Spicy Carrot Soup

Our office LOVES to eat cook. Every so often, we take on a cooking challenge that focuses on one ingredient. In the past, we've featured lemon, pumpkin, and apple, in sweet and savory forms. This time, the lowly carrot, so often pushed aside as an overlooked, overcooked side, too center stage.

I decided to make a harissa-spiked soup I made years ago for a dinner party. It struck me as something different, a new mix of flavors for our group. And it couldn't be easier!

Okay, there is peeling and chopping to do with those carrots, but I find chopping to be very relaxing. You might disagree, and that's cool. Takes all kinds, right?

It's basically sautéed carrots & leeks, stock, and harissa. So dead simple! Once the carrots of softened, you put half of the soup in a blender and purée it, then add it back to the soup. Adds a nice texture and heft to it.
The original recipe calls for chicken stock, but we have a few vegetarians at work, so I switched to vegetable stock. I've never really used veggie stock before, but it turned out to be just fine. It was a different flavor, but it was still delicious, and some of the vegetarians thought the stock's richness gave the dish a meaty taste, anyway!

Harissa, a spicy pepper sauce popular in Northern African cuisine, is the magic ingredient. But a little goes a long, long way. I ended up adding an extra teaspoon, and it was deemed too spicy for some. I'd stick with just the recommended two!

Carrot hummus!

Carrot ring: EPIC

The next morning, I put the soup in a Thermos and carried it off to our Carrot Gathering. We had a delicious variety of sweet and savory dishes (Carrot ring! Carrot juice! Carrot hummus! Carrot-feta dip! Carrot CAKE!!!), and will be adding some of those recipes to my own repertoire! This outing also solidified this spicy soup as a favorite of mine.
You can put it together in less than 20 minutes, and yet the flavor of this dish is surprisingly complex!
You can get the easy-as-all-getout-recipe here!

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State Road: Revisited! (Martha's Vineyard)

A highlight of November's trip to Martha's Vineyard was our meal at State Road, recommended to us by the fabulous couple behind Hungry Native (click to go visit them--I'll wait here!) Our breakfast was jaw-droppingly good and we still talk about it from time to time. On our random, extra trip this April, we absolutely made time for a visit, this time for dinner (and apparently just a day after their opening for the 2012 season!)
Also, we quickly noticed that every single table brought wine with them, as West Tisbury was still a dry town (the vote to approve beer & wine has since passed--cheers!), but considering I was driving us back to Edgartown, it wasn't that big a letdown. We had some Clovis Point Merlot waiting for us at the hotel. ;)

I started with the garlic soup. We had the same server as last time (Caitlin) and she told me the soup had a poached egg (!) from Grey Barn Farms, a chicken broth base, puréed bread crumbs for thickness, and oodles of garlic, plus a ramp-butter crostini. Done and done. I like ramps (some people, especially in NYC, go insane for them), so I figured it was a perfect taste of spring flavors. This was BEYOND good. I have to figure out how to make this! It must have been roasted garlic, because the flavor was slightly sweet and mild, nothing raw or pungent about it. ABF had more than one spoonful of this because it is THAT GOOD. That egg--look at the gorgeous yolk!

ABF sampled the bread basket while I ate my soup--delicious.

ABF ordered the steak dish, which came with sautéed spinach and buttermilk-onion rings. I loved the onions and sneaked a good 2 mouthfuls of the crunchy bits. The steak was super tender and wonderfully seasoned, and the garlic was just right. ABF was hoping for MORE of it, but he did enjoy it. It also came with these fabulous pasta pockets filled with short ribs. Melt-in-your-mouth good!

I went in determined to save room for dinner, so for my entrée, I ordered the Menemsha Lobster Spaghetti, which had pasta made from Grey Barn Farms eggs, roasted tomatoes, local pea greens and asparagus. This was beautiful, but I felt like something was missing and it fell a little flat with me. It was very good, I just didn't fall in love with it like I did with the breakfasts we had last year. Still, a tasty, decent-sized portion that left me with plenty of room for dessert!

