Carrot Soup with Dukkah Spice

It is light out until 6pm! I think the longer days, plus the occasions of snow melting (before more falls again) is giving me some excitement for spring. I really notice the increase in daylight - and even though I still go to bed around 9:30, I feel a little more ambitious in the evenings. You know, I work on my rug braiding or cook rather than just getting into bed shortly after I get home! Which, btw, I've been listening to lots of This American Life lately, and I have several faves, including one about relationships and Gottman's research about successful couples. It references how gay couples outshine their heterosexual counterparts in communication and positive relational skills. In his limited study, he says that the best straight couples are almost as good as the worst gay couples. What!? More research I say!

Anyway. I made a big pot of chicken bone broth over the last 30 hours or so (in the crock pot), only to realize when I got home that I am totally out of containers to freeze the stock in. I used to use cream containers, but now I don't drink cream, and my supply of old yogurt containers is also maxed out. I need to find a new stock container system. After ransacking the cupboards, I found a couple of things to use, and then just decided to make a batch of soup with the last quart. I also drank a mug full because I was sick last week and the healing properties of bone broth seemed like they would be helpful. Gut health, anti-inflammatory and tons of nutrients! I have some stockpiles of both chicken and venison broth in the freezer and I want to start being more intentional about eating it more often. Plus it is so delicious.

So I decided to make a carrot soup, except I actually made it with a combo of carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. This is the 2nd time I've made this soup and the first version of straight up carrots was equally good. Really, the best part of the soup is the dukkah spice. I've never heard of it before, but the original recipe comes from Bon Appetit, and an internet search finds that dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend of nuts and seeds. In this case pistachios, sesame seeds, fennel, cumin, and coriander. Yum. I actually did not have cumin or coriander seeds, so had to use powder, which turned out fine but I think the seeds would be even better. It makes a delicious topping for the otherwise very simple soup - giving it a flavor punch and also a nice crunchy texture. I loved the dukkah and it would also be great on chicken or fish or cauliflower mashed potatoes. Mmmm.

Carrot Soup with Dukkah Spice
2 pounds carrots, chopped into 1-2" pieces*
1 onion 
2 T ghee/lard/etc
1/2 cup unsalted, shelled raw natural pistachios 
2 T sesame seeds 
2 tsps coriander seeds 
2 tsps cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp fennel seeds 
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns 
1 tsp kosher salt plus more
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 quart chicken bone broth
*Or substitute sweet potatoes or winter squash for some of the carrots.

1. Toast pistachios in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and let cool. Add sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and peppercorns to same skillet. Toast, stirring often, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Transfer spices to plate with nuts and let cool. Transfer nut and spice mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to a food processor or a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind. *I ground mine up in a coffee mill, and it ground everything up pretty small. I think a rougher grind would be nice, but the coffee grinder seemed easiest. (This can be done ahead and stored in a container for a week or so.)
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Place the carrots and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with melted ghee/fat or olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast until the carrots are tender and just beginning to brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let the carrots cool slightly. 
3. Transfer the carrot mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the vegetable broth. Blend mixture until soup is very smooth, 1-2 minutes. (I had to do this in a few batches.) Pour the soup into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add water by 1/4-cupfuls to soup for a thinner consistency, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Divide hot soup among bowls. Spoon a dollop of coconut cream/milk into center of each. Sprinkle with dukkah. (I think sprinkle is an understatement, I sort of doused it!)

Carrot Cashew Soup

I have been on the hunt for a new soup recipe that will help me use some of the chicken stock I have been accumulating lately.  I stumbled upon this carrot cashew soup recipe today and decided to give it a try.  I am huge fan of cashews because they are so creamy when pureed and make a great dairy substitute.  The recipe author says she loved this soup so much that she wanted to drink it with a straw, and I have to agree.  I haven't had very many carrot soups, but this one is really good.

