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...

Jerk Chicken Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

 

It's no secret that I love pasta and I love Jerk Chicken, so I obviously love Jerk Chicken Pasta!! I had an old friend from high school come stay with us this weekend and so I decided to make some Jerk Chicken as he used to join my family with us on our summer trip to our place in Jamaica. We've both lost our parents since those happier times, so I thought it would be a nice tribute to fire up the Big Green Egg and make a traditional Jamaican dinner for him.

Tonight it's Monday and we still had a bunch of chicken left over, so I was craving my brother in law's famous roasted red bell pepper soup and thought it could make a nice base for a sauce. My brother in law is currently a fantastic chef for Eddie V's and I first tasted his bell pepper soup when he was a sous chef at the very early "foodie" restaurant The Green Room in Deep Ellum back in the mid 90's. Those were the days! Galavanting around from Club Clearview, to Trees to Video Bar for "Sadistic Sundays". I miss my youth. Sadly as those of us from Gen X grew up, the Deep Ellum of the 90's went into a demise and most of these great places were shuttered in 2006.  Anyway on a lighter note, my brother in law kindly shared the recipe with me for his soup and it's become a household staple as it freezes well and can be used to make a rich and satisfying sauce as well. I've tweaked it a bit, but it's pretty similar to his, just not as much heavy cream.

While roasting the peppers over the grill or in the oven until charred is the best way, my brother in law says using fire roasted jarred red bell peppers works nicely if you don't want to sepnd too much time on it. Just be sure to drain and rinse thoroughly several times.

INGREDIENTS:

4 12. oz jars of roasted red bell peppers (I like Mt. Olive or Mezzetta brands)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 sweet onion, minced

1 tsp brown sugar

3 tbs butter plus 1 more reserved for later

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup sweet white wine such as Italian Sweet Bianco

3 cups low sodium or homemade chicken stock, plus 1 tsp of boullion

a few dashes paprika,  1 dash cayenne pepper

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half & half

In a Dutch oven or large pot set over medium low heat,  add butter and olive oil and melt, add onions and stir until they start to sweat- about 5 minutes. 

Add the garlic and sugar and stir 4 more minutes.

Add wine and turn the heat up a bit to simmer and burn off the alcohol.

Add peppers, stock and spices

Simmer covered about 45 minutes to one hour.

Get another large pot and set aside. Working in small batches, blend the soup till smooth. (Be sure not to fill the blender more than half way, cover the lid with a towel in case of hot liquid spills).

Now this is the key... you have to strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve (Chinoise) or cheese cloth in order for the soup to be silky smooth. Trust me, it makes it so creamy and velvety. Ladle the soup through the strainer in to the reserved pot until everything has been blended.

Return the new pot to the stove and gently reheat the soup after adding in the cream. This can be eaten right away and tastes great with grilled gruyere and fontina paninis with pesto. SO GOOD!!

However, tonight we made a pasta dish, so we ladled a few cups of the soup in a non stick pan with shredded jerk chicken (a rotisserie from the grocery store works well also). 

 Homemade pasta...yum!

I let that heat gently over low while I threw some homemade pasta in heavily salted boiling water for about a minute (It should be salty like the sea). I then plucked the pasta from the water with tongs and added it to the sauce and chicken with a few tablespoons of the pasta water and 1 tbs of the butter and stirred it all together for a few minutes until the noodles absorbed the sauce, plated it and devoured. Now I need to jump on the elliptical for about 60 minutes.

Spring time in Austin means more Jerk Chicken!!!

I wasn't lying when I said I love Jamaica and Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Our friends the Huffs are also the proud owners of a Big Green Egg and are responsible for making us decide to get one. We kicked off the spring with a Jerk Chicken fest at their house down the road and decided it was too pretty and tasty to not post!!

For the recipe go back to my post from October 2011.

 It was a beautiful day when we sparked up the BGE

 Fun times on the patio waiting for dinner...

 Gorgeous Austin Sunset!

 Another stunning sunset shot. Our house is located where you see the lights to the left on the hill.

 Sparks were literally flying of this burning hot chook!

 This is the money shot.

And it's time to eat!!!

Post dinner cocktails :-)

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!!!!