And oh, this dessert was worth it. Salted whiskey butterscotch pudding. So many awesome words in that title! YES! It had a great tang of salt, creamy butterscotch flavor, and sublime peanut brittle on top. When did I start liking peanut brittle? Oh right--the SECOND I tried the peanut brittle at State Road.

ABF ordered the flourless chocolate cake, but this didn't win over either one of us. It had a crumbly texture and made me think of more of a semolina cake than the dense, fudgy, richer version we were both picturing. If you want something very light, though, this would be a good pick. I'd rather have more more more of that butterscotch pudding. A lot more!

We saw a final sweet treat arrive with our check--2 delicious, light-as-air macaroons. I don't really care for coconut's texture, but for some reason I love it in macaroon form. These were great!

While the dinner still didn't surpass our remarkable breakfast from last fall, we still highly recommend State Road. Great service, fresh, local food, and love in every bite. Enjoy!

State Road Restaurant
688 State Road
West Tisbury, MA 02575
Phone 508-693-8582

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Cool Eats: Melon-Mango Soup

All this week I'm featuring "Cool Eats," recipes that require little to no stovetop time; perfect recipes to take the edge off that summer heat!

I can't think of a more delectable recipe for ending "Cool Eats" week-and this one requires NO cooking. In fact, you'll have it whipped together in a matter of minutes.

What goes in this fabulous treat? Mangoes, cantaloupe, a little sugar, some white wine, and lemon juice. That's pretty much it. Oh, and a splash of half and half.

I discovered champagne mangoes this summer--they're a bit smaller and much less fibrous than regular mangoes. Huzzah!

These are some slippery ingredients, so don't worry if it gets a little messy. Make sure your hands are clean, that you've scrubbed the outside of the fruits before slicing them, and just toss it all together in the blender.

We chilled these in the hollowed out cantaloupes for an extra bit of fun. It was even more scrumptious scooping out bits of cantaloupe from the fruit while eating the soup!

Mango-Melon Soup
1 mango, pitted
1 cup cantaloupe, just scooped out of shell
1 Tbls lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine (dry or sweet)
2 Tbs sugar
Splash of half and half (or 2 Tbs greek yogurt--we were out of yogurt at the time!)


Toss everything in a blender and give it a good whirl. I poured the soup back into the cantaloupe halves and chilled them about an hour. Divine!

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Cool Eats: Cold Cherry Soup

All this week I'm featuring "Cool Eats," recipes that require little to no stove-top time; perfect recipes to take the edge off that summer heat!

Cherry soup can be heavy and not-so-healthy, but this recipe comes out cool, bright, and deliciously decadent, despite its being not-so-bad for you!

This recipe comes together easily, with only about 15 minutes of stovetop time. It's a riff on the Martha Rose Shulman recipe that was in the New York Times last month. It's healthy, light, and so refreshing!

Fresh cherries can be expensive, so if they go on sale, nab 'em! Or, just splurge on a bit of summer's best work. A fruit stand in my Brooklyn nabe sells them 2 pounds for 8 bucks--that woman has seen a lot of me this summer. :)

Three of us set to pitting 2 lbs of cherries by hand--honestly? Not that difficult. And whatever dropped outside of the bowl, we got to eat. :) Make sure to save the pits, because that's what you use to make a sort of cherry 'stock.'

Mmmm...pitty.

After boiling the pits in the water, you remove them, put in everything but the cherries,yogurt and almond extract, and let it go five more minutes. Then add the cherries, let it "simmah down nah" for five minutes more. You're almost done!

A quick whisking of 1 cup cherry liquid into the yogurt gets the final step going. After the first cup came together, we added the almond extract. I briefly considered adding more than the teaspoon, but the flavor is even stronger the next day, so I think the 1 tsp. is sufficient. And awesome. :)

I couldn't help thinking that this would be equally delectable spooned over some vanilla ice cream, or freshly-sliced peaches and bananas. Any other serving suggestions?

This is dead simple and so, so, so fantastic. We had the first round for dessert with dinner, and more the next day for breakfast. Yay, summer!

