It’s spring!  Glorious spring!

We spent a weekend planting our little container garden on our balcony.  I have a serious case of garden envy of anyone who has a little plot of land in which to plant a few vegetables.  But we are doing our best [...]]]>

It’s spring!  Glorious spring!

We spent a weekend planting our little container garden on our balcony.  I have a serious case of garden envy of anyone who has a little plot of land in which to plant a few vegetables.  But we are doing our best and we have a couple of tomatoes and bell peppers sprouting in some 5-gallon pots on the balcony.  We also planted some mixed lettuces and some arugula seeds, which are coming up like a little carpet of green.  And lots of basil, which we can never get enough of.  For some great inspiration on planting container gardens, check out this blog: Life On The Balcony.

We had this lovely green pea and basil soup a few nights ago, a nice light spring-time supper.  We had had a big lunch so it was the perfect amount to fill us up in the evening, with a heaping plate of garlic toasts.  I had been intending to make a pea and mint soup, but my mint plant is just sprouting baby leaves and there weren’t quite enough to make the soup without stripping the plant down.  But basil I had in plenty, so I looked up a recipe and the first one I came up with was one by Giada de Laurentis.  And it was REALLY good.  Light but filling, and the basil was the perfect counterpoint to the sweet, sweet peas.  We omitted the cream, and found it was delightful without it (the problem with creamy soups is often you just end up tasting the cream and not the soup).

Green Pea and Basil Soup
From Giada de Laurentis

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb frozen petite peas (I used the ones at Trader Joe’s)
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
Extra basil for garnishing

Melt butter with the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook until onions are translucent and soft.

Add peas and basil, stir around until peas are thawed and heated through. Set aside 1/4 cup of peas for garnishing the soup later.

Put the pea/basil mixture into a food processor and add 1 cup of chicken stock. Whiz until smoothly blended.

Pour the pea puree back into the pot and add the remaining 2 cups stock. Heat up the soup over medium heat, without letting it boil.

Serve garnished with extra peas and ribbons of basil.

This time of year is the time for soup.  And yes, even in sunny California it is getting a little chilly, putting me in the mood for soup, chili, and other comfort foods.

My mom used to make wontons with us kids, and we thought it [...]]]>

This time of year is the time for soup.  And yes, even in sunny California it is getting a little chilly, putting me in the mood for soup, chili, and other comfort foods.

My mom used to make wontons with us kids, and we thought it was the most fun thing to scoop the meat onto the thin wonton skins and wrap them in all sorts of fantastic shapes, some of which held together during cooking, and some that didn’t.  It always felt like a treat to get together and make wontons – little did I know my mom was rejoicing at getting three pairs of helping hands to get the job done!  And when they were done, my mom would freeze them in bags, and Saturday afternoons we’d have ramen noodles and wontons, an easy and fast meal that we kids loved.

I made these for my in-laws the day before Thanksgiving, and I’m happy to say everyone slurped them up contentedly, including Chris’ grandparents, who reminisced about the time they went to China in the 1980s and stayed at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai and ate lots and lots of dumplings.

It’s a little crazy that Chris’ grandparents visited China 30 years ago. By all accounts, things were a little crazy there back then.

This makes quite a lot of wontons, which is great.  Just freeze them and keep them for months, a perfect last minute addition to a bowl of noodles. If you do freeze them, do so right away before the filling gets the skins soggy. Not only is that kind of gross, but it will also cause your wontons to stick together in the freezer.

Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup

Filling
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 cup minced canned bamboo shoots
3 scallions, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
pinch salt

1 package wonton skins
Chicken broth
Your choice of vegetables

Mix together all the filling ingredients. Place a small teaspoonful in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in water and wet the edges. Fold in half diagonally to make a triangle and press edges together, trying to remove all the air from the inside pocket. Wet the tip of the triangle’s arms, bring them together to the front and stick them together. Place on a plate. Make the rest of the wontons.

