The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Details

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Come closer now…come closer. Lean in. Are you ready? I’m going to whisper. (I like soup.) Don’t tell anyone!

Okay, so I just made a big deal out of nothing. But the fact remains that I love soup, especially at this chilly (chilly? try frigid) time of year. And out of all the soups in my repertoire (have you tried this one yet? Your heart will rejoice),the one that most says“Comfort Food” to me is my mom’s time-tested Cauliflower Soup. It’s brothy. Savory. Creamy. Filled with tender chunks of cauliflower and all the comforts of home. I’ve made it in my own household for years…and today I share it with you.

Keep in mind that while this soup may appear to have a lot of steps, there’s nothing difficult about it. Just get your ingredients ready and it’ll be a cinch.

Here’s what you’ll need:

 
The Cast of Characters: Cauliflower, Carrot, Onion, Celery, Chicken Broth or Stock, Milk, Half& Half, Butter, Flour, Salt, Pepper, Sour Cream, and Parsley (fresh or dried).

 
Wash 1 to 2 heads of cauliflower, depending on how chunky you’d like the soup to be. I use about a head and 1/3 of another head.

 
Just whack the head in half and get rid of the hard inner core and green parts.

 
Then just roughly chop the cauliflower.

 
You could be meticulous and cut the cauliflower into neat little florets…but why?

 
Next, finely dice one carrot. I just cut strips in the carrot, then rotate the strips 90 degrees and finely dice.

 
I do the same to the celery: just cut it into strips, then dice.

 
Same goes with the onion: first cut lines/strips…

 
<Then dice away!

Then say the following word:Mirepoix, pronounced“mi-reh-pwah.” That’s what this is.

 
Place a stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat and melt 4 tablespoons butter in the pan. When the butter’s melted, throw in the onions.

 
Stir them around for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they get a little color.

 
Throw in the carrots and celery…

 
And stir it around for a minute or so.

 
Now just throw in the cauliflower. If it’s finely diced, it should measure to about 2 quarts. If it’s large and weird like mine, more like 3 quarts.

 
Stir it around to combine…

 
Next, and please don’t hate me, add 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, if you have it. PLEASE, IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE WORLD AND YOU FIND YOURSELF LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE NEAR A SUPERMARKET THAT CARRIES FRESH PARSLEY, add it in.

If you don’t, however, use dried parsley flakes. In the end, you won’t even be able to tell.

 
Give it a good stir, reduce the heat to low…

 
And cover the pot. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during the process.

 
When 15 minutes is over, pour in 2 quarts of chicken broth. If you have homemade stock in your freezer, go for it. If you don’t, but it in the store. Just be sure to buy the low sodium variety so you’ll be able to control the salt content of the soup.

It’s all about control, people. Cauliflower and control.

 
Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and let the soup simmer.

 
While it’s simmering, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

 
In a separate bowl, pour 2 cups whole milk. I always use whole milk in soups because…well, because.

 
Add 6 tablespons flour to the milk…

 
Mix together with a whisk.

 
As soon as the butter in melted…

 
Pour the milk/flour mixture into the saucepan.

 
Stir to combine. Almost immediately, it’ll thicken into a nice white sauce.

Did you know you just made a white sauce? It’s true!

Well, I made it for you, but still. Your heart was in it.

 
Next, because the world is a crazy place, add 1 cup of half& half to the white sauce.

 
And now for the fun part: Pour the white sauce into the simmering soup mixture.

 
Yum. This SHORE smells good.

 
Now, just throw in a bay leaf or two.

 
And a little bit of salt. We’ll want to taste the soup before adding much salt.

Now just let the soup simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. It’ll fill your house with fanciful aromas and feelings.

 
Here’s my soup tureen. My old friend, Sissy, gave it to me when I got married and it made my heart go pitter-pat.

I love you, Sissy. Thank you for my soup tureen. It always make me think of you.

China check:Spode“Blue Italian”

 
Now, here’s the kicker: just before serving, throw 1 generous cup of sour cream into the serving bowl or tureen.

 
Add 2 to 3 ladles of hot soup into the serving bowl…

 
Give it a good stir, just to get the sour cream used to the soup.

 
Pour the rest of the soup into the serving bowl.

 
And let me tell you, if you don’t think this stuff is beyond yummy, you’ve got another thing comin’.

 
It makes me tingle. In a really, really good way.

And YOU can tingle, TOO! Just make this soup today.

