Ace's Cream of Celery Soup

Connie Bucy saved this recipe, which originated with Ace DuMond. As noted below, it's highly adaptable, as the basic recipe can be used for any cream of veggie soup.

½ pound bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups celery, chopped & destringed

Cook bacon until crisp. Save 1 tablespoon of the grease for soup. Saute rest of ingredients in the bacon grease and a small amount of butter. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour and stir until thick.
Pour clear broth or chicken broth (3 cups) into blender with most of bacon and blend. Add part of the veggies and add 1 to 2 cups of warm milk. Add rest of veggies, the reserved tablespoon of bacon grease and blend again.

Season with: salt, white pepper, celery salt, cumin, parsley, paprika. Garnish with remaining bacon and croutons

This basic recipe can be used for any veggie you choose to make a cream soup out of.

Garlic Rice (or Mexican)

This is a traditional recipe that Ace DuMond has perfected over the years.

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice
2 Tbls. butter
2 ½ cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
¼ onion, chopped (optional)

Saute garlic & onion in butter and then add rice and cook together for a couple of minutes. Add chicken broth, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

For Mexican rice add 1 cup Hernandez salsa after rice has cooked.

Ace's French Onion Soup

This one's a guaranteed original. Ace DuMond came up with it "off the top of his head" the other day while cooking dinner, and he promptly emailed it so we could get it on the site.

3 lb. red onions
2 lb. yellow onions

Cook them in butter for about two hours.

3 cups beef broth
5 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup merlot
Parsley, bay leaves and thyme tied up in cheesecloth

Add these liquid ingredients and herbs and simmer for about another hour.

Toasted sourdough bread
Grated swiss cheese
Grated havarti cheese

Put soup in bowls, top with sourdough and cheeses, and put under broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

For another french onion soup recipe we published back in December, go here.

Refried Beans

Just in from Connie Bucy in Idaho:

This is an extremely easy recipe I've been making for many years and they taste so much better than out of a can. If you like, you can increase the recipe and then freeze the beans in cartons for later use - just zap them in the microwave for a couple of minutes - my kids used to love having them for a snack occasionally after school.

2 cups (1 lb.) dried small red beans
6-7 cups water

Cover beans with water and boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at least 1 hour. Bring again to a boil and cover and simmer for approximately 2 hours. When beans are cooked to your liking, add salt to taste.

Mash beans with a potato masher. The old-fashioned potato masher works best. If the beans seem too juicy, remove some of the liquid before mashing – you can always add it back in if it becomes too dry.

Add at least a cup of shredded sharp cheese. Garnish with chopped red onion and a bit more shredded cheese – goes great with tacos and we like to eat the beans with Fritos scoops.

Way to go, Josh Bucy!

Here is a very cool update from Josh Bucy's dad, John:

For those of you attending the Las Vegas party/graduation last December or others that might be remotely interested, here is a final update on the outcome. In the program, Josh was listed as having achieved Magna Cum Laude.

We knew there was an outside chance that once all the grades were posted and the final calculations complete, Josh possibly could achieve Summa Cum Laude, which would indicate Josh being in the top 1% of his college graduating class. This past week, Josh received word that he did achieve Summa Cum Laude!!

As I told him, that and a $5 bill would get him a beer at the local tavern, maybe. Anyway, he is proud of his accomplishment, Connie and I are proud of him and we just wanted to share the news.

The "Leftover Risotto" Dilemma

Here's an article that was published recently on Sheri and Mark DuMond's blog:

So you've labored over a wonderful risotto dish, and undoubtedly have plenty left over. (There are some good risotto recipes here and here.) Now, what do you do with the leftovers?

We did some searching on the subject on the Internet, and quickly found that in Italy, where risotto was born, serving leftover risotto (in its original form) is a definite "no-no." It just isn't done. However, there are a number of ways to re-purpose risotto instead of discarding it. Here are some recipes, mostly Italian in nature, that make use of leftover risotto in different ways:

RISOTTO AL SALTO

2 cups prepared risotto (brought to near room temperature)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Beat the egg, then combine thoroughly with the leftover risotto. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Press the risotto into flat pancakes and add to the hot pan. Saute until crispy on both sides and serve.

ARANCINI DI RISO

2 cups prepared risotto
1 egg, beaten
1 cup canola oil
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup bread crumbs

Mix the risotto with the egg until well combined. Heat the oil in a deep saute pan or wok. Work the risotto into small balls, then insert a cube of mozzarella into the middle of each ball and roll the risotto ball in bread crumbs.

Fry the risotto balls in the hot oil until browned and crispy. Serve with green salad and steamed vegetables.

RISOTTO SOUP

2 cups prepared risotto
2 cups rich vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and half
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Stir together risotto, broth and dairy in a saucepan. Heat over low simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated parmesan on the side.

RISOTTO CAKES WITH POACHED EGG

2 cups prepared risotto
5 eggs
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Beat one of the eggs and work it into the risotto. Form the risotto mixture into four flat cakes. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and put the risotto cakes on.

Bake the cakes for 8 minutes until heated through. Flip the cakes and scatter the grated cheese on top of each. Crank the oven up to broil mode. Put the cakes back in the oven and broil until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Meanwhile, poach the other four eggs for about three to four minutes depending on your preference for doneness.

Remove the risotto cakes from the oven and place one on each of four warmed serving plates. Top each cake with a poached egg and serve.