At this point you can freeze them or cook them right away. Heat some chicken broth in a saucepan (how much depends on how many dumplings you want to cook). Bring to a boil and add wontons. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the dumplings float to the surface, and wonton skins are wrinkled, sticking to the meat inside the pockets.  Add your choice of vegetable and blanch until tender.  Serve.

Last weekend we went up to the Bay area for a wedding and got a chance to check out Alice Waters’ famous flagship restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, with a couple of our friends, Anthony and Michelle. We enjoyed a delicious meal at the [...]]]>

Last weekend we went up to the Bay area for a wedding and got a chance to check out Alice Waters’ famous flagship restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, with a couple of our friends, Anthony and Michelle. We enjoyed a delicious meal at the Chez Panisse Cafe upstairs, not the restaurant downstairs, which was not only rather pricey but only served a set menu. The Cafe allowed us to order a la carte, and surprisingly didn’t put as big a dent in our wallets as we expected. For the level of service and quality of food that we received, I’d go back anytime.

photo by Brooke Raymond at Flickr.com

The ambiance of Chez Panisse Cafe was much, much cozier than I expected, with rustic wood and copper accents throughout the room and small cozy tables, well-suited for a dinner of conversation. We arrived about 5 minutes before our reservation and were seated immediately.

Chris and I don’t usually go out for dinner much, mostly because I enjoy cooking, and partly because more times than not, I’m disappointed at the quality of restaurant food. So often, we’ve wondered out loud, “Why are we paying $20 a course for this when I could make it at home, better?” or “Why am I paying $15 for salad from a bag when I can buy the whole bag for $3?” So we were glad that the food at Chez Panisse wasn’t over-hyped (like we thought it would be) but was worth every penny.

We started out with some fresh oysters with a mignonette sauce, which, I just found out, is basically vinegar and shallots, usually used on oysters. Personally I found the sauce a little heavy on the shallots but the oysters were fantastic – refreshing and briny, a taste of the sea. We also had little goat cheese rounds with fresh lettuces, which were nice, but as we live within walking distance of a really good farm, the freshness of the produce wasn’t all that impressive to me.

Then the main course. Chris had the fresh orechiette and I had the lamb course, which we shared of course. The pasta was nicely chewy and al dente, with fresh vegetables, and the leg of lamb was very good, rare in the middle, seared on the outside, and very tender. The lamb came with a square of potato gratin that positively melted in my mouth, rich but not cloyingly so. All of the food, I felt, was well-executed but prepared with a minimum of fuss, tasted fresh and healthy, basically as good food should be.

For dessert we shared a square of chocolate pavé (sort of like a flourless chocolate cake with a meringue-like crust on the top) with hazelnut cream, and a fruit tart with huckleberry ice cream. The ice cream was very good, although the tart was a little heavy on the almond extract, and the chocolate pavé was excellent. The best part was definitely the hazelnut cream.

Really, at $18 to $25 an entrée, $9-$15 an appetizer, and under $10 for desserts, Chez Panisse Café is priced like a mid-range restaurant but serves really good, upscale fare. Our bottle of the house red wine was nice, robust in flavor, and reasonably priced. The food was fresh and locally sourced, very quintessentially Californian, I thought. Our waiter was very attentive, but unobtrusive, a nice break from the attitude that seems to pass for restaurant service these days. My glass was always full, and I didn’t feel at all that the service was snobby or stuck-up.

Our friend Michelle gave me a copy of Alice Waters’ latest cookbook, “In the Green Kitchen”, and I’m looking forward to trying some recipes from the book!

Anyway, I was inspired by the oysters we had at Chez Panisse to make a simple oyster soup in honor of the season. Oyster soup is traditionally served at the holidays, particularly on Christmas Eve. I’ve never really experienced this custom, but it’s the peak of the oyster season and I was able to pick up a couple jars of freshly shucked oysters in their liquor at the local market for cheap cheap! I’m too lazy to shuck them myself, plus they were going to be cooked anyway and doused in cream, so the pre-shucked ones were just fine.

