GLC Soup Series ~ Soup One: Carrot Ginger

"Soup! We've got all kinds of soup!"

This was/is a common thing my mom would cheerfully and encouragingly say to me and my siblings when we were looking for a quick dinner. Growing up, my parents' house was (and is, still) full of a variety of canned soups. Rarely, though, did any of them appeal to us. Don't get me wrong, if my mom made soup for dinner (from a can or otherwise), we'd eat it, it just wasn't always the most appetizing food--especially because her homemade food was/is always so much better.

Anyway, this series is not going to be about soup in a can. It's going to be about soups made from scratch. And though they take some effort, they won't be so labor intensive that you'd probably prefer opening a can of Campbell's (and I admit, I still love their high fructose and sodium laden tomato soup on occasion--especially with grilled cheese).

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The first soup of this series is a carrot ginger soup. Carrots and ginger pair pretty well together, and carrot ginger soup is relatively common. However, it wasn't until about seven years ago on a chilly early spring night, that I had one I loved. It was at a small and pricey French restaurant, so soup was one of the few things I was comfortable ordering there--and I'm glad I did.  Following that night, I searched for recipes and began experimenting with the ones I found until I finally made a carrot ginger soup that I think is just as good as the one from that French restaurant. If you decide to, you can just use vegetable stock (no chicken stock) to make it vegetarian, just don't omit the butter to make it vegan, I can't make any promises about this recipe if you do....

Gigi's Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients (Makes About 2 Quarts):
4 Tb unsalted butter
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
2 Tb minced or finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves crushed or minced garlic
4 cups of chicken stock
3 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 in. pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients for serving:
Fresh lemon juice
Snipped chives or parsley
Olive oil
Sour Cream

Begin by melting the butter on medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add chopped onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute for 15-20 minutes or until aromatic and onion is translucent. Try not to let the mixture brown as it will create a bitter flavor.

Add white wine and let it cook down a bit to burn off most of the alcohol (3-5 minutes), then add the stock, broth, and carrots. Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and let simmer uncovered until carrots are tender (about 35-45 minutes).

Once carrots are tender (can be easily crushed with a fork or spoon), turn off the heat. Using either a hand (immersion) blender or a food processor, puree the soup until smooth.  Note: If you are using a food processor, be certain to let the soup cool a bit, puree it in small stages, and leave the shoot open, otherwise you may have a very hot explosion (and subsequent burns and a mess) on your hands... or face or entire kitchen. I used a hand (immersion) blender, which works best and allows you to pretty much serve the soup immediately. I love my immersion blender... someday I'll probably write a post just about that.

Anyway, once the soup is well pureed, you can season with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice (in the whole pot), and serve it with a sprinkle of chives (as I did), parsley, sour cream, or a dash of good olive oil--and any combination you please. I actually really like it with a small dollop of sour cream and than a dash of chive oil on top.

The soup is rich and filling without being very heavy. It is the kind of soup that can work well served as the star of a meal, particularly if it's served with  a good piece of crusty (sourdough, maybe) bread, or even a salad made with mesclun greens, apples or pears, and blue cheese.

My usual taste-tester, Andrea, had a cup of it after I made it and she said, "I think this is the best carrot ginger soup I've ever had." Granted, she seems to like most of what I cook, but I agree with her. :)

Bon Appétit! 

Short cuts: though I recommend fresh ginger, you can use the pre-crushed stuff that comes in a jar (not the dried, masticated stuff) to make this soup just be sure to use an extra tablespoon or so, and to make the prep a little quicker, you can always used some baby cut carrots (chopped in half length-wise) since they're already peeled and washed. 

Simple, but Good: Polenta with Beans and Greens

With the beginning of fall-like temperatures, I found myself craving a, typically, cool-temperature food: polenta. Polenta can be a little polarizing—most people seem to either like it or hate it. For me, however, it’s one of those foods that needs to be cooked the right way and served at the right time, otherwise I’m usually not that interested. For example, a couple of years ago I was in Rome with my aunt. It was a cool, rainy February afternoon and we ducked into a little ristorante for some lunch. She ordered what may be the best polenta I’ve ever tasted.  I don’t know if it was coming in from the cold, wet cobbled streets or how it was made (a simple yellow polenta with four kinds of cheese), but it was incredible.  Whatever the reason, I believe it’s important to never under estimate the weather and the timing when it comes to a meal—if you’re truly hungry and the food fits your mood it could be the best meal of your life—even if it’s just soup and a sandwich (or polenta and cheese).

…Getting back to the polenta. I’m still not sure if I’ve mastered how to make the best polenta, but I think this recipe may have turned out the best so far. I made it in the crockpot and cooked some greens and beans to go along with it.

Polenta ingredients:

3 cups of hot chicken broth (can use vegetable broth or just more hot water)
4 cups of boiling water
2 cups yellow cornmeal (usually labeled as polenta)
1 Tb butter

Anyone else see Starry Night?

1 Tb olive oil
½ cup (or more) shredded parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt (or more if butter is unsalted and/or using no broth)

This is beyond easy—ready for the directions? Heat the liquids to boiling (or almost boiling), pour the hot liquid into the crock pot, add olive oil, butter, and salt, then stir in polenta. Cook polenta on high for 1 hour (stirring occasionally), then add cheese, and continue cooking for 1 more hour on high—stirring occasionally—or until all liquid is fully absorb and wooden spoon stands up in polenta on its own.

