Roasted pumpkin with rolled pancetta soup

Is been a long time since I posted a soup recipe..  A good and warm soup is always a great comforting idea. Thick and creamy with a fresh hint. Not much caloric because I made it with low fat milk.What more you could ask in a life? 

Pancetta gave it a special touch.For who don't have idea what I'm talking about, rolled pancetta is a  sort of bacon. Typically salt cured and seasoned  with such spices as nutmeg, fennel, peppercorn, dried ground hot pepper  and garlic Then dried  for at least three months

Pancetta can be rolled or straight with all the fat on one side.It is cubed for rendering or adding directly   to dishes for flavor an richness,sliced thin fr serving on is own on blocking or employed  as lardons

My soup was very good  and with the radishes' leftovers i made a quick salad. Nothing  like to eat healthy and good.

And one more thing , I m pretty exciting ´cos I launched   BAs cooking & photos on FB. Like it, and you find some gastronomic tips and also some photo tips Have a wonderful weekend

Ingredients: 1/2 kg pumpkin 1garlic clove 200 g rolled pancetta  (sliced) 1/4 l  (2 cups) low fat milk. 1 thread olive oil Salt and pepper for season Grated radishes  and parsley (optional)

Method: Heat oven  220°C  Remove pumpkin seeds and add a thread of olive oil over it  put on the oven and roast until soft  Meanwhile,cut the pancetta and heat a pan  Put on it the pancetta and garlic minced  Reserve. Remove the pumpkin pulp and add to the mix on the pan, mi well  it. d milk in few and let steam If you like a lighter soup add more milk Great radishes and put over the warm soup garnish with persyl

Almost end of summer and a exquisite soup

So, this is it. The holidays are gone and with them  I also  noticed that summer is  ending.  These days have been overcast and rainy. and I move forward, as always
As I comment in my previous post, I found some blue  potatoes  and could not resist the purchase. With a quick search  I got to discover  that is an ancient  Peruvian potato variety  and is cultivated in Russia. In some places known as  Russian blue potatoes.
Despite its color is not a hybrid or artificial, are completely natural.  To test  I roasted some with regular potatoes  and I really like its flavor, more intense but similar texture. Very good indeed



 Is very hard to find in nature many foods in blue so if you want to give a different touch  in your meal  try it. The children  will be thrilled with the shine color and love it .
This soup was quite tasty, especially for rainy days. I hope you enjoy.
 Have a nice week

Ingredients 6 blue potatoes 1 small regular potato 1 red onion cute in quarters spring of fresh rosemary 1  yellow or green zucchini 2  garlic cloves 1Thread olive oil 1 l chicken broth  Minced or chopped pepper Cream of milk (optional)

Method 1. In a frying pan with a little oil browned garlic and set aside. 2. In a saucepan boil all ingredients in chicken broth including the garlic, until all vegetables are tender and almost falling apart.  3. Remove from heat and light blend using a a mix 4. Strain, heat up a little more, check the salt, add the chopped pepper. 5. Remove from heat, place a strand of olive oil and garnish with a spring of rosemary. If you like  put a bit of  cream over the soup

Fresh and soft : Butternut squash orange soup

Is grilling season! The barbeque is out, the friends are over, and the wine is corked.Well .... not yet, this happened during the weekend I'm preparing some things to get some friends to a barbecue this weekend.

  And once more my time will be short. So for my lunch today, I prepare a squash and orange soup. Yes, orange. I also found something weird when I read the recipe in The Gourmet magazine, but as I am prone to try new flavors  I  make it and not regret.
As  pumpkin has a sweet flavor,  orange only made  accentuate their flavor and  the freshness is adding  by ginger.

To complete the meal I had a good basic salad. Lettuce, tomato, carrot and red cabbage, seasoned with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon and ginger. A light meal and refreshing to be well over the weekend and get friends

Ingredients 3 Tbsp olive oil 2 leeks 500g butternut squash 1 potato 1tsp  fresh ginger,grated 5 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup orange juice 2 tbs orange zest Salt and pepper

Method Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat  Add the leeks cute in dices with potatoes, pumpkin and ginger also cut up When the leeks became   transparent, add broth and simmer slowly until tender . With a hand mixer processes outside fire  until smooth. Keep into fire again, and add orange juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper

Parma ham and Parmesan cheese soup

My 96 years old grandma is very sick, and at this age we don’t have great hopes

about her recuperation, so, I can’t see myself writing about food or even taken pictures in the next days. I know that you understand my mood. Meanwhile I let you this recipe that I made a couple of days ago for dinner I hope you enjoy it.

Parma ham and parmesan cheese soup

Ingredients:

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 medium white onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Parma ham cute in dices

Heat the water to boiling in a large pan. Add the wine.

