Cauliflower Soup with Scallops

Last year around this time I had an absolutely delectable soup at a Talula's Table dinner, and have had savory memories of it from time to time since. When designing my Christmas eve dinner my mind wandered back to it, and I decided to finally take a stab at recapturing that cauliflowery deliciousness. I was inspired by this recipe on Epicurious and after adapting it to suit my tastes (and budget!), am extremely pleased with the end result. This is one voluptuous soup. 

Cauliflower Soup with Scallops

Makes 4-6 servings

*1 scant tablespoon butter

*EVOO

*1 small shallot, minced

*1 garlic clove, minced

*1 medium head cauliflower

*Equal parts chicken stock and water, about 3ish cups of each

*1/4 cup cream

*1 thumbnail size piece of Parmesan rind (or just a piece cut from a wedge)

*S&P (white pepper, if you don't want to blemish the ivory surface of the soup!)

*3-4 bay scallops or 1 sea scallop per serving

Carve the core out of the cauliflower and break the head into small florets. In a pot melt butter over medium heat and drizzle with a dribble of evoo. Sweat the shallot for a few minutes, add the garlic and continue to saute for a few minutes more. Add the cauliflower, then just barely cover with water & chicken stock (around 3-3 1/2 cups of each). Throw in the piece of Parmesan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes with the pot partially covered. When the cauliflower is totally tender, puree everything with an immersion blender and add the cream. Season with salt & white pepper to taste. Pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve to achieve that smooth silky consistency.

Meanwhile, prep the scallops – trim the muscle if necessary and dry the scallops thoroughly. Season with S&P. Heat a skillet over high heat, add a small slick of evoo and sear scallops briefly on both sides, about a minute total for bay scallops and a minute and a half per side for sea scallops. Serve soup in shallow bowls and garnish with the scallops.

Jolokia Chorizo Burritos

Lemme talk to you a'bhut jolokias.

One of the hottest (yet tastiest!) peppers in the world, the naga bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) will satisfy not only your need for incendiary yet flavorful spice, but will also keep pesty pachyderms away from your property. We are lucky to have a purveyor of fantastic peppers, Chile Spot, in the area and in years past have bought single jolokias from them to mince up for vats of fiery stews, chili, etc. This past spring, we decided to take matters into our own (carefully gloved) hands and spring for a jolokia seedling from Chile Spot. We thought we'd be fortunate if it yielded, oh, one or two. Well, now in late August I can say with authority that the jolokia plant is one hell of a prolific little bugger, and we're pulling peppers off the plant at a rate of a couple per week(!). You can only make so much spicy chili, so I thought I'd take a cue from our favorite Mexican joint in Kennett Square, La Pena, and make some super-spicy burritos. Although we usually spring for spicy cabeza burritos at La Pena, I went with a delicious chorizo recipe I adapted loosely from a member's post on Chowhound a while back ('Antilope', I believe). I'm going to repeat it many times, but if you purchase a jolokia for this recipe's purposes or any other, pleasepleaseplease wear gloves and be careful. This is a pepper meant for weaponization. One minced up in this recipe provides a pleasantly scorching kick, but it's not to be dealt with casually. 

Jolokia Chorizo Burritos
Makes 3 burritos

*1 1/4 lb ground pork
*Scant 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
*2 tablespoons chili powder
*1 teaspoon smoked paprika
*1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon garlic powder
*1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
*1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

*1 fresh jolokia pepper, seeded and minced FINELY. Wear gloves. No exceptions.
*Healthy pinch of ground cloves
*Dash of pepper
*Neutral oil

*3 12-inch flour tortillas

*A handful of chopped cilantro

*1/2 red onion, diced

*Hot sauce or salsa roja (optional)

Combine chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, minced jolokia, cloves and black pepper in a bowl, and then pour in the vinegar and stir until everything has come together. Add the ground meat and mix throughly. Pop the mixture in a container and store for a couple hours in the fridge to let the flavors mingle. When ready to start cooking, add a slick of oil (or melt some lard) in a cast iron skillet over medium and when hot, fry the meat mixture until cooked, 8-10 minutes.  

To form burritos, briefly heat the tortillas between two lighly damp paper towels in the microwave. Mix about a cup and a half of chorizo with a tablespoon or two of cilantro and a tablespoon of diced red onion, as well as a touch of hot sauce or salsa roja, and drop the mix in the middle of a tortilla. Fold the sides over, then tightly fold and roll up from the bottom. This is the traditionally Mexican way to stuff a burrito, but if you'd rather add refried beans or cheese or what-have-you, go for it and adjust the amount of meat accordingly.
Wrap a bit of foil around the bottom of the behemoth to keep spillage at a minimum. Enjoy the burn.

The Bakers At Red Lion

 

If your weekend travels take you down the bucolic backroads where Kennett Square and West Chester rub elbows, then you've probably seen these bright French flags fluttering in the breeze and the friendly sign inviting you inside with promises of fresh-baked bread. If you've stopped, then you're a convert and I'm preaching to the choir...but if you haven't yet tasted the wares from the Bakers at Red Lion, I urge you, IMPEL you, to do so at the earliest weekend convenience.

Two mature ladies, one bespeckled in adorable Ben Franklinesque frames, got together and purchased the lovely home on the corner of Doe Run and Folly Hill, and then in their retirement decided to put their esteemed baking talents to good use and crank out loaves for the local folk at their leisure. This weekend hobby has gone on for years and years and they have built up a considerable following, yours truly included. They bake the 4 dollar French loaves per the sign, but they also bake smaller French loaves, little boules cracked open with a pat of butter slipped inside (my favorite), brownies, cheesebread, and more. All cranked out over the most quaint-looking stove by the bespeckled Miss, who usually has a batch going when you stop in during the A.M. The smell wafting through the air in the charming kitchen beyond the door marked "open" is divine, truly one of the greatest scents ever to pass by the nostril's vibrissae. Prices range from a dollar to the aforementioned boules 'n brownies to six or seven for specialty loaves, and payment is by the honor system and deposited into a coffee can on the table. Check 'em out on Fridays and Saturdays (and maybe Sundays? I work on Sundays, so never have the luxury of driving down then).

The Kennett/West Chester border is dotted with a number of other such glittering gems, which I'll surely note in posts to come. I adore this area and am happy to share its wonders with others! If you the reader know of any other special nooks in this neck o' the woods, do let the secret slip.