Garbanzo & Celery Soup With Gremolada

Soup today! Healthy soup. Sorry if this disappoints those who read my blog for a vicarious sugar rush.

I did try to deliver, spending my morning hand-pulling some gorgeous twisted hard candies. However, I decided that blogging about how to make these treats would be unwise. I managed to burn myself while handling the pulled sugar, even with my layers of gloves.

Sure, handling hot sugar is dangerous by default but I've decided that trying to handle hard candy is crazy dangerous for most home cooks (including myself). It isn't the same as handling something like taffy, which you can work with your bare hands.

I don't want to post a recipe where I need to recommend having your local hospital's burn unit on speed dial.

Hence we're posting my lunch today.

Baked Fruit Leather

Happy Thursday, all.

Yesterday, I found myself very busy using up all the wonderful summer fruit I have hanging around. Fruit that was in desperate need of a purpose, and soon.

Usually, when faced with an excess of fresh fruit I do two things: make purée to freeze and save for future baking and candy making or I make fruit leather.

Fruit leather is so simple to make and a great way to take advantage of the summer markets that are flooded with inexpensive fresh fruit. Kids love the stuff too... who will be going back to school soon, right? They might need a reasonably healthy treat in their lunchbox. Something better than the usual fare I supply on this site.

While fruit leather is generally made in a dehydrator, you can make it at home in your oven too. All you need is plenty of time, a blender or food processor, an oven that can hold a temperature more or less around 150°F, and since most ovens don't have a mark on their dial for that, an oven thermometer too.

That's all you need to turn all this into this...

Spinach & Shrimp Udon Soup

Udon soup is on the menu for lunch today. I've posted the chicken version of this soup before, but something prevented me from actually posting the recipe that evening (probably just too lazy).

So, this is a dashi based broth, with fresh baby spinach, shrimp, poached egg, and spring onion. Cooked chicken works equally well in the place of shrimp.

Not so Humble Spinach & Shrimp Udon Soup:
Serves 4
3/4 lb large shrimp, cooked, shelled and tails removed
1 1/2 lbs fresh thick udon noodles
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon granulated dashi
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
green onion
cayenne pepper

4 eggs
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

In a saucepan with several cups of water and a teaspoon of rice vinegar, poach 4 eggs for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes. Remove the eggs from the hot water, place in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from cooking further and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 5 cups of water over medium heat and add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, mirin and granulated dashi. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the udon for 3 minutes and divide into 4 bowls bowls. Refill the pan with more hot water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 20 seconds until bright green and slightly wilted. Remove from heat and squeeze the excess water from the spinach. Divide the spinach between the bowls and top each with a poached egg.

Add the cooked shrimp to the simmering broth and poach briefly, just long enough to heat them through (about 20 seconds) and then ladle the shrimp and the broth into the bowls. If using raw shrimp, add them to the simmering broth and cover. Within about 3-5 minutes the shrimp should be opaque, bright pink and cooked through.



Top the bowls with a little chopped green onion, sprinkle the egg with a little cayenne pepper and serve.

Broccoli Soup with Yogurt

Broccoli, like most green vegetables, was almost a curse word for me when I was growing up. I hated it.

Now that I am an adult, one who doesn't want to keel over before she hits 30, I try to eat healthy and that includes some of those green vegetables I abhorred as a child. I've since discovered that there are more palatable ways to prepare vegetables than the limp unadorned veggies that tend to accompany your standard American fare.

This soup is a good example of taking a once dreaded vegetable and making it into a dish I now crave. It is comforting and delicious as well as nutritious and low in calories (well, minus the yummy croutons). Something that I need right now, since I ate three pieces of fudge today...



Not so Humble's Broccoli Soup with Yogurt:
Serves 8-10

1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups broccoli florets
5 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 large russet potato peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
salt
pepper

plain yogurt
garlic croutons (optional)

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the cumin has darkened slightly. Grind the spices into powder and set aside. You could also use store bought ground cumin and coriander, however the flavor of whole toasted cumin and coriander is far better (if you do use pre-ground spices, use roughly half as much).

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a medium low and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes and broccoli are tender.

Working in thirds, add the mixture to your blender and purée until smooth. Add half of the ground cumin and coriander mixture to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sprinkled with the remaining toasted cumin and coriander, a dollop of yogurt and fresh garlic croutons.

Not so Humble Garlic Croutons:
3-4 thick slices of pugliese bread cubed (or other similarly textured bread)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle over the bread cubes and toss. Spread on a shallow pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, checking often to give on occasional stir and make sure they don't over brown.

French Lentil Soup

There are some strange recipes out there on the net. Recipes that tout how 'easy' they are. Recipes that use dubious shortcuts, like putting pudding mix in a baked cheesecake! The horror.

Why, I came across a bean chili recipe that contained no more than four ingredients and the only means of seasoning was steak sauce. Yes, thats right, steak sauce. Now, maybe steak sauce chili tastes good, I don't know but I consider using steak sauce as the sole means of seasoning chili sorta cheating. I also consider this lentil soup a bit of a cheater too. I hate to admit it, there is a short cut involved, in the form of store bought marinara sauce.

Now now, before anyone yanks my food blogger-card away, it does make the soup taste really good. I'll further defend myself by noting that this soup recipe was taught to me by a professional who used this shortcut in her own kitchen and if she can do it, so can I.

Besides, I have to post my cheater recipe. It is hands down, my favorite lentil soup.

Not so Humble's French Lentil Soup:

3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
3 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup good quality chunky marinara (I used Mom's Garlic & Basil)
16 oz lentils washed, picked over and drained
15 ounce can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

In a large pot over medium high, heat the olive oil and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally till the vegetables have slightly browned (about 10 minutes). Add the chicken stock, lentils, tomatoes with their liquid and marinara and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for roughly 45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Remove 2 cups of lentils from the soup, purée in a blender and return to the soup mixture to thicken. Add additional water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and add the vinegar to taste.

Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves

Had a nice food find this week. Fresh banana leaves!

These are great for wrapping food and then steaming or grilling. Steamed, the banana leaves impart a sort of fruity, almost floral taste to the food. Grilled, they add a similar but more bitter aroma.

I also picked up some yellow eye rockfish that looked fresh and delicious. However, I just read that it is probably going to be declared a protected species in our area. Gah! Now I feel really bad for eating the poor thing. Of course, this recipe works equally as well with just about any other sustainable white fish. In fact, I'm going to leave that rockfish alone entirely, now that I know that it is up for a possible status change in my area.

The black rockfish would be a better option for those of us wanting to make eco-friendly choices and if you're ever worried about the impact of what you're putting on the table, here is a link to help choose environmentally friendly seafood (link)

Not so Humble's Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves:

1 large banana leaf
boiling water

2 lbs firm white fish fillets
1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 heaping tablespoon rice flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of half a lime

Boil several cups of water and cut the banana leaves into 4-6 13"x9" sheets. Place the leaves into a roasting pan and pour the boiling water over top and let soak while preparing the other ingredients.

Trim and skin your fillets and cut into large chunks and set aside. Assemble the remaining ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Coat the fish pieces in the mixture and allow them to marinate for about 10 minutes. Once ready, remove a banana leaf from the dish of water, it should be pliable enough to work with now.



Place 3-4 pieces of fish in the center of the leaf and fold the sides to the center, then bring the top and the bottom up to close the little package and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Arrange these in your steamer's baskets and steam for 15-25 minutes.



Hopefully your steamer is bigger than this one! But hey, it is my most photogenic steamer... so in they go!

Cold Buckwheat Noodles

Trying to make up for all that cheesecake that has been going around the humble household with a light lunch today. Cold Japanese buckwheat noodles with green onion, sesame seeds and toasted crumbled nori. Served with wasabi, pickled ginger and a dipping sauce.

This is a very easy meal to throw together, just boil some buckwheat noodles and rinse well with cold water and let drain. Assemble a serving of noodles on a plate and top with freshly toasted sesame seeds (medium heat in a dry skillet) and chopped green onion. I quickly toast a sheet of nori over a gas flame and then crumble over the noodles.

For the dipping sauce I mix the following together:

1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dashi granules
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1 tablespoon bonito flakes

I heat this mixture to barely a simmer and let sit for a few minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the bonito flakes. Let the sauce cool to room temperature and it is ready to serve with the cold noodles.

Oishii Salmon Ramen

I spent my freshmen year of college knocking out my degree's foreign language requirements, in my case this was Japanese. I spent a lot of time loafing around the school of Asian studies and hanging out in their lovely Japanese style garden. That's where I met Samurai Wannabe. Walking around campus with a karate kid like bandana tied around his anime spiked blond hair. He infused every interaction with utmost gravitas. This guy wasn't messing around. He was living the lifestyle; I'm pretty sure off campus he carried around a sword, if not two.

I miss that guy. He reminded me that maybe you shouldn't take yourself too seriously. Something that clearly I don't try to do here.

Well Seattle Samurai Wannabe, I'm sorry I never remembered your real name. This soup is for you.

Ramen with Pacific Northwest twist.



Not so Humble's Oishii Salmon Ramen:

8 oz fresh ramen noodles (Not the instant stuff. If you can't find these and don't feel like making them, substitute a thin chinese egg noodles or packets of fresh 'stir fry' noodles)

Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 cup bean sprouts
1 green chili, seeded and sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves (optional)
fresh cilantro

Salmon
1 pound of wild pacific northwest coho, skin removed and sliced into four filets.

3 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of mirin
1 teaspoons grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot chili sauce - sriracha (optional)

Cook the ramen according to the package directions.

Mix the ingredients for the salmon and glaze each piece. Place the salmon under the broiler for roughly four minutes on one side. The flesh should flake easily but the center should remain moist and pink.

Add the garlic, ginger and soy sauce to the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

Boil 4 cups of water in a small pan and add the spinach, cooking briefly till it has just wilted. Remove the spinach from the water and squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid.

Divide the spinach between four bowls, then add the noodles. Pour the broth over the noodles and add a filet of salmon to each. Sprinkle with the bean sprouts, chilies, and cilantro.

Red Lentil Dal with Roti

There are probably as many recipes for dal out there on the internet as there are food blogs. This recipe of mine is a favorite, not only because it is delicious but it is an easy to make dish that is really good for you. In the never ending quest to mind my waistline I find myself eating a lot this stuff.

It also plates up beautifully with its swirl of spiced tempering oil and a little fresh cilantro.

Not so Humble's Easy Red Lentil Dal:

2 cups turkish red lentils
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water

Tempering Oil:
5 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 whole dried red chilies
1 teaspoons finely minced garlic
4 teaspoons peeled and grated garlic
1 pinch asafetida (optional)
2 thai green chilies
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Wash and pick over the lentils and add to a pot with the salt, turmeric and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming the surface well. Cook for 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft, adding more water if necessary. Remove a cup of the lentils and puree with a fork or food processor and add them to thicken the soup.

For the tempering oil heat the oil to about medium-medium high in a skillet and add the cumin seeds and saute until they darken slightly. Add the dried red chilies and cook for a minute more. Then add the ginger, green chilies, garlic and asafetida and saute briefly to cook the garlic. Remove the oil from heat and add the cayenne. Add half of the oil to the dal along with half the cilantro and the lemon juice. Taste for salt and additional cayenne.

Plate the dal with the remaining cilantro and tempering oil on top. Serve with bread and/or basmati rice.