Chinese Spinach Soup

Each week whilst wandering about the farmer's market, my eyes kept being drawn to a lovely bunch of leaves marked "Chinese Spinach". The rich red-purple colour was irresistible, & eventually I gave in & purchased the inexpensive beauties, even with no knowledge of what they might taste like.

I wish I had provided you with a lovely picture of those leaves (maybe in the weeks to come) but by the time I finally got around to researching what to do with them, they had fallen somewhat from their former glory & were quite wilted.

Basically this soup is sauteed onion, wilted Chinese Spinach leaves, a few cloves of garlic, & 1/2 cup of Crème fraiche. And to my surprise it came out rather pink, but still rather pretty.

We decided when we try this again we will shred the spinach before adding it, instead of adding it whole. The spinach itself is rather spinachy but with a bit of a sourness. I read that it can be compared to sorrel, but am unfamiliar with that flavor.

Favorite Song for today (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

the Carrivick Sisters- Down on the Sand

Italian-Style Lamb Stew

I combined a recipe from Simply in Season with a few crock pot versions I read online. This was a decadent & savory stew.

Though it was listed under Spring recipes, I feel it was best suited for the coldish early Spring days we have been experiencing of late.

I put one lamb shank, about one pound of meat, in the crock pot. Then I poured in one and one half cup of red wine ($3 Three Wishes Merlot from Whole Foods) and one and one half cup of broth.

I added one medium onion sliced into rings, one can diced tomatoes, & three peeled garlic cloves.

Seasoned with a pinch of salt, a bit of pepper, some bay leaves, & a few sprigs of fresh Thyme.

Then left it to cook for seven hours on low heat.

I added a can of Cannellini beans about five minutes before serving.

As it cooked, it slowly saturated the apartment with its seductive aroma.

This made cleaning the living room, doing the laundry, & re-organizing the closet more pleasant.

It is such a good feeling to let go of piles of stuff. Not that we are minimalists by any means, but every six months or so we do bring bags of stuff off to Goodwill.

Out with the clutter & then the other things can be revealed glamour.

And that is much of what Spring, & the cleaning that comes with it, mean to me. Raking away the dead leaves & branches, & watching the flowers that emerge.

Favorite Song (led to in a more or less direct way by my favorite radio station):

Seabear- Owl Waltz

Minestrone

One of my favorite soups, much better fresh than from a can.

Saute one medium finely chopped onion in two tbsp olive oil. Add three cloves of minced garlic. Season with salt, pepper, & preferred Italian seasonings.

Add two cups of broth & one can of tomato sauce.

Add two chopped carrots, three small chopped potatoes, & four chopped stalks celery. Bring to a boil & then cover to simmer for an hour.

Add one can cannelloni, aka white kidney, beans. Stir in one cup chopped parsley.

About 5-10 minutes before serving, add a few cups of shell pasta.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station): Ben Weaver- The Rooster's Wife

Green Soup

Also found in Simply in Season as "Velvety Vegetable Soup". This soup was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be crisp & light. Instead, it was more like a baked potato with wonderful herb & garden notes. I rather liked it, and went back for more. We had plenty of spinach for dinner!

The recipe makes about seven bowls and takes a little over a half hour to prepare.

I was especially happy that it featured leeks. I don't have them very often, but when I do... I like their sweet-vaguely onion layers. Washing them gently in a bowl of water. The feel, look, & smell appeal to me as much as the taste. Fresh spinach is also quite appealing.

1. Heat one chopped medium onion, four cups diced leeks, and a few diced stalks of celery in one quarter cup olive oil over medium-low heat for fifteen minutes.

2. Add two tablespoons fresh thyme & one tablespoon fresh rosemary (or thyme). Salt & pepper to taste.

3. Add four cups broth and three cups diced potatoes. Cover & simmer for fifteen minutes.

4. Add one chopped bunch of spinach & simmer for five minutes.

5. Blend in small batches in the food processor. Add one half cup milk if desired.

6. I garnished with celery leaves & plain yogurt. Some other suggestions were sprigs of fresh herbs or chive blossoms.

I also had the great luck of discovering the video below.

This has truly been a week of reawakening for me. Rediscovering what gives my life meaning. Being refreshed by the spring breezes, both the warm ones & the crisp ones.

