Hot Chocolate

This is hot chocolate how I always dreamed it could be - lots of chocolate, rich & smooth but with less sugar than mixes. Reprinted from "It must have been something I ate" by Jeffrey Steingarten.

Chocolat Chaud

2 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup (generous) sugar

1 - 100 gm bar (3 1/2 ounces) dark bittersweet chocolate, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona or Lindt (see note) finely sliced with a serrated breadknife

1/4cup cocoa powder, loosely packed, preferabley Valrhona

In a 2 quart saucepan, stir together the milk, water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chopped chocolate and the cocoa and bring to a boil again, whisking until the chocolate and cocoa are dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to very low.

Blend for 5 minutes with an immersion mixer or whirl the hot chocolate in a standard blender for half a minute, until thick and foamy. Yield: Four 6-ounce cups of hot chocolate

Note: I use a dark chocolate containing close to 70 percent cocoa, though Lindt bittersweet also works just fine. The Mayans and the Aztecs considered the froth the best part. Today, 30 seconds with a blender accomplishes what a half hour of beating did long ago.

Summer Crab Fettucine

My new favorite crab fettucine dish that is lighter than the one I listed previously. Ingredients are aproximate, I just invented & threw this together a couple times when we were given some whole crabs and I want to be sure to remember what I did.

Summer Crab Fettucine

serves 2

As much fresh dungeness crab as you have or can afford, picked out of the shell

1 cup of heavy cream

1 lemon

parmesan

2-3 roma tomatoes

6 kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic

olive oil

Start cooking the pasta immediately because this dish comes together fast.

Core & take the seeds/pulp out of the roma tomatoes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces & place in a bowl. Slice kalamata olives in half and add to tomatoes. Roll several basil leaves lengthwise and slice the opposite direction into very fine strips. (rolling them just makes it easier to cut evenly) Add shredded basil to the bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, drizzle with a little olive oil and add a finely minced or pressed garlic clove. (garlic optional) Stir everything together.

In a 12 inch frying pan, warm the heavy cream over medium heat. Add the crabmeat and heat Zest the lemon into the cream & crab mixture & remove from heat.

Pour crab/cream mixture over pasta & top with some of the the tomato mixture. Drizzle generously with lemon juice, scatter some fresh ground pepper & toss on some parmesan in a carefree manner. Enjoy with a glass of white wine.

Grilled Fajitas

This has been a favorite this summer, its quick and is all done on the grill.

Grilled Steak Fajitas

From "America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"
serves two

1 lb Flank Steak
2 red bell peppers
1 large sweet onion
1 Avacado, scooped out & sliced
1 Lime
1 package tortilas
Sour cream & salsa (optional)
Cheddar cheese (optional)

Latin Spice Rub (makes enough to coat 2 lbs flank steak)
2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T coriander
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine spice rub ingredients and generously rub on all sides of the flank steak. Slice onion through the "equator" into 1/2 inch thick rings. Keep the slices together and carefully thread horizontally onto a skewer so that the skewer keeps all the rings together. You should fit about 2 slices per skewer. Brush with vegetable oil

Cut the top & bottom off the bell peppers. Pull out the core & seeds, then make one cut lengthwise. Carefully flatten the pepper so you have one flat long piece of bell pepper. Brush with vegetable oil.

Heat grill to medium high & grill veggies & meat for aprox 10 minutes or until cooked through. The bell pepper will blacken some which is ok.

Slice the flank steak and drizzle with lime juice. Warm tortillas briefly on the grill and serve with grilled onions, peppers, steak & avacado slices.

Kari's Red Curry

After many tries, I finally figured out how to make a Thai red curry that we love. Be sure to check out an Asian import store for the ingredients, they are so much cheaper there than at a normal grocery store. ($.99 for coconut milk vs. $2.39 at haggens) I like the one attached to Hong Kong Garden on Meridian in Bellingham.

Kari's Tropical Red Chicken Curry

Aprox 4 Tbs Thai red curry paste - to taste (I like the Maesri brand - less than $1 a can)
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 sweet potato
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/4" thick strips
1 tsp sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves torn into thirds (optional - find them frozen in import stores)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 red bell pepper cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices
Fresh basil (optional)
Cooked Rice for serving

Peel & chop sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Pour 1/2 of the coconut milk, the chicken broth, 2 Tbs of the red curry paste and the sweet potato into a saucepan or wok over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft, smooth & creamy. (it will soften & be the texture of a regular potato at first - keep cooking it) If the liquid gets too thick, add some extra chicken broth.

