Click on a recipe below and please note, I never use refined flour of any kind, including white flour or rice noodles and corn starch, except the french bread croutons in the Italian fish soup:
Vegetable Soup (and accompanying ridiculous narrative)
Black Lentils with Chocolate
Italian Seafood Soup
Coconut Curry Chicken
Lazy Man's Salad
Mushroom Cream sauce or NO CREAM White Wine sauce with pasta
VEGETABLE SOUP:
Ladies and gentlemen, eating vegetable soup gives lots of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and is plain delicious if done like below. It is also quite good for those looking to lose a bit of weight. The magic of this is the simplicity and completely nourishing aspect which gives the body a tingling sensation.
NOTE: the carrots, potatoes, turnip and parsnip should be more or less equal amounts which usually means using 2 carrots. Chopped big means one piece of vegetable per spoonful.
1 or 2 carrots chopped big
1 parsnip(same size as carrot is good) chopped big
1 turnip chopped big
1 potato chopped big--preferably a yukon gold or a couple red ones because they will not disintegrate.
1 roma tomato pureed or chopped finely
1/2 to 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and juiced or finely grated.
4 cloves of garlic crushed through a garlic press directly into the soup. No garlic juice is lost this way and it permeates the soup very well as opposed to chopping.
1 to 3 jalepeno peppers finely chopped (I use three)
one quarter of a cabbage shredded into quarter inch slivers but leave them as long as you like.
1/2 onion chopped big into 1/4 in slivers
lime wedges--
avocado sliced in half
Put everything in the pot except the lime and avocado and cover with water enough so the veggies have room to float a little bit. Then bring to boil and simmer at most 15 minutes or until the potatoes and parsnips are cooked through. Squeeze about half of a lime into a large bowl of soup and then with a spoon carve out slices of avocado on top of the soup--about half an avocado per large bowl. By large bowl I mean large. You should get atleast 4 or 5 large bowls out of this. BE SURE TO DRINK ALL THE BROTH .
More about vegetable soup: There is some elementary mathematics in determining volumes of the veggies. For instance, if the parsnip is twice as wide as the carrot, then the parsnip will have four times the volume and a turnip that is half the diameter of a potato is 1/8 the volume. The case of the turnip and potato may not be 1/8 because potatoes are usually not round, but the number is atleast 1/4. Remember, a fairly round turnip of radius 5cm will have a volume of about 500cc, yet a carrot that is 30 cm long with width of 4cm at the base and assuming a conical shape, has volume of 125cc. Assuming a cylinder shape would make it about 375cc.
Turnip is round and claims to always get ripped off in terms of not having the volume in the soup that the other three tuber veggies (parsnip, carrot and potato) have. However, turnip is really just a pity seeker because it is least favored, in general, while it contributes to the common good (the broth flavor) the most of all the four tuber veggies. Potato adds little flavor to the broth and since it is not cooked for long, little thickening either, but potato carries the other flavors well. A sort of prima donna potato is, indeed. Sure, everyone works hard to make potato taste great. Don't get me wrong, potato does what only potato can do, but it also hogs a lot of the accolades. In fact, the soup can fare pretty well without potato but cannot go on without turnip, the least sweet and most bitter as well as the least dense and therefore most watery. However, turnip is strong and takes to the water quite well.
Carrot is the color and cannot be denied. A showy character, carrot is used to dominating the attention, even though carrot, as does everyone else, cedes certain superiority to the diva, the starchy goodness of the potato. If there are rivals in the soup it is for certain between carrot and parsnip. Parsnip is quite secure in its greatness and does not actively pursue the spotlight, though credit is inevitably awarded it. Parsnip has more sweetness than a carrot with the hint of bitterness a turnip offers. Where parsnip fails is in the bulk department, where it is heavier than carrot and can be a bit drier and more tedious. Carrot is the perfect weight. Parsnip, however, can shine more than carrot can hope to achieve in that a good parsnip in season has all the elements of greatness. Carrot is reliable for a great show every night but seldom knocks 'em dead like parsnip can.