I am enjoying the distractions the world offers from whatever-it-is that my brain typically thinks it's going to figure out through worry. Eternal life perhaps? When all around me there are reminders that life is a changing thing, not something I can keep in a jar.

I hope that wherever you are & whatever you are having for dinner, that you are able to breathe deeply & listen quietly-mesmerized from time to time.

Favorite Song (first heard on my favorite radio station): Hammock- Breathturn

Spring Celebration Soup

A quick-make soup, consisting of clean & fresh flavors.

I adore asparagus. When it's cooked properly to crisp-tenderness. And paired with lemon juice.

1. Sautee garlic. Then add carrots & green onion. Sautee for five minutes.

2. Add asparagus, veggie broth, & lemon juice. Simmer gently for around five minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.

3. Add watercress & salt. Heat for one minute.

4. Garnish with fresh basil & shredded swiss.

I am ready for Spring!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

The Leisure Society- Last of the Melting Snow

Veggie Stone Soup

After discovering yesterday evening that I did not have all of the ingredients required to make what I was going to make, I was forced to improvise.

I literally went on a scavenger hunt through my kitchen, discovering small amounts of leftovers along the way and putting them into the pot with our leftover veggie juice.

I found four parsnips, a can of green beans, a can of black beans, two stalks of celery, one small onion, & two small potatoes. I simmered these with Italian seasonings, garlic, cayenne & pepper. For a little over an hour.

The veggies were firm but soft, not mushy which is what we try to avoid around here. The flavors were delightful. The parsnips really came out, and paired well with the acidity of the tomato based veggie juice.

All in all, a surprise success. After we ate our fill, we felt warm & merry. With 4-6 bowls still in leftovers. We set out into the cold night to hunt down some new ice cube trays. (We had only two and one of them broke.) We came back, as well, with flowers & the ingredients for tonight's dinner (the ones I was missing yesterday).

Favorite Song (featured on my favorite radio station website):

A Hack and a Hacksaw- Cerventine

My Husband's Type of Chili

One of the great things about chili, in my opinion, is that every person has their own ideal & every batch is different. Even if you use the same exact recipe every time, the vegetables tend to vary season to season. But as for me & our household, we do not bide by recipes when it comes to chili.

My chili tends to have many vegetables, feature tomato, & be rather spicy. My husband's chili is all about the meats, the beans, & tangy-barbecue-brown-sugar decadence. This time I made up a batch of chili in my husband's style, while at my brother's apartment this past weekend.

For an approximation:

1. Brown one pound ground beef & one finely chopped large onion.

2. Add five or so garlic cloves (peeled & smashed), three finely sliced Serrano peppers, two cans of country style baked beans, two cans stewed tomatoes, & 3-4 cups of vegetable juice. I also added about one cup of kidney beans, and one cup of corn.

3. Season with (approximately & to taste) three tablespoons chili powder, one tablespoon cumin, one teaspoon pepper, one tablespoon red pepper, & two tablespoons Dijon mustard.

4. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours to allow chili to reduce & flavors to incorporate.

His style of chili is thick & sweet & spoon-lickin' good. Eat up me hearties!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

woodpigeon-7th Fret Over Andres

Taco Soup... A Basic Chili

As you may know, my husband & I love a good chili. Chili being defined by us as a tomato soup with beans & beef, which this is.

As an added bonus, I used some dried kidney beans. I bought them several weeks back, but they always get left behind for canned beans. The canned alternative being easier & only marginally pricier. However, with how much we also love beans, for us dried beans are actually the most cost-effective & I would claim tastier choice.

However, I messed up & did not remember to soak them the night before. So instead I quick-soaked them (boiling them for two minutes then soaking them for two hours) & then I cooked them on low heat in the chili for two hours. Usually the cook time would be about ten minutes. So you can see my bean-dilemma now.

This soup would typically take less than half an hour to make, & easily feed six people.

1. Brown one pound of beef with one small chopped onion.

2. Add six cups of tomato juice, two cups corn, two cups kidney beans.

3. Season with chili powder. I would also recommend cumin & /or cinnamon for the adventuresome. And, of course, garlic.

4. Simmer ten minutes.

We served it with the crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, & a dollop of plain yogurt.

