"In the bleak mid-winter, long time ago"...... so goes an English Carol..We are getting an arctic blast over the weekend.
The temperatures are going to be a chilly low 50's day time and high 30's night time.
I say this every winter but I am sure it's true, I don't remember it so cold in Los Angeles.
Even the rain doesn't warm things up, as we are used to the rain coming up from Mexico..aka "The Pineapple Express"; and we are going to have snow on low ground, down to 2400ft.
Just as well I am making "hearty winter blasting" soups for the menu tomorrow:
Old fashioned split pea soup..with additions of bay leaf, potato, celery, smoked paprika and carrots and onions ( this may also be finished with fresh mint, or fresh dill, or even a tsp of prepared Dijon mustard).
Old fashioned lentil soup ..hearty stock with hints of cumin and bay..a nice savory winter warmer.
A newly created carrot and orange..with carrots, white wine, celery, onion, apple, orange zest..deliciously sweet and tasty soup..finished with coconut milk, honey and ground cinnamon.
These soups would go so well with some of the bread recipes in yesterday's blog.
The Entree everyone has chosen is roasted vegetables with pasta and a tomato sauce.
This is a fabulous dish...the client's cook the pasta at home;
roasted yams, carrots, onions, zucchini, beets, eggplant, oregano with the addition of a balsamic glaze, served with a basil-tomato sauce.
This is such a full flavored dish it does not require any meat or cheese adding, you may use what ever vegetables you have available locally.
Because the beets are so dense I par-boil them in their skins, then cut into sections and marinate overnight in olive oil & herbs ( as I do all the other vegetables in separate containers)
Parsnips and Beets take longer than Carrots
Onions, zucchini, eggplants, and butternut squash take the least amount of time, tomatoes take just 10 minutes. It is best to cook the vegetables in stages to ensure everything is cooked properly before serving.
(Look for good balsamic vinegars..Sur La Table are found around California and have great selections, see link on the bottom of this blog.
Also don't buy olive oil in bulk if you don't plan to use it as it does not keep well in hot climes.)
A side dish of sauteed broccoli with fresh tomatoes, this is a great dish, the broccoli becomes sweet against the acidic flavor of winter tomatoes. I add sesame seeds for extra taste & texture.
Desserts/Breads: Corn muffins..mini-buttery corn breads, slightly sweeter too because of addition of pure Maple syrup
Cranberry-toffee oatmeal cookies
No sprouts or rejuvelak this week as my "special diet" clients are away
The prep. so far:
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| The thick, split green pea simmering |
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| The lentil soup simmering, the scum, that rises on the surface of soups, does contain herbs,spices and oil, so stir the soup well and skim just before packing |
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| The skimmed and packed lentil soup |
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| The completed carrot-apple-orange soup |
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| Side view of the split pea soup |
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| The carrot-orange-apple soup simmering |
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| side view of the lentil soup |
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| Previous 2 the completed carrot-orange-apple soup www.surlatable.com |
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