Now on to the work crew of the soup, the seasonings which include things that are neither tubers, nor fruits. These include garlic, onion, ginger and cabbage. Ginger did not start out as a crew member but due its being such good friends with garlic, landed a permanent job after its first try-out. The good health and tang of ginger only enhances the other crew members while impeding only on his good friend, garlic's, turf. Actually, though garlic and ginger are pretty much one unit, they sometimes long to be the sole ass- kicking crew member. Both garlic and ginger know they are responsible for the tremendous effervescence of the soup. Onion is certainly the most marginalized member of the crew as he does his job quietly and perfectly. Certainly a favorite for its sweetness, onion is an element the crew would sorely miss, even though they could cover the soup without it. Cabbage, however, is an essential for the soup because it is the only leafy green member and therefore provides unique health benefits.
The final ingredients are the dieties of the soup, the fruits. These include avocado, tomato, jalapenos and lime. Tomato is the most minor diety yet governs the soup with its essential red color and slight thickness. Jalapeno is next up on the totem pole, providing the fire to clear out those pores and sinuses as well as stimulate those endorphins. Jalapeno also gives a juiciness to the soup. Lime juice gives the soup a tangy bite and greatly carries and balances the flavors, providing the lower world of show people and crew members with great magic to work with. At the top of the totem pole resides the great avocado, singularly fatty and rich among fruit and great lubrication for the intestines to pass the fiber. When finished eating all the chunks in the soup, including the avocado, the remaining broth, an absolute essential to drink, will have the bright green color from the avocado. All elements of the soup regard avocado as a universal binding element without which life would be bland.
They sell black lentils at Trader Joes but you may substitute black beans though they take a long time to cook if they are dried beans. You also need to soak dried beans over night but the black lentils need none of that because they cook in about 45 minutes.
Beef Stock or vegetable stock
Black lentils--one cup
4 or 5 plum tomatoes or Italian tomatoes-sliced 1 cm thick
a medium onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic, one of them crushed, the other chopped not too finely
1 tsp or less tarragon. Use a little more for fresh tarragon
Mexican style chocolate you can get in the ethnic foods aisle
salt to taste
crushed red chili pepper
Start boiling the lentils in the stock with the crushed garlic clove, tarrragon, and crushed chili pepper to taste. Generally I put enough water in the lentils so they can boil freely and therefore get cooked quickly. They will not cook well in muddy thick liquid. To reduce the water if necessary, I take off the lid and boil it away. Heat olive oil in pan and on high heat start frying the tomatoes until they get browned on both sides and cooked through. This way the tomatoes are not watery but dried and potent with a nice sweet taste from the carmelization process. Set them aside and then fry the onions and garlic on medium until the lentils are tender. The onions should be carmelized and browned but not black. Create a mash with the onions and tomatoes by mixing them together in the pan then add to the lentils which should not have too much liquid, rather a creamy texture, not watery. Then add a half inch piece of chocolate. If you want more chocolate taste melt a little more in there. As the final step, salt to taste. Serve over brown rice.
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COCONUT CURRY CHICKEN (One coconut should give enough liquid for 4 to 6):
a coconut
curry spices of your choice. For green curry, I use basil and green chilis. Allspice, Anise, Turmeric, Chili Powder, Cumin, Black Pepper, Cardamoms, cloves, nutmeg etc.
Chicken legs and or thighs
one or two chopped potatoes
1 med diced onion
4 cloves of garlic chopped pretty small (It will not be fried so you can chop it small or even crush it with garlic press
1 bell pepper cut into slivers
Break the coconut in half by striking it in a line around the middle with the back of a butcher knife. You will see it crack and then you can pry it in half. Discard the tiny amount of liquid inside or drink it. With a coconut shredder(the best are the wooden ones you sit on and shred the coconut into a bowl. It looks like a stool with a serrated edged spoon on the end. With both hands and in a smooth motion shred the half coconut into the bowl. Carelessnes can cause you to slip and cut yourself so don't fuck around. A whole coconut makes a lot of shredded coconut. Put the coconut in a strainer or collander and pour a little water over it. Then press the water through the coconut shreds into a bowl. Repeat this until you get a good pot of coconut milk. Put the spices, garlic and onion in the coconut milk, bring to boil then simmer. On high heat fry the chicken until it is browned and then add to the milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the potatoes and cook until they are cooked through. Then add the bell pepper and cook until the chicken is very tender, falling off the bone, and the potatoes have thickened the broth appropriately. Simmering the spices in the milk for an hour will bring out a lot of flavor before adding the chicken but this is optional.
