End of Summer Soup

So good I only got pictures of one 1/2 eaten bowl

This hearty end of summer soup is a great low-attention one-pot meal for when the skies cloud over and the weather turns cold.

And for when your preggo taste-buds finally start responding to a wider range of flavors than fat and sweet.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 bell peppers (one yellow one red), chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 3 springs thyme
• 6 sage leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded
• 4 cups chicken broth/ stock (veggie or mushroom as a substitute)
• 1/2 cup roast turkey, roughly chopped or torn to bite-size pieces (baked tofu if making a vegetarian/vegan soup)
• 4 cups roughly chopped ripe tomatoes, heirloom, beefsteak, red, yellow, purple- doesn't matter, just don't bother peeling or seeding
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled (pasteurized for us preggos, none for vegans!)
• 1/2 cup dry egg noodles (substitute with orecchiette if going vegan)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (vegans leave this out, obviously)
• 4 cups well-washed spinach, dried and chopped
• green olive bread, lightly toasted and buttered

1. in large non-reactive stock pot heat oil at medium high. add chopped onion and saute until fragrant & translucent
2. add celery and carrot and saute a few more minutes
3. add jalapeno, bell peppers, sage, thyme and turkey (tofu) saute until peppers are fragrant and soft, giving a good stir every minute or two. the goal here is to get a light coat of brown on as many veggies as possible. however, your pot might be a bit crowded, so don't worry if it doesn't work out
4. toss in all the tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low, cover and let cook until tomatoes are thoroughly broken down, stirring occasionally. this will probably take around an hour. here's where your laziness in not peeling or seeding pays off- the confetti of colorful skins adds visual interest and texture to the soup
5. once the tomatoes have broken down into an easy liquid, stir in your broth and bring back to a simmer, let simmer another 10-15 minutes covered
6. thoroughly mix your crumbled feta, egg noodles and beaten egg in to the soup. cover and set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes
7. when the alarm goes off stir in basil and 1/2 the chopped spinach, leave uncovered and set alarm for another 5 minutes
8. when the alarm goes off again, remove your soup from the heat and fold in the remaining spinach. keep soup covered, away from heat until it's cool enough to dish up
9. if you can find one, serve with a green (or black) olive baguette- the combination of sweet, salty, spicy soup and sour bread is heavenly.

Manchurian Vegetables

Welcome to Amelia's blog which is rapidly becoming about only foods that taste good but photograph terribly.



Today's installment is a variation on Manchurian Cauliflower;

again, adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

• 4 petite or 2 normal heads cauliflower, 4-5 cups worth, trimmed of stem and greens
  
• 4 carrots
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped
• 1Tbsp sesame seed oil
  
• 4 stalks green garlic, chopped (2-3 cloves normal garlic works too)
  
• 2/3 cup ketchup- homemade is preferred, but who would I be kidding? I used Heinz Once you stop gagging trust me, or rather trust Bittman- it's good
  
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha or other hot chili sauce
  
• 1/8 tsp anise seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1. Blanch or steam cauliflower (and carrots) until tender and no longer "cabbagey."
2. In wok heat sesame oil over medium heat and saute green garlic until it is fragrant and begins to brown.
3. Stir in ketchup, Sriracha, anise, cinnamon and soy sauce with garlic and cook until sauce begins to bubble.
4. Meanwhile separate cauliflower into chopstick-manageable size pieces and chop carrots into 1/3 inch thick rounds
   
5. Gently fold cauliflower, carrots and spinach into sauce.
6. Cook until spinach is wilted.
7. Let vegetables cool a bit, and serve over brown rice.
   

Welsh Rarebit

J was stuck in Vegas for a week. Yes, stuck. I went for a long weekend with him, and the scene there? Not really (more diametrically opposed to) our style.

His flight home was delayed, it was cold, raining- some comfort food was is order. The hotel we stayed at had a "cheddar stout soup" on the menu, and rarebit was on my mind.


