potato leek & fennel soup.... vichyssoise

months ago, my husband and i were having dinner at the national and i ordered vichyssoise.  i really loved the way it sounded, which may have been the reason why i ordered it.  needless to say, i enjoyed the soup so much that i have not forgotten about it.  vichyssoise is a potato soup that can be served either hot or cold.  we had just gotten some fennel in our weekly vegetable box so i added some of that to bring out some more flavor.  give it a try!  

ingredients

8 medium sized russet potatoes

1 Tbsp olive oil or butter

5 small or 2 large leeks (white parts)

1 medium sized onion

1 bulb of fennel (bulb only)

1 quart of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

1 cup heavy cream or whole milk

2 teaspoons salt (or more if needed) freshly ground pepper to taste

directions

-in a large saucepan or soup pot, sauté the olive oil or butter, onion, leeks, and fennel until tender, stirring often

-while sautéing, peel the potatoes

-add potatoes to the onions, leeks, and fennel

-add the stock

-bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are tender

-in small batches blend the soup in a high speed blender

-return to pot and whisk in the cream or milk and salt and pepper if the soup needs more liquid, add more broth or water

-chill the soup before serving over an ice bath or in the fridge or eat the soup warm

words and recipe by kristen bach

pita chips and kale dip

last night my parents had us over for a superbowl party.  football is not my thing and in fact, i have no idea who even won the game last night.  but it is a tradition.  all over the country people got together shared food, drinks, and glued their eyes to the game.  that's what the superbowl is to me.  i threw together this little dip.  when i say threw together, i mean it.  i had a bunch of kale on hand and decided to make something simple with what i had on hand. 

ingredients

6 handfuls of kale, washed

4 cloves of garlic

2 cans of white beans, drained

1 cup of plain greek yogurt 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of parmesan

1 bunch of scallions

1/4 cup of chopped pecans

directions

-preheat oven to 350 degrees

-in a fancy blender or food processor blend kale, beans, garlic, salt, and yogurt

-transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in chopped scallions and parmesan

-transfer to a medium size baking dish

-top with chopped pecans

-cover with foil

-bake for 40 minutes 

-serve along side some kale chips

photo and recipe by kristen bach

roasted sweet potato gnocchi

roasted sweet potato gnocchi, a winter comfort meal at it's finest.  this one was fun to make and was a perfect meal to make on a chilly day. 

ingredients

3 cups of roasted sweet potatoes (about 4 medium sweet potatoes)

16 oz ricotta cheese (drained)

1 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2-3 cups flour (more or less) 

directions

-wash sweet potatoes and place in oven

-turn oven on to 400 degrees to roast them

-remove potatoes from oven when they are tender, it usually takes 30-40 minutes

-cool potatoes and remove the insides and place in a bowl

-mash the potatoes with a fork or ricer

-combine the cheeses and salt

-add flour bit by bit, I like to mix the flour in with my hands

-when you are able to form into a ball and the dough is less sticky, transfer to a clean, floured  surface

-kneed the dough, adding more flour if it begins to stick

-when your dough gets to a consistency where you can roll it into a snake, you can stop adding flour

-divide the dough into 6 parts

-roll the dough into a long snake shape

-cut into small 1 inch or so pieces

-make intentions with  the tines of a fork

-place the finishes gnocchi on a floured cookie sheet or surface cooking the gnocchi 

-bring some salted water to a boil

-in small batches carefully drop 20 or so gnocchi in the boiling water

-gnocchi should cook for 1-3 minutes, until they pop up to the surface

-remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon

-repeat until all gnocchi is cooked   

to complete the dish i like to toss gnocchi with some browned butter, kale, roasted pecans, parmesan, and kale.

shotgun supper in thomasville, GA

rebecca and i just returned from a super inspiring trip to south georgia.  we started off our trip by stopping at the dahlia farm and packed our car full of flora for this lovely dinner. 

about a year ago, our friend nan visited athens and we brought her to a supper club dinner.  mimi's dinner planted the seed which quickly grew into what nan and partner, carol call "shotgun dinners".  each dinner is prepared by a visiting chef and held at a secret spot. the ingredients are locally sourced and nan brings her special designer touch to the table.  

this shotgun supper's guest chef was prepared by mimi maumus of home.made in athens and was held at a quail hunting plantation in thomaville.  it was a special treat to visit this lovely plantation amongst great company and wonderful food.

photos and words by kristen bach

roasted tomatoes and goat cheese

this is a great way to use the end of the season's tomatoes.  slow roasting these tomatoes brings out the sweetness and flavor which is a great compliment to the goat cheese.  we love to serve this on some flatbread or a baguette. 

ingredients

a pint of cherry tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic whole

olive oil

salt and pepper  

directions 

-pre-heat oven to 275

-cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and olive oil

-slice tomatoes in half and toss in some olive oil

-arrange tomatoes flat side down

-toss the garlic in some olive oil and place on cookie sheet

-sprinkle with some salt and pepper

-slow roast in the oven until the tomatoes just begin to get some color

-remove from oven and stir

-add some salt and pepper if needed

-let cool and serve over some goat cheese