Moroccan Stew

This bright, yellow Moroccan Stew warms you from the inside out much like sunshine on your back on an otherwise damp, grey day. The beans and cumin's earthiness could sit heavy on the palate, but the sweetness of the raisins and cinnamon juxtaposed with the garam masala's spiciness makes this dish a party for the mouth.

That isn't to this stew is a light meal. It is incredibly filling  - likely due to the abundance of fiber and carbohydrates it provides. In fact, I ultimately decided against serving it with brown rice or plain yogurt as I didn't think it needed additional bulk.

If you need to buy red lentils, Indian/Moroccan spices or even non-local okra, I recommend Laxmi Palace in Richmond. The prices there are great and they have lots of items you will not find at a typical grocery store. Just be prepared when you go for the intense smell of curry.

Moroccan Stew
Slightly adapted from Spicy Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew (Paula's Moroccan Lentil Stew) at Kayln's Kitchen with reference to Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew at Everybody Likes Sandwiches and The Flavor Bible
Serves 6-8 (my yield was 7.5 cups) 

1 large Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon minced Ginger (I used The Ginger People's.)
1 tablespoon minced Garlic
1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
1 cup diced Green Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala (Mine is spicy, so I omitted the cayenne from the recipe.)
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
6 cups Stock (I used 2 cups of reduced sodium beef stock and 4 cups of vegetable stock.)
1 1/2 cups Red Lentils
1 - 14 1/2 ounce can Chickpeas, drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 - 14 1/2 ounce can Diced Tomatoes in Juice
1/2 cup Raisins
Salt to taste (I used an additional 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.)

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (my beloved Le Creuset dutch oven was perfect) over medium heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic, and turmeric and cook stirring often until onions are soft, about 7 minutes
2. Add green pepper, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cinnamon and ground cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until green pepper begins to soften.
3. Add the stock, red lentils, canned tomatoes, and rinsed chickpeas and bring mixture to a gentle boil.
4. Once it begins to bubble reduce the heat to a simmer and cover pot with lid. Allow stew to simmer approximately one hour stirring occasionally. About 15 minutes before the dish is done, toss in the raisins so they get plump, juicy and delicious.

Green Tea, Tofu, and Noodle Soup

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

We could choose our own savory,  tea-based recipe or make Beef Braised in Rooibos Tea with Sweet Potatoes, Chinese Tea Eggs and Green Tea, Tofu, and Noodle Soup. As I constantly feel like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland right now I was thrilled that the Green Tea, Tofu, and Noodle Soup required only 30-minutes and I chose it so I could complete my first challenge in months.

I followed the provided recipe using local napa cabbage for the greens, substituting soba noodles for the egg noodles and adding cilantro for visual flair (and flavor) at the end. The broth was very delicate, too much so for my taste. I ended up adding lime juice, s'rircha and additional soy sauce and sesame oil to amp up the flavor yet still felt like something was missing. Perhaps the soba noodles were too much for the broth? Either way I don't plan to revisit the recipe.

That said based on the descriptors used by my fellow Daring Cooks - luscious, refreshing and delicious - I will be looking further into cooking with tea. Especially as tea is a great way to add flavor without calories or a lot of cost. View the recipes and Sarah's other ideas for cooking with tea here and check out those tasty sounding results here.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Back in December I saw Jeanette's Healthy Living's Thai Coconut Curry Lentil Soup when Kayln she adapted it on her site. I looked at both options and decided to make my own variation on Jeanette's recipe as I don't own a slow cooker, I could avoid purchasing chicken broth (thrifty!) and I had similar ingredients on hand.

I dry toasted the spices before adding any liquids or fats to help intensify their flavors. Then I substituted green curry for red as it was in my fridge and replaced the red lentils with french lentils since they hold their shape better. I also added apple from some crunch. My soup was considerably less smooth than either of their versions but I liked the texture.