Add chicken, sugar, lime leaves, fish sauce, and the remainder of the coconut milk & curry paste. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the pineapple, red pepper and basil, stir & let them warm for a minute or so. Serve over rice.

Balsamic Spring Veggie Ravioli

Another Kari Kreation.

Ravioli Primavera

Serves 3-4

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli
1 Portabello Mushroom, sliced & cut into 1 inch sections
1 red pepper, sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped bite size
6 Asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch sections
1-2 cups Arugula (optional)
Whole roasted garlic cloves (optional)
1 Tbs fresh Thyme leaves, chopped (fresh oregano would also work or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
Chopped Garlic to taste
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Put 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a small pan on medium low heat. Get it simmering and then keep an eye on it while you cook the rest of the meal. You want to reduce it by at least 1/2 but be careful it does not dwindle down too fast and burn. When it is reduced (about 15 minutes at a low simmer) remove from heat and set aside.

Start water for cooking the ravioli.

Heat aprox 4 Tbs olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/med high heat. Add at least a tsp chopped garlic, thyme leaves and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook a minute till fragrant, but don't let it burn! Add mushrooms, red peppers & asparagus and cook until they start to soften. (5 -10 minutes) Make sure the heat is high enough that its cooking away most liquid that's being released. Start cooking your frozen ravioli. Add roma tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves, cook for a couple more minutes till they're warm and soft. Remove from heat and stir in Arugula till its wilted. Mix with Ravioli, adding a little more olive oil if needed to coat the raviolis. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction over it and shower with fresh parsley, parmesan and ground pepper.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic Two Ways

Whole heads: Especially delicious served with Camembert cheese on bread. mmmmm.....

• Cut each head evenly in half (around the equator).
• Place in a baking dish about the same depth & width as the amount of garlic you're using. For one or two heads, I use a small corningware dish & put it in my toaster oven. You can sort of squeeze them in there if you need to.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of water for each head of garlic.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour until the cloves are golden, tranluscent and very soft.
• If you check them and they're not done, add a little more water before covering with foil again. If the outside cloves start browning or getting crunchy, it's overcooked!

Peeled Cloves: These are great thrown on pizza, mashed with camembert cheese as a bread spread, put into mashed potatoes, added to pasta sauces... they should keep a few days in the fridge. I would generally do whole heads unless you have a huge container of peeled garlic you are trying to use up.

• Spread cloves on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Put the sheet in the oven at 350
• Check often to make sure the cloves aren't browning. Stir them once they have started to cook.
• If they are browning but don't seem quite done, throw some water on the sheet.
• The cloves should be golden, soft and translucent

BBQ Pork

Not very traditional, but the easiest recipe ever for a crowd and the garlic makes it extra yummy. Courtesy of my friend Julie

Slow cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Serves 6-8

4-5 lb piece of pork. Loin is the leanest, but the fattier butt roast is great too if you remove the extra chunks of fat at the end of cooking. Ask your butcher. If you get a fattier piece you need more meat. If its a loin roast, 1/2 a pound per person should be plenty.

1 Large bottle of BBQ sauce or a couple small ones

As many peeled cloves of garlic as you can manage. Costco sells giant tubs of them for $5 and you can throw in 1/2 the tub if you want.

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10. Remove pork & shred, removing any superfluous fat. Throw shredded meat back into the cooking liquid and serve in the cooker or in a separate bowl. The garlic will have cooked and softened like roasted garlic, make sure to put a few cloves on each sandwich. Serve on Hamburger buns with extra BBQ sauce, a salad, cornbread, etc.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches

I've been addicted to these lately and finely feel like I have the method perfected, for my tastes at least. I like having them for dinner with steamed artichokes on the side. You can buy fresh mozzarella for really cheap ($6 for two huge logs) at Costco, otherwise it tends to cost $5 packed in the little tubs of water with just enough for two people. It goes bad quickly too, so use it up within a week, maybe two.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches
Serves 1 for dinner, two for lunch

1 large ball of fresh, water packed Mozzarella, or 1/3 of a huge costco log (see above)
1 large bag of Basil
1 1/2 roma tomato per person
1 sandwich size baguette per person
1 clove of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice baguette in half length wise & stick cut sides up under the broiler until it is crunchy but not too browned. Remove from heat. Slice garlic clove in half and rub over the cut/toasted side until the bread softens. The garlic will disinegrate/melt into the bread. Do this to both halves of the baguette. Drizzle both halves with olive oil.