All in all a vibrant & vivacious bowl of soup.

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

(& the video is pretty sweet, too!)

Johnny Flynn- The Write And the Writ

Ethiopian Lentil Stew

If you love garlic anywhere near as much as we do, you need to try this.

The paragraph above the recipe says it was submitted by the owners of a restaurant in Coralville, IA (not far from where my husband & I attended college). The owners came over here from Sudan, and recommended this as a good meal if you have a cold.

Both my husband & I (but especially my husband) have been fighting off head colds for the past several days. So I thought I'd give it a shot.

1. Soak the lentils for half an hour, then drain/set aside.

2. Saute two large chopped onions & one whole head of garlic peeled/mashed until golden brown.

3. Add three tablespoons tomato paste & two cups of water. Stir together. Then add another cup of water & incorporate. Add paprika, ground ginger, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Then reduce temperature & cover. Cook for half an hour.

4. Just before serving add one quarter cup of lemon juice. Serve hot.

It rested somewhere between tomato soup & curry, featuring garlic & lentils in a big way. It sure beat chicken noodle soup, in my own opinion.

I didn't listen to my favorite radio station yesterday. Instead I listened to a CD by one of my favorite artists.

This song relaxes me at some deep inner level in that sweet-bitter way that only love can make me feel : Joanna Newsom- Easy

Hearty Lentil Stew

A simple valentine dinner.

Put into a soup pot: four cups water, one cup dried lentils, one can diced tomatoes, two chopped onions, four chopped large carrots, thyme, & marjoram.

Simmer for 40 minutes.

Add one quarter cup chopped fresh parsley.

Garnish with swiss. Or we used Parmesan.

The earthy & herb taste of this stew is not to be underestimated. All in all a satisfying & comfortable meal.

My husband & I had a delightful weekend full of adventures all to ourselves. And a pleasant Monday evening. This man is incredible.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): Dick Gaughan- No Gods

Marrakesh Lamb Stew

All I can say is the spices were well balanced, the lamb was tender & juicy, & the rutabagas/chickpeas/raisins danced in my mouth. Each bite was delicious.

Start by cutting a little over a pound of boneless lamb into bite sized pieces. Then brown in a soup pot before setting aside.

In the same pot saute one large onion and two cloves of garlic. Then return the meat.

Add five medium carrots, two cups stewed tomatoes, one large rutabaga, one cup water, one cinnamon stick, & one tsp each of cumin, coriander, cloves, & turmeric. If you like add some red pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, & reduce heat. Simmer for forty minutes.

Then add two cups cooked chickpeas, and one half cup raisins. Cover and cook another ten minutes.

Stir in some fresh parsley and you have what is an intriguing & yet comforting stew.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): Tony Reidy- November Daisy

Curried Bisque

A bisque as rich in spice as in creaminess! Another easy-pleasing soup for a dark winter evening.

I made a half recipe, that is about ten cups of soup. Plenty for us.

Saute in two tablespoons of oil: two tart apples, one carrot, one onion, one sweet bell pepper, & two stalks of celery. For ten minutes.

Then add: around two cups of broth, one chopped potato, one half cup of raisins.

Spice it up with curry (I used garam masala) , cardamom, & thyme.

Simmer twelve to fifteen minutes. Then allow to cool before blending with food processor.

About ten minutes before ready to serve. Add one cup milk, two cups broth, and some tomato sauce. Reheat over medium heat until hot, but don't boil.

I garnished with cilantro.

It was one of those nights where even the liveliness of the soup couldn't break us from our winter-drowsiness. Before we knew it, we'd spent the evening on the couch with both of our cats vying for attention.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): The Bothy Band- Rip the Calico

Guest Post: Maple Parsnip Soup

I could think of nobody more suited to guest post about a parsnip dish than my husband. He's a charming fellow, with his own angle on the world. I think we'll enjoy!

And so there we were, my horrorshow starries, an evening after a large lunch that stuffed us well into the evening. Good thing, too, because I'm rather slow at chopping things, and turned a 15-minute chopping job into a 45-minute one.

