Quick and easy vegetable soup recipe

This is a really easy vegetable soup recipe that works well on a weeknight by itself or with a little salad. I like this one too because this soup tastes even better the next day. Budget an hour to make this from prep to table, but it requires very little actual effort.

Quick & Easy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 chopped leeks, white part only
2 tablespoons minced garlic
salt
2 carrots chopped into rounds
2 diced russet potatoes
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 quarts chicken broth
2 14.5 oz cans, Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes (diced)
1 can corn, drained
freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley leaves (about ¼ c)
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions
Heat the olive oil in large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and salt and sweat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn, and pepper. Return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Add salt if needed.Serve immediately.

Cold Weather Warmers- Gratin of Tripe, Penne and Cabbage

So lets say you made the tripe recipe that I posted on the 3rd. Its great on pasta or polenta, but at some point just like everything else you need something to do with the leftovers. Again, I'm turning to the great Paul Bertolli and the "Chez Panisse Cooking" cookbook. Once you've made the tripe recipe earlier, you can reserve 1/2 the recipe to make this dish. Its perfect on a cold January night when you need something warm and comforting. I'd pair this with a nice Zinfandel or another chianti myself.

Gratin of Tripe, Penne and Cabbage
2 quarts water
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 c dry penne (I used DeCecco with great results)
1 tblsp olive oil
2 c thinly sliced savoy cabbage (I subbed regular cabbage, it works just fine)
1 1/2 c breadcrumbs (I used store bought, it saved me having to toast them)
2 tblsp butter
2 c Braised Tripe (see my earlier post)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (don't go cheap here, really Reggiano is the key)

1) Preheat oven to 375
2) Bring the water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the penne and cook al dente. Drain the noodles in a colander and cool briefly under running water.
3) Brown the onion in a bit of olive oil (use a good pot for this, I used a Le Creuset dutch oven), add cabbage, the remaining pinch of salt, grind a bit of fresh black pepper and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes or so until the cabbage is wilted. Make sure to stir often.
4) Combine noodles, braised tripe (if straight out of the fridge, rewarm first), cabbage, and onion and 2 tblsp of the parmesan and stir together. You are looking to coat the noodles in sauce here.
5) Put the mixture in an 8x10 baking dish, top with remaining parmesan and then breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.

This is one of those dishes that I really enjoy. Tripe is one of those things that I think more people would enjoy if they ever had it cooked properly. As it is, I think a certain squeamishness sets in if you've never eaten tripe and then its presented to you in adulthood. Its really too bad, as this is a dish that I would love to share with more friends and family.

So as you can see, I've decided to expand my blog from just cocktails and liquor reviews to some of my favorite recipes and the occasional wine review. I'm a bit of a failed chef, but cooking remains a passion of mine and I'd love to share more of this passion with you.

The World's Best Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

So Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Here in the Mayhew household, Thanksgiving is the high holy day of my year. Its my chance to take care of loved ones, celebrate the year and reflect on those who aren't joining us at the table this year. I have lost a lot of people in my life, more than I'll ever care to share on a blog, and sometimes I think that I live with the constant expectation that I won't see the next Thanksgiving. So for me, its always important to have a huge Thanksgiving feast. If its going to be my last, it better be the best too. So every year gets larger and more elaborate, but certain things always happen at my Thanksgiving. First, I always do the cooking. Sure, people might bring a side dish or a dessert, but rest assured, no one needs to bring anything because there will be leftovers for weeks when I am done.

This year, there is a definite chill in the November air here in Oregon, much more pronouncedly so than last year, I'm still going to barbecue my turkey but I'll need a little something to warm me up when I step back inside from my hourly checks on the bird. This year, I'm offering guests a Stone Fence (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, 2 dashes Angostura bitters and Apple Cider) as my cold drink and I'll offer up Hot Buttered Rum for those that need to take the chill off of their bones. Now, Hot Buttered Rum isn't the hardest drink to make in the world, and neither is the batter. That said, most of the Hot Buttered Rums I have tasted are downright nasty, and most batters just don't quite get it right. I'm going to offer a few easy do's and don'ts for making an enjoyable Hot Buttered Rum.

DO-

- Use a quality rum. I like one with some age on it. I'll be using Bacardi 8 this Thanksgiving, I don't think there is a better rum for a Hot Buttered Rum.

DON'T-

- Use cheap rum. Cheap rum is going to taste even cheaper when you warm it up. You can't hide poor quality ingredients in this drink.

DO-

- Make your own rum batter. It isn't hard, takes less than 10 minutes and you'll be amazed at the difference in quality.

DON'T

- Buy commercial buttered rum batter. Yuck. I have yet to try one that doesn't taste like chemicals and stabilizers.


So lets get down to the recipe shall we? I like to leave a stick of butter out for about an hour to soften it up to make this a really easy preparation.

Hot Buttered Rum Batter
1 stick butter, room temp
¾ c brown sugar
¼ cup agave nectar
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp clove

To make a hot buttered rum, simply slice a good dollop off of the batter, add to a mug with 2 oz Bacardi 8 rum, fill with hot water, stir to incorporate, and enjoy.

