Do You Hear It?

The vague sound of a brass section coming down the street?  That's the sound of the bandwagon I'm about to jump on.  For what, you ask?  A soup that sounds totally unassuming as you're reading through the ingredients list.  And while it looks good in the photos, you're thinking, 'but it's just soup'.

But it's not just soup.  I suppose the first thing I should do is stop calling it 'soup' and start calling it 'stew.'  #thestew, to be accurate.  The hashtag currently has 3,108 posts attached to it on Instagram.  I believe it is totally deserving of each and every one of them.  New York Times Food/Bon Appetit writer, Alison Roman, first wrote about the stew in November.  I'm here to tell you it's delicious.  It's easy.  It's hearty without being overly filling.  We've had a couple of rainy, cold, and grey days here in Los Angeles (it's Winter, after all) and it was the perfect kind of weather for this stew.

You may have caught Alison on the 'Today Show' last week on one of their food segments.  I missed the original NYT article, but happily caught her appearance.  You can see it here.  Watch it, then run to the kitchen and make #thestew.  I'll be looking for your post on Instagram tomorrow night.

Alison Roman's Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk that I riffed slightly.

Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 inch piece of ginger (peeled and grated)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp tumeric
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can coconut milk, full fat
1 cup vegetable broth
1-1 1/2 cups kale, torn from stalk
cilantro, for serving
2 tbsp yogurt
salt and pepper

In a pot over medium heat, add olive oil, garlic, ginger, and onion.  Saute until onion turns translucent and edges begin to brown.  Add garbanzo beans, red pepper flakes, and tumeric.  Allow garbanzo beans to get a little brown on them--8 to 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside about a quarter cup for garnish.  Add vegetable broth and coconut milk.  Stir all ingredients and smash chickpeas as much as possible.  Turn heat to simmer, stirring occasionally.  Let cook for 30-35 minutes.  You'll see the stew thicken around the 30 minute mark.  Add kale, stir, and cook until softened, but still bright green.   Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro, reserved chickpeas, and a dollop of yogurt.

The original recipe calls for mint, not cilantro, but I'm not a mint fan.  Feel free to use it if you are.  Also, the kale can be substituted with spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, or any other leafy green you like.  Add more red pepper flakes if you want to take the spicy up a notch or two.  The original recipe also calls for serving with lavosh or pita.  I found it to be unnecessary, but if you want to sop up all the stewy bits...go to town!

In other news, I want to wish you all an amazing and abundant 2019.  And it will be.

 

Ruled by the Wind...

...or the sun, or the jet stream, or an off-shore flow, or some crazy ass storm travelling down from the Bering Sea.  While the weather tends to dictate what I eat and how I eat pretty frequently, a day's or night's cravings may or may not be fulfilled.  Or you can say, 'to hell with it!' and throw caution into that Santa Ana wind event that's bound to come rolling around.  

And so again it happened.  I wanted soup, it was the kick-off weekend of fall, after all...and yet...Mother Nature thought it would be amusing to give Southern California yet another few days of hot, sunny, 102 degrees in the shade before finally gracing us with days that were almost crisp, where heading out in the morning, I could wear a jacket and maybe even a scarf!

I was thinking about Italian Wedding Soup when I made this.  I still  want to make a classic wedding soup.  When I was young and dad made it, I usually ignored the escarole and ate as many mini meatballs as I could get my hands on, even before they made it into the soup.  Meatballs would have been in the same danger had I made them on this go-round.  So little meatballs...you're safe for the time being.

Curly Endive and Millet Soup

Easily serves 2-4

1 tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, minced

4 cups stock, vegetable or chicken

2 cups water

5-6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded

1 bouillon cube, optional

1 medium bunch curly endive, washed with leaves torn from stems

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup millet

1/4 cup Italian dry sausage, sliced thin into quarters, optional

salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, add the olive oil, bay leaves, garlic, and onion.  Over medium heat, cook the onions until translucent.  When the onions are ready, add the stock, water, bouillon cube, basil, endive, and red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes, allowing red pepper flavor to bloom.  Remove the bay leaves, then add the millet and sausage (if using).  Let soup simmer for 20-25 minutes to let millet cook.  Serve with toasted hearty, crusty bread.

