Food52's Roasted Carrot Soup

The hubby's lunch, Roasted Carrot Soup and Sprouted English Muffin "grilled cheese"  

 

I am ecstatic to report that as of Monday, (this Monday, the day after tomorrow Monday!?!), I will be starting my new job as Director of Ad Sales at Food52. Apparently, dreams do come true.

If you haven't checked out the site, please do! It is a wonderful social cooking hub with mouth-watering photography, witty editorial, tens of thousands of user tested recipes and a food hotline.  It rocks my culinary world.  Outside of family, friends and yoga, I've always had two passions: my sales career and my love of food. The opportunity to marry these two worlds is beyond thrilling.  I literally can not wait to get to work!

In the middle of a particularly icky winter, and to unveil this amazing change in my life we enjoyed a Food52 Best Carrot recipe winner, Roasted Carrot Soup. Rich not heavy, robust not grassy, we all sopped it up.  By all, that means baby too!

Now pardon me while I get back to my happy dance.

Roasted Carrot Soup
Best Carrot Winner, Food52.com
Ingredients

• 8 large carrots 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (low sodium)
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled
• 1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

• Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Set an oven rack 8 inches from the top, turn broiler on high and broil  carrots until they brown, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Place the diced onion in a stock pot with remaining olive oil. Brown over medium heat, stirring frequently. Then add the garlic, and carrots.
• Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock, then pour the stock into the onion pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

My Amazing New Bamboo Personalized Cutting Board, from here

 Leftovers make GREAT Baby Lunches

Leeks Vinaigrette

If I am home alone for lunch or dinner, I often turn to this addictive recipe for leeks vinaigrette.  It has everything I love in a recipe: Ease, bold flavors and a focus on the main vegetable.  I'll often prepare it and lap up the entire pan myself in one sitting.  But don't be fooled by my gluttony, it serves as a great side-dish to grilled white fish, roasted chicken or even a quiche at brunch.  Since it can be enjoyed warm or at room temp, it's perfectly versatile. 

It is a messy dish, bright and bold in your mouth but all slopped together on your plate, and that's a large part of the charm.

If you are anything like me, when you read Molly of Orangette's blog-post, you'll wish that it had been you living in Paris, and that it was your host mother preparing the original dish.

Note about cleaning: If you cook with leeks ever, the recipe below includes leek cleaning instructions that were kitchen-changing for me.

Leeks Vinaigrette
Courtesy of Orangette 
Ingredients 

• 2 to 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp. salt, or more to taste
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small to medium shallot, minced
• 2 lb. small leeks (about 7 or 8) 
• Optional garnish: Finely chopped bacon or finely chopped hard-boiled egg

Directions

• In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar with the mustard and salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Taste and add the remaining vinegar if  it needs it. Mix in the shallots and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it REALLY well. The key, as Molly puts it, is that it should taste like sea water.
• While the water comes to a boil, trim off almost the entire root of the leek keeping the stalk in tact. Remove the dark green leafy parts, leaving just white and pale green parts. 
• Next, for the best leek cleaning trick ever, I've copy and pasted exactly from Molly : "Starting about 1 inch from the root end, so as to keep the white part intact, cut lengthwise down the middle of the leek. Wash the leeks well under running water, flushing any dirt from between the layers." 
• Add the leeks to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes until they are nearly falling apart. 
• Drain the leeks well, transfer them to a clean kitchen towel or paper towels on the counter and blot dry. 
• While still hot toss them with a generous amount of the dressing.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, with more dressing spooned on top and a pinch or two of salt. For a fuller meal, garnish with bacon and/or chopped egg.

Roasted Eggplant with Basil

I whipped this up this for lunch the other day after a very complicated Google search for ingredients on hand in my fridge.... "eggplant and basil." Wow did it knock my socks off, or really, knock the fork out of my hand. 

I love when unexpectedly a dish becomes a favorite. Four main ingredients, about 5 minutes of prep time, and voila! So simple but oh so good. On its own over rice, tossed with a protein in pasta or as a vegetable side to a larger supper, this eggplant dish is delish. Thanks, Martha!

