CityMama™

Cream of Zucchini and Broccoli Soup with White Truffle Oil

Yes, it's another soup recipe, but what can I say? We're a family that loves its soup! This is one that I usually start as I'm cooking breakfast in the morning and it's done by the time the kids are off to school.

 

CREAM OF ZUCCHINI AND BROCCOLI SOUP WITH WHITE TRUFFLE OIL

White truffle oil is found pretty easily now. Check your local "gourmet" grocer, cheese shop, or places like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table. In a pinch, you can mail order. My favorite comes my local olive oil shop and, according to the owner, it's the same kind that is used at the French Laundry. (Take that with a grain of truffle salt!)

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 zucchini, scubbed and sliced
• the stems of a bunch of broccoli (I used the florets for a salad), peeled and chopped
• 1 box of low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4-1 cup of heavy cream (or half-and-half, but not milk), amount depends on how liquidy the soup is and your personal preference.
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• white truffle oil

In a soup pot, saute onion, zucchini, and broccoli in a couple glugs of olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and simmer on medium-low until broccoli is very soft and zucchini is falling apart, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and whiz the pot with a stick blender until pureed. While whizzing, slowly pour in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowl and add a few drops (a drizzle would be overpowering) of white truffle oil.

Minted Zucchini Soup with Mascarpone

Zucchini soup
Originally uploaded by citymama

Another recipe to show that pretty much everything I make is easy--it just tastes fancy.

All I did here was saute 5 sliced Korean zucchini (they are plumper and lighter in color than regular zucchini)--maybe 2 lbs worth--in olive oil and butter along with one chopped onion and 5 cloves of chopped garlic. Wallie, age 5, was my sous chef and chopped the zucchini and garlic with her trusty butter knife.

After about 10 minutes I added 3 cups of chicken broth and let it all cook until the zucchini was very soft. Then I dumped in a can of cannelini beans (barely drained, you want to use some of the liquid), and then whizzed the whole thing until smooth with my stick blender.

The soup is delish and can be served at this point (it's creamy enough because of the beans), but just to gild the lily (and because I was ridding my fridge of holiday leftovers), I spooned in 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese (light cream cheese would work if you can't find mascarpone) into the puree and let that melt into the soup. (Do not let it boil.) Just before serving I tasted for salt and pepper. I ladled the soup into bowls and topped with mint chiffonade (and more pepper for mine). Both girls gave it two thumbs up and an "Mmmmm!"

Summer Barley-Vegetable Salad with Meyer Lemon-Miso Dressing

One of my favorite grains is barley. I love its earthy, chewiness and that as a "sturdy grain" it lends itself beautifully to soups and salads. I also love grain salads whether made with quinoa, bulgur wheat, or cous cous (okay that's a pasta and not a grain but still) and so it follows that I would love barley salads as well.

There is nothing worse than an under-seasoned grain (or pasta) salad and I think the miso adds big, bold flavor without having to add a bunch of salt. Fresh herbs also add lots of flavor. This is one of my faves and it's the perfect sunny side dish for a spring or summer day.  I make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for weekday lunches and snacks.

• 2 cups of pearl (not flaked) barley, soaked overnight
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one Meyer lemon (about 2 tbsps)

Veggies/Legumes/Herbs: (a handful or so each, use all or some):

• chopped carrots
• chopped cucumber (I like the firmer Persian cukes)
• chopped celery (celery really goes well with this)
• chopped onion
• chopped green onion
• chopped tomato
• chopped broccoli florets
• chopped sugar snap peas
• 1 can of garbanzos, drained/rinsed
• minced fresh parsley
• minced fresh basil
• 1 clove of finely minced garlic and/or shallot

Dressing:

• 2 tbsps white (shiro) miso mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• fresh ground pepper

Drain the soaked barley and place in a pot with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and dump into a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and lemon juice, toss and set aside. Chop veggies and add to bowl. Toss.

