Grilled shrimp, fresh pea and ricotta pasta: a brief and delicious sideline from soup

The story: I recently moved to Brooklyn and inherited a great apartment, a real, big girl dining room table and a backyard with a grill. Those three things put together spell one thing: DINNER PARTY! And boy, did I have one.

I was having my friend B. over, who is my oldest friend and owner of this fabulous blog, as well as her boyfriend. B. had recently discovered youmakethebestsoup and was dismayed by my lack of recent postings, so we decided to make on rip-roaring delicious meal and post it, soup be damned!

This meal was entirely based upon and inspired by my local farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza, an awe-inspiring setting for a pretty awe-inspiring spread of fresh veg, meat, flowers, dairy, and even a fishmonger. My roommie and I cruised by there on Sat before a reallllllllly looooooong bike ride (38 miles, NBD) and I saw they had fresh peas. I.love.fresh.peas. I became obsessed with them in Morocco and buy them as often as possible during their season. I find shelling peas soothing, and eating shelled peas...a miracle of nature, taste, and spring. So I bought a ton, carried them in my backpack for 38 miles, and schemed a great meal for my big inaugural dinner party.

The Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh pasta, whatever floats your boat


• 1/2 cup fresh, part-skim ricotta


• 1 large shallot, diced


• 1 small yellow onion, diced


• 3 cloves of garlic, diced


• 2 tablespoons butter


• as many freshly-shelled peas as you can handle (we did about 2.5 cups)


• 1/2 lb deveined, shell-on shrimp


• some dried thyme


• Olive oil


• salt


• freshly grated parmesean

The cooking:

Melt the butter on low heat in a saute pan and saute/sweat the shallot, onion and one chopped clove of garlic on low heat until they are clear and mild-smelling. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with some olive oil, the rest of the garlic, salt and some dried thyme. Let them sit for 1/2 hour and marinate. Once the garlic/shallot/onion combo is done, mix it in with the ricotta. Shell the peas and lightly boil them in water for 5 minutes or so until cooked but not mushy. Grill the shrimp, cook the pasta, lightly toss the cooked pasta in olive oil.

The serving:

Put the pasta in a large bowl and toss in the peas. Plop clumps of the ricotta mixture on top, lightly mixing in, and then the shrimp. Finish with some sea salt and a layer of fresh parmesean. Thank you, Brooklyn.

Braised Pork Shoulder in Salsa Verde: or, what seven dollars and seven hours gets you on a Sunday

The story:
Walking home a recent morning i stopped by my local grocer to browse around. They usually have cheap meats and I was planning on making a tagine so I stopped by the butcher counter. Sitting there in plastic, for 7 bucks, was a hulking, fat-encased pig shoulder. I bought it. Why not? Adventure-cooking, folks! And guess what...it turned out AWESOME.

The ingredients:

• 1 half pig shoulder, skinned and trimmed (this step is super gross, warning you)
• 1 bottle of medium-spicy salsa verde (forget making your own, this is gonna cook for seven hours so who cares)
• 1 bunch chopped cilantro
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• Some dried oregano
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• Some olive oil
• One serious Dutch oven to shove that shoulder in

The cooking:

Skin and trim the shoulder. This is a gross and somewhat thoughts-of-vegetarianism-inducing process that is best done with kitchen scissors and a strong heart. Heat some olive oil, enough to coat the bottom, in a Dutch oven and brown the shoulder on all sides. Toss in the chopped onion, allow it to sweat for a minute, then add the salsa verde, broth, and enough oregano to smell it. bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for...forever. Until the meat is absolutely falling off the bone and the liquid has been reduced to a nice volume for sauce. Remove the meat, brown it for 30 minutes at 375 in the oven to get it all crispy and delicious, then shred the shit out of it, toss it back in the pot, add some cilantro and call it a feast.

The serving:

I made a bowl of corn, beans, rice and pork with sauce all mixed up, and it was perfection. I'm sure you can get real fancy with soft corn tacos and other non-bowl oriented foods, but it's a Sunday, so why would you?