5 parsnips, sliced and chopped again: check.
2 garlic cloves minced: check.

2 onions chopped... well, obviously, I eventually managed it. I don't know if it was my slow chopping technique or they were simply oni-yons (鬼 四, demon four), but it was emanating strongly enough into the other room that my wife and brother-in-law's eyes started hurting, too.

Finally, when I got that done, I put 3tbsp butter into this giant pot of ours, and started it melting/browning. Before it burned, I put the chopped ingredients in, let the onions cook until translucent, and then poured in our 1.5L of chicken broth. On a side note, one hand-sized bottle of Dr. Pepper is 500mL. Not that I used one for measuring.

Cooking for 40 minutes left me time to discover wormux, xscorched, and lostlabyrinth, and download them. I got to start playing wormux, which isn't quite as sleek in actual gameplay as the commercial Worms games I've played, but at least it's got a decent menu interface, plays nice in a window (doesn't screw up your video or freeze when you try to switch away), and it's got at least the basic gameplay there. And it's free, so if you want to play it with friends at a LAN, you can do it without stealing.

I also set up my first Windows virtual machine using QEMU/KVM rather than VirtualBox. I want to know how to do it in as many formats as possible. Maybe I'll set up a miniature domain one of these times.

That took longer than expected, but I was reminded by the timer I set, so that's fine. I went back, took it off the heat, and added a cup of milk (subsituted for a half cup of evaporated milk). Then I proceeded to... look at the instructions and re-read the next section. I wasn't sure I was reading it right - blend it? Yup, blend it. So there I go and blend it, as much as I could reasonably fit into the blender/food processor at a time. Then stir in 1/3 cup of maple-y syrup and garnish with cashews (geseundheit). The recipe suggested pine nuts, but any nuts should do. Maybe not coconuts, though. That might have to be an experiment.

Quite tasty already, it didn't need the recommended salt, but I'm a salt junkie and still put some in. The sweet-but-earthy taste of that prince of root vegetables, the parsnip, was not lost. In the future, if I were to do this again, I would a) try to get better at chopping more quickly, and b) try leaving 1/3 of the soup unblended.

All in all, a nice experience and a tasty soup!

For your listening pleasure: Amy Beach- Dreaming

Winter-Night Borscht

I've got to say, this was my favorite borscht yet. It manages to not be too watery, or too beety, or too meaty, or too anything! And I love the hints of bay leaf, dill, & parsley.

Start with a large soup pot & brown one pound of stew-beef (or chicken) with one chopped medium onion for ten minutes. I only used half a pound of beef. Then add 8 cups of water (I substituted one of the eight with one cup of chicken broth), one shredded half-head of cabbage, one cup of chopped beets, one chopped carrot, two chopped potatoes, one half cup pearl barley, two bay leaves & salt/pepper. Bring to a boil. Then simmer for 30 minutes.

Then add one half cup each of beet greens, fresh dill, & fresh parsley. (The first two are optional, but I thought they were great.) Simmer for another ten minutes.

I garnished with fresh parsley & plain yogurt.

We ate while watching an episode of Psych, pausing to look at each other to laugh quite often. It is filmed in Vancouver, Canada & we daydream together sometimes of living in Vancouver, Washington some day.

After dinner it was off to my parents' house... chasing away a bit of our feeling of being trapped in by recent weather & bringing us into good company beside a crackling fire.

Favorite Song (from my favorite radio station): Jez Lowe- Jack Common's Anthem

Tangy Carrot Chowder

My assessment of this chowder is that it is basically chili with carrots instead of beans. That being said, I love chili & I love this chowder. The carrots really are a treat, & the tang is lively. Another hit from Simply in Season...

First I browned one pound of ground beef in a soup pot. Then I added a half cup each of chopped celery, onion, & green pepper. I stirred in two cans of tomato sauce & one can of cream of celery, added three minced cloves of garlic, & shredded in two large carrots. Then salt & pepper to taste.

After thirty minutes of simmering the aroma was irresistible.

I also baked crackers again. This time I used all rye flour, & no all purpose. One of the things I love about baking my own crackers is that I decide the shape as well as flavor.

We spent the evening up late, excited for the trip ahead. We begin our journey this evening, but not until after dinner. Check back this weekend, though...

