running with tweezers

the essence of tomatoes

I've been waiting and waiting to share this recipe with you but, well, there's some traveling going on that has priority these past two weeks. On our first leisurely morning of our trip, I'm up early to work on this post - this is time-sensitive stuff! I made this recipe for a dinner party several weeks ago. It was quite the dinner party dish in that it took some effort and has one of those names that brings about a good bit of guffawing & eye rolling...but there's no better title for this recipe. It is the essence of tomatoes and it's worth every minute in the kitchen. It's arrival at the table inspired a few sighs and definitely savoring of the pure, unadulterated tomato presence.

I changed the original recipe up a bit by adding the cucumber to the mix - both to add another fresh note to the dish but to help give a bit more thin liquid without having to dilute with water. Instead of pulpy tomatoes used as a garnish in the center, I've taken advantage of the beautiful & tiny heirlooms out there right now as a colorful element. If you want the tomato liquid to be more translucent and not as red, you can take the time to continue to strain the tomato water until it's almost clear - that's your call and would make this dish super elegant. For me, I wanted to cue to the tomato in the dish & wanted to spend more time with company than I did with cheesecloth. I need not say you should make this NOW as we are winding down tomato season - don't wait & attempt this with fall or winter tomatoes.

The Essence of Tomatoes - adapted from this recipe found on BBC Good Food - serves 6 as a soup/starter

• 5 pounds large cherry or small roma vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery , finely chopped
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small shallot , finely chopped
• half of a fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove , finely chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme , roughly chopped
• 4 leaves tarragon , roughly chopped
• handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 5 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 3 drops Tabasco sauce

      To Serve:

• 1/4 cup small basil leaves, left whole if small or chiffonaded if larger leaves
• 1 1/2 cups small cherry heirloom tomatoes - of any color or type - chopped or left whole if small
• good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

- In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with 1 tbsp sea salt, cover with cling film and marinate for 6 hrs. Then, in a food processor, pulse the tomato mix in batches until roughly chopped - don't over-chop them to a mush.
- Place three layers of cheesecloth (or a new kitchen cloth) over a large bowl and pour the mix into the cloth. Tie up with string and hang in a cold place for at least 15 minutes over the bowl to collect the tomato essence. Squeeze the mixture in the cloth (you may have to do this in batches, as well) to get out as much liquid as possible. Set aside the pulp. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, then cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- To serve, spoon a quarter of the chopped heirloom tomato into the center of six bowls. Carefully pour the chilled tomato essence around the tomato and garnish with the basil and a small drizzling of olive oil.

the scent of summer

Standing at the kitchen counter earlier this week, I let out this relaxed shudder while chopping away at tomatoes. Twisting each tomato off the vine and smelling that wafting smell - you know which one I'm talking about. The smell of summer that lives between the stem and the fruit of a tomato. It's clean and familiar and homey and so...specific. It's my sign that the season is here and we're living in summer's cornucopia. I've been waiting to be able to make gazpacho - in some form - and this was truly a moment for me.

After the hectic month of work and travel I've been through, I've been seeking out my gazpacho in restaurants and take out containers. I've just not had the fortitude to chop every vegetable on earth, whether I know it's worth it in the end or not. Having two of my favorite girlfriends over for dinner was reason enough to pull down the Vitamix (off a top shelf, mind you) and let it do some of the work on this lovely cold tomato soup. I found the inspiration for this back in winter and have held onto it. It's a great year-round cold soup recipe because the tomato paste helps prop up sub-par tomatoes. In the summer, it adds a smoothness and sweetness to already-wonderful fruit that is just divine.

You can garnish this however you'd like - some croutons, chopped herbs, a drizzle of seasoned oil - but I recommend this whipped cream. The marriage of two of my favorite things - gazpacho and green goddess dressing - is brilliant, herby and fresh...and the silky texture is so refreshing. I've used the Vitamix here to make both components - you can whiz together whipped cream in about 10 seconds. Even if you have to use a blender and a mixer or whisk, this is well worth the time...as little as that is. The complexity of flavors you'll get far outweighs the input so just inhale and enjoy.

