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Posana Café Review

Please click over to my Out and About page for my review of Posana Café, the 100% gluten-free restaurant that is located in Asheville, North Carolina. Yes, you read that correctly. If you’re a gluten-free reader, you won’t want to miss my review, or the restaurant for that matter! If my words don’t convince you, the photos will.

I have also submitted my review post to Gluten-Free Wednesdays over at Linda’s (Gluten-Free Homemaker). Linda’s weekly carnival is a roundup of recipes, product reviews, restaurant reviews … basically anything that has to do with gluten-free food. Be sure to check out all the entries here; it’s always a great roundup. 
 
Enjoy!
 
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
 

Black-Eyed Pea Soup (with Ham and Chicken)

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, What can I eat that’s gluten free?, Crockpot Wednesdays, Pennywise Platter, Simply Hot Recipes, and Friday Foodie Fix–Carrots.

One of my favorite people and, also, one of my favorite gluten-free bloggers is Stephanie of A Year of Slow Cooking. For a year, she literally cranked out crockpot recipes day after day—without fail. Now she stays busy with so many other things including two other blogs (that makes three in total), a new baby (that makes three children), a hubby, and so much more. However, she still gives us, her loyal readers, enough recipes on her slow cooking blog to keep us happy. All of her recipes are gluten free, but I love that so many of them are naturally gluten free. That’s a large part of the gfe approach. For one thing, it just makes life easier not to have to remember to order a case of gluten-free X or to have to run out to get gluten-free Y, particularly since there are no gluten-free specialty items in my grocery store. So, in my opinion, cooking with real food just makes sense for convenience. That may seem contradictory to many, but it’s true. But let’s get to my latest favorite recipe of Stephanie’s.

Stephanie posted a Black-Eyed Pea Soup recipe  for New Year’s Day. I have loved black-eyed peas long before they were the name of a hip musical group. Give me some black-eyed peas and I’ve got a wonderful meal. So, this recipe has been in the back of my mind. With a support group meeting coming up, I wanted a dish that would serve many, but I wanted to use mostly what I had on hand. Stephanie’s recipe calls for spiced sausage, but I didn’t have any. My mom and my sister always save the ham bones from holiday meals for me so I can use them to make soup from scratch. Sometime that’s potato soup, but more often than not, it’s a soup that combines veggies and other meat, like chicken or turkey (or sometimes small amounts of several meats, like in my Everything Soup). My sister had given me a nice big ham bone, with a decent amount of meat left on it. The freezer yield two chicken carcasses. I also had a big bag of carrots and package of celery in the refrigerator just waiting for some action.

I added a few inches of water to my big stockpot and brought it to a boil and then added my frozen chicken carcasses. I let them simmer for a while as I did other things in the kitchen. Occasionally, I’d stir them, and finally I turned the burner off and left the lid on a while. Once I was sure the meat was ready to be picked off the bone, I put a colander inside another stockpot and poured the whole pot through the colander. My lovely broth was in the pot and the chicken—bones and all—remained in the colander. Once that cooled a few minutes, I picked the chicken off the bone and set it aside. This is really a great way to get the most from a chicken and not have waste. Even if I buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, I know we will eat a few meals from the chicken before I freeze it and it eventually gets turned into great broth and other meals. So even at a price of $6.99 for a rotisserie chicken, I can end up with several meals and at least a quart of chicken broth. That sounds like a bargain when you look at it that way. So imagine what a savings, roasting your own chicken could be. I often make broth from my chicken carcasses; then I use the “found” chicken for soup or other favorites like chicken pot pie and chicken and rice casserole. However, feel free to use safe packaged chicken broth and chicken from cooked chicken breasts, etc. for this recipe.