The resulting soup is slightly spicy, slightly sweet and very filling though not particularly pleasing to the eye. My Dad loves it and I suspect we'll be eating it all winter as it comes together so quickly! I've already made it three times.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 cup Onion, chopped
1.5 tsp. Ginger, minced
1.5  tsp. Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1 tbsp. Green Curry Paste
5 cups Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup French Lentils
2 small-medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (yield 2.5 cups)
3/4 cup Coconut Milk (could use light...it will just be a little less creamy)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 large Apple, peeled cut into 1/2" pieces (yield 1 cup; I used Jonagold).

1. Heat a saucepan over medium. Add the cumin, coriander and tumeric and toast until aromatic. Push to the side.
2. Heat olive oil. Once warm add the ginger and garlic and toast until garlic begins to brown.
3. Stir in green curry paste and cook for an additional two minutes.
4. Add water, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 20-25 minutes or until lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.
5. Remove cover, add remaining salt, apple and stir in coconut milk. Cook five more minutes.
6. Serve.

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January 2011 Daring Cooks' Challenge: Confit and Cassoulet

Our January 2011 Challenge comes from Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and Lisa from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. They have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn how to make a confit and use it within the traditional French dish of Cassoulet. They have chosen a traditional recipe from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman. You can get the full scoop on their challenge and all the related recipes here.

Since I tackled this project on Wednesday night with Friday as the deadline, I made the Garlic Confit and Vegetarian/Vegan Cassoulet. As I type this out I realize I didn't 100% complete the challenge as I just have been eating the garlic confit on the side (of everything) rather than incorporating it but that is close enough for me. Hopefully our wise hostesses will forgive me for this oversight! This was a great challenge and I'm glad I followed through with completing it.

I see this cassoulet appearing again in my winter dining; it is very hearty and the aroma alone tells you something good is on its way.  I found it more filling than similar chicken and vegetable soups, which the ingredient list and flavor profile was reminiscent of in spite of missing meat. I used canned beans and some aging, ailing whole wheat pitas to make the crumb topping, which while nice won't be essential for my dining pleasure in the future. It seemed like a lot of fuss for a marginal amount of added flavor and texture to me.

As for the Garlic Confit, if you have the patience to peel lots of garlic cloves, or are willing to pay for the pre-peeled variety, and have an hour or so you can make it. To summarize, you poach garlic cloves in oil with some spices, which results in garlic infused oil you can use on its own and smooth, creamy garlic bulbs that are decadent smeared on bread, on their own and, I assume, in other things. This elegant looking blog has a shortcut for peeling cloves, so I might try that if/when I make this again to cut down on the time involved and the sticky fingers. Or I might just stick to roasting garlic since it is less fussy.

Vegetarian/Vegan Cassoulet
Adapted slighty from Gourmet Magazine, March 2008

3 medium Leeks (white and pale green parts only)
4 medium Carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
3 Celery Ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
4 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
2 Fresh Parsley Sprigs
1 Turkish or 1/2 California Bay Leaf
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
3 cans Cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups Water
4 cups Coarse Fresh Bread Crumbs from a Baguette (I used whole wheat pitas.)
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley

1. Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.
2. Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, then water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to moderate 350 degrees Fahrenheit with rack in middle.
4. Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated.
5. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
6. Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley.
7. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth.
8. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.

Garlic Confit Adapted slighty from Saveur, Issue #129
Yields approximately 1 cup

3/4 cup Olive Oil
3/4 tsp Kosher Salt (Note: use half this amount if using table salt)
5 Whole Black Peppercorns
2-3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
32 Garlic Cloves, peeled (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 Dried Bay Leaf

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place ingredients in a 1/2 quart pot fully submerging the garlic in the oil. Cover pot. Bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 1 hour. Let cool.
2. Transfer mixture to a glass jar; cover surface of oil with plastic wrap and then close the jar. This can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

If you think the confit looks creepy here wait until you refrigerate it and the oil coagulates. 

