Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto, Green Onions and Homemade Croutons

Well, I somehow managed to survive and thrive during the polar vortex. I have never experienced cold like that. Nothing slaps you in the face like negative eleven-degree wind chill.

A drop of my coffee spilt while I was getting out of a cab and it froze instantly. INSTANTLY.

So regardless of the fact that I am now at home in southern California (one of the only places in the US that was unscathed by the icy freeze) and it was at one point eighty-six degrees today, I’m still in the mood for soup.

For my first update of the New Year, I decided to tackle one of my all time favorite soups.

I don’t care how much you hate cauliflower, this soup will still tickle your fancy.

All the ingredients are simple and straight forward, but together they sing.

You will need…

2 medium sized heads of cauliflower, stems removed and cut into florets

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided (truffle oil if you can get your hands on it)

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 cup homemade croutons

4 thin slices prosciutto

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating, toss together the 2 tablespoons oil and cauliflower and season well with salt and pepper.

When the cauliflower is lightly coated, spread it out on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Until golden brown.

As the cauliflower is roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large pot.

Add in the onions and toss to lightly coat. Cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Toss in the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the roasted cauliflower and chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season well with salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup until all the veggies are very tender. About 20 minutes.

In batches in a food processor or with a hand emersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth.

While the soup is simmering, lay the proscuitto slices on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until very crispy. Remove to a paper towel and pat off the grease. 

Break into bit sized pieces and set aside for serving.

Serve the soup hot topped with green onions, croutons and crispy prosciutto.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto, Green Onions and Homemade Croutons

2 medium sized heads of cauliflower, stems removed and cut into florets

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided (truffle oil if you can get your hands on it)

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 cup homemade croutons

4 thin slices prosciutto

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating, toss together the 2 tablespoons oil and cauliflower and season well with salt and pepper.

When the cauliflower is lightly coated, spread it out on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Until golden brown.

As the cauliflower is roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large pot.

Add in the onions and toss to lightly coat. Cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Toss in the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the roasted cauliflower and chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season well with salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup until all the veggies are very tender. About 20 minutes.

In batches in a food processor or with a hand emersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth.

While the soup is simmering, lay the prosciutto slices on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until very crispy. Remove to a paper towel and pat off the grease. Break into bit sized pieces and set aside for serving.

Serve the soup hot topped with green onions, croutons and crispy prosciutto. 

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

I’ve let you down my friends. Where was I this week when I could have been blowing up your news feed and inboxes with an influx of Thanksgiving recipes?

The last week has been spent in the kitchen working on some great dishes and some serious quality time with family.

This year, I was not in charge of the Thanksgiving meal so I decided to really embrace my Wednesday and Thursday outside of the kitchen.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t spend Tuesday in the kitchen and that I won’t be cooking for hours after yoga today.

You better believe that there will be more amazingly tasty dishes being born today. Just like this one.

You will need…

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices prosciutto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy proscuitto on top.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 lb asparagus, rough ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 slices proscuitto

½ lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss together the asparagus, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Lay the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them for 20 to 30 minutes. Just until they are browning.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the onions.

Cook until the onions have softened, about 7 minutes.

Add in the asparagus, nutmeg and the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.

Pour in the rice and chicken stock and season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the soup until the rice has cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, spread out the prosciutto on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. About 7 to 10 minutes.

When the rice has booked, remove the soup from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender or use an emersion blender.

Serve hot with crispy prosciutto on top. 

White Wine Cream Scallop Casserole with Crisped Prosciutto Top

When I break this dish down to what it is at it’s core, this is basically a scallop casserole.

And if someone suggest to me to make a scallop casserole, I probably would have just ignored them. Something about it just doesn’t sound good to me. Probably because I am VERY particular about the way my scallops are cooked or maybe I jut associate casseroles with mushy dishes made with condensed soup. That sounds a bit snobby, but I have a serious problem with mushy food.

But if we take a look at this dish and break it down by its components, it is pretty much impossible to resist. Let’s think about this logically. White wine cream sauce? Check. Crispy breadcrumb, prosciutto and Parmesan crispy top? Check. Tasty, well cooked scallops? Check.

Check. Check. Check. You’ve got the makings of an epic dish right there.

This was a combination of an old recipe my mother used to make and what I thought would be tasty and this little gem was magnificent.

