"The Brazilian Table" on PBS

Yara Castro Roberts, author of The Brazilian Table, is featured on the PBS series Adventures with Ruth. Here are a couple of quick previews of the food of the program hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine. Check your local PBS listings to watch this episode.

Tasty Thursday

Continuing with the National Soup Month theme, we'd like to highlight another fantastic soup recipe from the beautiful cookbook Vintage Restaurant. Author Jeff Keys really knows what makes stomachs happy, and eating this tasty soup will do just that.

Szechwan Carrot Soup

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 fennel root bulb, washed and diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed and diced

20 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons peeled and thinly sliced fresh gingerroot

1-1/2 tablespoons light vegetable oil

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes

1 teaspoon Sriracha (Asian chile sauce that is found at most supermarkets)

1 cup Thai coconut milk (also in the Asian section of most supermarkets)

2 tablespoons Vintage Basic Asian Marinade (see below)

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup cream

Basic Asian Marinade*

2 cups soy sauce (find one that is not too salty)

12 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon course ground black pepper

2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds

10 cloves garlic, mashed and diced

3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

To make the soup, saute the first five ingredients with the oil in a soup pot for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock, chile flakes, and Sriracha. Cook on a low boil for about 35 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients and remove from heat. Le the soup cool a little. Puree the soup in small batches in your blender. At this point you can either reheat the soup and serve, or let it cool completely and store to serve later. It stores well for a few days in the refrigerator. Just reheat and serve. You may also garnish with pickled ginger and freshly snipped basil or sliced green onions.

To make the marinade, mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Makes 8 servings

*Use leftover marinade for your favorite meat. Take note that it is very strong and will absorb quickly into the meat. Marinate chicken or pork for only 5 minutes, leg of lamb for 15 minutes, and fish, or any other meat that you just want to flavor, put in and take out. Stores in the refrigerator for 10 days.

Tasty Thursday

January is National Soup Month, so what better way to warm up from the frigid temps than with a hot bowl of soup with this great recipe from 100 Soups for $5 or Less.



Chicken Alfredo Soup
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
9 cups water, divided
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 clove garlic, pressed
Dash of black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup broken fettuccine noodles (1-inch pieces)
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Rinse chicken; combine with 6 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Skim off foam with a metal spoon. Cover, with lid slightly vented, and cook 20 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from pan and cube. Discard cooking water, rinse pan, and pour 3 cups fresh water into the pan over medium-high heat. Add cooked chicken, bouillon, garlic, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour milk into a tall glass, add flour, and stir rapidly with a fork until smooth. Pour milk into soup and bring to a light boil. Add cheese slowly while continuously stirring. Drop heat to low and stir in noodles. Cover, with lid slightly vented, stirring every 2-3 minutes to keep noodles from sticking, and cook for 10 minutes. Garnish with dried parsley.

Serves 4

Tasty Thursday

Help your little ones make these cute-as-can-be wands to wave when the clock strikes midnight—it may just make for a magical night! This is just one of many precious recipes found in the Pink Princess Cookbook by Barbara Beery.

Magic Fairy Wands 

4 ounces vanilla candy coating or almond bark

Powdered food coloring* (optional)

8 large pretzel rods

Assorted colored sugars, sprinkles, and sugar candy decorations

Melt white candy coating according to package directions. Add powdered food coloring if desired. Stir to blend.

Dip or drizzle pretzel rods with candy coating. Place coated pretzels on a foil-lined sheet pan that has bee sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Decorate with sugars, sprinkles, or candies while candy coating is still warm.

Place sheet pan in freezer for 10 minutes to harden candy coating. Remove and eat immediately or store in an air-tight container for several days.

Makes 8 wands.

*Liquid and paste food colorings cause candy coating and chocolate to seize.Powdered coloring is found in craft or cake decorating stores.

A Rockin' Holiday Party

This year's annual Holiday Celebration at Gibbs Smith began with a delicious turkey-with-all-the-trimmings lunch, followed by an afternoon of rocking out alongside John, Paul, George and Ringo. Isn't Beatles Rockband just the best!?!

Here are some great photos from the celebration...

Muriel (l to r), Brian and Christopher sing along as Jill keeps rhythm.
Looks like Christopher really wants to start dancing!

Megan concentrating on lead guitar.

Jill wielding those drumsticks.

Jared hamming it up on bass guitar.

Recipes for Every Month of the Year

Holly Herrick is at it again! She has teamed up with the South Carolina State Farmers Market to share recipes from her book Southern Farmers Market Cookbook. Every month, a new recipe from the book will be featured that highlights a seasonal ingredient. Get your copy of the recipes here and if you like what you see, get the book too!

Tasty Thursday

Throw this dish together tonight and then bake tomorrow for a fantastic Christmas breakfast without all the hassle. Another great recipe from French Toast by Donna Kelly.

Christmas Morning Casserole

2-1/2 cups eggnogg

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large loaf French bread

Cranapple Compote

1/2 cup butter

3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 container (12 ounces) frozen apple juice concentrate

1/4 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the eggnog, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Pour half of the eggnog mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Cut ends off bread and discard. Slice bread into 8 slices, each about 1-1/2 inches thick, and then place in pan. Pour remaining eggnog mixture over top, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator and turn each slice over in pan with a wide spatula; bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Carefully turn slices over with a wide spatula and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until puffed and browned. Serve with Cranapple Compote. Serves 6 to 8.

To make the compote, melt butter and saute apples for 2 minutes in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cranberries and sugar and stir until cranberries pop, about 2 minutes more. Stir in juice concentrate, corn syrup, and brown sugar. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 cups.