Cold Cherry Soup (adapted from Martha Rose Shulman's NYT recipe)

5 cups water

scant 1/2 cup sugar (use less if berries are very sweet)

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp almond extract (YUM)

2 pounds sweet, dark cherries, pits reserved

1 cup Greek-style yogurt (we used Fage 2%)

Bring 5 cups to boil in saucepan. Add pits and boil 5 minutes. Remove pits (water will be tinged rosy-pink) and add everything but the cherries and yogurt. Stir gnently to mix, then let go for about 5 minutes at a rolling boil before adding the cherries. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat to start cooling down.

Take 1 cup of the warm cherry mixture and whisk it into another bowl with the yogurt, whisking quickly, then slowly add the rest, cup by cup. Let it cool down before putting in the fridge. As Ms. Shulman says, you may have to stir it up again before serving, but we didn't really notice any separating.





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Hudson Valley: Jack & Luna's

While visiting my friend LP upstate in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley area, we stopped for lunch at one of her favorite spots: Jack & Luna. This Stone Ridge spot offers sandwiches, soups, wraps, baked goods, and often features live music (and free WiFi)!

It was an incredibly rainy Saturday when we stopped in for a quick bite. We each ordered the soup/sandwich combo for just under seven dollars. The soup: a tangy, soothing and generous serving of their tomato-basil bisque.

This was creamy, crazy hot (blow on it for sure!) and was the perfect balance of flavors. It was garlicky, but not overly so, and the mini crostini they gave us were still soft enough to break apart and chew.

We also got a half-order of the Fontina cheese melt, which had mixed greens and red tomato pesto (sundried tomatoes, I think). I enjoyed this more than LP, who thought the cheese was a little bland. It was perfectly melty, just the right amount of crunch, and the salty slice of pickle on the side was a nice topper.

If you're near Stone Ridge or even just passing through, do yourself a favor and stop by for some delicious and comforting food, not to mention polite, efficient, and friendly service!

Jack and Luna's Café
3928 Main Street (Route 209)
Stone Ridge, NY
845-687-9794

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Panera Bread

I've been going to Panera Bread since it was St. Louis Bread Company, and thankfully the name change did not affect the deliciousness. This is a chain, but it's also a good go-to spot when you want something filling, flavorful, and not too devastating to your waistline (though there are plenty of decadent offerings, too).

This particular meal was at a Panera Bread in Huntington. It was late, it was cold, we were hungry, and I didn't want to derail my efforts to eat healthy fare. I saw their new salad features a Thai-chili dressing over chicken. Sold! This salad has edamame (soybeans), roasted carrots, and tons of flavor. The dressing is a little sweet but a little hot, and I enjoyed the balance. I also got a cup of their smoky, craveworthy black bean soup. I love this soup.

ABF ordered his favorite, the Frontega Chicken sandwich (smoked & pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, grilled on focaccia) with chips. This is melty, smoky, and fannnntastic.

I love this spot--the food is usually fresh, fast and filling, and now it's one of ABF's favorites, too! Win-win!

Are you a Panera fan? What's your must-have there?

Go here for their webpage to find a Panera near you!

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili is one of my all-time favorite cold weather foods. It's also surprisingly easy to make--you probably have most of the items in your kitchen right now!

For a recipe to qualify as a Recession Recipe, it has to be inexpensive and use items that are already in the pantry. I always have chicken broth on hand, along with spices, canned beans, etc. You may not have a can of salsa verde nearby, but it won't set you back that much. I picked this up about 6 months ago at my nearby bodega, and even the jacked-up "convenience" price was just over a dollar. And most of all, a Recession Recipe has to TASTE good!

There are a ton of recipes out there, so I improvised with the basic ingredients. You'll need:
2 15 oz cans Navy Beans (about .89 each at Trader Joe's & corner grocery)
1.5-3 cups chicken stock (on sale for about 4 bucks on FreshDirect.com, or make your own--I've used up all of mine)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin (staple in mi casa)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion (diced in mere seconds thanks to my awesome chopper, last featured here)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
7 oz can green chiles (1.19 at bodega)
2 cups shredded chicken (about a buck or 2 when bought in bulk on FreshDirect.com!)