Thank goodness it smooths back out quickly at room temperature and tastes better than it looks.

Not Miso Soup and My 29th Birthday

I tried to ignore turning 29, not because I was worried about it but, because I was worried in advance about turning 30, nothing could have lived up to Spain, I wanted to save my energy with weekends of work ahead of me and every other reason I could throw out. My tendency to get ahead of myself knows no boundaries though I hope to work on taming it, among other things, this year.

Luckily my friends and family refused to ignore the day leaving me feeling special thanks to cards, calls, texts, e-mails, facebook posts and even flowers and sweets from co-workers. Meg's insistence that I not spend it alone resulted in a low key night watching Boardwalk Empire (gorgeous!) while eating good food, which was further improved when Leslie joined us spontaneously.

Meg made a refined version of her Chilean Sea Bass and I threw together this Not Miso Soup loosely based on Cathy of Not Eating Out in NY's Celeriac Miso Soup. Meg also surprised me with chocolate cake and stout for a finishing touch. It was a delicious evening relaxing with good company and I don't think it could have been better...except if I hadn't gotten sick the next day.

I promise it wasn't the rich soup with hints of the salty sea below that caused the illness though it was a great comfort in making me feel better. It's like potato-leek soup with an oceanic twist and I like that it doesn't require anything other than Miso paste to make the broth (as I'm often too lazy to make it yet don't like buying it). Plus Miso paste seems to keep forever in the fridge so it is easy to have on hand.

Not Miso Soup
(4-6 Servings)

6 cups Water
3 tbsp Miso Paste
8 trimmed bunches of Shanghai Bok Choy
3 Scallions, greens only
1/3 cup Hijiki, rehydrated
5 Baby Potatoes, diced (the first time I didn't include these and we decided it needed more heft - tofu, white beans or chicken could also add texture)
Salt to taste

1. Put the dehydrated Hijiki in cold water to rehydrate. Rinse scallions, bok choy and the potatoes' exteriors. In a large pot, whisk together 6 cups of water with 3 tablespoons of miso. Heat over medium high until bubbling a bit.
2. Chop scallions, greens only, into 1/8-1/4" rings. Set aside. Trim ends off of bok choy, contemplate that the wasted bits look like rosettes. Peel potatoes and dice them into small to medium cubes.
3. Add potatoes to the miso/water mixture. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Drain Hijiki and rinse it well.
4. When the timer goes off add half the scallions, bok choy and some salt. Let the mixture cook for approximately 5 additional minutes until bok choy wilts and becomes tender. Potatoes should yield easily to a bite but still have texture. Taste. Add more salt if needed.
5. Remove the soup from the stove and stir in the Hijiki. Add remaining scallions. Serve.

Birthday Night Version

  Trial 2 (same week, to make sure this didn't make me sick)

Meg's Delicious Dish

Cajun Night i.e. Gumbo and Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Meringues

Our initial plan, back when Cajun night was to be held on Derby Day, was making Mint Julep Ice Cream. We tried and unfortunately the custard base curdled putting us back at square one; we blame the tricky advice to check for coating on a wooden spoon. Meg and I became concerned that Cajun night was cursed between the failed planning attempts and now the failed dessert.

But we were determined and started on Paula Deen's Gumbo anyway. Meg made the roux and I did lots of dicing. Everything smelled delicious and then I discovered I left the onion and tomatoes at home, which meant more stairs thanks to our walk-ups. So I headed home to regroup, pick up the ingredients and come up with a new dessert.

In my clipped recipes I stumbled on Every Day Food's Mocha-Chip Meringues and knew I had an easy option that wouldn't require more time at the grocery store. We followed the recipe cutting the espresso, substituting peanut butter chips for chocolate and frantically pulling them out of the oven approximately 8 minutes early due to a burning odor. Fortunately it was just the parchment paper and our curse was broken!