Chilled Tomato Soup with Green Goddess Whipped Cream - serves 6 as a soup course - adapted from this recipe on Food & Wine

• 5 pounds ripe red tomatoes - de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp. fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup loose packed assorted herbs - I used chives, basil, tarragon and oregano
• kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- For the whipped cream: In your Vitamix or blender, add the loose herbs. You can roughly chop them beforehand if you feel your blender isn't up to the task. Pour in the cream and whip until it's lightly foamy - you're not looking for stiff peaks but you're looking for a slightly firm texture. Gently scrape down sides of blender and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

- For the soup: If you're using a Vitamix, you can pretty much throw your tomatoes in there and whiz them up in one batch. In a blender or food processor, this will take at least 2 batches. Combine your seeded & chopped tomatoes, olive oil, tomato paste, water, vegetable broth, lemon juice and water. Pureé until very smooth and incorporated. Taste as you go and add kosher salt & pepper, as needed. I would go light on that because the flavors will mingle & change in the fridge. You can always re-season before you serve. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours

- To serve: Take soup and whipped cream out of the fridge. Taste your soup and re-season if necessary. While you're ladling the soup into bowls, the whipped cream will soften slightly. Stir it with a spoon or small whisk until you have an airy, loose cream. Drizzle the cream on top of the soup and serve immediately.

Taste of The Highlands & an incredible summer soup!

Last weekend, I was asked to be a guest judge at the 8th Annual Taste of The Highlands, an outdoor food festival to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I was thrilled, of course. It's a great way to spend a beautiful spring day in our city - in the company of some other great judges (Broderick from Savory Exposure and the foodie event planners EatUpAtlanta) and some 30 local restaurants providing food and drink. It's also for a great cause - each year, the event raises between $25k to $35k for the charity. 

There were so many great dishes at the festival that we couldn't pick just one. We had to create a sweet category, a savory category and a special mention for best cocktail of the day. Chef Hector Santiago of Pura Vida won the savory group with his rice dish and accompanying salt cod & baby banana fritters. Best sweet went to Tierra for their Tres Leches Cake - I've tasted nothing like it. The cocktail of the day was a landslide - The Warren's White Peach & Watermelon Sangria. You can see some photos from the day here.

After it was all said and done, all of us who attended that day kept coming back to one particular dish: a chilled pea soup topped with ham and radish. On that warm, sunny day...having that nice shot of cool soup was so refreshing, simple but flavorful. We've all been talking about it for days and I've gotten my hands on the recipe. Jay Swift, chef at 4th & Swift, kindly passed this simple recipe along. It's labor intensive because of the fresh peas but once you're done with the prep, it takes about 10 minutes to get the rest of the soup together. I've omitted the ham here but it adds a nice salty touch - feel free to garnish with ham, pancetta or bacon.

Chilled English Pea Soup with Ham & Radish - recipe by Jay Swift of Atlanta's 4th & Swift - makes about 2 cups of soup

• 2 cups english peas blanched lightly in boiling salted water, drained and chilled

• 1/4 cup warmed heavy cream

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 -3 tiny drops of lemon infused evoo (agrumato) to taste - I substituted a drizzle of EVOO & juice of half of a lemon

• water or vegetable stock (enough to make puree-able) - this depends on your own preference

- Place all ingredients except water in a high speed blender, and water until velvety smooth. Season to taste. Serve very cold with shredded or julienne radishes, diced ham of your choice and a fresh pea sprout or two in top. Have fun!

doing what i know. kind of.

