Purple and Red Potato, Granny Smith Apple and Cheddar Cheese Soup

I  love  the  farmers  market  because  I  can  go  there  with  nothing  in  mind  and  walk  away with a  million  ideas.  Also everything is seasonal so you know its fresh and organic. I could  go  on  for  hours,  days  even  of  the  importance of  grow local, think global and supporting small industry but I am assuming you are an intelligent person. Today  I  went to  a  rather  small  market  near Colombia University.  There were 4 different  stands,  one had  a  variety of potatoes, one had a variety of apples,  one  had  a  variety of cheeses  made  by  an  Amish dude, one had  bread .  If  you  take one  component from each of these you can make a  delicious, local, organic, sustainable , seasonal and  whatever  other hippie  green Eco friendly termed soup.  So  I  filled  my  recycled hemp flax Guatemalan bag with purple, red and yellow potatoes,  granny smith apples, cheddar cheese (from  the  Amish dude),  red and yellow onions and a loaf of  crusty bread.  I  walked  back to my  kitchen in  my  Birkenstock and llama wool socks and, after  giving  thanks to the  harvest gnomes,  I put on my Andean Chefs hat with the  natural dye useless ear flaps.  The cheddar, pommes and pomme de tere combo ,  for  some  strange  reason,  works  deliciously.  Besides looking  like  the  Benetton of soups,  multiple colors of vegetables and fruits deliver different vitamins and minerals.

2  green  granny smith apples

2 of each purple, red and yellow potatoes

1 red onion

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Peel  and saute all of  these  in a  stock pot adding salt and pepper  to  taste.

Add

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

 simmer over low heat till everything  is is cooked.

Puree in  food processor and  return to low heat

Add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and melt into soup.

Serve hot with a crusty bread on the side.

Wait  at least 1 hour before partaking in a game of  ultimate Frisbee

Spinach Basil Mushroom Shallot Lasagana

Garfield  was  a  stupid  comic  strip,  and and even  worse  movie,  but  for  some  reason  his love for  lasagna and the gluttony and laziness caused  by  it really hit it on the mark.  I do  love to  eat but tend to  eat several small  meals spread out over the  day as  opposed to  stuffing  my pie  hole to  the  point  of  going  into  a  food  coma siesta.  If  it  is one  food  that  If  I do  decide  to  indulge  in it  is  Lasagna.  Although  one  can add  any  combination  of  ingredients  my overall  favorite  is  Spinach,  maybe  because  some  where  deep  down  inside I know that its   good  for  me.  Spinach  is  the  only vegetable  that  actually  is has  more  vitamins when consumed cooked  than raw,  either  way they  are  both  delicious  and  still have  tons  of  Iron and fiber.  On  a  cold  winter  day,  I  love  consuming  it  and  then  going  into  a  hibernation like  state,  I  just  woke  up  from  a  4  hour  power nap  after  consuming 3  healthy portions  of  it.  When  done  consuming  leftover  are  great because  it  is  made  in trays  and  this  allows  the  sauce to  soak  into the  noodles  and  it  gets  better  with  time.  Serve  with garlic  bread  and  little  raw  vegetable  crudites and you  have  a  great filling  power  up  meal.

Sauce

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1  28 oz  can  crushed  red  tomatoes

1/2 cup water

2  tsp sugar

salt

black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

bunch  fresh  basil

2 tsp dry oregano

Filing

1 16 Oz cup  ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

2 shallots finely minced

2 cloves garlic

bunch basil

2 tsp oregano

salt

black pepper

1 bag  frozen spinach

1 cup chopped  mushrooms

1 box lasagna  noodles

2 cups shredded  mozzarella

Preheat over to 350

Sweat onion and  garlic and  then  add  rest of  ingredients  and   simmer  over  low  heat

Mix together all  ingredients  for  filling  and  set  aside  as  you boil  lasagna  noodles

Take  a  large baking pan coat bottom of  pan  with layer of  sauce, the noodles, then filling, then layer of cheese the noodles then sauce then filling then layer of cheese then noddles then sauce then layer of  cheese.  Bake for 30 minute  remove from heat and  let  sit  15 minutes before serving.

Secret trick :  Have a light  sorbet in the  freezer as  a desert  for  after  you  fully  digest  to finish of the meal with a smile,  I recommend  tangerine  or  watermelon.

