Umami Carrot Soup with Mint

This is soup is one of the most delicious I’ve eaten. Even David, who is not a big fan of soups, declared this one a winner. This recipe is from the Herb Farm Cookbook.

“Food is said to have umami when it is at its peak of perfection, at the height of its season, handled with respect, and simply presented–a sublime, ripe peach, an impeccably fresh oyster, a bowl of sugary green peas cooked straight from the garden.” Jerry Traunfield, The Herb Farm Cookbook

And so this soup with its carrot-y goodness evokes umami, especially when the carrots are fresh and at their most ripe and delicious. The addition of mint tea is genius. You can’t discern it, but that’s the stuff that makes this soup special.

2 medium leeks (about 1.5 lb)
1 1/2 T dried whole coriander seeds
3 T unsalted butter
1 lb large sweet carrots (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/4 slices
1/2 C dry white wine
2 t finely chopped fresh ginger
3 C fresh carrot juice (i used 1 1/2 odwallas, but i hope to get a juicer soon)
1 t salt
2 C water
1 large bunch fresh spearmint (about 2 oz)

2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more if needed (i didn’t need it)

garnish: tiny mint leaves or thinly sliced mint leaves (while pretty, i liked the soup without the added mint garnish. the mint tea is SO subtle, that the garnish forced the minty flavor too forward.)

1. leeks
cut off and discard the tops of the leeks at the point where they turn from light to dark green. split them lengthwise in half, keeping the roots attached so that the layers will not fall apart, and wash thoroughly. thinly slice the leeds into half circles discarding the roots.

2. toasting the coriander
put the coriander seeds in a small dry skillet and place in over medium heat. shake the pan contstantly until the seeks begin to darken in color and smell wonderfully fragran and tasty’ be carful not to overcook. pour them out onto a paper towel to stop the cooking. using the towel as a funnel, transfer them to a spice mill and grind very fine. if you don’t have a spice mill, use a mini processor or blender. (i used a molcajete, which cooled them down well.)

3. vegetables
melt the butter in a medium (3 qt) heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the carrots, wine, and ginger. cook uncovered until all the liquid has boiled away, about 15 minutes, then continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly browned, about 10 minutes. don’t rush the step, for it allows the natural sugars to slowly caramelize. as the vegetables cook, keep scraping the bottom of the pan iwth the spoon to gather up andy brown bits. (i cooked much longer than 10 min; it took a while for the veggies to turn color. the moment a leek or carrot turned a bit brown, i proceeded to the next step.)

4. soup.
add the carrot juice, coriander, and salt. bring to a boil, cover and gently simmer over heat until the carrots are very tender, 20-30 minutes.

5. mint tea.
meanwhile bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. submerge the mint in the water, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. strain the tea, squeezing all the liquid out of the leaves.

6. finishing the soup.
put half of the soup in the container of an electric blender (you can use a food processor instead, but the soup will be as smooth). hold the lid down with a dry towel and turn the blender on at a low speed so that the soup doesn’t splash up, then gradually increase the speed to high. add half of the mint tea. blend the soup until is is creamy and very smooth. pour the pureed soup into a second saucepan and repeat with the remaining soup and tea. when all of the soup is pureed, add the lemon juice and gently reheat. taste and add the additional salt or lemon juice if needed. ladle the soup into warned small bowls or demitasse garish with tiny mint leaves.

best when served with fresh bread baked by david. enjoy!

chorizo: it’s pretty yummy

tonight was a mystery: what to do with chorizo bought from the santa cruz farmer’s market? it’s good stuff–local, humane (odd word to describe an animal, i know it), and organic. when i searched for recipes, most turned up to be a variation on a scrambled egg theme, which i initially dismissed. and then dismissed again when i found a recipe with my larder in mind: kale, potatoes, chorizo = tuscan kale soup with chorizo. i added cream near the end — remember the carbonara with the mistaken addition of milk? the cream did it justice, as did salt and freshly ground pepper. mmmm… i may make david a soup lover yet!

winter is just about here, which means…

squash.

winter squash.

b u t t e r n u t squash.

i searched my recipe books, and wasn’t able to find a recipe comprised of food in my larder–most squash recipes had cream or some such ingredient i don’t keep on hand. i finally found one on epicurious with cannelloni beans (had some soaking in the fridge for the past few days), rosemary (chopped a bunch from sandy’s bush to root for our garden), and tomatoes (had some from last week’s pizza sauce), and some of the finest bacon ever from the santa cruz farmer’s market.

the result?healthy delicious! nothing bad, harmful, or unhealthy in that soup, and the modicum of bacon just served to spruce it up a bit.

Butternut Squash and Canneloni Soup with Bacon

cooking is experimenting

we spent this sunday morning at the delightfully sunny santa cruz farmer’s market. while there, i bought one of my favorite foods in a form i’d never beheld: fresh cannellini beans in pods. i love these opaque and shiny beans, especially the way the italians serve them up: with garlic, olive oil, and plenty of rosemary. to jumpstart my musings on these little cuties, i searched my old saveur magazines, and found what i was looking for: a feature on florence that included a cannellini bean recipe!

the photos of trattorias and osterias filled me with longings for siena, but the recipe didn’t fulfill my mental yearnings. i continued my search, and found a recipe in a book we borrowed that included tomatoes and potatoes, two staples staking their claim in our larder.

this recipe was almost right, with one major problem: once the beans were cooked, the herbs, potatoes, and tomatoes were to be discarded.

discarded?

i’m a big waste-not-want-not fan (my college mantra–thanks pattie!), and the idea of tossing this goodness out was hard to imagine. so i decided against it. i also found that as the beans cooked, the subtle broth was a bit too watery for my tastes. it needed some thickening, so a took about a half cup of it and gave it a whirl in the food processor (such a great trick!) and re-combined it into the pot. things were starting to look up, except the broth still was a bit too much on the subtle side. when done, i added fresh ground pepper, salt, and olive oil, and served it in dishes i brought home from both spain and italy. coupled with delicious braised greens, a baguette, cheese, and red wine: a feast!