Basics- Soup in 7 steps

Soup is like magic.

Really.

Magic.

Even the cooking challenged can improvise a good soup as long as they follow this simple formula. (Which means soup is more like math….but I like magic better.)

1.    Base ingredients- begin by sautéing the base ingredients. Things like onions, garlic, carrots, celery, chilies, or spices. You can also add aromatic herbs such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme, garlic, etc. Make sure you sauté in oil or butter. The fat captures the flavors and holds them. You don’t need a lot of fat, but you do need it.

2.   Liquid- Add a liquid such as a stock, juice, or water, this will determine a lot of what the flavor will be, so choose carefully…

3.   Slow cooking things- Here add the slow cooking root vegetables, winter squash, lentils, split peas, etc. This is also a good time to add salt if you’re using it.

4.   Watery vegetables- Next add watery vegetables such as tomatoes or summer squash. Also, add any precooked beans, pasta, or grains here.

5.   Delicate veggies- Save leafy greens and delicate veggies such as asparagus tips and peas for the end.

6.   Final touches- Here you can add cream or yogurt to make it creamy. Or blend all or part of your soup to make it thicker. Or add a thickener such as cornstarch or flour. Or leave it alone.

7.   Garnish and serve!

Make sure to taste your soup at all stages and make adjustments as you go. Add ingredients slowly and deliberately and also, remember simplicity is the key to all great art. Let each ingredient contribute.

Punjabi Lentil Soup

The Punjabi Lentils… but in a soup form.

2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP grated ginger
2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used cayenne)
½ -1 tsp garage masala
1 can of whole or diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cups of water
1 cup lentils (I use red, they’re pretty)
2-3 handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
½-1 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
garnish- cilantro

In a frying pan heat the oil until sizzly when splashed with water. When ready turn the heat down and cook the onions with salt until onions are soft and golden. Stir in garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and garam masala and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and water and add lentils and cook until lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Turn down the heat and stir in yogurt (Don't let it boil! The yogurt will separate). Garnish with cilantro.

Easiest Thai Curry Ever.

This is my I-need-to-make-a-really-impressive-dinner-in-a-short-time recipe. People can’t help but be impressed when you serve them Thai Curry.  And as long as you get the base right, you can put whatever you want in it. The coconut milk and curry paste can be found in the oriental/ Indian/ exotic food section of the store.

1 can coconut milk

1 TBSP Thai curry paste (I like red curry best)

2 TBSP fish sauce or soy sauce

2 TBSP sugar

Salt to taste

2 TBSP chopped cilantro

Stuff to put in it (veggies, cashews, tofu, etc.)

Warm the coconut milk over medium heat until is starts getting steamy. Gently stir in the curry paste (it will take a couple minutes for it to dissolve completely). After it dissolves add the fish sauce, sugar, and stuff. After it is all cooked through add salt to taste and cilantro. Serve over hot rice (I like basmati) or noodles.

The Great Indian Extravaganza- Day 1

So after my failed yet still tasty attempt (I ate around the spice chunks) at Indian food I went to Broulims to see if they had a spice mill. For future reference, they don't (but they do have a patty shaper, a melon baller, and silicon oven mitts), but they had something just as good. A little coffee grinder. It's so cute and perfect I think I'll have to name it. Here it is in all it's grinding glory--

 Anyway. As good as lunch was it was pretty heavy. And being a sunny day I was hoping for something a little lighter and I found it. This is adapted from a recipe I found in Ajoy Joshi's book Regional Indian Cooking.

Punjabi Lentils

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils*
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP grated ginger
2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used cayenne)
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
garnish- cilantro

In a frying pan heat the oil until sizzly when splashed with water. When ready turn the heat down and cook the onions with salt until onions are soft and golden. Stir in garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomato and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in yogurt and mix well (But don't let it boil! The yogurt will separate.) Add lentils and heat through.

*Cooking lentils: cook lentils with twice as much water as lentils until split and soft. Add more water as needed.

Banana Lassi

I hate old bananas. Once they've lost their green I think they taste really awful, which is a problem when you buy your own bananas and can't depend on your siblings to eat them for you. Luckily my roommate has a magic bullet (think little tiny single person smoothie blender) and while playing with my old bananas I came up with this recipe which I've been craving every night since I made it. I call it banana lassi after it's more traditional cousin from India.

Ingredients-
1 banana
1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt
a dollop of honey ( usually I just drizzle as much honey in there as I can fit on a spoon....than lick the spoon)

Blend. Drink. Rejoice in your potassium and calsium filled creation.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

One cup creamy peanut butter
One cup white sugar
One teaspoon baking powder
One egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl.  Beat in the baking powder. Add the egg. Mix until it is all well combined.