Avgolemono (Greek Egg Lemon Soup)

We  always  associate Chicken  soup  with  sick days and as something that we consume as a remedy.  But it is not an old wives tale, it actually boosts the immune system and helps prevent and cure the common cold and the flu.  In this case it is neither the chicken or the egg,  but actually all the vegetables in chicken soup that give you the rich nutrients and vitamins to help fight illness.  The  chicken and egg  just make it  taste so much better. Onions, carrots , and celery, parsnips, turnips, all have anti inflammatory A,  C and D Vitamins that  really help  you out.  As well as rice will help out with any digestive issues and chicken has proteins and fats that your body needs if you want to  stay  strong.  I particularly like this soup because of the flavor.  Lemon gives  it  a  nice  touch  and  I always love  a  dash  of  dill.  You can use rice or Orzo ,  they both have soothing property's for the stomach. And most  important of  all this  is  a  soup  that is  cooked  with  love, the  most  important  ingredient of all to  make  someone  feel  better.  

For  Soup

3 cups  chicken stock, either homemade or from a can ( if making homemade go heavy on onions, garlic and parsnips,  and carrots and beet tops or kale) 

1/2 cup  rice

juice of  one  lemon

2 eggs whisked

sprig of  dill

Heat  chicken  stock up  add  rice  and  reduce  heat until rice is  cooked.  in a  separate  bowl  whisk together eggs and  lemon  and dill.    Remove soup  from  heat and whisk  in  egg  lemon mixture.  Ladle  into bowl,  kiss  loved  one  on forehead  and  serve. 

Optional  

Serve  with  some crusty bread  and tzatziki (Greek  yogurt with garlic, dill and  cucumber)  on the  side even though  dairy produces mucus, the enzymes in yogurt are great in fighting cold.

   

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

These mini cheese  breads  are  so  incredibly  tasty  that  when  you  have  them  for  the  first  time  you  will  wonder  where  these  treasures  have  been  hiding  and  how  incredibly  easy they  are  to  make.  They  are   best served  hot and  are  a  great thing  to nibble  on at  anytime, as  an  appetiser  or  a  snack.  Sometimes I  like to  make  them  in  larger  sizes so  they  can be tossed  in the  microwave  for  a quick  breakfast on the  go.  I  had  these  as  a  child  growing  up  but  never  ate  them  again until I  was  in  college, and fell in love again.   Served alongside yucca fries, ham croquettes and a heart of palm salad,  these are great  for  entertaining  at  a  diner party or  a  summer  time picnic  (well  you  can  picnic any time  of  the  year).  Yucca,  the  main  component, also known as  manioc or cassava.  It is  a  long  root that is  ground  into  powder  to make  this  dish.  It  is  also what tapioca is made of.   Originally  from  the  tropics of  Brazil  it  has  been transplanted  to  many  regions  of Africa  where,  like  the potato  ( same  family  of root  vegetable)  has  become  a  staple in the regional  diet.  Medicinally  it  is very  good  for  any  digestion  problems and  economically  can  be  transformed  into  a  bio  fuel.

1 cup milk

1 stick butter

2 cups  yucca flour 

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat  oven  to 400

Melt butter and  add  milk get  to  just underneath boiling  temp

Remove from heat add salt and flour and  mix

add  eggs  and parmesan  and  kneed  into  soft dough 

roll out 1  inch  balls

place  on  greased baking  tray

cook  15-20 minutes and  serve  hot

Word  of  caution,  these  are  incredibly  addictive,  make  sure  you make  enough or  are  prepared  to  run  as  you  decide  to  hoard  them  from  your  guests

Tamales- the Aztec Snack

It  has  been  a  tradition  in my family every year that around Christmas we all gather around the table and form the tamale assembly line,  The tamale is built with 3 key Components, the wrapping , corn husk, the masa, cornmeal, and the filling  fit into hand size packages. Then they are slowly steamed and  permeate the whole house with an amazing aroma.  The process is time consuming so tamales are made in bulk and can either be served at a large gathering or easily stored for a quick meal or snack on the go. Just like Chocolate, tamales go back to the Aztec empire and have been made since 8000 BC.  For the most part tamales are wrapped in corn husks although towards Central America the banana leaf is used, creating a larger tamale and can be filled with savory meats,  vegetables, cheeses, fruits, nuts and spices.  Although the masa itself is flavored, the filling of the choice additionally infuses flavor making it oh so tasty.  The one obstacle to this dish is finding the correct ingredients in a regular supermarket.  A Mexican specialty store is your best bet for getting everything.  For this recipe you can  add  what ever filling you like but I am going  to  do a  chicken and chili one as it is easy, inexpensive and delicious.