Summer Fresh

By this point, I think you know that when it's Summer, and temperatures are dancing the thermostat higher and higher, nearing the 100 degree mark, I like to make things to eat that don't require cooking.  Okay, maybe toasting bread for a sandwich, or a quick flip of a pita over an open flame to have with an antipasti platter, but no multi burners going, and certainly no oven turned on to roast a vegetable or bake a cake.

I make a version of this soup every Summer.  Based upon a recipe for Chilled Cucumber Soup from Real Simple, it is one of those repertoire items that is difficult not to turn to again and again.  It's easy, delicious, and can take a riff or two if you are so inclined.  I originally wrote about this soup a couple of years ago and shared my version.  Here I am again with the 2014 version.  Bigger.  Badder.  Faster.  Harder.  Or something like that.

Cucumber Spinach Chilled Soup
Serves 4 (as an appetizer)

3 Persian cucumbers, peeled and chopped
3 cups spinach, fresh
2 cloves  garlic, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup water
1/2 tsp shichimi togarashi
pinch of salt

In a blender, add the cucumbers, spinach, garlic, onions, water, yogurt, and togarashi.  Puree until smooth.  Add the feta and blend for 15-20 seconds.  I like the feta incorporated just enough that you'll still have crumbles.  Season to taste.

Note:  If you don't have togarashi, you can leave it out or substitute with red pepper flakes or even chili powder.  Alternately, if you don't want a hint of spice, you can leave it out entirely.  If you're substituting frozen  chopped spinach, I would probably cut the amount down to 2 cups.  

New Old Tools of the Trade

Ever since high school, I've been a collector of vintage.  What I collect has changed over the years.  It started with clothing and handbags, scarves, and jewelry. I went through a very long phase of wrought iron candle holders and candelabra.  Then came the kitchen- and dinnerware.  This phase has lasted the longest.  I've started and stopped collections.  Salt and pepper shakers were my first, because they're small.  But seriously, how many sets does one person need?  I've sold most of them, except for the milk glass range set and a 'fancy' silver pair.  Of course, I should apply that thinking to my current 'accidental' collection of pitchers and creamers.  I can't resist the pureness of a white ironstone creamer, or the charm of a bright red cap on a clear glass pitcher.  I love enamelware and glassware.  Anything in aqua makes me weak in the knees.  I have a set of Sasha Brastoff's 'Surf Ballet' in aqua and platinum that I cherish.  That's my 'good' china, the set I would have registered for...if I had been getting married in 1954.  I can see that dinnerware displayed in a blonde Heywood Wakefield hutch, situated in a dining room flooded with light.  Someday.  When I have the house and the hutch.

I love mid-century pieces.  Stainless steel and rosewood serving trays and platters from Denmark.  Pyrex and Fire King casseroles for roasting chicken or baking lasagna.  Silver-trimmed Dorothy Thorpe old fashioned glasses to channel a 'Mad Men' vibe.   And the cookbooks.  Oh, my god...the cookbooks.  This blog has been a thrift shopping bonanza for me.  Know why?  Props!  An interesting plate, an embroidered tablecloth, a glass juicer.  Sometimes I'll be setting up a photo wishing I had a certain colour plate or working in the other direction, I'll be at the thrift store, pick up an item, and imagine it in a future shot.

I try to be practical (justification!).  I look for pieces that I will actually use on a regular basis.  I don't like anything too fine or delicate (hence the pieces of restaurant ware--they take a beating).  So imagine how happy I was when I came across one of my newest finds, an old enameled dutch oven.  Yes, I already had a dutch oven.  All 5-quarts of it are great when I'm making no-knead bread or a large amount of stock.  I wasn't really on the look-out for another one, but when the opportunity arises, well, who am I to say no?  This one...well, she's a looker.  She's a vintage Cousances (bought out by Le Creuset).  Cobalt blue, 18 cm, a little discoloured on the inside from use, but the enamel is still shiny and only a nick or two in the enamel on the rim and one of the handles.  A perfect bargain at $8.00.  A perfect size for me.  A perfect size for making soup.

