Spicy Red Lentil Soup

I have been playing with this recipe for the last few weeks but i think now its perfect, enjoy

Spicy Red lentil Soup

Ingredients

3 cups red Lentils
4 medium Parsnips, peal and chunky diced
1 large onion, diced
1 large red pepper, diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes, 15 to 16oz
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, Italian
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper(we like its spicy so i use i bit more)
salt and pepper to taste
10 cups of water

Directions

Melt butter over medium high heat in a deep soup pot. Next add onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, followed by all the spices, saute for an additional minute. Now add the parsnips and the garlic and saute for an addition 2 minutes. Add the lentils, all the tomatoes and the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour on a very low heat: tasting and adjusting the seasoning as you go. Once the soup is thick and the parsnips are soft the soup is done. Add the parsley before serving with a nice baguette.

Enjoy Cooking

Cauliflower au Gratin

At lunch the other day we were talking about veggies and how most people hate veggies, i love veggies and while this recipe is covered in cheese you are still getting the much need fiber and other goodness of the veggies. But if you only do the first step in the recipe below, the roasting of the cauliflower, it is very good before all the cheese is added.

Cauliflower au Gratin

ingredients

4 slices of stale bread, really stale, if you do not have any toast up some bread
3 table spoons asiago cheese
3 table spoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups of half & half
1 large head of Cauliflower, cut into small florets, you can also included the smaller stems as well
3 oz of goat cheese. grated
3 oz of gruyere cheese, grated
3 oz dubliner cheese, grated
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 table spoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large zip lock bag place the cauliflower, florets and stems, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper, close, shake to make sure all the cauliflower as been coated. Next transfer the cauliflower mixture to a cookie sheet, make sure its all single layer and roast for 30 minutes. Once roasted and a nice golden color, remove and set aside. Note: if you just want the roasted cauliflower leave in the oven a bit long or until the cauliflower gets a brown color on the edges.

Reduce heat in the oven to 350 degrees

In a large sauce pan melt butter over medium high heat, next whisk int the flour, keep whisking, after a minute or so start slowly adding the milk to the sauce pan. Now using tongs remove the cauliflower from the cookie sheet and add it to the milk mixture. Do not dump the cauliflower in, you do not want the excess olive oil in the sauce. Stir cauliflower and milk mixture until everything is well coated and remove from heat. Now add the cheese, with the exception of the asiago and stir until almost all the cheese as melted.
Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a large deep baking dish. Crumble the bread over the top of the dish and sprinkle the Asiago cheese over the top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for and additional 10 minutes or so or until the bread stars to brown up and the cheese starts to turn golden.

Serve Hot

You can also mix other veggies into this dish. I have added onions, potatoes, carrots and so on. Just remember to roast them first.

Enjoy cooking