For the dressing: Put the miso into a bowl and add hot water. Whisk or mix with a fork until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk to combine. Add pepper to taste. Add dressing to barley and veggies and toss well.  Let sit at least 30 minutes to combine flavors before serving.  Keeps really well in the fridge for several days.

Photo taken with with my iPhone. I am part of the post-DSLR Revolution, are you?

White bean soup with sauteed lacinato kale and veggies [my way]

This is how I do bean soups:

First I soak the beans over night, then I put them in a pot with their soaking liquid, bring it to a boil, skim any foam, reduce to a low simmer and cook until the beans are tender and most of the water has been absorbed (about an hour). They should be slightly dry and not yet soupy. Sometimes I add a ham hock or a Parmesan cheese rind and/or a bay leaf or two to flavor the beans while they simmer.  Then I remove anything added, season the beans and mash them lightly leaving some whole.

In a separate pan, I saute (in olive oil) whatever I am adding to the bean soup. Tonight it's a sturdy bunch of organic lacinato kale, sweet shallots, lots of garlic, garden carrots, and celery.  I cook the veggies until they are crisp-tender, then I season them as well.

To the bean pot I add more water or broth (3-4 cups) to make them soupy or as in the case of tonight, 3/4 of a box of no-chicken broth, then I dump the sauteed veggies into the soup, heat through, and serve. Don't cook too long or the kale (or spinach or chard or whatever you are using) will loose its deep green color.

Tonight's bean soup will be served with a a sprinkling of chopped fresh rosemary, a drizzle of special olive oil, and for the kids, a shaving of pecorino romano, but it's also wonderful topped with freshly toasted bread crumbs or caramelized onions or even a splash of sherry vinegar. You can even add a cup or two of al dente cooked short pasta to the soup for a warming bowl of pasta e fagioli. I love how verstile bean soups can be, whether "meatful" or vegan, it's always tasty.

Once the beans are soaked, the soup comes together fairly quickly.  It's done in about 2 hours (about an hour to cook the beans + 15-20 minutes to saute the veggies), but you don't have to watch the pot every minute.  Enjoy!

Meal Planning Monday for 3/30/09

Chinese-style ox tail soup with traditional garnishes of grated ginger and cilantro and a soy-sesame dipping sauce (for the ox tails). You have to go to a bowling alley in Aiea to get it and it's so worth it. As they say in the islands, this soup is "winnahz, brah."

We're back from Honolulu and after 10 days of delicious restaurant eating, my tummy is in a funk and I'm wanting to get back to a simpler diet.  Our trip was fun and relaxing once everyone was healthy. The girls had a great time playing with their cousins and the plane ride home was the saddest ever.  Once we all landed in San Francisco the kids wanted to get back on a plane to Hawaii. I wish the cousins (and my brother) lived closer.

We're still on island time so we slept in this morning missing hippie church and the farmer's market hours, so after brunch we headed down the street to our favorite local natural foods store, and stocked up on supplies.  We bought grains and veggies and fruits and this week it's going to be all vegetarian, vegan-when-possible fare.

I baked a loaf of 100% whole wheat (no white flour but with vital wheat gluten added)-honey bread in my new Zojirushi bread machine today.  I've never used a bread machine before.  It was absolutely delicious, but the top came out kinda lumpy and uneven (not smooth like in the photos) and I followed the directions to the letter.  Any experienced bread machine users know wassup wit dat?

The [*] indicates locally grown or sourced items. (Haven't done that for a while.)

• Monday: White bean soup with sauteed lacinato kale* and caramelized onions*, green salad* with strawberries*, walnuts*, and Soy Bleu.
• Tuesday: Broccoli* stir-fry with steamed barley and brown rice*, tofu* salad with red beans, olives, and parsley*
• Wednesday: French lentils with herby* yogurt* drizzle, salad with mint*, tomatoes*, and croutons
• Thursday: Probably leftovers from the above with salad if needed
• Friday Family Movie Night: Take out
• Saturday: Possibly Date Night (not sure)
• Sunday: If the nice weather holds, I'm thinking we'll grill some salmon or halibut (not vegetarian, I know) with a chimichurri-style sauce and a some veggie skewers (the girls like to make--and eat--those).