Maybe I'll share photos of the blog props after I do some rearranging.  Maybe I need to rotate what I have and freshen up the kitchen.  Maybe I need to purge some of the collection.  Or maybe I just need to keep finding things to make in my new old tool.

Pesto Broth with Butternut Squash Ravioli
Serves 2

For the pesto:

4 oz basil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2/3 cup pine nuts
Olive oil

For the soup:

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
4 tablespoons pesto
2 cups spinach
4 oz ravioli or other cooked pasta
Parmesan, grated, for topping

To make the pesto, remove any thick stems from basil and throw half the amounts of basil, pine nuts, and cheese in a food processor with the garlic and black pepper.  Pulse a few times to mince the ingredients and pour in some olive oil.  Stop every few pulses to scrape down the sides and mix everything together.  Add the remaining ingredients, pulse repeatedly, slowly adding more oil until it reaches a consistency you're happy with.  

Heat the stock over medium heat.  Add the pesto and whisk to mix in.  Add the spinach and let wilt before adding the pasta. Simmer for 5-8 minutes.  Ladle into soup bowls and top with grated cheese.

Note:  I used a butternut squash ravioli from Trader Joe's.  You'll find it in the refrigerated section.  You could easily use tortellini.  If you want to use a plain pasta, I would use a cut like ditalini.  

Isn't she pretty?

It all started last Summer when Dad sent me that green pitcher. 

Out of Sorts...

...I know, I know...it's been a few weeks since I posted. Here we are nearing the end of yet another holiday season and soon we'll be saying 'hello' to a new year. Another Christmas season and I wasn't in much of a holiday mood. The past few months of not having a job, coupled with the holidays, just kept me in a down mood. Some days, very down. I did end up finding a full time job (albeit, temporary) and a part-time job (also temporary), both in retail. While I'm thankful for both, it's not alleviated the constant knot of worry and anxiety in my stomach, since both jobs pay close to only half of what I was making earlier this year. I listen to all the news reports about the country about to go over the fiscal cliff as I stand precipitously at the edge of my own, trying to scrape together the money to pay rent.

 It's made me think about the service industry, one of the fastest growing sectors and one of the poorest paid. Living on minimum wage or just above is not easy. Low pay, no benefits, and you're expected to put a smile on your face and sell, sell, sell. Someone said to me recently that working in retail is corrosive to the soul. Not a bad way to put it. For the sake of my soul...it's time to get out.

 Why am I sharing this? I tend to throw up a lot of smoke and mirrors around myself to keep how I feel and what I'm going through close to the breast. But ultimately, how I feel affects what I cook, how I cook, and even whether or not I cook. For the past couple of months, I've done very little cooking and baking. A lot of what I cooked I put in the 'baby food' category. It was a need for comfort food. Think mush...grits, polenta, rice...and that's if I decided to turn on the burners. There were a lot of sandwiches in there too. And there were a lot of days when eating was just an afterthought because I needed an energy intake. I did bake for the holidays, though not nearly as extensively as I have in the past. But it's my way of showing love and appreciation to my friends and family...and those brief times made me feel better.

 So today I pushed myself to start the break-out...out of my mood, my depression, my cloudy day, and my unfocused mind. I started small; I roasted a couple of eggplants the other day and made an eggplant and roasted red pepper dip, which led to making ricotta, then digging in the fridge and finding carrots and cauliflower, which became a roasted carrot soup. Pita bread became Parmesan-black pepper pita chips to go with the soup. Tonight I will make wine biscuits from the dough I made this morning. This is the most action my kitchen has seen since before Thanksgiving.

 Now it's up to me to keep the black clouds and cold at bay, with the warmth and glow from the oven. Let's bring 2012 to a close, welcome 2013 with open arms, and seek the opportunities a new year brings.

  Roasted Carrot Soup 

 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks 
2 cups cauliflower florets 
1/2 medium onion, sliced 
2 tbsp olive oil 
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
1/4 cup heavy cream
 salt pepper 

 Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large casserole dish, toss carrots, onions, and cauliflower with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 35-40 minutes. 

 Transfer vegetables to a stock pot and add the chicken stock. Heat until stock is simmering. Turn off heat and with an immersion blender or regular blender, puree vegetables. Add heavy cream and blend to incorporate. Salt to taste.