I had a hard time deciding how many carrots to use.  The recipe calls for 1 lb. but when I had them peeled it just didn't look like very many carrots, so I did 2 lbs.  It turned out to be a good choice because 1 1/2 cups of cashews is a lot and I needed more carrots and stock in order to off-set them.  If you want to use 1 lb. of carrots I would recommend doing only 3/4 cup of cashews.  I think this is a good way to go because I ended up making a huge batch of soup.  Although, I put a lot of it in the freezer and will be able to pop it out for heat ups, which is super awesome.

I found the recipe here.  The recipe includes roasting the carrots, onion, and garlic, which I think is one of the main secrets to the tastiness of the recipe (that and the cashews).  It took extra time and effort, but I think it was well worth it.

Finnish Salmon Soup

Through an order mishap, I had a spare serving of salmon from my online order at Coastal Seafoods, and not a lot of time to eat it in, what with already making oyster stew, gravlax, and lamb shanks in the coming days. So tonight I made a solo (plus) portion of this salmon soup. Because it is blizzarding, and I was already drinking Austrian mulled wine, so why not carry forth with more warm deliciousness?! 

This soup was really easy and perfect tonight - buttery broth, fresh dill, creamy potatoes and tender salmon - all while the wind howls and the snow falls, what is not to love? This soup is ready in about 30 minutes, and I made the fish broth as suggested, by boiling the salmon skin in water for 10 minutes. It totally works, though it is a pretty light broth. I thought I had some shrimp shells stashed in the freezer somewhere for just this sort of need, but I couldn't locate them if I do. If you have clam broth, or fish stock around, I think that would make things even tastier. But if not, this does the job.

The recipe is from a food blogger I had forgotten about; I made her nut and fruit paleo bread some years ago, and was thinking about making it again in recent days, which is what prompted me to revisit her blog and subsequently see this recipe. The only thing I did differently was to use onion instead of leeks, (I had no leek), and I had a red potato, not a russet. I am pasting her original recipe below. (It was easy to shrink to 1/3, though this would make excellent leftovers.)

Ingredients

• 1 lb skin-on salmon filet
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large leek, trimmed, sliced, and well rinsed
• 5 cups water (you can also use fish stock)
• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 cup (10g) fresh dill for garnish, finely chopped, divided
• 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp allspice, use more to taste
• salt and pepper to taste 

• Remove the skin from the salmon and cut into largish chunks. Remove any small pin bones and discard. Reserve the skin.
• Melt the butter in a soup pot and saute the leeks for 10 minutes, or until nice and soft.
• While the leeks are cooking, put 5 cups of water and the reserved fish skin in a saucepan and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Note: if you are using fish stock you can skip this step.
• Strain the broth and add to the pan with the leeks, along with the potatoes, carrots, and half of the fresh dill. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
• Add the salmon chunks to the soup along with the cream and allspice, and gently simmer on low heat until cooked through, just a few minutes. Add the remaining dill, and salt and pepper to taste.
   
  

Borscht

I've been making soup with my carrot and beet harvest to freeze for later consumption. This borscht turned out very tasty, especially with a little yogurt and kraut on top. Borscht is so easy and flexible! I should have made a double batch, but I wasn't thinking it through. I used this Ukranian recipe for inspiration, but you can really put in whatever you have. I opted to not use cabbage, but did have a bunch of beet greens that were really nice in there. I ate this soup for breakfast one morning with soft eggs and it was so warm and delicious. 

Serves 4-6

• 2 T butter
• 1 cup celery, diced (opt - I didn't have this so added a little more onion)
  
• 1 cup onions, diced
  
• 1 cup (or more) of cabbage or beet greens, chopped
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Bay leaf
  
• 6-8 cups bone broth (I used beef)
• 1 can (or equivilant) diced tomatoes 
• 3 medium to large sized peeled beets, half grated and half diced
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1 medium potato, turnip, or 2 sunchokes, diced
• 1/2 cup of fresh dill weed
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Sauté the onions and celery in a large soup pot with the butter until soft and translucent (also saute cabbage here if using).
  
• Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, and broth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and add the beets, carrots, and potato/turnip/sunchokes. Once soup is boiling again, reduce to medium heat and let simmer until beets and tubers are soft, 15-20 minutes. (Add beet greens about half way through the simmer time if using.)
  
• Remove soup from heat; stir in chopped fresh dill weed, salt and black pepper.
• Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and sauerkraut.
  

   

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

Carrots, carrots, and more carrots. I have this tendency to hoard my garden carrots over the summer, only to then not eat them at all because it snows and I never pull them up. Determined to actually consume their tastiness, I tried this recipe from the Seward Co-op. It involves roasting the carrots for a couple of hours, which made the kitchen smell amazing. The soup did not disappoint - I give it a 10!

2 lbs carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise (I only peeled some)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 T olive oil
6 cups veggie broth, preferably homemade (I used chicken broth)
1 c. cream
salt to taste
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
pinch of cayenne (adjust to taste)
To garnish: creme fraiche, handful chopped cilantro, 2 T toasted caraway seeds.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the carrots, garlic and ginger in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 4 T olive oil. Pour 2 c. broth into pan, cover tightly with foil and bake until the vegetables are very tender (about 2 hours).

When veggies are about done, heat the last 2 T oil in a large soup pot and add onions. Cook until translucent, then add the coriander and cumin. Cook over low heat for about 6 minutes to allow slices to bloom (I have no idea what this means). Add the roasted veggies with broth to the onion and spices along with last 4 c. broth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes (oops, i didn't simmer long enough).

Allow soup to cool, then puree until smooth, in blender or food processor or if you have one of those fancy burr whip hand blender things. Return soup to pot, adjust seasonings if needed, and add the cream. Serve each portion with creme fraiche (i didn't have any), sprinkled with cilantro and toasted caraway.

Ginger overload

About a week ago, I got some free cabbages from a friend (thanks, Butter Nut!) and thought I would make them into kimchi. I bought a crap ton of carrots, ginger, garlic and scallions in preparation and then ... nothing. For some reason, I couldn't get over the 12-hour soaking period required by the recipe I wanted to use. Thankfully, soon came a better cabbage-fermentation idea (what's up, kraut party people?) and life went on. Except I still had a crap ton of carrots, ginger, garlic and scallions. Enter: Mark Bittman and his wonderfully searchable cookbooks. All of these recipes come from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

1.) Carrot ginger orange soup

What you need:
1/1/2 lb carrots, sliced
2 T butter
1 t sweetener (sugar, maple, honey, etc)
6 C vegetable stock or water
1 T minced ginger
1 T grated orange zest
3/4 C orange juice
Cream, sour cream, yogurt, etc. (if you're into that sort of thing with your soup)

What you do
Put the carrots, orange juice, zest ginger, and sugar into a skillet/saucepan and bring to a biol on high. Cover, turn heat to medium low, and cook 5 more minutes. Uncover and raise the heat to boil off the liquid. Lower the heat again and continue to cook until carrots are tender. Add the stock and bring to a boil again. Simmer until the carrots are tender enough to smoosh with your choice of immersion blender or regular blender.

2.) Spicy cilantro ginger pesto


What you need
2 C cilantro leaves
salt
2 cloves garlic
3 T oil
1 T lime juice
1 T chopped ginger
1 jalapeno or other hot pepper to taste

What you do
Throw it all in a food processor and blend until tasty.

3.) Pickled ginger (because when you're unsure what to do with something you happen to have a lot of , why NOT make a pickle?)


What you need
enough ginger to fill your jar (For this recipe, I used a fist-sized piece for 1/2 pint)
1/4 C vinegar (the original recipe calls for rice, but I used cider to no ill effect)
1-2 T sugar
1/4 C water
1 T salt

What you do
Thinly slice the ginger and toss with salt. Let sit in a bowl for 1 hour. Rinse *thoroughly* and pack into your jar. Heat equal parts vinegar and water with sugar to taste. Let cool a bit and pour over ginger into jar. This is a refrigerator pickle, so stick it in the fridge.