Here’s the recipe:

PW’s Mom’s Cauliflower Soup

1 stick butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 to 2 heads cauliflower, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dried parsley
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth or stock
2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup half& half
2 to 4 teaspoons salt, to taste
1 generous cup sour cream, at room temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an addition couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half& half.

Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Oh! And one more thing:

Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Pioneer Woman

Did you know you absolutely HAVE to eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day or you’ll be doomed to a whole year of not only bad luck and strife, but also pimples, bunions, and stray hairs growing out of your ear? It’s true. So don’t make the same mistake so many humans make every year! Run, don’t walk, to whatever grocery store is open at this late hour and buy yourself a couple of cans of black eyed peas.Whether you use them to make this recipe or not, your hair-free ears depend on it!

Now that we’ve all lost our appetite, let’s make this delightful, wonderful receipe for Black Eyed Pea Salsa! My sister-in-law, Suzanne, first brought it to my attention, and actually, she calls it“Black Eyed Pea DIP.” The recipe on which she bases hers, however, is called“Black Eyed Pea SALAD.” I call it Salsa, because I love to eat it with blue corn tortilla chips. But the truth is, you can call it whatever you’d like. You can eat it with chips, spoon it over a hunk of cream cheese and serve it with crackers, or you can eat a nice helping of it as a salad alongside whatever main dish you’re serving on New Year’s Day. It’s as versatile as all get-out, and the best part is that if you think you don’t like black eyed peas, you don’t have to worry—you can hardly tell they’re there. But if you DO love black eyed peas, you’ll know they’re there. And you will be there with them. In the salsa bowl. At one with all that came before you. In Greenland.

Ha! I realize the last, oh, three hundred sentences made no sense. I just wanted to see how long it would take before I lost you.

It’s a hobby of mine.

 
The Cast of Characters: White wine (or any other) vinegar, Olive Oil, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Celery Seed, Dry Mustard, Canned Black Eyed Peas, Celery, Green Onions, Red Bell Pepper, Cucumber, fresh Jalapeno (optional), and Cilantro.

 
Begin by making the dressing. Grab a square blue and white bowl. No other bowl will work.

HA! Just kidding again.

 
Pour in 1/2 cup olive oil…

 
Followed by 1/3 cup white wine vinegar (or any other vinegar).

 
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet/sour you like things.

 
Next, add 1 teaspoon celery seed…

 
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard…

 
1/2 teaspoon salt…

 
And plenty of freshly ground pepper, unless you run out of peppercorns like a certain disorganized grocery shopper around here. Then you can just use the black dust. It ain’t all that tragic.

 
Now just find a whisk…

 
And mix it all together. Give it a taste to make sure it’s the level of sweetness you’d like. Or add more salt if you think it needs it.

Dressing is SUCH a personal thing. It’s more personal than…than…than shaving one’s legs, which I think is HIGHLY personal.

So why did I just bring it up? I have no idea.

Anyway, set the dressing aside for a minute.

 
Now, let’s chop three stalks of celery. It’s best if it’s pretty fine, and here’s how I do that…

 
First I make long, thin slices in the stalks.

 
Then I rotate the strips 90 degrees and line them up with my knife…

 
And slice in the other direction to make a fine dice.

 
I prefer small chunks of celery in my food. It’s simply how I’m wired.

 
Set it aside, then let’s get going on the green onion. Just lop off the tops…

 
Then slice them down to within an inch or so of the bottom.

 
Next comes the red bell pepper: begin by lopping off the top and bottom…

 
And just rip out its innards. But you can do it gently if you’d like.

 
Now cut the pepper in half down the middle.

 
Cut the pepper into sticks. No need to get too skinny.

 
Then, just as we did with the celery, rotate it 90 degrees and line it up with the knife…

 
And slice it to create a dice.

 
Next, peel the cucumber…

 
Until it’s totally naked and blushing.

 
Slice it in half lengthwise…

 
And with the tip of a spoon, scrape out the seeds.

 
Now cut the cucumbers into chunks…

 
Then slice each chunk into sticks, as we did the celery and red bell pepper.

 
It’s always good to have all your veggies diced and ready.

 
And if you can HANDLE the heat, cut up a fresh jalapenos. The more seeds and white membrane you remove, the less spicy it will be.

 
Oh! And chop up a good cup of cilantro leaves.

NOTE: If you’re in the small segment of society that has an aversion to cilantro, use a mix of fresh parsley and basil.

 
Now crack open two cans of black eyed peas. You can use frozen if you’d like, but the store is probably sold out and the canned ones are nice and tender.

You could also cook your own black eyed peas. But why? For this dish, it’s entirely unnecessary.

 
Just drain‘em and throw‘em into a bowl.