Bourbon Pecan Truffles

Cranberry Pecan Shortbread

Double Chocolate Marcona Almond Biscotti

Panera Bread...and More

I was recently given the opportunity to have lunch at my local Panera Bakery Cafe to try one of their newly developed soups.  I've been going to Panera for a few years now, as it's one of my go-to spots when one of my BFF's and myself get together for lunch.

I went on a late afternoon, after the always busy lunch rush.  Panera has a 'You Pick 2' option that includes a cup of soup and a half of any of their cafe sandwiches.  I chose the Sonoma Chicken Stew and paired it with the Turkey Asiago sandwich.  While I waited for my order to arrive, I enjoyed one of the perks of living in Los Angeles.  Invariably, wherever you go, one of the many conversations you will overhear includes 'the industry.'  At the next table over, I eavesdropped on two young couples discussing where they should go to shoot the next scene in their movie.  After a few minutes of discussion, they all agreed it could be done at one of their apartments.  Be sure to look out for this next blockbuster.

My meal arrived and I went right to the soup.  The Sonoma Chicken Stew has a very flavorful creamy base full of shredded chicken, peas, carrots, and potatoes.  I have to tell you, I was amazed at the carrots.  They looked like little marbles.  I visited the Panera website and discovered that those carrots are called Thumbelina carrots.  You learn something new every day!  The soup also had a slight sweetness to it that I learned was due to the sweet cream added to it.  It was an unusual addition, but one that lent itself to the sweetness of the carrots.  The half sandwich made it a perfect size for lunch or a light dinner.  The Asiago focaccia is delicious, aged and smoky in all the right places.

On any given day, Panera serves six different soups from the Sonoma Chicken Stew to French Onion to Vegetarian Creamy Tomato and more.  You can check out their website to see the daily options, download their menu, or check out the short videos they have on the soups.

[Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post that includes product and/or monetary compensation.   This is my first sponsored post and I chose to do it because, as I stated above, I have been eating at Panera Bakery Cafe for years and would not recommend the restaurant and/or their food if I didn't feel the product deserves recognition.]

On a Perfect Fall Evening...

...the sky was a swirl of grey and clouds, the ground still damp from the rain that took all day to arrive and, best of all, a definite chill in the air.  To say that it was relief would be an understatement.  I was beyond tired of the 100+ degree weather Los Angeles had been living with for weeks.

It would be foolish not to take advantage of the weather.  This was a night that called to be wrapped up in warmth.  Wrapped in warmth like a tawny blanket, heavy as cream, and a cup of ginger-spiked tea in your hands.  A blanket that, strangely enough, looked like a bowl soup.

One of my BFF's introduced me to mirin a week ago, when I had this amazing Asian avocado salsa at her house.  It took me all of three days to find myself at the grocery store with a bottle of mirin in hand.  It would undoubtedly be in that soup, along with the butternut squash and cauliflower that I had.  To add a little more of an Asian twist to the soup, ginger would go in too.  I made toasted sesame oil 'breadsticks' with a day old baguette to serve alongside.  [Cut, toss in a skillet with the oil, and toast.]  I am mad for toasted sesame oil as I also used it to make the 'croutons' on top of the soup.  Those are actually grits that I made, poured in a loaf pan, and chilled until firm.  So easy to slice and throw in a pan with the oil, but be warned, those grits will sputter!  It's worth it though.  They're crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

There will be more chilly, rainy evenings to come.  This is an easier blanket to make, than say, knitting one.  I can guarantee it will taste better.

Gingered Butternut Cauliflower Soup

Makes enough for 4 generous servings

2 cups butternut squash, cubed

4 cups cauliflower

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp butter

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

¼ cup mirin

1 tsp grated ginger

1 leek, sliced (white and light green parts)

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt

Cilantro, for garnish

Croutons, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, toss the cauliflower and squash with the ground ginger, a tablespoon of the olive oil, and sesame oil.  Place in a baking dish and roast until tender, 25-30 minutes. 

In a stock pot over medium heat, warm the remaining olive oil and butter until melted, add the leeks and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the grated ginger and stir.  Mix in the squash, cauliflower, stock, a pinch of salt, and mirin.  Stir.  Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.  With an immersion blender or regular blender, blend until smooth.  Add the cream and blend until mingled.  Garnish with cilantro and croutons.