I sautéed the onions and garlic in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, just enough to sweat them (don't let the garlic burn!!), then I dumped everything but the chicken into the pot. Once the aromatic mixture came to a boil, I simmered it for 5 minutes and then added the chicken. It smelled so good that I could only wait another 5 minutes or so before I doled some out for dinner. YUM! Not as good as my mom's, but pretty damn close. I had some more for lunch today, and it tastes even BETTER!

Caldo Verde

My friend Laura told me a while back about this fabulous soup she made, Caldo Verde (recipe at bottom of post), which is also the national dish of Portugal. In Portugal, they use a specific type of cabbage. For for this stateside version, it's chock full of kale, a green which I KNOW is good for me yet can't manage to make myself eat. Until now. ;)

After work I went up to see Laura's apartment in Harlem and chill out for some movie time. We had planned just to snack on some wine and cheese, but she was putting together a pot of THE soup as well, and I got very excited. Not only was I going to get to taste THE soup, I'd get to see how to make it, from colorful start to delicious finish!

Laura used a recipe from Great Soups. When I arrived at Laura's welcoming, spacious apartment, she already had the veggies prepared: yellow and red peppers, white onion, and shallots (Laura & garlic do not get along). She also chopped up some baby bliss potatoes, cutting them in halves or quarters to achieve bite-size shapes. She added some olive oil to the bottom of her awesome Le Creuset pan and then poured in all the chopped veggies, which quickly set to sizzling and softening. It looked beautiful and smelled fantastic! We also added about 4 links of chorizo--yum! You could leave this out if you wanted to cut down on the fat (and some of the fabulous flavor, I think!) My job was to remove the chorizo from its casing and crumble it into bite-size pieces. I took that job quite seriously (chorizo shown pre-crumbling)!



After less than ten minutes, when the veggies were softening and the chorizo was cooking more, Laura poured in the chicken stock. The recipe calls for 5 cups of chicken stock, but Laura puts 8 in--she says it evaporates too quickly otherwise. I'd say go with her recommendation, because there was NOT a lot of broth, even with the 8 cups used!
Then it was time for the super-star ingredient: curly kale. I was really nervous about trying this, because the few times I've had kale (usually sautéed in olive oil), I found it too bitter and just didn't like it. I was game to give it another go, however, and watched expectantly as Laura piled an entire colander-full of it (about 6 cups) into the pot. I wasn't sure it would all fit, but it cooks down just like spinach, and in a matter of seconds, it was all mixed into the flavorful, bubbling broth.

Once you add the kale, it only cooks for another 3-4 minutes and it's ready to serve! I tried a bite and instantly loved it. No bitterness at all, just leafy goodness with still a little bit of bite/crunch to it. Laura thought it might have needed more salt, but I thought it was perfect as is. The kale gives it a very peppery bite, the veggies are delicious, and the soup is just very satisfying and scrumptious. It's hearty and filling without leaving you sluggish and stuffed. And it has so many ingredients that are so GOOD for you! me! Whatever! I ate the kale and liked it! Loved it!

I've already gone online to FreshDirect.com and added the ingredients to my cart. Looks like this soup will cost about 8 dollars to make (I already have homemade chicken stock in the freezer!) and should last me a few days! Kale is my new BFF. :)

Caldo Verde (adapted from Olga Broderick's "Great Soups" cookbook)
4 T olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
about 2 c. red bliss potatoes, quartered
7 oz. chorizo (casings removed), crumbled
8 cups chicken stock (recipe called for 5, we used 8)
Salt & freshly-ground pepper
6 1/2 cups curly kale, washed

Add oil to pan, cook onion, peppers & shallots about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the chorizo and cook a few more minutes until it starts sizzling. Add the stock and potatoes, seasonings, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and let simmer another 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Stir in curly kale and cook another 3-4 minutes. Taste to check seasoning, add more if needed. Ladle into bowls and drizzle swirl of olive oil on top, if desired. Serves 6-8 depending on bowl size and appetites. :)