This soup and I bumped into each other. It was one of the drizzly, gray days we'd been having way-too-often here in Atlanta. While out running errands, I stopped into a restaurant I hadn't been to in years called Nam. I needed a quick nosh before heading back to whichever store or market I was off to next. This soup sounded so interesting, I just had to order it - even though I had sworn to myself that the last thing I needed was another soup recipe to obsess about. It was so unique yet so familiar. Comforting while it made me a little antsy to rush to a kitchen to re-create it. "Mom's Cabbage Dumpling Soup" pretty much blew my mind.

It's the perfect blend of the stuffed cabbage my mom used to make and the Asian soups I hold so dear. Nam's version has pork, shrimp and glass noodles filling their cabbage leaves. I've simplified mine a bit by using just pork dressed up with some shiitake mushrooms and garlic. Use this recipe as a base to experiment- use ground shrimp, more veggies, noodles. Whatever you like or have on hand. I even threw in some leftover enoki mushrooms I had into the broth.

Once you get the hang of rolling the delicate cabbage bundles, this soup comes together extremely quickly - I consulted some Asian cooking blogs to get an idea if I was on the right track. The key here is not to over-stuff the dumplings. Trust me, with the amount of flavor you get from this soup and the heartiness of the cabbage, you need not worry about them being skimpy.

Pork & Cabbage Dumpling Soup - serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a starter

• 2 cups good quality chicken or vegetable broth
• juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup ground pork
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and diced
• 6 large savoy, napa, or white cabbage leaves
• 10 green onions, long green tops saved and cut into long, thin strips and white bottoms roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 thai red chilies, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (optional)
• salt and pepper, for broth, to taste if needed

- Start a large, wide bottomed pot of water on stove to boil.

- Using the tough seam in the cabbage leaves as a guide, cut large sections on either side of that seam off into smaller cabbage leaves - this should make 12 small cabbage segments to use as your wrappers. When water comes to a boil, blanch cabbage until tender but not falling apart - 2 to 3 minutes at the most. Pull from water and allow to drain and cool thoroughly so you can roll your dumplings without burning your fingers.

- While cabbage cools, mix pork, garlic, salt, pepper and chopped mushrooms up in a large mixing bowl. I found that using your hands to do the mixing works best and incorporates everything most evenly. When leaves are cool enough to handle, spoon roughly a tablespoon into each leaf. Fold sides over and roll cabbage into a small bundle. Tie bundle together with a strip of green onion (the recipe calls for more than you need because you'll have some breakage - don't get flustered!).

- In a smaller pot, bring stock, water, lime juice to a simmer. Taste your broth and salt & pepper as needed. Gently place cabbage bundles in the stock and cook until pork is cooked through - 4 to 5 minutes. 

- When done, gently spoon dumplings into a shallow soup bowl (6 per person is a nice healthy portion for an entree or 3 as a starter soup). Ladle broth over dumplings. Garnish with chopped green onions - those white parts you set aside - and chopped cilantro. If using, serve a tablespoon or so of fish sauce and chopped thai red chilies on the side. Serve immediately!

making strides

Those of you who have read this blog for any length of time are likely doing a double take right now. You're not imagining things - that's carrot soup. The much maligned vegetable has - until recently - only made guest appearances in my kitchen in recipes like beef stew or chicken soup. On it's own, I've had an aversion to them most of my life. I'm not sure if it's because of the horrific dilled carrots my mom used to make (bless her heart, she could cook anything...except carrots) but I've cultivated my disdain for them for years.

Well. In the effort of not wasting food - and in the effort of not going out in yesterday's monsoon - I wanted to make some sort of soup out of the stragglers left in the fridge. At first, I was going to hide them in a soup with some lentils and sweet potatoes. The soup got simpler and simpler until this recipe came about - nothing covering them up. Just an accent of fresh orange juice and a little honey. It's simple and delicious. It also provided a nice pop of color on an otherwise dreary, gray day. I garnished my bowl with a little sour cream and some toasted cumin seeds - I like the smokey accent with the mellow sweetness of the soup.  You could also top this with mint or cilantro, as well as toasted pumpkin seeds or almonds.

