Indonesian Ginger Chicken and Shrimp Bisque

It’s Barefoot Blogger time. I missed the posting date for the first recipe of the month so I’ll give my review for both now. For the newcomers Barefoot Bloggers are a community of food bloggers that twice monthly make, sample and post a review of Ina Garten recipes. Both of the recipes this month PUSHED me right past my comfort zone. I was a good foodie, sucked it up and followed the recipes.

The first recipe for the month was chosen by Todd of A Cooking Dad and he chose Indonesian Ginger Chicken which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 125 or on the food network site. This was a nice recipe and my family really enjoyed the chicken. I don’t eat chicken off of the bone so my boneless chicken breast was not so wonderful, very dry! I will make this chicken again for my kids and husband. This recipe makes nice wings too.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
• 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Second Recipe of the month

Jennifer of Our Blessed Home chose the second recipe Shrimp Bisque which can be found in Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 52-54 or again on the food network site.

To say I was not excited about this recipe would be an understatement. I grew up in South Florida and the idea of any seafood prepared with seafood purchased in the middle of Texas just grosses me out. But again, I was a big girl and made the bisque just as Ina would. I took a few pictures then sat down with my family to eat and IT WAS GOOD. Would I make it again??? Maybe when we are in Florida for the summer. My husband and seven year old had seconds. My five year old finished his original bowl and my three year old informed me that she does not like SHARK soup. Who knew?

Shrimp Bisque

Seafood Stock!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 pound large shri mp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

Cauliflower Soup

If you are having a day like this…

Then you need a warm and healthy soup like this!

Recipe adapted from Experience Life Magazine, Jan/Feb issue.

You can read their version here.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 tsp. olive oil
  
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 or 4 strip of bacon
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
• 4 cups cauliflower florets and stems
• 2 cups diced Yukon Gold potatoes
• Several leaves of fresh Sage
• ¼ bundle of fresh Parsley
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 quarts vegetable stock

Heat a large stockpot over high heat and add olive oil. Stir in the bacon, onions, celery, garlic and cauliflower. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about three to five minutes.

Stir in the potatoes, spices and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

For a thicker soup you could blend or mash it but I loved all the pieces of potatoes and cauliflower.

Cheddar Corn Chowder and Bagel Eyeballs

It’s Barefoot Bloggers day. Jill, of My Next Life, selected today’s recipe. This recipe was fabulous and really hits the spot on cold and rainy days. It’s hard for my children to manage keeping soup on their spoons all the way to their little mouths so I made some fried Chicken breast strips to go with our soup. I was thinking that the kids could use the chowder as a dip. They ended up eating all their chicken then all their chowder. The thick consistency made it much easier for them to manage. Luckily, this recipe makes enough to feed a small army so we have tons in our freezer. I did make a few changes after reading some of the recipe reviews. I used less stock, no butter, more bacon, mashed the potatoes, added nutmeg and thyme. I would make this again exactly the way I did this time. Enjoy.

Ina’s Recipe Cheddar Corn Chowder
Ingredients
· 8 ounces bacon, chopped
· 1/4 cup good olive oil
· 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
· 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
· 1/2 cup flour
· 2 teaspoons kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
· 12 cups chicken stock
· 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
· 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
· 2 cups half-and-half
· 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated


Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.


Bagel Eyes
My family enjoys waking up to these eyes staring at them from their plates.



Ingredents:

• Bagels
• Cream Cheese
• Black Olives
• Gel or icing pens
  

Directions:

• Toast the bagel.
• Spread the cream cheese on top of the bagel.
• Place an olive in the bagel hole.
• Decorate the eye, detail with the gel/icing pens.