Roasted Carrot & Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp - Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/2 Large Onion - Diced
1 Cup Mushrooms - Chopped
8 Carrots - Diced
1/2 Head Cauliflower - Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic - Smashed
1/2 Cup White Wine (or water)
2 Tbsp - Grated Ginger
1 Tsp - Cumin
1 Tsp - Salt
1 Tsp - Black Pepper
1 Tsp - Corriander
1/2 Tsp - Cayenne
5 Cups Vegetable Stock (4 cups + 1 cup)

In a large post, over med / high heat, add the EVOO. Once heated, add the onion and cook about 2 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic and cauliflower and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the veggies are starting to brown and break down, add the wine to deglaze and cook about 1-2 minutes.  Add the spices & ginger and cook about 1 minute. Add in 4 cups of stock. Place on a lid (cracked) and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender and breaking down.

Using an emersion blender (or regular blender), puree the soup and put back on the stove to simmer.  If the soup is too thick, add the remaining cup of stock to thin it out.  Adjust the seasoning at this point and simmer another 5-10 minutes and then serve. *I added grilled cheese croutons.

Enjoy.  #cheftainment

Spicy Sausage & Lentil Soup 2

11 oz Hot Linguica Sausage - Diced
1/2 Large Onion - Diced
4 Carrots - Diced
1 Large Jalapeño - Seeded & Diced
3 Garlic Cloves - Smashed & Chopped
1/2 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 tbsp BBQ Sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
3 1/2 Cups Lentils
1 Cup Red Wine
1 10 1/2 oz Can French Onion Soup - Hot
7 Cups Beef Stock (low sodium) - 4 cups + 3 cups separate - Hot
4 Cups Water - Hot

Over Med / Low heat in a Dutch Oven or large pot add the sausage and render the fat, stirring every few minutes to brown sausage on all sides.  It takes a while but you need to do it low and slow about 30 minutes.  Take sausage out with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat behind.  Increase heat to med / high.  Add in the onions and sautee about 5 minutes.  Add in the carrots and sautee another 5 minutes.

Add jalapeño, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, dijon mustard, bbq sauce & tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes.  Add in the lentils and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in red wine and cook about 5 minutes to cook out the raw wine taste.  Add mushroom soup, 4 cups beef stock & water.  Simmer 35 minutes covered w/ lid slightly ajar.  Add in remaining 3 cups of beef stock and cook about 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning accordingly & Enjoy.

Fun Alcohol Tips

Champagne is a location, not a type of alcohol.  Champagne is in France and any "sparkling wine" made in that region is called Champagne.  Prosecco is a lot less expensive and has a little more sugar and many like it better than Champagne.

Scared to open Champagne because of the flying cork and the spilling?  Tilt the bottle to 2:00 and turn the cork towards you and bam!  Open bottle and no spill.  It's all about the angle.

Like Red Wine but sometimes a little pricey?  You can buy less expensive red wine but the trick is to decant.  It's all about the oxygen.  Open the red wine a few hours before you drink it and the oxygen getting into the wine will actually make it taste better.  Having a party?  Pre-pour the glasses of red wine in the morning and serve at night and the less expensive wine will taste so much better.

Also red wine is best when it's served just under room temperature.  So refrigerate red wine and then take it out and let it sit out 20 minutes before serving.

If you like martini's with olives but are a little slow to finish the drink before it gets warm, try freezing the olives and then add to the martini.  They act as little ice cubes to keep the drink cold while not watering it down.

If someone brings you white wine that is not cold, wrap it in damp paper towels and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Viola, chilled white wine.