What are your favorite vegetarian dishes? What fun things do you do with whole grains? Tell me!

Somen Salad: A summery taste of Hawaii

This beautiful salad started life as a grouping of composed ingredients in a green heart-shaped bowl. It's then tossed with chilled Japanese somen noodles and a shoyu-sesame dressing.  You can google for your favorite recipe (read them through and you'll get the basic idea), but the basic ingredients remain the same: somen noodles, shredded omelet, pork (char siu and/or Spam), kamaboko (pink and white fishcake). We added daikon sprouts, carrots, and shredded surimi because our market was out of kamaboko.

It's the quintessentially Hawaiian salad—a blend of Asian influences that reflect the beauty of the islands—and I post it in honor of our trip.  We leave this afternoon and I can already smell the sweet, soft fragrance of ginger and plumeria flowers carried on warm trade winds.

Aloha!

Thai Green Curry Veggies

Look at that colorful curry. Isn't it pretty? I make Thai green curry all the time, especially during the cold months of the year. They way I do it probably is not the way to make an authentic Thai green curry, but it's the way I make it (fairly quickly and easily with ingredients that aren't too hard to find), and it really satisfies.

First you need green curry paste. I buy this brand and I get it from my local Asian market. It looks like this (sometimes it comes in a plastic tub):

Then you need some of your favorite veggies:

Put the veggies in the curry and in about 10 minutes you have a pot of something spicy, warming, and delish. Here's how you do it:

THAI GREEN CURRY VEGGIES

Firm tofu is great in this, too. (So is chicken for that matter.)

• 1 onion sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• a little vegetable oil
• 3 tbsps of Thai curry paste (it is FIERY so if you want it milder add less)
• 1 can coconut milk (light okay)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• assorted veggies about 2 lbs-worth (I used green pepper, zucchini, colorful potatoes, green beans)
• fish sauce to taste
• basil (Thai if you can find it) to garnish

In a pot or pan (with lid), saute the onion and garlic in a little oil over medium heat until it's soft.  Add in curry paste and fry for a minute then add coconut milk and broth and bring to simmer stirring to dissolve the curry paste.  Add in veggies (longer cooking ones first then shorter cooking ones later or just dump 'em all in) and fish sauce to taste, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until veggies are tender.  Garnish with chopped basil before serving accompanied by jasmine white or brown rice on the side. Pass more fish sauce for those who like a salty kick.  Serves 4.

The beginning of so many great things

In this case, arrabiata sauce for penne. Wish you could smell my kitchen now...

Sicilian-style broccoli sauce for pasta

Broccoli, garlic, onions, raisins, anchovies (omit if desired), white wine, double-concentrated tomato paste (from a tube), and a pinch of saffron. Came together in about 10 minutes.Try it. You'll like it.

How to: Improvise when you don't have a Crock-Pot [NaBloPoMo Day 12]

Throughout my cooking life, I have had a love/hate relationship with slow cookers. Even with the help of two slow cooker cookbooks, I have never been bowled over by anything that comes out of a slow cooker. It seems to me that they are best used for keeping soups, stews, and chilis hot on a buffet.

I think my biggest problem with Crock-Pots (and I use that term to mean all plug-in slow cookers) is that when cooking meats, to get the best results, you have to brown it in a separate pan first then transfer it to the Crock-Pot and add the remaining ingredients. Those looking for a mess-free short cut to cooking (me) now have to deal with a crusted pan and a splattered stove, and that totally defeats the purpose for me.

Two recipes that I do think work really well in a slow cooker are chicken breasts that are cooked with a little water and then shredded to use in tacos or enchiladas (they do stay moist this way), and chile verde also made with chicken.

I have owned slow-cookers and always ended up giving them away. Here's what I do instead.