Cream of refrigerator soup: snowpocalypse edition

I don't know. Maybe you've heard that DC's gotten a little snow lately. And by a little, I mean:



Of course, another 4-6 inches fell on top of this insanity after I took this picture of the sidewalk outside my building. You know, I have a very distinct memory of my mom plopping me on top of a snowbank so I wouldn't get into trouble while she opened my stroller when I was maybe 2? 3? years old (yes, I have a freakishly clear recollection of my toddler years). I recall that snow as being enormous. But I was very short then. I'm not near so short now, but this snow is enormous. Not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it.

But, once again, I'm stuck inside with an odd assortment of ingredients. Tonight, however, I think I might have topped my last soup. Truly, this thing I just made? It could only be improved upon if you licked it off the body of your beloved. Oh, you only wish that was hyperbole.

So, um, let's see. What, exactly did I do?

Snowpocalypse Turnip, Leek and Mushroom Soup

8 or so decent-sized turnips (I had a bunch of different ones, red, gold and the usual white, that I'd picked up at the Farmer's Market last weekend.), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
4 leeks, chopped
12 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1 qt chicken broth (I like the low-sodium organic because it taste more like actual chicken.)
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream
juice of 1/2 a meyer lemon (You could use regular lemons here too, but go skimpy because they're more sour.)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the chopped turnips in 6 cups of water for about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Add the chopped leeks and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until they begin to soften.

3. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for another 3 or 4 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid.

4. Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Then, add the turnips back into the pot. Mix the vegetables together and bring up to temperature. Add the quart of chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce temperature to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Test to make sure the turnips are soft before you continue.

5. Mix in dijon, heavy cream, nutmeg and lemon juice. Salt and pepper the soup to taste.

6. Remove from heat and puree the soup. I used my favorite kitchen device ever, the immersion blender. But you can ladle the soup into a traditional blender (carefully--it's hot and blender lids can blow and spew boiling soup all over you if you're not vigilant) to puree the whole thing if that's all you have.


Enjoy!

cream of refrigerator soup: snow day edition

I haven't been to the grocery store or farmer's market it over two weeks. The weather reports at which I looked predicted flurries today and a little bit of accumulation in the afternoon. Instead, we got what looks to be about four inches of snow that fell in fat, fluffy clumps all day. Needless to say, I got hungry and had to make do with rations I'd reserved in my freezer. Because I'm a genius, however, my concoction turned out most delicious. And so, I give you my "recipe."

Chicken and Black-eyed Pea Chili

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded (1 qt poaching liquid reserved)
2 tbsp EVOO
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt broth (I used vegetable because it's what I had, but I probably would have used chicken, were it available.)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs pre-cooked black-eyed peas
3 tbsp chipotle in adobo, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Mexican oregano (Conventional oregano will NOT do. It's not the same thing.)
1 tsp chili powder
salt and (tellicherry, of course) pepper to taste
3 cups pre-cooked rice (I used basmati because it's what I had and it's my favorite, but any rice will do.)

1. In the bottom of your Dutch oven, sauté the onions and red and green peppers in olive oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two more.

2. Add can of tomatoes, broth and reserved poaching liquid and bring to a boil.

3. Add the shredded chicken, black-eyed peas, chipotle and other spices. Bring the whole shebang back up to a boil. Reduce heat to a pretty serious simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until the flavors meld.

4. Spoon 1/2 cup or so of rice into the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup/chili over the top.

5. Slurp hungrily.

If you have it, it would probably be pretty tasty if you garnished it with chopped cilantro, fresh minced jalapeños and a squeeze of lime juice, but, alas, I didn't have any of that stuff.

No joke. This turned out really well and I'm trés impressed with myself that I just made it up with random crap I had in the house. Not too shabby, considering my limited resources.

Bon Appétit!