Bisque Rip-Off

Going out to restaurants is something of a double edged sword.  One side of the blade indicates I don’t have to cook (YAY!), and the other allows me a way of peeking into what other people are doing in the kitchen.  Perfect fodder for shamelessly stealing inspiring new recipes.

Also, it can sometimes be the most unlikely item which ends up making the most pointed impression. (See post on mashed potatoes)

For example, while recently on vacation on Maui, the hubby and I went to Mama’s Fish House.  For those unfamiliar with the genius of this place, let me say a) it’s pricey, and b) it’s totally worth it!  (Gin lovers take note: Their Pau Hana cocktail has become one of my needful things)

Anyways, they often serve a small amuse bouche.  Usually a shotglass of a soup not found on the menu.  When we visited them it was a fish stock-based corn bisque.

*Digression:  how much do I love the French?  “Amuse bouche”?! “Bisque”?!  Damn!  They know how to market an otherwise uninteresting something to full effect!  Technically, an amuse bouche is little more than a trial sample, and a bisque is soup blitzed beyond recognition in a blender.  Somehow saying “Would you like a sample of blendered corn soup?” doesn’t incite the same “je ne sais quoi”.  And there they go again…

Digression over, and now back to the task at hand. 

So yes, one of the stars of the experience was the bisque.  Amidst a cornucopia of macadamia-crusted albacores, passionfruit-sauced cephalopods, and coconut-rolled crustaceans it was blender soup which stole the limelight.

Corn Bisque

·      1 carrot, diced

·      1 leek, pale green & white bit only.  Cut into rings and soak to remove dirt. Drain.

·      1 stalk celery, diced

·      3 ears corn, kernels sliced off cob.  Or about 3-4 cups frozen corn

·      4 cups fish stock (I totally went with a store-bought frozen version)

·      1 small sprig fresh rosemary.  Only have dried?  Don’t bother.

·      3-4 tablespoons olive oil or butter

·      Salt & pepper

Heat oil or butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.  When melted, toss in first three veggies and a pinch of salt.  Stir to coat thoroughly, and sauté for about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add corn and rosemary, and sauté for an additional 3 minutes or so.  Don’t worry if the veggies are still firm.  Next we cook the crap out of them with the stock.

Add stock and cook the crap out of the veggies.  By which I mean bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and cook at a simmer for about half an hour.

Remove any woody stalks from the rosemary, and puree the soup in a blender (in small batches if needed) until smooth and creamy.  

Return soup to pot and heat through. 

Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

As you can see in the picture up top I garnished with a sprinkle of paprika and a sprig of parsley.  To be honest I only did it for the sake of this pic.  I then poured it out of the fancy bowl, and back into the un-fancy small cauldrons which hold substantially more slop.

Unlike many of my other attempts at recreating other recipes, this one was surprisingly close to the original, or at least made a strong enough good impression to not simply be a pale reminder of the original.  As I’ve said before, if you have a good stock, then it’s hard to screw up a soup.  Consider that a challenge if you like.

Cauliflower Fritters

It finally happened.  

I found a way to cook cauliflower that doesn’t involve drowning it in sauce.  My usual approach would be a cheese sauce, or even a curry.  It’s not that I don’t like cauliflower, but to be honest, it bores the living hell out of me.  It’s like broccoli called and told you his albino cousin was coming over, then the cousin shows up and has no pop-culture knowledge, and proceeds to sit in the other room, make it smell like farts, and watches reruns of ‘This Old House’.

My friend Dan was talking about these the other day.  The recipe itself comes from Malta, and more specifically Dan got it from the lovely Liz on Youtube, who puts aside the BS and pomp for the sake of making REAL food, REAL good.  The proper name of it is something along the lines of frituli ta pastard, but I can’t seem to find anything online to allow me to confirm or deny that.  Unfortunately I was unable to come up with a suitable Shakespearean pun a la “hoisted with his own pastard” by the time of posting.  But I know, dear reader, that you’ll see that the thought was there, and hopefully come to a puntastic ending of your own accord.

Oh, and parents take note: This just may be the way to get cauliflower down your kid’s throat without wooden wedges and a catapult.  Umm… you’re welcome.

There’s definitely room for add-ins in this recipe.  Bacon, potato, spinach, etc.   I suspect a handful of sharp cheddar would be pretty brilliant, as well.  Of course, I heard bacon and decided “I’m making THAT!”

Makes 5-6 patties

1 head cauliflower, florets cut off

1 large clove garlic, minced

3-4 Tbsp fresh parsley

6 strips bacon, cut into bits (optional)

1 egg

Semolina or cornmeal (NOT flour)

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil for frying

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add the cauliflower florets and cook until tender.  Drain, and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook bacon, drain excess fat on paper towels, and set aside.

When the cauliflower is cool, mash thoroughly with a potato masher.  Note: a potato ricer is damned near useless.  Yes, I tried.  It squeezed water out quite nicely, but didn’t actually “mash” per se.  You aren’t going to achieve the same smoothness as mashed potato, so just mash until the pieces are small, crumbly and of uniform size.

Using a sieve, press as much of the liquid out of the mashed cauliflower as you can.  Alternatively, you could squeeze it out handful by handful, discarding the liquid as you go.  Don’t worry too much about pressing every last drop out.

Add in egg, parsley, garlic, bacon, salt & pepper to taste, and mix well.

Form handfuls of the mix into small patties and dust with the semolina.  In the video Liz explains how this is the key to a proper, crispy crust.

Heat a small amount of oil (1-2tsp) in a skillet over med-high heat, and fry patties until golden, flip em, and fry again.

One of the great things about these bronzed beauties is they don’t require a sauce or condiment.  I have it on good authority that they work well as a cold snack, too, but I can’t imagine they’ll ever be hanging out long enough in my house to find that out.

Minus the bacon, these have the potential to be a great, low-fat, and tasty side dish or appetizer. 

My qualms with the cauliflower as a somewhat somnolent ingredient have been put aside.  We’ve found something new in common.

Which just goes to show: if a relationship isn’t working, you CAN change the other party, and your bliss shall be complete.