Initially I scooped the meringues with a melon baller, which gave them a lovely consistent round shape, but I ended up using the recommended drop method as meringue is sticky!! Meg smoothed with hot water and we were set. These meringues were great - airy, crispy and thanks to the cocoa marginally less sweet than usual while still completely addictive.

The gumbo was addictive as well - super savory, slightly thick and packed with flavor though not as spicy as expected. Perhaps because we only had a half portion of the andouille? My one warning regarding the gumbo is it takes MUCH longer than the recipe describes. We spent from roughly 2 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. preparing it. Dinner was late but as usual the wait was worth it. I'd recommend both of these recipes.

Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup

Okay. My unofficial blog break is over! I went home for Easter and didn't cook a thing all weekend. Last week was using up frozen gnocchi, etc. and so this weekend I was ready to get back to the kitchen with lots of little projects.

Drawing inspiration from this Lentil, Carrot, and Kale Soup with Crème Fraiche and Dill, this Carrot-Ginger Soup and the previously enjoyed Carrot Soup (the Moosewood Cookbook version) I made Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup this weekend. This soup is economical to make, especially if you make the broth from scratch instead of using the pre-packaged kind like me.

It is very filling and nutritious with a rich, warm flavor. The carrots sweetness is toned down nicely by the spices and lentils. The soup has a lot of texture, which doesn't always happen with lentils. Should your lentils disintegrate from a lack of paying attention (my usual issue) and/or you don't want to get carried away dicing I advise cooking everything and pureeing the soup. It might not look as pretty but it will still taste nice!

I can't wait to eat this all week with a spinach salad on the side.

Carrot Cumin Lentil Soup
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, Minced
2 cups Carrots, Diced (I made mine into small dice...just for fun...but that isn't necessary. I'm sure rough slices or whatever you prefer would work.)
1 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Tsp Salt (SHOULD have stuck to one...be cautious)
6 cups Veggie Broth (I used a mix of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's; TJ's is more tomato based.)
1 cup French Lentils

1. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot add the cumin seeds, ground coriander and ginger. Stir then cover for a minute listening to the cumin pop like popcorn. Remove lid.

2. Add the onion and saute a minute or two. Add carrots tossing them with everything else. If necessary add a bit of water to create some steam. Cover the pot, turn the heat down and let the mixture sweat 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the 6 cups of stock and 1 tsp. salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Add 1 cup of lentils. Stir. Cover the pot and turn down the heat, let the mixture simmer approximately 35-45 minutes or until lentils are tender but not falling apart.
5. Dish and serve in approximately 1 cup portions.

Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup

When April forwarded this Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup recipe from Giada De Laurentiis recipe noting that it was "kind of cheating but it's amazingly delicious for how quick and simple it is," I knew I had to try it. After all she doesn't even like using recipes so it had to be good.

I substituted roasted vegetable stock for store bought, pearl barley for the pasta and dipped Wasa Whole Grain Crisps in it while eating. April added about 1/3 C of freshly grated Parmesano-Reggiano and some freshly ground black pepper and served it with crusty bread.

I may have misread the recipe and used too many red pepper flakes because I found the spiciness overwhelming. I like spice but when eating the soup requires a tissue it is over the top. The easy remedy was swirling in a tablespoon or two of plain (greek) yogurt and eating it cold.

In the future I'll probably adjust the red pepper flakes and/or add them later in the simmering stage to reduce the spice. I may also saute the carrots a minute or two longer since they were pretty crunchy. Regardless this will definitely be revisited! I had to stop myself from buying ingredients to make it again this weekend...a sure sign of love.

Borscht

On of my best and oldest friend's, Vika, is Ukrainian and Russian and rumor has it her mom makes a mean borscht. I've tried her husband's attempt at mimicing Mrs. O's recipe and my memory of the borscht was one of violent pink, filling soup with a spicy flavor .