20 or so roma tomatoes blanched and pureed. You may use canned. ( To blanche tomatoes boil them in water for about a minute and peel them)
a small can of anchovies
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 an onion minced
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
clams thoroughly washed(soak them in water and then scrub them)
mussels washed thoroughly
Swordfish-1/2 lb cut into cubes or shark perhaps
Shrimp peeled
Whatever other seafood you feel like is fine but flaky fish disintegrates in soup.
French bread cut into half inch slices
Chianti wine or the equivalent there of--merlot suffices but you do not want to go stronger with the wine--weaker will work. You may use a dry white wine as well.
Fresh basil and oregano or whatever italian spice you like: fresh marjoram, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme are great. Fennel is another good one for seafood. I would choose two or three seasonings max and use them. Marjoram is grassy flavored and with sweet basil is great. Thyme and oregano are buddies. Rosemary is strong so be careful.
Fry the can of anchovies in the pot with olive oil so the anchovies become a grey thick liquid. Fry the garlic and onion in there then pour a little wine and evaporate the alcohol by boiling for a minute or so. Then add the green pepper and sweat 'em a bit. Add the tomatoes, bring to boil and simmer for half an hour. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, fry the french bread slices in olive oil until browned on both sides and set aside. Then add shark and/or swordfish to the soup. Then add the seasonings, then the shrimp and shellfish. When the clams and mussels are fully opened they are done. If they don't open then they were dead before you cooked them which means they should not be eaten.
Place a slice of bread in each bowl and pour the soup over it.
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LAZY MAN'S SALAD (For 4 People)
Baby greens or greens of your choice with a little fresh dill and cilantro as in the Trader Joe's Herb Salad
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Lime or so
Soy Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Sesame Oi
1/2 to 3/4 inch cube of ginger
peeled
Coarse grain salt or kosher salt
Put the greens in a large bowl. In equal amounts, use lime juice or your hands to squeeze the lime juice, splash soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil over the top. Be conservative with the amount you put on for each liquid. Either use the finest grate to juice the ginger or better yet, dice the ginger and squeeze out the juice through a garlic press (that's what I do), over the salad. Spinkle pepper and salt to taste and thoroughly mix. If after thoroughly mixing, you have a pool of liquid in the bottom of the bowl, then you've added too much liquid.
Variants on this include adding cubed avocado, tomatoes and whatever else you think of. Another great variant is to use olive oil instead of sesame oil, leave out the ginger and spinkle parmesan cheese on top.
I am not a big fan of raw garlic but if you must...
MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE OR NOT WITH PASTA (For four people)
Dried Italian mushrooms or any dried mushroom(you can also use sliced fresh but dried are stronger)
Four fresh tomatoes cut width wise into 1/4 inch slices OR 6 Sundried Tomatoes soaked and then cut into strips
Fresh herbs or dried herbs of your choice (oregano, basil, thyme. If rosemary, chop it very very finely and use only a little bit) OR dried herbs of your choice but never use dried rosemary because it sucks
1/4 med onion minced
4 or 5 cloves of garlic chopped not too small
Heavy cream (you will only need three or so ounces)
Olive oil
A few ounces of chicken stock (optional)
Salt to taste
Fresh grated parmesan
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Paparadelle whole wheat pasta(the thick chow fun looking whole wheat pasta they sell at Trader Joe's is very good--usually whole wheat pasta is terrible but this one is great)
a couple of ounces of dry white wine
For dried mushrooms, cover and soak them in hot water for half hour and retain the juice for the sauce. Heat some olive oil in the pan and fry the tomatoes (if you used fresh ones) on both sides on med-high until browned. Set them aside and add more oil to the pan if necessary. On high heat, fry the garlic until golden brown. Any more than golden brown, like say brown or even light brown ruins the garlic and the whole sauce. Don't fuck up the garlic. Then add the herbs(if dried herbs), white wine and onion and boil it until the alcohol is evaporated along with most of the liquid. Then add the mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes (if you used fresh don't add them here) some mushroom juice and/or chicken stock, until you have the right amount of liquid for a sauce for four. Bring to a boil then turn it down and simmer covered on low so no liquid escapes for 15 minutes. Then add fresh herbs if you didn't use dried, then add your cream and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer until it thickens a bit. You don't want a watery sauce, of course. Serve over the pasta and then garnish with the fried tomatoes, parmesan and black pepper.
You can omit the cream from this recipe.