A Stack of Dishes

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soup

Fruited Crostini and {Warming To Your Soul} Split Pea Soup

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I am heading out the door again this morning. Back behind the wheel to burn up about 500 miles of road. This one is the most delicious and wonderful of my recent jauntings. I am headed to Columbus, Ohio to attend the wedding my most beautiful and amazing business partner, Lauren. She and her handsome beau, Ryan, are tying the knot on Saturday- and it is going to be a time. It will be a blessing to me to be in the presence of their love and share in their pronouncement of devotion. Truly a blessing.

What’s even better for me is that for the first time I won’t be hitting the road alone. My beautiful fiancée, Pam, will be with me. I am SO thrilled. She flew up from Louisiana last week, dodging between floods, power outages and fuel scarcity- to settle safely and warmly in my little apartment in the sky.

You might ask who is doing Lauren’s cake, and the answer is there are many hands in this one. Paola, Lauren’s assistant baked the cake, I am finishing the icing (I’m surprising Lauren with butter cream, she thought she had to contend with fondant) and driving it out, we are stashing it in the kitchen of Columbus cake expert and friend, Jan Kish, then Ruth Drennan, another dear friend and cake baker, will be decorating and finishing the cake. This is one wedding where there will be dancing and laughter and much good food eating. It’s really the best thing EVER!

As I write it’s 5:00 am, and the snow had been falling all afternoon evening here. A bitter slap in the face on the heals of Sandy- which was not welcomed in the least. My heart goes out to my dear NYers who have been struggling this week, only to be hit with another set back. So many without heat- this has really got to suck. (pardon the French, but seriously, what other word??)

So to add just another comfort food to the growing list, some warm hearty split pea soup. Nothing extraordinary here, except for the accompanying biscuits. To offset the smoky and earthy tones of the soup I made a salty and sweet cracker/crouton to go with. It’s the same recipe as the Seeded Rosemary Fig Crackers, just baked in an 8″ square pan and exchanging equal amounts of chopped dried apricots, poppy seeds and flax seeds. I sliced them a little thicker too. BTW, a slice of sharp cheddar on top of this would be a divine addition.

So I’m off to hit the highway.

Stay tuned, I am expecting some very exciting news today or tomorrow- and when it’s official I’ll let you know.

Meanwhile, keep warm and carry on.

 

Warm and Spicey Clam Broth with Cous Cous

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The cool is coming in and already I am feeling the day’s light getting shorter. Aside from the childish pleasure of running out the door and not having to remember a sweater- I love the long days of golden light that we get in the summer months in the North, and I will really miss them.

I love the Fall though. More than anything, I truly enjoy the change. I am reminded every few months that no matter how much I desire it, change is happening. Life is a river. We are the river- and it’s joyous to embrace the flow. Have you ever swam against a strong current and then tried swimming with it? Going against is hard and you get nowhere fast- but going with nature’s flow makes one feel powerful and exhilarated. It’s hand over fist glory- Look at MEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My birthday is coming up soon. It’s a big one. One that makes a person usually take a few moments to evaluate. One often asks:  Is this where I expected I’d be at this point in my life? The answer is, I am always here. I am always in this moment right here, right where I am supposed to be. So decade markers mean nothing as I move forward into change, they simply just do not matter.

I used to resist change. I used to fight for the exact spot and location of where I wanted to be, and then hold onto it for dear life. I thought this was right and good- I also thought it was success.

I now think differently.

Change means growth. Change means lessons learned (hopefully). Change is life.

Besides, who really wants to complain?  Cooler days means it’s more fun to turn the oven on, or invest an afternoon in a roast. It’s also wonderful for a soup like this one- warm and spicy and easy to make. So perfect for sharing on a cloudy day when there is nowhere to go. Steaming bowls of broth, warm friends and glasses of crisp wine.

Cooler weather is also wonderful for snuggle lovely sweaters- and really, don’t you just love that feeling when the air nips and your sweater keeps you warm and toasty? I just have to remember now to pull one down from the shelf and take it with me.

A small lesson learned. (hopefully)

Spicey Clam Broth with Cous Cous
any small clam will work in this dish from vongole, to cherry stones. If you’re not a fan of clams, you can substitute shrimp or fish filets too.
 
serves 2
 
1T Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
generous pinch of red chili flakes
1c rough chopped tomatoes
3c of mild vegetable broth or chicken broth
.33c whole wheat cous cous 
2 dozen cherrystone clams
Cilantro to garnish
S&P to taste
 
In large sauce pan warm the oil and gently sautee the garlic. After 2 minutes add the tomatoes and chili flakes. Cook until the tomatoes are wilted but still juicy-about 3 minutes.
 
Add in the broth and bring to the boil. Add the cous cous and gently boil for 15 minutes.
 
Add the scrubbed clean clams and cover the pot. Allow to cook for another 4-5 minutes until the clams are open. Turn off from heat and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes.
 
Serve into shallow bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
 
 
 
***This dish is wonderful with a Viognier or a light Chardonnay***
 
 

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup Smacked with Chipotle

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Smokey Corn Soup with Apple Bacon on the side

Though this has been quite a balmy Winter here in the Northeast, I still enjoy a hearty chowder like corn soup. I love a rich creamy-sinkmyteethinto-soup this time of year. It’s also a way to get some vegetables in when it’s hard to find decent green things. I would love to tell you that I roasted ears of corn on the grill. It’s easy to imagine charring the kernels while the silks and leaves hung off the side of the stove. Seriously I could of, but I didn’t. Nope. I used frozen corn. And no noses in the air please. It’s really the way to go here.

Frozen corn has great flavor and decent nutritional value. To give it some real depth and character I laced this soup with a hearty pinch of chipotle giving it a smokey kick. Cream and cilantro finish it off with a squeeze of lime, which balanced out the creaminess with some cool and a twinkle of brightness.

But I’ll let you in on another even BETTER secret. I didn’t use any cream here either. My big reveal: silken tofu.

I got into using this when my Dad was sick and I was struggling to get nutrition into him. He could only manage small (I really mean teeny) cups of soup at a time. I did my best to make them as digestible and as power packed as possible. Dairy bothered him due to his medications, but not the tofu. He loved it, and so does everyone I make it for.

I usually don’t say it’s tofu just because folks get all incense and crunchy looks in their eyes- so what they don’t know is actually good for them.

I did use some of the bacon fat as the grease to sautee my garlic and onions- so a little bit of evil there- but roughly a tablespoon in an entire pot is no great sin. And just to be fair, I serve the bacon on the side- which gives the option for those with concerns to partake or not.

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup
serves 4 as a meal or 6 as a starter
 
1# bag of roasted corn kernels, regular is fine
4 strips natural smoked bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 block of silken tofu
.5t chipotle powder
S&P
Fresh cilantro, lime wedges and lite sour cream to serve
 
In a large frying pan cook the bacon slowly to render as much fat as possible. Reserve the bacon.
 
Allow all the fat to drain off the pan, leaving behind a nice layer and some of the bacon bits
 
Sautee the garlic and onion over low/medium heat to release the flavors until the onion are translucent and soft.
 
Toss in corn and warm the melange through. Reserve a half cup of corn mixture. 
 
Add one can of broth, tofu roughly broken up, and chipotle powder. Allow to simmer for 10 mins.
 
In batches, puree the soup and pour into a saucepan. Once fully pureed add second can of broth, stir to combine and allow to simmer until heated through.
 
Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
 
Serve with fresh lime wedges, a dollop of light sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Spoon some of the reserved corn mixture on top that has been warmed.
 
 
Enjoy!