Core tomatoes and slice aprox 1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on baguette halves and then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover tomtoes w/ basil leaves. Slice Mozzarella the same way and lay on top of the basil. Eat cold, or broil for 2 more minutes until the cheese just barely melts.

Shrimp Tacos

Not super inspired, but this is the way I came up with and how I like to make mine. Unfortunately cooking this tends to give me an itchy puffy face (I think its the spices??), so who knows if I'll make it again. : (

Shrimp Tacos w/ Mango Salsa

Serves 2-3 (just add more meat for more people)

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (rock shrimp works well if you can find it, or try a white fish or even bay scallops)
2 Tb butter
2 tsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika, or maybe even plain chili powder
3 cloves pressed or finely minced garlic
Corn Tortillas, heated
1 very small head of green cabbage
Mango Salsa (recipe follows)
Sliced avacado (optional)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shrimp, garlic and chili powder. Stirfry until the shrimp are cooked through, remove from heat and serve in corn tortillas w/ shredded cabbage (shave off with a knife), mango salsa and avacado slices.

Mango Salsa
1-2 mangos cubed
1/4 - 1/3 of a sweet onion, chopped very fine
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Chopped Cliantro to taste

Peel the mango & chop into 1/2 inch cubes. If the mango is not very juicy, mash part of it up with a fork to make the salsa more saucy. Add the rest of the ingredients & let the salsa rest in the fridge until dinner is ready. One mango is usually enough for 2 people, but two would be great if you love mango & have some chips to polish it off.

Lemon Cream Sauce

I often serve this over cheese ravioli, but any pasta will work fine. Another absolute favorite of mine even if Patricia's instructions are a bit over the top. heh heh heh....mmmm.....

Pasta with Lemon Sauce

from "Trattoria" by Patricia Wells

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 3 lemons (please buy yourself one of these for zesting they are amazing)
3 T fresh flat-leaf italian parsley, snipped (chopped) with scissors
Freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for the table (optional)

In a skillet large enough to hold the pasta later, combine the butter, cream, and lemon juice over low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat, cover, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add 3 T salt & the pasta, stirring to prevent the pasta from sitcking. Cook until tender. Drain, leaving a few drops of water clinging to the pasta so that the sauce will adhere. (memorize this technique and use it every time you make pasta.)

Transfer the pasta to the skillet, off the heat and toss to blend. Add the lemon zest and toss once more. Cover and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Transfer to warmed shallow soup bowls, shower with the parsley leaves and serve immediately. (make sure you shower the parsley, don't just drop it willy nilly! ha ha ha) Pass freshly grated cheese if desired.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

A decadent recipe I made up, influenced by Anthony's crab & shrimp fettucine and Biba Caggiono's Gorgonzola cream sauce. I will do my best to come up with measurements, but I've never written down this recipe before. If you are ready to splurge, use frozen crab meat ($12-$23 per lb, already removed from the shell) from the seafood counter and the tiny pink bay shrimp. If you are feeling a bit stingy, try using just prawns instead.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

serves 2

4 T butter
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (1/4 inch)
1 cup sliced & halved zuchinni (1/4 inch, 1/2 moon shape)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/4 - 1/3 lb of fresh crab meat (buy it removed from the shell, previously frozen is ok)
1/2 lb bay shrimp (the small pink ones) picked over to remove bits of legs & shell
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped & seeded (only use the outside flesh)
1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, plus more for garnish
1/2 - 3/4 lb linguini

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil once you have the ingredients for this dish ready. Put the linguini in as you start melting the butter for the sauce, they should be ready about the same time.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until melted. Add garlic & cook for a few seconds. Add mushrooms & zuchinni. Stir once & then let them sit a couple minutes so that they sear & turn golden brown on the bottom. Stir and let them sit again for a minute or so. Once they are browned & starting to soften, add white wine. Reduce for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and pour in the cream & gorgonzola. Stir until cheese melts into sauce, but do not let the sauce simmer or boil. (turn heat down if you need to) Reduce heat to low and add the crab, shrimp and tomatoes & let them heat and soak up the sauce for a couple minutes. Stir in the parmesan. Put individual servings of pasta (you don't need to use it all) into bowls & pour sauce over top. Serve with more parmesan and lemon wedges. (or squeeze a bit of lemon over the sauce before serving.)