It’s even a contender for a dish at the holiday gift exchange I’m throwing. Try it and let me know if it should make the cut.

You will need…

1 ½ lb bay scallops, washed, dried and seasoned with salt and pepper

2 cups white wine

4 shallots, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter plus 2 extra tablespoons for the crispy top

4 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced

¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped

2 tablespoons half and half

3 large slices of good French or sourdough bread, roughly chopped then made into crumbs in the food processor (should make about 2 cups of fresh crumbs)

4 slices prosciutto, roughly chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese

 Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your broiler.

In a large pan, heat the wine till it is slowly simmering and add in the scallops.

Cook the scallops just until they are opaque. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon to a casserole dish and set aside.

Pour the wine into a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, add 4 tablespoons of the butter and melt over medium heat.

Add in the shallots and mushrooms and cook until the shallots have softened. About 5 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, half and half and the reserved wine. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Season well with salt and pepper and when the sauce starts to thicken slightly, pour it over the scallops in the casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, prosciutto and Parmesan. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the scallops in an even layer.

With the remaining butter, spread small dollops over the top of the breadcrumb topping.

Place the casserole under the broiler until the top is crispy and golden brown. About 4 minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about 2 minutes and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

White Wine Cream Scallop Casserole with Crisped Prosciutto Top

1 ½ lb bay scallops, washed, dried and seasoned with salt and pepper

2 cups white wine

4 shallots, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter plus 2 extra tablespoons for the crispy top

4 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced

¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped

2 tablespoons half and half

3 large slices of good French or sourdough bread, roughly chopped then made into crumbs in the food processor (should make about 2 cups of fresh crumbs)

4 slices prosciutto, roughly chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your broiler.

In a large pan, heat the wine till it is slowly simmering and add in the scallops.

Cook the scallops just until they are opaque. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon to a casserole dish and set aside.

Pour the wine into a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, add 4 tablespoons of the butter and melt over medium heat.

Add in the shallots and mushrooms and cook until the shallots have softened. About 5 minutes.

Stir in the parsley, half and half and the reserved wine. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Season well with salt and pepper and when the sauce starts to thicken slightly, pour it over the scallops in the casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, prosciutto and Parmesan. Spread the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the scallops in an even layer.

With the remaining butter, spread small dollops over the top of the breadcrumb topping.

Place the casserole under the broiler until the top is crispy and golden brown. About 4 minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about 2 minutes and serve hot. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Almondine

Due to too much travel and genuine exhaustion, I am pretty much skipping Halloween this year. If the fact that I am not dressing up for Halloween isn’t a clear indicator that I’m overworked, I’m not sure what is.

I love dressing up, but I’m dreading the fact that we are supposed to dress up at work tomorrow. The thought of wearing my Lulu Lemon gear and going as a yoga instructor has crossed my mind more than once.

Fingers crossed something brilliant comes to me in the morning. If not I’m going to not brush my hair, wear my pajamas and go as bed head.

But no matter how tired I am, I still want to eat well. So I’m queuing up a flavor packed dish.

You will need…

2 tablespoon butter

1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved and thinly sliced into lettuce like pieces

3 ounces proscuitto, diced

3 garlic cloves

1 small red onions

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

½ cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Spread out the sprouts on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast them until golden brown. About 20 to 30 minutes. Stir about halfway through.

While the sprouts are roasting, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the proscuitto to the pan and cook it until it starts to crisp up. Add in the mushrooms and onions and cook until they are soft. About 5 minutes.

Toss in the almonds, oregano and season with salt and pepper.

When the sprouts are golden brown, toss them in with the almond mixture, top with cheese and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Almondine

2 tablespoon butter

1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved and thinly sliced into lettuce like pieces

3 ounces proscuitto, diced

3 garlic cloves

1 small red onions

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

½ cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Spread out the sprouts on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast them until golden brown. About 20 to 30 minutes. Stir about halfway through.

While the sprouts are roasting, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the proscuitto to the pan and cook it until it starts to crisp up. Add in the mushrooms and onions and cook until they are soft. About 5 minutes.

Toss in the almonds, oregano and season with salt and pepper.

When the sprouts are golden brown, toss them in with the almond mixture, top with cheese and serve hot.