Honeyed Carrot & Orange Soup - serves 4 as starter

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable or low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• juice of 4 medium oranges (roughly 4-5 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• creme fraiche, fat free sour cream or yogurt, to serve (optional)
• 2 tablespoons toasted cumin seeds, to serve (optional)

- Melt the butter gently in a medium saucepan then add the carrots, onion and garlic. Put the lid on the pot and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened but not browned (about 15 minutes).

- Pour in the stock, water and a pinch of salt (if you're not using low sodium stock, save this step for last). Bring to the boil and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool before pureeing.

- Pour cooled vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add orange juice and bring back to a simmer. Add honey and salt & pepper (to taste). Garnish with a swirl of creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt and a sprinkle of toasted cumin seeds, if you choose. Serve immediately.

out of necessity, really

Usually when you see a soup recipe on this blog, it's because I need to share something with you. Either that or I'm going through a stressful time. When I'm in doubt or feeling frazzled, I turn to my soups. This recipe is really no exception. We've been really busy around here - burning the candle at both ends. My schedule only gets more hectic for the next few weeks and I have a good bit on my mind. It's been so busy that most of the groceries we've purchased recently are lying dormant in our fridge. I came back from my out of town trip this past weekend determined to salvage whatever I could and not let it all go to waste. 

This simple potato soup gets dressed up a little bit by lots of things starting with the letter P: Parmesan cheese stirred in at the end and a dollop of parsley pesto. I made the pesto out of what was in our fridge: curly parsley, some fennel fronds (still attached to the bulb, mind you) and some almonds I found in the cabinet. It's got great taste and adds a fresh zing to the creamy, slightly salty soup. Some mildly seasoned croutons would be a great addition to this, as well.

Potato Parmesan Soup with Parsley-Fennel Pesto - inspired by this recipe by Donna Hay 

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh chopped curly parsley
• 1 cup fresh chopped fennel fronds, tough stems removed
• 1/2 cup fresh (un-toasted) slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

- For the soup: In a medium stockpot, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat to medium. When warm, add shallot and sauteé until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add potatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add milk and bring back to a low boil. Turn off heat and remove bay leaf. Stir in grated parmesan. Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired texture. If you use a blender rather than an immersion blender, make sure soup is cool before blending it to prevent a kitchen explosion. Taste soup at this point and add S&P to taste - the soup should be plenty salty from the Parmesan cheese. If you don't serve immediately, reheat soup before serving.

- For the pesto: In a food processor, add parsley, fennel and almonds. Pulse until finely ground. While the processor is on, drizzle in 1/2 cup of good extra virgin olive oil. If desired, salt and pepper to taste. Top soup with a dollop of this pesto and swirl it in. Store unused pesto in an airtight storage container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

silently stirring

It's been another little break between posts here and I've been missing my blog. I'm trying to find the words to talk about the events of the past week but right now...there aren't any. Not right now there's not. Like a lot of times in my life, as I've often shared with you here, I turn to soup. Somehow, the cathartic process of making soup and some random stirring is the one thing that feels right when things around you clearly aren't.

This soup came about simply by Mike's request. Happily learning something new every day, I found out that white bean & ham soup was one of his favorites. It was something my mom made often (and made well) but I had never attempted - outside of chicken soup, I tend to not use a lot of meat in my soups. The texture and heartiness of this was perfect for a dark, cold spell (literally and figuratively) here in Atlanta. While I used a pre-cooked piece of ham in my version, feel free to substitute smoked ham or ham hock on the bone - just removed and shred it. Just take into consideration it may add to the cook time if you do.

