Tim’s Simple Lentil Soup

An Italian chef taught Tim this recipe while he was staying in a hostel in France when he was about 21.  He made this for me when we first started dating and it was definitely a factor in winning me over!  Come to think of it, it’s actually the perfect recipe for bachelors on a budget. Serves 4-6.

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Ingredients

2 Large Cans Whole Tomatoes ( I like Muir Organics in the US)
1 cup dry lentils (as pictured)
1 Large Onion (whole, peeled)
5 Cloves Garlic (whole, peeled)
3 – 4 cups Water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

*For best results, make sure to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil and high quality shaved parmesan.  In a pinch, you can always use that awful shake parmesan cheese!

Directions

1.  Combine the following in a Large Pot:  Tomatoes, Lentils, Whole Onion, Whole Garlic Cloves, Water.

2.  Let simmer on medium heat for about 45 min – 1 hr.  (Do not let the bubbles break the surface to avoid over-cooking the lentils. )

3. When the middle of the Onion “pops” out or is very soft, the soup is ready.

4.  Serve in individual bowls.

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle parmesan cheese on each serving.

6. Enjoy by itself or with some crusty bread.

PS. You can definitely get fancy with this soup and add fresh basil, yummy veges, etc.  But… to keep it simple and on a very low budget, just stick to the basics!

Chicken and Chickpea Soup (This one’s for KB)

We made this the other night and it was a very refreshing, healthy soup  (From Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine).  The lemon zest, garlic and cilantro topping really make the soup – try it with other chicken soups too.  I think it would be a great zing for a traditional chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Olive oil

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

3 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

6 cups chicken broth

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro (corriander)

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook, skin side down, until skin is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until browned, 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.

2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add 2 tsp garlic and spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in carrots and return chicken to pot. Then slowly stir in broth.

3. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer, partially cover and cook until chicken is falling off the bone, about 50 minutes.

4. Remove chicken from soup. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into large pieces, discarding skin and bones. Return meat to pot. Add chickpeas and season with salt, pepper, and squeeze in all of the juice of one lemon.  Serve soup into individual bowls.

5.  In a small bowl, stir together 1 tsp garlic, lemon zest, and cilantro; sprinkle generously over each soup serving before eating!

Japanese Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving, we made sushi rolls with Ben, Audrey, Rootu and Arvind.  Ben also threw in a plate of nigiri (hand-moulded fingers of rice with slices of raw fish on top – my fav).   True, it was not on the menu of the pilgrims (as pointed out by Harman)… but I’m sure pecan pie with cool whip wasn’t either!  Audrey did a great job of organizing and directing us to slice veges, fish, tofu, etc. while we nibbled on Rootu’s Indian fried lentil balls to start (need to get the name from R!).   Each of us had turns in the “hot seat” to see who could make the best sushi roll.  I competed with Arvind and since this is my blog, let’s just say I won.  Yes, I won.  Now that that’s settled…  we smoothed the sticky rice thinly on the nori (dried, paper-thin sheet of seaweed) and added the ingredients in the middle. Audrey recommended we use a dallop of wasabi and spread it thinly to help the ingredients stay in place. Using a Makisu (a bamboo stick mat), we then rolled it and cut it into pieces to share.  I really enjoyed making it and can’t wait to do it again soon.  Oh and we paired it with a nice Dolcetto Rose from Tefft Cellars Winery in Woodinville.  You should definitely stop in next time you are out there.  They have a great little tasting room and made us feel really welcome.

A Favorite Cookbook

Endorsed by Michael Pollen and Alice Waters, this cookbook is right up my alley.  I love the story approach to the book and the simplicity of all of the dishes.  Read a review about a platter of figs on Gourmet Magazine’s website.  This is the kind of book I like to keep on my coffee table to look at and read David’s little stories every now and then.  For a newbie entertainer, this book is great.  He gives you simple ideas of how to present food.  For example, there is a “recipe” for Goat Cheese with Honey.  Ingredients: Mild goat cheese, Chestnut honey (or other artisanal honey).   He prefaces the ingredients with how cheeses are served in France, Italy, and Greece, as well as why its a good combo and when to serve it.  We’ve also perfected the way we make and serve fish tacos in the summer using his strategy.  I love this book!

Brunch with J-Lo

This morning, I met Jeni in the markets for brunch.  The best part was her story about a woman who we will call “the fly samurai”.  Recently, Jen was at work when the fly samurai came out of nowhere (well she was standing in the same room with Jeni, but that sounds exciting) and all of a sudden, she snatched a live fly off Jeni’s chest with her fingers and crushed it within seconds!  Oh the stories you missed …

Anywho – we ate at Steelhead Diner.  Jeni had the poached eggs with jumbo lump dungeness crab (which was so tasty and “not fishy at all” according to her).  I had an Italian sausage sandwich that was great for a brunch following a night out at the Kangaroo and Kiwi Pub (where Cooper’s Sparkling – my favorite Australian beer – was flowing generously).

After our meal, Jeni helped me shop for the dinner Tim and I plan to cook for my dad and Deanna this week when they come to visit.  We are planning on making Osso Buco in the slow cooker with Risotto Milanese.  Jeni took me the The Souk grocery to get a good deal on saffron for the risotto… about $5 cheaper than at Delarenti’s. Thanks J-Lo!

Winter Vegetable Soup

This is a one pot soup recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine that I made on a cold and rainy fall night in Seattle. It took about 15 minutes to prep, 15 minutes to cook. Recipe says it serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

coarse salt and ground pepper

5 1/2 cups (43.5 ounces) chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed

3 sprigs thyme

1 pound acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch chucks

1 bunch kale (3/4 pound), ribs cut away and discarded, leaves torn grated

Parmesan, for serving

HOW TO:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add broth, beans, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and then add squash and kale.  Cook until the squash and kale are tender, about 12 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan.