Souper Monday

One of my favorite foods, especially on these cold nights, is soup. Yesterday at the farmer's market I picked up some lovely red bell peppers, and cauliflower. Voila! The idea for a charred red pepper and cauliflower soup was born!

It was just as good as I had imagined. Topped with sour cream, and just a few drops of truffle oil, it was a comforting meal along with fresh baked rolls.

Ingredients:
3 large red bell peppers
1 medium head of cauliflower - broken into florets
3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
Vegetable / chicken broth
salt to taste

Process:

• Roast the bell peppers so the skin is charred pretty evenly. Put them in a container with a lid and set aside - this will help them sweat so the skin comes off more easily.
• Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add cauliflower, and mix well. 
• Let a light char develop on the cauliflower & garlic. Once charred, add about 2 cups of broth and cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to a simmer.
• In the meantime peel the peppers and remove the seeds. Grind the peppers in your blender, then add cooked cauliflower and blend thoroughly.
• Return the mix to the saucepan, add salt and bring to a boil.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with some sour cream, and/or a few drops of truffle oil.

 Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

My garden didn't do so well this year.  But that is for another day.  One of the few things I got in abundance is butternut squash.  I am not complaining though, such a wonderful vegetable to have in abundance! I gave a couple of them to my dad when he came to visit, but had otherwise yet to use any of it, until a day ago. 

I baked the smallest two squash in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees (or until it was soft to the touch). I fried some onions and garlic and put the squash, onions, and garlic into the blender together.  Here's where my favorite part comes in...I had made some stock from our smoked turkey that I have been dying to try out!  I filled the blender with enough stock to make a nice liquid soup.  To finish it off I melted a whole package of cream cheese into the soup and we served it for dinner with mini sliders.

It was awesome!!!

Smoked Turkey

In our house for thanksgiving this year, we wanted to do something new.  I had given Anupam a smoker last year for the Holidays, and he has never passed up an opportunity to use it.  We even smoked ribs for one of our QT dinners...  So, it was clear to us from very early one, that this year's bird would be smoked.

We also tend to be thoughtful in where we source our birds from.  I like to know that our dinner lived a nice and happy life, was fed healthy foods, doesn't have to travel far to our table and Anupam likes to know that it will be tasty.  We order our Thanksgiving turkeys from Marin Sun Farms, and weren't let down.  A very tasty bird indeed!

Smoked turkey needs very little prep work.  He seasoned her with herbs de Provencial and salt.  Fired up the smoker.

The hardest part was making sure she got into the smoker in enough time and then monitoring the temperature so it didn't drop too low or go up too high.  Once the internal temperature reaches safe levels, then she'd done.

We had a wonderful small dinner party with family and friends.  It's easy to see why Thanksgiving is by far my most favorite holiday.  But then again, I never really need an excuse for eating good food!

PS.  I saved the bones and made the most wonderful smoked turkey stock!  Tonight we'll be having butternut pumpkin squash soup for dinner, cut with smoked turkey stock and served with grass fed sliders.

"Indian" Chinese

Having recently returned from India, I was reminded of one of my absolute favorite foods. Well, its almost a cuisine really. Indian Chinese or desi Chinese, is the a fusion of Chinese ingredients and Indian flavors developed in Kolkata. Sure there are noodle dishes, soy flavored dishes, and sauces thickened with cornstarch, but the flavor profile is all its own.

A few of my personal favorites are sweet corn soup, chicken lollipop, Hakka noodles, gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, paneer chili, and American chopsuey. Got your attention yet?

Indian Chinese was one of the earliest international cuisines available dating back about a 100 years, and eaten by the masses in India. It has gained so much popularity that you will even see a few of these dishes on the menu of the smallest restaurants. More recently there have been restaurants in the Bay Area that claim to have desi Chinese food, but in my humble opinion, they are not even close to the real thing!

So, I do what any self respecting home cook does, I make these dishes at home! Here is the recipe for Cauliflower (gobi) Manchurian. This dish can be served either dry, or in a sauce. The dry version is often served as an appetizer.

Gobi Manchurian:

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
2⁄3 cup cornstarch
2⁄3 cup flour

1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced into coins, + 1 teaspoon ginger, julienned
1 tsp. chili powder or cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

10 to 12 cloves garlic

3-4 tbsp. soy sauce
Oil for frying
2 small onions, chopped
2 fresh chilis, thinly sliced
3/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:
In a blender, purée garlic, ginger slices, and 1⁄3 cup water. Set aside.

In a a pot of salted water, cook cauliflower until tender, about 5 to minutes. Drain, pat dry with a clean towel, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir in half the garlic paste, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, and 3⁄4 cup water to form a batter.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dip cauliflower in batter, then fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer fritters with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté onions until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add chilis and remaining garlic paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ketchup, remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1⁄3 cup water; simmer until sauce is thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return drained cauliflower to the wok and toss to coat. Transfer to serving plate(s), garnish with julienned ginger and cilantro.

Serve as an appetizer or with rice as a main entree. Enjoy!