Every once in a while a recipe surprises me by how much I love it, when it seems so humble, with nothing that special or involved about it. This soup definitely falls in this category. I made it for my lunch and had it three days in a row. I was sad when it was finished. Will be making it again, even if soon it won’t be soup season. Yes, it was that good!
ROASTED ZUCCHINI SOUP WITH FETA CHEESE (inspired by Skinnytaste)
4 cups zucchini, cut in large cubes, about ¾ inch thick (20 ounces total) 1 large white onion, cut into wedges 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence Kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste crumbled feta cheese, about 4 ounces or to taste 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 4 cups vegetable broth (you may not need the full amount) chili oil for drizzling (optional)
Heat oven to 400°F.
Combine zucchini, onion, Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper on a quarter sheet baking dish covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Ten minutes into the roasting, scatter the feta crumbles on top and drizzle a little more olive oil over the pieces. Keep roasting for another 15 minutes or longer, until the feta pieces start to get caramelized.
Transfer vegetables and cheese to the blender; add broth (use less for a thicker soup) and blend until smooth. Use caution while blending hot liquids! Warm the soup on the stove ladle into bowls; garnish with extra feta and drizzle chili oil if so desired.
Comments: I confess that just looking back at the soup picture makes me salivate a bit. I absolutely LOVED it, forgive me for sounding like a broken record. Please give it a try. I think it is best if you have a high-power blender such as a Vitamix, because it does a great job with the zucchini pieces, but might work ok even with a regular blender or perhaps a food processor. One last thing: feta is very salty, so moderate the amount of salt you add when you roast the veggies. You can always adjust it later.
I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend! If you’d like to see the cookies I made to celebrate the occasion, stop by my baby blog clicking here. Without further ado, here are some macarons that have Spring written all over them…
The first is a classic combination of lemon and blueberries, and I will give you the full recipe. The second is a bit unusual but worked very well and comes from a real expert macaron baker: Camila, hostess from Pies and Tacos. I used my default macaron recipe for the shells and the filing was straight from this post. I urge you to try it, easy and oh so tasty…
LEMON BLUEBERRY MACARONS (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
For the shells: 200g powdered sugar 115 g almond flour 115 g egg whites at room temperature (approx. 4 eggs) 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar (optional) 100 g granulated sugar ¼ tsp vanilla paste or extract drops of gel food color of your choice
for the filling: 160g powdered sugar 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened zest of half a lemon 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp lemon emulsion or extract 1/2 -1 tbsp whipping cream as necessary pinch of salt blueberry preserves (store-bought is fine)
Line 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment/baking paper or Silpat mats. Layer the powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal, about 12 pulses. Pass through a sieve and transfer to a small bowl or to a sheet of parchment/baking paper. Set aside.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Make sure that the bowl and the whisk are impeccably clean. Starting on medium speed, whip the whites with the cream of tartar until they look like light foam. The whites should not appear liquid. The foam will be light and should not have any structure.
Slowly rain in the granulated sugar in five additions, trying to aim the stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to high. Continue to whip the meringue until it is soft and shiny. It should look like marshmallow creme (marshmallow fluff). Add the vanilla. Whip the egg whites until the mixture begins to dull and the lines of the whisk are visible on the surface of the meringue. Check the peak. It should be firm. Transfer the whites to a medium bowl.
Fold in the almond flour mixture in two increments. Paint the mixture halfway up the side of the bowl, using the flat side of a spatula. Scrape the mixture down to the center of the bowl. Repeat two or three times, then separate the mixture in two batches. Add a very small amount of pink to the first bowl, and a small amount of green to the second. Proceed to fold them two different mixtures until they slide slowly down the side of the bowl.
Line the two colors over Saran Wrap type plastic, side by side. Made a sausage with the plastic and insert in a large piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe shells, I like to count numbers in my head and use the same count for each shell so they end up similar in size.
Slam each sheet hard four to six times on the counter/worktop. Let the unbaked macarons dry until they look dull but not overly dry. Drying time depends on humidity. In a dry climate, the macarons can dry in 15 to 20 minutes; in a humid climate, it can take 35 to 40 minutes.