Paleo Camping Food 2

My light-weight camping while paleo eating was a success! And some meals were definite wins that I will make again. In addition to meals, one thing I had not realized was just how much energy I would need for portaging/paddling, particularly because of eating paleo and lower carb. I figured out early that by eating more fruit/sugar than usual, the Boink Phenomenon (feeling a sudden loss of all muscle mass and motivation to continue) can be eliminated.  So I ate more dried fruit and sugar - including beverages like Emergen-C, sun tea with sugar, dates and figs - on travel days than I thought I would.

Below are the meal hits of the trip; they utilize products listed in my earlier post: Paleo Camping Food. All of these things are shelf-stable and lighter weight for backpacking/canoeing.

My fave meal of the trip was Fish Chowder. This used the heavy cream powder, 1 slice of bacon per person, dried onions, dried peppers, dried celery, and a small bit of potatoes or sweet potatoes, along with the fish du jour (which in my case was either small mouth bass or pike). A big spoonful of ghee was added in at the end. Oh my god! This fish chowder was pretty much to die for at the end of the day. The bacon adds a smoky flavor, and the cream and ghee made this so delicious.

The cereal looked like this, minus the prunes. Yum!

Breakfast on travel days was Carrot and Sweet potato cereal (with maybe a little jerky for the road).  Soak the dried carrots and sweet potatoes overnight in plenty of water (these veggies expand, so play around with amounts and err on the low side at first) in some kind of sealed container. In the morning, add nutmeg, cinnamon, and powdered cream and it is like a sweet breakfast cereal. Coconut flakes and nuts would also be amazing on here. (Incidentally, while looking for the photo to post, I found a recipe for Sweet potato, carrot, and dried fruit casserole that sounds incredible.)

No more flour than in this photo!

Fried fish was excellent with a very light coating of coconut flour: you need very little flour because it absorbs so much more than regular flour. I put on too much one time and it soaked up all the oil and didn't fry as well. So just toss a little bit (as in a Tablespoon for a decent size fish) in a bowl, add the fish fillets, and stir so they are all lightly dusted. Fry in coconut oil.


Of the dried veggies from Harmony House's variety pack, I recommend the cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and celery (for flavor), tomato powder (for chili), and mixed peppers. The broccoli and sliced mushrooms were also good. The peas and corn took way too long to cook and thus were basically inedible. The potatoes were fun in chowder because I usually don't eat them, but I found I liked the sweet potatoes better. The veggies hydrated pretty fast, and though they didn't taste like large bite-fulls, they did add bulk and flavor. They also take up a lot of space, even though you don't need many because they expand a lot. So if space is an issue, be choosy! My favorite stand alone veggie was the dried cabbage (cooked) with bacon.

Dried burger, aka hamburger gravel

The other win of the food supply was homemade jerky and homemade dried venison burger. Both were made by My Charming Companion, but I plan to participate in the jerky making next time around. I will share a how-to then, but really, the taste of homemade jerky is phenomenal, and the main technique is to marinate it in braggs and a little pepper, then cut the meat with the grain while it is half frozen. The dried burger is not difficult, you just need to get all of the fat out so that it is shelf stable (venison or really lean beef work best). There is a good link here with directions - and this stuff tastes exactly like regular burger and is really light weight. I mixed it with a variety of the aforementioned veggies, bacon (for smokiness), and ghee and spices to make chili or a vegetable/meat stew-y sort of thing.

A few other notes about other meals/food: the OvaEasy eggs were amazing, I give them a 10 and ended up eating them almost every day (if not for breakfast, for dinner). The coconut manna was also good, though I ate it more as a snack than I used it in soup. I would bring it again because it made really good curry (with a curry sauce pouch from local Asian grocery: United Noodles), which was a welcome change in flavors.