A tale of frozen vegetables: butternut squash and cauliflower bisque

The Story: It was 10 PM. It was freezing. I was broke, coming home from work late, and hungry (this is, on average, two nights per week at least). I wandered into the local grocery and aimlessly and miserably perused the frozen veggies aisle. Sometimes I take comfort here in a bag of frozen spinach. This night, that was not in the cards for me. I instead saw a frozen box of Southland-brand* butternut squash and an idea came to mine...

*A note on Southland: if you don't know what these frozen delights are, you're missing out. A brand that purports itself as 'Southern cooking', they make insanely cheap, dairy-free, healthy and delicious frozen pureed yams, butternut squash, etc. You can get them for 99 cents at your local grocery. My dear friend Laura F. introduced me to them and I am forever grateful. As a side, or a snack, or a soup-base, as you'll soon see, these things are great.

The ingredients:

• I box Southland frozen butternut squash
• 1 whole cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• 1 small (juice box-size) container of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

The cooking:

Stem cauliflower and steam chopped up bunches in a pot with an inch of water. When soft, drain. Toss in the butter and dried thyme. Let sit. Defrost the squash and pour in with the cauliflower. Stir vigorously and the cauliflower will naturally break apart. Toss in the chicken broth, heat, and you're done. It's easy and delicious. You can puree if you like it silky-smooth, but I prefer mine chunky.

The serving:

Ideally, in front of the telly with a warm blanket over your lap. Tomorrow is another day, my friend!

Perhaps the Perfect Chicken Noodle Soup

The Story:

I have always loved my mom's chicken soup. I grew up on it. It is delicious-- a nice clear broth, some lovely, chewy chicken pieces, the occasional carrot, celery, or cut up green bean. Nothing fancy-- not even noodles. I thought this was as good as it gets.

Until I moved to Morocco, and made Perhaps the Perfect Chicken Soup by accident, thanks to an over-watered pressure cooker. That put ideas into my head-- ideas filled with ropey noodles and steaming bowls of soup. That idea was perfected this past Sunday, as you can see from this crappy photo taken will my cellphone above. Here's how:

The Ingredients:

• 1 whole 5 lb quality chicken, rubbed in salt and left to sit for an hour until room temperature, then rinsed and dried


• 1 yellow onion, diced


• a small amount of olive oil


• 2 bunches of celery, chopped


• 1 clove of garlic, chopped


• 5 or so large carrots, peeled and chopped


• 1 lb of green beans, cut in half


• some ginger (a generous sprinkle)


• some salt


• some pepper


• some savory spice (generous sprinkle)


• a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped


• 1 large bag of extra-wide egg noodles (home-style, sometimes called)

The Cooking:

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil on medium in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. once clear add the cilantro, savory, and ginger. Then salt and pepper the chicken and brown it lightly in the pot, rotating as necessary. once the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, take it out. saute the carrots and celery lightly in the pot, for about 3 minutes. add the chicken back in, add in the green beans, and cover with water. Turn the heat down to very low, and let sit for about 2.5 hours.

Get a pair of tongs and take out the chicken. It should literally fall apart. Let the meat cool, and shred the met, removing all bones, skin, and tendons. Set the meat aside. Strain all the vegetables out of the broth and skim off the fat. Bring the broth to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente. Add back in the veg and chicken, bring to a simmer, and ta da, perhaps the perfect chicken noodle soup.

The Serving

I like to sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over mine. Otherwise, this is perfection in a bowl.

Non-Brown Soups

My roommates pointed out to my great chagrin that 'all the soups you make are the same color.' And it's mostly the truth-- cumin, lentils, lamb...these things tend to make things brown.

Besides the delicious fish stew and butternut squash bisque featured previously on this blog, much of it looks the same.

Any suggestions for something truly more colorful?? To turn this cumin-scented frown upside down?

Lamb and Chickpea Stew (bag o' spinach v.6?)

The Story: I admit it, I wish I could branch out more-- try some Asian soups, maybe a tom yum, or go for something Greek or French, a nice cassoulet or a delicious avgolemono. However, Middle East, I just can't quit you!

I'm in a new saving money, being delicious mode where I cook a big tupperware of soup and leave it at work to eat for my lunches throughout the week*. Not that I'm tired of lentils, but I was up in the Bronx today and found a great, cheap market where chickpeas were on super sale. I bought myself three bucks worth of lamb stew meat and bam, lunch is born (boom goes the dynamite, anyone?)