Roasted Eggplant with Basil

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper 
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar 
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees
• On a rimmed baking sheet, toss eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
• Roast until browned and tender, about 25 minutes
• Toss with red-wine vinegar and basil leaves 

About Eggplant

While closely related to the potato family, eggplant is botanically classified as a fruit or berry because of the edible seeds. Salting eggplant, or aubergine, before cooking it will reduce the amount of oil absorbed during cooking. Thomas Jefferson, an avid gardener, introduced eggplant as one of many "exotic" plants into his impressive garden at Monticello. Good for Thomas, because these veg are full of vitamin C, calcium and potassium.

Swiss Chard & Onion Pasta

This post is as much about the perfect afternoon, as it is about a delicious meal.  The pasta was easy to prepare ahead of time making it just right for a summer picnic.  Feta lends creaminess, caramelized onions a dose of sweetness, and swiss chard nutrient-rich goodness. I've added it to my go-to pasta list and hope you do too.

If only I could do the same with the afternoon, re-creating it whenever I pleased! Great friends in town, two new babies meeting for the first time and a sunshine-filled picnic. Here are my two guys, incognito, enjoying it.

Swiss Chard & Caramelized Onion Pasta

courtesy of The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cups chopped white onions
• 8 cups packed chopped swiss chard
• 1 lb whole wheat penne or fusilli
• 1/2 lb crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Water for pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Start pasta water, and when boiling begin cooking it
• Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, til they start to caramelize
• Add chopped greens to the pan, de-glaze with the balsamic vinegar and cook another 10-15 minutes
• Just as the pasta is finishing, add feta to the greens mixture (reduce heat to low) and mix to melt
• Add the pasta to the greens pan, mixing thoroughly with heat for a minute or two
• Salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot or at room temperature 

About Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard, also known as silverbeet, Roman kale or strawberry spinach, is a nutritional powerhouse. Popular in the Mediterranean, the stems are varied in color and can be grilled on their own for a crunchy treat. 

Lauren Lately: Fritattas & Chicken

"Lauren Lately" is a series featuring the latest quick meals in my rotation when I cook but don't necessarily create a blog-worthy meal. 

1. CSA Veggie Frittata:  We receive a dozen divine fresh eggs each week and love frittatas.  Last night's mix… sauté diced garlic scapes and zucchini in olive oil until browned. Top with 2 cups of chopped kale and 1.5 cups of stock. Cook until the stock is almost gone, remove from the pan and drain. While any CSA veggies will do, the trick is to add flavor with chicken or veggie stock. 
 
For a three person frittata, whisk 6 egg yolks with ½ teaspoon of salt in one bowl, and vigorously whisk 8 egg whites with 2 tablespoons of stock for 2-3 minutes in another. Combine, melt a pad of butter in the same sauté pan and pour in eggs. Cook over medium heat until the eggs just start to set. Spread the cooked veggies out evenly and top with a few disks of mozzarella cheese. Pop the whole pan in the oven and broil on high until cooked through.   

2. Quick & Easy Dijon Grilled Chicken:  As part of my mission to spend less time in the kitchen mid week, a friend shared this delicious recipe.  I double it and pre-make 4 dinners worth, freezing individually so I can pop them frozen on the grill in Montauk or in a glass dish at home. Combine 1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup dry white wine, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon honey.  Toss in four chicken breasts. If using right away, let marinate at least an hour at room temperature. Grill or cook for 25 - 35 minutes @ 400 degrees. 

3. Steamed Veggie’s For Lunch:  Line your steamer basket with bite size garlic scapes. Continue to layer the basket working from hard to soft, meaning radishes or turnips first, then boy choy and finally kale or other soft greens. Steam over hot water for 3-4 minutes, toss with a squirt of lemon juice or sesame oil and a chopped hard boiled egg.

Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke) & Mushroom Soup

My new found love, as you may know, is the Jerusalem Artichoke (a.k.a. Sunchoke).  Watch out kale, watch out, because I'm starting to cheat. This nutty, perfect to roast, easy to prep, lesser known root veg may be edging you out as my favorite.

The nutty flavor lends itself to good paring with mushrooms.  So when we opened the Montauk house last weekend, I tried my hand at a new soup recipe.  (Did you process that? We... opened... the... Montauk... house!! Hooray!)

Healthy, but complex, I hope you enjoy it.

Jerusalem Artichoke & Mushroom Soup 
Ingredients

• 3 cups of cleaned, roughly peeled (remove major nubs) and chopped Jerusalem Artichokes / Sunchokes
• 1 - 1.5 cups of cleaned, chopped mushrooms 
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 3 cups of broth / stock (beef would be great here, but I had homemade chicken stock on hand)
• Salt & Pepper

 Directions

• Cover the Jerusalem Artichokes with water in a pot, and boil over medium heat until tender (15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of your chop)
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot and saute the mushrooms until glistening, adding the garlic in 3/4ths of the way through
• Salt and pepper the mushrooms to taste
• Add the tomato paste and stock, stirring to mix
• Drain the sunchokes and add them to the main pot
• Puree using an immersion hand blender or by transferring to a blender in batches
• Top with herbs and a poached egg and serve

Soup with a half submerged Poached Egg

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

As part of Operation July (a.k.a. feel good about my body 6 months after birth), I am on a vegetable-based lunch mission. It has taken a bit of discipline to have enough creative and quick to make options on hand, but I'm getting better at it.

I'm washing and bagging my own lettuce mix (radicchio, endive and red leaf), storing chopped vegetables to easily scoop on salads, hard-boiling a dozen eggs on the weekend, and always making sure I have ripe avocado and good steaming vegetables on hand.

The real breakthrough has come by stocking up on homemade dressing. Prep on Sunday is leading to saved time mid-week AND a good variety making the vegetable lunch mission sustainable. Sesame vinaigrette, shallot lime... and today's flavor, Carrot Ginger.

As you know from this post, I'm a Japanese food fanatic. The winter CSA is carrot and garlic heavy, so the timing is perfect for my take on the staple Japanese dressing. I've made a lot of carrot ginger dressings, (this, that and the other one) and now have my personal perfect recipe down. The key is 10 minutes of extra work, boiling the carrots to soften them. It makes all the difference. Enjoy!

Carrot and Ginger Salad Dressing 
Ingredients

• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 orange
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 inches of fresh ginger, peeled*
• 1.5 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3-4 medium to large carrots 
• 1/3 cup reserve cooking water

Directions

• Clean the carrots, roughly chop them, place them in a small pot and cover with water
• Bring to a boil and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes
• Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of cooking water
• Add all the ingredients to a food processor, and blend until smooth

*Love this trick: The easiest way to peel ginger is with a teaspoon.... the skin slides off!

The latest batch of dressings, Carrot Ginger on top!

Curried Celery Soup

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, and in this case, that means not judging a recipe by its title.  I like celery as much as the next gal.  It's crunchy. It has has terrific hummus and peanut butter scooping propensities. I also love Indian Food.  Somehow, though, curried + celery + soup sounded, well... sorta just okay, not terribly special.

The deluge of celery in my weekly CSA and gorgeous list of accompanying ingrediants turned me onto this not-so-aptly titled soup and I am grateful for it.  Think Indian root vegetable stew, not just curried celery.

If you like Indian food and thick fall soups, this ones for you (that means you Penny!). Top with a dollop of fresh yogurt or sour cream and dig in!