Here is wishing all of you the best this Thanksgiving.


Lance

Qi Liqueurs

Qi liqueurs are produced by the fine people at St. George Spirits. So far, they produce Qi Black, made with black tea, and Qi White, made with white tea and exotic oranges. Both of these liqueurs are quite interesting and distinctive products. Lets begin by looking at the Qi Black.

On the OBG forums, I'd heard some questions about how to mix the Qi Black. One of the comments even said something like,'I added some of the Qi Black to my bourbon and turned it into scotch'. It definitely has a pronounced smoky flavor. So much so, that in mixing this product, less is definitely more. But its delicious stuff, and in proper context can make for some wonderful cocktails. At 80 proof, the Qi can also hold its own in a cocktail, it doesn't need to play a supporting role to a primary liquor. In fact, it steals the show in the cocktail below, my riff on the nonalcoholic classic, the Arnold Palmer. I offer you, the John Daly #2 (yes, there was a John Daily #1, but this version is better).

John Daly #2
1 1/2 oz Qi Black Liqueur
4 oz fresh lemonade
2 dashes Fee Bros Lemon Bitters

Build dry in a mixing glass, add ice, shake briefly, and pour contents into a double rocks glass.

When I review a product, I like to let fellow bartenders taste what I have, to see their opinions. I also like to play around with a product (which is why I find airline bottles useless). I'll take whiskey and try it on the rocks. Then maybe as a manhattan, then finally maybe as something else, to see how mixable a product is and also to taste all the "angles" for lack of a better word of a particular spirit. Well, my friend Neil Koppelin of Carlyle tasted the Qi Black and told me, "This would be great on salmon". Somehow, Neil's suggestion stuck in my head until today, when I was out shopping and found wild salmon on sale. I took it home, and made this (quite delicious");

Neil's Salmon

1 filet wild salmon
1 oz Qi Black Tea Liqueur
1 oz Olive Oil+ oil for the aluminum foil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400
2) On a large sheet of aluminum foil (make sure its a lot larger than your filet), take a small amount of olive oil and rub it across the area the salmon will sit
3) Place salmon on aluminum foil
4) In a small bowl, mix Qi Black liqueur and olive oil, stirring vigorously to incorporate (act like you are making a vinagrette)
5) using a pastry brush, lightly brush the salmon with the Qi/Olive oil mixture. Use the entire amount.
6) Season salmon with fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
7)Wrap salmon up (basically make a tinfoil envelope) and place in oven for 15 minutes
8) Enjoy

This salmon isn't overwhelmed by the smokiness of the Qi but instead takes on a nice smoky background note. Good stuff, thanks Neil.

So lets talk Qi White. Of the people that I've tasted on the Qi White, the majority of them can't taste the white tea base in the liqueur (I can't either and I kind of suspect those that claim to taste the tea of lying). However, there is a pronounced orange flavor to the liqueur (80 proof). Now, you may ask yourself, why would anyone make yet another orange liqueur for the market. Orange liqueur may be the second most saturated market in the distilled spirits category (behind only vodka), with offerings from your cheap triple sec to some of the finest liqueurs on the market, Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Qi White falls someplace between Cointreau and Grand Marnier, definitely richer than Cointreau but lighter than Grand Marnier. I never knew that I needed an orange liqueur between GM and Cointreau, but Qi White has convinced me that I definitely need to keep a bottle on hand at all time. In a word, Qi white is delicious. A very well balanced liqueur that can hold its own in a variety of cocktails as well as being perfectly suited for baking and cooking. In fact, after getting inspired to use the Qi Black on our salmon this evening, I decided to use the Qi white to create this dessert, a delicious ending to any meal.

Qi White Fool
(serves 2)

Qi White whipped cream (see recipe below)
3 navel oranges peeled and sliced
1/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 oz Qi White liqueur
1 oz Navan liqueur

1) Peel oranges and slice into 1/4 inch rounds
2) Place orange wheels into a pyrex bowl, sprinkle with brown sugar, Navan and Qi white and toss to incorporate. Let stand at least 30 minutes.
3) Place orange wheels into a small bowl, top with syrup and finish with a topping of Qi white whipped cream.
4) Enjoy


Qi White whipped cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 c granulated sugar
1 oz Qi White Liqueur

1) In a KitchenAid mixer (if you don't own a KitchenAid, go buy one) add all ingredients to bowl, attach whip attachment, and process at med/high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.
2) Refrigerate until needed.

I've also tried the Qi White in some (not very) creative cocktails, namely Qi white and OJ or Qi white and soda, both make for an excellent cocktail and I'll post more recipes involving both Qi products as I have time.

On that note, I think its time for me to turn in for the night. The OBG has its 2nd event tomorrow, "Lost in Translation", which I am quite excited about. It should be a good time. Jeff Morgenthaler, Matt Mount and Neil Koppelin are all going to be presenting, and I'm excited to have the chance to host. Let me know if you are interested and I'll make sure that you get on the OBG mailing list.