Welsh Rarebit
from Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything

For sauce:

• 1lb cheddar, shredded; Irish, sharp, aged--something strong enough to stand up to the stout
• 3/4+ cup stout; I used Guiness
• Worcestershire sauce; 2 Tbsp or to taste
• Dash cayenne; I was out (shocking!) so used hot paprika
• 1 Tbsp mustard; should be dry, but I used Dijon
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1. In heavy-bottomed sauce pan heat butter over medium-low until melted
2. Gently add in flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's golden brown. 3-4 minutes.
3. Whisk in cayenne and mustard
4. Slowly pour in stout, whisking until texture is homogeneous
   
5. Reduce heat to low and whisk in handfuls of cheese until completely melted
6. Be careful not to overheat, or yours will breakdown like mine. Also, don't be lazy and chop cheese instead of shredding- it makes it heat unevenly and breakdown, like mine.
7. Remove sauce from heat; it will keep a day.
8. When you're reheating don't forget and leave sauce on the stove while you go to get husband from the airport; it'll overheat and breakdown like mine.
9. If this does happen, you can kinda rescue the sauce with careful additions of more flour, beer and cheese. I do not recommend getting your sauce in a situation where it needs rescuing.
   

To Serve:

1. Have grand ambitions to do this eggs benedict style.
2. Realize it's late and you don't have the time for a multi-dish broiling process.
   
3. Toast both sides of thick bread slices under the broiler until pretty dry
4. roast any veggies you have on hand (I had leeks, broccoli and cauliflower) until tender
5. poach one egg per person
   
6. Put toasts on large cookie sheet and spread each lightly with sauce
   
7. top toasts with a few of the roasted vegetables, and a healthy (really not healthy) scoop of sauce and broil until bubbly
   
8. place toasts in bowl or on plate with remaining veggies and top with egg
   
9. serve immediately
   

shakshuka

Sometimes, when I've had a particularly stressful week, I just want some comfort food.

But I also want something interesting. And healthy (ie not pizza or take-out Chinese, again.)




Shakshuka is one of those meals that is infinitely comforting, variable and satisfying. Plus it's relatively hands-off (which, if you've noticed a theme to most things I cook) is a week-night necessity.

To make this you will need:

• 2 chopped onions (red, yellow, white, combination thereof- it doesn't matter)
• at least 5 cloves chopped garlic
• 28 oz can tomatoes, whole preferred
  
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 chopped jalapenos (or more)
• 1 chopped anaheim pepper
• 1 chopped green bell pepper (any combination of green peppers is good)
• pinch red pepper fakes
  
• 1 egg per person
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• green herbs, to garnish (green onion, parsley, cilantro, thyme, etc...)

1. In heavy-bottomed large sauce pan/skillet heat olive oil over medium high
2. add onions and garlic, sauteing until soft, 5+ minutes
   
3. add all peppers and saute until fragrant and soft, 5+ minutes
4. open and dump in tomatoes and their juice
   
5. cover and reduce heat to medium low, let simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, 25+ minutes
   
6. as tomatoes soften, squish them into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon
   
7. once tomatoes are nice and soft, crack one egg per person over the top, and sprinkle with feta
8. cover and cook until eggs reach your desired firmness, usually just a few minutes for runny/soft yolks
9. spoon shakshuka and one egg into each person's bowl, garnish each bowl with the chopped green herbs
10. eat, be comforted, and relax
    

If it's really been one of those days/weeks I do the same thing, only with store-bought spaghetti sauce -not the same, but still nice.

If it hasn't been one of those weeks, I imagine you could make this almost as easily with fresh tomatoes (I'm lazy and wouldn't peel), although internet rumor has it only canned tomatoes are authentic.

(Green Garlic) Cheese Bread

No, it's not healthy. Yes, it's good.