While the macarons are drying, heat the oven to 300 F. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack. Check in 11 minutes. If the tops slide or move (independently of the ‘feet’ when you gently twist the top), then bake for 2 to 3 more minutes. Check one or two. If they move when gently touched, put them back in the oven for 1 to 2 more minutes until they don’t move when touched. Let the macaroons cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. The macarons should release without sticking.
Assemble the macarons: find two macarons similar in size and add a good amount of filling to the bottom of one of them. Place the other on top and squeeze gently to take the filling all the way to the edge. Store in the fridge for 24 hours for perfect texture. Decorate as you desire, or leave the shells plain.
Make the filling: whisk the butter for a couple of minutes, add all other ingredients except the whipping cream. Whisk at low speed first, then increase the speed until smooth. Adjust consistency with cream if needed. Match shells, add a circle of buttercream to the edge, and a dollop of blueberry preserves to the center. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight before serving or freezing for storage.
Comments: I’ve shared lemon macarons a few times in the past, this one might very well be my favorite. The combination of of blueberry preserves with the sharp lemon is a winner. To decorate, I used Royal icing in a swirl, plus a light shower of sanding sugar. A little flower-shaped sprinkle closed the deal.
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GOLDEN OREO MACARONS
For the shells, use the same exact recipe. Divide it in three portions, dye one yellow, one pink, and the final one blue. Make sure to use very little dye, so that you get a pastel color. Follow this link to visit Camila’s site and make the golden Oreo buttercream. I decorated with small dots of yellow and white Royal icing, piping consistency.
In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is a chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.
The picture above was made by my friend and cookie magician, Haniela as a virtual Bday gift to yours truly. I just adore it… March is a busy moth for the Bewitching Kitchen: both Star and I celebrate our Birthdays just a couple of weeks apart, but there is also my sister Nyrma, and our grandkids Greenlee and Leo. March people are great people, even if I say so myself. Don’t you agree? 🙂 I knew you would…
Starting with a gift…
From The Haydens, a surprise gift that arrived in the mail, in fact they also sent one to Phil with “King of the Grill”, so that pretty much settle our placement in the Kingdom! THANK YOU!
In our kitchen…
I first learned about this lower-carb, high protein pasta in a food blog. Much to my surprise, doing a search online I realized that our Wal-Mart store carries several shapes. Of all the brands I tried, this is the closest to the real thing. Shiratake noodles have zero carbs and almost no calories to speak of, but they will not leave you happy and satisfied. Brami pasta will. It is made from lupini beans and it also contains wheat, but much less than a regular type.
In our kitchen…
A super flavorful oil that I got after a recommendation from Martin, winner of Great American Baking Show a couple of years ago. He used it in a bread, which is fantastic and I urge you to try. Super simple to make, by the way. Check his recipe here.
And this is my delicious version of his bread….
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In our kitchen….
Speaking of bread, I can’t tell you how much we love this little baby! I have tried all sorts of knives that promise to deliver as far as slicing a hearty loaf of sourdough goes, but nothing compares to this. I highly recommend you get one. Ordering info here.
You can see it in action here, and it is sooooo cool!
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In our kitchen…
I eat A LOT of eggs, love to have a fried egg with sourdough for lunch. Do you “need” a silicone ring? Probably not, but isn’t that super cute? I like this one because it allows me to put a lid on the pan, which helps create steam and properly cook the egg white. I hate a slimy white, don’t you? You will find the rings here.
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In our kitchen…
These are my favorite sprinkles for the time being… They are not hard, and have a fantastic shine. Great on cupcakes! I found them at Hobby Lobby, and they were on sale, lucky me!
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In our kitchen…
I just love a stamped cookie, because it makes decorating so easy… The square ones are part of a set with several different adorable shapes. Check them out here. The second one I got at a store in etsy, but it is not available anymore. I have a very soft spot for anything mandala.
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In our kitchen….