Curried Celery Soup

Recipe courtesy of MyFarmShare 

4 servings 

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 cup celery leaves, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 apple, diced
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth  
• 4 teaspoons curry powder (or garam masala which is all I had on hand!)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin (omit if using garam masala)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Sauté the onion, carrot and celery in a little vegetable oil for about 10 minutes.  
• Add the potatoes, sauté for another 5 minutes.  
• Add the garlic, the apple and the spices, continue to sauté for a few more minutes.
• Add the broth, scrape the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.  
• Cook for another 10 - 20 minutes (test to make sure a potato cube is cooked) and then add the celery leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.  
• You can blend the whole batch with in a food processor or with an immersion blender, however, I'd suggest just blending half for a chunkier end product.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

A Vacation Post & Roasted Radishes

We enjoyed a week holiday.  First in lovely Maine gorging on lobsters and potatoes, and then in Montauk reading, relaxing and doing some serious rain-induced puzzling.  The lobster eggs benedict at this restaurant in Portland and the lobster roll at Calder's Clam Shack on Chebeague Island were major food highlights of our trip up north, should you find yourself in the neighborhood.  

With the travel, I gave our weekly CSA to good friends down the street.  I delighted in their reviews, "The veggies are AWESOME. Simply Amazing," and experienced a hint of jealousy when hearing about sauteed garlic in radish greens.  Farm fresh radishes are an absolute favorite of mine.  When I first had a farmers market radish, the pungent, crisp morsel so out-shined the supermarket's watery variety that I knew local and in season eating was a must. 

On Thursday, I attended the Montauk Farmer's Market and inspired my radish envy, picked up this gorgeous bunch.

My farm share's weekly email shared a quick recipe for roasted radishes.  While others at my table loved them, I found them just so-so.  The roasting cut out much of that bright spicy flavor, and they almost tasted like slightly spicy small turnips. Not bad, just not as expected.  Since half my table enjoyed them (and shared that sentiment unsolicited!), I share the recipe below.  I'd love to hear your comments if any of you give this easy recipe a go.
  

Roasted Radishes
Ingredients 

• 1 bunch of radishes
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Thyme or other herbs as desired

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 250°c.
• Trim the radishes well (saving the green tops for a salad or saute if you are so inclined!), leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. 
• Rinse the radishes well. For me, this involves a brush or a good finger nail over the particularly earthy spots.
• Place the radishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter and olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and herbs.  Toss to coat.
• Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the radishes are tender but still slightly crunchy (red radishes will turn pale pink in color, lighter radishes may turn a pale gold). Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Squash Ribbons with Poached Eggs

Squash is one of my “grown-up” foods.  After refusing politely declining it for years, I have come around.  It's no kale or beet in my vegetable love spectrum, but I am happy to finally be a content squash eater.

Two weeks of bountiful green and yellow squash delivery was still a bit overwhelming, despite my new found status.  I challenged myself to use it as simply as possible, and not become bogged down by a complex recipe. 

When my brother stopped over for an unexpected lunch, the squash called my name.  I whipped out my mandoline, a favorite wedding registry gift, and a light lunch revealed itself.

 Squash Ribbons with Poached Eggs

Ingredients

• 3 small summer squash, (green & yellow), thinly sliced on a mandoline or by hand
• 1 glove of garlic, sliced 
• 3 tablespoons of good olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 organic eggs
• salt & pepper 

Directions

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, sauté for 30 seconds.  Add and sauté the ribbons of squash around the pan.  Toss after a few minutes, and continue to sauté with an additional glug of olive oil and a few healthy cracks of salt and pepper.  Sauté until translucent, and just browned.

Initial Ribbons 

Finished Ribbons  

• Meanwhile, crack eggs into individual small bowls or glasses.  (I find my eggs poach better when I can pour them from a glass, instead of cracking them directly into the water). Bring a small pot of water, three to four inches deep, to boil. Using a spoon, swirl the water rapidly in a circle to create a tornado like effect.  Turn off heat, and quickly pour in the eggs, one after another into the swirling water.  Cover, and let stand for 3 -4 minutes. 
• Toss squash ribbons with Parmesan cheese, and divide evenly among two plates.  Top with a poached egg, and serve with a hunk of crusty bread.  