White Bean & Ham Soup - makes 8 - 10 servings 

• 4 cups dry white navy/northern beans (these should be soaked at least 6 hours to overnight in enough water to cover them completely)
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 cups 1/4" diced carrots
• 2 cups 1/4" diced celery
• 1 large onion - 1/4" dice
• 3 cups diced ham - if using ham with a rind/skin around it, trim it off for use in the initial cooking stage of the beans
• small pinch smoked paprika - about 1/4 teaspoon
• small pinch dried red chili flakes - about 1/4 teaspoon
• salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste

- Rinse and drain thoroughly the beans that you soaked prior to making this soup. Remember, these need to soak at least 6 hours - overnight is preferable. Put beans, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves in a large stockpot with a lid. Simmer for 30 - 45 minutes until beans start to get a bit tender.

- At this point, add your diced aromatics (celery, onion, carrots) and the rind of your ham, if you are using any. Simmer the soup for another 30-45 minutes until the beans are tender. Pull out thyme stems (the small leaves should have fallen off by now), bay leaves, and ham rind. Stir in paprika, red chili flakes, salt and pepper - tasting as you go.

- Simmer soup on low for another 45-minutes to an hour, stirring periodically and checking for doneness. You can stop the soup at any time when it reached desired consistency - some folks like their soup a little thinner than others. You can serve this immediately or allow it to cool, store it and eat later. 

soup seems fitting

It's been a very hectic week and an even more insane weekend here. Photo shoot, preparing for the holidays, a cozy dinner at Cakes and Ale (our favorite spot in Atlanta), the PRIMAL butcher event (which I'll be posting about this week), and working on my post from the Gingerbread House Competition.

With so much to do and so much going on, I woke up this morning to another episode of Atlanta's Dreariest Weather (tm). I am beginning to feel like I live in Seattle without all the good coffee and no Delancey. While part of me loves these grey days for lounging around the house doing nothing, it makes for a lack of motivation - and fear of Atlanta drivers around me - when it comes to getting out and about.

It also makes me want chili.

I made this version about two weeks ago for our Top Chef Wednesday dinner. I don't want to start some heated dialog about what counts as chili and what doesn't. The last time I posted a chili recipe - which was vegetarian and had black beans in it - I thought I was going to have to change my email address or join the witness protection program. Seriously, folks - chili is a state of mind and not a set of guidelines, ok?

This recipe is based on Laurent Tourondel's version he makes at BLT Burger. I tweaked my batch out a good bit. I omitted the corn because, well, I forgot. I think it would add color but not much more to this - we didn't miss it. The pork sausage - replacing the usual ground beef - added so much great chunky texture and awesome flavor. I added extra chili powder to mine and a healthy pinch of fennel seeds to really amp up the pork sausage. We served ours with some jalapeno-corn muffins and a dollop of sour cream and cheese - I didn't feel like all the extra garnish was necessary. This would also make killer filling for some gourmet sloppy joes the next day.

BLT Chili - recipe based on this recipe by Laurent Tourondel - makes 8 generous servings

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 pounds pork sausage, casings removed
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• Two 16-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 4 cups water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onion, pickled jalapeños and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

- In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, breaking it up, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic; cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 8 minutes.

- Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and water and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chili with cheddar, sour cream, onion, jalapeños and hot sauce.

A guest blogger rockin' the mic about a remixed pumpkin soup!

 

Sometimes, I just don't have the time to post. There are other times where I wish I could let you know how awesome/brilliant/funny my friends are. This time it's both. I have a week's worth of photo shoots plus prep for a shoot this weekend going on and just don't have the daylight hours to tell you all about our dinner party. Plus, my friend Jen is so rockin' (and she writes for a living so this is a no-brainer) that I'm thrilled to have her tell you how she came about the pumpkin soup she made to start off our dinner party this past weekend. Thanks to Broderick at Savory Exposure for the above photo. Tune in at the end of the week for dessert details. Cheers!

This October I’ve had pumpkin on the brain. It would probably be weirder if this weren’t the case as every food site I like to check out has featured some form of pumpkin recipe. From muffins to pastas to baked casseroles – even Starbucks busts out the Pumpkin Spice latte this month, which, now really, think about that one. It’s squash coffee! Go lowly pumpkin for being on everyone’s mind and in so many recipes this time of year!