The Ingredients

• Enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot (in my case, trusty pressure cooker)
• 1 diced medium yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• some lamb stew meat, preferably boneless (1 package will do)
• bag of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed of water
• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained and washed
• dried thyme, to smell
• cumin to taste
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• ginger, to taste
• salt and pepper, duh

The Cooking:

Heat olive oil in bottom of pot. Brown meat in the olive oil. Toss in onion and garlic once browned, and saute until clear. Toss in tomato paste and stir until melted in. Add water to cover, and all spices. Cook down until meat is tender. Add chickpeas and spinach and let simmer for around 20 minutes. Yum.

* Someone came in and threw out all our food from work in our fridge! It was a tragedy-- I had two more days of lunch left in there!!

Bag o' Spinach Soup v.4: The Protein Expolsion! Lentil, Spinach and Andouille Soup

The Story: I'm poor, and it's cold and rainy, and I spent all Sunday making PowerPoints in my office and need some soothing. What's a girl to do?

Warm up with a big bowl of soup! After a brief seasonal/transitional hiatus, this blog is back and looking to boogie. Tonight, I just fashioned myself a big pot of roommate-inspired v.4 o the Bag'o Spinach Soup, adding Andouille sausage (I chose chicken, you can do pork, ain't no thing). Man, the smokiness and proteinness was fantastic. Here's the skinny:

The Ingredients:


1 and 1/2 cup lentils (i like brown)
a couple bay leaves
3 cloves chopped garlic
a medium diced red onion
some olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pot)
i bag frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
some cumin to taste
a dash of turmeric
a dash of ginger
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 package andouille sausage, cut into chunks
salt and pepper

*soak lentils overnight in water so they're quick to cook* --> I didn't, but my PRESSURE COOKER took care of those babies in 15 minutes flat

To do:

saute the andouille in the pot with a tiny bit of olive oil until cooked. remove sausage. saute the onion and garlic in the sausage-y-olive oil in the pot until they're cooked clear. add the lentils and bay leaves and cumin, and cover with water. cook down for about 1/2 an hour or maybe more until lentils are cooked. add spinach and rest of spices and a dash more olive oil for body, and maybe some more spices (taste it), and cook a bit more. enjoy!

Next up, hold the phone: Bunny Chow!

How fucking good does that look!

Bunny Chow: South African stew, curry-based, served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.

This ain't au bon pain's breadbowl, folks.

Bamia: Lebanese Okra and Lamb Stew (bringing the Arab diaspora to West Africa, baby!)

The Story: It's lean times right now in West Africa folks. Called, literally, 'the starving season', vegetables are nearly impossible to come by in the markets. No green beans (I mean, GBs are the most quotidian of all vegetables, so when you can't find them, you know it's bad), no peas, nothing. Only a few limp, tiny carrots, some hard little potatoes, and TONS AND TONS OF FRESH, HUGE OKRA.

I know okra gets a bad name because of it's sliminess, but cooked correctly it can be delicious and not slimy at all. I know this because during my stints in Jordan, my friend Yasmin's mom would make me rockin' okra stew! And as my body was literally wilting because of a lack of green veg, I cooked up some delicious lebanese okra stew (bamia, thank you Yasmin's mom for showing me the light) the other day and could literally feel by body thanking me. Try this recipe out and you will be surprised at how delicious it is. Plus, okra is cheap! So if you don't like it, whatever!

The Ingredients: (serves 4 or so)

• 1/2 lb or so boneless lamb stew meat (or roughly chopped up shoulder or hip or something, no bones though)
• olive oil
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced (I use purple onions)
  
• as much okra as you like (i like to keep it visually about double the meat), with the tops chopped off but the rest of the body whole
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves removed and chopped
  
• cumin (i really don't measure spice so i'd eyeball what looks tasty to you, but remember, cumin has a tendancy to dominate so i'd go lightly, a sprinkle here and there)
• ginger (feel free to go a bit heavy, i love me some ginger)
• red chili flakes, if you want (i like mine a lil' spicy)
  
• salt

The Cooking:

Brown the lamb in olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pot). Remove the lamb after fully browned (10-15 minuted or so to really get it nice and browned), and saute the diced onion and garlic in the oil and fat until clear. Add the meat back in, and add the spices and cilantro. Continue to saute. Add a little water if necessary (just a bit). Do that until it starts really smelling good, and the cilantro is nice and wilted. Add in the can of stewed tomatoes with broth, and the okra. Add water until meat is covered, and cover pot and put on low heat for 30-45 minutes or so. Keep simmering until meat is falling apart, adding water as necessary. Okra should basically fall apart too. The sauce should reduce to a nice thick gravy-esque deal. Salt as desired.

The Serving:

I served this over couscous and it was flipping fabulous. Potatoes would also work. Something to sop up the delicious sauce!

Soupin' it up in Senegal!

The Story: So my dear followers (all two of you), I am currently living in Senegal. It's hot as hell here, and the markets are just flush with locally grown, insanely-delicious vegetables and fresh fish, meats, chickens just killed-- you name it. It's heaven. In the same way I didn't really know what a carrot tasted like before I moved to Morocco, this place is teaching me about fruits-- mangoes, papayas, and melons, to be exact.

So, in the honor of Senegal, here is the recipe for a delicious lemony-chicken okra stew I ate recently. I do love okra! But, if you don't, I bet this would be great with spinach or kale too.

The Ingredients:

• 2 lemons, juice of
• 2 cups okra, sliced
• 1 whole broiler chicken (2 1/2 lbs)
• 1/3 cup long grain rice, uncooked
• 6 cups chicken broth or water, your call (a bouillon cube or two added to the water is ok too)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large onion, peeled & chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tomatoes, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

The Cooking:

Cut up the chicken into pieces. Rub the lemon juice all over it, salt and pepper it, and stick it in the pot with the water/broth. Bring it to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for a 1/2 hour or so, until the rice and chicken is tender. Remove chicken pieces and debone, and return meat to pot and serve!

The New York Times must be following youmakethebestsoup...

Because they published a very similar recipe as my fish stew yesterday. Except mine forgoes the 'bouquet of garni' for 'handful of parsley'.

Take that, Gray Lady.

Cape Cod Fish Stew, a Summer Staple

The Story: When it's summer in Cape Cod, you know there's often a big pot of fish stew simmering away at my house. It's a relatively cheap, super healthy, and incredibly delicious way to feed the inevitable summer gatherings than gather on our back porch, drinking white wine and beer and demanding to be fed. Jerry, the resident old cantankerous perma-bachelor who often...uh...graces our table, even demands it in take-out form quite often. I like to make it with fresh cod, but any firm white fish will do-- I've made it with frozen tilapia and it's just as delicious. Garnish with some garlic bread, fresh Parmesan, and steamed mussels and clams and you have yourself one hell of a meal.

The Ingredients: (serves 6, modify as necessary, or enjoy the next day)

• 2-3 lbs firm white fish, rinsed and dried (it works with more or less, so do what you can afford)
• 3 cans stewed tomatoes, with liquid
  
• 1 zucchini, cut in thick chunks
• 2 handfuls baby bella mushrooms, cut in chunks
• 1 diced medium yellow onion
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup decent Italian red wine
  
• 2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
• A couple bay leaves
  
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

The Cooking:

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil with some salt until clear. Simultaneously saute the mushrooms in a splash of water and red wine until cooked. Set them aside, with their broth. Add the tomatoes, red wine and all spices to the onion and garlic, adding a bit more olive oil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and broth and simmer 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add the fish and cook, breaking up into chunks as it cooks (will take only about 5 minutes, depending on fish type used). Add the zuccini, simmer for 8-10 minutes while salting and peppering to taste. A tablespoon of butter can be added for depth as necessary. After salting and peppering, you're done!

The Serving:

Down the cape, we serve it in shallow, wide bowls, with chunks of delicious garlic bread and freshly grated parm flakes sprinkled over it. Toss some steamed mussels and clams on top and you might as well be in heaven.

SoupFan in Gotham

This kid *loves* soup.



So do these ladies:
Yeah, soup!