I plan to post on tonight's dinner tomorrow. & then I have a post stored up for Sunday...

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time):

Andy Irvine- Your Rambling Boys of Pleasure

Sweet Potato Soup

This is a simple soup that is both sweet & festive. Better yet... Only six ingredients and only five steps!

In fact, I'm going to do something I generally don't and basically post the recipe. I don't want to do this every day, because then I feel like I'm just stealing the cook book.

Did I mention the book has interesting articles under many of the recipes? Just another reason I think Simply in Season is simply amazing.

1. Saute one medium onion, chopped, in one teaspoon oil. In a soup pot.

2. Bring to boil 5 cups of beef or vegetable broth. Then add 2 large sweet potatoes, chopped. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

3. Add 2 cups, about one can, of diced tomatoes with juice. & 1/4 teaspoon white pepper.

4. Puree in blender or food processor.

5. Add 3/4 cup orange juice & heat gently until hot.

I also made crackers. Simple grainy goodness. I used this recipe but I added a bit of rye flour in for some of the all purpose. Enjoy!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Pentangle-Once I had A Sweetheart

Curried Carrot Soup

A quick Sunday post.

If this Curried Carrot Soup looks very similar to the Sweet Potato Soup, that's because it actually is.

This soup has celery & garlic sauteed with the onions, and no tomatoes. It also has curry powder instead of white pepper. Other than that, the recipes are interchangeable.

In fact, the Sweet Potato Soup assures that you can use carrots instead of sweet potatoes. And the Curried Carrot Soup says you can use sweet potatoes instead of carrots.

You can't go wrong, either way!

The Carrot Soup suggested a dollop of plain yogurt, and some cilantro sprinkled on top. I recommend both or either. I have also tried this soup with a dollop of sour cream. The sourness in such a sweet soup creates interest and balance.

Have a pleasant weekend!

Favorite Song (on my favorite radio station during prep time): Lizzie Nunnery-The Sleepers

Delightfully Dilly

I consider food a hobby. Cooking, food photography, and folk music... I intend to explore these here. I don't know much in any of these areas extensively. That's how I use the word "hobby". Something I casually learn in a leisurely way, & don't seek perfection in so much as interesting projects.

I made a half batch of the Dilly Bean Potato Soup, as instructed in "Simply in Season," last night.

I appreciate this book. It stays true to its idea of simplicity. Firstly in the ingredients list, which is generally fresh produce and not much else. I am a huge fruit & veggies fan. I find them attractive, refreshing, & diverse.

Another thing I appreciate about this book is the minimal instruction. Some things are relatively set, such as in this recipe "8 medium potatoes" or "1 1/2 cups of celery (chopped)". Many other things are dependent upon taste & availability, such as how long to sautee the vegetables, or how large of carrots to use. The instructions below the set of ingredients are usually limited to a short sentence, and the ingredients are bunched together in sections before these minimalist instructions.

Much of the preparation for this soup was chopping of vegetables. I am improving technique-wise in this area, but still need to improve uniformity and speed. All in all I was happy with my results, however. Most of the preparation consisted of boiling the ingredients in chicken broth. Happily we were able to use homemade broth that we produced last week.

It was richer, darker, & more flavorful than typical broth. I was a bit afraid that this would cover the dilly taste, but I need not have worried. The dill was subtle but pleasant. The vegetables were cooked to our taste, soft but not mushy. The potatoes were cooked as the recipe suggested, and were agreeably smooth perfectly short of a state of disintegration.

I felt that it featured the great northern bean in a way that many dishes do not. In fact, I've only ever had this bean in ham soups. Ham is one of my favorite foods, but not in soups. I liked this bean much better in this soup. Everyone went back for a second bowl, and one of us had a third.

The consensus was that the soup was a success, and we would all look forward to having it again. The creaminess was pleasant, & it lacked the thick heaviness that potato soup usually has to offer.

We ended up with about three bowls left over, perfect for lunch today. The recipe said it served twelve, so I halved it. I still think it could have served twelve.

The night was cold around us, but we filled our bellies with warm soup & our time with laughing company.

Favorite song (on my favorite radio station during cook time): Devon Sproule-Ain't that the way.