Holding onto Summer

You know as well as I do that when Labor Day hits on the first Monday in September, there's a shift in the season.  Despite the fact that the first day of Autumn isn't until September 22, you invariably start packing up the vestiges of Summer.  If you have kids, they go back to school and you begin to pack up the fun.    The days feel less carefree and dusk begins to arrive a few minutes earlier every evening.

But look outside...the weather isn't giving up it's heat, humidity, or beating sun just yet. September can be notoriously hot.  So, while part of you may be thinking about apple pies, hot chocolate on a chilly fall evening, or a whiskey to warm you up on a rainy Saturday afternoon, there's another part of you that doesn't want to let go of the bright, cool tastes of Summer.

The past three weeks of 90+ degree weather here in Los Angeles has made me want to put as little effort as possible into cooking.  I've baked way less than I have in months, and I am happily still in an eating rut of sandwiches where the closest thing to cooked is toasted bread and salads multiple times a day is okay by me.  The fruit bowl on the dining table has been overflowing this Summer:  plums, peaches, nectarines, berries, and melons have abounded.  I've been perfectly content standing over the kitchen sink, biting into a ripe peach, trying to keep the juices away from my shirt.  I'll think about making something more substantial, and find myself grabbing a plum and calling it a meal.

I was able to pick up cantaloupe a few days ago for practically pennies.  I think they were three for a dollar.  Since I can't resist an excellent price, I bought them.  I can easily eat half a melon sprinkled with a little sea salt and be a happy camper, but with three melons in the fridge, I knew I'd have to do something else with them.  After making July's cucumber soup, sometime over the past month I came across a recipe on Pinterest for a chilled cantaloupe soup.

Obviously, it took a few days to get the motivation up to make it.  I cut up the cantaloupe a couple of days ago with every intention of making it within hours...but as I mentioned before...this heat.  It makes me lazy.  It makes me wish I could just lounge by the pool drinking sangria.  (I don't have a pool, but I did have sangria.)

Well...I finally made it.  It was worth the wait.

Cantaloupe Soup
(Adapted from a recipe on Food52.com)
Makes 4-5 cups

2 medium cantaloupe melons, cut up (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup almond milk
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one orange
Juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced
2 tablespoon jalapeno 
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a blender, add half the cantaloupe and all ingredients except the sour cream and feta.  Blend until pureed and continually add the remaining cantaloupe.  Blend until  no chunks remain.  In a small bowl, mix feta and sour cream  until the consistency of cake frosting. 

Pour soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the feta cream.  You can also serve it as an appetizer in shot glasses (or any small glass).  

Summer Fare

When the long, hot days of Summer hit, the last thing most of us want to do is spend time cooking.  Admittedly, I have found myself baking on 100 degree days, but for the most part, I'm right there with you and don't want to cook.  I live on sandwiches when the days are sweltering.  But you cannot live on sandwiches alone and sometimes you just want something a little more refined.

My first pick is soup.  I know, I know...here we are trying to stay cool and now I'm telling you to make something that you imagine as being piping hot and best enjoyed on a cold, rainy day.  But no, it's a chilled soup, cucumber soup.  I first came across this recipe in the June 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine and have made it at least once every Summer since.  It's quick to put together in a blender, you can make it in the morning before the temperatures start to soar and stash it in the fridge to chill all day.  Take the serving suggestions from Real Simple--baguette slices, feta, olives, and salami--and with the soup, you've got a satisfying meal.

My next choice requires a little more work and some time simmering on the stove, but the pay-off is fabulous.  Dolmades--stuffed grape leaves.  They take less effort than you think.  Have them as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main course with a salad and call it a day.  I've made dolmades a couple of times and I'm still perfecting my style.  I have yet to learn that less is more when it comes to filling them.  Quite a few literally burst out of their seams when they were cooking, but in the end, they tasted amazing.  One of the nice things about stuffed grape leaves is that you can eat them warm or chilled.