About Summer Squash 
According to my farmshare e-letter, "summer squash are divided into 4 groups: crookneck, zucchini, straight neck & scallop /pattypan." Squash comes from the Native American word Askutasquash for raw or uncooked. 

Beets ala Buvette

As you may know from this post, I adore beets. In soup, salads, juiced...heck, I'm toying with candying them over ice cream.  

On a recent outing to the French gastroteque, Buvette, in the West Village of Manhattan, I fell in love with a side beet salad which I have recreated below.  It's simple enough to let the sweet, earthy flavor of the beets shine through, with a perkiness from horseradish that awakens your tongue.  While Buvette’s version calls for hazelnuts, there were only pine nuts in my cupboard. 

I served this salad with grilled lemon chicken, sautéed greens and a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on our deck in Montauk.  A perfect evening with good friends.

Beet ala Buvette

Ingredients

• 6 - 8 red or golden beets, trimmed and cleaned with skins still intact
• ½ cup crème fraiche
• 2 – 5 tablespoons prepared horseradish (yes, sometimes I cheat)
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions

• Bring a medium size pot of water, enough to cover the beets, to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour until tender.  Drain the beets and let cool until you are able to handle.  Peel and slice the beets.
• Over medium heat, toast the pine nuts in a skillet until fragrant and slightly, shaking frequently so as careful not burn. Let cool.
• In a small bowl, mix the crème fraiche with the horseradish to taste.
• Combine the beets, horseradish crème and pine nuts, mixing well to coat.
• Enjoy. 

 

Warning: this dish is not a looker. Almost pepto in color, it's “bright” on the plate.  There was, however, a self proclaimed "beet-hater" at my table who asked for a second helping. Your mother was right...never judge a book by it's cover! 

Beet Soup

If a beet appetizer is on the menu, I cannot not order it.  I shudder to imagine all the lovely soups or inventive appetizers I’ve missed through the years with my blind eye towards the beet, but now it’s an addiction I just can’t quit.  Red, golden, roasted, in soup, with nuts, pickled, I adore every beet.  

A former co-worker and I keep in touch simply by updating each other on new new beet plates to try around New York City.  A recent favorite in the West Village, here, I will be attempting to recreate it on this blog shortly.

To my delight, this week’s CSA delivery included both golden and red beets: 

Inspired by a Cheeky Kitchen post, I settled on beet soup.  The problem is … I cheated.  With leftover beets from a farmer’s market run last weekend already cooked, I didn't roast the beets.  My end result was gorgeous in color, but a little bland, and actually too beety in flavor.  Not the "good" beety, more the canned watery beety flavor. Minus one point LaurenLocally.  

I remedied this by adding in a solid spoonful or two of crème fraiche.  In the end, I enjoyed my soup with a side of toasted French bread with garlic scape pesto and was satisfied.  

What follows is my recipe, a "healthier" (bland?) feeling soup unless you add in the crème fraiche.  Dear reader, if earthy is what you are after, I suggest roasting your beets.  Drizzling olive oil on trimmed beets for 35-45 minutes at 425 degrees should do the trick.

Beet Soup

Ingredients

• 6 red or golden beets, trimmed and cleaned with skins still intact
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Crème fraiche

Directions

• Bring a medium size pot of water, enough to cover the beets, to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour until tender.  Drain the beets and let cool slightly until you are able to handle.  Peel and roughly chop beets.  Since these are being pureed, uniformity is not required!
• In a deep saute pan or soup pot, heat the olive oil and saute the shallots over medium heat until just glistening, 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and beets. 
• Using an immersion blender, transferring to a food processor or stand-up blender, puree until smooth. 
• Return to pot, without heat, and season generously with salt and pepper. 
• Mix in 2-4 tablespoons of creme fraiche. 
• Serve topped with an extra dollop of creme fraiche. 

Your soup will look something like this:

About Beets

Long used for medicinal purposes to address ailments such as fevers and open wounds, beets have been cultivated since second millennium BC.  Both the beets leafy tops and roots are edible.