Creamy Oyster Soup
Adapted from Alton Brown’s version
Instead of using all heavy cream I used half-and-half and thickened the soup slightly to give it a creamy texture without all the extra fat.

2 10-oz jars of fresh shucked oysters in their liquor
4 cups of half-and-half, or 2 cups heavy cream and 2 cups milk
3 tbsp butter, divided
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp sriracha, or other hot sauce
salt and pepper
2 heaping tbsp all-purpose flour
1 lemon
parsley or chives for garnish

1. Drain the liquor from the oysters and mix it with the half-and-half in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat in a large skillet. When melted, add the onion and celery, and sweat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are translucent. Add the drained oysters and sriracha, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about three minutes until cooked through (the edges of the oysters will become frilled when cooked).

3. Remove oysters and vegetables from heat and place in a blender with just enough half-and-half mixture to cover. Blend until smooth, being careful of hot liquid splashing.

4. Place skillet back on medium-low heat and melt remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and stir together to make a roux. Cook flour about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the hot half-and-half mixture. Cook, the mixture, stirring, until mixture thickens.

5. Stir together the thickened mixture back into the pot with the un-thickened half-and-half. Add the puréed oyster mixture from the blender. Stir together and simmer briefly until it all comes together. Taste for seasoning.

6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and stir a squeeze of lemon into soup before eating.

Here’s a soup that works for all seasons. Its flavor profile strikes me more as a spring-summer soup, served at room temperature or chilled, but it could also be a comforting reminder of spring served hot in the middle of winter. That’s the [...]]]>

Here’s a soup that works for all seasons. Its flavor profile strikes me more as a spring-summer soup, served at room temperature or chilled, but it could also be a comforting reminder of spring served hot in the middle of winter. That’s the beauty of frozen edamame – you can enjoy it around the year, though I think it’s particularly suitable for spring.

This edamame-arugula soup is light and nutritious, yet surprisingly hearty and filling. A shallow bowl of this could easily satisfy you for lunch – maybe with some crackers and cheese alongside.

I love edamame, simply boiled in their pods and salted, just like in many Japanese restaurants. Here, their nutty flavor is accentuated by the peppery freshness of just-picked arugula.

(By the way, have you ever tried growing your own arugula? We have some in windowboxes, and they grow like a weed. And their flavor is so much more intense than the store-bought version – nutty with a deep intense peppery flavor, grassy and slighty bitter – just delicious! A few leaves really pump up the flavor of a simple sandwich.)

If you serve this warm or at room temperature, use the recipe as it is. If you want to serve it chilled, you’ll want to add a bit of extra vegetable stock to thin it out after chilling it.

Edamame is incredibly good for you.  It is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals.  You get a good serving of the green soybeans in this soup, as well as guilt-free creaminess!  That’s right, there’s no cream or milk in this soup!  The soybeans themselves lend that rich creaminess to the dish.

Edamame Arugula Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups shelled edamame
1 cup packed arugula
4 cups vegetable stock
½ onion, chopped
salt

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot, then add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until translucent and slightly browned.

Add the edamame and 3 cups vegetable stock. Simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the arugula and stir in briefly until wilted.

Pour the soup into a blender and purée (or use an immersion blender to purée it in the pot). Pour it back into the pot and taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. If the soup is too thick, thin it out with the extra cup of vegetable stock until it is the desired consistency.

Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled (adding a bit more stock if needed).

It’s been raining and cool these last few days, making us long for something warm and cosy as we huddle together on the couch.  There has been a drought for the past month in Fujian province, so the government shot a bunch of weather missiles [...]]]>

It’s been raining and cool these last few days, making us long for something warm and cosy as we huddle together on the couch.  There has been a drought for the past month in Fujian province, so the government shot a bunch of weather missiles up into the air to induce rain.  Oh boy did it work.  Non-stop pouring for 2 ½ days.

