Creamy Artichoke Soup

One of our favorite family picnic spots is the beach at Bean Hollow. It’s a picturesque beach just south of Pescadero. We’ll get up early and drive into the town of Pescadero to gather our gourmet picnic items…1^st stop, Arcangeli  Market for their freshly baked artichoke rosemary sourdough bread and some Harley farms goat cheese. Next stop, Duarte’s restaurant for a quart of their creamy artichoke soup and a couple of slices of olallieberry pie. We drive about a mile and a half and set up camp for the afternoon.  The soup at Duarte’s is divine…I always trying to tweak my recipe… I just think it must be the location where it is made…just like it is really hard to get great sough dough outside of the SF bay area.

On occasion we have been known to stop at Duarte’s on the way home for dinner…..

8 frozen or fresh artichoke hearts

1 tbsp. salt plus a little more to taste

3 tbsp. butter

1 large onion chopped

2 tbsp. flour

5 cups of chicken broth

¼ cup whipping cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Cook hearts until tender in boiling, salted water, and then drain.

In a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and stir until golden. Stir in flour stir for another 4 minutes. Add broth and artichoke hearts, stirs until mixture thickens 15-20 minutes.

Puree mixture with a hand blender or carefully in a blender until smooth. Strain through a mesh strainer and stir in cream.  Season with salt and pepper.

White Bean Soup with Saugsage and Kale

Forget the air freshener…simmer a savory soup instead! I know it may sound silly but really, nothing beats walking into your home after a long weekend of chilly soccer games to the enveloping aroma of a slow-cooked soup. My kids love any type of legume…my son Bryce, is affectionately nick named frijole boy.

This wintery soup is one of our favorites and is a great with a crusty baguette and tossed green salad with arugula.

1 pound great northern white bean

 1 3/4 ounce piece of salted pork

 3Tbsp  of Olive oil

One large chopped onion

3 large carrots chopped

3 stalks of chopped celery

5 cloves of chopped garlic

Pinch of dried thyme

¼ tsp Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

10- cups of chicken stock

8 ounces of roasted chorizo, thinly sliced

4-5 cups of rough chopped kale

1 cup  freshly grated parmesan

Soak beans in 8 cups of boiling water for 1 hour. Rinse the salted pork under running water and cut into quarters

While the beans are soaking, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until vegetable are just soft. Add garlic cook for a couple of more minutes and remove from heat.

After the beans have soaked, drain and rinse in a colander. Put beans and vegetable mixture into the slow cooker and the vegetable mixture. Add the salted pork, stir in the thyme, red pepper and and several grinds of black pepper. Add the 10 cups of chicken stock. Set your slow cooker on low for 7 hours. After 7 hours remove the pieces of salted pork and add the roasted chorizo.

Before serving season with salt and pepper as needed set the slow cooker to high and add the Kale. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip!

I love the month of February!   Many great cooking opportunities…  Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day and of course one of my favorites, Oscar Night.   We had a pre -Super Bowl pot luck last week here at our warehouse hopefully to get inspired and exchange recipes for the big game this weekend.  There was a variety of hot and hearty dips, some incredible Guatemalan styled tacos and a yummy slow-cooked chili. We all ate well that day and waddled back to our desks with large cups of caffeine to get us through the rest of the day. 

The crab and artichoke dip seems to be a favorite at my house for a big game appetizer.  It is pretty simple to make and is perfect with a buttery Chardonnay or crisp Pinot Grigio.

I will have to get Cecil’s mom’s recipe for the tacos and pass them along they were really delicious..next time!

Recipe:

Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip

1 cup of fresh Dungeness or canned lump crab meat

3-4 medium artichokes

½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup of mayonnaise

2 cups of spinach

¼ flat leaf parsley

3 cloves roasted garlic

1 Tbls. lemon juice (fresh please)

Salt and pepper

Trim all of the outer leaves of the artichokes and trim the end of the stems. Place in boiling water until tender roughly 45 minutes.

In a mixing bowl mix combine the mayo, sour cream, cheese and roasted garlic and set aside. Let sit while artichokes are cooking.

After the artichokes cool, scoop and remove the choke and peel the outer layer of the stem.

Chop the artichokes and add to the mixing bowl. Add spinach, parsley and a little salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon juice and stir gently. Finally, add the crab and mix lightly. Fill an oven proof vessel and top with a little more parmesan.

Bake for 12 minute in 400 degree oven or a 375 degree convection oven.

Serve with toasted baguettes* and a glass of your favorite Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio!

*If there is time I like toasting the baguettes, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and rub a clove of raw garlic onto the toasted slices.