Cucumber Soup
(Adapted from the Chilled Cucumber Soup recipe at Real Simple)

3/4 cup sour cream
6 Persian cucumbers, peeled, chopped roughly
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped white onion
juice of one lime
2 tbsp basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Throw all the ingredients in the blender and puree.  Add a little water if you need to.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let chill for at least 2 hours.  

You can also crumble the feta on top of the soup with a dash of pepper.  That way you'll have the tang of the cheese with the subtlety of the soup.  

Dolmades
(Adapted from Modern Greek)

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
3/4 cup brown rice
20 grape leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup labne or Greek yogurt
1 tsp oregano

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the onion and saute about 5 minutes until they start to soften.  Add brown rice and saute an additional 5 minutes to toast.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  

If you're using grape leaves packed in brine, rinse well.  If using fresh, blanch for a few seconds in boiling water and pat dry.  Lay leaves vein side up and add about a tablespoon of the rice mixture to the center of the leaf.  Fold sides to the center, then fold up from the bottom and roll until you've reached the top end.  Place seam side down in a skillet, packing the stuffed leaves in a tight circle as you go.  Add enough water to cover the leaves, place a plate on top to hold down the dolmades and simmer for 35-40 minutes.  

Blend labne or yogurt with oregano and spoon over dolmades.  Serve warm or cold.  I think they are better when cool, as it gives them time to set.  

Soup for You

It's taken until March for Los Angeles to get a decent dose of Winter; a couple of good rain storms where the Los Angeles River is more than just a narrow channel of concrete, the surface streets become white-tipped rushing waters, and there's a rare rumble of thunder and flash of lightning.  Those are the days best spent inside, in comfy clothes, rain pelting against the windows, and soup simmering on the stove.

Thanks to an overabundance of onions in the Italian Pantry and a flip through Mollie Katzen's Recipes:  Soups cookbook, it was easy to find a recipe worth trying.  When I first saw my plethora of onions, I was going to make French Onion soup, but the Swiss Cheese and Onion recipe in Katzen's book was really appealing.  There was a small issue though...I didn't have any Swiss cheese (or sherry, for that matter), but I did have horseradish (extra hot!), which was the ingredient that tipped the scales in favour of this recipe.  I could do without the sherry.   But I did have vermouth.  A touch of alcohol is a touch of alcohol, right?  After a search of the refrigerator's contents, I came up with Provolone and Mozzarella.  The soup would take an Italian spin (surprise, surprise!).

This also gave me the opportunity to break in the cast iron Dutch oven I finally bought for myself.  I could kick myself for waiting this long to get one, but I'll be using it frequently now.  Wait until you see the results of bread baking in it!  Okay...back to the soup.  It's a quick soup, coming together in less than an hour.  As I said before, the horseradish really adds a smoky depth and a wee bite.  I added a little more than the required teaspoon because:  1.  I love horseradish and 2.  I like a little bite in my food.  You can add more, less, or not at all, but I think you would be doing yourself a disservice if you left it out altogether.  Provolone and Mozzarella mellowed out the taste, and I will be making it again with Swiss, but it's good to know that the substitution doesn't lessen the deliciousness.

Onion Soup
(Adapted from 'Swiss Cheese and Onion Soup' by Mollie Katzen)
Makes 6-8 servings


2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1-3 tablespoons flour
2 cups water
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 1/2 cups warmed milk
1 1/2 cups mozzarella and/or Provolone cheese (grated)
pepper, to taste




Melt the butter in your pot.  Add onions, garlic, salt, and mustard.  Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft (8-10 minutes).  Sprinkle in the flour by the tablespoon, stirring constantly.  The more flour used, the thicker the soup.  Mix well.   


Add the vermouth, water, and horseradish.  Stir and cook for 5 more minutes.  Add the milk and cheese, stirring as the cheese melts into the liquid.  


Let simmer for a few minutes more, adding pepper to taste.  

I followed Mollie's suggestion and served the soup sprinkled with a dash of paprika and homemade croutons.  A swirl of crème fraîche would be lovely too.

And yes....soup reminds me of 'Seinfeld.'

One Year to the Day...