Cut the onions into thin slices, and then quarter the slices. Add to the water and wine.

Add salt & pepper.

Bring the mixture back to boiling, then turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered. While stirring briskly, sift the flour into the soup. Continue to stir if any large lumps of flour develop. Be careful when you stir; a whisk will help. As the soup continues to cook, any lumps should dissolve.

After 30 minutes of additional simmering, add the cream and 1 cup parmesan cheese.

Continue to simmer the soup for 5 to 10 minutes

Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and Parma ham, Serve

Red Symphony. Roasted tomatoes soup and Cynthia’s books

Last week the whether were weird, extremely heat and dry about 93, 2°F. Today the temperature is 50°F. Ideal to get flu Normally November is my ideal month. Not so hot, not so cold and windy, just warm. . November is also the vine ripe tomatoes season. So, I made this delicious soup, with red onions, tomatoes and beets. Last week my dear friend blogger Cynthia launched his first book. And now is available. The book goes on sale at www.amazon.com on November 30th Her Caribbean food is stunning and delicious and I hardly recommend trying some of one of those wonderful dishes. Roasted red onions and Tomatoes soup What you'll need to do first? Roast some onions and tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grab one pound of plum tomatoes (or vine ripe tomatoes) and wash them gently, thinking of spring Cut 3 or four medium red onions and tomatoes in half and toss them into a roasting pan with splashes of extra virgin olive oil, some dried herbs and several peeled cloves of garlic. Add a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar (to keep this yeast-free use lemon juice or omit). Slide the pan into the oven and gather the next ingredients. They should be ready in roughly 45 minutes. For the soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 shallots chopped 1 garlic clove 2 beets 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 28-ounce can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon Jamaica pepper 3 cups light broth 1 bay leaf Sugar, Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley, basil or mint In a heavy soup pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir for five minutes. Add the herbs and stir another minute or two, until the onion is softened. Add the canned tomatoes, raw beets and broth. Toss in the bay leaf and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes and garlic, breaking the pieces apart a bit with a wooden spoon. Cover and bring to a simmer; lower the heat and continue to simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, (or in small batches in a food processor or blender, tightly covered).Strain Return to the pot. Taste for seasoning adjustments. Heat through. If you like a creamy soup, stir in a half cup of your favorite plain non-dairy milk or cream.

Squash bisqué

Autumn is already coming; I can feel it, especially today, a gray and rainy day. These holydays we decide keep in home. Decorating eggs and buying chocolate ones, are what Easter is about. Right? Those are the exactly things that we do in Easter. No particular Easter cook Just this Squash bisqué

• 2 Sweet Dumpling or other smallish squash 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup chopped shallots 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup white wine 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup whipping cream Fresh chives (optional) In a 3-quart saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and ginger; cook until tender. Stir in the flour. Carefully add the chicken broth and wine all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the pumpkin, dried thyme, pepper, and cloves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves. Cool slightly. Pour one-fourth to one-third of mixture into a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture until all is processed. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the 1/2 cup whipping cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into soup bowls. If desired, swirl a little whipping cream into each serving or garnish with fresh chives.

Happy Easter for all (if you celebrate that Holiday)

Lazzy cook

September is for us a month with many birthdays, just in the family there are three This weekend we had one on Saturday (that of my husband's cousin) and a baptism party on Sunday.There was a lot of time that were not babies in the family and have one is always a joy bless. As a result my habitual incursion for the kitchen in the week ends was lazy .Go shopping Wake up late and to go to bed later…So, my time in the kitchen became short.

As I had some leftover asparagus, some Serrano ham, at once I thought to make something slight as a soup. I also used some smoked garlic that I discovered in the market. I can’t see innovations that I always buy them, I don’t know my consumerism that I have or it is my Gemini sign that makes me tempt with all novelties. Anyway I never resist to new things. The soup was very rich, but the smoked garlic leave a lot, little flavor and almost feel the smoky flavor.

Asparagus soup with raw ham and smoked garlic

250 G fresh asparagus

200 Ml milk

50 Ml water

½ onion

100g raw ham (Serrano, Parma or similar.)

Slices of toasted bread

2 smoked garlic clove sweat in olive oil

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Method

Wash the asparagus, cut out the hard part and cut it in pieces. Take them boil with water and salt. When still soft .Pull out and to process.

In a pan sauté the onion and add it to the processed asparagus concoction, put the milk and boil a wile Add salt and pepper.
Take to the oven the ham slices, cook in medium temperature until the slices are crispy, cut and put them on the soup, as well as the golden garlic and a thread of oil to perfume. Accompany with a slice of bread with roasted ham.