Red Lentil Soup

Wha’Soup?

In winter I cook a lot of soup. It’s a great way to mainline vegetables after the butter and fatty meat fest that was the holiday season. Also, soup is warm which, when we get rain like we have been, it’s very satisfying. Lastly, soup freezes well, so you can pull it out anytime you want a tasty lunch or an easy dinner.

I have a number of favorites that I make regularly. Minestrone is usually the first one I go to, followed quickly by my Butternut Squash Soup. Then there’s the bean soups. And what freezer would be complete without some Chicken Soup variant to stave off the winter flu? Matzo, Chicken Noodle, Chicken and Rice…

The easiest soups are the ones that you simmer for a while and blend smooth with a stick blender. Potato Leek is great, or even better, Baked Potato (Yum!). My favorites tend to be anything with some spice to it. If fresh chilies or cayenne pepper have my lips burning (for some reason other than the temperature of the soup) I am happy.

I found this one in the January Issue of Food & Wine a few years ago, and it’s a keeper. I made a few changes to suit my tastes, and encourage you to give it a try this week to help keep warm.

Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine Read more…

Caviar with Blini

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams

New Year’s Eve brings Caviar to my mind. I am not alone in this. There is a glitz and glamour factor that just screams for something high-end and decadent. Search any cooking website for New Year’s Eve dishes, and you will inevitably be shown a caviar tidbit.

This year caviar is even more popular—or maybe we are just more comfortable spending the extra money. I’ve seen it everywhere, and we have been selling more here at the store. Also, there are more varieties of caviar available, including caviar substitutes like vegan caviar made from seaweed. And then there is snail caviar. (Um, no. Just…no.)

The culture around serving caviar makes the intense wine enthusiast look normal by comparison. Special plates, special spoons, temperature controls. The process is, well, fussy but sort of cool in a I just want to be James Bond for one night kind of way. It is also necessary. Improper serving can make even the best caviar not taste very good.

To be honest, It took me a number of tries to actually like caviar. Sure, I faked it a few times ’cause I wanted to hang with the cool foodie kids. But then I got a taste of The Good Stuff and knew what the hubbub was about. The Good Stuff isn’t fishy, and it pops in your mouth, and a little goes a long way—which is a good thing because it isn’t cheap.

I suggest if you are going to shell out the money for some good caviar, (and you should even just once) serve it simply. Toast points or more traditional Blini topped with caviar and sour cream or crème fraiche is the way to go. For a caviar dip or caviar pie, you are better off using the less expensive product.

No matter which way you go, if you take the plunge, feel free to stop by our Wine and Spirits counter and ask for help. Dennis and Chris can help you make the right buying decision…

Caviar with Blini
Adapted from Saveur
Makes 40 Blini Read more…

Bar Nuts

Talkin’ Turkey
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving, honestly, is that I don’t have to make it. I am fortunate that my mother-in-law is more than willing to prepare the Thanksgiving feast, and I only need to show up. It’s not that I wouldn’t cook, if given the opportunity. Of course I would. It’s just that by the time Thursday comes around I’m a non-functioning, drooling fool.

To be fair, we are all busy at the holidays—but until you have spent the three days before Thanksgiving working at a grocery store, you haven’t experienced my kind of busy.

The hardest thing about Thanksgiving is the wait. We usually eat around 2 or 3 in the afternoon…there’s the dilemma. Do you have a big breakfast to hold you until the main event? Or do you have a light breakfast and hope for snacks? I’ve tried both ways, and I have yet to find the best answer. Too big a breakfast means less room for turkey and gravy goodness. If you eat a light breakfast, and hope for snacks, the potential for wanting to gnaw your arm at about 12:30 is high.

This year, I will be arriving later than normal, so I’m going the small breakfast and snack route. I plan on making these just in case. Always good to be prepared…

Bar Nuts
Adapted from Union Square Cafe via Food 52’s Genius Recipes
Makes approximately 5 cups Read more…

Senate Bean Soup and Gam’s Navy Bean Soup

Cool Beans
Anyone who has known me for more than twenty minutes knows that I am into cooking. Those brave souls who stick around longer, know that I really like cookbooks…I have a rather large collection. There is something about cookbooks (and books in general) that make me happy. I love the look of them, and to thumb through them. I even use them to decorate my kitchen—there’s nothing cooler than a kitchen library corner!).

Over the years, friends and family have given me all sorts of cookbooks—from hot, trendy ones to the antiques they found in grandma’s attic. I especially enjoy the older ones, because they give me a glimpse of life in a different place and time.

My Father in Law gave me The Congressional Cookbook. It was originally published in 1927, and belonged to his mother. The recipes are compiled from members of The Congressional Club, who themselves are comprised of the wives and daughters of the members of Congress and the Supreme Court. Basically, it is a Congressional Junior League Cookbook. It is fantastic not only for the recipes, but for the social suggestions that go along with them. I may not ever have to worry about the proper seating arrangements for the President and other heads of state but at least I will be prepared.

Included in the 800+ pages of The Congressional Cookbook is the recipe for Senate Bean Soup, which has been served every day in the Senate restaurant since it was introduced in the early 1900s. It is, simple but very satisfying, and one that my grandmother used to make—though Gam tweaked it a bit.

It’s great to have in your freezer for chilly fall nights, or for a tasty lunch when the rain finally comes. (Cross your fingers!) This is a lazy Sunday type recipe so if you find yourself with a free afternoon, give this a try.

I have listed the Senate recipe below as well as my Grandmother’s version.

Senate Bean Soup
From The Congressional Cookbook
Read more…