Black-Eyed Pea, Ham, and Chicken Soup
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)

1 pound dried black-eyed peas (I don’t recommend using canned as a substitution, but fresh or frozen would work well)

1 ham bone (ideally, with some meat remaining on it)

2 cups, cut-up chicken

2 diced onions

2 cups diced or sliced carrots (I prefer slices, but I halve the larger slices)

1 cup diced celery

6 cloves garlic (I used 3 tbsp minced garlic)

6 – 8 cups of chicken broth (I used my homemade broth and just kept adding until my crockpot was almost full)

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp coarse sea salt (any salt will work though)

Soak your beans overnight. Drain and pick out the undesirables (e.g., discolored beans) in the morning.

Use a 5- to 6- quart crockpot. (I used my 6-quart oval programmable crockpot.) This recipe will serve a lot. It served at least a dozen folks at my support group meeting. (We had about 25 folks, but not all ate soup. Those who did enjoyed at least one full mug.)

Dice the veggies, and add them to the crockpot with the black-eyed peas that have been soaked and drained.

Pour in broth, and stir in Italian seasoning and salt.

Add ham bone. You can also add the chicken at this point, or save it until closer to the end of cooking time. As your chicken is already cooked, it’s your preference on when you want to add it. I did add mine at the beginning and the soup was great, but adding it at the end would have also worked and kept the chicken in nice little chunks.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6. About a half hour to an hour before serving, use an immersible blender to smash up about 1 cup of beans. If you don’t have an immersible blender, scoop out 1 cup of beans, blend them in a traditional blender, and add back to the soup. You will really only need to blend for a few seconds. Stir after blending. The soup will thicken and have the most wonderful color.

Adapted from Stephanie O’Dea at A Year of Slow Cooking

Shirley’s Notes: If you don’t want to use ham, but would like the flavor, Better than Bouillon makes a ham base that could be used. Probably a teaspoon or two would add some nice flavor. If you’d like fewer servings or would like to use a smaller crockpot, don’t just halve this recipe. You’ll want the same amount of black-eyed peas, 2 cups of meat, 4 cups of broth, and about the same amount of seasonings. Be sure to take a look at Stephanie’s recipe, too, which serves 8. Stephanie suggests adding Tabasco sauce to taste after you’ve ladled your soup into your bowl. We enjoyed it without, but if you like to add a little zip to your soup, that might be an option for you. Any time, we want a little taste of hot at our house, we tend to add some Texas Pete hot sauce. Many of the peppers used in Texas Pete are grown locally.

I have two cooking confessions. Confession #1—This is the very first time I’ve ever soaked black-eyed peas. I’ve always used canned black-eyed peas before, although one has to be careful to find good ones. (Some canned black-eyed peas are very mushy and come in a thick unappetizing broth. Other brands contain just black-eyed peas in salted water and taste pretty good.) These dried black-eyed peas are far better than any of the canned varieties and almost seem dainty in comparison, even after soaking. As Alta added in comments, fresh black-eyed peas are the very best when you can get those. She said that frozen black-eyed peas come in a close second. As both Alta and Stephanie said, black-eyed peas offer a wonderful, earthy flavor. I’ll definitely be using more dried black-eyed peas. I’ve never even seen frozen black-eyed peas before, but I’ll look for those, too. One benefit of using dried black-eyed peas is that like other dried beans, they are very inexpensive.

Confession #2—I’ve never used an immersion or “stick” blender before. I’ve had one stashed in a cabinet for years. Son had received one as a gift for dorm life for making milkshakes and such. That involved what he considered to be work, so he left it behind for me to use instead. When Steph’s recipe called for this type of blender, I pulled it out and was delighted at how well it worked. I’ll be using that blender a lot more for soups, sauces, etc.

Several readers commented on Stephanie’s post that they didn’t even like black-eyed peas, but loved this soup. So, if you’re not a black-eyed pea lover, you still might want to give this soup a try. Several of my members commented on how much they enjoyed this soup the other night. I heard the words “comforting” and “homey.” On a cold evening with alternating rain drops and snow flakes, this soup was indeed very welcome. Even those who didn’t comment must have enjoyed it, because there was little left from the full slow cooker. I served this soup with mini-corn muffins and that made for a great combination.

Because soup always thickens in the refrigerator overnight, I added some leftover chicken broth to make my mug of soup for lunch yesterday. For dinner with these leftovers though, I’ll just reheat the thickened soup and serve it over some mashed potatoes. The thickened soup would also be great over rice over or noodles. If you’re looking for some other great soup recipes, be sure to head over to Linda’s What can I eat that’s gluten free? roundup where soup is the theme this week. I already took a peek and there are some terrific, new recipes … like Diane’s West African Chicken and Peanut Stew  and Jenn’s Osso Buco Stew. I love it when there are so many recipes that make your mouth water, that you’re not sure which one to try next. Linda had a great idea with her soup challenge!

What else is happening?

Chaya is hosting her first giveaway over at her Sweet and Savory blog … a Paula Deen cooking ensemble. Check it out here.

Diane’s Friday Foodie Fix tomorrow features rice recipes. If there’s something most of us who are gluten free know about, it’s rice! Be sure to link up your favorite rice recipe and check out others here. Diane is also doing a survey and soliciting input right now on eating out gluten free.

This Sunday is the Academy Awards show where those golden Oscars get presented. If you hadn’t had time before, take a few minutes to check out our Gluten-Free Progressive Oscar Dinner Party. You can see all the links at my two posts for this event: Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup or Southern Fried Oysters.

Ginger hosted The Gluten-Free Lifestyle Blog Carnival this month. See all the entries at her site, Ging Recommends. Created by Kim, The Food Allergy Coach, this carnival features recipes, tips, reviews, and so much more. Take the time to read what’s been submitted here and consider adding your own links next month.

I enjoyed seeing the tropical vacation meals in this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! carnival over at Bean’s Without Adornment. Anything associated with the tropics is very appealing to me right now. There are some fabulous meals and even a few drinks that are so worthy of those cute, colorful little umbrellas. Get tropical here.

Next month’s Go Ahead Honey is being hosted by Amy over at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free. Her theme is Guiltless Pleasures. Being the Slightly Indulgent queen on Tuesdays, she’s now going to take us to the next level! (Check out this week’s Slightly Indulgent entries here.) Fellow bloggers, start planning your post now. (You can read the rules here.) Readers look for Amy’s roundup at the end of the month. I have enough guilty pleasures already, so some guiltless ones will be very nice!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup–Gluten-Free Progressive Oscar Dinner Party

This post is linked to Gluten Free Progressive Dinner Party, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays At The Table, and What can I eat that’s gluten free? 

I have the honor of kicking off our Gluten Free Progressive Oscar Dinner Party. We’re all selecting meals related to Oscar-nominated movies. When it comes to the movies in the nominations this year, the one that speaks food the most is, of course, Julie and Julia. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) describes Julie and Julia: “Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book.” I enjoyed this movie, largely because of my love of Julia Child and Meryl Streep’s charming portrayal of Julia. Make no mistake about it … it’s Meryl who brings Julia and, therefore, this movie to life. In my opinion, Streep’s Best Actress nomination is well deserved.

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child shared her pumpkin soup recipe. Hers was served in a pumpkin and included crème fraiche. While crème fraiche is very French and very delicious, if I’m the one making it, I want a simpler pumpkin soup. (And, sadly—or perhaps gladly—there are no pumpkins available to use as serving dishes this time of year.) My friend, Veronica, had mentioned her pumpkin soup recipe back in the fall. I finally asked her for the recipe and she immediately emailed it to me. Even better, she graciously gave me permission to share it with you, my gfe readers.

Veronica told me that her inspiration was a pumpkin soup made by her Belgian cousin. Veronica created a quick and easy, mild-flavored, but hearty version, which works as a meal. However, she used evaporated skim milk versus traditional cream, half and half, or crème fraiche as was used in Julia Child’s recipe. (You can read more of Veronica’s notes below the recipe.) 
 
This soup can be made with either canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin puree. I had some puree in the freezer and the other ingredients on hand. This soup came together so quickly and I fell in love with its velvety texture and savory, yet slightly sweet flavor. Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup … it’s now one of those dishes that make me think comfort, warmth, and simple goodness. I think Julia would approve and I hope you do, too.

Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
1 large can (29 ounces) of pumpkin (or equal amount of fresh pumpkin puree)
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 12-oz can evaporated skim milk, regular evaporated milk, whole, or 2-percent milk
 
In a soup pot, sauté the onion in the butter until tender. Add the pumpkin, broth, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Simmer for about 20 minutes to blend flavors, then add the milk, heat through, and serve.
 
Veronica’s Notes:  Because I normally use boxed broth, I don’t add any salt. If you’re using homemade broth, you may want to add salt to taste. Canned pumpkin may be denser and heavier than most home-prepared pumpkin, so you may want to adjust the amount of your liquids. If your pumpkin isn’t pureed, you’ll need to mash or puree it before adding it to the soup. This makes a thick soup with some texture as I serve it as an entree, not an appetizer. Those who want a lighter, smoother version may want to send it through the food processor and add a bit more milk at the end.

Shirley’s Notes:  Because I’m usually the only one eating this pumpkin soup, I use a 16-ounce can of pumpkin (slightly more than half the original amount in Veronica’s recipe) or 2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree. I also halve all the other ingredients. Using fresh pumpkin will make for a soup that’s a bit lighter in color and taste and slightly thinner as well because of the water content in fresh puree. I use regular evaporated milk because that’s what I have on hand most often. For the dairy-free folks, I believe non-dairy milk should work, but haven’t personally tried the recipe using non-dairy milk. Of course, non-dairy butter (or perhaps grapeseed or coconut oil) would also need to be substituted for the butter in this recipe to make it dairy free.

If you’d like to serve a bread with this soup, either my gfe cornbread or popovers would be a great accompaniment. They both are simple and easy recipes that would complement this soup nicely.

A little bit of history on my friendship with Veronica … Veronica and her family used to live at the end of our street. However, it was only after they moved to Belgium for a few years that she and I really got to know each other and became good friends. How is that possible you ask? Well, after her family was settled in Belgium, I found out she had a blog—now called Compost Studios. Her subtitle explains the title, but she shares writing, musings, art journal entries, photographs, and handmade cards at Compost Studios. I started following her blog faithfully. We’d chat via comments on her blog and exchange emails from time to time, and soon we knew each other far better than we had when we’d only lived several doors apart. It seems crazy, but I maintain that the connections many of us make via blogs are very much like the communication of pen pals of years ago. Slow and steady, so to speak, with just the right amount of committment to get to know someone. Incidentally, Veronica’s self-named professional blog is here. (If you need a professional writer, she’s your person.) Thanks so much for this very lovely pumpkin soup recipe, Veronica!

Okay, this year the Oscars can be more than fashion do’s and don’ts and yea’s and nay’s on movies. This year it can be about the food! Please visit the rest of the Gluten Free Progressive Oscar Dinner Party folks for more award-winning ideas:

Tuesday, February 23 – Sea from Book of Yum with appetizers inspired from the movie Avatar—Millet Eggplant Croquettes and Fried Chips (Two Kinds)

Wednesday, February 24 – Karen from Cook4Seasons with Kale Chips as Oscar celebration food, Diane from The WH.O.L.E. Gang also using inspiration from Julie and Julia—Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Whipped Cream, and me again, this time with Southern Fried Oysters for Crazy Heart

Thursday, February 25- Alison from Sure Foods Living with Simple Salmon Spread for Oscar party fare

Friday, February 26- Ellen from I Am Gluten Free shares her Roasted Potato Slices with Smoky Aioli Dip as part of her celebration food

Interested in having  your own Oscar party? Visit Diane’s event page to print out ballots for voting and get your Oscar party kit. I really like the looks of The Red Carpet Party Fizz cocktail myself.

FYI—I plan to be back with at least one more Oscar-inspired main dish this week … please stay tuned. Last, there’s an Xagave and cookbook giveaway over on the Out and About page. Check it out here!

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe! 

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