 
Add the celery…

 
The green onions…

 
The red bell pepper…

 
The cucumber…

 
And the jalapeno.

C’mon. You can do it.

 
Next, just drizzle on the yummy dressing…

 
Stir it together gently to thoroughly coat everything.

 
After it’s mixed together, add in plenty of cilantro (or whatever herbs you prefer.)

 
Now, it’s best if you can cover it and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour or two, so everything can marry and live happily ever after.‘Til you eat it.

 
When you’re ready, serve it with blue tortilla chips. I think they look pretty together.

 
Happy New Year, my friends! I hope 2009 brings you joy.

Black Eyed Pea Salsa/Dip/Salad

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine (or regular) vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Veggies:
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeno (optional), seeded and chopped
1 cup (more if desired) chopped cilantro

2 cans black eyed peas, drained.

Mix together dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Combine all vegetables (except cilantro) with black eyed peas. Pour dressing over the top and gently stir together. Add cilantro and stir gently.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips and have a Happy New Year!

Love,
Pioneer Woman

In honor of the hardened lumps of coal I accidentally left in the oven for five hoursSaturday night, Kay from The Netherlands has provided us with a slightly more flavorful version, which would be the perfect accompaniment to so many meat courses. Thanks for saving the day, Kay! My lumps of coal thank you, too.–PW

For me, holiday dinners are all about side-dishes. Let me explain! Good meatdoesn’t need much. Less isabsolutelymore: a little oil, a tiny bit of butter, some salt and pepper is basically all you need to make a good piece of meat taste really fantastic. Throw in a few herbs and you have heaven on a plate. What makes an ordinary meal stand out, though, are a variety of great side-dishes. They are what turns a plain meal into something really special.

A few years ago I got tired of making the same mashed potatoes. So I started roasting them. It was such a big hit that I now always serve roasted potatoes along with mashed potatoes during a holiday dinner. Even worse, I became obsessed with perfectly flavored roasted potatoes.

Golden roasted potatoes are a great match with almost anything. They’re crispy on the outside and velvety on the inside, and are the perfect accompaniment to meat, poultry or fish dishes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp coarse mustard
1/4 tsp salt
fresh parsley
paprika powder

Optional:1/2 bell pepper
Optional:1/2 onion

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400F (200C).

I peeled two pounds potatoes. Go for potatoes that hold their shape! Cut them in large chunks. Making them smaller will definitely reduce the cooking time, but I just like how a big bowl of uneven potato chunks looks on the table.

Give them a really good wash; this will remove the surface starch and prevent them from becoming one big, unhappy potato clump.

Grab yourself a big bowl and fork (or get fancy and grab a whisk). Now, to spare all of you on dial-up; I’ll just put as many photos in one big photo as I possibly can!

Pour in 4 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp salt, a really good pinch of black pepper, a grated or finely chopped large garlic clove, 1/2 tsp onion powder and a heaping tsp coarse (or regular) mustard. The mustard adds areallynice tang.

Now pour in the chicken (beef or vegetable) broth and give it a twirl.

A lot of people will parboil the potatoes. Not me. I let the oven—and the chicken broth—do the work for me. It workssowell.

Go for a roasting tray or use a baking dish with a fairly thick bottom. You don’t want to layer the potatoes, but they do have to fit snugly together.

Put the potatoes in there, pour the dressing on top and get your hands in there. Toss everything around until all the potatoes are coated. The rest of the dressing will lurk at the bottom, preventing your potatoes from drying out, providing them with extra flavor, and giving them a little extra tenderness during the cooking process.

All is fair in love cooking, and in my opinion,‘artificially’boosting the color a bit is definitely fair game! It’s simple. Sprinkle a little paprika powder through a small sieve; this will quickly deepen the roasting color, which boosts the‘ohhhhh‘ and‘ahhhhh‘ level at the dinner table. I sprinkled a generous amount of coarse sea salt on top as well because I just like the crunch it gives.

Pop them in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Now, this is completely optional, but it addssomuch flavor. I chopped up 1/2 a red bell pepper and half a large onion. After 25 minutes, take out the potatoes, flip them over and just sprinkle the bell peppers and onions in with the potatoes. It will not only flavor the potatoes but also the liquid in there, distributing the flavors more evenly. The liquid will have vaporized by the end of the cooking time, but the flavor stays.

Put them back in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and fork tender.

All that’s left to do now is sprinkle a generous amount of fresh parsley on top and they’re done. Fully ready to be served and devoured.

Happy cooking!
www.kayotickitchen.com