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This is another all time favorite that I make for company all the time. My Dad found it on the internet years ago (9 years!) and its been a family favorite ever since. Except my parents like to slice up Italian sausage, fry the rounds separately and add at the very end to their plate of spaghetti. Since I was still a vegetarian when they came up with this, I never really liked the idea, but nowadays I have to admit a sausage round or two can be sort of tasty.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

from "100 Great Recipes from the Innovative Restaurants of Berkeley, California" by Paul Johnston. As served by Caffee Venezia

1/3 c olive oil

9 anchovies (these melt away and you will never know they are there, I promise)

8 whole garlic cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

28 oz can chopped tomatoes w/ juice

12 kalamata olives, pitted & halved

2 tsp capers, drained

5 garlic cloves choppe

1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped

1 T fresh basil, chopped (I use a ton of it - at least 1/3 cup, equal to the parsley)

1/2 to 3/4 lb spaghetti

Start your pasta water in a large pot with a couple tablespoons of salt.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and whole garlic cloves. (make sure the heat isn't too high or the anchovies will brown & clump together) Cook until the garlic cloves brown and the anchovies fall apart. Add the red pepper flakes and cook a few seconds more. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. (mine always thickens in 15-20 minutes, maybe I cook it too hot?) Cook the pasta while the sauce thickens. Add the chopped garlic, parsley and basil to the sauce and simmer a bit longer.

Toss 1/2 of the pasta with the sauce until well coated. Arrange pasta on a platter and pour the remaining sauce on top.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

My favorite place to have breakfast used to be the Stalk Exchange on Phinney Ridge and I would always order the Lemon Souffle Pancakes with Marionberies. Unfortunately it closed, which may be lucky for me since they charged an arm & a leg (or $8.95) for them which was a bit ridiculous. Here's the closest I've come to duplicating the recipe. I need to keep experimenting with the lemon zest & oil combination, but I'm putting it up here for my friend who requested it.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

adapted from "How to cook everything", Light and Fluffy Pancakes, by Mark Bittman

1 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

Dash of salt

1 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

finely grated zest of lemon, to taste (no more than one whole lemon)

1 T fresh lemon juice

A couple drops of pure lemon oil (optional, can replace lemon zest for a finer texture)

1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Butter or oil

Preheat griddle over medium-low heat while you make batter

Beat together the milk and egg yolks. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.

Combine the dry ingredients and milk-yolk mixture, stirring to blend. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in the batter.

Add 1 t butter or oil to the skillet and when it is hot, add the batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some of the egg whites in each spoonful. Immediately sprinkle a few blueberries over each pancake. Cook until llightly browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook until the second side is brown. Serve, or hold in a 200 degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

Broth

My favorite broth

It tastes great (ranked 2nd in a Cooks Illustrated taste test) and is super convenient for just making the exact amount of broth you need. (Its a concentrate that you mix with hot water.) One jar makes 38 cups of broth, just stick it in the fridge & its ready when you need it.

Garlic

I like lots of garlic & just throw in as much as I feel like. If you aren't into garlic, use less in any of the recipes. 1 clove is often sufficient even though I list 4-5 cloves.

Cooking with Wine

1. Don't use cooking wine, ever.

2. Buy some cheap white & red wine to cook with. Charles Shaw from Trader Joes works great. (I use the sauvignon blanc & any of the reds I happen to have)

3. Anytime you don't finish a bottle of wine, stick it in tupperware or a baggie & freeze it. To use, defrost it enough to get it out & then toss the chunk into your recipe.