Greens and Beans ingredients:

2 TB (more or less) of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
7-10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup chicken broth (or stock)

1-2 lbs cooking greens (I opted for ease and used Olivia’s cooking greens)
1 15oz can white beans, rinsed well (or use your own soaked and cooked, again I opted for ease…)
3/4 cup of diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
Salt and Pepper as desired

Again, pretty straight forward here. In a large frying pan or dutch oven, start by sautéing the garlic and onions (medium flame) in the olive oil until they’re just translucent. Then add the beans. Let them heat up
and marinate in the pan with the garlic and onions. Add the tomatoes and stir those around until warmed through. Next add the chicken broth and let it reduce a little, then add the greens until they are bright and

wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

The fresh, slightly bitter, and, honestly, healthy taste of the greens and beans were a great accompaniment to the rich polenta. I admittedly added a little more cheese to my plate when I served it, but it’s not necessary. It may not have been as good as the polenta in Rome, but I’m certain I’ll make it again this fall.

Also, you’ll probably notice that the photo of the B&G ingredients has some jarred artichoke hearts included—I decided against using those. Initially I thought I would add a bunch of other veggies to the greens, but the basic recipe (above) seemed to do the trick—especially since the point was really just to enjoy the rich flavor of the polenta.

In cooking, as in life, sometimes sticking to the simpler things, the basics, is not only enough, but just right.

Berry Nutty and Crunchy Granola

OK, so the title is corny, but there's no corn in this granola! There is, however, tasty dried berries along with walnuts and sliced almonds.

Making granola is pretty freaking easy—I kind of can't get over how much money I've spent on granola in the past when I figured out what it cost me to make about 6 cups of this compared to the organic stuff I've bought before (and I used all organic ingredients).

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats (regular, not quick cooking)
• 1 1/2 cups of nuts (as mentioned I used walnuts and sliced almonds, but you can use any combo you like)
• 1/2 cup of cranberry nectar or juice (you can also use apple juice or whatever fruit juice you prefer, just know it will likely add to the flavor of the granola.)
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup (agave and honey work, too)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (butter or canola oil can work here, too)
• 1/2 TB vanilla extract
• 1/2 TB almond extract (alternatively, you can use 1 TB of one extract instead of both)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp (scant) ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup dried berries (I used cranberries and blueberries)

After I gathered the ingredients, I began by  preheating the oven to 325°.  I then combined the oats and nuts in a large bowl. Next, to a small/medium saucepan I added the juice, syrup, coconut oil, extracts, salt, and cinnamon and put it over a medium/low flame. I heated the  mixture until the coconut oil was all melted and it seemed hot enough to melt the salt (almost simmering). Once it looked ready, I poured it over the oats and nuts and mixed it so they were will coated.


Once it was evenly coated. I spread the granola mixture out on a cookie sheet I lined with parchment paper.*

Before Baking

Then I baked the granola in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes—stirring every 15 minutes or so. Once I took it out of the oven it was a nice golden brown.

After Baking

I let the granola cool completely (that took about 20 minutes) and poured it into the bowl of an air-tight container where I added the dried berries. Putting the top on and shaking it for about 20 seconds mixed the berries into the granola nicely.

The next morning (and subsequent mornings, since) I had some with the addition of fresh blueberries and almond milk, and I have to say, it's pretty darn good. Just the right sweetness and the lovely toasted flavor of the oats and nuts with the sweet and tart flavor of the berries.

If you make it, keep in mind that the sweetness level may vary if you use a juice or sweetener that tends to be more or less sweet. For example if you use apple juice and agave, it's likely to be on the sweeter side (plus the berry flavor won't be there, but you could, for example, use dried apricots and apples in it instead of berries). And as long as you use gluten free oats, this recipe is gluten free too. :)

*Using parchment is highly recommended since it prevents the granola from sticking to the pan and you can pick up the paper and pour the granola into a container once it's cooled.

A Breakfast Treat

(Hazelnut Butter/Nuttella stuffed French Toast)

So a usual breakfast for me is toast or rice cakes with peanut butter and fruit (usually berries of some kind and a banana). It's typical because it's easy and I can even take it on the go if necessary.

This breakfast I'm about to tell you about is anything but typical, and, I will say, it was pretty freaking tasty, too.

One weekend morning when I had more time for breakfast (it was really brunch by the time I got around to making and eating it), I was wanting something a little different. I realized I had all the makings for french toast, but no maple syrup... which was ok, but not ideal. So instead this is what I came up with.

I started with two pieces of delicious multigrain bread and filled them with chocolate hazelnut butter (I had Justin's because it was a good deal at the market, but, of course, Nutella would be just fine and equally delicious).

Then in a shallow bowl, I cracked an egg, added some cinnamon, a splash of milk, and a dash of almond extract, and whisked it all together.

I tossed the sandwich in the egg mixture.

I heated a pan on medium heat and added a little butter and oil.

And then browned both sides of the sandwich, making sure it was on the stove long enough so the filling would be hot. 

In the meantime, I also concocted a raspberry syrup recipe. I combined about a cup or less of frozen raspberries and a half cup of honey and popped it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes on 50% power.

And, wow, this was beyond my ordinary breakfast. Just look at that.

No really, look at it.

I don't know if you get what I am saying, look at it!

Well, what was even better than its looks was what it tasted like. I fully enjoyed every bite. And if you make this, I'm pretty certain you will too (unless you don't like french toast, nutella, or raspberries).