I hope one day to try the original or even Rafe's version again, but in meantime the farmer's market had amazing, huge healthy looking beets last week and the time had come to try making my own. Or, you know, someone else's found via the amazing food blog recipe search. This borscht is bright, warm and very healthy with a somewhat sweet, tangy flavor.

Since the recipe was in grams I made the following approximate conversions: 3.5 cups beets, 1 cup onions, 2 cups carrots, 2.5 cups of shredded cabbage, 1 quart vegetable stock and 2 cups of water. I added a touch of red pepper, cayenne probably, to make it spicier as per my memory and let it simmer way longer than 20 minutes as the beets just weren't getting softened to my taste. These adjustments worked well and next time I will use less shredded cabbage as I didn't enjoy its mushy texture.

One word of advice, which may seem obvious, when you grate the beet I advise putting the grater on a hard surface to stablize it and making the beet mobile. Otherwise, you could end up with a grated knuckle. It wasn't too horrifying though as really blood and beet juice look pretty similar. Isn't that reassuring?

Vietnamese Chicken Pho a.k.a. "Pho Ga"

Last month immediately before Spain I took the plunge and signed up for The Daring Kitchen Challenges...Making Vietnamese Chicken Pho a.k.a. "Pho Ga" was my first project. The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

For me Pho's golden broth is a soothing elixir that helps ward off colds, soothes hangovers and temporarily cures minor troubles like heartache. It brings back dozens of car rides to Pho So 1 in Jim's 3,000 GT during college. I always eat it with way too much S'richa, by accident, so my nose runs endlessly throughout the meal. Charming, I know.

Making Pho was exciting and intimidating, even if I didn't go with the made from scratch option. The biggest obstacle for me was finding star anise; I went to TEN grocery stores on Saturday and finally tracked it down at Eli's Vinegar Factory. After all that effort, I felt strongly that the Pho should taste like liquid gold. The end result was quite good and I think my ability to prepare it can only improve. My main complaints were the cloudiness of the pre-made stock and not having Thai Basil. These things should be fairly easy to remedy when I try this again and it is only a matter of time until I do that!

If you like Pho Ga definitely try this recipe. It's actually quite easy.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho
Recipe Source: Jaden of Steamy Kitchen
Preparation Time: 45 cooking time + 15 minutes to cook noodles based on package directions
Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce (A note on fish sauce – I prefer the Three Crabs brand. Choose a fish sauce light in color…it should look like brewed tea. Anything darker than that (looking like Coca Cola) is inferior quality.)
1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:
2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:
1.To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning. Char ginger and onion.
2.In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
3.Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
4.Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
5.Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
6.Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
7.Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
8.Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Hearty Potato Leek Soup

I'm in love with this potato leek soup. There are beautiful step by step pictures if you follow the link, although I didn't realize that until I went back just now.

I made the soup Sunday night, without a food processor, using my amazing immersion blender. It took a little over an hour; I only had to pay attention half the time. I ended up cooking the potatoes for around 25 minutes to get them soft enough to mash/blend, but otherwise found the recipe very accurate.

More importantly, I could NOT stop eating the soup, even before I added the cup of cream. Next time I make this, and there will be a next time, I am going to try using regular milk or a lot less cream as I just didn't find it necessary (although the cream certainly makes it much more rich). It reminds me of New England Clam Chowder without the clams. ;)

It's divine, rich, creamy, comforting and warm in my stomach when it is so, so cold out. I hope you will try it and fall in love too.

Chicken and Dumplings

You wish Chicken and Dumplings with Leeks and Tarragon was your lunch. It hs been mine almost every day this week, even though I halved the recipe.

The dish has a thick stew-like consistency that is very warm and filling for the cold week we've been having. One problem with using this for lunch is that while I LOVE dumplings - savory, firm yet squishy and in general delightful - I have to admit they don't reheat well. They end up a bit soggy, basically returning to dough.

