recipe: carrot, leek and apple soup
A perfect recipe for the autumn months, when all three main ingredients are readily available at the farm markets.
Carrot, Leek and Apple Soup
(from The New American Plate Cookbook)
1 lb carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (peeling is optional)
1 leek, white part only, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 apple, chopped (preferable a tart variety - the more tart, the better)
1 tbs. olive oil
3 cups chicken or clear vegetable stock
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
dried ginger (to taste)
fresh mint (garnish - optional)
things to like about british cooking
Recently, Kirstin and I went to England and Wales. We always have fun there, and always marvel in how good British cooking actually is. Yes, some of the old standards are heavy on the creams and fat and low on taste, but some of it is truly marvelous.
As they say, you can scoff at British cooking, but you shouldn't forget that essential beers (bitter ales), cheeses (Cheddar, Stilton, Wensleydale), sauces (Worcestershire), and baked goods (Sally Lunn buns, pasties, scones) are part of the lexicon thanks to the Brits.
So with that, a couple of great websites:
The Great British Kitchen - a one-stop for British recipes
eggbaconchipsandbeans - a tribute to the English fry-up
culinary mischief: mormon funeral potatoes
Just to let you know now: I'm not Mormon. But part of the reason I'm around to write this is due to the LDS Church, so I'm cooking a Mormon recipe for a pot-luck party this weekend. I've chosen funeral potatoes due to their almost cult-like status amongst those who know just a little bit about the LDS culture.
What are they? They're essentially a scalloped potato casserole. I've seen a few recipes that all differ a little - some call for diced frozen potatoes (a.k.a. homefries), others call for thawed hash brown potato shreds. All call for a cream soup base - celery, mushroom, or chicken. All have a cornflake "crust," and all feature sour cream.
This is not health food, and the recipes advise the cook to steer clear of low-fat variations on the ingredients, as they don't "gel" as well as their full-fat brethren.
I'll post the recipe I use on the site once I cook the stuff - as well as photos, if I'm not dead from the cholesterol.
imbb 16: eggs
Eggs are such a staple in my house. They are handy for a quick meal, essentiall for certain dishes and desserts, and have such a happy shape.
I've recently grown fond of eggs bought at the Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market. The farmers at the market (many of whom use organic and/or no-pesticide growing methods) sell the most lovely eggs, with deep, golden yolks that create egg dishes that are simply radiant.
So my recipe is simple, something almost anybody here has probably done, but is so essential to my life.
Distressed Eggs with fresh herbs and Tobasco
4 large eggs (for stronger egg flavor, use goose or duck eggs)
5 fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp garlic chives, chopped
1/2 small shallot, finely minced (could substitute spring onion or sweet onion, or omit)
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
Tobasco sauce to taste
1 tsp butter (unsalted preferred), separated into 3/4 tsp and 1/4 tsp amounts
- Heat a small pan (preferably seasoned cast iron or nonstick) over medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until water drops immediately sizzle off surface of pan.
- Add 2/4 tsp of butter and melt to cover bottom of pan.
- Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes or until tender (not until burnt).
- Break eggs into pan, using spatula to break yolks (thus the "distressed" label). Stir to mix in shallot.
- Add salt and pepper (to taste) while egg mixture is still liquid and cook eggs for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add basil, chives and thyme to eggs, letting them sit on top.
- Use spatula to ensure eggs are loose from the bottom of the pan.
- Fold egg "patty" in half, like an omelette and reduce heat to low (nonstick pan) or turn heat off (cast iron).
- Let eggs sit in pan for 2 minutes to allow inside to cook a little.
- Cut into halves and serve, drizzling Tobasco over eggs if desired.
Serve with toast or bread of your choice. Serves 2.
saturday salads: call for recipes
Looking for a Saturday topic, I decided on salad for the summer (or at least until it proves too much of a challenge).
On a hot and sticky summer day, a cold salad is often the best form of light fare. When you already have a diminished appetite due to the human tendency to shut down when it's oppressively hot, the salad is a welcome delight. The summer brings with it a lot of green salad-friendly ingredients: lettuce of all shapes and sizes, tomatoes in various hues, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, bell peppers, avocado, endive, berries, edible flowers... this list could go on and on. The Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market is a sea of flavors and colors during the summer, with local and semi-local farmers displaying a cornucopia of incredients, many of which would be most tasty in a salad.
So what I'm looking for is salad recipes. It could be a green salad, an egg salad, a new twist on a tuna salad, or possibly a Utah-friendly Jell-O salad. Anything goes - have fun!
And please post your recipes in the comments section! Don't be afraid - we don't bite.
wine blogging wednesday: pinot grigio
Welcome to the first official post for Off The Eaten Path. Yeah, it's rough around the edges, but what can 'ya do?
Anywho, here's the entry for WBW 10. The challenge: review a white pinot. It can be a pinot grigio, pinot gris, pinot blanc - basically any white wine featuring the pinot grape.
Vintner: San Camillas (Italy)
Type: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2004
Purchased At: Best Cellars at Dupont Circle
Price: $7
Review:
I've had this wine before - sprite likes the label, and Best Cellars is very good for her, as she doesn't drink wine. The BC store is organized by wine "style," from fresh, to bold, to light, etc.
The nose of this wine is one of citrus, with golden raisin as well. It's very light, with an almost greenish tint, and goes down so smoothly. The taste is surprising: lots of flavor, without being overbearing. The in-mouth experience has a distinctive grape flavor, with a hint of pepper (a tiny hint), and bubble gum, of all things.
This wine is perfect for sultry summer evenings, when the air is thick and all you want is something cold and refreshing to wash down your throat and cool you off from the inside. It also goes with quite a few favorite foods, from pizza to pasta, stir fry to seared tuna. I've even had it with Boca Burgers and GardenBurgers - it's really a good utility wine.
Now this wine is not the one to dig out for a special occasion, but it's a favorite around The Burrow. We always seem to have a bottle on hand for any 'ol occasion.
the start of something big… or small…
It's a bit hard to say what this will evolve into, but I thought that "Off The Eaten Path" would be a great name for a travel-and-food blog and possibly, down the road, something printed. We'll see.