Butternut Squash and Chestnut Soup with Dried Porcini Mushrooms

We were in England in December and had dinner at Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant in Birmingham.
We are fans of Jamie Oliver.

This is Jamie's recipe.
I've altered it  a bit for the American cook.

Olive Oil -  2 or more TBS.
1 Medium Onion roughly chopped, 1/2 " pieces
2 pounds of Butternut squash cut into 1 1/2" pieces ( I bought a 2 pound package pre cut at Costco) you can use a fresh squash and cube it.
Three - 8" sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, chopped ( I have Rosemary in our garden)
1 C Dried Porcini Mushrooms ( I used a container from Costco)  Soak them in 1 C of boiling water and set aside.
1- 8.11 ounce jar of Chestnuts ( I buy them at Williams Sonoma)
a pinch of Dried Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C white Rice
4 C of Vegetable Stock ( I use a dried Vegetable Chicken Stock Powder) 4 TBS


Heat Oil in a soup pot and add:
Rosemary
Crumbled Chestnuts
Red Pepper Flakes
Cook 5 minutes

Remove the Mushrooms from the water, save the liquid and add the Mushrooms to the pot
Add :
Onion
Squash
Rice
Stir and cook 10 minutes

Add the Mushroom Liquid ( strain it to remove any grit)
Add the Stock
Bring it to a Boil
Reduce and Simmer for 40 minutes

When the Soup is done you can do several things with it.

1. Leave it rustic ( my choice)
2. Blitz 1/4 of it in a blender and return to the pot
3. Puree all of it in a blender for a creamy version


For the Americans, I have to tell you that as soon as the first step was in the pot, it smelled like a Thanksgiving Dinner in the kitchen.
I love the smell of Rosemary and Onion sauteing in Olive Oil.
I will definitely make this for Thanksgiving.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

View web version, just a note!

If you want to view the entire blog using an IPhone or an IPad,
pull up the blog, scroll down just past Post a Comment and you'll see:

View web version:

Click on that and then click on the heading There's a Hippy in the Kitchen, it will show
the entire blog.

Another reminder for people in other countries, you can translate the entire blog into
you're own language.
On the right side look for Translate, click on the box , Select Language
and search for your language.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cake Mix Cookies

This is not a new concept.
I just did the research for those of you that didn't know about these.

If you use a chocolate cake mix, add 2 TBS of water to the eggs.

1 Box of your favorite Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1 Stick of Butter, room temperature
1 - 16 ounce bag of Chocolate Chips or any of your favorite flavored Chips.

Mix all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer
Using a small cookie scoop, drop them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Now, imagine the combinations:

Yellow Cake/Butterscotch Chips
Spice Cake/Cinnamon Chips
Lemon Cake/White Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Cake/Peanut Butter Chips
Strawberry Cake/White Chocolate Chips
Red Velvet Cake/ Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Cake/Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Come up with your favorite combinations!


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Searching the blog! Hippy vs. Hippie

In the 60's..... it went something like this:

Hippy (singular)
Hippies (plural)

Doggy (singular)
Doggies (plural)

Baby (singular)
Babies (plural)

Far Out Man, that means that there isn't a Hippie in the Kitchen,
There's a Hippy in the Kitchen!

I just thought I'd point that out man!
I noticed on my stats that the majority of people
search for the blog under "Hippie" What a drag!

They must be younger and couldn't possibly have been an actual Hippy!
Groovy Huh?

LOL
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Vegetarian Gumbo / Original Recipe

Vegetarian Gumbo:
This is really good!
It's an Original Recipe.

Vegetarian Gumbo

Creating a Roux takes time and patience!

1 package (12 oz.) Vegetarian Smoked Apple Sage Sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces ( Field Roast)
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1/2 C Flour
1 Onion, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
2 Stalks of Celery, chopped
2 C Vegetable Broth ( I use a bulk Vegetarian Chicken Powder)
1 - 16oz. Bag of Sliced Frozen Okra, more if desired.
1 can (14 oz.) Diced Tomatoes
1 C Water
2 TBS Minced Garlic
2 TBS Cajun Spice ( recipe to follow if you can't find it)  I use Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice Mix.
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Dried Thyme
3 C cooked White Rice

Create a Roux:

In a large cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat, slowly whisk in the flour until smooth
Whisk constantly until a dark caramel color appears ( about 2 minutes)

Remember a Roux takes patience, it can easily burn!

Add:
Onion
Bell Pepper
Celery
Stirring constantly
Cook about 10 minutes over low heat

Cool about 5 minutes

Add remaining ingredients, except Rice
Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes or until the Gumbo begins to thicken, stirring often

Serve over White Rice (directions for cooking rice to follow)

Cajun Seasoning:
Mix all ingredients together and store in a jar in the pantry

2 1/2 TBS Paprika
2 TBS Salt
2 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Cayenne Pepper
1 TBS Dried Oregano
1 TBS Dried Thyme
1 TBS Pepper



Rice:
There's an art to making perfect rice and I'm not sure it's ever foolproof but here's a guideline.
1 C of uncooked white rice = 3 C cooked
1 C of uncooked brown rice = 4 C cooked

White Rice:
1 C long grain rice
2 C water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter

In a saucepan with a tight fitting lid, bring water, salt and butter to a boil.
Stir in the rice.
Cover tightly, reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Do not lift the lid.
Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Brown Rice:
1 C of rice (rinse under cold water for 30 seconds)
6 C water
1/2 tsp salt

Boil water in a pot with a tight fitting lid.
Stir in the rice.
Boil for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Strain the rice into a strainer or colander from the pot ( retain the water in the pot).
Return the rice to the pot. off the heat.
Cover tightly, use a kitchen towel over the pot if the lid is not tight) the idea is to retain the steam.
Let it sit for 10 minutes before uncovering.
Fluff with a fork.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Comments!

I'd love to see some comments from followers around the world.
Let me know if there's something special you'd like to see on the blog.

I am very thankful for all who enjoy what they see here.
I am passionate about what I create and share with all of you.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Two Ingredients will make a Cake!

A delicious cake made with only two ingredients.

1 box of Angel Food Cake Mix
1 can of Fruit Pie Filling or Cream Pie Filling

So it could be a Cherry Cake, a Blueberry Cake, an Apple Cake, a Coconut Cream Cake, a Lemon Cream cake and the list goes on............ custom made to your taste!

Preparation:

Mix the two ingredients together!
Mix them well..... act like it's a complicated cake and mix on.....

That's it,
Pour the batter into a 9 X 13 baking dish
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.
It will collapse a bit, but who cares!

Oh, here's where the other ingredients come in:

Serve it with Ice Cream or Whipped Cream.

I may try it in other pans, I'll blog about it if it turns out OK!
I'll post a picture later.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!