A few notes: This dish takes a while, so plan on spending a few hours cooking. There is lag time, but you can't really leave the house. In spite of following the halved ingredient list exactly, my dough was too firm to be dropped. I had roll and place the dumplings. I doubt this effects the flavor, but certainly changes the presentation. I also ended up adding a bit more chicken broth to every serving to juice it up enough for my taste.

Um, the picture is really small. I'll have to upload it again at home. I can't figure out how to do that with Picasa and deleted the thumbnail that I typically load up by accident. :(

Beet and Buttermilk Soup

In the spirit of a frequently too hot summer, I have decided to start experimenting with cold soups. As eating beets cold was what made me learn to love them in the first place, I thought this recipe for Beet and Buttermilk Soup was a perfect place to start.

Once I tracked down buttermilk, it was ridiculously simple to put together and required minimal use of the stove. Something my roommates were bound to appreciate.

The buttermilk does an excellent job of cutting the sweetness typically found in beet dishes and the dill adds a unique flavor. Unfortunately it also reminds me of delicious Kosher Dill chips, which I haven't had in years and have no idea how to track down. Sigh. The magenta color is unique and garnered lots of compliments. It also made for a disaster with a pair of khaki capris; they were on the way out anyway, so I wasn't devastated.

If there was an appropriate occasion, I would probably make this soup again... Otherwise, I am just going to keep trying other recipes to find cold soup that tastes half as good as the carrot soup from June.

Carrot Soup from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook

I bought a bunch of fresh, sweet, orange carrots the other week with the goal of making soup. Unfortunately, it was a busy week and they became flaccid and inedible. I saved the bookmark for the Moosewood Cookbook's Carrot Soup for another day.

I'm really glad I did. This soup is easy to put together and the richest vegetable soup I have eaten to date. It ends up looking like an intense, cheddar cheese soup. The soup is great hot or cold too, which is handy as Summer has arrived. I stirred in sour cream and opted to add fresh ginger.

I love that the recipe is flexible, so you can use whatever add-in you have on hand. Definitely making this again.

Spinach and Green Garlic Soup

While making Molly's divine Spinach and Green Garlic soup, I was excited to realize everything going into the soup was fresh from Greenmarket or something I made. Last year I was busy freaking out about using chicken thighs instead of breasts, because they were so fatty. I never imagined I would handle whole chickens or make my own broth from scraps. One of the biggest pleasures I have found in cooking is knowing exactly what goes into my food...that and how methodical it is.

This soup is simple to put together and is very satisfying. It just feels fresh. I replaced the baby spinach with regular spinach as it was less expensive and easier to find. If you do this, I advise spending a bit of extra time removing the stem and veins. My only complaint is that the soup separates when refrigerated.

Next time, I plan to use more spinach so I get to get the beautiful jewel green swamp monster effect displayed in Molly's pictures.

Lentil Soup (Sort of)

This lentil soup looks delicious, right? The recipe was simple and ideal as I had most of the ingredients on hand and my monthly grocery budget was maxed.

I'm not sure how to explain the mess below since I followed the recipe for the most part. My only deviation was using regular lentils, but as you can see that wasn't the issue. My lentils held their shape. My version tasted okay, but it did not look okay and certainly didn't have the soup-y texture I expected.

It is going to be a while before I try this again, if ever.

Pureed Parsnip Soup

An unexpected perk of my new job is the free copies of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food that arrive every month. The downside is now I have access, without printing, to so many more recipes. The first issue I brought home inspired me to make three dishes i.e. way too much food for only me to eat.

The first one I made was Pureed Vegetable Soup and when you see the picture accompanying the recipe, you'll know why I absolutely had to make it right then. So pretty! Parsnips weren't my first choice, but the $1.00 per pound price at the Greenmarket swayed me.


It was super simple to put the soup together and it was a satisfying meal. The parsnips gave it a slightly sweet flavor with a hint of spiciness. I think I prefer parsnips when they aren't pureed and won't use them when I revisit the recipe.