Soup... in Jordan

I am heading to Jordan for the summer in a few days, to consult for UNESCO/Iraq on the Iraqi education system's 'decentralization strategic plan'. What this really means is, I'll be making soup in Jordan, in this kitchen:


Nice, eh??


I am thinking it'll be a summer full of lentils, chickpeas, goat, lamb, okra, mulukhiyya (no idea what it is in english, is sort of like a bastard child of swiss chard and spinach), and PRESSURE COOKING. Stay tuned...

Garlic Soup at Cafe Pomplona: Soup Rave

It was unseasonably cold and rainy night in Cambridge the other night, so I snuck down the road by myself to have a steaming bowl of the garlic soup at Cafe Pamplona.



This is my favorite review of Pamplona from Yelp:

"Perfect in many ways. Awkward space. Awkward acoustics. Service can be charmingly aloof. In other words, not even faintly pretending to be anything it's not. (If the atmosphere isn't what you like, just walk a block in any direction--you'll find your Starbucks soon enough.)

Genuine and lovely. Every time I go there I wish I went there more often.

The coffee? Fine."

What this almost-perfect review missed is the amazing garlic soup. I used to go to Pamplona as a high schooler and smoke illicit cigarettes and feel really cool, wincing as a took each sip of coffee that secretly totally grossed me out. It was that type of place. Not until this year, 8 years after my last high school cigarette, did I stumble again into Pamplona. The garlic soup has saved me many a time this year. It has a mild depth of flavor, not 'garlicky' at all, and if you ask, they'll put chunks of softly boiled egg in it, with the yolk all drippy and oozy and you spoon up a big chunk and YUM.

Maybe more eggs in soups? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I know this is supposed to be about soup...

but I just moved back in w/ my fam (read: mom) for the first time in 8 YEARS, and it is_so_spooky.

I forgot the weird house noises and how she sleeps with the TV blasting. I also forgot what it's like to not have wireless internet. Makes in-bed blogging difficult.

To be continued...

Summer Soup

I've never been a fan of gazpacho, reminds me too much of V8 juice. Does anyone have a delicious gazpacho recipe that isn't super tomato-y? If so, please share!

Quick and Easy (Vegetarian) Dinner Soup: Under 10 minutes!

The Story: My sister Becca gave me this recipe. She pretty much knows what's up when it comes to food. Especially baked goods. This soup, however, is a light and quick go-to dinner for her. I tried it last night, and it was fantastic.

The Ingredients:

• 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth (boxed is fine, homemade finer), plus 1/2 to a 1/3 cup water.
  
• Fresh spinach, 2 handfuls
  
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• Fresh grated Parm, Coarsely Grated or Flaked (the tangy-ier the better).
  

The Cooking:

Wilt the spinach in the olive oil in a large pot. Add broth to simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with one tablespoon cold water. Slowly stir in the eggs while whisking the broth with a fork. Serve immediately, and sprinkle the fresh parm. Some salt, some pepper, some red pepper flakes... donezo.

Tribute to Lobster Bisque: Have I Mentioned I'm from Boston?

I am a born and bred Bostonian, and man, do I love my seafood. I think clam chowder and cod run in my veins. My father loves to tell the story of 2-year-old Kristen sitting on his lap and steadily eating her way through 2 lbs of steamers. For some reason, my family was more of a chowder than a bisque family, and I always considered lobster bisque to be something you get in a fancy restaurant, not the casual staple of clam chowder. Today changed that. It was a gorgeous, summer-like day, so D. and I borrowed Mom's car and drove up to Gloucester to the beach. I took a fantastic beach nap with various fabrics covering any exposed skin, with my bright pink beach cap covering my face. I must have looked awesome. In any case, after the nap and a few Miller High Lifes, we drove to the Lobster Pool in Rockport, which has some of the best seafood in New England. I ordered clam chowder and fried haddock, and D. ordered lobster bisque and fried shrimp. As soon as the giant platter came out, I regretted my chowder order. Next to his creamy bisque with visible chunks of lobster, my chowder looked so...pale. Wan. White! Next time, I'm shrugging off my childhood and going for the bisque.

I am really obsessed with the tomato bisque at harvard law school. If you're ever at their dining hall, get it!