So all this leads to the last time I was at the grocery store. Which, sidebar: I hate grocery shopping. A lot. So whenever I find an item I think I could maybe possibly use that isn’t perishable I grab it. Which explains the odd items that hang out in my pantry (hello 4 bottles of molasses), but that’s a whole other story. The relevant bit here is that when I saw the end cap display with cans of organic pumpkin (and importantly, not pumpkin pie filling) I grabbed a couple cans and went on my way.

For the next few days I kept thinking and thinking about those cans of pumpkin in my pantry. What delicious recipe would I use them in? I was stumped, so I bought Mexican Pumpkin Spice candles from World Market and that calmed me for a few days. Then I bought one of those dang lattes and decided it was gross and I really was going to have to get my pumpkin food item fix by making something myself.

Around this time my husband and I got a dinner invite for the upcoming weekend from the lovely Tami and her sweetie and I offered to bring a course to the party.  Somehow I zeroed in on Pumpkin Soup. That would be a great first course offering to compliment the pork loin and Brussels sprouts that Tami would be making for the main course.

So I began my search and boy let me tell ya, there are a ton of pumpkin soup recipes out there. The key for me was finding one that was basic enough that the pumpkin shone through as the main flavor but was also focused on earthy warm flavors. I ran from anything that was Thai pumpkin or complicated to the point it should be the entrée itself. I landed in an obvious place: Rachael Ray, the lady who really taught me how to cook.

That’s another long story, but the short version is: when I first moved in with my husband (then boyfriend) 6 years ago, I realized I was responsible for feeding someone besides myself for the first time and it was someone who’s opinion I really valued. Thanks to 30 Minute Meals simplicity and Rachael’s method of explaining how to cut an onion every time she does it – I slowly got into cooking. So however cheesy she might be, I’ve got love for Rachael (and at least 1 of her cookbooks.)This was the recipe I settled on: Pumpkin Soup with Chili-Cran-Apple Relish.

 I followed the instructions and sure enough 30 minutes later I had pumpkin soup. One problem: It was bland to the point of tasting like warm cream to me. This was also about the time we should’ve been leaving for the dinner party. So I freaked and went straight to my favorite un-bland-this-shiz ingredient. I added about a 4th a teaspoon of cayenne and we were getting somewhere.

In the original recipe, Rachael calls for 2 teaspoons of dried poultry seasoning or dried thyme. I happened to have fresh thyme on hand and used about 4 or 5 teaspoons of that since it would be so much milder that dried herbs. Well, I threw that good intention out the window and additionally threw in about 3-4 teaspoons of dried poultry seasoning. Finally my soup was starting to taste like something.

I love the consistency of this soup. Because the canned pumpkin is so finely processed, it’s not too viscous like a lot of squash soups I’ve had. I helped this along by using an immersion blender to get the onion and celery more blended before adding the cream.

I made the relish that the recipe calls for with one substitution, I didn’t have dried cranberries, but I did have raisins and they matched beautifully with the remixed soup.

Now for the final tweak/secret ingredient. Rachel asks you to grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup to finish. I accidentally dropped that whole nutmeg sucker right in the pot. I like to call this “infusing” the soup with nutmeg flavor (yes, you can roll your eyes at my clumsiness here.)

I hope you’ll try making it and be sure to add your own tweaks along the way.

Jen's Remixed Pumpkin Soup - serves 6 as a starter course - original recipe found here

For the soup:

    •    1 tablespoon olive oil
    •    2 tablespoons butter
    •    1 fresh bay leaf
    •    2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
    •    1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
    •    Salt and pepper
    •    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    •    3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
    •    4 teaspoons fresh thyme
    •    ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    •    2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
    •    6 cups chicken stock
    •    2 (15-ounce) cans pure pumpkin (I used organic)
    •    2 cups heavy cream
    •    1 whole nutmeg submerged, or 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to finish if you’re less clumsy than me.

