Weekly Recipes

Varden's held a cooking class on Saturday night. Here are the recipes used that night, plus some others that were discussed.

-Steve

Email your favorite recipes to jessica@vardens.com , or mail them to: 509 Main Street, Paris Ky 40361 ATTN:Recipes and we will share them on our site!

Basic Chicken Broth

2-1/2 pounds bony chicken pieces
2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 medium onions, quartered
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 to 10 whole peppercorns
2 quarts cold water

Place all ingredients in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Slowly bring to a boil; reduce heat. Skim foam. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.     Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones; save meat for another use. Strain broth, discarding vegetables and seasonings. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Skim fat from surface. Yield: about 6 cups.

Slow Cooker Burgoo

1 pound mixed cooked meats (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, game, etc.)
1/2 gallon chicken stock or beef stock
1 ounce Worcestershire sauce
1 ounce Bourbon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
4 small red potatos, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup okra
1/4 cup lima beans
1/2 cup yellow corn
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
salt and pepper to taste
splash of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, skimming the top as needed.

Magical Leek Soup (Broth)
Serves 1 for the weekend

2 pounds leeks

Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut off the ends of the dark green parts, leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of pale green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.)

Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl. The juice is to be drunk (reheated or at room temperature to taste) every 2 to 3 hours, 1 cup at a time.

For meals, or whenever hungry, have some of the leeks themselves, 1/2 cup at a time. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you wish.

This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 to 6 ounces -- don't lose that scale yet!), with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.

Potato Leek Soup

3 tablespoons butter
6 leeks, white and pale green parts only, well-washed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cups water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a medium soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over low heat and add the leeks, cooking them gently until softened. Add the potatoes and water and simmer one hour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the parsley and serve immediately.

Cock-a-leekie Soup
The national soup of Scotland, this is a great winter soup. The recipe here is based on a traditional one.

1 Chicken
1/2 gallon water
6 chopped leeks
1 chopped onion
2 tablespoons rice
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Place the chicken in a large saucepan with the cold water and salt. Bring slowly to the simmer, skimming any fat or scum that appears on the surface. Simmer for one hour.

Add the leeks, onions and rice and simmer for another 30 minutes or so until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken and skim off any remaining fat. Add the parsley and season as required.

Traditionally the chicken would have been served as a main course with the broth as an accompaniment. If you like you can strip the bird of meat and serve in the soup.

Vichyssoise

2/3 cup leeks, thinly sliced, white portion only
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2-1/2 cups potatoes, peeled, sliced thinly
2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Fresh chives or parsley for garnish

In a saucepan over medium high heat sauté leeks and onion in butter until tender but not brown.  Add potatoes and chicken broth; bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes. Puree the soup mixture in a food processor; return to the saucepan. 

Add milk and cream mixing well, add salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate. Serve vichyssoise potato leek soup hot or cold. Garnish with chives or parsley.

Beer Potato Soup

4 cups instant potatoes
4 cups water
4 cups heavy cream
1 bottle beer
1 small onion, diced and sautéed
3 strips bacon, crumbled and cooked (+ 2 bacon additional strips, crumbled and cooked for garnish)
Small block Velveeta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (+ more to garish)
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Make instant potatoes according to package directions. Add beer, heavy cream, shredded cheddar, and Velveeta. Add onions and bacon. Salt and pepper. Top with bacon, green onions, cheddar cheese to garnish.

Sausage and Shrimp Soup

1 Kielbasa sausage cut up into bite-size pieces
1 pound of medium shrimp (heads and shells removed)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped 1 stalk celery, sliced
1 quart chicken broth
2 tsp. basil
4 garlic cloves, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Cook until vegetables are tender.  

^ Top | Copyright © Varden's 'o6 - 'o8