Spicy Carrot Soup

This fabulous spicy carrot soup is very similar to my pumpkin soup. I started by caramelizing a yellow onion (more time will make it sweeter, less time more savory). Then I scrubbed one pound of carrots and chopped them into rough 2-inch pieces. I steamed these until very soft.

I threw the carrots, a small amount of leftover cooking water, a can of coconut milk, lots of garam marsala and cumin, smaller amounts of ancho chili, smoked paprika, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and salt. Puree until smooth, luscious, and thick. To finish, I stirred in the onions. Of course, there are many directions to take this. Any Indian or Thai spices/curry mixes would be great. Another variation would be sage and rosemary with Gorgonzola or goat cheese crumbled on top. I paired this dish with one of Mom’s homemade stouts. Enjoy!

Cloudy & Chili

To go with our rather gray, cool day, I decided to make a stew similar to chili using some ingredients I had hanging around my frig. I started by browning chunks of spicy goose sausage (courtesy of my Dad). Then I added chopped green pepper, onion, and celery (leftover from my parent’s visit). Once the veggies were sautéed, I added one can each of: kidney beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes. To spice the chili, I grabbed a can of verde salsa from the frig that was basically empty. I added water, shook it up, and added the “instant stock”. I also added about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of taco sauce, leftover from our taco and margarita party. This was like adding tomato paste and spices all in one. A pinch of salt, pepper, and lots of cumin finished the dish. After about 10-15 minutes of simmering, the sausage chili was ready! I ate it over some crushed tortilla chips with a bottle of Mom’s homebrew. Enjoy!

 

roasted red pepper & chicken pizza

My latest pizza inspiration is probably the essence of pizza- it was simply made from what I had in the frig. The sauce was roasted bell peppers (various stages of green to red), pureed with basil, oregano, roasted garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and enough water to make it go. After saucing the pizza, I added chicken chunks (leftovers), Gorgonzola, and Parmesan. I wanted fresh goat cheese instead of Gorgonzola, but that’s what was available, and I wasn’t driving way out of my way for one ingredient. The other twist on this pizza was a thin crust, rather than my usual thick crust. Same recipe, just divided into four sections (not two) and rolled thin with a rolling pin.

Enjoy!

I was aiming for pink

My creation style is a bit slap dash. Freestyle fashion is fearless. Try something, if it doesn’t work, try something else.  I applied my usual methods to a new pasta dish for “Picnic in the Park”, an annual event here in Savannah.

This year’s theme was Pinknic in the Park in honor of breast cancer awareness. A friend made pink cupcakes. I brought pink prosecco and tortellini in red pepper cream sauce. I was aiming for a pink sauce. Rather than go the obvious route, pink vodka sauce, I decided on red peppers.

I roasted 6 small red peppers and 3 small chilies. Then I whirred them up in the blender with a few ounces of goat cheese, fresh basil, a half of a small tomato, a dash of heavy cream, sea salt, and pepper. Similar taste-wise to pesto, the sauce had the texture of mousse. I tossed the sauce with cheese tortellini and capers. Fabulous! The only down side- the sauce is orange not pink.

The next day I pepped up the leftovers with more capers, fresh basil, and some halved cherry tomatoes. Next time around (and there will definitely be a second time) I will use fresh linguine, rather than tortellini. This sauce deserves to be the center of attention.