The dough will be sticky, so be prepared to get your hands messy. Roll some dough into a ball. (How big? That depends on you. I have found, however, that the smaller these cookies are, the better they hold together. Eat two instead of one!) Roll the ball into white sugar. Line a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper, with sugary balls of dough and press down slightly with a fork.

Bake in the oven for about ten minutes. You will know the cookies are done when they feel coherent, but still a little soft. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies rest for at least five minutes. Afterwards, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. After ten minutes or so, they will have hardened and be glistening with sugar.

Eat them.

Thanks to glutenfreegirl's blog my gluten free roommate and I are able to cook together. While most recipes are wonderful and taste just like the real thing these cookies are actually better. And easier. As all recipes should be.

Khichdi (easy indian lentils and rice)

• Half cup rice
• Quarter cup red lentils (masoor)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1″ cinammon
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• Half tsp turmeric powder
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Wash the rice and lentils well and mix together. Heat the oil and when hot fry the cinammon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf. When the leaf starts going brown, add the whole cumin and let it sizzle up.
Then add the onion and fry well until it starts going brown. Chuck in the turmeric and give the masalas (the warm spices) a good stir.
Add the rice and lentils, and fry for a minutes stirring the masala into the mixture evenly. Add some salt at this stage.
Lower the flame to a medium heat, add the water, cover and cook. During this time, you can add raw carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, peas etc if you wish.
When the lentils lose their shape and the rice is cooked, your khichdi is ready.

Khichdi is the simplest and most adaptable recipe I've ever found when it comes to Indian food, kind of like the Indian equivalent of comfort food. Not only are they fairly normal ingredients but you can add veggies, meat, change the spices, etc. without too much problem. The combination of lentils and rice also provides a complete protien! Hooray!

Balsamic Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme(or 2 tsp dried)
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
•   4tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.
3. In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
4. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Don't worry if you don't have all the vegetables to make this, I use whatever root-ish veggies I have on hand and just use the recipe for the sauce. The last time I did it I used turnups, parsnips, onion, potato, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Also feel free to play with any spices you have on hand. Just make sure  you stick to the italian theme! This is a great way to get your veggies in the winter!

Roasted Corn Salad

• 3 ears sweet corn
• 1/2 cut fresh basil
• 1 c cucumber cubed
• 1 c tomato cubed
• 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• extra olive oil for grilling

Brush corn with olive oil and grill, either on a grill or under the broiler until kernels are brown and begin to pop. Slice corn off of cob and combine in a bowl with basil, cucumber, and tomatoes. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the salad with the sauce and refrigerate until chilled. 

Arroz con Leche

• Milk -- 4 cups
• Short-grain rice --1/2 cup
• Cinnamon stick -- 1
• Orange or lemon peel -- 2 strips
• Salt -- pinch
• Raisins -- 1/4 cup
• Sugar -- 1/2- 1/4 cups depending on taste
  
• Butter -- 2 tablespoons
• Vanilla 1 teaspoon

1. Place the milk, rice, cinnamon stick, orange or lemon peel and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce heat to very low and simmer, stirring often and scraping bottom, for about 45 minutes.
2. Add the raisins and sugar and simmer for another 15 minutes. Stir often to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Adjust sugar to taste and serve hot or cold, sprinkling the top with some ground cinnamon.

Notes:
I always skip the raisins and the orange peel (two things I usually don't have). the original recipe called for 1/2 cup sugar, but it was a little sweet for me. This is the way I use up any souring milk in my fridge.

Stuffed Peppers

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Susan's Pesto

From Moosewood cook Susan Harville

Susan's Pesto is best served immediately, but it will keep refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.

Makes 1 cup
Total time: 10 minutes

1 cup well-packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts*
½ teaspoon salt

*To toast pine nuts, spread them in a single layer on an unoiled baking sheet and bake in a conventional or toaster oven at 350° for about 3 to 5 minutes, until just slightly deepened in color.

Rinse and drain the basil leaves. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and salt and puree until smooth. You may need to stop several times to scrape the sides of the blender or processor bowl with a rubber spatula.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Dressing
½ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
½ fresh green chile, seeded and minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

2 medium cucumbers
¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
coarsely chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

Stir together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, chile, black pepper, and ginger root in a serving bowl.

Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the cucumbers, crosswise into ¼-inch-thick crescents. Add the cucumbers and the onions to the dressing and refrigerate.

Serve cold, garnished with chopped roasted peanuts, if desired.