4. Dry Vermouth can often be used in place of white wine in recipes and can sit on the shelf opened for months.

Pesto Shrimp Scampi

This has been one of my very favorite treats ever since I "stole" the recipe from the restaurant Pasta Bella (Seattle) and made it for my roommates in college. I actually just made the recipe up, based on theirs, so maybe I didn't really steal it. I made this recently for some friends and would you believe I accidentally grabbed a pint of egg nog instead of cream & dumped it in? I screamed so loud that Kyle thought I had chopped a finger off. Luckily it was still edible, just sort of sweet.

This cooks very fast, so have the ingredients ready and don't start until you are ready to eat.

Pesto Shrimp Scampi

Serves 2

1 lb prawns, peeled & deveined (no smaller than 26/30 per pound, the bigger the better)

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 14oz can of quartered artichoke hearts

1/2 c whipping cream (or to taste - 1/4 c is enough to make it creamy)
1/4 of a fresh lemon
1 c of dry white wine (open a bottle to drink with dinner!)

Pesto

1 large bag of basil (not the tiny plastic containers)

1 head of garlic

1/4 c olive oil

Parmesan

lots of crusty bread

First, prepare the "pesto". (You could also buy good quality prepared pesto and omit some garlic, oil & the basil) In a food processor, chop up 4-8 cloves of garlic. Remove 1/2 of it & save. Add basil leaves (not the stems) to the processor and enough oil to get it all pureed together. 1/4 cup oil should be enough, and you can add up to 2T water to help get it mixed together. You should have about 3/4 cup pesto when you are finished.

Heat 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic & about 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir to coat and cook for a minute or so until the shrimp start to turn pink but are NOT cooked through.

Dump in the white wine & turn the heat to high so it simmers quickly. Add tomatoes & artichoke hearts & let the wine reduce down for about 2-4 minutes, depending on how big your shrimp are. If you boil too long, the shrimp will overcook, so be careful! Large shrimp give you more time to boil down the wine.

Stir in the cream and let it heat till bubbling again. Turn heat to low. Stir in the pesto & squeeze the lemon wedge over it all. Remove from heat, sprinkle with parmesan & grind some fresh pepper over the top.

Serve in soup bowls with lots of bread on the side to mop up the sauce. You can also put this over pasta, but its not as fun.

Kari's "leftover" Italian Soup

Kari's Italian Soup

1 pkg ground Italian sausage

Chopped Garlic cloves (to taste, I use 3-5)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onions

Leftover veggies you have on hand like fresh tomatoes, zuchinni, mushrooms, red bell peppers....

1 14oz can chopped tomatoes

1 can small white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup jarred tomatoe sauce (if you have it handy)

3-5 cups chicken broth (depending on how many veggies you use)

Italian herbs like oregano, parsley, basil or thyme (dried or fresh)

1 cup macaroni

Kale or spinach (optional)

Shredded parmesan

Cook sausage in a medium saucepan until crumbly. If there is too much fat rendered, dump some out. (but fat does make tasty soup) Add carrots and onions and a dash of olive oil, cook until softened. Add any zuchinni, mushrooms or other leftover veggies that sound good to you and cook a couple minutes more. (do not add kale or spinach yet) Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add chopped tomatoes, white beans and enough chicken broth to make it as soupy as you like it. If you have jarred tomato sauce, add enough to give it some color & extra flavor. Add herbs to taste, about 2-3 tsp total. (oregano is a must) Once soup is bubbling, add some macaroni.

When the macaroni is cooked, the soup is done. If you have kale or spinach, add some at the very end so that it wilts into the soup. Kale is really great because it doesn't get slimy like spinach.

Serve topped with parmesan and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Julie's Tortilla Soup

This is soooo easy and great for crowds. I have no idea where my friend Julie got it from, so I will attribute it to her. We both just eyeball it based on how many people are eating, so here's my attempt at turning it into a recipe. The proportion of cream soup to broth is pretty flexible, I just use whatever I have on hand.

