Friday, February 27, 2004
Carrot Soup
Sometimes, I take it for granted just how easy it is to make soup. Here's an old stand-by that I've been making lately.Carrots (about 8 sticks)
Chicken stock
fresh dill or ginger
In a soup pan, put carrots, chopped ginger or dill and cover with chicken stock (just enough to cover the carrots). If you don't have chicken stock, I use water and a teaspoon of "Better than bouillon." Boil the water until the carrots are tender.
When the carrots are soft, put it and some of the stock from the pan in a blender until smooth. You may have to do this in batches. Return the smooth paste into the pan and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
This soup will be thick. If you want a thinner consistency, add more water or stock. Some people add cream but this soup doesn't really need it unless you're going for the creamy taste. It's sweet and fresh just as it is.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Smashed Peas
Everyday Food magazine quickly became my favorite food magazine. Every month, I go through the pages and admire the beautiful photos, the recipes with ingredients I could easily get at the store, and the ways they dissect food: featuring a simple product such as a tomato and showing you the different kinds and which one to use with what recipe.One of the first recipes I made from Everyday Food is the smashed peas, a great accompaniment to any main dish.
2 packages frozen peas
1/4 cup water
salt
2 tb butter
2 tb milk
In a saucepan, boil the peas in water with the salt until the peas get tender. Put 3/4 of the peas in a food processor until it gets mashed and return it to the pot with the rest of the peas. Add the milk and butter and mix in while the butter melts.
Note: Since I'm often too lazy to clean another gadget, I just mash all the peas with a potato masher. The end product is lumpy but it's still good.