Loaded Baked Potato Soup- Houston's Knock Off

 

Happy New Year... a month late! The year is already flying by and I just realized I had no time to post last month as it started with a righteous case of the flu over New Year's eve and week followed by Austin's famous Cedar Fever and then a trip to Ocho Rios, Jamaica to celebrate the hubby's birthday. This was likely my 28th visit to Jamaica, but my first time in Ocho Rios and we had a fantastic time. We stayed at the Sandal's Royal Plantation and were very impressed with the level of service and quality for an all inclusive resort. We were upgraded after a little reservation snafu and I've never had any hotel go above and beyond like that to remedy an error. We cannot wait to return. I will post a few pics at the end of this post.

But now that we are back in Austin, we've had some crazy weather this year. One day it's 70 degrees and sunny and the next the whole city has shut down due to ice storms, or it shuts down in anticipation of an ice storm that never arrives. Classic Texas weather, for sure. Yankees and the like make fun of us, but the reality is that a lot of Texans don't have the proper cars or driving skills to take on icy roads and as a result tons of accidents happen. I was driving slowly into a meeting a few weeks back, knowing sneaky black ice could be lurking, yet a foolish young guy in the opposite lane hauled passed me at 60 miles an hour, hit some ice and started to lose control. Yeah, no thanks, I will stay at home and make some SOUP.

Since I've been working on eating 5 cruciferous vegetables a day per doctor's orders, I admit my culinary adventures have been pretty boring. Roasted Brussles' sprouts, lean meat or kale salad from Whole Foods for dinner. Bah! Boring!

On a cold day, sometimes this family just wants a creamy cup of loaded baked potato soup inspired by our favorite Houston's Baked Potato soup (Now called Bartlett's in Austin). I could never figure out what the underlying hint of herb was until I searched around and found a copy cat recipe online that said they use fennel in their recipe. But of course! However, it's so subtle that my fennel averse husband even loved this soup. The copy cat recipe also calls for 5 cups of whole milk plus half and half, which explains the decadence, but I decided to tweak it a bit for health purposes and it tasted just as good if not better. Instead of baking my potatoes in the oven, I peeled and grilled them in a veggie basket on the Big Green Egg while the hubby was cooking some meats. The slight smoky flavor of the potatoes added a nice little surprise to the flavor profile that complemented the bacon terrifically. This recipe makes about 10 servings and freezes well for later use.

INGREDIENTS

4 large organic russet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 strips of bacon

2 shallots

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1.5 tsp fennel seeds (bundle them in cheesecloth with the bay leaf & thyme for easy removal)

1 tsp celery salt

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups 1% organic milk

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup sour cream

Shredded sharp cheddar to garnish

Chopped scallions and chives to garnish

Either bake the potatoes in the oven  for an hour then peel and scoop the insides, OR peel and dice them, drizzle with olive oil and grill them at 350 degrees in a veggie basket over charcoal for 25 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile in a large 6 quart Dutch Oven, cook bacon until cooked crispy. Set aside for later.

In bacon fat, add shallots and potatoes and saute until shallots are softened- about 5 minutes.

Then add herb bundle, milk, half and half and stock, cover and cook over medium low until the potatoes are very soft- about 40 minutes. Be sure NOT to boil as you don't want the milk to curdle. Stir occasionally.

Remove herb bundle and add the sour cream and pour it in small batches in the blender until it is creamy and smooth. Add more chicken stock if it's too thick, or if you like chunky soup, just mash the soup by hand.

Pour in very warm bowls, garnish with bacon, chives, scallions and sharp cheddar (I used a nice Irish white cheddar). Fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!!

 

Some highlights from our trip...

 Gorgeous West Beach with the restaurant grill to the right.

Lovely lunch of fresh grilled snapper and island lamb kabobs delivered right on the beach after a morning of sailing the hobies.

The stunning villa and private pool

Beautiful plate waiting for us upon our return from a day at the beach.

Birthday FEAST fit for a king! Many thanks to Oratio, Claudine and Lucian for the big surprise.

One more bite of Jerk chicken at the airport before sadly returning to the chaos that is the Houston International Airport. Won't ever fly through there again if possible. 1500 people trying to clear customs through THREE lanes. Almost everyone missed their connecting flight. All the relaxation of the prior week was instantly snapped away in a heartbeat! 

And when things get stressful I just need to close my eyes and picture myself back here...

