Soup weather

The seasons here in San Diego are nowhere near as dramatic as they are in other parts of the country. There are no leaves changing colours (or very few anyway), no cornstalks drying in the fields, no flocks of geese flying south. Even so, it's definitely fall: soup weather is here.

I've tried a couple of new soups recently. The first, 44-clove garlic soup, will probably not make it into the rotation often. It's delicious, and a soup that Derrick's been raving about since I made it (and eating and eating--I only got about half a bowl). Unfortunately, it makes Derrick smell like garlic. I felt like I was kissing a loaf of garlic bread this morning, and that's an improvement over the stench the day he finished the soup--two days ago! The morning after he finished the soup he trailed a cloud of garlic stench through every room of the house. I had to leave the windows and doors open for half an hour after he left to let the smell dissipate.

Tonight I made Hasa al hummus, a Moroccan soup that I probably will make again, though probably with some alterations. I didn't quite follow the recipe tonight--I pretty much halved everything except the paprika (and substituted the ground red pepper we have around here--molido, I think?), substituted chicken stock for the water and omitted the salt, and used lime instead of lemon. Oh, and I tossed in a carrot. The verdict? I liked it, though Derrick would have been happier with chicken instead of chickpeas. To be fair, he pretty much never likes chickpeas unless they're ground. Anyway, here's the recipe as I did it (for future reference).

5 c water
1 c cooked chickpeas
1 T vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 tomato, diced (didn't bother peeling)
2 carrots, chopped in 1 cm circles
2-ish T chopped cilantro
2-ish T chopped parsley
4 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp chili molido or paprika (or some ground sweet red pepper)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Juice of 1 lime
Black pepper

1--Boil chickpeas in water in a large pot. Add tomatoes, carrots, bullion, paprika, and turmeric.

2--heat oil in frying pan and fry onions until browned. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds. Add onions, cilantro, and parsley to soup.

3--Boil for 20 minutes or so, or until carrots and chickpeas are soft (if they aren't already). Add lime juice and serve with black pepper.

Accidental cajun

Last Wednesday I made a pot of beans for a Mexican dinner at a friend's house. Then I realized there was a seminar that evening I wanted to attend, so I skipped the dinner and since then have had a pot of beans sitting in my fridge. After doing some research, I decided to make a simple dish of chorizo and beans, but when I went to get chorizo at Target, I couldn't find any--all I could find was Cajun sausage. So that was what I got.

And you know, maybe it's because my simple pot of beans turned into sort of a stone soup rice and beans, but dinner was pretty good. In case I ever want to repeat this particular dish, I'm putting down the recipe:

1 lb dry beans (I used navy--I suspect any red or white bean would be fine)
1 large onion
1 chipotle pepper, dry
1 dried ancho or other pepper

Dice onion and fry in a couple of tablespoons lard or bacon grease until browned. Add beans and enough water to cover to 1 inch. On hot skillet, dry roast peppers for about 30 seconds. Seed and stem and add to beans. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 hours, or until beans are fully cooked. Store for several days (optional).

2 to 3 tsp chicken bouillon
1 lb Cajun sausage
1 diced sweet pepper (I used red--it was on sale)
1 diced tomato
1/2 can tomato paste
about 1 c uncooked rice
about 1 tsp oregano
about 1/2 tsp thyme
about 2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch collard greens, roughly chopped

Add bouillon to beans (this can be done before storing them in the fridge, if you're that on top of things). Remove peppers and either puree or discard. Fry sausage and add to the beans. Fry sweet pepper in same pan for just a couple of minutes, scraping up as much of the fond as possible. Add sweet pepper to beans, along with tomato, tomato paste, and spices. Make sure there's plenty of broth (you'll need at least 3 c of broth for rice to cook completely) and add rice. Simmer until rice is done. Add collard greens and serve immediately. Would be awesome with cornbread and tobasco.

Space Cowboy

I've been meaning to post this for a while. A while ago I made the most awesome peach cobbler from semi-ripe, uninspiring peaches. Imagine how much better it is now, with ripe, in-season peaches. The recipe is adapted from one in the most awesome cooking magazine in the world. Without further ado, here is my version of their recipe.

Peach Cobbler

Filling:
3 1/2 lb ripe but firm peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 6 1/2 c)
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp corn starch
3-5 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
pinch cloves

Topping:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 c Quaker Oats
1/2 - 1 c nuts, or to taste (Cook's Illustrated suggests almonds; I used pecans)

Directions:
1--Pour 1/3 c granulated sugar over sliced peaches in a bowl and gently toss. Let sit, allowing peaches to macerate, for 30 minutes. Drain peaches in colander over a large bowl. Combine 1/4 c of the drained peach juice, corn starch, lemon juice, and spices. Toss peaches with juice mixture and pour into 8 inch square baking dish (or 9 inch pie pan).

2--While peaches are macerating, combine butter, flour, and sugars in a food processor or mixer. Combine mixture, drizzling vanilla over the top as it is mixing. Add oats and nuts and mix until crumbly, but not sandy. Pour mixture onto baking sheet (lining with parchment will reduce clean-up and ease later transfer) and spread into 1/2 inch chunks. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm.

3--Slide topping over peaches and spread into even layer (parchment paper makes this process much easier). Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar, if desired. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, or until topping is well-browned and fruit is bubbling. Cool at least 15 minutes and serve. Would be excellent with vanilla ice cream.