Soak 30 Corn husks in water fully  covered for 1-2 hours till pliable

Masa

6 Cups Masa Harina

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup Vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups water

1/4 vegetable oil

Mix thoroughly until a dough is formed set aside for 1 hour

Filling

2 lbs chicken breast

1 large onion chopped

3 jalapeno peppers chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup cilantro

1 larger tomato

1 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

Salt 

Pepper

1 cup water

Simmer all ingredients till chicken is thoroughly cooked then shred and keep at low heat.

Place corn husk flat, line with masa then add filling, fold sides over then bring down top flap.  take a small strip of corn husk and tie closed and place in large steaming pot

Continue until  you are all out of ingredients ans place pot over low heat.  cover and steam 1- 1 1/2 hours until masa is firm

  

Hot Apple Cranberry Butter Nutmeg Crisp

 Winter days are getting  colder and getting to the market becomes more trying yet we all want to celebrate with festive foods, so its time to make due with what you have.  I have found  over the years that even when resources are scarce you can always come up with something that tickles the palate and warms the belly.  Some of the  most  elaborate meals I have made are with limited resources.  It makes  it  more  of  a challenge.  Today Isabella  and  I  were looking  for  indoor  snowstorm activities. After we finished  playing in the clothes hamper we went to the kitchen.   I opened the fridge,  gave it a quick scan, and saw oats, apples,  a lemon and cranberry butter.  Cranberry butter, is more like cranberry jam than butter.   Although dairy butter is added  in the crumble, the cranberry butter doesn't have the fats, like dairy or nut butters, and is used for the bottom portion of the dish.   I chose to leave the skin on the apples because lots of the vitamins are stored in it, plus it adds texture to the already crunchy gooey treat. Oats thave tons of vitamins and minerals and are a great souce of fiber.  A treat like this is best served hot with eggnog ice cream that doubles the nutmeg pleasure.

Bottom

4 Apples ( whatever is in the fridge) cored and chopped

4 tbls sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp nutmeg

4 tbls cranberry butter or jam

2 tbls maple syrup

Mix all the  ingredients and put in 9 inch pie tin

Top

1 Cup Oats ( whatever is in the pantry)

2/3 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 pinch salt

half stick melted butter

Mix all together and  cover pie filling

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, cool for a few minutes and serve with eggnog ice cream.

My First Pickle

This  is something  I have  always wanted to make,  I guess I've  been procrastinating  it  for  a while but when I was in the  market the other day they had Kirby cucumbers on sale and they were just  screaming  " Pickle Me" .  The  concept is  very  basic,  the  acidity of vinegar preserves the food you are trying to keep.  For the most part we think  Cucumbers when we think  pickles, but Cauliflower, Beets, Eggs, Pigs Feet, Mango's, Jalapeños,  Herring, Watermelon and  Beef are all pickled.  Corned  beef  is  actually  pickled beef.  The  word  in  English  for corn refers to the similarities of the  kernels and corning salts used to pickle beef.  Outside of the English language, people refer to Corn as Maize.  To  make pickles  you need  the basics,  everything  else is  your  blank canvas.  This afternoon  I  made  dill  pickles.  The most  basic recipe,  impossible to mess up.   After that,  I will experiment away.  Salt, vinegar and water are cheap, or  free  at the  salad bar, its  just  having  the  patience to let them  brine, or  in  my  case, overcoming procrastination.  

In a Clean Jar 

8 Kirby Cucumbers washed  thoroughly

2 cloves garlic

Sprig of dill

2 tbls whole peppercorns

(any other spices you want add now)

Brine

Boil

1 cup vinegar

1/2 Cup water

3 tbls coarse Salt

2 tbls Sugar

Fill Jar  almost to top with fluid,  allowing  1/2 inch space.  Make  sure  cucumbers are fully covered.  Let  sit at  room temp  for about 4-5 Hours,   refrigerate for 2 days -4 weeks.