Green Garlic Cheese Bread

• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 stalk green garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2-2/3 cup shredded cheddar (or other melty cheese)

1. preheat oven to 350
   
2. mash together green garlic and butter
3. mash in cottage cheese in several batches
4. stir in cheddar in batches, until the mixture threatens not to be spreadable
5. spread cheeses on top of thick slices of bread (I used Village Bakery's walnut, yum)
6. bake 10 minutes, broil 2 minutes
7. generously salt & pepper as soon as it's out of the oven
8. let cool several minutes before eating
   

Coconut Kale

This was so good and so easy to make I have to share it, even if it disappeared before I remembered to get a picture.

• 1 tsp oil (any high heat)
• .50 onion, diced (I used a stalk of green garlic too)
• 1 bunch kale or chard, rinsed and roughly chopped (I used Dino Kale)
• .50 can coconut milk (I had "lite" on hand)

1. heat 1 tsp oil in a wok, add onion (& green garlic of you have it) and saute until tender
2. add kale and saute until it's wilted to about half its original volume
3. add .50 can coconut milk and simmer covered until kale is tender, stirring periodically, about 8 minutes

Red Cabbage

I recently read something about seared red cabbage, although I have no idea where it was. Bon Appetite? Some MSN article that popped up when I signed out of hotmail? No clue. *edit- it was the newsletter that comes with our CSA share.

At any rate, the words "seared cabbage" stuck in my head, and my little head of red cabbage didn't need to worry about languishing forever (to the point of complete wilt-down) in the veggie drawer.

• small head red cabbage, quartered and stem removed
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• lemon pepper
  
• cayenne pepper
• nutmeg
  
• 1/4 cup apple, finely diced
  
• walnuts, chopped
  
• cauliflower greens, chopped (optional, I just hate to throw them on the compost heap)

1. preheat oven to 350
   
2. drizzle cabbage quarters with fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with peppers and nutmeg
   
3. heat oil in cast iron skillet until almost smoking
4. carefully sear each cut side of the cabbage, working in batches if necessary
5. return all cabbage to the skillet, add greens, apple and walnuts around the cabbage
6. move to oven and bake 15-30 minutes, until cabbage reaches desired softness (really you could eat it right after searing. we ordered pizza, so I cooked it about 1/2 hour while we waited; it was on the soft side, but still very good)
7. broil for a minute to get the top slightly crunchy right before serving
   

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Quiche

mmmm quiche.

This was inspired by a flip through Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, which includes a caramelized onion variation in the quiche section.


lots o' onion

You will need:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cups (about 4 smallish) onions, thinly sliced
• .5-1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
  
• 1 standard 8" pie crust (I used a prefab)
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used whole, cream or reduced fat also works)
• a few ounces goat cheese
• nutmeg
• cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste

fully cooked

1. heat butter in heavy pan until melted, add onions and saute slowly over medium to low heat until caramelized. this step may take up to 1/2 and hour. with my super-crappy electric stove I had to turn the heat between low and medium often, making sure the onions were still cooking, but not browning too fast and getting crunchy, when almost done stir in the thyme. The onion should reduce to about 1.5 cups total
   
2. meanwhile par-bake the pie crust at 375 for 5-10 minutes, until golden-brown, then reduce oven to 325
   
3. in large bowl gently beat together eggs, milk, a pinch fresh grated nutmeg and cayenne pepper. add salt & pepper to your preference
4. gently spread some of the onions over the crust, pour in egg mixture, and distribute remaining onions evenly. crumble goat cheese over the top.
5. bake at 325 until quiche is set, somewhere around 30 minutes. if it still looks loose bake longer, checking after each additional 5-7 minutes
6. you can broil it for a minute or two at the end to give the top a nice golden top
   

dinner, with a guest appearance by spicy carrot-cauliflower soup

Notes:

With the pre-made crust this is a really low-attention hands-off meal I'd even made on a work night.

I didn't add any salt originally, and the eggs definitely needed it to help them stand up to the sweet onion.

The goat cheese kind melded in too well, next time I'd use more.

Spicy Carrot Cauliflower Soup

soup spoon

I love soup.