Jamaican Curried Chicken

After the sweet gluttony of Thanksgiving, I was craving something spicy and savory. I spent each summer in Jamaica while growing up and my favorite dish that our housekeepers made us was curried chicken. It's the ultimate comfort food. I would sit quietly outside the small, steamy kitchen watching these lovely women prepare my family this wholesome, satisfying meal while the sparkling Caribbean sea lapped quietly at the edge of our villa. I have been so blessed to learn some terrific Jamaican food from these hard working, proud and loving women, many of whom were retired and crossed the island to come offer me condolences when I returned after my parents passed away. They lovingly wrapped me in their arms while tears streamed down their faces as they soothed me with their gentle words and showered me with maternal love. This meal offers me a sense of love and peace and is my homage to Ullalee, Beverly and Claire- three of the best people I've ever had the privilege to know and love.

When we returned to Jamaica last year I stocked up on their spices and amazing ketchup, but the internet has now made the products easily available, or I jaunt over to Fiesta in East Austin where they carry Jamaican curry spices.

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole chicken cut into small pieces, but I used three whole bone in breasts today with skin removed.
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 large onion, halved
1 carrot cut into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onion sprigs- whole
5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 Tbs Jamaican curry powder (The curry does not actually have curry seasoning, but is mainly tumeric, cumin, thyme, garlic, fenugreek, ginger and cloves).
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper or habanero pepper. Jalapeno could be used as well.

In a dutch oven, heat about 2 tbs oil, brown chicken, set aside on a plate and then brown onions, garlic, carrots and pepper until softened over medium low heat- about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to the pan, curry seasoning, stock, coconut milk and thyme sprigs. A splash of red stripe beer is also nice :-) Cover and lpace in the oven at 250 degrees about 2.5 hours. Serve with beans and rice. Jamaicans usually use pingeon peas, but I had black beans in my pantry, so used those. This is some of the best tasting rice you will ever eat!!

 Ya mon

 After about one hour. I strain the sauce through a mesh strainer and toss away the aromatics.

Rice Broth

1 cup rice

2 cups water

3 minced garlic cloves

1 green onion

1 bay leaf

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 tbs butter or smart balance-

Cook the rice in the broth until done, discard the bay leaf and green onion, stir in beans and serve with curry.

Jerk Chicken-Jamaican Me Hungry!!

Irie times cooking up some jerk chicken on the BGE. For those who know me, know I ADORE Jamaica and all things Jamaican, especially Jamaican food. I've been going to Jamaica since I was 9 years old, and with no television and three weeks idling away each summer, I picked up some cooking tips from our housekeepers, Beverly and Ulalee. These women could cook like no one's business and left quite an impression on my life. So whenever I have a yearning for my favorite island, I make some Jamaican food and it's like a mini vacation in my mouth. To think I used to complain that I was bored! Spoiled brat! What I wouldn't give to have three weeks a year to bum around in Montego Bay now days. I digress... Here's our hotter than hell Jerk chicken recipe...

Mixed grill with Jerk Flap Steak.... Caribbean fajitas!!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

in a food processor, blend the following into a paste...
 6 sliced Scotch Bonnet peppers (1 habanero pepper may be used if scotch bonnet peppers are unavailable)
 2 Tbsp. dried  thyme
 2 Tbsp. ground allspice

1 clove, ground

  8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion chopped

3 scallions
2 Tbsp. turbinado brown sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice and reserved peel

  1/2 cup white vinegar

Marinade in a large ziploc for 24 hours. Then throw it on the big Green egg at 250 degrees for 3.5 hours or until the thickest part of the thigh meat reads 170 (jerk tastes better a little dry for some reason).Serve with Seasoned Rice and Peas (pigeon peas, but black beans are tasty too) KITCHEN HACK: True jerk is cooked over pimento wood (from the tree that makes allspice berries) Soak a 1/2 cup allspice berries in water for 2 hours, wrap in foil with a little water and place indirectly on the grill for an authentic flavor).

Rice and Peas

2 cups basmati rice
1 can pigeon peas or red beans

2 cups coconut milk

2 cups spring water

2 cloves minced garlic

1 scallion

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp dried ginger

1 tbs butter

bay leaf

salt to taste

Bring rice and ingredients to a boil, cover and reduce to a low simmer until done according to package. Remove scallion and bayleaf, stir in a can of rinsed and drained beans and serve. Add a little more butter, because butter is so d*mn tasty!

Ya Mon!!! Respect!!!!