Julie's Tortilla Soup

Dash of oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 small cans cream of chicken soup (or aprox 3 cups)

3 small cans of chicken broth (or aprox 5 cups)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped

1 can of corn

1 can of black beans

1 jar of cheap salsa (like a medium sized jar of Pace Picante)

1/3 cup of rice (optional, especially if you are going to store it. If soup gets too thick, add more broth)

Toppings:

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Tortilla chips

Guacamole

Lime wedges (my favorite)

Cilantro (Yuck! Come to think of it, I think Julie actually adds this to the soup, but I hate cilantro)

Fry up the onion in some oil. When onions are getting soft, add chicken & let it brown a bit. (3 minutes tops) Dump everything else into the pot except for the rice and toppings. When soup begins to bubble, add the rice. Stir occaisionally to keep rice from burning to bottom of pot. Soup is ready once the rice is soft.

Serve with toppings.

Hearty Lentil Soup

I usually double this and it freezes very well.

Hearty Lentil Soup

from Cook's Illustrated, February 2004

3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 large onion chopped fine

2 medium carrots, chopped medium

3 garlic cloves minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 cup lentils of your choice (I like french green "Lentils du Puy" when I can find them)

1 t salt

black pepper

1/2 c dry white wine

4 1/2 c chicken broth

1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 t balsamic vinegar

3 T minced fresh parsley (optional I think personally)

Sour Cream (Kari's addition)

Fry bacon in a large stockpot over medium-high heat till bacon is crisp. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic & cook 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme, cook 30 more seconds. Stir in lentils, salt and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until veggies are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine and bring to simmer. Add chicken broth and water, bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30-35 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Puree 3 cups of the soup in blender (or use your hand blender!) until smooth, then return to pot; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 T parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some remaining parsley.

Carrot Soup

Whenever I make this, people always ask for the recipe. It is really yummy, cheap to make, easy to double (or triple), freezes well and is good for you! What more could you ever ask for? I am putting it here so that next time someone asks, they can just come here to get it.

This soup is also in memory of my Aunt Deanna. If it weren't for her, I would never ever have tried it since carrots aren't really my favorite thing. But she gave me the cookbook for Christmas one year and also told me I had to try making the carrot soup because it looked so good to her and she loved carrot soup in general. Every time I make it, I think of her.

Carrot Soup
from the "Pike Place Market Cookbook" by Braiden Rex-Johnson
Makes 6 cups - 8 servings

1/2 cup butter
5 or 6 medium carrots, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium, very ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
4 peppercorns
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
1 slice finely ground toast (I usually skip this, just adds texture?)
1 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup tomato juice
Salt to taste
Sour cream and chives or parsley for garnish (Sour cream is a must, the others I skip)

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven (or stockpot) over low heat, and add carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown. (mine never brown and I do it over medium heat)

Add peppercorns, parsley, toast crumbs and boiling water, cover Dutch oven, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and quickly reduce the remaining liquid, while stirring until it is almost absorbed.

Remove parsley sprigs and puree mixture in a blender, food mill or food processor, hand blender, etc. Return vegetable puree to Dutch oven and add chicken broth and tomato juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Heat soup slowly until mixture is nice and creamy, about 10 or 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives or parsley.

Kari's Black Bean Soup

(updated 1/22/07)

1-2 T Vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

2 14 oz cans black beans (my favorite thing to use is Goya Black Bean Soup - in the hispanic section. If you use this, omit the chicken broth)

1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (depends on how soupy you want it)

1 14oz can chopped tomatoes

1 small can chopped green chilis (by the salsa usually, use jalepenos if you like it spicy)

1 t Cumin or to taste

Sour Cream

Shredded cheddar

Optional:

Corn Tortillas (Do not buy Mission brand, they are awful!!)

Avocado (1/2 per person)

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add chopped onion & bell peppers. Cook 3-5 minutes till soft & translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Dump in beans (don't rinse or drain), tomatoes, chilis and enough chicken broth to make it loose, but not too soupy. (should be like chili?). Add Cumin and any other fun spices that you happen to have like Chipotle Chili Pepper powder or Smoked Paprika.

Heat soup till warm & bubbling. Serve with sour cream and cheddar on top.

Optional: While the soup warms, heat a skillet on medium high. I like to add a tiny bit of oil, but skip this if you want. Add a corn tortilla and cook for about a minute per side until its just starting to brown but is still nice and soft. Remove & add about 3 slices of avocado to the center. Salt generously & roll up, serve as a side to the soup. We usually eat about 3 rolls per person which should take 1/2 an avocado per person.