...I started this blog.  That's right...it's the one-year anniversary of Kat Cooks Bakes Eats!  When I started writing, I figured if I was lucky, I'd have some friends and family read a post or two and indulge me.  I look at that traffic widget and I still cannot believe the locations that check in here.  I am floored, flabbergasted, grateful, and humble that so many people find their way and actually read this.  The internet is a BIG place and I have a very, VERY small space in it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now, if I didn't talk about food, I'd be doing you a disservice.  Last week, three of my best friends (affectionately known as The Girls) and I met for lunch at Breadbar in Century City.  It was my first time there and I really enjoyed it.  I had the Cauliflower Soup and finished every last spoonful.  It was amazing.  Served with homemade croutons and drizzled with a curry infused oil.  Like I said...AMAZING.  I came home, determined to make it myself.  I don't think I was home half an hour before I poured olive oil in a jar and added a liberal amount of curry powder to the oil.  Over the past week, I'd shake the jar, turning it over and over to mix the spice and oil together.  I bought a head of cauliflower over the weekend, already had cream in the fridge, made croutons late last week and had vegetable stock in the freezer.  All the ingredients at the ready.  Last night was the night.  The air was turning cooler and the clouds started rolling in (Yes!...we're going to get a bigger taste of Autumn here...rain and cold weather for longer than a day).

I changed the soup up a bit, turning it into roasted cauliflower and carrot soup.  It was absolutely delicious.  I still topped it with the curry oil and homemade croutons.  Just right for a cool evening and definitely would have been better with a grilled cheese sandwich accompanying it, but I was feeling a tad lazy and didn't want to wait to have my soup.

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Soup
(by me)


1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste


Optional:  curry oil, croutons


Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss cauliflower, carrots, and garlic with olive oil in oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle Parmesan and a bit of salt and pepper before popping it into the oven.Roast vegetables until soft (not too soft, not too hard, but just right), about 40 minutes.   In saucepan, heat stock and add vegetables.  Bring to high simmer for 5-7 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, and with immersion blender or regular blender, puree vegetables and stock.  Add cream and mix to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.


You don't need to drizzle it with curry oil or top with the croutons, but I highly recommend it.  I love how the curry flavour mixes with the cauliflower.

You Never Get Tired...

...of some foods.  Take a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of piping hot tomato soup.  Remember that when you were a kid?  I do.  White bread slathered with margarine, three slices of white American cheese, grilled just a little past the well-done side, cheese oozing, and for me, a bowl of Campbell's ABC Vegetable soup.  I could taste it before I even took a bite.  It was always 'right.'  Perfect comfort food; perfect for lunch or dinner, in summer or fall, on a bright day or with a storm raging outside.

The palate changes as you age.  You find new favourites and try new cuisines with tastes subtle or bold.  Then you think about the old stand-bys and what would happen if you tweaked the ingredients.  You think it's time to venture past that can of Campbell's and the loaf of Stroehmann bread.

It might look something like this:

Barbari bread replaces your white bread, Mozzarella and Fontina stand in for the American cheese, and (what would surely make most children cringe in disgust) a few leaves of spinach between the cheese.  You think it's high time you made your own tomato soup and find another use for the tomatoes you cannot stop roasting.

Still right, even on a sunny 85 degree day in Los Angeles.

Cream of Tomato Soup
(Adapted from a recipe on the kitchn)

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups roughly chopped oven-roasted tomatoes 
pinch of baking soda
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
1 cup milk
tomato paste, as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat and cook celery and onions until soft.  Add basil and cloves.  Left flavours mingle for a minute or two.  Add flour and cook for an additional couple of minutes.  Add tomatoes, baking soda, and stock.

Lower heat to simmer and let cook for another 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove pot from heat and puree soup, either in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender.  When soup has been pureed, return pot to heat and add milk.  Stir to blend.  More milk or stock can be added to thin soup if it's too thick.  Add tomato paste, if necessary, to impart stronger tomato flavour.  Add salt and/or pepper to taste.  Can be topped with chopped fresh basil, a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream, or homemade croutons.  

**Notes:  I used Roma tomatoes and low sodium chicken stock from Trader Joe's.  I ended up using 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, because I really wanted a strong tomato flavour.  I also topped the soup with a  healthy dose of creme fraiche.  For leftovers on Day Three, I added cooked spaghetti squash to the soup and topped it with homemade garlic croutons.