Reprinted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

Black Bean & Chipotle Soup

¼ cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
2 cups peeled and diced carrots
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green or red bell peppers
2 cups cooked black beans (two 15-ounce cans, undrained) (or cook 1 cup dried beans)
½ dried chipotle pepper, or 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce (recommended)
2 cups chopped fresh or undrained canned tomatoes (12-ounce can)
½ cup orange juice
½ cup water
salt to taste
sour cream to top
chopped fresh cilantro

Warm the oil in a non-reactive soup pot. Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots and cumin and cook on medium heat, sitting often for a few minutes. Add the celery and peppers, lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the beans chipotle, tomatoes, orange juice, and water, and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. If you're not using canned beans, add ½ cup of beans cooking liquid or additional water.

If you like a thicker broth, you can blend one or two cups of the soup until pureed, and stir it back into the remaining soup. Top with optional sour cream and cilantro.

Reprinted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

Eastern European Vegetable Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup peeled and diced parsnips
2 cups peeled and diced turnips and/or rutabaga
2 cups peeled and diced beets
6 cups of water or mock chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme and/or dill (1 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
5 cups rinsed and chopped Swiss chard or spinach
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt (optional)

Procedure:

In a soup pot on medium heat, warm the oil and cook the onions and garlic for 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and/or rutabaga, beets, water or stock, salt, bay leaves, and thyme and/or dill. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the vinegar and chopped greens and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Find and discard the bay leaves. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if you like.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Soups & Stews Deck

Sushi

Sushi Rice:

5 cups prepared short-grain (japanese) rice
¼ cup of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
1½ teaspoons of salt

Let rice cool slightly. Carefully mix ingredients to taste.

Nigiri-zushi (hand sushi)

Nigiri-zushi is made by forming a small morsel of rice into an oblong shape. Dip your fingers into vinegar water first, then shape the rice in the palm of your hand. Don't squeeze the rice together too hard, just enough to make them stick together. top with ingredients of your choice.

Futomaki (rolled sushi)

Futomaki is what many people think of when they think "sushi." First, put a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat, shiny side down. Cover about two-thirds of the nori with rice. Place your toppings across the rice.

Fold the bamboo mat over, rolling the nori onto the toppings. Be careful not to roll the mat into your sushi. When the mat touches the far edge of the rice, begin tightening the roll.

Hold the roll with the mat over it, and grab the far edge of the mat. Pull on it at each corner and in the middle to tighten the roll. When the roll is tight enough, finish rolling by pulling the mat forward. You can repeat the tightening process first if you need to.

My favorite sushi fillings:

• grilled salmon
  
• shrimp
• crab
• fried egg
• cucumber
• carrot
• bell pepper
• tuna (mixed with mayo and hot pepper sauce)
• avocado
• tinned eel
  
• left over curry

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi

Basic Miso Soup

Check specialty or oriental food markets for "exotic" ingredients

• 3 cups dashi soup stock
  
• 1 block tofu
• 3-4 tbsps miso paste
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Put dashi soup stock in a pan and bring to a boil. Cut tofu into small cubes and add them to the soup. Simmer the tofu for a few minutes on low heat. Scoop out some soup stock from the pan and dissolve miso in it. Gradually return the miso mixture in the soup. Stir the soup gently. Stop the heat and add chopped green onion. Remember not to boil the soup after you put miso in.

Mexican Rice

• 1 generous cup of rice
  
• 2 1/2 c. hot water
• 2 1/2 t. chicken bouillon
  
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 of a green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. tomato puree (I use tomato sauce)

Heat oil in a frying pan. Brown rice and onion until rice becomes a golden transparent color--not too brown! Drain off oil. Put rice/onion mixture and all other ingredients into rice cooker and cook as usual, or, if preparing without a rice cooker, add other ingredients to the frying pan and simmer until done.

Aunt Dawnie’s Corn Beef & Cabbage

• 4 lb corn beef w/ seasonings
  
• red currant jelly
• red potatoes
  
• cabbage
  
• 1 red pepper

Boil corn beef w/seasoning for 3 1/2 hrs. until tender. Remove and place on a broiling pan. Cover with a fairly thick layer of currant jelly. Place under broiler until jelly is bubbly.

Peel just the centers of the red potatoes, and boil in the water left from the corn beef.

Saute’ cabbage and red pepper together in oil until just limp. Add following mixture: 2 T sugar, 2 T distilled white vinegar, 1/4 t caraway seed, 1/2 t salt (variation: saute’ in butter, season w/salt, pepper and garlic powder)

Latkas

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.