Still on the subject of stamped cookies, I gave myself this new one as a Birthday present. You can find it on KitchenVixen’s store at etsy. I adore it!
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In our kitchen….
I’ve been seriously considering expanding my horizons into the chocolate world. I bought this little mold which has a very interesting feature: it is holographic! So the surface of the chocolate bar will have a special color effect. Apparently the effect lasts for quite a few uses, and even when it fades it still makes nice looking bars. I just got them last week, now I will go through my normal inertia phase, before attempting something new. In any case, stay tuned. Sooner or later I’ll put this baby to use!
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Not quite in our kitchen, but close enough…
I need to show you one of the many hidden qualities of my hubby… This little tricycle belonged to him as a very young boy, maybe 6 years old. He carefully refurbished, weeks of work, finding small pieces online (mostly on eBay). replaced the wheels, which was quite a tricky task. Isn’t that amazing? So many details! SORRY, LADIES, HE’S TAKEN!
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In our kitchen….
How could I possibly resist getting this blanket? Star seems a little puzzled, but as you shall see later in this post, she and the Royal brother ended up giving this purchase two paws up!
Speaking of the pups, they’ve been anxiously waiting to tell you all about their adventures since last time we met…
They’ve been indulging in one of their favorite activities, which is watching TV with Dad. It does not really matter what is on the big screen, although Prince seems to be quite fond of golf and anything with active quadrupeds. Horses and bears are high on the adrenaline-inducing list.
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But the usual routine is…. once dinner and dishes are done, it is time for our humans to watch TV laying on their yoga mats with us. Big party, made even more special with a blanket that celebrates the best dog breed in the known universe: The Black Dotted Heroes!
Once we are all settled and ready, we each get a special chewy for the evening. We await that moment with great anticipation, and if Dad takes his time to deliver the goodies, here is the look he gets…
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But, overall life has been pretty awesome… Star practices her power naps on a regular basis….
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Prince shows quite a bit more class and dignity as he indulges in that activity, like the Royal being he is….
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Star does not care, Discombobulated is often a middle name she carries with pride, much to her brother’s amusement!
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But let’s face it, even Royals can act a little quirky at times…
Anyhoo, life is for the most part pretty awesome in the Kingdom, but sometimes things do not go quite the way the pups expect…
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And when they rough play around the Kingdom, things can get messy…
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For more on that tricky subject, watch the video below…
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But who can get mad at these two adorable beings for more than a few seconds? Particularly when they promised to never ever again mess up with the rug….
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And when the apologies come with kisses, now that is even better!
That is all for now, folks, we are headed to warmer temperatures, which means more time outside, more walks off-leash, more fun and games!
This goes into our rotation for sure! The recipe for the salmon has been in my blog for a while and it is indeed something I cook often. But today I share one awesome way to enjoy it. Do not omit the mango pieces, and I actually strongly advise you to get frozen fruit. I am so tired of buying fresh mangoes just to be disappointed at the texture or taste. As long as you are careful about how you de-frost it, it will work perfectly (see the comments).
SALMON BOWL WITH BROWN RICE AND MANGO (from The Bewitching Kitchen)
1 recipe for salmon bites (click here) 1 + 1/2 cups cooked brown rice avocado slices cucumber slices, salted and rinsed fresh mango pieces 1/8 cup olive oil juice of 1/2 lemon salt and pepper to taste
Prepare a quick dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Amounts are flexible. You want enough to coat the fruit and veggies.
Place the cooked brown rice, still warm, in the center of a serving bowl, using a small bowl to shape it. Add the fruit and veggies around, drizzling the dressing all over them, and arrange the salmon pieces together as shown in the picture.
Comments: To use frozen mango, remove the amount you need from the package and lay over a paper towel to defrost. Do it about 30 minutes before your meal. By the time you plate it, it will be close to room temperature, still a bit cold in the center, but the texture won’t suffer. This was a delicious meal, very easy to put together, I highly recommend you give it a try. If you don’t have an air-frier, you can grill the salmon or roast it in the oven.
Bewitching Kitchen 