings.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 (14 oz.) cans vegetable broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 1/4 cups canned tomato puree
1 (0.4 oz.) package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup water
4 cups heavy cream

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken and vegetable broths; add bouillon, whisking until it dissolves. Bring to a boil. Whisk in tomato paste and puree. Add dry ranch dressing mix; stir until smooth. Simmer 15 minutes over low heat.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water; stir until smooth. Stir into soup. Increase heat to medium; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 4 minutes. Stir in cream; cook until hot, but do not let return to a boil.

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Favazza’s Steak Mudega

One of our favorite restaurants in town is Favazza's on The Hill. It is a consistently wonderful, enormously friendly eatery in the quaint Italian part of St. Louis known to locals as “The Hill” (it's really more of an incline than a hill, if truth be told, but who am I to judge?). Their Steak Mudega is one I routinely order and have always enjoyed, so I was very pleased to see the recipe for this dish in last week's food section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It's not a difficult dish to prepare when you do your prep work in advance as I did. I also seasoned the heck out of the Italian Bread Crumbs to give the steak a lot of delicious flavor. As often happens, my version wasn't nearly as good as the excellent one served at the restaurant, but it did make for a very special midweek meal.

Favazza’s Steak Mudega

Yield: 4 servings

For the sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided use

3 ounces thinly sliced Volpi* prosciutto, diced

12 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 1/3-inch thick

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1¼ cups white table wine (not sweet, not dry)

2 cups chicken broth

Salt, black pepper and white pepper to taste

For the steaks

4 (8-ounce) center cut filet mignon

¼ cup olive oil

Italian breadcrumbs seasoned with flour, granulated garlic, salt, white pepper, parsley and “lots of love”

4 (1-ounce) slices St. Louis-style cheese such as Provel**

Freshly chopped parsley

Make the sauce. In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil and 6 tablespoons butter until shimmery on medium high heat. Add prosciutto and saute until dark and crispy, taking care to avoid burning. Stir in mushrooms and cook about halfway, just until turning tender. Sprinkle mushrooms with flour, stir in.   

Deglaze skillet with wine, bring to a boil, let reduce by about half. (Timing wise, start cooking steaks now.) Add broth, bring to a boil, let reduce by half to a syrupy consistency. Stir in remaining butter to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and peppers, remembering the prosciutto is already salty. If needed, keep warm.

Cook the steaks. Dip steaks in olive oil, dredge in bread crumbs. Cook steaks on grill to desired doneness; add a slice of Provel for last 2 minutes.

To serve Favazza’s-style, arrange steaks on a plate; surround and top with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

*This is a local brand. If you don’t have Volpi in your area, just buy the best quality that you can find.

**There’s no substitute for St. Louis’s own Provel cheese, but provolone might work.

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Bacon Peanut Brittle

Years ago, my mother was the peanut brittle maker in the family. Every November, she would line the counter with marble slabs, get out her cook pot and go to town. I used to love the smell of the house when it was cooking. If the onset of the holiday season has a fragrance, this is it.

As my mother got older and less able to manage big batches of peanut brittle, my younger son decided to take over the reins. When he was in high school, he thought it would be a smashing idea to make batch after batch of peanut brittle to give as holiday gifts to his hoard of friends and favorite teachers. Recipe in hand (and after an intense quizzing of my mother), he laid the marble slabs out on our counter and set to work.

Everything went swimmingly until it was time to spread the brittle. Mother had told us to wear rubber gloves and then carefully spread it out (and I only wish I could show you the hilarious pinching hand movements that she used to illustrate) the hot brittle and leave it to dry. I poured the 260-degree molten lava brittle-in-waiting onto the slabs and we stuck our gloved hands right in. This literally brought us to our knees. Andrew collapsed to the floor saying, “I can't do this. Ahhhhhhh!” While I caught myself as my knees buckled, spun to the left, and plunged my hands into a pan of lukewarm water that was setting in the sink.

The brittle hardened and was delicious, but neither one of us could imagine how my mother managed to spread, by mere gloved hands, this boiling mass. We took her a sample the following day that met with her approval, and asked how she managed to deal with the heat. It was hot, she agreed with us, but after you let it set for a minute or so, it becomes less so, and easy to spread. What?! That minute, that crucial minute, had been left out of the instructions. She just assumed that, between the two of us, we were smart enough to not plunge our hands into boiling liquid. Apparently not. 

Andrew has now perfected the method, come up with recipes of his own (with an eye toward a cookbook), and ditched the marble slabs for a rimmed cookie sheet. A lover of anything with bacon, he recently tried this recipe recently published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He had this to say, “I thought it was a great combination of sweet and spicy. The bacon offers a light smoky flavor without being too overpowering. I am a big fan of the brittles using Spanish peanuts, but this one called for roasted. It makes the process a lot shorter, but I still prefer the overall flavor of the Spanish peanuts. I'll make it again, with my own spin, adding a seasonal beer (as he is wont to do).” Personally, I loved it, not just for the hint of smokiness, but for the ancho chili kick. 

Bacon Peanut Brittle 

2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup salted, roasted peanuts

2 cups cooked, crumbled apple wood-smoked bacon (see note)

1 teaspoon baking soda

 Note: The trick is to buy thick, meaty apple wood-smoked bacon, then dice it and cook the bacon slowly until the fat is fully rendered and the meat is a reddish mahogany. Press the bacon pieces between paper towels to make sure all the excess fat is absorbed. If you don’t do this, the candy will have a cloudy appearance.

Use about ½ tablespoon of the butter to coat a rimmed baking sheet.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly and slightly thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ancho chili powder and cayenne, and then cook for 2 to 3 minutes. The sugar mixture should now be at the hard ball stage, or 255º to 260ºF.

Stir in the remaining butter, as well as the peanuts and bacon. Continue cooking until the mixture is golden brown and reaches 300º to 305ºF degrees. Stir well, then add the baking soda and stir again. Immediately pour onto the prepared baking sheet and use a silicone spatula to spread evenly. Set aside to cool, about 30 minutes.

Once the brittle is cool, break into pieces by hitting the bottom of the sheet pan on the counter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Yield: About 1 pound

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