So on one of these rainy days I peeked into the fridge and spied a head of broccoli and not much else.  Broccoli soup it was!  Not having a recipe handy, I just kind of improvised, and it turned out great!  I think I’ve converted Chris to soup drinking.  He liked the apple-butternut squash soup I made a month or two ago, and he even enjoyed a cauliflower soup I made recently.  Now he’s happily slurping down the green stuff too!  Whoo hoo!  Who says people don’t change?

What do you crave on a rainy day?

Have you noticed something in common in the past three posts?  Yes, we are severely in need of some more bowls.

By the way, have you checked out Chris’ food photography tutorial yet?  If you’re a beginner photographer, he’s got some great explanations (in layman’s terms!) of some photography basics.

Cumin-Spiced Broccoli Soup

The potato in this soup gives it creaminess, so no added milk or cream is necessary.  We did like it with a dollop of yogurt though.

1 large head broccoli
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups water
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or veggie)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
pinch of cumin
salt and pepper
plain yogurt (optional)

Cut broccoli into florets, and chop the stalk into small pieces (you may want to peel off the tough bits of the stalk).

In a soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until softened.  Add broccoli stalks and potato cubes and brown slightly.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add water, stock, and bay leaves.  Simmer until broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).  Add broccoli florets and simmer another 5 minutes or so until tender.

Remove the bay leaves.  Purée the soup in a blender in batches (or use an immersion blender to purée it in the pot).  Return to pot, stir in pinch of cumin, and adjust salt if needed.

Ladle into bowls and dollop with a bit of yogurt.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, or garlic toasts, or whatever sounds good to you.

It was with much chagrin that I realized yesterday morning that I had just three more tiny slices of plum cake left, and after those were gone, I was left jonesin’ for more tastes of late summer/autumn (even though in Xiamen, the weather [...]]]>

It was with much chagrin that I realized yesterday morning that I had just three more tiny slices of plum cake left, and after those were gone, I was left jonesin’ for more tastes of late summer/autumn (even though in Xiamen, the weather is still as hot as a Canadian summer).

Usually, fall in Toronto means going apple picking with all the aunties and uncles from church, apple cider, brisk weather and maybe a few hayrides, apple pies, and piles of dried leaves to jump in.  Last year we were in Toronto for our October wedding, so we were able to partake of the autumnal goodness (at least, the leaf pile-jumping part).  Alas – who knows when we will next be in Toronto in the fall?

So today, when I had half a Chinese pumpkin in the fridge (actually more similar to a butternut squash than a pumpkin), and a few apples, I thought I would try my hand at making soup.  It was so easy, and the natural sugars from the apple and squash made it a not-just-any-old-soup kind of soup.  Smooth and creamy, it was slightly sweet with a hint of autumnal spice (even though, strangely, I didn’t add any spices).  Even Chris, notorious soup-hater that he is, said it was the best soup he had ever had, and finished a WHOLE BOWL.  Will miracles never cease?

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced (preferably a tart one, but I only had Fuji apples, so that is what I used)
1L water
1 tablespoon MSG-free vegetable bouillon
1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper

In a stockpot on medium heat, heat the oil.  Throw in the onion and garlic, and cook a few minutes just till softened.  Add the butternut squash and apple slices; stir around a bit to brown slightly.

Add the water and turn the heat up to medium-high until water boils, then turn heat down to a simmer.  Add vegetable bouillon.  Simmer about 25 minutes, until squash and apple are soft.

Puree soup in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender (be careful when blending hot liquids and don’t fill the blender more than 2/3 in case it splashes).  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.  Serves 4.

Recipe Notes:  This soup is creamy enough that you don’t need to add anything, but I liked how it looked with a swirl of plain yogurt.  You could also experiment with adding a pinch of ground ginger, nutmeg, or other spice, though we thought it was nice just as it was.  Also, if you’re a better person than me, use 1L of homemade vegetable stock and omit the water and vegetable bouillon.