Soup is one of the first things I remember my mom showing me how to make. Soup can be light or hearty, cool or warm, require constant attention or be a pot you ignore for hours at a time- in other words, I can manage to scrape together a decent soup no matter what mood I'm in.



sad wilting cauliflower octopus

Due to bad planning and tragic events we've been out of town for the last three weekends plus, which means a HUGE pile-up of sad-looking vegetables from the CSA box. I started out thinking I'd make the soup I first learned from my mom- vegetable with dumplings -but as I tend to, I got a tad distracted and changed my plans along the way, ending up with this delicious sweet-spicy soup instead.


attempting to keep track

• 1 tbsp oil (more if needed)
  
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp red curry (paste or powder)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1.5 tsp curry powder (yellow kind)
• 1 dried chili, torn up
• .5 tsp whole black pepper corns
• 4 cups carrots, chopped
• 4 cups cauliflower, chopped (I used a combination of the flower and the greens, well-aware that using the greens would ruin the vivid orange of my soup)
• 4 cups yam, chopped (I never skin my veggies, just scrub well, feel free to do whatever)
• 8 cups broth (go for veggie to make this a vegan/vegetarian soup)

before blending

1. in a large stock pot heat your oil, add onion and saute over medium-low heat until you finally stop crying from the chopping, or the onion is translucent/beginning to brown. then add the garlic and spices and cook several minutes more. (if you're me, choose spices by going through the spice-cabinet while onions are sauteing, realizing you've got a few things from the last time you made Indian that should probably be used before all their flavor is gone)
2. if needed, add a bit more oil then the cauliflower, cook until most of the cabbage smell has dissipated
3. add carrots and cook until slightly soft, stirring every few minutes. add yams and cook a bit more, trying to get some of each ingredient browned for flavor.
4. add broth to cover vegetables, cover, and leave simmering until everything is tender/cooked the hell out of, depending on your schedule
5. either leave soup whole or blend with immersion blender
6. serve with a dollop of plain yogurt (unless you're making a vegan version of course) and a sprinkle of dill weed

almost gone

We ate the soup with buttered toast and kale chips, which never made it out of the kitchen...

This recipe makes somewhere around 10 bowls worth (the vegetables really shrink.) The black pepper adds a surprising amount of spice that is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the carrots and yams, I'll definitely make this one again.

vegetable "noodles"

Thanks to our wonderful farm box I recently had lots of zucchini and cucumbers on hand. I wanted something crisp and fresh for dinner, but I also had a craving for pasta.

Since it was about 100 degrees in our house even with the A/C on (it's a small window unit) and I didn't want to cook so much as a pot of boiled water I decided to cut the veggies into thin noodle-like strips.

The soy garlic ginger batch was done by hand, not something fun or recommended to do in a 100 degree kitchen, ugh. The pesto batch I broke out the mandolin for. I usually kinda hate my mandoline*, but this made it worth it. Although looking at the two pictures I find the less-than-perfect hand cut strips more appealing, but spending an hour cutting two small zucchinis and one cucumber, no thanks.

These are two sauces/ marinades I use all the time, varying the ingredients slightly to suit my mood and what I happen to have on hand. They go great on all kinds of vegetables, starches and tofu; either one would be good on chicken, but beef works better with #1.

Marinade #1

• minced garlic
• finely chopped ginger root
• soy sauce
• rice wine vinegar
• sesame oil
  
• fish sauce (optional)
  
• red pepper flakes
  

Sauce #2

• chopped basil
• minced garlic
  
• olive oil
• chopped walnuts
• salt & pepper
• chopped tomatoes (optional)
  

If you eat these immediately they are fresh and crunchy, the longer you let them marinate, the more chewy and noodle-like they become. Either can be made up to a day ahead of time and left covered in the fridge, the veggies just absorb more marinade and become more intensely flavored.

*Can anyone suggest a good mandoline? One that can slice hard vegetables, like carrots (mine fails here) and isn't completely terrifying to assemble/disassemble and clean?