For the relish:

    •    1 apple, in season, finely chopped
    •    1/4 red onion, finely chopped
    •    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    •    1/2 cup raisins, chopped
    •    1 teaspoon chili powder
    •    2 teaspoons honey
    •    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat a pot over medium heat. Add the oil and melt the butter into the oil, being careful not to let the butter burn.

Add bay leaf, celery, and onion & season with salt and pepper. Continue seasoning with salt and pepper throughout the cooking process to get your desired level. Cook veggies 6 or 7 minutes, until tender.

Add flour, fresh thyme, poultry seasoning, cayenne and hot sauce, then cook flour a minute. Add more hot sauce if desired (I did).

Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit, then blend with a submersion blender until onions and celery are evenly fine. Add in cream and nutmeg.

Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

farro away

I have a tendency to go to my farmer's market and just wander the aisles...looking for random and new stuff to cook with. Do normal people do that?! Anyway. On one of my many, many trips there I was in the bulk grain aisle and spotted some farro. It was a little pricey but this was a quart of it. I threw it in the cart and off I went. It spent a couple weeks on the shelf and then I tried cooking it.

Oh dear. I clearly should have consulted the big cookbook in the sky known as the Internet (or Mark Bittman) before I went about it. It was tough, hard and totally off putting. Back on the shelf it went for a couple weeks that included two out of town trips and a move. Back in one place - and in the effort of using everything I buy - I revisited it again.

This time I was armed with a very simple, hearty recipe I came across on Serious Eats (which I totally heart and I learn or see something new every day on, btw). Given my love of soups - particularly tomato-y ones - this was a no-brainer. I had everything in the house to make my own version of the recipe. Instead of the beef broth, I used the veggie broth I had on hand - as you can see, it's super easy to make this a vegetarian/vegan friendly soup.  Herbs from my garden, a large can of good quality Italian whole tomatoes  and spices from the cabinet rounded it out nicely.

Soaking the farro in advance for a good while made all the difference. It's going to cut down your cooking time DRAMATICALLY and keep you from having to constantly add broth or stock to the soup as it cooks. While you could easily substitute barley in this recipe, I think the nutty crunch and tooth of the farro is what makes it here. It's substantial enough to have as a meal with some warm bread on the side. 

Editor's Note: Be very careful if you're taste testing your farro for doneness during the cooking process. A couple sneaky bites while cooking has rendered my tongue the texture of sandpaper and everything I eat feels like burning. Just a heads up.

Zuppa di Farro - based on a recipe found here at Serious Eats - makes 8 to 10 servings

• 2 cups farro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium clove of garlic -  peeled and minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup canned or chopped whole plum tomatoes
• pinch dried red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 to 8 cups of good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• Garnish: good quality extra virgin olive oil and parsley

- In a large bowl, combine farro and enough water to cover the grains. Allow to soak covered (with plastic wrap or lid) for at least 2 hours. Before adding to soup, rinse and drain thoroughly.

-  In a large stock pot, add your 3 tbsp. olive oil. When heated to shimmering, add the garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until cooked but not brown.

-  To the pot add the tomatoes, thyme, chopped basil, bay leaf, chili flakes, farro and stock. If using whole tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon as you're cooking the soup - I like the larger chunks and the way they break down in the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about an hour - stirring periodically. If the soup is too thick from the farro absorbing the liquid, add more stock or a little water.

- If you want a thicker consistency, you can puree part of the soup (once cool so you don't blow up your blender or food processor) and add it back to the pot. I prefer a looser, more liquid soup to contrast with the tooth of the farro but it's all personal preference.

-  If serving without adding a pureed portion, serve while warm - make sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs! Top with a sprinkle of parsley and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. If serving after you've added the pureed portion back in, make sure you reheat and then garnish.

- When storing the soup, the farro will continue to absorb the liquid it's in. Be prepared when re-heating to add some water or stock to thin it back out.