Culinary Adventures with Camilla

So, welcome to the September #SoupSwappers event. Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  started this group and I'm always grateful to have a few more recipes to try. This month, I am hosting a back-to-school event. I told the group: "As we head into the new school year, let's hit the books! Share a soup recipe that was either mentioned in a book or inspired by a book. Be creative. This is a wide, open topic." Here's the list of creations... Chicken Soup For The Soul by Sneha's Recipe Doctored, Canned Lobster Bisque by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Individual French Onion Soup in Bread Bowls  by A Day in the Life on the Farm Healthy Butternut Squash & Chicken Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice Tuscan White Bean Soup by Karen's Kitchen Stories This month Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  is hosting our online book group Lit Happens; she selected  The Wizard's Butler  by Nathan Lowell. Y...

Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  kicked off this group: Soup Saturday Swappers. And, this month, she is also hosting. She asked us to share our favorite chowders as there are so many options out there. So, my first question was: What defines a chowder? I was pretty sure it needed to be cream based, but then I realized there's Manhattan Clam Chowder that's tomato based. Then I found this, rather broad definition that made sense to me... chow·der  / ˈCHoudər/ noun -  a rich soup typically containing fish, clams, or corn with potatoes and onions I decided that was the definition I was going to follow. But, first, here's the Soup Swappers' Souppots... An InLinkz Link-up Beurre Noisette-Poached Lobster Chowder So, here's my offering. "Contains fish, clams" = this version includes lobster and prawns. Check. "Potatoes and onions." Check. "A rich soup" = anything with beurre noisette qualifies. Check. Oka...

I was in need of a quick mid-week dinner and had a pound of crab claw meat. And, given that the chill of autumn is descending on the central coast of California, I opted to make soup! This is remarkably simple, but tastes decadent. Ingredients 1 T butter 1 t olive oil 1/2 C bacon, diced 1/2 C onion, peeled and diced 4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1/2 C diced bell peppers (I used a mixture of yellow and red peppers) 1/4 C gluten-free flour 6 C stock (I used a mixture of fish and chicken stock because that's what I had) 2 C diced tomatoes 1/2 C fresh tomato sauce 1 to 2 t smoked paprika 1-1/2 C organic heavy cream freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 1 pound fresh, cooked crab meat + more for garnish 1/4 C dry white wine pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste) 3 to 4 T fresh parsley, minced bread for serving (gluten-free, if needed) Procedure In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter in a splash ...

It's time for August's  Improv Cooking Challenge  hosted by Lesa of  Edesia's Notebook . I don't know where the weeks are going. The idea of this challenge: we are assigned two ingredients and are tasked to create a recipe with those two things. August's assigned ingredients: tomatoes and herbs. Perfect timing! Summer tomatoes abound and fresh herbs are all over my son's garden. Since salmon is still to be had in our bay, I decided to pair them in a filling summer bisque. Bisques, after all, have to be made with seafood...otherwise, they are just soup! Ingredients 1/4 C butter 1 C leeks, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 C fish stock 1 C clam juice 1 pound salmon filet, skinned, deboned, and chopped into thin strips 1/4 pound smoked salmon  2 C fresh tomatoes, diced 3 T chopped fresh parsley 2 T chopped fresh cilantro 3 T chopped fresh dill salt and pepper to taste Procedure Melt butter in a medium s...

Despite my tirade about national food holidays, I decided that I would participate in celebrating National Lobster Day today. But not having the amount of money in my food budget for four pounds of lobster meat, I opted for langostino - squat lobster - and whipped up a lobster bisque and a lobster pot pie. I paired those with a bottle of 2005 Carmel Chardonnay. Thanks for the wine, Greg. To make my life even easier, I started with the same filling or base for both dishes. And thanks to Belle and Randy for the bounty from their garden I had some delicious, fresh fennel to add to it all. fennel, sliced leeks, sliced garlic, minced 2 pounds langostino, cooked and peeled (or lobster meat) carrots sliced butter flour clam juice chicken stock milk fresh oregano fresh thyme sea salt organic heavy cream I cooked the fennel, leek, and garlic in a large soup pot till softened and beginning to brown. Then I added the cooked langostino tails and carrots. In a separate pot I...